December 26th, 2012 | 1:33 pm by Sabrina Rojas Weiss (@shalapitcher)

Beyonce, Jay-Z Make It A Blue Ivy Carter Christmas For All

Beyonce and Jay-Z went Christmas shopping without Blue Ivy but posted new pics of her

As with most baby pics, there’s not much we can add to the latest photo of Blue Ivy Carter that Beyonce posted on her Tumblr this week. We’ll just say, “Thank you” to the proud mama, for sharing more cuteness — even if she never shows us little Blue’s face, and even though she and Jay-Z went to Bergdorf’s on Christmas Eve and forgot to buy us anything.

Anyway, we thought we’d take this opportunity to remind you once more why Blue is our #7 Celebrity Who Dominated in 2012 with this gallery of the few times we’ve caught a glimpse of the little star:

[Photos: Splash News Online, Tumblr]

December 21st, 2012 | 3:11 pm by Halle Kiefer (@hallekiefer)

In Defense Of Dog Smooching: The 10 Cutest Photos Of Miley Cyrus Kissing Her Pups

Miley Cyrus Defends Dog Kissing Photos

If you’ve looked at Miley Cyrus‘ Twitter at any point for any amount of time, you obviously know one thing: the woman loves her dogs! She loves pups Floyd, Happy, Mary Jane, Ziggy (her gift to Liam Hemsworth) and the late Lila so much in fact, she is constantly smooching them, a habit some haters seem to take umbrage with. “If one more person tweets me I’m gross for f—ing kissing my puppies I am gonna show you some real sick s— people do to dogs ok,” Cyrus raged last night. Haha, oh Miley! That’s the opposite of what everyone wants to see!

On one hand, we get it. There might be an upward limit on the number of dog kisses some people want to see online in a day. On the other hand…haven’t you ever smooched an adorable pup? Are we the only ones who understand the slobbery joy of dog love? Are the haters really so immune to man’s best friend? So we thought we’d get Miley’s back by hyping her cutest pup smooching pics for your enjoyment. If you still think it’s gross, we think Miley put it best: “It’s all love. Remember what Thumper said “If you don’t have something nice to say shut the hell up!” Or something like that.” Indeed.

[Photo: Miley Cyrus' Twitter]

December 21st, 2012 | 2:34 pm by Sabrina Rojas Weiss (@shalapitcher)

Forget Kim Kardashian – Will Tyler Perry’s Temptation Be Jurnee Smollett’s Big Break?

Jurnee Smollett-Bell in Tyler Perry's Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor

We have long thought of Tyler Perry’s Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor as that movie Kim Kardashian went to film right after she announced her divorce from Kris Humphries (and also now as a movie whose title is really annoying to type out). But after watching the trailer, which premiered on Yahoo! yesterday, we are now thinking of it differently. Never mind that it opens with Kim reading a stiff line of dialogue and gracing the screen with her figure in a particularly snug white dress. We don’t even care much that Brandy and Vanessa Williams show their beautiful faces for a split second. This movie is all about Jurnee Smollett, whose moment of real stardom may have finally come (at the ripe old age of 26).

Some of you may remember Jurnee as little Denise from Full House and Hanging With Mr. Cooper. Or even as 10-year-old Eve from Eve’s Bayou. She impressed many with her skills in Denzel Washington‘s The Great Debaters. But some of us will always think of her as the fierce Jess Merriweather who taught Landry how to kick a ball and helped Vince put his mom in rehab on Friday Night Lights. With her warm brown eyes and expressive mouth, this beauty can make us cry and cower in the space of 10 seconds.

Now that she’s at the center of Perry’s latest work, playing a marriage counselor in a troubled marriage of her own while being relentlessy wooed by a social media mogul, we hope everyone gets clued in to Jurnee’s star power. We’ll know more when the movie comes out next March. Until then, here’s a look at Jurnee’s, um, journey, through the years:

Read more…

December 20th, 2012 | 11:36 am by Sabrina Rojas Weiss (@shalapitcher)

5 Reasons It’s Cool To Like Miss Universe Olivia Culpo

Rhode Islander Olivia Culpo named Miss Universe 2012

Naturally, we have all sorts of reservations about embracing the Miss Universe pageant and all it represents — Donald Trump runs it, it sets a bad example for little girls about beauty mattering more than brains, and all that stuff. But today we’re putting those aside, because we really feel OK embracing the newly crowned Olivia Culpo, who came up from the ranks of Miss Rhode Island and Miss USA, actually seems like a pretty cool girl … in addition to being drop-dead gorgeous in a bikini and an evening gown, of course, and maybe possibly winning the heart of one Mr. Ryan Lochte. Here’s our logic:

1) She’s the first Miss USA to earn the title since 1997 and the first Miss Rhode Island to win it ever. We think New England deserves some good news this week.

2) She’s a music geek. She’s played the cello since age 6, performed at Carnegie Hall with a youth orchestra at age 12, and went to the same music camp (Brevard, in North Carolina) as some of our own friends. Watch her play a bit here.

3) Miss Rhode Island was the Boston University student’s first-ever pageant, and she entered it wearing a dress she rented for $20 on Rent the Runway.

4) She’s not fancy. She told Shape that her biggest craving during the Miss USA contest was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

5) She believes transgender women deserve to compete in the contest too. “I feel like in America, we all have the right to be happy and the right to live freely, so that’s how I stand on it,” she told BU Today. “It all goes back to the foundation of this country and freedom of choice.”

So, congrats, girl! We fully encourage you to celebrate your victory with a certain Olympic gold medalist soon — just ’cause we’d love to see those photos.

December 17th, 2012 | 4:10 pm by Sabrina Rojas Weiss (@shalapitcher)

Kat Graham’s Diva Move: Two White See-Through Gowns In One Night – Which Is Your Fave?

We’ve made no secret of the fact that Vampire Diaries witch and pop star Kat Graham is one of our favorite triple threats on the scene. And though she was only at the VH1 DIVAS concert to present Metric, she pulled at least one diva move — changing her outfit between the purple carpet and the stage. She showed off her first gown, by Alpana Neeraj, to VH1′s guest correspondent Jackie Christie — and the two shared a cute moment over their side-swept hairstyles in the video above.
Kat Graham on the purple carpet

But we haven’t yet heard who designed the second one, which was sheer on the bottom instead of the top, showing off her gams the way the good witch Bonnie never gets to do.
Read more…

December 16th, 2012 | 11:01 pm by Sabrina Rojas Weiss (@shalapitcher)

Miley Cyrus, Brandy, Kat Graham & More: 10 Most Divalicious Looks On the VH1 DIVAS Carpet

Miley Cyrus, Kat Graham, Demi Lovato, Brandy among the 10 most divalicious on the VH1 Divas carpet.

Onstage at VH1 DIVAS tonight, the name of the game was the glitzier the better, as befits a dance-themed show. But before the likes of Miley Cyrus, Adam Lambert, Keri Hilson and more hit the stage in their best studded leather and sequins, they all had very different ideas of how to approach the purple carpet. It was just the kind of daring and diversity that makes these artists the perfect guests for a celebration of diva-tude. There was Demi Lovato looking rockabilly cute and Ciara doing old-Hollywood glam. Jordin Sparks and Bootsy Collins sparkled, while Brandy and Kat Graham donned edgy white and ivory.

Whatever their approach, none of these ladies and gentlemen was about to fade into the crowd.

[Photos: Getty Images]

December 13th, 2012 | 10:07 am by Sabrina Rojas Weiss (@shalapitcher)

Golden Globes Nominations: History, Spies, Salmon … And A Few Girls For Good Measure

the 2013 Golden Globe nominations were announced

With Jessica Alba, Ed Helms and Megan Fox announcing the nominees for the 2013 Golden Globe Awards, we thought maybe there would be a few more unconventional choices this year. But alas, there was not a single Magic Mike nomination in sight. Instead, historical fare like Lincoln, Argo and Django Unchained led the pack on the movie side, while Game Change and Homeland took over on TV. With Les Miserables and Silver Linings Playbook dominating the comedy/musical categories, we’re kind of leaving it up to the older ladies of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel — and Jack Black — to make this a less serious occasion. Also, apparently we need to check out Salmon Fishing in Yemen, since that little-seen Ewan McGregor/Emily Blunt flick nabbed a few nods (and we’re trying not to hold Beasts of the Southern Wild’s snub against it). But we are happy that New Girl, Girls, Downton Abbey and Nashville are bringing some awesome girl power to the event, which will be appropriately hosted by Amy Poehler and Tina Fey on January 15. Check out the full list of nominees below.

Best Picture, Drama
Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty

Best Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical
Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Miserables
Moonrise Kingdom
Salmon Fishing In The Yemen
Silver Linings Playbook

Best Director
Ben Affleck, Argo
Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
Ang Lee, Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained

Best Actor, Musical or Comedy
Jack Black, Bernie
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
Ewan MCGregor, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Bill Murray, Hyde Park on Hudson

Best Actress, Musical or Comedy
Emily Blunt, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Judi Dench, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Maggie Smith, Quartet
Meryl Streep, Hope Springs
Read more…

December 11th, 2012 | 5:50 pm by Sabrina Rojas Weiss (@shalapitcher)

Silver Linings Playbook, Lincoln Top The Early Awards Season Tally – Will They Stay There?

Silver Linings Playbook, Lincoln, Argo and Les Miz are among the top nominees of awards season so far

There’s a reason we’re bloggers and not rocket scientists or statisticians here — numbers ain’t our strong suit — but for the greater good, we decided to do a little counting, just to see where this year’s great movies stand so far in the Awards Season 2013 race. From the Gotham Awards to the National Review Board, the Spirit Awards to the Critics’ Choice — which was just announced today — we are keeping score now. And this is all leading up to Thursday’s Golden Globes nominations announcement.

This early in the game, with no different weight given to the different types of boards awarding nominations and kudos (or the different awards, be they for costume design or best feature), this is where the movies stand:

Silver Linings Playbook: 29
Lincoln: 26
Les Miserables: 23
The Master: 21
Zero Dark Thirty: 19
Argo: 18
Beasts of the Southern Wild: 17
Moonrise Kingdom: 16
Life of Pi: 14
The Sessions: 10
Django Unchained: 6

If nothing else, this should give you a good idea of which movies you need to add to your list before January!

[Photos: Universal Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, The Weinstein Company, Warner Bros.]

December 10th, 2012 | 2:07 pm by Sabrina Rojas Weiss (@shalapitcher)

Miley Cyrus Has Been Grown-Up For A While Now; Please Stop Pretending You’re Shocked

Miley Cyrus performs with Borgore and a stripper for a Christmas concert

We bet that Miley Cyrus is as amused as we are this morning that photos of her looking fantastic in a bondage-inspired getup as she performed at Israeli DJ Borgore’s Christmas Creampies concert on Saturday night is being touted as “shocking.” Really? She’s showing off some sexy cleavage there, but for a pop star — one who’s performing at this week’s VH1 Divas concert, btw — this hardly counts as a controversial outfit.

People are still somehow surprised that the 20-year-old is all grown up and no longer a Disney star, while to us it feels like the very story of being surprised about Miley’s maturity is itself old enough to vote by now.

OK, sure, when she posed seemingly naked for Vanity Fair at age 15, that was a little bit shocking. She was, after all, underage and still a Disney princess. But that was four and a half years ago, people. Those young, impressionable fans are in college now.
Read more…