Conan O'Brien Pays a Visit to Google

Google and YouTube present a conversation with Conan O'Brien (with a special appearance from Andy Richter). 48 minutes long, but completely worth it!

"Damages" Canceled?

First and foremost, I have to state that this is quite possibly one of the saddest days of my life. I know it sounds superficial, and slightly crazy, to be this devastated over a TV show's cancellation, but Damages is one of the most well written, well directed, and well acted shows I have ever seen. Because of this, I never imagined it would be cut this short, especially after only three seasons on air. The ratings have been dismal, but there was a glimmer of hope last month when it was rumored that DirecTV may save the show, just as they did for Friday Night Lights when they were in a similar situation. However, word is that yesterday the cast and crew were given the bad news--that the show was getting the axe. No official announcement yet, but it's not looking good.

There goes one of the most intelligent, gripping shows on TV past, present, or future. Seriously, season one blew me away. I challenge anyone to watch it and tell me they weren't impressed. Glenn Close is seriously perfection on screen, and she gave some of the best performances of her career on this show, which led to two consecutive wins for best lead actress in a drama series at the Emmys. I just don't get why people weren't watching this show. Damages had the makings of a great TV show -- a great cast, dynamic story lines, gripping story telling, and a real heart, as black as it may have been. More than anything, this is the kind of show that we need to keep on TV. For all the content-less shows out there that we keep seeing on our televisions, we need at least a couple of great ones that can really make us sit back on our couches and make us feel like we've been entertained-- and not just because we just watched someone fall on their ass on national television or performed some other embarrassing act.

After news of its cancellation, my anger started to build and I really got to thinking about the lack of viewership for this show. Yes, it was an incredibly serialized show, but watch an episode or two, and it's hard not to catch on quickly. We need to be given the benefit of the doubt here, that the audience is more intelligent than we're usually treated, and I think Damages understood that. As much as we may be used to seeing mind numbing TV that requires little to no thinking, our intelligence as an audience shouldn't be underscored, and Damages always had that in mind. The serialized aspect aside, the only other real conclusion I could come to was that perhaps we were just afraid of seeing strong female characters on screen, especially as leads. We're used to seeing damsels in distress, women who are constantly seeking help or guidance, or women who are lost and clumsy, looking to be saved by their Prince Charming(s) on screen. Damages had a very unique distinction in that the lead characters were strong females, and the supporting characters were males. Is it that we're so hard wired to assume male-driven shows as the norm, that we can't appreciate strong, tough as nails females as, dare I say it, our main characters on screen?

Who can really say for sure what happened to Damages' viewership, but one thing's for certain. It's going to leave a bad taste in my mouth, but I'm saying it anyway, Damages is a cautionary tale. This just goes to show that money talks louder than anything else. Without the viewership, and in turn, money and support from the network, even the greatest of shows can be thrown wayside. I'm still in a state of shock at this point -- I can't even comprehend how this show is canceled, especially after a phenomenal season three finale. If they're going out, at least they're going out with a bang.

Regardless, I'm still nursing a broken heart.

Madonna for Interview Magazine

Agh. I can't even form coherent sentences when I look at this. This--this is the reason why Madonna is the queen of well, everything.

Photography by Marcus Piggot and Mert Alas. Read her interview with Gus Van Sant on Interview's website. Check out the behind the scenes video below.

Met Costume Institute Gala 2010: Best and Worst Dressed

The Met teamed up with Vogue and The Gap for this year's Costume Institute Gala, the theme for which was 'American Women: Fashioning a National Identity'.

This is one of my favorite fashion events-- it's a veritable mix of hot messes and hot dresses on the carpet. It's almost like a celebrity prom -- every year there are a handful of women wearing ridiculous looks hoping to look edgy and chic, and every year there are women who show up and really know how to work a dress.

My best and worst dressed picks:

Best Dressed:

Kerry Washington in Thakoon for Gap. The draping and that color against her skin tone is seriously perfection.
Coco Rocha in Zac Posen. How much do I love thee, Zac? Oh, let me count the ways. This dress is one of the reasons why.


Naomi Watts in Stella McCartney. Love this color on Naomi and love her hair with this dress.
Gwen Stefani in L.A.M.B. Of course Gwen would wear L.A.M.B. and of course, she would kill it on the carpet. Seriously, I don't think I've ever seen her look bad in an outfit, because I swear, she could wear a potato sack and still look damn good.


Jennifer Lopez in Zuhair Murad. I think Jennifer looks great here, as she often does, but I wish she'd mix it up a little. She always looks so polished, and she looks too much like a beauty queen. Sure this dress is pretty, but it's just pretty, and that's about it.
Jessica Szohr in Atelier Versace. The mermaid cut hardly works for anyone, but it works for Jessica here. It's a combination of a great neckline, a gentle pouf of chiffon at the bottom, and Jessica's killer bod.


Bar Rafaeli in rag&bone. Jesus, Bar is gorgeous. It's seriously scary how beautiful this woman is and in this rag&bone dress? Killer. I love that she went for the mini, and I fully understand why because if I had legs like that I wouldn't be hiding them either.
Zoe Saldana in Calvin Klein. Okay, one word: svelte. It's total understated elegance, which is exactly what Calvin Klein is.


Chloe Sevigny in Proenza Schouler. Chloe's been wearing alot of Proenza Schouler lately and I'm loving it because I love the boys at Proenza Schouler and I love Chloe. The two of them together is music to my ears, or rather, a feast for my eyes.
Carey Mulligan in Miu Miu. I can't help it. I love Carey in anything Prada or Miu Miu. She has that perfect, 60's twiggy style. Long live Carey's pixi cut!


Melissa George in J Mendel. I love this color, and I love the cascading ruffle, but what really sets this off is that sweep of one shoulder chiffon.
Sarah Jessica Parker in Halston Heritage. As the new creative director at Halston, we've been seeing SJP in alot of the namesake brand, and I'm totally not complaining.



Worst Dressed:

Kristen Stewart in Chanel. Someone please explain to me how you sit down in that dress without your hooha showing? Unless this is one of those dresses you never sit or bend in. The beaded sheath, the asymmetrical, pointy boob? I'm just confused.
Vera Farmiga in Sophie Theallet for Gap. I usually like what Vera wears on the carpet, but she just looks like a done up milk maid here.


January Jones in Yves Saint Laurent. Love that dress, but those gloves are just overkill.
Christina Hendricks in L'Wren Scott. I don't think I can even speak about this ensemble. It just hurts.


Joy Bryant in Marchesa. I can't really blame Joy here, because seriously now, how can anyone possibly pull this ensemble off?
Blake Lively in Marchesa. I love that she went for a mini to show off those great legs, but I don't think anyone wants to have their butt look like it's covered in blue moss.

Conan's '60 Minutes' Interview

I thought he was classy, self deprecating, heartfelt, and genuinely awesome. Most importantly, he was truthful, and wasn't afraid to express his pain and anger towards NBC. He also managed to crack an awkward joke or two, a trait that I love oh so much in dear Coco.


Watch CBS News Videos Online

Obama cracks a Leno joke at the White House Correspondent's Dinner

Yikes!



If there was ever a completely perfect moment to reference the 'Boom! Roasted!' joke from The Office, it would be right about now.

First Look at Conan's '60 Minutes' Interview

Here's a sneak peek at Conan O'Brien's first interview following the late night catastrophe, airing Sunday, May 2, on CBS' 60 Minutes. Conan's exit contract with NBC specified that he was forbidden to do any interviews on the matter until May 1. Hmm, what convenient timing to air this pretaped interview, 60 Minutes. One thing's for sure though, A LOT of people will be watching, including me.

Check out the clip below where he references Leno's move of taking back The Tonight Show and describes his relationship with NBC in the final hour as 'toxic'.



Also, check out Letterman's interview with Dr. Phil, where he's asked about the late night situation. He does an uncanny impression of Jay and calls him a 'boob'. Don't you love how Letterman can't seem to let go of the subject? Hey, it's still funny to me.