As I mentioned in the previous post (and Twittered all night long last night), I was allowed to meet, hang out with and interview Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails in his backstage dressing room right before the final show of the NIN Lights In The Sky Over North America Tour last night. To say it was a dream come true would not convey the amazingness for me. I was allowed to bring David and Darion backstage with me (David video recorded everything, Darion took tons of pics) and they were integral not only in keeping me from losing my mind and freaking the eff out but also helped with the interview to keep the conversation going for as long as possible. Here are a few of the TONS of pics that Darion snapped thruout my conversation with Trent Reznor last night:

TR was so gracious to give me some time to chat with him … he was so warm and inviting, offering us stuff from his craft services pile (he even had a Power Juicer, like the one that Shar Jackson is spokesperson for) and invited us to make ourselves comfortable. That was impossible for me but I think I did a good job keeping myself together. After the jump, check out my full interview with Trent Reznor where we talked about tour plans for 2009, non-music-related projects in the works — and band camp …

Okay … so there’s no way I can feasibly write a calm post about my day yesterday … but I’m gonna try. First off, Darion and I spent some time in the Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace Hotel and Casino doing a bit of shopping before he, David and I had dinner at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant at the Paris Hotel and Casino. Then we had to make our way to the Planet Hollywood Theater of Performing Arts before the Nine Inch Nails show started because I was allowed to have a short interview with Trent Reznor himself. As you may recall, I was allowed to photograph the NIN LA show a few months ago but because of time constraints was not able to meet up with and thank TR in person afterward. This time, TR made sure that I got some alonetime with him so we set up the interview for before the show. Honestly, I didn’t want to even mention this interview until I actually happened … I was afraid my heart wouldn’t be able to handle the disappointment if something else went wrong. BUT, I’ll get to the interview in a bit.

Here are a few pics that Darion and I snapped of the show last night. NIN ended their Lights in the Sky Over North America Tour here in LV last night and they put on a show that was, as usual, pretty effing unbelievable. Additionally, I’m posting the setlist, courtesy of the Echoing the Sound messageboard:

01. 999,999 [Intro]
02. 1,000,000
03. Letting You
04. Discipline
05. March Of The Pigs
06. Head Down
07. The Frail
08. Closer [The Only Time Breakdown]
09. Gave Up
10. Corona Radiata [Interlude]
11. The Warning
12. The Great Destroyer
13. Ghosts 21
14. Ghosts 28
15. Ghosts 19
16. Piggy [Ghosts]
17. The Greater Good
18. Pinion [Interlude]
19. Wish
20. Terrible Lie
21. Survivalism
22. The Big Come Down
23. Ghosts 31
24. Only
25. The Hand That Feeds
26. Head Like A Hole
—
27. Echoplex
28. Reptile
29. The Good Soldier
30. Hurt
31. In This Twilight [Zero-Sum Outro]

David tends to hate concerts as he usually is never impressed with live productions but he was very impressed with last night’s show. He kept oohing and ahhing and was so taken with the LCD light-show that he jumped online to find out how the whole thing came together in the first place. Needless to say, I loved every minute of this show. Drummer Josh Freese and keyboardist Alessandro Cortini played their last show as members of NIN and Trent Reznor revealed to me in my interview and to the audience from the stage that NIN will carry on as a paired down 4-piece in the coming year — this is awesome news. TR also announced that NIN will RETURN to the US to do more dates starting in April (he mentioned amphitheaters). It was just a fun night, I can’t even begin to describe. I have to give a shout-out to Pink readers Roxanne and Vivianne who I got to run into at the show last night, it was so nice meeting you both. After the jump, check out video of Trent Reznor saying his goodbyes from the stage on the last night of the tour …

So … because Good Morning America tapes live here in NYC from 7 – 9AM guests for this morning’s show had to be in the tent at Lincoln Center by 6:45AM. David and I had a difficult time waking up, getting ready and getting out of the apartment … we were up before the sun was. But once we got uptown to the Big Apple Circus, we were rearin’ to go. The tent was full of really excited fans and you could tell that everyone was really looking forward to seeing Britney Spears perform. We were told repeatedly before getting inside the venue that if we were seen taking photos we’d be removed … but as soon as we all got in, the cameras came out and there was nary a word said. Here are a few pics that I managed to snap from my seat:

When Mama Lynne Spears, Bryan Spears and the little ones Sean Preston and Jayden James came in and took their seats the place went wild. Little JJ was waving to people in the crowd, it was really cute. Despite what some folks continue to say about Britney‘s performance, I can assure you it was very cool to see in person. Every single person in that Big Top tent had a blast … it was electric. I’m very much looking forward to seeing Britney out on tour next year. Here are a few pics of David and me with the signs they handed to us as we entered the tent and a pic with Pink reader Michael who I got to meet this morning:

I also got to meet Joe, Julie and Meg as well this morn … it was a pleasure meeting you all :)

Again, I have no interest in arguing with people about what they think about Britney Spears and what she gives or doesn’t give them or what she offers and doesn’t offer them. I’ve been a fan from the beginning, I’ll be a fan til the end. I dunno why that makes some people so angry and negative. If they aren’t diggin’ what she’s doing, I don’t get why they have to be so vocal in their displeasure. I’m not sure who they’re trying to convince … mebbe themselves? In any event, I’m glad that things are going so well for our dear Britney Spears these days. Even tho some folks take issue with her music she still manages to get to #1. Even tho some folks take issue with her live performances she still manages to win huge ratings for her TV appearances. Even to some folks claim her upcoming tour will be “boring” or whatever she still manages to sell thousands upon thousands of concert tickets. I’m happy to support her and will continue to do so. It’s gonna be a great year ahead, I can already feel it.

Tonight, David and I are taking his sister Eden out for an early birthday celebration (she turns one year older tomorrow) … we hope to make a great night of it, it’s my last visit to NYC until after Xmas.

As I mentioned earlier today, my friends and I were invited to attend the opening event for the Lucky Strike Lanes & Lounge at the LA Live complex in downtown LA last night and altho we weren’t able to get our bowling on, we were able to have a pretty fun time nonetheless. Here are a few pics from last night’s fête:

We had heard that Leonardo DiCaprio was in the hiz but I honestly didn’t believe it. I couldn’t imagine why the normally camera-shy celeb would want to come out to a bowling party … but there he was. Darion accidentally took a pic of Leo when he snapped a crowd shot. We should’ve known that someone important was in the crowd when the 2 bodyguards pounced on him to tell him NO PICTURES! At least he got a good pic for his trubs. We had a nice time chillin’ last night … we were seated on some comfy couches between Paris Hilton‘s lane and The Hills peeps’ lane. Sadly, there was no rumble between the two.

I have no plans for ce soir … I’m gonna keep things as chill as I can. It’s been a lazy day already thus far :)

Last night Sarah, Mark and I made the 2 1/2 hour trek out to Western Michigan to see Nine Inch Nails at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, MI as they tour the US on the second leg of their Lights in the Sky Over North America 2008 Tour. Sarah and I have made the trek to GR many, many times to see NIN, Tori Amos, etc. over the years but this was the first time that Mark came along with us. Along the way, we stopped for a bite to eat at Arby’s (MMMMM) and made it to Grand Rapids in time to catch the opening act Boris on stage. Here are a few pics of NIN that I snapped thruout the night along with the night’s setlist:

11.16.08

999,999
1,000,000
Letting You
Discipline
March of the Pigs
Head Down
The Frail
The Wretched
Closer
Gave Up
The Warning
The Great Destroyer

Ghosts 17
Ghosts 21
Ghosts 19
Ghosts Piggy
The Greater Good

Pinion
Wish
Terrible Lie
Survivalism
Ghosts 31
Only
The Hand that Feeds
Head Like a Hole

Encore

Echoplex
The Beginning of the End
The Good Soldier
Hurt
In This Twilight

The show was pretty phenomenal, as usual, but was also plagued with a few technical difficulties and musical errors. Honestly, the mistakes weren’t that noticeable … well, except to me ;) To be honest, I was too preoccupied by a tragic-looking lady who was standing near us and was wearing a red leather outfit from heat to toe (seriously) OH and a scary guy with a creepy mask standing right behind us. Fun times! Trent Reznor, altho not in a very talkative mood, was totally on point and put on an amazing performance. After the show, I managed to snag one of bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen‘s guitar picks. Woot!

On the ride home, we got a little bit lost and had to brave the falling snow but it was a very fun night and I’m glad we got to go together. I’m seeing NIN one more time on this second leg of the tour with Darion, Kirsten and Josh in Las Vegas, NV next month.

I believe Tracey and Zakiya are coming over to Sarah and Mark’s so that we can all hang out. It’ll be great to see the little princess again. Oh and the snow keeps falling … I kinda hate it.

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 …

Wee! I managed to get some inside scoop from the set of Britney Spears‘s new music video for the single Womanizer from her upcoming new album Circus. The video was filmed on location last night at Takami Sushi & Robata in downtown LA, which is why she was seen wearing that sassy black wig in the wee hours this morning. But, before we get to the spoilery video deets, let’s talk about the track itself. Popjustice was lucky enough to get a listen to the full track and offers some info about the song as well as our first look at the promo single artwork:

Without wishing to stir up any of that boring Christina vs Britney nonsense, Britney’s new single ‘Womanizer’ is exactly what Christina is trying – and failing – to do with her own new single. We heard the track in full earlier today and while we enjoyed (what we could hear of) the clip that leaked on Monday hearing the track in full – and at full volume – throws the whole thing into a brand new realm of amazingness. Stylistically it shares a lot in common with Rachel Stevens’ ‘Some Girls’ but in Britney terms it’s a brilliantly executed mashup of ‘Toxic’ with the last album’s more insane moments like ‘Ooh Ooh Baby’. Most important thing: it doesn’t fade at the end – the beat drops out while Britney trills the main “YOU’RE A WOMANIZER OH WOMANIZER OH YOU’RE A WOMANIZER BABY” hook. This track lays a really strong foundation for the fully-realised comeback that didn’t quite happen last time and it’s hard not to think of it as a late contender for single of the year. Like we said above, it’s literally quite good.

OMG … love it. I now understand that Womanizer is FINALLY GOING TO MAKE IT TO RADIO TOMORROW, so we should be hearing it for ourselves very, very soon. After the jump, find out some deets from the Womanizer video set including some exclusive info sent to me from an insider on set last night …

Kate Hudson, Dane Cook, Jason Biggs and others made their way out to the Cinerama Dome at the Arc Light Theater in LA last night for the Hollywood premiere of their new movie My Best Friend’s Girl. Unfortch, I was not able to attend last night’s event … but my good friends Darion and Kirsten were able to attend and D sends in a few of his photos and his report from the premiere event. First up, here are a few pics of the principal cast on the red carpet at last night’s premiere:

Yes, yes … everyone looked lovely, Dane Cook‘s eyebrows looked plucked to near death, yadda yadda yadda. I’m most interested in reading what Darion thought of the movie and the premiere overall. Here are a few of Darion’s fun pics and his report from last night’s event:

Kirsten and I headed over to the Arclight in Hollywood to see the premiere of My Best Friend’s Girl, starring Kate Hudson, Dane Cook, Jason Biggs, and Alec Baldwin. It was held at the classic Cinemarama dome, which is always fun to see things in. On my way to the seat, we had problems finding which row was ours (it was so dark!), and a really nice guy with longish hair helped us out… I realized it was Hal Sparks (of Talk Soup and Queer As Folk fame)!! He was sitting a few rows behind us and was looking for seats at the same time. Only in LA … My Best Friend’s Girl is a romantic comedy about a guy named Dustin (Jason Biggs) who is in love with a girl named Alexis (Kate Hudson). Unfortunately Alexis doesn’t feel the same way, and Dustin comes on way too strong, thus getting dumped by Alexis. So Dustin asks his best friend to help out. Enter Tank (Dane Cook), who is hired by guys to date women and be the ultimate a-hole, thus causing the woman to run straight back to the last guy they were with. Naturally a love triangle follows! What’s really surprising about My Best Friend’s Girl is the raunchy humor. I was really expecting another cute but sleepy romantic comedy, but it really keeps you on your toes with “OMG!” laughter. Dane Cook delivers his lines and jokes with such rapid fluidity it’s like a verbal assault of hilarity. The writing is fantastic and Kate Hudson is ridiculously cute. She can somehow get away with dropping F-bombs on screen and still be adorable. The casting is spot on – I have to give a big shout out to Lizzy Caplan, who was a total scene stealer as Kate Hudson’s roommate. She was amazing in Cloverfield and is so funny in this film! Kirsten and I really enjoyed it and laughed a lot. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, spunky romantic comedy or a laugh out loud modern comedy in the vein of Wedding Crashers or a 40 Year Old Virgin type film. It’s a movie I can see a girl dragging a guy to on a date, and them both being totally entertained and laughing the whole way. When the movie was over we made our way to the afterparty at Opera/Crimson in Hollywood. It was a blast! While there I had the chance to get photos with some of the great talent in the film – Riki Lindhome (Hilary), Mini Anden (Lizzy), Malcolm Barrett (Dwalu, Dane Cook’s officemate), and of course Mr. Cook. Everyone was super nice and so friendly! I have to give a big shout out and warm THANK YOU to my boy Jean and my girl Danielle from Lions Gate for the hook up to the premiere and afterparty. Kirsten and I really had a blast and it was so sweet of them to host us!

Aww … I think I might have give Darion a job, this is the second report that he wrote for Pink is the new Blog (you can read his first PITNB special report HERE) and I think he is doing an amazing job. It sounds like he and Kirsten had a great time … I really wish I could’ve been there. Thanks D, for making us feel like a part of your night.

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin; thanks Darion]

Yesterday afternoon, members of the principal cast of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles came out for an in-store meet and greet with fans of the series at The Golden Apple comic book store in Los Angeles, CA. Because I couldn’t be there in person, I sent my boy Darion to the in-store meet and greet so that he might be able to snap some photos of the event (and castmembers Thomas Dekker, Summer Glau, Brian Austin Green, Richard T. Jones, Garret Dillahunt, Leven Rambin and THE STUNNING Shirley Manson) and write up a report on what went down. First, here are a few of Darion‘s amazing pics:

OMG … looks like so much fun, I really wish I could’ve been there to show my support in person for this series but I know that Darion did that for me. After the jump, check out Darion‘s report from yesterday’s in-store report …

Dannii Minogue sent me a cute little video message which teases for the opening segment of the new season of X-Factor, the competitive reality TV show that airs in the UK … check it out:

[Source]