doucheordarling-blog

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In Hollywood, becoming an overnight sensation is one thing but achieving career longevity is really where it’s at.  And to keep those roles coming, bottom line is the actor's return on investment has to be on point.  With this in mind, Forbes just released their annual list of Hollywood's most bankable stars and according to them, Natalie Portman comes out on top as THE star who gives studio execs the most bang for their buck.

Forbes determined that when comparing the lead actor's salary to the film's budget and box office earnings, Portman's ROI far exceeds the total dollars spent.  For example, in the film "Black Swan", for which Portman earned her first Lead Actress Oscar, Forbes estimates the film was produced for a mere $13 million and grossed nearly $330 million at the box office!  And for every $1 Natalie was paid, she returned just under $43 in profits!!

She may not be Hollywood’s most talked about star (in terms of tabloid fodder at least) but clearly Natalie Portman’s talent and appeal speak for themselves.  And the idea that she can be so successful without relying on her celebrity is nothing short of inspiring.  

Verdict: Media Darling to the max. 

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Alana ‘Honey Boo Boo’ Thompson has had quite a year.  Her reality spin-off show, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo premiered in August and has since become one of TLC’s highest rated shows.  Since first stealing the spotlight on Toddlers and Tiaras, Honey Boo Boo has become a reality show queen, and now that she’s been named one of Barbara Walter’s 10 Most Fascinating People of 2012, there’s no telling where this 7 year old sensation will land next.

When I first heard ‘Honey Boo Boo Child’ had made Walter’s most fascinating list, I may have thrown up in my mouth a bit. Considering the secretary of state and 2016 Presidential hopeful Hilary Clinton is also on that list, you might appreciate my initial desire to upchuck.

However, after some thought that included relearning the definition of ‘fascinating’, which FYI is to draw irresistibly the attention and interest of someone, I totally get it.  Like it or not, millions of people tuned in to watch Honey Boo Boo and her free-wheeling family throughout season one of their addictive reality show.  And while they’ve been described as nothing short of a train-wreck, like most tragic wrecks, people just can’t seem to take their eyes off them.

I doubt Hilary Clinton ever imagined she’d be on the same list as Media Darling,  Honey Boo Boo child, but hey, at the very least it makes for some fascinating TV. 

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Love is blind, deaf, dumb and sometimes even a little dangerous. At least in the case of Rihanna and Chris Brown, whom according to public opinion, are seemingly re-entering the “danger zone” by re-ignited the flame that was extinguished after Brown pummeled Rihanna back in 2009.

Although the pair haven’t come right out and said, “yeah, we’re f*cking”, the photo above recently posted by Rihanna via instagram, is a pretty strong indication the infamous couple may indeed be heading for another round.

And to be real, I’m not mad at Rihanna for re-opening her heart to her former, dysfunctional love. Women (and men) do it all the time. Hence the expression, Love is blind, deaf, dumb, blah, blah, blah.

My issue is that despite all the controversy surrounding their relationship, Rihanna continues to flaunt, what should really be a private matter, every which way possible. On one hand, she complains about all the scrutiny, yet she continues to constantly post the source of all the drama. I realize more celebrities than not are complete media whores, but in this case, its just tacky.

Rihanna: Media Douche or Darling? You decide.

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Holy Douchebag!

For biting the hand that feeds you at the rate of over 300 THOUSAND DOLLARS AN EPISODE...

From my lips to his "God fearing" ears, Angus T. Jones of "Two and a Half Men" fame is an ungrateful, and perhaps soon to be unemployed Media Douche. 

If this isn't a sign that "Two and a Half Men" needs to take its final bow already, I don't know what is. 

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Every so often a Hollywood starlet comes around that makes you think, “now that’s a charming gal I wouldn’t mind getting to know”. These days that charismatic star is Jennifer Lawrence.

Last night, Lawrence appeared on ‘The Tonight Show with Jay Leno’ and gave one hell of an interview. In an industry shrouded by manufactured personas, Lawrence came off as real, down to earth and seemingly unaffected by her celebrity. At the risk of being labeled a sucker, I whole-heartedly ate up everything she was dishing, and frankly, ‘The Hunger Games’ star left me hungry for more.

In stark contrast to your standard celeb interview, Jennifer’s didn’t feel rehearsed or overly promotional; rather it was casual, somewhat self-deprecating and altogether fun and endearing. But if this late night appearance truly was nothing more than just another performance for Lawrence, then clearly this chic really is at the top of her game.

Currently, Jennifer can be seen in the film ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ in a starring role that is already generating Oscar buzz. If Lawrence does indeed snag a best actress nod, it will be her second to date. Last year, she was nominated for her leading role in ‘Winter’s Bone’. Not bad for a girl who’s just getting started at 22.

I personally haven’t seen ‘Winter’s Bone’, but after Lawrence’s appearance on Leno, I can honestly say that on this cold winter’s day, I’m finally ready to bone. And any actor who can spark that immediate of a reaction is a Media Darling in my book.

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Earlier this week I watched one of the most underrated pop stars of our day, P!nk, tell it like it is on her episode of VH1's 'Behind the Music'. 

First and foremost, ‘Behind the Music’ is hands down, one of the best series on television. The show has been around for an amazing 15 years, and during that time, VH1 has given audiences a back stage pass into the lives of some of music’s most popular stars. Watching a wildly successful icon shed all the glitz and glamour (metaphorically) and admit their often times, very LONG road to stardom wasn’t exactly paved with gold is in a word…inspiring.

During her interview, P!nk revealed a lot of priceless gems, including the notion that Christina Aguilera mega hit, “Beautiful” would not have existed in the absence of P!nk’s “career defining” album, “Missundaztood”; while also mildly expressing her distaste for Aguilera overall.

P!nk is clearly not afraid to ruffle anybody’s feathers. And her career is all the better for it. The Philly native dared to break the pop-star mold, bare her soul on stage, and altogether flip the music industry on it’s head. And today, armed with 3 Grammys, 6 albums and 12 top ten hits, P!nk can look back at her legacy and proudly say that was ALL ME – raw, real and 100% unadulterated. 

But behind the music lies what I consider to be one of the most poignant parts of P!nk’s history. In her special, it was revealed that before the world knew her as “P!nk”, Alicia overcame a pretty severe drug addiction the moment she was given a platform to sing. Literally overnight, P!nk traded in her drugs for a mic and an audience, proving that sometimes the only way to squash your demons is to be heard. Thankfully, P!nk found her voice and what resulted is music to our ears.

I for one am looking forward to hearing so much more from this no holds barred Media Darling known the world over as the fiercest shade of P!nk.

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A douche AND a darling beautifully personified in one pretty cool video…how could I not post this?

Actress and musician Janina Gavankar dropped this video today for her single “Waiting for Godot”. Thanks to a youtube link and a tweet by @Questlove that read…

“I’m insanely jealous & in awe of her musicianship. Need an intern @Janina?”

…I discovered just how multidimensional this “True Blood” shape-shifter really is.

Dig the video. Love the song. Media Darling all the way. 

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Last night, during his very last campaign speech, President Barack Obama got pretty emotional. So emotional in fact, our commander in chief even shed a few tears. For some (Republicans) this massive display of emotion and vulnerability probably wreaks of weakness with a side of desperation and a smidge of strategy. For others, watching our President reflect on the last four years with what appeared to be sincerity and heart was refreshing, and perhaps even expected.

For most humans, taking a stroll down memory lane is an emotional ride. Whether your memories elicit feelings of joy or sadness is neither here nor there. On the contrary, if reflecting on your past conjures up not even an ounce of emotion, well then, you’re actually a robot or you need to ease up on the meds.

As far as we know, politicians are in fact human-human puppets perhaps, but human nonetheless. In an arena where so much of their persona is engineered by an entourage of writers, advisors, bank rollers and lobbyists, something as tiny and subtle as the drop of a tear can make a world of difference. Suddenly this government-engineered robot is humanized and perhaps even somewhat genuine.

Call me a sucker, but when I saw President Obama’s high definition tears, I was genuinely moved. And that alone makes him a Media Darling in my book. 

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My doorman and me just spent about 20 minutes discussing our admiration and fanaticism over actor Tom Hardy.

I was first introduced to Hardy when he appeared in “Inception”. I became a fan when I saw him in “The Warrior”. And after seeing him in “The Dark Knight Rises” and “Lawless”, Tom Hardy is easily one of my top five actors. 

Although I’m just now getting to know him, Hardy has been wowing audiences and critics alike for more than a decade. The English stage and screen star made his feature film debut with “Black Hawk Down” and has been absolutely killing the game ever since.

Tonight I was surprised to learn Tom Hardy battled a pretty severe drug and alcohol addiction in his early twenties which eventually ended in rehab. I can’t help but wonder how much of an influence that dramatic experience had on Hardy’s acting ability or rather, believability. The reportedly hard-core method actor  is quoted as offering this piece of advice when it comes to mastering his craft:

“Anything you do on stage or film has a direct relation to something you have experienced in one form or another in real life. Use your imagination to exaggerate or lessen that sensation.”

“...And don't forget to make lots and lots of mistakes, and look like a complete asshole. You'll do fine.”

Tom Hardy plays “asshole” brilliantly. He’s tough, dark, brooding and sometimes downright scary. But he also has this hauntingly charismatic swag that you simply can’t take your eyes off. Clearly, it helps that he’s easy on the eye.

For his next act, Tom Hardy will be playing the role of “Mad Max” in the fourth installment of the popular film series, “Mad Max: Fury Road”. Mel Gibson defined that career-making role, and I’m pretty confident Tom Hardy will more than do it justice.

But if you’re like me and you can’t wait until 2013, check out Tom Hardy in “Bronson” (see trailer above). Apparently this is the role that put this ultimate Media Darling on the map.            

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In the spirit of Halloween, here's a darling exchange between a couple of Hollywood's funniest females, Ellen DeGeneres and Sofia Vergara.

Complete with exaggerated hips, "pumpkin" size breasts and the worst Colombian accent EVER, DeGeneres does her best (or worst) Vergara impression, while donning a replica of the dress the ‘Modern Family’ star wore to this year’s Emmys.  The punch line of DeGeneres’ costume is delivered when she turns her back to the audience and exposes her rendition of the wardrobe malfunction Vergara actually suffered 20 minutes before hitting the Emmy stage.  (Damn, even Sofia’s “malfunctions” are ridiculously sexy!)

But the height of Ellen’s joke is when Sofia struts onto the stage and charmingly plays along.

There are few things more endearing than when a celebrity, or anybody for that matter, doesn't take herself so damn seriously. Having the confidence to be the butt of your own joke (pun intended) is beyond attractive. And that (among a few other obvious attributes) is what makes Sofia Vergara one of the sexiest Media Darlings on the planet.

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It's always cool to see a mega star pay homage to his roots.

Over the weekend, actress Gabrielle Union celebrated her big 4-0 with a bash in Miami. As legendary rapper and beat boxer Doug E. Fresh provided the music, one of world's biggest entertainers decided to drop in with some fresh sounds of his own.

To the surprise of reportedly everyone at the club (including Fresh and the birthday girl) Will Smith checks the mic with an impromptu freestyle that eventually flows into a couple of popular throwbacks. But the cherry on top of this sweet performance is when Smith leads the crowd back to the early '90s by rapping the theme song to the show that made him a Hollywood star, "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air".

For simply honoring where he came from in the freshest of ways, Will Smith is a Media Darling.

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The douchebagery contained in this video pretty much sells itself, but I will say this...

I smell a new reality show on the horizon: "The Five Million Dollar Douchebag" - whomever can prove to be a bigger douchebag than Trump wins five million big ones!

You're welcome NBC.

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Over the weekend, I checked out "Argo". Directed by Ben Affleck, the film is loosely based on the story of Antonio J. Mendez-the “CIA Trailblazer” best known for devising the brilliant plan of posing as a Hollywood producer in order to rescue six American diplomats from Tehran, Iran during the 1979 Iran Hostage crisis. The story basically goes like this…

After narrowly escaping seizure of the U.S. Embassy, six American diplomats find refuge in the home of Canadian Ambassador to Iran, Ken Taylor and his wife Pat. Over the course of nearly three months, the fate of the diplomats is reduced to two possible outcomes: either they are finally caught and killed by the Iranians or they are miraculously rescued by one of their own.

In comes CIA “exfiltration” specialist, Tony Mendez, who decides the best way to bring these six diplomats home is by disguising them as a Canadian film crew who are in Iran scouting locations for the fictional sci-fi thriller, “Argo”. With the help of the Canadian government and Hollywood, Mendez masterfully builds their cover stories, and disguised as “Argo’s” producer, he travels to Iran, where he meets up with his “film crew” and together (spoiler alert) they make it home in one piece.  

In Ben Affleck’s version of the story, some details are of course jazzed up for the sake of entertainment, but for the most part, Affleck, who both directs and stars in the film, stays true to the gist of this historic tale. And while he certainly succeeds in delivering a nail biting, edge of your seat thriller, Affleck misses the mark on one important point.

In case you didn’t notice by his moniker, Antonio J. Mendez is Latino. Although, he doesn’t wear his ethnicity on his sleeve, it is still a fact worth noting, especially when adapting Mendez’s incredible story for the screen. In an industry that all too often depicts Latinos as gangbangers, drug dealers or womanizing “papi chulos”, “Argo” was the PERFECT opportunity to finally flip the script on this tired and offensive stereotype. Instead, Ben Affleck decides to he himself become the “Master of Disguise” by simply ditching the razor and playing the Latino lead in his own film.

While I can certainly appreciate employing A-list star power to push a film, I’m pretty confident the strength of this story coupled with Affleck’s acclaimed reputation as a director was enough to drive ticket sales. And its not like Hollywood has a shortage of acclaimed Latino actors. Just this year, Mexican actor Demián Bichir earned an Oscar nomination for his leading role in “A Better Life.” Not only is he a more talented actor than Affleck, he also naturally bears a striking resemblance to a young Antonio Mendez, moustache and all.

So although I give Ben Affleck kudos for directing a great film, I have no choice but to deem him a Media Douche for sticking to the status quo when it comes to Latinos in Hollywood.  

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Disney is gearing up to introduce their newest princess and rumor has it, she's Latina. While she doesn't appear as such, the show's producers have confirmed 'Sofia' is indeed Hispanic - a distinction they're not exactly shouting from the rooftops. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, a Disney exec admits, "we never actually call it out". The reason-because they want "every girl" to relate to ‘Sofia’.

So, what’s the point of creating a ‘Latina’ character if A. you’re not going to own up to it and B. you plan to market her as ethnically ambiguous? Would it have killed Disney to give ‘Sofia’ dark brown hair and chocolate brown eyes? Would ‘Sofia’ be less princess-like if she had a few curls cascading from underneath that tiara? Would ‘Princess Sofia’ be less "relatable" if she had an olive complexion?  I believe Nickelodeon’s hugely popular character ‘Dorah the Explorer’ would proudly join me in saying “¡Claro que no!”

To Disney’s credit, their animators did add slightly more pigment to the character of ‘Miranda’, who plays Sofia’s mom. However, they also made her a single parent, which, in my opinion, may be a stereotypical dig.

And while I’m the first to admit Latinas come in many “flavors,” (hot chocolate, café con leche, vanilla, etc.) Hollywood’s tendency to lean towards the lighter end of the spectrum is a total cop out. If you’re going to claim diversity, then SHOW US DIVERSITY. It’s really that simple.

However, to be fair, perhaps Disney is just taking a cue from some of our biggest "crossover" stars, like Jennifer Lopez or even Shakira- whom constantly straighten and lighten their naturally dark and curly hair, thus continuing to conform to the Hollywood standard. Rather than call out television and film executives (many of whom are white, male and/or Jewish) for not fairly representing Latinas on-screen, perhaps we need to first call upon our Latina leading ladies to fully honor their roots and truly represent.

With that said, Disney is still getting a Media Douche stamp for quietly trying to pass off ‘Sofia’ as anything more than just another princess.

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U-MA-God what have you done?! In July, Quentin Tarantino muse, Uma Thurman gave birth to a baby girl. Just yesterday, the name of that baby, whom Uma shares with financier Arpad Busson, was finally revealed. And boy oh boy is it a doozy! 

Wait for it...

Rosalind Arusha Arkadina Altalune Florence Thurman-Busson

Ummm...WTF?

Thankfully, Uma had the good sense to also come up with a less formal moniker for her little bundle of names, 'Luna'.  How Uma got Luna from Rosalind Arusha Arkadina Altalune is unclear. My theory is she took one letter from the baby's first four names and slapped them all together to form a very pretty and simple, 'Luna.' Or, being that 'Luna' means "moon" in Latin, perhaps the nickname represents where Uma's head was at when she came up with her baby's name in the first place.

Whichever the case, what's important is that at least this celebrity baby has options. Sorry "Moxie Crimefighter", aka Penn's baby of "Penn and Teller" fame, unless you actually grow up to become a caped crusader, you're assed-out.

So, for the first time in D or D history, Uma Thurman is both a Douche and a Darling in this case. She's a douche for giving her baby not one, or even two, but FIVE first names, and she's a darling for also giving her baby an "out" with 'Luna'.

What do you think? Is Uma Thurman a Media Douche or Darling?

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Last night, President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney squared off for their second of three presidential debates. It was a heated and aggressive bout (as well as very entertaining) and while each candidate definitely had their share of highs and lows, there was one clear winner: Candy Crowley. 

CNN chief political correspondent Candy Crowley moderated last night's debate and she came out looking like a champ, especially when compared to the moderator of this year's first presidential debate, Jim Lehrer.  In each case, both President Obama and Romney tried to bend the rules and trample over their allotted time, and where Lehrer proved to be a pushover, Crowley held her own. 

As the first woman to moderate a presidential debate in 20 years, Candy Crowley hopefully succeeded in setting the stage for what’s to come: more female moderators and an even stronger female presence in American politics.  I can’t wait to see the day when a woman runs for President, (the probability currently seems higher than ever) but until then, I’m elated to see women like Candy Crowley bring their flavor to an arena which can so often leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Clearly, Candy Crowley gets my vote for Media Darling. What’s your vote?

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Just last month, Kim Kardashian appeared on 'The View' where she unconvincingly (see Whoopi) tried to convince herself and others of how she's evolved since starring in that 72 day debacle called a marriage (presented for your viewing pleasure by E!). Kim claims that over the past year, she's learned to "care more about the simple things" in life, rather than just being "all about the glitz and the glam of a relationship".

Last night, Kim managed to both support and negate her outlandish claims of evolution.

As evidenced by these photos, there is indeed nothing glitzy nor glamorous about her current relationship with fellow fame monger, Kanye West. Not only were the pair reportedly caught going to dinner in Miami at 5:30p (what's glamorous about the senior dinner special?), Kim also opted to dine bare-assed. Glamorous? I think not. However, Kim does get a point for staying somewhat true to the crap she spewed on ‘The View’.

On the other hand, although Kim claims to have a greater appreciation for the simple things in life, she clearly has no regard for one of life's simplest pleasures: panties. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for giving your "unmentionables" a night off from time to time, especially when the alternative is an unseemly panty line. Not to mention there are few things sexier than whispering to your man that you're "going commando". But shouting it to the world a la Kim K style, well that's just nasty.  And speaking of her man, how could Kanye let his "lady" parade around like that?  Was West too busy gazing at his own reflection to notice all that crack? Shameful!

In one unfortunate outfit, Kim managed to sum up her entire existence: OVEREXPOSED. And while I can appreciate this all too revealing albeit appropriate malfunction, in the end Kim Kardashian is still a straight up Media Douche.