MetaFilter posts tagged with celebrity

They're sending their love down a well

Horace Rumpole — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 07:33:36 -0800

Looking to donate by New Year's? Know lots of charities' names/elevator pitches but nothing about who's good? Look to the Stars, the web's number one source of celebrity charity news and information, can help. Find out about the causes supported by all your favorite celebrities, from Adam Sandler to Zac Efron, as well as the work being done by organizations like the Marshall Mathers Foundation and Cocker Kids.

Girl, Interrupted

ocherdraco — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 16:12:28 -0800

Girl, Interrupted: The Life and Death of Brittany Murphy "Part of the shock surrounding Murphy's death is clearly related to her age, though it may also be attributed to the fact that Murphy has been in the public eye for over 15 years, starting out in Hollywood when she was 14... It's something we've watched progress this entire decade: young women who are held up as the next big thing (Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears) and then brushed aside or openly mocked after they no longer fit an expected mold. It is both a story of self-destruction and mass-destruction, the business of creating and destroying a star; sometimes it's caused by internal forces, and sometimes it's fed by the rest of the world."

They're just like the rest of us

crawl — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 21:57:27 -0800

Hurley has a blog. Jorge Garcia, who plays Hurley on Lost, has a personal blog that's just like yours. He doesn't talk about his day job, and instead posts regular updates on what he did for thanksgiving, adventures in gardening, his dog Nunu, and everyday rat problems. He also sings. Surprisingly honest, funny, and approachable.

Private and Confidential

Artw — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:56:56 -0800

Bush and Blairline-dancing, The Queen on the loo, Marilyn wanking (nsfw). The phototgraphy of Alison Jackson blends the real and the irreal.

Angelyne: as essential a part of the Hollywood landscape as the garish minimall

filthy light thief — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:10:52 -0800

She's a public mystery, craving attention but shying away from private interviews. She is a human being Andy Warhol would have created, a painter (of) herself. She ran for Hollywood City Council in 2002, joined the much-parodied 2003 California gubernatorial recall election (previously), and most recently tried to become Mayor of Hollywood (archive of her Mayoral site). She is still loved by snark-mongers. She is Angelyne. She is ... A local Hollywood celebrity for her presence on billboards, the "wicked Eve in Hollywood's media-made Garden of Eden," she is can be found in her bright pink Corvette (Hidden Los Angeles previously, Vector Portraits previously). She has been the topic of local articles for a while, the subject of local and foreign TV interest. She's had bit-parts in a few movies and drove Moby around Hollywood. She's inspired song-writers (sample) and mix-tapers. Angelyne once said "I'm the quintessential billboard queen that's supposed to happen. That's why it's so readily and easily accepted. I feel like I've been embedded in the cement of Hollywood for 3,000 years." But where did she come from? Neither her official website nor MySpace page provide much personal information beyond her likes and dislikes (the latter lists her age as 29). An old webzine has an article on her (circa 1998), noting that she came from Idaho, and moved to Los Angeles for fame and fortune, singing with a group that was first know as Black and Blue, then Baby Blue, and a few weeks it was Angelyne. She released four albums (including Driven to Fantasy), and made a music video for the song "I Always Keep A List of All the Guys I Kiss". But none of those endeavors panned out. Her foray into billboards wouldn't have lasted, either, had it not been for the entrepreneurship of Hugo Maisnik. Maisnik, the president of the outdoor advertisement company who Angelyne contacted, signed with her to support her advertising (and her lease of the iconic 'Vette) for a cut of her profits from her fame. According to a 1987 People Magazine article (which listed her age as 28), Maisnik was her manager at the time. (An article later that year listed her age as 29.) Now you can consider yourself armed for The Angelyne Quiz: How Well Do You Know Her?

This Much I Know

goodnewsfortheinsane — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:33:24 -0800

In The Guardian's This Much I Know, celebrities share the lessons they have learned in life. Sometimes they get a bit silly or self-absorbed, but among them are a few insightful -- or at least amusing -- nuggets. It's worth trawling the archives; but as it spans 21 pages, here's a taste: -------- Every child born on this earth starts by being interested in the natural world. You have only got to turn over a stone and see a worm or earwig underneath and the child is fascinated. Sir David Attenborough, Naturalist, 81, Surrey When I hear really fabulous music by somebody else, I can feel as small as the dot in the 'i' in nit. Brian Wilson, musician, 66, London As a joke I asked my four-year-old daughter Martha, 'What do you want to do with your life?' She thought for a moment and said: 'Keep it.' That stopped me in my tracks. Jeremy Vine, broadcaster, 45, London My earliest memory is slipping out of my mother's thighs and looking at surgical instruments on a table in an operating theatre. Many people do remember their births, but they deny it. Yoko Ono, artist, 76, London I'm out of the restaurant business now, but the secret, apart from your choice of chef, is having great bread and coffee. The bread's the first thing they taste and the coffee the last. Michael Caine, actor, 76, London What makes me laugh? I like people falling over. Never fails. Matt Lucas, comedian, 35, London I spent 10 days in a pathology lab at a medical examiner's office. I thought it would allow me to accept my own mortality, but it taught me was that everyone I love is going to die. David Sedaris, humourist, 51, London Paradigms change one funeral at a time. Deepak Chopra, guru, 61, Dublin I'm not going to space. No way, are you crazy? One little tile burns and you drop to your death? William Shatner, Actor, 75, Los Angeles A lot of guys say that they have to treat a woman like shit in order to get her to like them. I don't know if that's so true. It has served me to try and understand men rather than try to kill them. They're a little more complicated than I would have given them credit for! Alanis Morissette, musician, 31, London The US-British relationship resembles a divorced couple who still fancy each other. America's gone off and married Latino and Britain's gone off and married Europe, but they still recognise a fantastic connection. Then there are the post-divorce custody battles: who owns freedom, who owns Shakespeare, who owns culture? Simon Schama, historian, 60, London One of the great con tricks that life can pull on the conventional and the obedient is that rewards so often seem to go to those who choose other paths than those which are laid down. Stephen Fry, writer and actor, 47, London When you're given yak-butter tea - or, as our cameraman called it, liquid gorgonzola - take little sips and smile a lot. Michael Palin, broadcaster, 61, London I'm not what you call superstitious. I'm not worried about ladders or umbrellas or any of that shit. But I know you should never get a blowjob before you go on stage. Slash, guitarist, 38, Los Angeles -------- Ages given are at the time of original publication.

Mollie Sugden dies at 86

dnash — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:04:48 -0800

Mrs. Slocombe is no longer free. Actress Mollie Sugden has died at 86, after a long illness. Best known as the irascible Mrs. Slocombe in the long running British sitcom "Are You Being Served?" who famous cared a great deal about her pussy.

Greatly exaggerated

robcorr — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:31:40 -0800

With the world buzzing about celebrity deaths, it was an opportune moment for hoaxsters. A rumour that Jeff Goldblum had died spread quickly on Twitter, and "'Jeff Goldblum dead' was at 11am the third-most popular search term on Google". The actor's agent quashed the rumour, but not before Australian TV broadcast it as fact, complete with a touching montage tribute. Still, now he knows what it will be like when he really goes: "A surprise funeral? For me?"

'Which animal has the stinkiest poo?'

fearfulsymmetry — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 03:23:07 -0800

Children interview celebrities: Simon Cowell, Girls Aloud, David Attenborough, Richard Hammond and Quentin Blake. Audio slide show adding among others, David Cameron, Jacqueline Wilson and Jamie Oliver

Are we still the world?

infini — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 23:02:32 -0800

From A-lister to Aid worker: Does celebrity diplomacy really work? Rock stars," asked Homer Simpson, with his customary sagacity, "is there anything they don't know?" Only these days, of course, it's not just rockers but movie stars and businessmen – and indeed anyone with an above-average public profile – who, for one reason or another, are intent on telling the rest of us how the world should be changed for the better. Or at least, that's how it seems. So much so that a conference of eminent professors of international relations assembled recently in The Hague to explore the modern phenomenon of what they call "celebrity diplomacy", amid fears that it has reached the point where superstar lobbyists are damaging the traditional workings of international diplomacy and global politics.

Le territoire des morts

Korou — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:22:56 -0800

Portraiture of the living dead. [some NSFW; via Bygone Bureau] The zombies are drawn by Frederik Peeters. Peeters makes bandes dessinées, equivalent to comics/graphic novels. This Swiss artist has published Pilules Bleues (Blue Pills), a quasi-autobiographical story of a couple falling in love and the HIV that changes their lives; Lupus, where a twenty-something goes on an intergalactic fishing trip; Koma, in which a girl explores hidden worlds under the chimneys her father cleans; RG, based on Pierre Dragon's crime fighting experience; and Ruminations, a collection of 20 short stories. Official bibliography.

Lost Memory Exhibition

telstar — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 20:18:11 -0800

The 40 Greatest Lost Icons In Pop Culture History

Your last name is Presley. I want you to think NASCAR and pit stops.

miss lynnster — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 21:53:00 -0800

Meet gold-toothed Vegas rapper Thug "Money Man" Presley, cousin to The King. Real name Kristopher Presley, Thug has been serving time in jail and just pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter for running over someone with an SUV in 2004. Presley has worked a variety of jobs but has dreams of following in the footsteps of his famous cousin and becoming a world-famous singer. He has focused on hip-hop and said he'll soon release his first major-label album, titled "White Gold."

Sienfeld wants you to buy Vista, Shatner wants you to buy a Vic 20

Artw — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:07:03 -0800

Celebrity computer endorsements throughout the ages.

Conducting an orchestra. How hard could it be?

rongorongo — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:14:21 -0800

The theory is one thing - but if you have ever dreamed of having the chance to conduct a full, professional orchestra at a major concert then you are almost certainly (*) out of luck. Sorry. Unless you are a celebrity in which case the BBC might fix it for you (full program trailer on YT). Giving it their first go are actors Jane Asher and David Soul, Drum and Bass star Goldie, Blur bassist Alex James, broadcasters Katie Derham and Peter Snow, and comedians Sue Perkins and Bradley Walsh as they compete to be the "Maestro" [i-player link for UK only unfortunately]

The Little Aussie Bleeder

not_on_display — Sun, 04 May 2008 15:21:48 -0800

Garry McDonald, aka Norman Gunston, aka the "little aussie bleeder," may be well known out Australia way. For most Americans, however, Norman G remains far, far down under the radar. But he's the forefather of the UK's Ali G; he's Canadian Nard wu ar thee Human Servi ette's nerdier dad; he's America's Laz lo To th (US) with a combover and a microphone; he's Jiminy Glick's Jack Sprat. Perhaps you saw Norman long ago in a segment on USA Network's Night Flight variety show. [bonus: many many youtubes of Night Flight segments, courtesy of this awesome website.] But I bet you didn't know he released a KIckaSS single (among others), jammed with Frank Zappa, and was at the right place and time to upstage a piece of Australian History. Not bad for someone whom Keith Moon dumped his drink on and called a "great pooftah." Norman Gunston got his start on The Aunty Jack Show, whose theme song promised that if you didn't watch the show, the giant Aunty Jack, a transvestite boxing biker, would rip your bloody arms off. You Aussies out there who already know Garry McDonald can amuse yourselves with a quiz. _YOUTUBERY ZONE_ Norman Gunston Celebrity Interviews - Sally Struthers - Mick Jagger - Boy George - Muhammad Ali - Ray Charles - Tim Allen - Paul & Linda McCartney - Olivia Newton-John - Robin and Maurice Gibb - KISS ("Which one is the construction worker?") - A very confused Dionne Warwick (with Quincy Jones) at the Oscars - Cheech & Chong And Norman gets Lost in London. [Nardwuar thee Human Serviette previously on MetaFilter]

Mark Speight dead

auralcoral — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 12:13:23 -0800

Children's TV host Mark Speight found dead in a remote part of Paddington station in London.

Max Koch - Impressions

davebush — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:52:44 -0800

Max Koch is a writer/actor who does a few impressions, the most notable being an uncanny Tony Soprano. Also worth seeing: Gary Busey, Jack Nicholson and Al Pacino. Audio NSFW.

Chris Crocker, "internationally-recognized icon."

flyinghamster — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:49:59 -0800

"It’s been six months since a sobbing plea on YouTube rocketed the then-19-year-old from Internet cult status to internationally-recognized icon. Yes kids, I said “icon.”" Previous pre-"leave britney alone" mefi post. His YouTube site More videos (some not on his YouTube) His newest video.

He looks great for a 70-year-old.

flatluigi — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:36:12 -0800

George Clooney meets the internet.

No Jew will ever set foot in this hotel

Smedleyman — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 23:42:43 -0800

Marilyn Manson did it on home. Iggy Pop landed on his feet. Ingmar Bergman was (unsurprizingly) seized with icy terror. Burt Reynolds (surprisingly) not in a car. Paul Krassner epigrammatically. Zsa Zsa Gabor was taken by a god king. And there's Kirk Douglas... Dana Cook of Nerve.com compiles celebrities first times. (Language possibly NSFW)

Signifier Signed

Partial Law — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 12:40:23 -0800

Excuse me, Ms. Ono, Mr. Gehry, Sen. Wellstone—pardon me Mr. Chomsky, Mr. Castellanetta, Gov. Ventura—would you mind signing this paper?
Oh no, don't sign your name. Sign mine.

Hey, I actually kind of liked Moonwalker!

Dr-Baa — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 09:00:08 -0800

The 10 Worst Celebrity Video Games Ever. Your favorite celebrity cash-in video game sucks. 10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.

Papa Palmérino Sorgente, the Pope of Montréal

XMLicious — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 21:05:27 -0800

Papa Palmérino Sorgente, the Pope of Montréal Here's more photos of him and his art and here he is on YouTube in action and also on Google Video. More photos embedded in Flash in the Made in Montréal page for him. He's a bit dour in those but here he is smiling, straight out of Pixar's Geri's Game. I met this guy in the fall of Y2K while visiting “La Ville Aux Cent Clochers” / “The City of a Hundred Belltowers”. Flatluigi's recent post reminded me of him. He's a cool, talkative, and cheerful, if not entirely there, artiste of the grassroots genre. As you can tell by the frame of that first photo the Bedazzler was made for this man. It was quite confusing to try to carry on a conversation with him in my limited French until I realized that he didn't speak that language. (Or maybe his accent was so heavy I couldn't understand him.) According to the amusing anecdote on this page (in French) Papa Palmérino is a Kosovar. Though elsewhere it shows he emigrated to Canada from Italy. The YT video doesn't really do justice to what it's like being in his little shop, Le Musée de Papa Palmérino, but the Montréal Mirror says it best:

If religious collectibles are your thing, this place may be your little slice of heaven. The place is chock-full of Jesuses--statues big and small, crucifixes, key chains, mugs. Seems Papa is quite the Jesus fan, which makes sense, considering he believes himself to be his brother. Ask him to show you framed photos of himself mounted on a cross (I didn't ask if these were for sale). Papa Palmerino sells a wide variety of other religious doo-dads including rosary beads, candles and rings he claims cure arthritis. Even if the ‘Second Coming’ isn't quite the motif you're going for in decorating your house, this place is worth visiting for the browsing and... uh... conversation.

(Not sure if that's clear, but he actually has photos of himself mock-crucified, loincloth and crown of thorns and everything.) I don't know if he's still truckin' because he was 85 years old in 2003➚. I guess his shop burned down a couple of months after I met him! This person, Jona Pelovska, seems to have made a documentary about him. Her MySpace page says “in post-production.”

The Tragedy of Britney Spears

dhammond — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:50:49 -0800

She is intelligent enough to understand what the world wanted of her: that she was created as a virgin to be deflowered before us, for our amusement and titillation. She is not ashamed of her new persona — she wants us to know what we did to her.