80+ year old Playboy magazine mogul Hugh Hefner, flanked by his new twin girlfriends Karissa and Kristina Shannon, made an in-store appearance with author Steven Watts at Book Soup here in LA last night to promote and sign copies of the new book Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream. Looks like homie ain’t wasting no time introducing the world to his new “lady loves” since it was revealed earlier this month that Hef had broken up with former girlfriend Holly Madison (and, most likely, Kendra Wilkinson and Bridget Marquardt). Here are a few pics from last night’s in-store appearance and a bit of information about the book:

“Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream” (Wiley, 544 pages, $29.95), by Steven Watts: In 1953, Hugh Hefner was a young man in Chicago with an unimpressive resume and big plans. He would start a men’s magazine geared toward young urbanites such as himself with lifestyle tips and racy pictures. He would call it “Stag Party.” A legal snag forced a last-minute name change to “Playboy,” but Hefner stayed true to the idea. The magazine quickly became a huge success and gave new meanings to the words playmate, bunny and centerfold. Hefner — with his pipe, his pajamas and a girl on each arm — became a symbol of the sexual revolution. But a symbol of what? Hefner is either the swingingest hep cat, a pornographer, a sexual liberator or a lecher, depending on the observer. Watts aims to give a full account of the man, his magazine and their place in social history. Hefner cooperated, giving the author access to everything from his personal scrapbooks to a 1972 memo from a Playboy administrative assistant on the Rolling Stones’ four-day romp at the old Chicago Playboy mansion (they left behind burned towels and clogged pipes; it’s unclear why). Watts presents Hefner’s life as a sort of X-rated Horatio Alger story. A boy growing up in the Midwest falls in love with the fantasy world of movies. As a young striver, he creates his own fantasy world with Playboy. Then he moves into the world he created, leaving a wife and kids for the swinging life. Watts argues that Playboy is more than a girlie magazine: It “comprised a historical force of significant proportions.” It’s arguable whether Hefner mostly made waves or rode them. But it’s clear that Hefner took seriously his role in offering a philosophy to counteract Puritanism. When Hefner calls himself a missionary, he’s not punning. Along with the naked women, Playboy early on featured the likes of Dave Brubeck on jazz, Evelyn Waugh on abstract expressionism and an interview with philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre … Oh, and Hefner really, really likes sex. Women come and go from his round bed like the sheets were made of Flubber. It just never stops. Even into his old age, the Viagra-fueled magnate stays on the prowl. Watts reveals that Hefner narrowly avoided an ironical death when he almost choked on a partner’s sex toy. A quick-thinking Playmate saved him with a chest compression.

… Annnnd, I think that’s enough info, thank you very much. The Playboy empire is a fascinating one and the man behind the Bunnies is just as fascinating. But when you see him now, as an 80+ year old man, clinging to 20-year old buxom beauties who wouldn’t touch him with a 10-foot pole if he didn’t have fame and wealth, well it’s just not as impressive as it may have been at one time. Don’t get me wrong, the man deserves props for living his life to the fullest and enjoying the zest of life for as long as he can. But sometimes, like with the introduction of these new twin sister girlfriends, I think Hef looks more foolish than pimpish. For his sake, I hope that the Shannon twins are schooled in CPR … you know, in case another one of those “choking on a sex toy” or worse incidents happen again.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

Prince was on hand at the Gansvoort Hotel in the Meat Packing District of NYC last night to play a celebratory concert for the release of his new coffee table book of photography/poetry/music/lyrics titled 21 Nights. 21 Nights features photography work by Randee St. Nicholas of Prince from his twenty one night residency at the O2 Arena in London, England last year. The book was released in bookstores last Tuesday (I already have my copy) and comes with an audio CD titled Indigo Nights/Live Sessions. Here are a few pics from Prince‘s performance last night:

Prince is always lookin’ for a reason to get his jam on and last night was no exception. I’ve been very fortunate to see the man in action at one of these scaled down, more intimate gigs and let me tell you, he turns the mother out. Now, about this book … I must confess that I am a bit disappointed with the photographic theme of the book. Some of the photos are amazing … but there are far too few of them. Some of the pics are of hotel hallways and empty Metro stations. I get that St. Nicholas is trying to tell a story with these photos (isolation, loneliness, etc.) but I was really hopin’ there’d be nothing but Prince within in the pages of this book. The CD is hot. It’s almost worth the price of the book itself. Die hard Prince fans (and completists) will not want to miss picking up this book. I don’t think, tho, that casual fans will be happy with it. I suggest you head on down to your local Barnes and Noble to look at the book before you buy it. I’m happy with my copy and am anxious to see the man live, in concert again.

[Photo credit: Wireimage]

Last night I was very fortunate enough to attend Neil Gaiman‘s sole SoCal stop on his new book tour for his latest work The Graveyard Book. As I mentioned before, Gaiman is touring the country reading chapters from his new book in lieu of his traditional book signing tours — the readings are then posted online HERE so that everyone can enjoy them. It turns out that Neil suffered a broken finger and cannot endure his usual 5-hour booksigning regimen but this book reading tour is, IMHO, vastly more entertaining. There was a nice crowd of folks already in line when I showed up at Lincoln Middle School in Santa Monica, CA (where last night’s reading took place). In addition to hearing Neil read from his new book, we were also treated to preview video footage from the animated version of his book Coraline, that will be released in theaters next February. It was directed by Henry Selick, the same man who directed Tim Burton‘s The Nightmare Before Christmas and features the voices of Dakota Fanning and Teri Hatcher. We were also treated to a Q&A and a special reading of his soon-to-be released picturebook Blueberry Girl (illustrated by Charles Vess), which features the prayer/poem that Neil wrote for Tori Amos‘s unborn daughter back in 2000. Here are a few pics from last night’s reading and a bunch of great info from the event:

Before the reading, Neil‘s book publicist Elise brought me backstage to say hello to Neil before he was to take the stage. Randomly Emmy Rossum was with him backstage helping him sort thru audience questions for the Q&A portion of the night. I got to hang out with them both for about 15 minutes … it was then that Neil allowed me to see, hold and read (for the first time) the Blueberry Girl picturebook which hasn’t been published yet — he had with him the unbound galley version of the book. Neil read half of Chapter 7 of The Graveyard Book (because it is the longest chapter in the book it had to be spilt between two readings) and it can already be seen online HERE. After the jump, read about some of the questions he answered from the audience, check out the cover artwork for Blueberry Girl (which Neil allowed me to photograph for sharing) and watch video of Neil reading the Blueberry Girl poem himself …

Pink reader Fanny gave me the head’s up that one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman, has embarked on a 9-city book tour where he is reading one full chapter of his new kids book The Graveyard Book in each city. Each in-person reading is being videoed for posting online so that everyone can get in on the fun:

From Neil‘s official website: Watch Neil Gaiman read The Graveyard Book on a 9-city video tour. At each stop on the tour, Neil will read one chapter from The Graveyard Book. Beginning on October 1st, we will post the video readings daily. By the end of the tour, on October 9th, you will be able to watch the master storyteller himself read The Graveyard Book in its entirety right HERE.

Already, you can watch Neil reading chapters 1-4 online NOW. I gotta say, Neil Gaiman rules the world. Not only is he a master writer and storyteller but his ability to connect with his fans is unsurpassed. This is absolutely a wonderful way for everyone unable to see him on this brief tour to partake of the fun. I understand that Neil, at his Seattle, WA stop last night, also read aloud his poem Blueberry Girl which was written for the birth of Tori Amos‘s daughter Natashya Lórien (who was born on September 5, 2000). Tori fans know that Neil wrote this poem/prayer for her unborn daughter and it has never been released to the public (tho, it’s been reported that it will eventually be available for sale to raise funds for the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). I would DIE if I ever got to hear Neil read that poem aloud. I am planning on attending Neil‘s LA stop on this book tour on Monday night, so mebbe I’ll run into any of you Gaiman fans who are able to make it out for the event. I’ve yet to pick up my copy of The Graveyard Book because I’m waiting to purchase my copy at the upcoming book reading. Those of you who are unfamiliar with Gaiman‘s work should really seek him out … he’s really one of my fave contemporary authors. If you’re lookin’ for suggestions, shoot me an email ;)

[Source, thanks Fanny]

Yesterday was a pretty fun day … as much as I’m in the mood to do as little as possible for as long as I can, I ended up venturing out yesterday to do a couple of very cool things. First, I made my way out to Book Soup on Sunset Blvd. to attend an in-store book reading/singing by Juliana Hatfield who is promoting her new memoir When I Grow Up. Juliana read an excerpt, then performed a song and then read and then performed back and forth for about an hour. Then she took some questions and signed some books. She was in fine form … here are a few pics from the book signing:

It was a really great event … I loved that she was so open about her writing and was so willing to share even more of her than she does with just her music. I got her to sign my book and we chatted a bit about how I personally attended two of the concerts that she wrote about in her book. She also posed for a very pretty Polaroid photo for my collection … all in all, it was a great night. Book Soup, I must add, is a kickass bookstore. The staff are so knowledgeable and friendly … I ended up picking up a few books while I was there. If you’re in LA and you’ve never been there, you should check it out … it’s a great space.

After the book signing, I met up with Darion at Century City to see Eagle Eye:

While I didn’t really love the film, I can’t say that I hated it either. It was great up until the end … when you realize what is going on, then the whole things starts to fall apart. It’s action-packed and exciting … so we had fun but it’s nothing spectacular. Think War Games for the new generation … which makes me wonder if all of Shia LaBeof‘s movies have to be remakes (ie. Disturbia was basically a remake of Rear Window). While I had a good time, it’s not a movie I need to see again. If you suspend all belief, I think y’all might enjoy it. At the very least, it provides a fun thrill ride. I must warn you, watch out for Billy Bob Thornton‘s teeth … they are ginormous and wholly distracting. If you see the film, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

So yeah … it was fun hangin out with Darion last night:

We tend to have fun when we hang out. Tonight, I’m meeting up with D and Kirsten for a reunion dinner of sorts … you know we’re going to Chili’s to help raise funds for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital so … should be fun.

Yesterday was a pretty chill day … well, fairly chill for as hot and humid as it was. David and I made our way to the Whitney Museum for the last day of their Polaroids: Mapplethorpe exhibit:

Because I’ve been in a very Polaroid way lately, I wanted to see this exhibit to see if I could glean any inspiration from Mapplethorpe‘s photos. Of course, my focus isn’t quite as risque as his focus was but I did get a great feel for framing. It was deffo worth the trip, we had fun. On our way home we took a detour thru Central Park … it was a nice afternoon.

The rest of the day was very quiet. Because the weather was very humid and stifling we decided to stay in for the rest of the day. I was able to finally finish Book 4 of the Twilight series Breaking Dawn. Be warned, I will be talking about plot developments and major storyline details below so you might want to skip this post if you’ve yet to read the book:

Okay … let me preface by saying that generally I liked the book overall and generally I enjoyed the book series as well. Breaking Dawn, tho, felt really wrong for huge portions of the book. I really hated the beginning. It didn’t read like the other books, it took such a different turn that I was really put off from the very start. The careful way that the author tried to talk about the vampire sex (without getting graphic so as not to offend young readers, well, their parents actually) was just … dumb. I will admit that reading it felt like a fumbling teenager trying to figure sex out for the first time … if this was the author’s intent, then well done. Reading it tho felt … fumbly, dumb. The portion of the book told from Jacob‘s point of view was outright stupid. I’m sorry Twilighters, don’t hate me please, but the Jacob POV was so out of place … it felt forced and really, really disjointed. The rambling titles of the his chapters (meant to further convey it was his voice) just killed me … sooo dumb. An entire book from Jacob‘s point of view would work better, I think … sticking portions from his POV in this book felt wrong. It pains me to say this because I am totally on Team Jacob. I must admit, I was rooting for him to win in the end … but, alas, I should’ve known that Bella could only end up with her tortured Edward.

Now for the good part … once the Jacob portion was finished, the book felt right again. The author got back on track and the rest of the book fit in with the series. I loved the ending — it felt very X-Men to me. I wasn’t too happy that there are other vampire/human hybrids out there (I kinda wanted Nessie to be unique) but their existence served a key plot purpose. In the end, I really wanted the warring to happen. I was hoping the Cullens would unseat the Volturi as the major vampire power base in the world but … no, it didn’t work out that way. I did appreciate that there was a Happily Ever After type ending … I was satisfied.

So … overall, I did like the books. They were entertaining, they told a great story and I’m glad I read them. Breaking Dawn, even tho I felt it had its problems, was a good way to end the saga. I will read the Midnight Dawn chapters that are out there … but later.

Tonight, wee, David and I are seeing Equus starring Daniel Radcliffe … I’ll have a full report tomorrow.

Last week I reported that shocking information that was reportedly taken from Lynne Spears‘s new book Through the Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World revealed that Britney Spears had engaged in very dangerous behavior at a very young age. Pink readers left quite a few comments that doubted the legitimacy of the original report … and it turns out they were right. A new report from the Associated Press paints a very different picture concerning the information in Lynne‘s new book … a picture that makes Lynne a more sympathetic character, which makes more sense overall:

The mother of Britney Spears says that the singer has overcome the tabloid nightmares of the past few years and believes that little by little, her daughter is regaining her “glorious voice.” Lynne Spears writes of her famous child and her other celebrity daughter, Jamie Lynn, in “Through the Storm,” to be published Sept. 16 by Thomas Nelson, a leading Christian publisher. The Associated Press obtained an early copy. The 211-page book, which includes several pages of family photographs, tracks Britney Spears’ life through her precocious early years _ she was singing and dancing by the time she was 3 _ through her explosive rise to her pill-addicted, near-tragic fall. Lynne Spears describes young Britney as a confident, outgoing girl whose talents were so obvious that family friends would insist she would one day be on Broadway. Spears rejects the image that she pushed Britney into show business, and writes that the singer was always focused on achievement and would constantly practice to the music of Madonna, Whitney Houston and others. In “Through the Storm,” Lynne Spears presents herself as a loving, selfless (she gave up her job as a school teacher for her daughter’s sake) but increasingly powerless parent. After the jolting, but pleasant surprise of Britney Spears’ debut smash, ” … Baby One More Time,” Lynne Spears says she felt she was losing control when a 1999 Rolling Stone magazine story featured a racy cover of the singer in panties and a bra. Lynne Spears recalls feeling “shock and dismay” at seeing her daughter shave her head, at her brief marriages to childhood friend Jason Alexander and dancer-rapper Kevin Federline, and her highly publicized custody battles over her two children. She also recalls feeling she had been “punched in the stomach” when she learned that Jamie Lynn Spears was pregnant at age 16 … The bottom came in the past two years with Britney Spears’ increasingly disturbing public behavior and her drugged private life in her Malibu, Calif., house. Lynne Spears writes that she was distraught as then-manager Sam Lufti told her he was grinding pills and putting them in Britney’s food, hoping to induce a coma that would enable doctors to cure her of all addictions. Britney Spears was hospitalized twice this year, the second time in February, when paramedics took her to the psychiatric ward of the UCLA Medical Center, where her mother says she finally received the care she needed. It was, Lynne Spears writes, a “turning point” for the entire family … Mother and daughter are close again, Lynne Spears writes, and Britney remains a “brave little girl who sang to the skies” so long ago.

Now this sounds more like it. Even tho I fear the book may end up being a spin job that makes Lynne and the Spears family look as favorable as possible, I’m still dying to read this book when it gets released next week.

[Source]

Tori Spelling and her hubby Dean McDermott were on hand at the Avalon hotel in Beverly Hills, CA on Thursday night to celebrate the success of her memoir sTORItelling. You may recall this memoir angered a few people in Hollywood — not the least of which was Tori‘s former Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Shannen Doherty who claimed that Tori outright lied in the tome about their BH, 90210 days — which lead to big sales at the cash register. So, natch, Tori is planning another book:

What’s life like for a new mom in 90210? Tori Spelling is ready to dish. The actress, 35, is reportedly planning a new book – tentatively titled Mommywood, which will focus on her life as a Hollywood princess-turned-parent, according to publishers Simon & Schuster. Spelling’s debut effort this year, sTORI Telling, spent seven weeks on The New York Times best-seller list – and included accounts of her ill-starred first wedding, her father Aaron’s death and the roller-coaster relationship with her mother, Candy. The new book, already listed on Amazon.com and scheduled to hit the shelves in April 2009, is expected to focus on the birth and growing pains of 1-year-old son Liam and newborn Stella.

I think it’s wise that Tori keeps the focus on her family and off the Hollywood folk themselves … to be honest, I contend that her book prolly had something to do with her getting axed from appearing on 90210. Think about it, producers were prolly desperate to get Shannen Doherty on the show after they already secured both Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling. Once Shannen started bargaining, I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned into a “me or her” scenario … Shannen got in, Tori got cut. Now, this is ALL conjecture on my part … but it makes sense. To think that the producers wouldn’t or couldn’t pay Tori Spelling as much as they are paying Shannen and Jennie is absurd. But … you never know. In any event, Tori seems pleased with her book success and I guess that’s all well and good for her … but I bet she’d much prefer the limelight that Shannen and Jennie are enjoying right now from their connection to the very hot 90210.

[Source]

Lynne Spears‘s new book Through the Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World won’t hit bookstores until September 16 (a date I have circled in red marker on my calendar) but we now have shocking new information (at least to me) coming out today that is said to be revealed in this book. Apparently, Lynne makes some very surprising revelations in her new book about Britney Spears‘s young life … revelations that, quite honestly, I find unbelievably sad:

Britney Spears’ mother is set to lift the lid on the troubled singer’s life – with revelations that she was drinking at 13 and lost her virginity the following year. Lynne Spears claims Britney was drinking not long after joining joined Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club, a U.S. variety television show. Mrs Spears also says her daughter lost her virginity aged 14 to an 18-year-old high school football player soon after she quit the programme. The sensational revelations were leaked to the National Enquirer ahead of the highly-anticipated publication of the memoir, called Through The Storm: A Real Tale Of Fame And Family In A Tabloid World. A source has told how Britney was dating the football star while at school, and how her mother encouraged the relationship because she thought it would make her more popular. The budding singer spent a lot of time at her boyfriend’s house and eventually lost her virginity there. Her mother later admitted she regretted allowing her to date an older boy but still allowed her to share her bedroom with new boyfriend, Justin Timberlake. Mrs Spears was said to be sure the teenagers were having sex. She did not raise any objections because she thought Britney was in love and Justin was good for her. The book also reveals that she knew Britney, then 15, was experimenting with drugs when she went to Los Angeles to record her breakthrough album ‘Baby One More Time’. She thought she was going through the typical teenage problems, but they seemed to be more than that, when the singer was allegedly caught boarding a private plane aged 16, cocaine and marijuana was found in her bag. Britney was caught by her mother drinking alcohol as young as 13 but she reportedly didn’t mind her children drinking as long as she was there. She appeared to have little control over her daughter’s party lifestyle, and by the age of 16, Britney was frequenting bars in New Orleans with her brother Bryan, who is five years older than her … A source said: “Lynne’s book does a lot of soul-searching on the mistakes she made raising Britney and Jamie Lynn. She says if she had known helping her daughter Britney follow her dreams would cost her her soul, she would never have done it.”

I am having a hard time believing that Mama Lynne would actually make these kinds of revelations in any book that she writes (or has ghostwritten for her) … to admit to being OK with her 13-year old children drinking alcohol “as long as she was there” to supervise is very surprising to me. Now, we won’t really know what the content of Lynne‘s book is until the book is actually released … I do believe the bit that her book focuses on her reflection and soul-searching over decisions she made while parenting her young celebrity daughter, tho. I am very anxious to get my hands on this book so I can read Lynne‘s words, for better or worse, for myself.

[Source]

So, I made it back home to SoCal from Detroit safe and sound … another perfect flight without delays or baggage mishaps. I wish I could be totally contented with my travel yesterday except that because it was September 1, I was forced to pay $15 to check a bag of luggage for my flight. I guess most if not all airlines are now charging for every bag you check for flight … which, I think, really sucks. But, what are you gonna do? Before I had to catch my plane, Sarah, Mark and I went out for lunch at BD’s Mongolian BBQ and then snapped one last photo before I had to take off:

I really miss Sarah, Mark, all my Detroit peeps and family already … I can’t wait to get back to see them.

While flying back home yesterday, I was able to finish book 3 of the Twilight series Eclipse:

Even tho I still have a bit of difficulty with some of the hallmarks of this book series (specifically Bella‘s weak nature) I am really caught up in the story. I loved the dichotomy that sprung up between the two loves of her life, Edward the vampire and Jacob the werewolf. I can see where the folks who are rooting for Jacob to win Bella‘s heart are coming from. I find him much more endearing than Edward. All in all, the books are really an entertaining guilty pleasure for me. I really thought the corny parts of the books would get to me but I really don’t have a problem with them. Sure, I would love the prose to be a bit less … dorky (wack? nerdy? I dunno how exactly to categorize it) but if you just go with it, it’s not really so bad. I get that Stephenie Meyer is creating a world with her novels, the characters are not as “hip” as in other books (no matter how much she tries to “hip” them up with fancy cars, etc.) but they are consistent. You get lost in this world … and I can deffo see the appeal. I’m sold. I began reading Breaking Dawn last night … I’m intrigued where this book will take the story. I can tell by the Table of Contents that Meyer does change things up with this last book. I’m curious to see how it all ends. I’ve read up to the part of Bella and Edward‘s honeymoon (which was a bit ridic to picture, I mean sex between those two characters seems so … wrong) and I have no idea where the story goes from there. The marriage seems like a great place to end the story … what could possibly be next? I guess I’ll find out.

In between reading chapters last night, I did watch the season premiere of Gossip Girl … which I enjoyed for the most part. I tried to watch Prison Break but I think I’m finally over that show. I don’t even care anymore. I’m to scratch that one off my DVR record list.