Atlantic Monthly Contributors's Blog, page 985

July 31, 2013

Your Grandma Probably Isn't a Fan of Action Bronson

Perhaps because in-studio performances can be so terribly unexciting, the kind folks over at Noisey have managed to film Queens gourmet chef-turned-underground rap star Action Bronson performing well outside his comfort zone: namely, at a retirement center in London. 

The smiling grandmothers of St. Hilda's were not, unfortunately, particularly taken by Bronson's "Strictly 4 My Jeeps," which is rife with lyrics about coke, sex, and consuming steaks "off a gold plate, stoned, listening to Coldplay" (video below). They're filmed putting their fingers in their ears, eyebrows raised disapprovingly—but they do seem to be entertained. "I'm not against youngsters doing their 'rapping,' but I cannot understand words when they're going too fast," critiques one woman. "He's quite handsome," says another. It's worth it for the shot of their agenda for the day: "Name The Exotic Fruit," "The Big Knit," "Wear a Hat Tell a Story," and "Action Bronson Live."

Consider it an entry in the short list of strangest venues where a major artist has performed—just next to Sigur Ros, who once performed in an abandoned fish factory; Fatboy Slim, who DJed at the British House of Commons; and Pink Floyd, who famously gigged at the ancient Roman ampitheater in Pompeii. We look forward to seeing Kanye West entertain a maternity ward next month.

       

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Published on July 31, 2013 15:11

Vogue Says It's Okay to Wear Birkenstocks Now

Forget everything you thought you knew about Birkenstocks, because they're officially cool now, according to Vogue. Chioma Nnadi, writing for Vogue Daily, asked a couple of the magazine's writers what they thought of the hippie-beloved sandals. They all admitted to wearing them and even suggested that, if you wore them out in public, you wouldn't be branded as a tree-hugging, burlap- trouser-wearing, organic-arugula-eating crunchie. "It’s like the most comfortable sandal in the world is having a stylish renaissance,” Vogue.com contributor Katherine Bernard told Nnadi. Nnadi went on to write:

With its squishy cork footbed, roomy toe box, and thick buckled straps, the sturdy, sensible sole has been embraced by others besides Bernard. In fact, fashion editors in these very hallways have been bringing their secret love of the jolie-laide shoe into the light of day.

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One editor called the shoes' underdressed quality "sexy." Another argues that bulky shoes are actually kind of flattering. And it's not just Vogue that's had a change of heart, either. The Birkenstock's transition from hippie staple to eco-chic it shoe has been years in the making. Back in 2010, Guy Trebay of The New York Times's Style section tried to convince fashionable men that the strappy sandals were actually, and had been for a while:

First they started showing up on the guys you see shopping for green-tea ice cream and mochi at the Sunrise Mart in the East Village. Then occupationally chic fellows like David Rees and Ron Anderson, the designers of Ten Thousand Things, the minimalist jewelry shop in the meatpacking district, picked up the cue and started accessorizing their skinny khakis and classic button-down shirts with Birkenstocks. Next, Dean and Dan Caten, the twins who design Dsquared2, riffed outrageously on the Birkenstock in a Milan men’s wear show whose theme was glamour camping, or “glamping.” And now ... well, now Birkenstocks are everywhere.

That's all well and good, but what Birkenstocks needed was a good high-fashion makeover. Last winter, Phoebe Philo debuted a pair of furry, jewel encrusted Birkenstock-style sandals at Celine's Spring/Summer 2013 runway show. At first glance, the shoes look like a small woodland creature crawled into a bedazzled Birkenstock and died of sadness. But they're actually not that bad. Here's Miley Cyrus looking more than passable in them, which is good, since they cost her $900. And, here are Anne Hathaway and Ashley Olson in more traditional version of the sandals. 

So this may be a Birckenstock moment. Glamour is calling them the shoe of the summer. The Cut and L'Officiel included the sandals in outfit of the week posts. At this point, if you aren't wearing Birkenstocks at this very minutes, it's almost as bad as if you'd been wearing them a few years ago. Don't say fashion is fickle — we know, we know. Suck it up, get a pair and just remember to keep it classy. As the gals at Vogue put it:

Whatever the shape, the rules for wearing them in a stylish way right now apply across the board. “It can’t look like you’ve had them for years like in the old days; otherwise it reads hippie,” says [Vogue.com contributor Jane Herman] Bishop. “A fresh pedicure is a must.” She suggests metallic leather or polished patent styles over the traditional beige suede for a more elevated feel. And it helps to counterpoint the look with a tailored pant, or ladylike dress.

So good luck on creating an "elevated feel" with casual, cork soled sandals. Meanwhile, we'll be keeping a look out for the return of bell bottoms. 

(Photo credit: Shuttershock.)

       

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Published on July 31, 2013 14:47

Our Last ATF Director Was 110 Million Background Checks Ago

B. Todd Jones will become the first confirmed director of the ATF since Carl Truscott left in disgrace in August, 2006, once Sen. Heidi Heitkamp returns to Capitol Hill on Wednesday evening and casts the 60th vote to end the filibuster of his nomination. Since Truscott's departure, the agency has had no confirmed director. It's had several acting ones, including Jones.

In his push for gun reforms after the Sandy Hook massacre, Obama made the confirmation of a director one of his main priorities. "The ATF has not had a confirmed director for six years," his plan read. "There is no excuse for leaving the key agency enforcing gun laws in America without a leader." An editorial at Bloomberg News explained the role's importance.

The ATF is responsible for conducting regulatory inspections of the nation’s more than 123,000 licensed gun dealers. As a Department of Justice report released in April made clear, the agency is so hindered by congressionally imposed obstacles and “insufficient investigator resources” that it can’t adequately perform its duties. In addition to preventing the ATF from keeping computerized records of gun transactions, Congress passed legislation prohibiting the agency from inspecting a licensed gun dealer more than once a year. Because the ATF has only 2,500 agents to police guns, tobacco, alcohol and explosives, the majority of gun dealers received no inspection at all from the understaffed agency over a five-year period.

Does this matter? Yes. Because as the ATF has been without a leader, gun sales have hit new highs.

The seven year drought can be measured by the number of guns that have been purchased in the United States. While it's not an exact equivalent, we use the FBI's data on background checks as a proxy for that number. Looking at data for the months between September 1, 2006, and June 30, 2013 — the complete period during which America had no director of the ATF — we got a sense for how many weapons have traded hands while the ATF had only temporary leadership.

The number of background checks? 104,011,544. One hundred four million and change; one every two seconds. If it were inches, it would reach two-thirds of the way from New York to Los Angeles. 

Or, put another way, this many. (Each dot is one background check.)

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Published on July 31, 2013 14:31

July 30, 2013

A-Rod Could Get an MLB Suspension This Week

The MLB will announce the suspensions of Alex Rodriguez, and eight other baseball players, by the end of the week for their alleged involvement in a performance-enhancing drug scheme, according to the Daily News's sources. Rodriguez, for his part, has already said he'll appeal whatever repercussions are thrown his way

The league is reportedly considering a lifetime ban against Rodriguez, who might face punishment for allegedly misleading the MLB during their investigation into the Biogenesis clinic (if you need a refresher on the months-long Biogenesis scandal, we've got you covered). Ryan Braun is already suspended for the rest of the season for his involvement with the clinic. On Tuesday, the MLB spoke to union reps at a Players Association meeting, during which they outlined their plans to dole out punishment in the investigation. The Daily News explains: 

Most of the players will be suspended for 50 games, but some – including the Yankees’ embattled superstar – face stiffer penalties for lying to MLB investigators or interfering in baseball’s year-long Biogenesis investigation. Not all of the players linked in media reports to Biogenesis face discipline, sources have told The News. Two former Yankees - Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Melky Cabrera and Oakland A’s pitcher Bartolo Colon – will not be punished because they already have been suspended as a result of their links to Biogenesis and its owner, self-styled “biochemist” Anthony Bosch.

A-Rod, 38, missed last season due to a hip injury. Facing suspensions (which the MLB seems determined to see through), and at the very least a drawn-out appeal process, some are questioning whether he'll ever play a major league game again

       

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Published on July 30, 2013 20:48

Weiner's Communications Director Goes Full DG Sorority Girl

Anthony Weiner's campaign manager went on a long, kind of unbelievable, rant to Talking Points Memo today, giving some weight to those who think, despite Weiner's never-quit attitude, his campaign is basically over. The target of Weiner communications director Barbara Morgan's ire was former intern Olivia Nuzzi, who wrote two unflattering articles — for NSFWCorp, and for The Daily News, detailing her experience working for the campaign.

Those articles put a small spotlight on the staff drama side act to Wiener's center-ring scandal resurrection. Taken alone, Nuzzi's pieces are interesting, but not particularly damning: Weiner isn't as good at remembering names as he thinks he is. Many of the interns, at least, were only there to get close to Weiner's wife Huma Abedin. But they apparently hit a nerve for Morgan, who went into a full-on, gloriously profane rant with what TPM insinuates was very little prompting. "I’m dealing with like stupid fucking interns who make it on to the cover of the Daily News even though they signed NDAs and/or they proceeded to trash me,” Weiner's spokesperson told TPM's Hunter Walker. Here are more snippets from the article. They quickly descend into Delta Gamma sorority girl rant territory on Nuzzi's behavior

On the articles, and the veracity of their claims:

'Fucking slutbag. Nice fucking glamour shot on the cover of the Daily News. Man, see if you ever get a job in this town again.'

"It’s all bullshit. I mean, it’s such bullshit. She could fucking — fucking twat." 

On Nuzzi's conduct as an intern: 

“She sucked. She like wasn’t good at setting up events. She was clearly there because she wanted to be seen. Like it was, like, terrible and I had to like - she would like, she would just not show up for work. For the four weeks she worked there — she didn’t work weekends, so twenty days total. Of those twenty days, she missed probably five because she would just like not show up and not tell me she wasn’t going to be there. So, yeah, so there’s that.”

On Nuzzi's jab at Morgan's previous job as the spokesperson for the New Jersey state education commissioner: 

“And then like she had the fucking balls to like trash me in the paper. And be like, ‘His communications director was last the press secretary of the Department of Education in New Jersey. You know what? Fuck you, you little cunt. I’m not joking, I am going to sue her.”

So why in the name of the baby Jesus did Morgan, who gets paid to know how to talk to the press, unleash like this to a reporter? According to the New York Observer's Jill Colvin, Morgan said after the TPM story went live that she thought she was off the record. Later on Tuesday, Morgan told Business Insider that she's apologized for her comments to Nuzzi: 

"In a moment of frustration, I used inappropriate language in what I thought was an off the record conversation. It was wrong and I am very sorry, which is what I said tonight when I called and emailed Olivia to apologize."

While Morgan's rant is, objectively speaking, not a good example of how to be a communications director, it is kind of understandable. Nuzzi's stories piled on to what must be an already pretty terrible week at campaign headquarters. For one thing, Weiner's plummeted in the election polls since everyone learned that his sexting habit didn't die as hard as we thought it did after his first career-ending political scandal. Plus, the campaign lost its campaign director over the weekend, right when Weiner's mayoral dreams started to burn up hot and fast. In any case, Nuzzi has kind of embraced it: 

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Published on July 30, 2013 19:21

Obama Would Like McCain and Graham to Go to Egypt

Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, two of the most influential Republican hawks in Congress on foreign policy, have been asked by President Obama to head over to Egypt next week and advocate for a new round of governmental elections. The Obama administration, who declined to call the Egyptian military's overthrow of the previous elected government a coup, has become increasingly uneasy about the events in Egypt as the military uses a popular uprising against the former Muslim-Brotherhood led government as a "mandate" to crack down on unrest in the country. 

McCain, who has previously said that he believes the military's takeover is a "coup," was more or less in line with Graham's post-overthrow stance. The pair argued that the military's actions against the former Islamist majority government needed to be met with a quick return to a democratically-elected government. And it looks like that's a stance Obama likes, too: he'd indicated as early as July 17 that the two GOP lawmakers could be his picks for an Egypt trip if the situation there didn't improve, according to the AP.  McCain was upbeat about the pair's chances to accomplish something, should they be able to make the trip: "We have credibility with everybody there," he said to the AP, "all the different factions there." And Graham started to articulate the Israel factor in the conservative hawk interest in Egypt's stability: 

 "If Egypt goes and Israel is surrounded by more and more radical regimes ... we'll regret not doing everything possible to keep Egypt on track as a stable society."

Over 200 people have died in protests and clashes around the country since former president Muhammed Morsi's government was overthrown at the beginning of July. Graham and McCain would advocate for a halt to arrests of opposition leaders, and for the swift setting of a new round of elections, assuming they're able to fit the trip into their schedules next week. 

       

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Published on July 30, 2013 17:05

Guy Who Got Fired for Embarrassing a Food Truck Writes Article Embarrassing Food Truck

It's been a bit of a hit-or-miss summer for the interns out there, and Brendan O'Connor, an intern over at The Awl, is no exception. O'Connor, it seems, was until recently employed by Milk Truck, an "artisanal food brand" serving up grilled cheese and milkshakes from a truck in various locations of New York City. Then, after a labor-intensive $170 order yielded no tip, O'Connor fired off the tweet that prematurely ended his culinary career:

Shout out to the good people of Glass, Lewis & Co. for placing a $170 order and not leaving a tip. @glasslewis

— Brendan O'Connor (@OConnorB_) July 22, 2013

In his account on The Awl, O'Connor shares what happened two days later, when he spoke to his boss on the phone:

He told me that he’d gotten a call from the company, Glass, Lewis & Co. The company provides shareholder advisory services. Apparently, those employees were mortified that their lunch truck had tip-shamed them—the home office in San Francisco even got involved.

And it was unfortunate but he was going to have to let me go. The company has a way of doing things and he thought I’d understood that. I had embarrassed him and the company and that was that.

Milk Truck, meanwhile, apologized to the "corporate governance and proxy adviser," who excitedly announced plans to patronize the truck once again, presumably again without tipping:

@milktrucknyc We appreciate it, and look forward to doing business with you again!

— Glass Lewis & Co. (@GlassLewis) July 24, 2013

But it's okay! O'Connor didn't really want to keep working for the truck anyway, he tells us:

The stakes weren't too high, or I wouldn't have done it: I'd been thinking about quitting and focussing on freelancing, so I had a luxury of speaking, and then tweeting, my mind.

Food workers getting fired for tip-shaming customers online is nothing new. But O'Connor teaches us a new lesson, apparently because he is a millennial, as The Awl's headline needlessly reminds us: if you get fired for embarrassing your employer, consider it license to embarrass your employer way, way more.

Not that O'Connor could have anticipated the amount of attention his story is getting. Milk Truck and Glass Lewis & Co (neither of whom have responded to requests for comment) have each been blasted with derisive tweets from readers:

@GlassLewis @milktrucknyc you’re both colossal sacks of shit

— crunchy pasta (@fyrabanks) July 30, 2013

...while others wonder whether or not to take it as an open call to boycott the popular food vendor:

@malanconnelly @milktrucknyc We can't tell you what to do with your life! We can only suggest things for you to click on.

— The Awl (@Awl) July 30, 2013

...and still others more think O'Connor is the one who should be embarrassed. (The Wire's own Connor Simpson shares this views: "You don't confront customers about their tip!" he writes. "He did that in person and then later on the Internet.")

But O'Connor says he isn't the point of the story. "I know this is a story about myself, but I'm really not griping about getting fired," he wrote in an email to The Atlantic Wire. "This story was interesting to me because of what it reveals about The Way We Live Now with social media—as individuals, as workers, as consumers, and as employers and business owners."

Okay, maybe it's not about the character, but then there is the topic of O'Connor's formal intern introduction on The Awl from only three weeks ago. "Great with children and grandmothers, he enjoys cocktail parties and stirring up trouble," it reads. "He knows the drunk tweeting is a problem and promises to work on it."

With or without children or grandmothers, you don't need to be drunk to stir up trouble while tweeting.

       

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Published on July 30, 2013 15:38

Weiner Won't Quit Because New York Isn't Full of Quitters

If there's one thing male politicians embroiled in sex scandals are getting good at, it's the "I won't quit" video. San Diego Mayor Bob Filner made one weeks ago, and now it looks like it's Anthony Weiner's turn to give it a try, releasing a close-up, direct camera address explaining that he's staying in the mayoral race because New York is tough: 

http://t.co/zbXH2A6TFQ

— Anthony Weiner (@anthonyweiner) July 30, 2013

"You know some times, people say to me 'whew,' this campaign is pretty rough, you may wanna quit," Weiner opens, continuing:

I know that there are newspaper editors and other politicians who say that 'boy I wish that guy Weiner would quit.' They don't know New York. They certainly don't know me. Quit isn't the way we roll in New York City. We fight through tough things. We are a tough city. There are people all over new york who get up in the morning with a pretty tough day ahead of them and they don't quit.

His rallying, not-quitting cry, released late on Tuesday, was instant fodder: 

"Quit isn't the way we roll in NYC," says Weiner, who didn't quit cyber-sexing girls after he said he would. http://t.co/aG9nveQ951

— daveweigel (@daveweigel) July 30, 2013

FACT CHECK: Weiner is wrong about news editors wanting him to quit. He keeps us employed

— Justin Miller (@justinjm1) July 30, 2013

Weiner demonstrated his commitment to not quitting by canceling  and then showing up late, to an appearance at a mayoral forum today. 

Update 11:00 p.m.: While Weiner might not be quitting ever, his wife, Huma Abedin, is taking an extended vacation from her job with Hillary Clinton, according to Politico. While noting that a vacation around August was always her plan, it apparently became even more her plan after the last week in her husband's campaign: 

But she decided to stick to it as current events in her husband’s campaign have unfolded, the sources said...“Huma is not taking a leave of absence, but she will be taking vacation time in August to support her family during Anthony’s campaign,” said a Weiner campaign source. “She had always intended to do this.”

According to Politico's sources, Abedin was also encouraged to not appear in Weiner's campaign video released today. 

       

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Published on July 30, 2013 15:37

Don't Take a Stradivarius to Pret A Manger

Even the most public places can be rife with thieves. A rare 300 year-old Stradivarius violin of violinist Min-Jin Kym — valued at £1.2 million pounds, or $1.8 million dollars — was stolen back in 2010 at a Pret a Manger sandwich shop, of all places. The instrument was finally recovered by police this morning, putting an end to a curious sandwich shop mystery, as The Guardian explained at the time:

Kym ... was reportedly on her way from London to Manchester when she nipped into a Pret a Manger near Euston station at around 8:30pm. She was eating with a friend, according to staff member Hafid Salah, who said the pair were "on computers and iPhones and not looking at their bags", when someone snuck away with Kym's black violin case. "She came up to me at the counter and said: 'Have you seen my bag? Call the police. Can you get the CCTV? You have to do something.'" Salah said. "She was really upset and panicking."

The Guardian piece also includes the classic British wry sense of humor: "'These items hold enormous sentimental and professional value,' her insurer said, making no comment on the quality of the sandwich," the article dryly reads. "Kym may have just traded a £1.2m Stradivarius for a mature cheddar and pickle sandwich." Oh, you Brits.

The story is a reminder to watch your belongings in public, but it does raise an important question: What are the most valuable items that have been left or stolen in public places?

1) Phoenix Diner bathroom

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In 2009, a Phoenix woman accidentally flushed a $70,000, 7-carat diamond ring down the toilet at the Black Bear Diner. The "Diamond in the Roughage" (below) had to be retrieved by a poor plumber, but the ring's owner certainly didn't lack for the means to do so. "After a $250 cost to retile the bathroom and a $5,200 bill from Mr. Rooter, the couple tipped each plumber an extra $400 and an employee of the diner $200 for staying late," an article in The Arizona Republic reads.

2) An entire beach

Jamaican officials were surprised in the least when they noticed that their beach was missing. Somehow, thieves believed to be from the large hotel and tourism industry stole 500 truck-loads of sand without being noticed. That, or there was a police cover-up, as some Jamaicans argued.

3) A Russian bridge

In the middle of a 2008 night, thieves stole a bridge in Khabarovsk, Russia weighing 200 thousand kilograms for scrap metal. "Local workers arrived at the bridge in the morning to discover that the only direct route to work had disappeared," a Daily Mail article reads. Below, a picture of the aftermath of the bridge. 

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4) Giant inflatable ape 

A 350-pound inflatable blue gorilla was stolen from the roof of a California car dealership despite being tied down with strong cables. The ape, named "Mr. Pickles," was later found on the roof of a local high school — apparently the case of a high school prank gone absolutely right.

5) Nutella spread

Students at Columbia University have a sweet tooth, apparently, as the dining hall's Nutella went through almost $5,000 a week on the chocolaty hazelnut spread. “Students have been filling cups of Nutella to-go in Ferris Booth Commons and taking the full jars out," Vicki Dunn, executive director of Dining Services, wrote in an email to Columbia Daily Spectator. Hey, the on-the-go thief has to eat, too.

(Photo sources: Mike Roberts/The Arizona Republic, Daily Mail)

       

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Published on July 30, 2013 15:36

Josh Hartnett Heads to Television

Showtime presented at the annual Television Critics Association press tour today, talking about new and existing shows on their docket. One of the news shows is Penny Dreadful, a limited-run series about monsters like Frankenstein and whatnot rattling around London with a bunch of issues and stuff. Yes, it's a serious psychological drama (and sexy thriller) about Frankenstein and Dorian Gray and other jerks like that being sad. And now it has its stars! Penny Dreadful will star Eva Green and, gasp, Josh Hartnett. Remember Josh Hartnett?? He's the old Here On Earth heartthrob (well, to some he's the 40 Days and 40 Nights heartthrob, to others the Pearl Harbor heartthrob, and to some the Halloween: H20 heartthrob, but to me he will always be the Here On Earth heartthrob, even though that movie is terrible) who's had an interesting if inconsistent career in his adulthood. But now he's got this, a big monster-y, sexy Showtime series. Good for him! The series starts shooting this fall in London and will air next spring. Will it be good, this emo-sounding League of Extraordinary Ghouls? Who's to say. But at least it's work. Right? It's work. (Does anyone know him as the Lucky Number Slevin heartthrob?) [The Hollywood Reporter]

Also at TCAs, The CW announced plans for an Arrow spinoff about The Flash, the superhero that runs fast. That's what he does, The Flash. He runs fast. Need a guy to run fast? Get The Flash. Need a guy to lift heavy things? Call Superman, who can also run fast. But if you need a guy to just run fast, and nothing else, you get The Flash. I mean, I guess he can do other things because he runs so fast, but mostly he runs fast. The CW thinks that's pretty neat, so they're working with Arrow co-creators Greg "Green Lantern" Berlanti and Andrew "Warehouse 13" Kreisberg to do a Flash show. It'll be called Flash instead of The Flash, because no one wants any associations with this turkey. Losing the article will definitely distance this new show from the one starring Dawson's dad. This is still very much in development, so there was no talk about who might star in such a series, but they should probably just get Usain Bolt, right? That'd be fun. Like Baryshnikov in White Nights, or Kurt Thomas in Gymkata. Come on, CW. Be sensible here. [Deadline]

Oh dear. Shonda Rhimes, the woman responsible for the quick-talk ludicrousness of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal (I'm sorry, I know everyone loves that sexxxy show these days, but I watched the pilot on an airplane yesterday and holy hell was it dumb, and I mean really, really dumb — I'm sure it gets better, but how did anyone continue watching it after that first episode, which was, I must repeat, really really dumb?), is writing a feature length movie. It's about war correspondents and it's called War Correspondents. Probably the war correspondents have messy love lives and one is cute/perky/frazzled and someone else is a total Boss who talks in grand, vague aphorisms that are supposed to make them sound smart and edgy and tough but in reality read like they're from a Screenwriting 101 class at Tommy Tinseltown's Hollywood Education Annex. Look, Rhimes has written movies before, like Britney Spears's Crossroads and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, but something tells me that this new War Correspondents script might be problematically emboldened by the wild success of Rhimes's three television shows. And that's troubling. That said, who should play the war correspondents?? [>The Hollywood Reporter]

If your nerd friend just had to excuse themselves and "go to the bathroom for a second," it might be because Fringe blonde bombshell Anna Torv has signed on to play a sexy lesbian in Ryan Murphy's sexy new sex show, Open. Torv would play Jennifer Jason Leigh's lover on the HBO series, which you might want to gently remind your friend, who's now back from the bathroom with their hair mussed and looking flush, is just a pilot. This thing may never see the light of day! But, if it does, yes, that is happening. Now go leave your friend alone. They... need some time. [TV Line]

Ben Stiller really is trying to get serious. The Weinstein Company is in negotiations to produce a screenplay called The Current War, which is not about any of the current miseries befalling the world at the moment. No, Stiller, who is one of the directors currently "circling" the project, isn't getting that serious. But it is a period drama about "power titans Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse's battle over the supply of electricity." It's about the whole AC vs. DC fight. So that's at least a period piece about science. I'm sure that there's some humor there, but it's mostly about the entire world changing because of electricity. And Ben Stiller wants to direct it. Who knows if he'll actually get the gig, but that he's interested at all indicates that he's heading in a new direction. Which could be interesting. Or it could be The Beaver. Only one way to find out. [The Hollywood Reporter]

       

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Published on July 30, 2013 15:21

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