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aruanThe VMAs. I can honestly say I don't feel like I missed anything at all by not being there, except wanting to stuff my ears and being bored for three hours after standing out in the hot sun for at least four before that. Why must my ears bleed for them to sell ad space? Oh, that's right, they just want me to ogle the artists rather than listen anyway. Well, between Hoobastank, Jessica Simpson, and Chaka Kahn, to name a few, they've succeeded mightily. In other news, lots of love for Fergie's "chic pea" shirt, though "chick pea" would've worked just as well. Outkast rightly won Video of the Year, Nelly and Christina kicked it in high style and very enjoyably, Usher's opening performance was groan-worthy but his acceptance speeches were sweet, and Yeah! pretty much does deserve whatever accolade is heaped on it, though Lil' John could be unmissably dropped from its performances. Beyonce somehow crossed over the line of decency and looked half a step from all-out Whore Barbie. Also, don't ever put Manson and Mandy Moore in the same building much less the same stage ever again, 'k? I have nothing but fear in my heart of that Jesus-meets-Richard-Simmons (tm ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
raaone) leader of the cult ofPolyphonic Spree. And because I care not at all for Jay-Z, about 90% of the screen time was wasted on me.
Also,uschickens made me smile with this: I'd just like to take a minute to draw attention to my favorite part of the evening: Owen Wilson talking about how a tie vote between the experts determining Best Rock Video would be broken by the Supreme Court, which would be interesting, since as everyone knows, the Supreme Court has a long standing boyband bias. Except, of course, for Justice Clarence Thomas, who has a secret weakness for Michael Bolton. Taking potshots at MTV, boyband reference, and Supreme Court humor! It really doesn't get much better than that.
Did anything else happen? *shrug*
Fandom Recap, 08.10-29, 2004
08.10 - JC attends Little Shop of Horrors. He's also announced as a performer, along with a host of others, for a benefit concert on the Great Wall of China. Justin is outed as a straight-A student who was a member of the Algebra club. Oh, and that talent contest at age 11? $20,000 prize. Not bad, baby boy.
08.11 - JC does Portland radio from his LA studio with an impressive showing of dodging the male DJ's affections despite much gushing about Sailing, vocals- and performance-wise, reveals he's trusting but not gender-specifically, and has "It's dry heat, so you feel like you're a cookie," to say about California heat. He is later photographed outside Club Concorde with Bai Ling. This is somehow a Big Thing for people. I, being devoid of opinions as to his attire and his choice of companion, move on with my life with nary a pause (save for the bodyswitching fic - damn, we're a quick bunch.)
08.12 - Hurricane Charley blows through Central Florida.
08.13 - The taping of Chris' episode of MTV Cribs is delayed due to power outages and storm-incurred damage due to Hurricane Charley.
08.14 - Lance spotted at a steakhouse in the Palms (everyone restrain your shock) purportedly taking part in a celebrity poker tournament. The pictures of him and Jennifer continue to make me shake my head and wish her the best after her stint as the latest in a line is up. She seems so taken with him, too. It'd be a shame if it weren't already a bit tragic.
With thanks tostamplet for the transcript, JC on Sirius radio:
- again dodges advances from the gay DJ ("You're at a ten. I need you at a FOUR!" and "I make great music, and they make great curtains!")
- talks about discussing thirteen-year-old girls with Richard Marx
- "I'm gonna pick the, uh, the saucy Christina Milian. I'm proud of her for that, you know.... She turned into a woman on this video, dude. She went from, like, you know, like, teen fun to, like...pro wrestling in Jello, you know?"
- "Don't get it twisted, I mean, I'll always be doing music in some way, shape or form. I mean, it's just, it's a huge part of my life. I think it's the most magical form of entertainment there is."
- "It was wild. We sang together for the first time in, like, a year and a half, and the first time we went in to... [Rich: You're like, *cough* "JT, you're a little off."] ...I mean, it was like... we were singing a song that we hadn't sang in so long, and um, when we hopped in, it was like, everybody remembered their part... and it was just, like, everybody just...it was, like, the first couple of notes were just a little, you know, uh...I just...'cause I start, uh, the song...by myself. It's like, I start and then everybody hops in. And it was like, I started the first two words, and all of a sudden everybody jumped on their part, like, right away, and...we all looked at each other like, while we were singing, everybody's just kinda looking at each other, going...'We still got it!' and, you know, we finished it, and everybody just kinda was like, 'Wow. We really, really do sound good together.'"
***08.15 - J.K. Rowling appears at the Edinburgh Book Festival to read an excerpt from Order of the Phoenix and answer readers' questions in a rare public appearance open forum. I agreed with this: "If I could meet anyone, I might choose Lupin." This is my new favorite phrase: "Oh, I am giving a lot away here. I am being shockingly indiscreet." This is going to break my hear: "Well, I don’t think it is giving too much away to say that he will survive to book seven, mainly because I do not want to be strangled by you lot, but I am not going to say whether he grows any older than that because I have never said that." This amused me: "Other people have contributed the odd characteristic, such as a nose, to a character, but the only character who I sat down and thought that I would base on someone is Gilderoy Lockhart. It made up for having to endure him for two solid years." This was cute: I was asked about 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' live on American television by a boy who was just as good-looking as you and just as cute. I just said it. I had said no to all the journalists, then a little boy just like you put up his hand and said, 'What is the name of the next book?' I said, 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix!'" So was this: "Sometimes names just come to you, which is a great feeling, but sometimes it is difficult and you have to batter your brain for a while. Sometimes it comes to you while you are washing up or on the loo or something. My husband is quite used to me saying, 'Wait!' then running up stairs and writing something down." Her hubby continues to charm me here: "The other question that I am surprised no one has asked me since Phoenix came out — I thought that people would — is why Dumbledore did not kill or try to kill Voldemort in the scene in the ministry.... Although Dumbledore gives a kind of reason to Voldemort, it is not the real reason. When I mentioned that question to my husband... he said that it was because Dumbledore knows that there are two more books to come." This was cool: "In my defence, the Latin is deliberately odd. Perfect Latin is not a very magical medium, is it? Does anyone know where 'Avada Kedavra' came from? It is an ancient spell in Aramaic, and it is the original of 'abracadabra,' which means 'let the thing be destroyed.'"
And the gem: Question: Also, will we see more of Snape?
JKR: "You always see a lot of Snape, because he is a gift of a character. I hesitate to say that I love him. [Audience member: I do]. You do? This is a very worrying thing. Are you thinking about Alan Rickman or about Snape? [Laughter]. Isn't this life, though? I make this hero — Harry, obviously — and there he is on the screen, the perfect Harry, because Dan is very much as I imagine Harry, but who does every girl under the age of fifteen fall in love with? Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy. Girls, stop going for the bad guy. Go for a nice man in the first place. It took me thirty-five years to learn that, but I am giving you that nugget free, right now, at the beginning of your love lives." And continued, at the end of a long response to another question: "...Why do you love him? Why do people love Snape? I do not understand this. Again, it's Bad Boy Syndrome, isn't it? It's very depressing. [Laughter] One of my best friends watched the film and she said, 'You know who's really attractive?' I said, 'Who?' She said, 'Lucius Malfoy!'"
But the entire thing is worth a read if you're a fan.
08.16 - A.D.I.D.A.S. is released in Australia to rave reviews and audience reception. The world tilts just a little farther back onto its proper axis.
08.17 - People magazine prints an article alleging that Justin and the boys are no longer on speaking terms, with tensions running especially high between him and JC, because he no longer wants to do another *NSYNC album.
08.18 - Again with props tostamplet, JC talks to Kidd Kraddick in Dallas about:
- trees falling on his kitchen and bedroom
- having a surprise birthday party thrown for him at Chuck E. Cheese's because it was the only place in Orlando with electricity - for all of ten minutes
- Kidd: So I guess there's not, like, a special celebrity hurricane shelter that you go to, that has everything all hooked up...
JC: No, no, it's called get out of town.
- liking to hear about life in the real world, like his sister operating on lizards and cats
- "...visually, our shows were amazing, and a lot of that was due to the vision of Joey."
- "Justin's mom...cleared a seat right next to her and hooked me up, dude," about the Grammys
- debunking the People article about Justin. Somewhat. "...there's partial truth to everything."
- "Talk a brother up, dude. I'll tell you the truth." After which he goes into detail about Lance having been the one to have the career/life goals admonition conversation with Britney after her Vegas wedding, not himself.
- JC: My most prized possession?
Kidd: Here's why I ask. Saw you guys on, um, some MTV thing and y'all were walkin' through New York and, um, you saw a Valentino suit. You were like, "Oh, I need that."
JC: Yeah.
Kidd: 'Cause you like to roll dressed nice.
JC: Well, it depends. Like when I go to events and things like that, [lowers his voice] I like to play dress-up.
- Kidd: You got Madden 2005 yet?
JC: Um, you know what, to be honest with you? I like ESPN 2K better.
Kidd: That's a great game.
JC: And it's twenty bucks, dude.
Also, he plays it long-distance with his brother on high-speed hotel connections and Kidd remembers him being "always just amazing" with his daughter when they came to Dallas waaay early on into things. Oh, JC. Mah heart, honey.
Meanwhile, Justin had a "quite intimate" lunch with a "male friend" in West Hollywood. There is much-ballyhooed leg- and arm-touching during their "passionate lunch conversation." *snerk*
08.19 - Rumors of Chris making a cameo in the film Pocito Bandito Is Dead swirl wildly. Confirmations and denials do as well.
Also, JC clears up that Broadway is "a little better than" a school play, reiterates Justin's excellent advice for him ("You know, you have to live with this for the rest of your life. And you have to be able to look at yourself in the mirror...Whatever you do, just make sure that it's something that you're comfortable with and that you're proud of."), wishes Britters and K-Fed all the happiness, and mentions "And that...you know, her dancing is a big part of the attraction to her. You know, they wanna see, you know, her stage show. And, uh, you know, she doesn't...she can't really...she's not...she can't...really sit on a stool and just...sing songs, that's not what people, you know wanna see. They wanna see *Britney*, you know," about her having to cancel her tour because of a knee injury on Australian radio.
08.20 - GQ printed an open letter to Britney Spears, which I found entertainingly poignant. Or something. With thanks totrickyjazzer:
Dear Britney Spears,
Sit down, honey. We gotta talk. Wanna Diet Mountain Dew and a piece of watermelon Bubblicious? Cheddar Ruffles and a Kool? Sure. Knock yourself out.
What happened, Britney? Once, you were the pubescent light of our lives, the lip-synching fire of our loins. Talentwise, we never confused you with Maria Callas, or even Maria Conchita Alonso, but you were sexy, precocious and ambitious: Madonna meets JonBenet. You made a couple of good songs - we really like "I'm a Slave 4 U," we didn't care what anyone said - and you were America's ranking pop princess. Britney versus Christina? Britney versus Christina was like Reagan versus Mondale.
But now we're worried. Your reputation's plunging faster than Courtney Love's blood sugar. Your latest album was a disappointment. You canceled your summer tour because of a bum knee. Your fifty-five-hour ex-husband squealed to the tabloids about hot Britney sex. While Christina was catwalking Dsquared in Milan, you were catwalking Cinnabons in Santa Monica. And you're doing what you always do when you're feelin' down: You're getting married.
You look sad, honey. We saw photos of you and your mom having a run-in with the paparazzi at a pet shop. You cried and your mascara ran so much you looked like Tammy Fay Baker watching "Terms of Endearment." Michael Moore filleted you in "Fahrenheit 9/11," showing you saying, " Honestly, I think we should just trust our president in every decision that he makes." Good grief, Britney. Thinking like that got Monica Lewinsky a Montecristo between the thighs.
You know how bad it's gotten, Britney? Here's who's hotter than you: Hoobastank.
And getting married isn't going to solve anything. We're sure this Kevin Federline is a sweet young man with a bright, bright future, but look at him. Baggy clothes, tilted baseball cap, permanent scowl - the George Clooney of the food court. We won't even mention that K-Fed's already a babydaddy or that he left his babymama for you with another baby on the way. We'll let Jerry Springer sort that babydrama out (Oh, and Kevin, Vanilla Ice called - he wants his sideburns back.)
To think we had all freaked out about Fred Durst...
We know what you're thinking. We know you are 22 and you're entitled to make a 22-year-old's mistakes. But when we were 22, our mistakes usually involved drinking Jack Daniel's after pineapple pizza.
But this is GQ, we know how to give advice, and less than 75 percent of it is about ties (Halfway down the belt buckle, K-Fed, in case you're wondering.) Here are some tips to get that career of yours back on track.
FOCUS ON MUSIC: Like your idol, Madonna, you're never done so well when you've branched out into other areas. That New York restaurant, NYLA? We ate there. Ducasse meets Denny's. Your movie, "Crossroads"? The best we can say is that it was no "Kangaroo Jack."
REINVENT THYSELF: Now, Madonna knew about this one. No one thinks you should become, say, a singer, but it may not be a bad idea to recast your musical image. Maybe ditch the dance pop for acid rock, country, or crunk. You don't even have to be convincing. Look at Ashless Simpson - she's now a punk rocker. Ashlee Simpson's about as punk-rock as Lynne Cheney's underwear drawer.
MAKEOVER: You knew this one was coming. Britney, we love ya, but sometimes you dress like one of those fine ladies we see on "Cops," getting arrested for smoking methamphetamine in the 7-eleven parking lot.
A NEW BOY: We know it's in poor taste, but we can't resist. Here's just a quick rundown of eligible bachelors we think may be good for you: Ben Affleck; Mike Piazza; Ralph Nader; Nathan Lane; that Senate-candidate guy in Chicago who blew it because of the sex clubs; John Stamos; David Lee Roth; David Gest; and our assistant editor Kevin-his parents have a Mercedes and let him drive it on weekends.
Britney, we want you to be happy. No one wants to see you train-wreck your career and become the next Liz Taylor (Okay, maybe E! True Hollywood Story and US Weekly wouldn't mind.) We want you to rediscover that joy you had as a schoolgirl in kneesocks, singing "Hit me baby one more time," and discover there is life after teen pop.
After all, look who's on the cover.
With love,
GQ
08.21 - SystemofThought at the JJB posted this nugget that had me grinning all day long. As it were: In an interview with FUSE TV, Tom Cruise's answer as to whom he'd be interested in getting for the next Mission Impossible film included JC, whose Dear Goodbye ("Days Go By" was the quote, a mistake I myself often make) he can see as the song for his love interest. *beams*
08.22 - Joey performs his last night with Little Shop of Horrors.
08.23 - JC on Australian radio Hot 103 FM about A.D.I.D.A.S.: "My, mine inspiration was just to, just to, get, just wanted to, I had good times on the brain and that was it."
He also echoes all our sentiments. Though mine lean more toward the swimmmers, but I suppose ping-pong was a safer topic:
Age: "Hey, have you been watching the Olympics?"
JC: "Hey, you know what, I think that they put crack in the television, because I'm absolutely addicted to this stuff. I found myself watching ping-pong today for hours."
Age: "I know, do you know those guys train, they actually run, they actually train and do weights."
JC: "Oh man, they're no joke dude, I mean I will say this though, at first I was like, 'Ping-pong, really?' And then two minutes later, I'm like, that guy's like five feet off the table man, look at... [yells] 'Not out, come on!'"
And then this:
Jen: "Is it, is it hard to go out and become a solo artist? Obviously, coming off the back of the success that *NSYNC had as a group, um, like the prospect of failing or not succeeding on your own must sort of stay in your mind a little."
JC: "You know what though? A lot of people have said that to me and um, I've already, I feel like I've succeeded already, um, just because I made the record that I've always wanted to make, and I think, you know, that's a success in itself you know, to work in this business and to actually do what you want to do when there is so many people that want a piece of whatever you're doing and want to control whatever you're doing, um, at this level in the game 'cause you know if they make one suggestion they can say it was their idea and so on and so forth, and then they can get patted on the back and that's just you know the business is just that way right now, and um, I've succeeded in keeping my product pure and that was successful, that was success for me."
08.24 - With thanks tolivehead16, I squee: Richard Young for MSM: I know you did some work with Justin Timberlake and you guys did some recording together. Will this material ever surface?
John Mayer: I don’t know. We wrote a really cool song called “Done”. It was just a hook from hell. Just ridiculous. I would love to work more with Justin. We talk every once in a while. I don't expect to talk to him all the time. That’s what happens when you're friends with someone who is as busy as you are. It’s pretty cool. I don't know. I tracked the tune for the last record and it didn't come out. It was just so different. I think I kind of had the song in mind, and then he and I were in a hotel room one day and came up with this chorus that was just catchy as can be. It’s so Justin and also me at the same time. It has all these little Justin things in it.
Also, insert here and in the coming week oogobs of pictures of Justin and the girlfriend/sometimes fiance surfing and boozing it up in Hawaii.
08.25 - JC does JoJo Jam and gets him some lovin' from Britney's fiance's babymama. It's a small, strange world we live in. Also, Lance takes his puppies, once again a merry band of three, to a park and looks adorable lying on a stone table chatting on his cellphone. No doubt to Jesse, who at last count has yet to have separation surgery from his own.
08.26 - Chris performs a surprisingly account-free song with the band Starship (We Built This City on Rock & Roll) at the Hard Rock Cafe in Orlando.
08.27 - Justin's GQ interview excerpt highlights:
GQ: Lately, you said, a weight has been lifted.
Justin: "Yeah, for sure."
GQ: What was that weight?
Justin: "That first solo album. It was 20 years in the making. That was something that I always wanted to do, that was always the ultimate goal."
GQ: So there must be some feeling of, Oh now what?
Justin: "That's exactly where I'm at."
GQ: Is that related to any personal relationships you might have?
Justin: "It has to do with that, yeah definitely. It also has to do with just realizing that the flowers are around, and I should stop and smell them. You know what I mean? I don't want to just work and work and work and turn around and be 40 and have a ranch with no memories, you know? I mean that figuratively, I don't mean like an actual ranch. I don't picture myself sitting on a ranch with a bunch of horses running around, with amnesia."
...GQ: Do you have the same drive that you've always had?
Justin: "I think I'll always have the same drive, I think that's what makes me who I am. That's one of the things that will never change. I just don't know specifically where I want to direct it right now. It's like, I know I kind of felt like doing this indie film that I did. And I didn't expect to be able to do that film, to be an amateur in the ring with heavyweights."
GQ: And not get knocked out.
Justin: "That remains to be seen. But the thing is like, if you're an amateur and the heavyweights say, 'Yeah, I'll get in there and spar with you,' do you pass it up? No."
I love that he doesn't let people give him more than he feels he's earned. Finally, about being a white boy doing "black music": "I'm not going to change who I am or the music I like. I can't apologize for doing something that inspired me."
08.29 - Miranda introduces me to the world of funny that is Tony Goldmark's Sirius Black. I can die happy now that I have the image of Snape saying, "Potter, let Malfoy kick it old school, or it's detention."
Somewhere in there was the actual GQ article, about which I have much the same things to say as everyone else - between the insipid reporter, it was a somewhat annoying piece, and Justin's continuing to disown his past is, while understandable, not in the least classy. Otherwise, he lives with Trace ("we did the album" -Trace) and is still a consumate fanboy and kisses his momma goodbye (who drives him to airports), so there's that, too. Also, *NSYNC playing five straight nights at Giants Stadium? 265,000 people? Wow. Insanity.
And then lj user equals charlidos and friends made my morning. Thanks, ladies. Oh, Lance. *hugs him tight*
Finally, my tree. Mmm, Nutella.
Sept. 24 - Oct. 3: Hazelnut Tree (Extraordinary) - Charming, sense of humor, very demanding but can also be very understanding, knows how to make a lasting impression, active fighter for social causes and politics, popular, quite moody, sexually oriented, honest, a perfectionist, has a precise sense of judgment and expects complete fairness.
Aaw, lookit the idealistic control freak. Nice to meet you.
As far as real life, this weekend was pretty uneventful after Friday night. Yeah, there was the office party on Saturday, but they only had beer to drink, I suck at pool and socializing with strangers, and Natalie, in a drunken volume, announced that hallelujah, praise be, we have a new Desk Chief. When I told Staci who it was once we were back home, she about did a spit-take of her drink all over me. Apparently, the girl worked at the Alligator two years ago, and who knows what she's been doing in the interim but it's good enough to make Emily run screaming "We got one!" through the office last night. I'm also to understand she has not yet shown up for job training, despite tomorrow being her first night. This is me, firmly biting my tongue. However, there was immensely stress-relieving PopOdyssey viewing going on in Sarah's office (Emily is apparently a fan) tonight, of which I snuck snatches between passing around floppy discs. Aah, our slowly dying technology. Natalie declared we're switching to typewriters tomorrow, and at this point, I'm thinking it can only be a step up.
Staci felt the need to ask what I was drinking when I walked into her room with a yellowish liquid in my glass. For the record, it was apple juice. She thought it may be wine. We shared a Look and decided we're gonna not go there. Neither of us.
And as others mourn the end of the Olympics, I rejoice in the return of Conan tonight. Too long have I been denied his brand of consummate silliness. For now, I'm off to make dinner and listen to Hootnanny for the thousandth time. How did we not go nuts over this song when it was first released? So good!
Quote of the Day:
"Don't worry, Meghan - I never trust the writers."
-me
raaone) leader of Also,
uschickens made me smile with this: I'd just like to take a minute to draw attention to my favorite part of the evening: Owen Wilson talking about how a tie vote between the experts determining Best Rock Video would be broken by the Supreme Court, which would be interesting, since as everyone knows, the Supreme Court has a long standing boyband bias. Except, of course, for Justice Clarence Thomas, who has a secret weakness for Michael Bolton. Taking potshots at MTV, boyband reference, and Supreme Court humor! It really doesn't get much better than that.Did anything else happen? *shrug*
Fandom Recap, 08.10-29, 2004
08.10 - JC attends Little Shop of Horrors. He's also announced as a performer, along with a host of others, for a benefit concert on the Great Wall of China. Justin is outed as a straight-A student who was a member of the Algebra club. Oh, and that talent contest at age 11? $20,000 prize. Not bad, baby boy.
08.11 - JC does Portland radio from his LA studio with an impressive showing of dodging the male DJ's affections despite much gushing about Sailing, vocals- and performance-wise, reveals he's trusting but not gender-specifically, and has "It's dry heat, so you feel like you're a cookie," to say about California heat. He is later photographed outside Club Concorde with Bai Ling. This is somehow a Big Thing for people. I, being devoid of opinions as to his attire and his choice of companion, move on with my life with nary a pause (save for the bodyswitching fic - damn, we're a quick bunch.)
08.12 - Hurricane Charley blows through Central Florida.
08.13 - The taping of Chris' episode of MTV Cribs is delayed due to power outages and storm-incurred damage due to Hurricane Charley.
08.14 - Lance spotted at a steakhouse in the Palms (everyone restrain your shock) purportedly taking part in a celebrity poker tournament. The pictures of him and Jennifer continue to make me shake my head and wish her the best after her stint as the latest in a line is up. She seems so taken with him, too. It'd be a shame if it weren't already a bit tragic.
With thanks to
stamplet for the transcript, JC on Sirius radio:- again dodges advances from the gay DJ ("You're at a ten. I need you at a FOUR!" and "I make great music, and they make great curtains!")
- talks about discussing thirteen-year-old girls with Richard Marx
- "I'm gonna pick the, uh, the saucy Christina Milian. I'm proud of her for that, you know.... She turned into a woman on this video, dude. She went from, like, you know, like, teen fun to, like...pro wrestling in Jello, you know?"
- "Don't get it twisted, I mean, I'll always be doing music in some way, shape or form. I mean, it's just, it's a huge part of my life. I think it's the most magical form of entertainment there is."
- "It was wild. We sang together for the first time in, like, a year and a half, and the first time we went in to... [Rich: You're like, *cough* "JT, you're a little off."] ...I mean, it was like... we were singing a song that we hadn't sang in so long, and um, when we hopped in, it was like, everybody remembered their part... and it was just, like, everybody just...it was, like, the first couple of notes were just a little, you know, uh...I just...'cause I start, uh, the song...by myself. It's like, I start and then everybody hops in. And it was like, I started the first two words, and all of a sudden everybody jumped on their part, like, right away, and...we all looked at each other like, while we were singing, everybody's just kinda looking at each other, going...'We still got it!' and, you know, we finished it, and everybody just kinda was like, 'Wow. We really, really do sound good together.'"
***08.15 - J.K. Rowling appears at the Edinburgh Book Festival to read an excerpt from Order of the Phoenix and answer readers' questions in a rare public appearance open forum. I agreed with this: "If I could meet anyone, I might choose Lupin." This is my new favorite phrase: "Oh, I am giving a lot away here. I am being shockingly indiscreet." This is going to break my hear: "Well, I don’t think it is giving too much away to say that he will survive to book seven, mainly because I do not want to be strangled by you lot, but I am not going to say whether he grows any older than that because I have never said that." This amused me: "Other people have contributed the odd characteristic, such as a nose, to a character, but the only character who I sat down and thought that I would base on someone is Gilderoy Lockhart. It made up for having to endure him for two solid years." This was cute: I was asked about 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' live on American television by a boy who was just as good-looking as you and just as cute. I just said it. I had said no to all the journalists, then a little boy just like you put up his hand and said, 'What is the name of the next book?' I said, 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix!'" So was this: "Sometimes names just come to you, which is a great feeling, but sometimes it is difficult and you have to batter your brain for a while. Sometimes it comes to you while you are washing up or on the loo or something. My husband is quite used to me saying, 'Wait!' then running up stairs and writing something down." Her hubby continues to charm me here: "The other question that I am surprised no one has asked me since Phoenix came out — I thought that people would — is why Dumbledore did not kill or try to kill Voldemort in the scene in the ministry.... Although Dumbledore gives a kind of reason to Voldemort, it is not the real reason. When I mentioned that question to my husband... he said that it was because Dumbledore knows that there are two more books to come." This was cool: "In my defence, the Latin is deliberately odd. Perfect Latin is not a very magical medium, is it? Does anyone know where 'Avada Kedavra' came from? It is an ancient spell in Aramaic, and it is the original of 'abracadabra,' which means 'let the thing be destroyed.'"
And the gem: Question: Also, will we see more of Snape?
JKR: "You always see a lot of Snape, because he is a gift of a character. I hesitate to say that I love him. [Audience member: I do]. You do? This is a very worrying thing. Are you thinking about Alan Rickman or about Snape? [Laughter]. Isn't this life, though? I make this hero — Harry, obviously — and there he is on the screen, the perfect Harry, because Dan is very much as I imagine Harry, but who does every girl under the age of fifteen fall in love with? Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy. Girls, stop going for the bad guy. Go for a nice man in the first place. It took me thirty-five years to learn that, but I am giving you that nugget free, right now, at the beginning of your love lives." And continued, at the end of a long response to another question: "...Why do you love him? Why do people love Snape? I do not understand this. Again, it's Bad Boy Syndrome, isn't it? It's very depressing. [Laughter] One of my best friends watched the film and she said, 'You know who's really attractive?' I said, 'Who?' She said, 'Lucius Malfoy!'"
But the entire thing is worth a read if you're a fan.
08.16 - A.D.I.D.A.S. is released in Australia to rave reviews and audience reception. The world tilts just a little farther back onto its proper axis.
08.17 - People magazine prints an article alleging that Justin and the boys are no longer on speaking terms, with tensions running especially high between him and JC, because he no longer wants to do another *NSYNC album.
08.18 - Again with props to
stamplet, JC talks to Kidd Kraddick in Dallas about:- trees falling on his kitchen and bedroom
- having a surprise birthday party thrown for him at Chuck E. Cheese's because it was the only place in Orlando with electricity - for all of ten minutes
- Kidd: So I guess there's not, like, a special celebrity hurricane shelter that you go to, that has everything all hooked up...
JC: No, no, it's called get out of town.
- liking to hear about life in the real world, like his sister operating on lizards and cats
- "...visually, our shows were amazing, and a lot of that was due to the vision of Joey."
- "Justin's mom...cleared a seat right next to her and hooked me up, dude," about the Grammys
- debunking the People article about Justin. Somewhat. "...there's partial truth to everything."
- "Talk a brother up, dude. I'll tell you the truth." After which he goes into detail about Lance having been the one to have the career/life goals admonition conversation with Britney after her Vegas wedding, not himself.
- JC: My most prized possession?
Kidd: Here's why I ask. Saw you guys on, um, some MTV thing and y'all were walkin' through New York and, um, you saw a Valentino suit. You were like, "Oh, I need that."
JC: Yeah.
Kidd: 'Cause you like to roll dressed nice.
JC: Well, it depends. Like when I go to events and things like that, [lowers his voice] I like to play dress-up.
- Kidd: You got Madden 2005 yet?
JC: Um, you know what, to be honest with you? I like ESPN 2K better.
Kidd: That's a great game.
JC: And it's twenty bucks, dude.
Also, he plays it long-distance with his brother on high-speed hotel connections and Kidd remembers him being "always just amazing" with his daughter when they came to Dallas waaay early on into things. Oh, JC. Mah heart, honey.
Meanwhile, Justin had a "quite intimate" lunch with a "male friend" in West Hollywood. There is much-ballyhooed leg- and arm-touching during their "passionate lunch conversation." *snerk*
08.19 - Rumors of Chris making a cameo in the film Pocito Bandito Is Dead swirl wildly. Confirmations and denials do as well.
Also, JC clears up that Broadway is "a little better than" a school play, reiterates Justin's excellent advice for him ("You know, you have to live with this for the rest of your life. And you have to be able to look at yourself in the mirror...Whatever you do, just make sure that it's something that you're comfortable with and that you're proud of."), wishes Britters and K-Fed all the happiness, and mentions "And that...you know, her dancing is a big part of the attraction to her. You know, they wanna see, you know, her stage show. And, uh, you know, she doesn't...she can't really...she's not...she can't...really sit on a stool and just...sing songs, that's not what people, you know wanna see. They wanna see *Britney*, you know," about her having to cancel her tour because of a knee injury on Australian radio.
08.20 - GQ printed an open letter to Britney Spears, which I found entertainingly poignant. Or something. With thanks to
trickyjazzer:Dear Britney Spears,
Sit down, honey. We gotta talk. Wanna Diet Mountain Dew and a piece of watermelon Bubblicious? Cheddar Ruffles and a Kool? Sure. Knock yourself out.
What happened, Britney? Once, you were the pubescent light of our lives, the lip-synching fire of our loins. Talentwise, we never confused you with Maria Callas, or even Maria Conchita Alonso, but you were sexy, precocious and ambitious: Madonna meets JonBenet. You made a couple of good songs - we really like "I'm a Slave 4 U," we didn't care what anyone said - and you were America's ranking pop princess. Britney versus Christina? Britney versus Christina was like Reagan versus Mondale.
But now we're worried. Your reputation's plunging faster than Courtney Love's blood sugar. Your latest album was a disappointment. You canceled your summer tour because of a bum knee. Your fifty-five-hour ex-husband squealed to the tabloids about hot Britney sex. While Christina was catwalking Dsquared in Milan, you were catwalking Cinnabons in Santa Monica. And you're doing what you always do when you're feelin' down: You're getting married.
You look sad, honey. We saw photos of you and your mom having a run-in with the paparazzi at a pet shop. You cried and your mascara ran so much you looked like Tammy Fay Baker watching "Terms of Endearment." Michael Moore filleted you in "Fahrenheit 9/11," showing you saying, " Honestly, I think we should just trust our president in every decision that he makes." Good grief, Britney. Thinking like that got Monica Lewinsky a Montecristo between the thighs.
You know how bad it's gotten, Britney? Here's who's hotter than you: Hoobastank.
And getting married isn't going to solve anything. We're sure this Kevin Federline is a sweet young man with a bright, bright future, but look at him. Baggy clothes, tilted baseball cap, permanent scowl - the George Clooney of the food court. We won't even mention that K-Fed's already a babydaddy or that he left his babymama for you with another baby on the way. We'll let Jerry Springer sort that babydrama out (Oh, and Kevin, Vanilla Ice called - he wants his sideburns back.)
To think we had all freaked out about Fred Durst...
We know what you're thinking. We know you are 22 and you're entitled to make a 22-year-old's mistakes. But when we were 22, our mistakes usually involved drinking Jack Daniel's after pineapple pizza.
But this is GQ, we know how to give advice, and less than 75 percent of it is about ties (Halfway down the belt buckle, K-Fed, in case you're wondering.) Here are some tips to get that career of yours back on track.
FOCUS ON MUSIC: Like your idol, Madonna, you're never done so well when you've branched out into other areas. That New York restaurant, NYLA? We ate there. Ducasse meets Denny's. Your movie, "Crossroads"? The best we can say is that it was no "Kangaroo Jack."
REINVENT THYSELF: Now, Madonna knew about this one. No one thinks you should become, say, a singer, but it may not be a bad idea to recast your musical image. Maybe ditch the dance pop for acid rock, country, or crunk. You don't even have to be convincing. Look at Ashless Simpson - she's now a punk rocker. Ashlee Simpson's about as punk-rock as Lynne Cheney's underwear drawer.
MAKEOVER: You knew this one was coming. Britney, we love ya, but sometimes you dress like one of those fine ladies we see on "Cops," getting arrested for smoking methamphetamine in the 7-eleven parking lot.
A NEW BOY: We know it's in poor taste, but we can't resist. Here's just a quick rundown of eligible bachelors we think may be good for you: Ben Affleck; Mike Piazza; Ralph Nader; Nathan Lane; that Senate-candidate guy in Chicago who blew it because of the sex clubs; John Stamos; David Lee Roth; David Gest; and our assistant editor Kevin-his parents have a Mercedes and let him drive it on weekends.
Britney, we want you to be happy. No one wants to see you train-wreck your career and become the next Liz Taylor (Okay, maybe E! True Hollywood Story and US Weekly wouldn't mind.) We want you to rediscover that joy you had as a schoolgirl in kneesocks, singing "Hit me baby one more time," and discover there is life after teen pop.
After all, look who's on the cover.
With love,
GQ
08.21 - SystemofThought at the JJB posted this nugget that had me grinning all day long. As it were: In an interview with FUSE TV, Tom Cruise's answer as to whom he'd be interested in getting for the next Mission Impossible film included JC, whose Dear Goodbye ("Days Go By" was the quote, a mistake I myself often make) he can see as the song for his love interest. *beams*
08.22 - Joey performs his last night with Little Shop of Horrors.
08.23 - JC on Australian radio Hot 103 FM about A.D.I.D.A.S.: "My, mine inspiration was just to, just to, get, just wanted to, I had good times on the brain and that was it."
He also echoes all our sentiments. Though mine lean more toward the swimmmers, but I suppose ping-pong was a safer topic:
Age: "Hey, have you been watching the Olympics?"
JC: "Hey, you know what, I think that they put crack in the television, because I'm absolutely addicted to this stuff. I found myself watching ping-pong today for hours."
Age: "I know, do you know those guys train, they actually run, they actually train and do weights."
JC: "Oh man, they're no joke dude, I mean I will say this though, at first I was like, 'Ping-pong, really?' And then two minutes later, I'm like, that guy's like five feet off the table man, look at... [yells] 'Not out, come on!'"
And then this:
Jen: "Is it, is it hard to go out and become a solo artist? Obviously, coming off the back of the success that *NSYNC had as a group, um, like the prospect of failing or not succeeding on your own must sort of stay in your mind a little."
JC: "You know what though? A lot of people have said that to me and um, I've already, I feel like I've succeeded already, um, just because I made the record that I've always wanted to make, and I think, you know, that's a success in itself you know, to work in this business and to actually do what you want to do when there is so many people that want a piece of whatever you're doing and want to control whatever you're doing, um, at this level in the game 'cause you know if they make one suggestion they can say it was their idea and so on and so forth, and then they can get patted on the back and that's just you know the business is just that way right now, and um, I've succeeded in keeping my product pure and that was successful, that was success for me."
08.24 - With thanks to
livehead16, I squee: Richard Young for MSM: I know you did some work with Justin Timberlake and you guys did some recording together. Will this material ever surface?John Mayer: I don’t know. We wrote a really cool song called “Done”. It was just a hook from hell. Just ridiculous. I would love to work more with Justin. We talk every once in a while. I don't expect to talk to him all the time. That’s what happens when you're friends with someone who is as busy as you are. It’s pretty cool. I don't know. I tracked the tune for the last record and it didn't come out. It was just so different. I think I kind of had the song in mind, and then he and I were in a hotel room one day and came up with this chorus that was just catchy as can be. It’s so Justin and also me at the same time. It has all these little Justin things in it.
Also, insert here and in the coming week oogobs of pictures of Justin and the girlfriend/sometimes fiance surfing and boozing it up in Hawaii.
08.25 - JC does JoJo Jam and gets him some lovin' from Britney's fiance's babymama. It's a small, strange world we live in. Also, Lance takes his puppies, once again a merry band of three, to a park and looks adorable lying on a stone table chatting on his cellphone. No doubt to Jesse, who at last count has yet to have separation surgery from his own.
08.26 - Chris performs a surprisingly account-free song with the band Starship (We Built This City on Rock & Roll) at the Hard Rock Cafe in Orlando.
08.27 - Justin's GQ interview excerpt highlights:
GQ: Lately, you said, a weight has been lifted.
Justin: "Yeah, for sure."
GQ: What was that weight?
Justin: "That first solo album. It was 20 years in the making. That was something that I always wanted to do, that was always the ultimate goal."
GQ: So there must be some feeling of, Oh now what?
Justin: "That's exactly where I'm at."
GQ: Is that related to any personal relationships you might have?
Justin: "It has to do with that, yeah definitely. It also has to do with just realizing that the flowers are around, and I should stop and smell them. You know what I mean? I don't want to just work and work and work and turn around and be 40 and have a ranch with no memories, you know? I mean that figuratively, I don't mean like an actual ranch. I don't picture myself sitting on a ranch with a bunch of horses running around, with amnesia."
...GQ: Do you have the same drive that you've always had?
Justin: "I think I'll always have the same drive, I think that's what makes me who I am. That's one of the things that will never change. I just don't know specifically where I want to direct it right now. It's like, I know I kind of felt like doing this indie film that I did. And I didn't expect to be able to do that film, to be an amateur in the ring with heavyweights."
GQ: And not get knocked out.
Justin: "That remains to be seen. But the thing is like, if you're an amateur and the heavyweights say, 'Yeah, I'll get in there and spar with you,' do you pass it up? No."
I love that he doesn't let people give him more than he feels he's earned. Finally, about being a white boy doing "black music": "I'm not going to change who I am or the music I like. I can't apologize for doing something that inspired me."
08.29 - Miranda introduces me to the world of funny that is Tony Goldmark's Sirius Black. I can die happy now that I have the image of Snape saying, "Potter, let Malfoy kick it old school, or it's detention."
Somewhere in there was the actual GQ article, about which I have much the same things to say as everyone else - between the insipid reporter, it was a somewhat annoying piece, and Justin's continuing to disown his past is, while understandable, not in the least classy. Otherwise, he lives with Trace ("we did the album" -Trace) and is still a consumate fanboy and kisses his momma goodbye (who drives him to airports), so there's that, too. Also, *NSYNC playing five straight nights at Giants Stadium? 265,000 people? Wow. Insanity.
And then lj user equals charlidos and friends made my morning. Thanks, ladies. Oh, Lance. *hugs him tight*
Finally, my tree. Mmm, Nutella.
Sept. 24 - Oct. 3: Hazelnut Tree (Extraordinary) - Charming, sense of humor, very demanding but can also be very understanding, knows how to make a lasting impression, active fighter for social causes and politics, popular, quite moody, sexually oriented, honest, a perfectionist, has a precise sense of judgment and expects complete fairness.
Aaw, lookit the idealistic control freak. Nice to meet you.
As far as real life, this weekend was pretty uneventful after Friday night. Yeah, there was the office party on Saturday, but they only had beer to drink, I suck at pool and socializing with strangers, and Natalie, in a drunken volume, announced that hallelujah, praise be, we have a new Desk Chief. When I told Staci who it was once we were back home, she about did a spit-take of her drink all over me. Apparently, the girl worked at the Alligator two years ago, and who knows what she's been doing in the interim but it's good enough to make Emily run screaming "We got one!" through the office last night. I'm also to understand she has not yet shown up for job training, despite tomorrow being her first night. This is me, firmly biting my tongue. However, there was immensely stress-relieving PopOdyssey viewing going on in Sarah's office (Emily is apparently a fan) tonight, of which I snuck snatches between passing around floppy discs. Aah, our slowly dying technology. Natalie declared we're switching to typewriters tomorrow, and at this point, I'm thinking it can only be a step up.
Staci felt the need to ask what I was drinking when I walked into her room with a yellowish liquid in my glass. For the record, it was apple juice. She thought it may be wine. We shared a Look and decided we're gonna not go there. Neither of us.
And as others mourn the end of the Olympics, I rejoice in the return of Conan tonight. Too long have I been denied his brand of consummate silliness. For now, I'm off to make dinner and listen to Hootnanny for the thousandth time. How did we not go nuts over this song when it was first released? So good!
Quote of the Day:
"Don't worry, Meghan - I never trust the writers."
-me
