There hasn't exactly been a whole lot of Oscar buzz surrounding Spike Lee's new World War II film, The Miracle at St. Anna, but if there is and he doesn't get one, he'll know why. Lesson for those who want an Academy Award: don't mess with Clint Eastwood… or, better yet, move to Los Angeles.
Mamma mia! Angry black man Spike Lee is getting a taste of his own opportunistic outrage.
After spending the past couple weeks hectoring fellow director Clint Eastwood with charges of prejudiced casting, Lee is now under fire from the Italic Institute of America, which is as bitter as Campari about Lee’s portrayal of Italians.
Spike Lee and Clint Eastwood were once friendly enough to take this picture, but I doubt either of them would be too willing to pose together these days. A few weeks ago, Lee, who is coming out with a World War II movie this fall, criticized Clint Eastwood for not including any black soldiers in Flags of Our Fathers or Letters From Iwo Jima. Eastwood is clearly pissed.
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• If you're bored and love YouTube (doesn't everyone?), check out this music video contest. The winner gets a (hopefully redeemable) trip to New York, some money, and, we assume, 15 seconds of internet fame. [YouTube]
• Frustrated with the limited lexis of pop music, a Swedish man has created a website where stars will say anything you tell them to, in their own voice. How fantastic! Now Britney Spears' fans have a decent outlet for their awesomely extensive vocabulary. [MTV]
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• We told you back in September that French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld was handing over the reigns of the December/January issue to Kate Moss. That was before Kate's coke "incident," but that didn't sideline the guest editorship. Witness: The four-cover (sort of) aftermath. [FWD]
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• Since Liz Spiers found herself a book deal and ditched Mediabistro, the glorified media hobnobbing site has been searching for an editorial director. It's since found one: a one Dorian Benkoil, whose experience at Fairchild's (nonexistent?) Internet division will surely win over visitors. [Gawker]
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• Spike Lee isn't taking any responsibility for movies like Barbershop and Beauty Shop. He just wants to open up the possibilities for black filmmakers — or anyone who wants to make a movie not about Jews. [Slate]
• Entertainment Tonight proudly breaks news that, well, everyone else broke weeks ago: Gwyneth Paltrow's preggers. [ET]
• The Live 8 folks are suing TrimSpa over Anna Nicole Smith's appearance there, saying she was drunk and "scantily clad." Our guess: when she was offering rockers "free samples", she wasn't referring to the weight loss med. [E!]
