Carrie Fisher Dares To Bear!

The actress who played the feisty Princess Leia in Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jediis now helping with a different fight. Carrie Fisher, who recently starred in an autobiographical one-woman show called "Wishful Drinking", has loaned her likeness to a teddy bear for the annual Broadway Bears auction, the proceeds of which benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
The auction, which is an annual event, is scheduled to take place on February 14, 2010. Fans of both Carrie Fisher and 'Star Wars' may find the bear to be an ideal piece of memorabilia: Its wig is a reproduction of Fisher’s classic Princess Leia hairdo, which has appeared on numerous products over the years, including a PEZ dispenser and shampoo bottles. Other details include midnight blue silk pajamas cut from remnants of Fisher’s original Broadway garments, as well as the actress’ autograph under one of the bear’s sandals.
Fisher, who will forever be linked to the "Cinnamon Bun" hairstyle of Star Wars and the metal bikini worn by Princess Leia in Return of the Jedi, also appeared in such films as 1980’s The Blues Brothers. She also adapted her own 1987 semi-autobiographical novel Postcards from the Edge for the 1990 movie directed by Mike Nichols. More recently, Fisher rescued the Masturbating Bear from Late Night with Conan O’Brien, after the host attempted to encase the recurring sketch character in carbonite, a la Han Solo inThe Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi.
If you can’t make it to New York City in February, you can still bid online up until the auction date by visitingBidding For Good. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is among the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. Since 1988, BC/EFA has drawn on the American theatre community to raise over $175M for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the country.

Zack Snyder is Getting Gamey

According to Variety, Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) has signed a deal to develop three original games for Electronic Arts.
Snyder will work with EA's Los Angeles studio in Playa Vista to produce his games. EA will own the intellectual properties, but under the deal the publisher may turn some or all of them into films that will be produced by Snyder's Cruel & Unusual Films banner, which is run by the director with co-president Deborah Snyder and producer Wesley Coller.
"Zack Snyder has a fresh and bold creative style that resonates with our core audience," EA Games label president Frank Gibeau said in a statement.
Snyder is joining a small group of Hollywood helmers who produce video games that aren't adaptations of their own films, including Steven Spielberg, John Woo and Peter Jackson.

Shatner Slighted Over Exclusion from Takei Wedding

Last month, Star Trek actor George Takei — who played Enterprise helmsman Sulu — and his long-time partner Brad Altman were married in California. William Shatner claims he was not invited to the ceremony. And Shatner is apparently miffed about the whole thing.
In a video posted on Shatner's Web site last week, he lashed out at Takei for being excluded from the Takei-Altman nuptials. According to Shatner, his former helmsman harbors a grudge against the former Enterprise captain."The whole thing makes me feel badly," Shatner said in the video. "Poor man. There is such a sickness there. It's so patently obvious that there is a psychosis there. I don't know what his original thing about me was. I have no idea."
Shatner said he felt he never knew Takei when they worked together on the original TV series and later in the Star Trek films.The Boston Legal star also attacked Takei's decision to come out of the closet later in life, saying "Who cares? Be gay. Don't be gay. That's up to you, George."Meanwhile, according to the AP, Star Trek alums Nichelle Nichols and Walter Koenig — who played Uhura and Chekhov, respectively — were among the attendees at the multicultural ceremony at the Japanese American National Museum.
Takei and Altman had previously stated that Shatner was invited to their wedding, but he never RSVPed."It is unfortunate that Bill was unable to join us for our wedding as he indeed was invited to attend," Takei responded. "It is our hope that at this point he joins us in voting no on Proposition 8, which seeks to eliminate the fundamental right for same-sex couples to marry in California."

Dan O

Dan O’Bannon, science fiction screenwriter and director, passed away on December 17, 2009 in Los Angeles. He was best known for his work in the science-fiction and horror genres, with hits that included Alien, Total Recall, and The Return of the Living Dead.
O’Bannon made his first splash in 1974 with Dark Star, which expanded a low-budget, 45-minute short co-written with fellow USC student John Carpenter. Although the film had sci-fi trappings, such as a space ship and cryogenic freezing technology, Dark Star was essentially a quirky, black-hearted comedy about the ship’s misfit crew members. The movie became a cult hit; and not only did O’Bannon work on the screenplay, but he had an acting role as a character named Sgt. Pinback.
A few years later, after working on special computer animation and graphic displays for a little feature called Star Wars, O’Bannon wrote the script for Alien, based on a story penned by himself and Ronald Shusett. It was a career saver at the time, as an Alejandro Jodorowsky-helmed version of "Dune" he had been supervising special effects for had fallen apart.
Released in 1979, the Ridley Scott-helmed Alien put O’Bannon at the forefront of sci-fi/horror screenwriters, and is still considered particularly innovative. "With Alien, I figured out quite simply that, as an audience member, what you DON'T see scares you more than what you see," O’Bannon once observed. "In horror films, the scares that really grab the audience and build the tension for them don't come from the monster jumping out of the shadows! The terror comes from the slow times in between those pay-off scenes in which the characters are talking and planning—waiting for something to jump out at them!"
During the 80’s, O’Bannon penned the scripts for Blue Thunder, as well as the alien encounter-turned-vampirism film Lifeforce, as well as the remake of Invaders from Mars, the latter two both for director Tobe Hooper. However, with 1985’s Return of the Living Dead, O’Bannon jumped into the director’s chair himself for the first time. The result was a successful zombie flick that spawned several sequels.
O’Bannon re-teamed with Shusett on Total Recall, the 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger blockbuster based on "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale", a short story by Philip K. Dick. The Paul Verhoeven-directed film grossed over $100 million US in 1990. In 1992, O’Bannon helmed his second feature, a low-budget horror film called The Resurrected, inspired by the writings of H.P. Lovecraft. In 1995, he received a co-screenplay credit for Screamers, based on another Dick story, "Second Variety".
At the time of his death, O’Bannon was working on the Alien prequel due out in 2011. He was also known for writing "The Long Tomorrow", a mid-1970’s short story comic book with artwork by Moebius, which blended elements of noir and cyberpunk. Both Ridley Scott and William Gibson have said their respective works — Blade Runner and Neuromancer — were influenced by "The Long Tomorrow".

Southwest Airlines vs. Kevin Smith, Part Deux

For the second time in as many days, Southwest Airlines has apologized to writer/director Kevin Smith. Why? It all started when the air carrier pulled Smith off a flight to Burbank Saturday because of his "size." Not unsurprisingly, this prompted Smith to post several messages on his Twitter page about the incident and promise on his website to "scorch the earth" with his complaints against Southwest, according to CNN.
Not unsurprisingly, Southwest has been backpedaling fast…mostly.
"We want to assure everyone that has expressed concern over the situation that we will use this experience in our customer service program when training our employees on the correct way to apply the policy," the airline said.
The "customer of size policy" implemented 25 years ago requires "passengers that cannot fit safely and comfortably in one seat to purchase an additional seat while traveling," said Southwest.
"If a customer cannot comfortably lower the armrest and infringes on a portion of another seat, a customer seated adjacent would be very uncomfortable and a timely exit from the aircraft in the event of an emergency might be compromised if we allow a cramped, restricted seating arrangement," the airline added.
"We're very sorry for how his night unfortunately played out," Southwest conceded in a written statement.
Apparently, Smith did purchase two seats for the flight to Burbank, but he was allowed to board an earlier flight as a standby passenger, and only one seat was available on that particular flight.
The extra seat is not a necessity, he said, but a luxury because "Southwest flights are cheap."
The airline said it "could have potentially handled our communication better," but defended "the determination that Mr. Smith needed more than one seat to complete his flight comfortably."
Smith says he never plans to fly Southwest Airlines again—it's an unfortunate public relations snafu for a carrier that reportedly had the lowest rate of passenger complaints among U.S. airlines last year.
In fairness to Smith and our "supersize me" North American culture, maybe the airlines should just install wider seats. Anyone who has traveled on a regional jet over the past 10 years can attest to the fact that if you're an ounce heavier than an anorexic runway model you can barely squeeze yourself into them.

Dark Knight Envy? Buy Your Very Own 1966 Batmobile

Back on January 7 we reported a story about CarInsurance.org's marketing campaign that compiled a list of [nearly] every single version of the Batmobile ever created. We didn't editorialize about our personal favorites, but for the purposes of this story it would have to be either the Tumbler — as featured inBatman Begins, The Dark Knight…and we presume the forthcoming third film in the trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises — or the original 1966 Batmobile featured in the Batman television series, based on a 1955 Lincoln Futura show car.
Coincidentally, if you missed it, around the same time Gizmodo published a story about a company called Fiberglass Freaks who are making build-to-order Batmobiles that are identical replicas to that same 1966 Batmobile.
We're not talking about 1/18" replicas. We're talking about actual, life-sized, functioning, driving cars. The car comes with some pretty significant extras including rocket exhaust flamethrower, a detect-a-scope…and for that contemporary touch, a DVD player and high-end stereo. This particular Batmobile is built from a 1970's Lincoln Town Car that they provide (so that gives you some idea of what sort of size and ride to expect).
It’s more than just a “kit car.” The wheel wells are enclosed with steel tubs. The doors are finished inside and out, and the doors even sound solid when they latch. The rocker panels are attached to the floor pan with steel and fiberglass. When you sit in the car, your head doesn’t hover over the front windshield, and you have plenty of leg room, too. We wet sand the car by hand to remove any surface imperfections in the paint, then we buff and polish the car to an incredible shine.
For some fascinating behind-the-scenes photos of custom car builder George Barris constructing the original 1966 Batmobile, go here…and scroll down the page almost half way.
While this strikes us as the ultimate fanboy indulgence, it's also pretty damn cool (we'll admit, we want one). And if you have a spare $150,000 burning a hole in your Batsuit, they'll build one for you, too.

Test Flight Lands At New Asaba International Airport, Delta

An Overland Aviation Limited commercial aircraft landed at the Asaba International Airport Thursday afternoon, as part of a test run of the new airport constructed by the Delta State Government.
The aircraft, which made the journey from Abuja, had the Governor of the state, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan on board.
The airport project, which gulped an estimated N17.5 billion naira according to Delta State Government sources, had generated so much controversy following the delay in its completion and commissioning.
Sources told THEWILL that the multiple delays to the completion of the airport was due to inputs by federal government aviation regulatory agencies.
With the test run of the facilities at the airport, it is expected that the commissioning would be done soonest.
The state government has however not made any formal pronouncement to that effect as some work is still being done on the terminal building.

Abuja Lover delivers baby girl for 9ice

It’s a baby girl for singer 9ice and his Abuja-based partner Bukky!
Although the pair would prefer to keep it hush hush, we can reliably tell you that they are taking their relationship a step further with the arrival, early last week, of their first baby together.
Sources close to 9ice tell us the singer -who’s separated from his wife Toni Payne – has been a regular visitor to Abuja, since Bukky – a fair-complexioned older woman – took in last year.
The relationship has never been public, even though those close to the singer are well aware they’re seriously dating.
We cannot tell for now, if the pair is planning to get married; especially as 9ice and Payne are still legally married.
Multiple sources tell us this lady is the reason the singer has been a regular visitor to Abuja; and that his ex Toni Payne is – unhappily- aware of the relationship. ‘In fact almost all the ladies close to him know of her. She herself even went out of her way to contact them‘, our source offers.
Sources say Bukky’s baby, a girl, was delivered on Monday March 21. The baby is 9ice’s second. His first son named Zion was delivered on Thursday December 4, 2008, at Presbytarian Hospital, Southern California, United States of America.
I can tell you for sure that 9ice has gotten the girl pregnant, and she has put to bed. Toni knows. But even her is keeping quiet but it’ll be a source of embarrassment for her‘, one of 9ice’s close friends tells us. He does not want to be named.
I can’t tell if he’ll marry her or not. But she’s very close to him and I believe they’re serious‘. He disclosed.
9ice’s manager Dehinde Fajana through a telephone conversation, Fajana claimed that he is ignorant of the situation and questioned the existence of his boss’ Abuja partner.
‘Is there any partner there? Does 9ice have any partner in Abuja? I’m sorry, I don’t know’ Fajana responded.
9ice did not immediately respond to our enquiries.

Gym Clothes Pull Double Duty While Bold Looks Reign Supreme Read more

While we're all gearing up for frigid temperatures and cozy layers, the fashion world is looking ahead to a sunnier time filled with fresh new styles. New York Fashion Week Spring 2012 has just come to an end, leaving us with a fabulous crop of new trends to consider while we endure the colder months.
Starting on September 8th, the weeklong semiannual event featured 300 collections from a wide range of designers that spanned from universally renowned to unknown up and comers.
In case you weren’t able to keep up with all the craziness, we’ve designed a quick crash course spotlighting the key trends that everyone will be rocking from spring (some of these looks can even translate well for fall, talk about being ahead of the curve!)
Sporty-chic
Sportswear had a major moment during Fashion Week, cropping up on a diverse array of runways. Hoodies, mesh, drawstrings, sweats, anoraks, styles you usually reserve for the gym, will serve double duty as daywear come Spring 2012.
The sporty trend was most heavily referenced at Alexander Wang, where we saw a slew of styles inspired by NASCAR and Motorcross, updated and made chic with a dose of Wang’s signature downtown-cool. The boys of Rag & Bone also went in a decidedly sporty direction with track pants, mesh tee-shirts and oversized zip-ups all piled together on the runway for effortlessly cool styles that set a standard for tomboy-chic.
On other runways, the sporty was blended beautifully with the romantic, lady-like styles. At BCBG Max Azria, floaty chiffon dresses in airy shades were topped with contrasting zip-up hoodies. At Marc Jacobs, sweatshirts were teamed with intricately draped skirts for unexpected styles that set a new standard for casual-cool.
And while she was once known as Posh Spice, Victoria Beckham seemed to have drawn from inspiration from Sporty Spice for her collection, which featured boxy, hooded jackets and dresses with insets of sheer mesh, which was also a popular fabric on the runways this season.
Sweetly Slouchy
Spring 2012 runways were full of comfortable shapes that float in the breeze and move beautifully with every motion.
At DKNY, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Jill Stuart, BCBG Max Azria and countless others, we saw airy dresses that are made to hang loose for romantic styles with an ethereal quality. It wasn’t only the dresses, though: tops, skirts, jackets, pant—comfort proved to be key styles.
While skinny pants will stick around for spring, slouchy pant styles, from relaxed trousers to super wide legs have proved to be a much more fashionable (and forgiving!) alternative on the runways and is emerging as one of the standout trends. To keep things slouchy without looking sloppy, take a cue from Elie Tahari or DKNY and combine fitted, more structured pieces with your free-flowing ones.
Explosive Prints
Pretty prints are always key players when it comes to spring fashion. This season, the stakes have been raised and prints have gone from pretty to power-packed.
Florals are always a la mode for spring. This time around, dainty florals have been toughened up, appearing on the runways of Cynthia Rowley and Diane von Furstenberg in rich, electric shades that make a statement.
DKNY showcased a model wearing a single wild print from head-to-toe, literally, with a hat, top, pant, bag and shoe all in the same crazy pattern. If wearing a single print from top to bottom is way too matchy-matchy for you, take a cue from Karen Walker, Suno and DVF and mix several prints together—stripes, florals, dots, even, dare we say it, stripes and plaids. The rules of matching are officially obsolete so go wild!
Pops of Neon
The neon trend is nothing new and has been cropping up for several seasons. While in-your-face neons are still going strong, more subdued flashes of neon are emerging as the new way to bring bold colors into your look.
At Rachel Roy, a beautiful cream-colored suit was accented with hot pink ties, adding just enough pop without looking out of place. At BCBG Max Azria, sweet dresses in nude shades were outlined with stripes of neon, ranging from chunky to barely visible. Pops or neon orange were sprinkled throughout the Rag & Bone collection in doses big and small: a neon swimsuit under a sheer top, a neon bag to accent a quietly colored look, a neon drawstring peeping out beneath a dark knit.
The lesson here was go bright, only do so in moderation!
White Hot
This spring is going to be white-hot thanks to a takeover of LWDs (little white dresses). White dresses found their way onto nearly every runway this season and with so many interpretations by so many talented designers, there is sure to be a LWD with your name on it come spring. (It’s a good thing we have a while, you can star practicing how to avoid spills in the meantime!).
White wasn’t only for dresses. We saw beautiful layered looks made up of white separates from head-to-toe at Ralph Lauren, Altuzarra and Rachel Roy. Even at shows where looks weren’t styled to be full on white-outs, there were plenty of fun and fresh white pieces for choose from.

Porn company builds porn bunker to ride out forecasted

Debbie Does End of Days”?
San Fernando Valley porn purveyors Pink Visual may be the only adult film company equipped to release such a title, as they are planning on “riding out the 2012 apocalypse in style” by building an “enormous underground bunker” in anticipation of the December 21, 2012 apocalypse.
“Our goal is nothing less than to survive the apocalypse to come in comfort and luxury,” Pink Visual spokesman Quentin Boyer told CBS’ Los Angeles affiliate. “Whether that catastrophe takes the form of fireballs flung earthward by an all-seeing deity, extended torrential rainfall, Biblical rapture, an earthquake-driven mega-tsunami, radioactive flesh-eating zombies, or some combination of the above.”
Boyer told the LA Weekly that the X-rated bunker will be filled with “multiple fully-stocked bars, an enormous performing stage, and a sophisticated content production studio.”
With nothing to lose on that fateful night, Boyer suggests that those invited to the bunker may participate in an end of the world orgy. “Inevitably, I suppose, that will happen,” he muses. “It’s hard to say how people would respond to an actual apocalypse.”
Pink Visual’s guest list will be limited 1,500 VIPs said Boyer, adding that “Pink Visual performers, active site members and Twitter followers (will get) priority over the general public.”
Good thing they have over a year to plan for the event, as Boyer admits that they’re “still working on oxygen, that kind of thing.”
The exact location of the bunker has not been released due to “security concerns.”

And hey–there are worse places than Van Nuys to spend your last hours on earth. “If nothing else, it’ll be a fantastic one-night party, after which we’ll emerge from underground, red-faced, to go home, and the company will be left behind with the coolest bunker known to man,” Boyer said.