Defamer: Keira Knightley

Who Knew? The Top 10 Unlikely Vocal Performances From Non-Singing Actors

Seth — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:00:00 PDT

In light of Pierce Brosnan's brave, warbling turn in Mamma Mia—as well as recent news that Kate Hudson would veer off the Bongo Romcom highway to explore the musical theater side roads in Rob Marshall's Nine—Defamer videologist Molly McAleer has compiled a countdown of 10 Classic Musical Crossover Performances. We've ordered these from least to most successful; some of these actors-who-sing are arguably better singers than they are actors, and have gone on to cut their own records. Some are clearly better actors than singers. And some should probably just give up both and become something sensible like a dental hygienist or insurance broker. We have no doubt you have your own strong opinions on notable omissions; feel free to post video in the comments.

10. Tom Cruise, Top Gun

9. Renee Zellwegger, Chicago

8. Keira Knightley, Edge Of Love

7. Nicole Kidman, Moulin Rouge

6. Rupert Everett, My Best Friend's Wedding

5. Diane Keaton, Radio Days

4. Scarlett Johansson, Lost In Translation

3. Gwyneth Paltrow, Infamous

2. Zooey Deschanel, Elf

1. Heath Ledger, 10 Things I Hate About You

Kate Hudson Joins Cast of Movie Musical Nine [People]

Top Ten Worst Kissers In Hollywood: From The 'Icky' To The 'Sweaty' To Tongues That Taste Like 'Kitty Litter'

Molly Friedman — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:00:29 PDT

We’ve already heard enough stars insisting that those sex scenes we find either major turn-ons (Mickey Rourke force-feeding Kim Basinger strawberries on the kitchen floor in 9 1/2 Weeks) or majorly eye-scarring (Heather Graham faking her way through grainy limo thrusts in Boogie Nights) are totally perfunctory while filming. With the massive crew surrounding them, the sudden lighting checks, and simple fact that they’ve gotta feign spontaneous heat take after take, we’ve leaned towards taking their word for it. And as it turns out, no matter how big the star or legendary their prowess in the bedroom, even simple kissing scenes with the most gorgeous A-listers around range from “awkward and sweaty” to “slightly icky and sort of wet.” Where Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie, Harrison Ford, Leonardo DiCaprio and more rank on the list of Worst On-Screen Kissers after the jump.

Harrison Ford, Outed by Helen Mirren: "She considered him 'the nicest, sweetest guy you could want to meet. But he can't kiss - he finds it impossible to kiss on screen.' Then, she added: 'He's probably not very good off screen either. It's not just me - other actresses agree. Whenever we get chatting off screen and we get around to talking, we come to the same conclusion.'"

Jason Segal, Outed by Alyson Hannigan: "Alyson refused to kiss him or do any romantic scenes with him, because he smelled like smoke. He thanks her for forcing him to do that because now he not only smells better, he feels better as well."

Orlando Bloom, Outed by Keira Knightley: "Keira Knightley claims Johnny Depp is a better kisser than Orlando Bloom...When quizzed on who she thought was the best kisser out of the two actors, she told InStyle magazine: 'Johnny Depp certainly wasn't bad.' Despite Orlando's gushing praise for Keira's kissing technique, he did admit he found it 'peculiar.'"

Steve Carell, Outed by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson: "I just see Steve Carell's lips. 'So the bottom of a cat's paw - the soft supple part underneath - that's what Steve Carell's lips are like. But his tongue is like kitty cat litter. That's the physical experience.'"

Woody Allen, Outed by Helena Bonham Carter: "He tells you up front certain ways of kissing he does not want. No exchange of liquid is permitted. It can be a bit offensive because he makes no effort at all."

Angelina Jolie, Outed by James McAvoy: "I can tell you what it was like to kiss her on a film set: It was awkward, sweaty and not very nice."

Tom Cruise, Outed by Thandie Newton: "Kissing Tom Cruise was slightly icky and sort of wet. I'd really go home at the end of the day actually moaning about how hot it was and how many times we had to do it."

Victoria Beckham, Outed by Corey Haim: "She does this little grr gnaw thing that felt like a girl gnawing on your lip."

Sienna Miller, Outed by James Franco: "The British beauty's toothache made filming a nightmare. Franco admits filming the scene was far from enjoyable and had to be cut short when his co-star complained. He says, 'I think we kissed once in that film and it wasn't at all intense - there was no rolling around or anything. Sienna's molar was giving her pain so she called the dentist!'"

Leonardo DiCaprio, Outed by Virginie Ledoyen: "I think Leonardo is a nice guy. But I don't want him as a lover. There [was] no honest passion. No real sensitivity in our love scenes. In our underwater love scenes all I could think of was not drowning. I can't even remember his kiss."

[Photo credits: Getty, Wire Girl, Showbiz Spy, Renee Ashley Baker, NetGlimpse, Wireimage]

JAMES MCAVOY: KISSING ANGELINA JOLIE WAS 'NOT VERY NICE' [ITW]

Keira Knightley Doesn't Mind Stripping Down, But Are Those Body Parts Really Hers?

Molly Friedman — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:55:00 PDT

Though she may not be among the top five searches on Mr. Skin, Keira Knightley just adores getting naked on screen. Discussing her upcoming Sienna Miller lovefest Edge Of Love, she tells People: “I always bare my breasts...It’s not like it’s only in this film!” Whoopee! Well, not so much. We took Keira up on her implied offer to review just how many times she’s stripped down for the sake of The Craft, and have one primary question post-study: having exposed 26 (no, not a typo) cinematic naughty bits so far, are we so sure they really belong to her? NSFW evidence lies after the jump.

So far, Keira has shown off her size A's in a rough outdoors sex scene from Domino opposite Edgar Ramirez, under dim bedroom lighting in Silk with Michael Pitt and The Jacket with Adrien Brody, and flashed her rack in The Hole. And of course, we all remember her wet nude-ish scene from Atonement, mainly because it occurred during the first 20 minutes and everything in the film following that image was boring in comparison. But Knightley has shown off her body just as often as she's confessed to using body doubles. Though size-enhancing makeup was used in the Pirates movies, an actual body double was used for the Domino scene. As Keira herself said, "What a bum! I wish I had that bum." And it has been rumored that, despite doing her own underwater scenes in Atonement, Keira hired a foot double for other scenes in the film. So all this self-esteem and delight in her body seems exclusive to her self-professed "flat" chest. As for her feet, ass, and singing voice, Keira's just as insecure as the rest of us.

[Photo credits: Celebflix, Nudography]

KEIRA KNIGHTLEY HAPPY TO GO NUDE ON FILM [People]

You Want This? Psyche! You Can't Have It!

Douglas Reinhardt — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:15:00 PDT

boomp3.com

At the afterparty for the premiere for The Edge Of Love, Keira Knightley was involved in a game of champagne keep away. Knightley's friend thought it would be cheeky and entertaining to take the glass away every time Knightley reached for it. The man yelled 'whoops' and 'almost' as he pushed the drink back and forth in a scene very reminiscent of the film Saw. The perverse charade only lasted a few moments before Knightley snapped and shouted, "Just give me the bloody drink, Paul! Enough!" A slightly stunned Paul said that he was only trying to lighten the mood after the movie and then proceeded to extend the drink Knightley's way, only to quickly pull it back again.

[Photo Credit: Getty Images]

Keira Knightley And Sienna Miller Latest Stars To Jump On Lesbian Chic Bandwagon

Molly Friedman — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:00:00 PDT

One of the only good things to come out of this year's The Other Boleyn Girl was a tough lesson in public relations for young actresses. As leading ladies Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson took their quasi-lesbian chic press tour from S&M magazine covers to poufy-lipped faux-kisses on red carpets, the period piece will sadly be remembered only for those posters shoving Scarlett’s mushy cleavage in America’s collective face. But the British version of Nat/ScarJo is still trying ever so hard to emulate the strategy, getting cheeky at film festivals, hugging one another just this shy of arousingly, and yes, even copying the original pair’s near-miss-kiss in public. Some visual examples, and why this admittedly less voluptuous and curvy duo may succeed where the corset-strapped Boleyns failed, after the jump.

Just like the buzz leading up to the modestly successful Boleyn, Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller's Edge Of Love has received mixed reviews based on advance screenings. While Var says "it's all over the map, veering between artsy stylization and hum-drum, sometimes almost twee melodrama," THR thought the sweeping drama "succeeds as a deeply involving study of men and women caught up in a whirlwind beyond their control." Which leads us to defend our predictions that, just because Keira and Sienna lack Scarlett's curves and Natalie's perfect teeth, their Lohan/Ronson-esque behavior in public leading up to the film's release date will coincide perfectly with this particular flick's dose of understated sexiness. Rather than two tense women stuck in painful satin ensembles lingering around dim castles and fighting over some rich guy (Boleyn), Edge will feature Keira and Sienna battling it out over romantic Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, all the while wearing thin summer dresses and falling all over each other in Britain's windswept countryside fields. Who needs cleavage when, between the two of them, we'll see stems for days?

[Photo credits: Splash, Getty

THIN AND THINNER: SIENNA MILLER AND KEIRA KNIGHTLEY CYT LINE FEATURES AT RED CARPET PREMIERE [Daily Mail]

Emma Watson Selling Soul For Cash, Controversy And Curse-Laden World Of Chanel's Fallen Stars

Molly Friedman — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:35:00 PDT

As excited as we are for borderline troublemaker Emma Watson and her rumored new deal to become the “face of Chanel” at 18, the $6 million contract comes with a curse or two. The French cosmetics giant has been airbrushing celebrity visages in ad campaigns for years, but its most recent short-term star partnerships haven’t always ended amicably, nor have they resulted in the kind of chaste and glossy reputation sources predict for Watson. Though a friend insists that “She’s not going to end up like these other Hollywood train wrecks, she just isn’t...No one is going to be saying, ‘I never wanted to see Hermione in that light,’” we took a look back at her quilted bag-carrying predecessors to shine a light on the kind of controversy this same wallet-fattening gig has earned its celebrity reps in the past.

Despite having represented Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle fragrance in addition to appearing in campaign after campaign as the brand's moody red-lipped rep since 2001, Kate Moss and her contract were kicked to the curb months after the supermodel's famed cocaine tape hit the tabloids in April 2005. Though Keira Knightley was loudly announced as Moss's replacement, Kate very quietly usurped a bit of Keira's thunder by re-entering the house of French glamour after her comeback hit its stride a year later. But by far the most publicized partnership between Chanel and star occurred when Nicole Kidman appeared in a short film directed by Baz Luhrmann to promote her new role as iconic fragrance Chanel No. 5's porcelain-faced embodiment.

But all the hullabaloo and fanfare came to a stop when Kidman became pregnant, irking Chanel and causing them to pull yet another switcheroo, hiring fellow French star Audrey Tautou to take over the reign. As Tautou's star remains lukewarm, industry insiders began buzzing with the surprising and off-kilter news that none other than heiress to the grunge throne, Frances Bean Cobain, would begin appearing front and center as Chanel's new ad girl. But Cobain's upward momentum towards the fashion world's limelight never materialized, and having perfected the art of sudden blows, Knightley is now rumored to be ousted as Watson prepares for her year or so of acclaim and glossy ads. We just hope Emma manages to keep the apparently very short attention spans of the Chanel bigwigs, or at the very least, has the stamina to turn her inevitable drug- and Britney-flashing downfall into a glittery comeback like Kate.

'POTTER' STAR WATSON GETS BIG PAYDAY [MSNBC]

The Olsen Twins Teach Us The Powers Of 'The Prune'

Molly Friedman — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:05:00 PDT

Love them or hate them, the magical millionaire pixies that are the Olsen Twins have at least one confirmed talent: perfecting their trademark pose for the paparazzi. And unlike Keira Knightley’s "Don’t Hate Me Because I’m So Rich, Thin And Beautiful" pout or Lindsay Lohan’s dilated tipsy face (often accompanied by props like neon bras and knives!), the Olsens allegedly use a tactic called The Prune. We highly doubt we’re the only ones who’ve noticed the duo’s matching facial contortion on red carpets in which their doll-sized lips purse and their cheekbones struggle to break free from nicotine-drenched skin. Their secret? As a source tells OK!, “Every time they pose and smile, they say the word ‘prune.’” Genius! Examples of the sometimes-flattering, sometimes-horrifying technique, presented in our favorite Tipsy Face Bingo format, after the jump.

What makes this particular game of bingo far more fun than usual is struggling to figure out which Olsen is which. And in an effort to help you out, we'll clue you in to the fact that Ashley, who hasn't clung to The Prune as obsessively as MK recently, appears only thrice in our montage. Let the guessing games begin!

[Photo credits: FilmMagic, Getty, Wireimage]

SECRET OF THE OLSENS' SMILE? SAY 'PRUNE'! [MSNBC]

Dennis Hopper Isn't a Racist, But He'll Play One on TV

STV — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:20:00 PDT

· Dennis Hopper will inherit the Terrence Howard role in Starz's small-screen adaptation of the Oscar-winner Crash. Kidding! Or only half-kidding, sadly: Hopper is indeed attached to star in this shitshow-to-be. [Variety]
· Despite the ad apocalypse foreseen prior to this year's upfronts, revenues appear to have surpassed even the rosiest optimists' predictions. [Variety
· Watching the Lakers lose an NBA Finals game is more popular than it's been in years! [Variety]
· After underachieving with a mere 15 films per year, Samuel L. Jackson is set to proliferate on TV after inking a first-look production deal with CBS Paramount. [THR]
· Keira Knightley, My Fair Lady updating, just try not to think about it. [Variety]

Why Does Keira Knightley Always Look So Sad?

Molly Friedman — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:35:00 PDT

Most stars have their own trademark pose on the red carpet. Think Renee Zellweger with her pursed lips looking like she just took a shot of lemon juice, or Lindsay Lohan's classic blowing kiss move. As for Keira Knightley, with her wildly perfect facial features and oddly appealing underbite, she's patented "The Pout." As she puts it:

"I was pouty when I was 16 or 17 and it's sort of stuck...It's when I'm nervous and my neck gets really really tense and then that pressure sort of squeezes up to my lips and they push out and there you go, that's the pout."

Though, if nerves are to blame for Keira's moody look on red carpets, why pout her way through movie roles as well? We examine the Knightley Pout from both past and present, on and off-screen, after the jump.

On nearly every red carpet, Keira refuses to reveal a single chomper, instead opting for the "pushed out lip" look she blames on nerves and tension. Understandably, flashbulbs and shouting fans would make us nervous, but after four years of major fame, wouldn't waltzing down the red carpet be a lesson learned way back in Fame 101?

And yes, her pout reappears in role after role. In each of the three Pirates flicks, that frown never leaves her face. And sure, fighting dead pirates and keeping your cool while filming scenes with the impossibly dreamy Johnny Depp would make us nervous too, but surely she could mix in the occasional smile. Can't her agent find her a good old-fashioned, Love, Actually type rom-com next? Or, at the very least, slip her a Valium or two before her upcoming red carpet appearances?

[Photo credits: Getty, IMDB, Wireimage]

KEIRA KNIGHTLEY BLAMES NERVES FOR HER POUT [Starpulse]

Britney, Paris and Lindsay May Be Hooked On Adderall, But Guess Who Else 'Experts' Say Loves The Blue Stuff Too?

Molly Friedman — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:58:15 PDT

Generation Rx sounded pretty cool when the term was first coined, but now that Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Britney and Lindsay have all boarded the Adderall bandwagon, we fear the pill-popping twenty-something crowd has officially snorted the shark. According to reports in both the New York Daily News and on abc.com, crushing the little blue pills and snorting them is the oh-so-coolest way to stay skinny, replacing old time faves caffeine, cigs and (if you're adventurous) cocaine. But just as we started hating on all the celebs using the pill-of-the-week to lose weight, we read a bit more about who else in Hollywood is hooked on the jitterbuggy meds. After the jump, learn which highest of highbrow actresses is also suspected of Adderall addiction:

From a nutrition expert at Berkeley quoted in ABC's piece: "I watched Atonement last night and thought that Keira Knightley looked like she was a refugee from a concentration camp." Um, zing? While the nutrition expert's assertion is far from scientific, and while we concur that anything the members of the Bimbo Summit do is officially trashy, we must admit we're not sure what to make of the news that a British blueblood lass like Keira has (allegedly) joined Gen Rx. Just watch, next thing we know she'll be swinging from the chandeliers at the Chateau Marmont while a giddy Pete Doherty looks on. Say it ain't so, Keira!

HOLLYWOOD'S DIRTY DIET SECRETS [NYDN]
ADDERALL: WEIGHT LOSS FIX OF THE STARS? [go.abc.com]

For Your Consideration: Best Dripping Wet, Half-Naked Actress Keira Knightley; Also: 'Atonement'

Mark — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:15:09 PST

Kudos to Focus Features' marketing department for injecting some sex into Atonement's For Your Consideration ad campaign by choosing this signature image of Keira Knightley, in which the actress emerges sopping wet from her family estate's fountain in a clingy, see-through slip, as the one that best represents the candidacy of both their critically beloved literary adaptation and director Joe Wright. Sure, the awe-inspiring tracking shot of a war-torn Dunkirk might have been an option that more vividly illustrated Wright's technical skills, but sometimes voters just want to break up the monotony of flipping though the trades by gawking at half-naked ladies.

Should the ad generate the expected positive response, look for Focus to take out a two-page spread promoting artsy Ang Lee fuckfest Lust, Caution with a collage of the complicated, physically punishing sexual positions into which the celebrated filmmaker twisted his awards-worthy talent.

[Ad via THR Digital Edition]

Venice Film Festival update: Jellyfish have ...

Seth — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 11:05:29 PDT

Venice Film Festival update: Jellyfish have invaded and are totally ruining Keira Knightley's swimming plans! Also: At 156 minutes, Ang Lee's NC-17-rated Lust, Caution is a chore to sit through, despite featuring sex scenes so explicit, it makes a spittle-assisted Jack Twist-taking seem tame by comparison. [filmexperience]

Tabloid Ordered To Pay Keira Knightley $6000 For Observing Her Dangerously Low Weight

Seth — Thu, 24 May 2007 16:47:09 PDT

With Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End just hours away from swallowing America's multiplexes like a tentacled leviathan, star Keira Knightley has emerged victorious in a legal battle against British tabloid The Daily Mail for having suggested her bony frame was providing unnecessary thinspiration for fanorexic teens. Reuters reports:

British actress Keira Knightley, star of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" film trilogy, won £3,000 ($5,965) in libel damages on Thursday over a newspaper slur that she was excessively thin. [...]
The Daily Mail had run a story with a picture of her in a bikini, headlined: "If Pictures Like This One of Keira Carried a Health Warning, My Darling Daughter Might Have Lived".

Smith told the judge, Justice David Eady, that Knightley accepted that she had undergone weight training for roles in action films and that this had involved muscle toning which did alter physical appearance.

While a $6000 ruling isn't much, this was nevertheless a major victory for Knightley on principal alone: Few could appreciate the physical and emotional demands involved in starring in an epic adventure trilogy like Pirates, whose exasperated actors, set adrift upon an endless sea of meaningless action sequences and confusing plot threads, have been clinically proven to burn twice as many calories per hour as their counterparts who have some clue as to what the hell is going on in their big summer popcorn movie.

Knightley wins anorexia libel case [Reuters]

Shriveling Starlets Thinspire Fanorexia

Seth — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 11:41:10 PDT

Kate Bosworth and Keira Knightley both became stars playing the leads in films about healthy, headstrong female athletes, which only heightens the irony of what they've become: flesh-covered sticks swimming in size zero designerwear, with barely enough energy to raise their now giant-seeming heads to answer the endless barrage of press junket questions launched at them. As they currently star in the two biggest youth-oriented event movies of the summer, parents of America's impressionable young ladies have taken concerned notice of the trend, fearing that their (mostly obese) children may soon want to start mimicking their skeletal heroines. And as with any media-concocted social panic story, we even get a catchy, new* word by which to identify the phenomenon: "Thinspiration."

Research shows 80 percent of 10-year-olds are afraid of being fat, and many of them are getting "thinspiration" from the growing list of young Hollywood celebrities who seem to be shrinking before our eyes.
"More and more celebrities are losing weight very quickly," said Us Weekly editor Caroline Schaefer. "Kate Bosworth, Ellen Pompeo, Keira Knightley. The list goes on. Stars are just getting smaller and smaller."

It could be argued that the "anoriffic" actresses aren't alone to blame for "thinspiring" these girls: the studios and fashion industry also owe us a "bulimia culpa" for glorifying the malnourished look in the first place. Hopefully, we'll see a reversal in the trend soon, before today's impressionable youth become tomorrow's body dysmorphic teens. It's a matter of great "purgency."

*CORRECTION: Our eating disorder consultant alerted us to the fact that "thinspiration" is not a new term after all, and has been in use by anorexics for some time. So instead, based on a suggestion of commenter The Gen X Eurotrash Jetsetter Club, we now endorse "fanorexia" (and all derivisions thereof) as our catchy celeb-inspired-eating-disorder term of choice.

Kids Getting 'Thinspiration' From Dangerously Thin Stars [ABCNews.com]

Bob Iger Praises Keira Nightly [sic], Proud Of All His Cast Members

Mark — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 11:22:50 PDT

An amused operative from within the Disney corporate family shared with us this company-wide e-mail in which Head Mouse in Charge Bob Iger pats his underlings on their collective back for Pirates of the Caribbean 2's record-shattering™ performance. But in his exuberance to reach out and personally touch the inboxes of his cast members, Iger may have neglected proofreading his missive, tragically misspelling the name of one of his stars and redundantly referring to the Pirates franchise as "something that will be enjoyed by generations of people for generations." Ever the perfectionist, Iger eventually corrected his mistake. Says our operative: "Two hours later he sent out the exact same memo with the spelling corrected. No mention that he had gotten it wrong the first time. At Disney, we don't acknowledge mistakes." An excerpt from the memo [boldface ours]:

From: Iger, Robert [mailto:Robert.Iger@disney.com] Sent: Mon 7/10/2006 9:06 AM To: Subject: 7/10/2006 - Pirates
I try to send these when we have legitimate news to convey, or when I feel it's important to communicate something special or important, and this is one of those occasions. Actually, it's about as perfect an occasion as I can think of.

This past weekend, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" broke the U.S. box office record for a non-holiday opening weekend, bringing in an incredible $135.7 million over its three-day opening.

This is a great achievement for the Studio and a wonderful moment for the company, which we should all savor. I want to congratulate Dick Cook and everyone at The Walt Disney Studios. They put their hearts, souls and creative guts into this, and the results are simply fantastic. Jerry Bruckheimer, Gore Verbinski, Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Nightly all deserve our thanks and praise too. Everyone involved in this project has created a valuable and enduring franchise for the company, something that will be enjoyed by generations of people for generations.

Should the idea of reading Iger's entire memo make you feel like Tinkerbell is trapped in your pants and occasionally brushing up against your naughty parts, the full text follows after the jump:

From: Iger, Robert [mailto: xxx@disney.com] Sent: Mon 7/10/2006 9:06 AM To: Subject: 7/10/2006 - Pirates
I try to send these when we have legitimate news to convey, or when I feel it's important to communicate something special or important, and this is one of those occasions. Actually, it's about as perfect an occasion as I can think of.

This past weekend, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" broke the U.S. box office record for a non-holiday opening weekend, bringing in an incredible $135.7 million over its three-day opening.

This is a great achievement for the Studio and a wonderful moment for the company, which we should all savor. I want to congratulate Dick Cook and everyone at The Walt Disney Studios. They put their hearts, souls and creative guts into this, and the results are simply fantastic. Jerry Bruckheimer, Gore Verbinski, Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Nightly all deserve our thanks and praise too. Everyone involved in this project has created a valuable and enduring franchise for the company, something that will be enjoyed by generations of people for generations.

Consider these statistics:

· Highest three-day opening in U.S. box office history (passing "Spider-Man's" $114.8 million back in May of 2002).

· First film in box office history to pass $100 million in only two days.

· Friday's U.S. opening gross of $55.5 million is the highest single day gross in box office history (passing "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of Sith's" $50.0 million last year).

· Internationally, "Pirates" opened in seven territories, which represent 24% of all overseas markets, grossing $46.6 million, which is an all-time record in those combined regions (passing the previous record of $45.6 million by "Harry Potter 4," which went on to earn more than a half-billion dollar overseas).

· "Pirates" is the 51st film in Buena Vista history to pass $100 million at the U.S. box office, the most of any studio.

I also want to point out we reached another milestone this weekend, with Disney/Pixar's "Cars" passing the $200 million mark. This will be the 12th film in our company's history to reach this remarkable level of success and will tie Disney with Fox at 12 as co-industry leaders (at least until "Pirates" gets there!).

The success of these films speaks to our company's fervent commitment to creating universally appealing entertainment for consumers to enjoy around the world.

All of this is quite an achievement thanks to a truly global effort, in which we can all take great pride.

Bob

Tom Ford's Girls-In-A-Bed Calculus

Mark — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 08:07:05 PST

Vanity Fair Hollywood issue guest editor Tom Ford didn't insert himself into the magazine's cover shoot on a passing whim. When one shy Canadian sabotaged his original vision for the photo, he performed the peculiar girls-in-a-bed calculus known only to industry insiders, scrutinized the results of the equation, then heroically stepped in to save models Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley from a lifetime of bitchy whispers:

The reason he jumped into the shot, he explains in the magazine, is this: "Three girls in a bed is a bedful of girls. Two girls in bed are lesbians." It's not exactly clear what two girls and a gay man add up to, but the signs point to a spike in interest at the very least.

To quickly review the girls-in-a-bed mathematical tables:

· Two girls in a bed = lesbos
· Two girls and a gay designer in a bed = Selfless attempt to save actresses from lesbo rumors
· Three girls in a bed = bedful of girls
· Four girls in a bed = Jerry Bruckheimer's Bad Boys II premiere gift to Michael Bay
· Five girls in a waterbed, one septuagenarian producer popping seasickness pills at bedside, and an English butler trying to figure out the image stabilization function on a newfangled video camera: A Thursday night at Robert Evans' house that resulted in a very delicate housecall to a discreet cardiologist.

We're going to halt the table right there, because we're unwilling to think about the night Charlie Sheen, clutching his Terminal Velocity paycheck, called Heidi Fleiss and whispered, "Send them all."

Nude photos that are truly revealing [LAT]
The Vanity Fair Cover: Hey, Who Invited Tom Ford? [Defamer]

The Vanity Fair Cover: Hey, Who Invited Tom Ford?

Mark — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 09:21:49 PST

With all the reverence paid to the roll-out of Vanity Fair's annual Hollywood issue, you'd expect that each subscriber would have his or her magazine delivered by a battalion of cherubim, an angelic cohort ready to blast triumphantly their celestial horns the moment one first unfurls the cover gatefold. This year's cover certainly delivers the accompanying flare of dazzling light, courtesy of the reflective properties of Scarlett Johansson's alabaster flesh, but with The Rack artfully obscured by an arm, no one will go blind from a long-awaited flash of her celebrated bosom. Much was made of Rachel McAdams' exit from the cover shoot, a conniption of modesty that resulted in Tom Ford, the special issue's art director, being inserted into her place. Only our imaginations can help us gauge the aesthetic impact of this distressing change; McAdam's presence would likely have elevated the cover to first-rate masturbatory material for the Hollywood obsessed. Instead, we get a pasty Johansson trying to ignore the well-dressed gay dude about to chew off Keira Knightley's earlobe. And if the cover hasn't already dampened your desire enough on its own, if you glance at it quickly, you could swear photographer Annie Leibovitz has perfectly captured the magic moment before Jeremy Piven moves a boozy three-way from the living room floor to the heart-shaped waterbed in the boudoir.

Bonus: If the cover hasn't fully satisfied you, there's some thrilling behind-the-scenes video of Johansson and Knightley lounging around the shoot in bathrobes.

Johansson, Knightley Bare All for Magazine [AP]
Previously: Rachel McAdams Flees Tom Ford’s Vanity Fair Nudie Shoot [Defamer]

Rachel McAdams Flees Tom Ford's Vanity Fair Nudie Shoot

Seth — Fri, 09 Dec 2005 11:37:03 PST

Tom Ford has become something of a crack-addict of late; from bearing all in a W magazine spread to his Amber Nude line of Estee Lauder cosmetics, the guy has just about gone naked-crazy. So when he was offered the guest editorship of this year's Vanity Fair Hollywood Issue, well, let's just say there were more than a few silent prayers around the Conde Nast HQ that he would steer clear of any Elizabeth Taylor tribute photo essays. Luckily, that potentially mass-traumatizing crisis was averted, which is not to say Ford's bareness bias did not lead to complications:

Ford had prearranged with [Rachel] McAdam s rep, Wolf Kasteller s Amy Van Iden, for the in-demand Red Eye actress to appear naked in a group portrait of Hollywood s breathtaking beauties-of-the-moment, alongside Keira Knightley, Scarlett Johansson, and others. [...]

When she arrived on the L.A. set and found out what Ford had in mind, we re told she turned tail and promptly fired Van Iden.

We must say, this is impressive, even by standards of the hot new modest actress trend. For McAdams, widely thought to be poised for breakout superstardom, rubbing parts against Knightley and Johansson could be just that added X-factor material for A-list producers to linger over, office door closed, hold all calls please, before deciding she is the perfect face to launch their next nine-figure tentpole production.

Tom Ford s Indecent Proposal [Radar]