When Matt Drudge last week "broke news" that Gwen Ifill — at that point the upcoming moderator to the vice presidential debate — was writing a book about black politics in America and releasing it on Inauguration Day, conservatives quickly shaped the story to make everyone think the PBS (and NBC) veteran was authoring a pro-Obama book and, thus, wasn't qualified to moderate what will likely be the most-watched of the debates. Except, as we explained, Ifill wasn't writing a pro-Obama book, and she's about the most objective, fair journalist out there who's absolutely perfect to moderate a debate. Yesterday, then, Ifill appeared on Meet The Press (alongside a sleep Peggy Noonan) and, because this is a NBC network, was also forced to sit through Queen Latifah's tame Saturday Night Live impersonation — minus Latifah plugging Ifill's book. "Being played by Queen Latifah is not a bad thing."
Meanwhile: CONTINUED »
Saturday Night Live has been the launching pad for the careers of Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, and Tim Meadows. But for the past several seasons, the only reoccurring African-American member in the cast is Keenan Thompson. And as talented as Keenan is, he's a little too hefty to play Barack Obama.
So last January, when the cast needed an Obama impersonator to play against Amy Poehler's Hillary Clinton, they sent out a casting notice for an African-American male, but ultimately ended up putting the Lebanese Fred Armisen in black(er) face.
And now it looks like they've done it again: Cashing in on Tina Fey's resemblence to Sarah Palin, Lorne Michaels has set up another cameo for his former employee as the Alaskan governor, this time aping Palin's performance at the debates last night. But hmm…who to play the moderator, Gwen Ifill?
JOSSIP FEATURE — Cosmetics companies gets a lot of shit, and rightly so, for teaching girls and women to hate their bodies by pushing unrealistic beauty ideals: skinny models with perfect skin and eyelashes that you can only obtain with their product. Cosmetics companies also get a lot of shit, also for good reason, by amplifying the image of "white beauty," making black, Hispanic, and Asian women all feel inadequate next to their Caucasian sisters. You only need to look at the latest controversy, just five weeks old, that L'oreal started when they so obviously lightened Beyonce Knowles' skin in a recent ad campaign — and then denied doing so, despite the most clear visual evidence.
But the cosmetics industry, we must admit, does do some good. They give women who might not otherwise have the self-confidence to go on a blind date or sit for a job interview the ability to do so. (Though we'll certainly accept the argument that the makeup counter also drives this lack of self-confidence, reminding women of their problem skin and that beauty mark they hate but can't afford to laser away.) A little eye shadow and some lipstick can make a woman feel beautiful, even when there's no man around she's trying to impress. And making a woman feel good about her femininity is not something we can completely shit on.
And neither, then, is a cosmetics company that takes the commonly accepted scarlet letters of the beauty industry — and doesn't just ignore them, but flaunts them positively.
We're talking about Cover Girl, the enormous division of Procter & Gamble, which doesn't care if its models are black or white, thin or skinny, or gay or straight. And unlike other cosmetic giants, when Cover Girl enlists these women to sell the brand, they're not interested in Photoshopping away their identities. Which leads us to believe: Might Cover Girl be the most progressive cosmetics company around? CONTINUED »
Those damned lesbian rumors continue to dog Queen Latifah. Or could they be true?
It depends on whether you believe the National Inquirer - or The View - which claims the rap star, who avoids answering sexually-related questions, plans to wed her long-time lesbian love, Jeannette Jenkins. The Cleveland Leader provides all the sapphic gossip:
• Courtney Love, ladies and gentlemen.
• Got Paris in a can? For the love of God, don't let her out.
• Britney's sleazy record producer ex is spotted cozying up to Lindsay Lohan; Rejected suitor Scott Storch dies a little bit inside.
• You're not paranoid. Inanimate objects are everywhere. And they're watching you.
• Access Hollywood thinks Britney Spears is addicted to…sugar. Related: Jossip editors think Access Hollywood is addicted to horribly wrong theories.
• Whoopi Goldberg inadvertently outs Queen Latifah. Whoops!
[Image via PacificCoastNews]
"WHICH big Hollywood actress is about to come out of the closet?" wonders today's Page Six. "She's been living with her girlfriend in a small town, where all the neighbors know, and the two are now engaged to be married."
Given the term "big Hollywood actress" we would have gone with Academy Award winner (and heavily rumored closet case) Jodie Foster. Then again, our celeb-obsessed younger brother's guess helpfully reminds us that the word "big" has more than one connotation.
• Surprise! Celebs, their handlers, and the paparazzi are in cahoots to bring you Us Weekly's front of the book each week. [WSJ]
• We already gave you Paris Hilton impersonator Natalie Reid's Friendster page. Now become her MySpace pal. [MySpace]
• One day, Mort Zuckerman would like his now 8-year-old daughter Abigail to take over the reigns. Until then, he'll continue to fend off Rupert Murdoch by himself. [NYT]
• Just because those trolls in Starbucks aren't willing to pony up for a T-Mobile wireless subscription doesn't mean you should be stealing other people's open network access. [NYT]
• Jann Wenner wanted Tom Cruise for his May Men's Journal cover. Tom Cruise wanted Wenner's Rolling Stone story about Scientology killed. Jann said no. Tom said no. [NY Mag]
• Jermaine Jackson hoped to cash in on brother Michael's infamy. Until brother Michael found out. [NYDN]
• Macaulay Culkin, published author? We hear he'll be signing copies next week at the Union Square Barnes & Noble. [Time]
• Travolta. Latifah. Hairspray, the movie. [KIRO 7]
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