This was Phil Spector as captured some 33 years ago by Brad Elterman at the Magic Castle. It's part of an exhibition that will open May 9 at Equator Books in Venice.

Also of note: A virtually unrecognizable Leif Garrett and Nicolette Sheridan;

Robert Plant, none too happy being caught playing soccer in a Speedo;

And another, wholly work-unsafe pic, which includes this in its caption:

She never had a problem with taking all of her clothes for the camera. That is the way it was back then -- you would just see a pool on a warm summer day and off came the clothes! Kari, if you are reading this, do not flip out that I am using this photograph. Remember, I still have the signed photo release.

Heh. Full gallery, here.

Director Adam Shankman's first Funny or Die experience was for the wildly popular (and hilarious) "Prop 8: The Musical," starring Jack Black, John C. Reilly and a long list of other notable celebs.

In a new, albeit much less comical, Funny or Die segment, the "Hairspray" helmer teams with teen icon Zac Efron and a random batch of young Hollywood faces (minus Queen Latifah) in the clip, "Zac Efron's Pool Party."

Also appearing in the sketch are "High School Musical" actress Vanessa Hudgens, Nicole Richie (and boyfriend Joel Madden), Lance Bass, Justin Long (?), Carmen Electra, Brittney Snow, Jessica Stroup, Brody Jenner, and Jessica Rose (lonelygirl15).

Thomas Lennon ('Reno 911') is pretty much the only semi-funny person in the vid, which appears to have been conceived (and poorly executed) at a pretentious cabana bash.

Check it out.

--Stuart Oldham

Whenever director Joe Wright and Keira Knightley team up ("Pride and Prejudice," "Atonement"), there's usually a whirlwind romance, tea party dresses, and gaping English hillsides, but never has the 24-year old actress taken a bruiser for Joe (unless, of course, you count Mr. Darcy's polite indifference...).

Knightley, who's currently shooting 'London Boulevard' with Colin Farrell, recently did a TV spot for domestic abuse charity, Women's Aid. The two-minute ad (directed by Wright) features Knightley being kicked around and beaten rather badly by her not-so-nice partner.

Normally, I'd say something funny here but domestic abuse isn't very humorous (even though the fake blood they used looks like Kiki's fingernail polish).

Have a look...

--Stuart Oldham

(File this one under IRONIC HALL OF SHAME)

Not that "Twilight" is Fellini or anything, but when MTV reality ditz star Whitney Port bashes the popular teen vampire series, you can't help but laugh your fangs off. (Watch below)

--Stuart Oldham

Her Hollywood career may be M.I.A., but Lindsay Lohan apparently has a fan in Italy.

'Fornarina,' the Italian-based clothing company, recently shot a TV ad featuring the paparazzo Queen. Unfortunately, we don't know who to credit for the script (we're guessing NOT Dante), but Lohan's dialogue is pure gold. Enjoy.

p.s. Try saying 'career killer' three times fast.

--Stuart Oldham

 

Los Angeles city prosecutors have charged Kanye West with misdemeanor batter, grand theft, and vandalism over a videotaped tussle with paparazzi last year at LAX.

West and his manager, Dan Crawley, were caught on tape by celebrity gossip site TMZ grabbing one of the nagging photogs' cameras and smashing it to the ground.

(Watch video below)

If convicted, West faces up to two and a half years in prison for the Sept. 11 incident while Crawley, who was charged with six misdemeanors, faces six years.

--Stuart Oldham

Caveat: Who the hell knows if any of this is real. But if you'd like to see Brian Eno Tweet smack to the manager of the Jesus and Mary Chain, or Lily Allen to Perez Hilton, or Perez Hilton to Ashton Kutcher, or a National Post reporter to a flack, please click here.

Bonus round: Lindsey Lohan's Tweets during what was for her, by any measure, a stressful weekend.

Hollyscoop had it first; the AP confirmed it this morning.

(A 9:30 PST call to media relations at the LAPD Friday night yielded little. "People are calling like crazy," the officer said. "But no one's told us anything. They wouldn't tell us, about a warrant.")

In the meantime, there was plenty of Lindsay Lohan reading material. There was the story about Lohan's screaming row with her girlfriend (one in a series). And that in the process, she left her bodyguard "stranded" in Vegas. I also read about her new role, as a hawker of spray tans. And more good news: she settled the lawsuit over the fur coat she may or may not have stolen.

However, there was a distinct dearth of the sort of material that would have made this a "real" story. Such as: What will this mean for her shooting schedule? (It's not clear that she has one.)

 (Image credit: Studio Systems)

What about her promotional responsibilities? (Her only completed film is "Labor Pains," the feature debut of Lara Shapiro in which Lohan stars opposite Cheryl Hines. The trailer has been available on YouTube since September; according to IMDB, it is slated for release May 16 through Labor Prods.)

Then there's the last refuge of celebrity-tackling show-business reporters: Will this make her uninsurable?

A better question: Is that a moot point?

Bummer for wannabe paparazzi: New York state representative Peter T. King is sponsoring the Camera Phone Predator Alert Act. In other words: He wants the law to require that camera phones make a clicky sound.

Viz. to wit:

"any mobile phone containing a digital camera to sound a tone whenever a photograph is taken with the camera's phone. Prohibits such a phone from being equipped with a means of disabling or silencing the tone. Treats the requirement as a consumer product safety standard and requires enforcement by the Consumer Product Safety Commission."

However, it's been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, an outfit that, presumably, will be distracted with more-pressing issues for the forseeable future. [Library of Congress, via Slashdot]

I don't miss Premiere magazine much (its glory days were long gone by the time it folded), but one feature I did appreciate were the photos shot by Jeff Bridges on his film sets. Happily, he's continued that tradition for no apparent reason other than it's what he wants to do, which is the best reason of all. Check out his site, jeffbridges.com; it also features (what I presume are his) charming scribbly drawings that evoke Shel Silverstein with a shakier hand and colored pencils. [jeffbridges.com -- thanks, Liz!]

Interesting: Bruce Lee's Hong Kong home will be perserved as a tourist attraction that honors his memory. More interesting: It almost became a "a seedy love motel" instead. [Reuters]

Want to hear the stars of "The Yes Men" discuss post-nasal coke drip and sex with GILFs? Or see Rosario Dawson describe "Seven Pounds" as "superfuckingfabulicious?" Then you want No Good TV, a refreshingly fearless video site that doesn't know from the seven words you can't say on television. Although the site also includes interviews with more traditionally uncensored performers such as porn stars Belladonna and Kimberly Kane (age verification required), mainstream actors appear to appreciate the no-holds-barred schtick as a welcome break from the fatuous press-junket solemnity that dogs so much movie PR, especially when their sparring partner is comely blonde host Carrie Keagan. From an interchange with Will Smith re: "Seven Pounds": 

CARRIE: Fucking awesome movie!
WILL: Hey, you can't say that on TV!
CARRIE: Yes, I can!
WILL: You'll just bleep it?
CARRIE: Nmm... no.

(snip)

CARRIE: Did you bring your "Seven Pounds" of happiness?
WILL: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

I'll take that over Mary Hart any day. Apparently, so would Mark Burnett; he took a stake in the popular online video producer last month with plans to turn it into a TV series. I hope the web version will continue to thrive, since I don't know what channel would allow Dawson's description of preparing for a sex scene with Smith -- and that would be a pity. [NGTV]

This Ron Howard article was published in the March 10, 1978 issue of The Plain Dealer, which a packrat friend saved for reasons that elude me. Though I'm glad he did, since it's Howard's 50th anniversary in show business. And especially with that ad placement -- remember when Henry Winkler was still trying to toggle between Fonzie and romantic comedy? (Click through for slightly larger resolution.)

So, hi! Thanksgiving's over, which apparently means we're meant to spend the next four weeks shopping until our heads explode (or someone dies). You're a bit skint? Then you're in luck, because I have found the bargain-basement item for everyone on your list: The Lindsay Lohan Barbie Doll. Who knew? Not many, apparently; originally priced at $19.95, it's now $7.99 and comes with a faux-fur coat, a director's chair and a portable golden velvet-rope-type-thing, which means wee Lindsay can feel special all the time, even if her asking price has been slashed by 60%. Also available: the Lindsay Lohan SUV Party Limo, but that's $110 and you'll have to hurry -- Amazon only has two left in stock.

HAL's not much for celebrity news (Winona Ryder stories just make me sad), but sometimes the crimes are so egregious that you have a sacred duty to bring them into the light:

Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simspon have named their son
Bronx Mowgli Wentz.

God knows the world does not need another Josh or Jason. However, the point of not choosing the obvious is to avoid the stupid, not to run headlong into its arms. [Gawker]

The mark of a classy company? When you click on a link to its website, you get a bogus come-on for spyware. That's the howdy you get at Moda Entertainment, "a full-service entertainment company" now being sued by Stephen Humprey Bogart (one and the same) for cheating "him of $340,000 (and) paying him for only 2 months for more than 3 years of work." Once you're on the site (not recommended; that spyware popup is persistent), it still takes some digging to figure out exactly what Moda does:

"It is because of MODA’s business model that the company today does not have any of the requirements, cost factors and overhead that accompany the traditional structure in the industry."

Wow; it's almost like they don't exist at all! As best as I can tell, Moda makes deals with the estates of deceased actors like Humphrey Bogart, Donna Reed and Judy Garland for licensing opportunities. I'd imagine there's some money in that; best of luck, Mr. Bogart, in extracting it. [CNS]

Tony Dow, best known as Wally Cleaver in "Leave It To Beaver," will be showing an abstract sculpture, "Unarmed Warrior," at the Louvre as part of the Paris museum's juried Societe Nationale des Beaux-Arts exhibition. Dow, who became a painter and sculptor around the same time that "Beaver" ended in 1963, is represented by the Karen Lynne Gallery in Beverly Hills. [AP]

Welcome to the 21st century Catholic Church, where recruiting measures have come down to Hunk-of-the-Month calendars. Italian photographer Piero Pazzi's Calendario Romano -- known in Rome as "the Vatican beefcake calendar" -- "has become such an international cult item that Rizzoli recently snapped up rights to publish an American edition," Nick Vivarelli writes. While the calendar has no official Vatican ties, calendars were handed out this summer at World Youth Day in Sydney, a massive event for Roman Catholic teens. Pazzi, who notes that he gets many orders from Protestant female ministers in Nordic countries, says, "It's just intended as a souvenir." Pazzi, who has a multi-language casting call on his website, says, "I pick them young to signal that their calling is still very much alive." Of course. [Variety]

Hollywood's dreams of a post-election Sarah Palin as a right-wing Oprah? May be illegal. Hillel Italie and Anne Sutton report that Alaska has an ethics act that "restricts outside employment" and applies specifically to the state's executive branch. Namely, "The head of a principal executive department of the state may not accept employment for compensation outside the agency that the executive head serves." David Jones, Alaska's senior assistant attorney general, said the act "likely applies to the governor but it's not clear what constitutes 'employment.' " Presumably, creation of something like "Straight Talk! with Sarah Palin" would fall "outside the agency." [AP]

And this one's better, if only to hear Justin Timberlake tell Steven Spielberg, "I can do anything. I was in a f... boy band, OK?"

"We are excited to announce the addition of Joe 'The Plumber' Wurzelbacher to The Press Office roster for exclusive public relations representation!" Yes, very exciting! Also repped by the Press Office: the Gatlin Bros., aspiring NASCAR racer Chase Mattioli and John "the 'Welcome Back Kotter' theme guy" Sebastian.

Last night, the Hollywood Film Festival Awards began its annual, baffling inauguration of the Oscar season. The HFFAs are renowned for honoring movies before they've even been released; Pete Hammond noted the confusion among those that accepted the semi-dubious honor. "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson probably gave the only awards speech in history that acknowledged, "It's all hype," while "Doubt" writer-director Patrick Shanley said, "It's gratifying and stupefying to receive an award for a movie no one has seen yet." And "Tropic Thunder" star Ben Stiller turned to the audience for help: "What IS this award? Can anyone tell me?" Finally, the actor answered his own question: "I guess this award is dedicated to the actor who through their work has indicated a willingness to show up and accept this." [Notes on a Season]

If George Clooney was upset by Gawker Stalker, he's going to be apoplectic over MeetTheFamous.com, a new website that boasts the tagline: "Where YOU Are The Paparazzi!" Founded by Jordan Osher, the site is wholly comprised of user-uploaded celebrity gossip, with users paid by the pageview. One thousand views is $5; 2 million views are $10,000 and each story's earnings to date are noted at the bottom of each posr. (As I discovered, your account gets a fifty-cent credit when you register.) According to site reps, "The result is countless first person experiences, good and bad, that feature the biggest celebrities in the world."  So far, the experiences seem to be comprised of fans grinning next to quarries such as Hilary Duff, Elizabeth Banks and Dashboard Confessional. However, maybe Osher knows his or her market; the Dashboard Confessional post went up seven hours ago and has already earned $50.

The son of Gérard Depardieu, Guillaume Depardieu died Monday. The cause of death is listed as pneumonia, which he contracted three days earlier in Raymond Poincare hospital in Paris. He was shooting a French thriller, "Enfance d'Icare," and was slated to star in his first English-language film, the Seven Arts production "Men Don't Lie." In addition to his father, Guillaume Depardieu is survived by his mother, a sister and half-sister and a seven-year-old daughter. [The Guardian]

A judge has given Raymond Weil S.A. permssion to proceed with a $20 million breach-of-contract suit against Charlize Theron, Matthew Heller writes. The damages stem from photographs of Theron at the 2006 SXSW Film Festival wearing a Christian Dior watch when she was still under a 15-month, $3 million contract to the Swiss watchmaker. U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon denied Theron's motion for summary judgment saying that by wearing the Dior watch, “Theron breached her covenant not to 'wear publicly any other watches other than RW. Theron recognizes as much, calling her decision to wear the watch 'regrettable.' It was more than 'regrettable;' it was a clear breach of the Agreement.” Also revealed in the judge's decision were details about Theron's arrangements with other jewelers, including a $250,000 payment to wear Chopard at the 2006 Oscars and nearly $50,000 in "tokens of appreciation" from Cartier. [On Point News]

Metallica drummer and veteran art collector Lars Ulrich is selling his "last Basquiat." Saying he's more interested in collecting the work of emeriging artists, Ulrich has consigned “Untitled (Boxer),” a 1982 painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat (at left), for sale by Christie’s in New York Nov. 12. Of course, this seems like an awkward time to sell, well, anything, particularly a piece with an estimated sale price of $12 million-$16 million. However, Ulrich told Carol Vogel, “I have a lot of faith in the art market." [New York Times]

Age has its benefits. Among the topics that the 91-year-old Kirk Douglas discussed with Paul Bond were the accusation that Hollywood frowns on those who lean to the political right ("I think that's a lot of crap. Did Ronald Reagan get chastised? Does Arnold Schwarzenegger?"), Douglas' MySpage page and why the American government needs to apologize for slavery. The only thing he wouldn't address was whether he'd seen any good movies lately: "Gee. Let me think. (Long pause.) I guess I'll have to call you tomorrow." [The Hollywood Reporter]

If you'd like to spend eight minutes watching Dan Aykroyd pontificate on vodka and ghosts, boy, are you in luck. The vodka's website is stark enough to suggest that the whole thing intended as a spoof that plays on the actor's long-held beliefs in the supernatural world. However, it turns out that not only is Crystal Head vodka very much available for sale, but Aykroyd is a partner in its distributor, Diamond Estates Wine & Spirits (they also handle Patron, Pama pomegranate liqueur and that weird blue liqueur, Hpnotiq). [hat tip: Hollywood Elsewhere]

Diddy takes to his blog to go Blair Witch on Sarah Palin. ABC News has a roundup of other celebrities' Palin opinions here.

Robert Redford writes about playing pranks on each other (he had a beaten-up Porsche shell delivered for Paul Newman's 50th birthday; Newman responded with a crate of molten metal, which Redford turned into "a really ugly sculpture and dropped (it) into his garden. To this day, neither one of us has ever mentioned it." On Newman's illness, Redford says: "I knew what the deal was, and he knew what the deal was, and we didn't talk about it. We talked about what was on our minds: the election, politics, what needed to be done. Ours was a relationship that didn't need a lot of words." [Time]

Produced by Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way Prods.

The economy has has a deleterious effect on a long-held celebrity tradition: Ringing the opening and closing bells at the New York Stock Exchange. As Ben White reports, Broadway star Missi Pyle ("Boeing, Boeing") backed out of closing-call duties on Monday, saying she'd "decided to let the day be about the market and not about having a celebrity ring the bell.” As well she might; Jim Haggerty, chief executive of PR Consulting Group, describes the duty as currently being "a little bit like being asked to blow the foghorn on the Titanic." [New York Times]

How The Mighty Have Fallen, Dept. of: The site, which launched in beta this summer, bills itself as "the women’s web destination for celebrity and entertainment news, casual games, fashion and community." The release goes on: "The five-minute webisode will feature Joan and Melissa’s refreshingly candid 'best dressed' comments, as well as their fiercely funny 'worst dressed' barbs and the Ooooh! Shoe Review. The Ooooh! Shoe Review portion of the show will highlight interactive links to online shoe retailer Zappos.com, which was among the first brands to be featured within MyHollywood content." [BusinessWire]