Category Archives: Celebrity

MET Gala 2013 ‘Punk: Chaos to Couture’

Posted in Beauty, Celebrity, Fashion, Models, Red Carpet by

When the theme of this year’s Costume Institute Gala held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET Gala) was announced as ‘Punk: Chaos to Couture’ I was excited. This would be an actual event with costumes, surely?

Oh of course not, this is the fashion world dah-ling, couture has to be the order of the day and if Anna Wintour is the head of the chair organising this shindig then you must obey!

This would definitely be a chance for the Brits to shine on the red carpet, punk originated from London surely we are the ones who truly know how to do punk. So it is pretty disappointing to see, then, certain Brit celebrities throwing on a studded leather jacket and calling it an ode to punk Sienna Miller…

There were rumours abound in the lead up to the MET Gala that female celebrities were worried about not looking ‘pretty’ and didn’t want to be too edgy for fear of ending up on that unforgiving worst dressed list. This is probably the only event where you could go for that outlandish look and get away with it all in the name of punk.

Anna Wintour on the other hand attended a different MET Gala, her invite included the sub text ‘punk also means floral’. What person could possibly interpret floral Chanel Couture with even a possible edge of punk? She even shoehorned the pregnant Kim Kardashian into that god awful floral Givenchy floral curtain. Kim K is trying so hard to please everyone around her she really appears as though she hasn’t got a mind of her own, I feel sorry for her because Kanye just seems like he’s regretting his choice of baby mamma…

Anna Wintour in Chanel Couture at the MET Gala 2013

Anna Wintour in Chanel Couture at the MET Gala 2013

Those who I favoured on the red carpet at the MET Gala are the ones who embraced the theme of the punk:

Anne Hathaway, after the huge disappointment of the Oscars, she by far was my favourite look of the night. Wearing sheer black Valentino, she made the look super edgy by dying her hair peroxide blonde and slicking it back with a messy quiff. As soon as I saw the full look this was what I wanted, what I was expecting on the red carpet. Absolutely 10/10, the naughty boob flashing, the cut out shape and just clear sexiness of the whole look was Sharon Stone uh-may-zing. You go girl.

Anne Hathaway in Valentino at the MET Gala 2013.

Anne Hathaway in Valentino at the MET Gala 2013.

Another person who embodied the drama was Nicole Richie, she’s yet to truly let me down on a red carpet and her somewhat simple embellished white custom Topshop gown was accessorised with vampy lipstick and a shock of white hair. I think the punk horror look totally works.

Nicole Richie in custom Topshop at the MET Gala 2013

Nicole Richie in custom Topshop at the MET Gala 2013

At first glance Sarah Jessica Parker is wearing a voluminous patterned Giles gown, but scan to the top and she is adorned with a custom made Philip Treacy mohawk inspired head piece. It is simply jaw-dropping. And only something that SJP could work so perfectly, she later revealed her thigh high laced boots which just added to punk glam factor. Well done SJP, you have been reborn!

Sarah Jessica Parker in Giles and a Philip Treacy head piece at the MET Gala 2013

Sarah Jessica Parker in Giles and a Philip Treacy head piece at the MET Gala 2013

Sarah Jessica Parker in her Philip Treacy headpiece at the MET Gala 2013

Sarah Jessica Parker in her Philip Treacy headpiece at the MET Gala 2013

Elizabeth Banks was the guest of Brian Atwood so her super short Versace gold tuxedo jacket perfectly showcased her amazing fringed heels. This is the definition of glam punk, gold gold and sexy.

Elizabeth Banks in Versace and Brian Atwood at the MET Gala 2013

Elizabeth Banks in Versace and Brian Atwood at the MET Gala 2013

Nina Dobrev never fails to amaze me on the red carpet, there are some looks that I like more that others, but she always comes out on the best dressed list everytime. This Monique Lhuillier creation gives Nina the punk attitude, and she was one of the few that wore trousers, I like the fact that it came with the detachable tulle skirt because it was still high glamour but allowed her to party on without it at the MET after party still looking fierce.

Nina Dobrev in Monique Lhuillier at the MET Gala 2013

Nina Dobrev in Monique Lhuillier at the MET Gala 2013

Oh Beyonce, for the second year running the star chose a Givenchy Couture gown and yet another showstopper. I can see this dress been like marmite for some, I love the train of fire it is matches her personality perfectly, the bustier is super tight but the snakeskin material just makes it even more dramatic. She also chose to wear gloves similar to Kim K’s design but by showing her décolletage it allowed for a break in the heavy pattern, and her wavy tresses and smoky make up were the perfect addition.

Beyonce in Givenchy Couture at the MET Gala 2013

Beyonce in Givenchy Couture at the MET Gala 2013

I’m adding Emma onto this list simply because it is not a short printed mini dress. Yes there are still cutouts but she looks so different here, I would have liked to have seen some more attitude in her make up and shoes but this Prabal Gurung gown is a great graduation from red carpet princess.

Emma Watson in Prabal Gurung at the MET Gala 2013

Emma Watson in Prabal Gurung at the MET Gala 2013

Of all the people on the guest list we knew Florence Welch would bring in for the Brits, she has always worked a gothic edge to her red carpet dressing and it worked well here. Her Givenchy Couture fringed and velvet gown is dramatic, not necessarily punk but definitely chaotic, and her fiery red hair makes the whole look stand out.

Florence Welch in Givenchy Couture at the MET Gala 2013

Florence Welch in Givenchy Couture at the MET Gala 2013

Diane Kruger went that extra step and added a pink dip to the end of her blonde ponytail, it elevates her look along with her dark smoky make up. The Chanel Couture gown with overlay is certainly better than her purple feathered Prada gown from last year and she proved that the Chanel collection wasn’t all flowers like Anna Wintour’s dress did. Top effort, and as always had the perfect accessory with her in Joshua Jackson.

Diane Kruger in Chanel Couture at the MET Gala

Diane Kruger in Chanel Couture at the MET Gala

Ever since Miley Cyrus chopped off her hair, she’s been channelling the grungy punk look. She’s a young girl not afraid of pushing the fashion boundary and so she shouldn’t be, I hate all those naysayers out there that hated on her for cutting her hair off just like they did with Karlie Kloss why do people have such an issue with short hair not being attractive or sexy?! Her Marc Jacobs dress skimmed Miley’s very toned body it was still glamourous with the added punk jewellery and her spiked up hair. The hair might not have been to everybody’s taste and she could have benefitted from it being slicked back but who cares she took a risk at a punk themed event!

Miley Cyrus in Marc Jacobs at the MET Gala 2013

Miley Cyrus in Marc Jacobs at the MET Gala 2013

I really like Jaime King’s custom Topshop suit, when I first saw her I thought she looked ten years younger maybe it’s something to do with those hair extensions and her model good looks. Jaime has such fun with fashion she never sticks to the same thing so I enjoyed seeing her in this satin trouser suit with a lace bodice top underneath. Topshop do great red carpet looks, if the rest of their guests including my favourite Ashley Madekwe in what she called punk mermaid, and even donned a black bob wig to make it all edgy.

Jaime King in custom Topshop at the MET Gala 2013

Jaime King in custom Topshop at the MET Gala 2013

Ashley Madekwe in custom Topshop at the MET Gala 2013

Ashley Madekwe in custom Topshop at the MET Gala 2013

At first when I saw Carey Mulligan in her Balenciaga dress, I thought it wasn’t enough but then as you see all the other stars and their interpretations on what punk is Carey fits in perfectly. Her knee length gown with a safety pin attached at the lapel worked with the understated cut outs on the side. I do think though that as someone who has a massive movie coming out that she shouldn’t have let Anne Hathaway upstage her.

Carey Mulligan in Balenciaga at the MET Gala 2013.

Carey Mulligan in Balenciaga at the MET Gala 2013.

I really can’t make my mind up on Cameron Diaz’s Stella McCartney gown. I’m like a magpie to this colour, I love it. At first when I saw a picture I thought she looked a bit like a nun, but then after seeing the back and studying it a bit more I do think it is a very original creation which Stella does so well when making custom creations for her friends especially with the addition of that spiked gold belt. So I like it but I kind of don’t.

Cameron Diaz in Stella McCartney at the MET Gala 2013

Cameron Diaz in Stella McCartney at the MET Gala 2013

Cameron Diaz Stella McCartney Jamie McCarthy Getty Images North America

The back view of the dress which is more like a cape than fully covered.

And then there was Madonna (aka Hilary Devey). Only she would translate punk to mean HOT MESS. She rocked up late to the MET Gala red carpet in Givenchy, but not just any Givenchy a checked studded jacket with horrible gloves, horrible ripped fishnet tights, with horrible suspenders, a horrible wig, and horrible shoes.

Madonna in Givenchy at the MET Gala 2013

Madonna in Givenchy at the MET Gala 2013

Madonna Twitter Instagram picture

Madonna posted this on her Instagram page, cleaning before the MET Gala…

And as far as I’m aware, nobody wore Alexander McQueen I though some of their creations would have definitely appeared on this red carpet without a doubt even if  they did dedicate the 2011 gala to him.

Best of the rest:

Taylor Swift J Mendel Larry Busacca Getty Images North America

Taylor Swift in J. Mendel at the MET Gala 2013. Good effort from TayTay she stuck to her tried and tested but vamped it up with make up and accessories.

Gisele Bundchen Dimitrios Kambouris Getty Images North America

Gisele Bundchen in Anthony Vaccarello at the MET Gala 2013. That pose annoys me, but only a model could wear her own interpretation of the infamous Versace safety pin dress which Lady Gaga ruined.

Christina Ricci Vivienne Westwood Dimitrios Kambouris Getty Images North America

Christina Ricci in Vivienne Westwood at the MET Gala 2013. I love Christina she knows how to work it, not as outlandish has her dress from last year but still she wore the designer who created punk.

Amber Heard Emilio Pucci Newspix Bauer Griffin

Amber Heard in Emilio Pucci at the MET Gala 2013. Far too sexy for this theme, but she still looks amazing and the colour is gorgeous.

Blake Lively Gucci Premiere Jamie McCarthy Getty Images North America

Blake Lively in Gucci Premiere at the MET Gala 2013. A welcome return to the red carpet from Blake, I’ve missed her so much. She looked gorgeous as always.

Cara Delevingne Burberry Newspix Bauer Griffin

Cara Delevingne in Burberry at the MET Gala 2013. I loved the studs and deep v neck, I worry about her though…

Joan Smalls Tom Ford Dimitrios Kambouris Getty Images North America

Joan Smalls in Tom Ford at the MET Gala 2013. One word: HOT.

Rooney Mara Givenchy Jamie McCarthy Getty Images North America

Rooney Mara in Givenchy Couture at the MET Gala 2013. Unfortunately Rooney’s gown isn’t that original as Penelope Cruz already wore a version of this last year, which I find annoying for such a big event. She can do better.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in Gucci at the MET Gala 2013. She's a supermodel, she looks amazing.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in Gucci at the MET Gala 2013. She’s a supermodel, she looks amazing.

 

Sienna Miller Burberry

Sienna Miller in Burberry at the MET Gala 2013. Sienna looks good, but she’s a BRIT and could do way better than throwing on a bloody studded biker jacket, honestly. Poor effort.

Review: Iron Man 3

Posted in Celebrity, Film by

Iron Man 3 was a fantastic movie.

If I’m going to be picky it really should have been called Avengers Assemble: The Aftermath Part 1, but that’s a bit of a mouthful and nobody wants a repeat of the Rise of The Planet of The Apes do they?

I suppose the fact it’s set around Christmas is odd to get your head around simply because we are approaching summer and May is the beginning of the “summer blockbuster” season. It’s only the occasional Christmas tree, twinkling lights and feasts that make it obvious but then the Americans always seem to be celebrating some holiday so it didn’t necessarily bother me.

What did bother me is the Eiffel 65 song in the intro. Surely there was a better song out there for around NYE 1999?! Or maybe there was a reason behind the Blue (De ba dee), I’d love for someone to enlighten me on that one.

I digress. The opening scene set on New Year’s Eve 1999, felt like a plot just shoehorned in. But still a good storyline, which is probably why this movie could easily work as well as a standalone rather than the third part of a trilogy or as I mentioned earlier part one of the Avengers Aftermath. And definitely allows us to ignore Mark II and all that electric whipping, grey hair extensions and bad Russian accents.

The script is greatly attributed to Shane Black, which after some quick research I found he wrote one of the best movie scripts ever, The Last Action Hero as well as the Lethal Weapon trilogy. He co-wrote the screenplay with Drew Pearce.

The iron-y with the movie is that it is about weaknesses. Tony Stark is Iron Man, as it was so often drummed into our heads. But he really isn’t Iron Man without the suit of armour, his shield, his wall that he puts up between him and the rest of the world. His weakness soon become clear after the anxiety attacks he suffers following the aftermath of the fight with aliens in Avengers, he saved New York but at a cost.

Who is Iron Man? (Image from Collider)

Who is Iron Man? (Image from Collider)

I think I expected more Iron Man and less Tony but in retrospect it’s what makes the movie work, we get a lot of face time with Tony and therefore Robert Downey Jr. He is simply so charismatic  it makes the superhero become less one dimensional and more intriguing he is a human with human emotions, but with a brain of a genius that he uses to great extremes. I don’t know RDJ but I kind of felt there was more of him in this character than ever before, with more narcissism and arrogance but then maybe that is just the mark of a good actor.

Another fabulous actor that brought loads of laughs was Ben Kingsley’s character The Mandarin, I feel like some people may not have seen it yet so I don’t want to be spoilery but boy was his character twist hilarious. And now I’ve said it those who haven’t seen it will be looking out for a spoiler anyway!

My mother was informing me a while ago how well Guy Pearce had done, he managed to do one of those rare things in Hollywood where you kind of disappear but then reinvent yourself and become a fantastic character actor, the really great evil guy who wears a creepy suit with bare feet and makes it work. His turn as the aptly named Aldrich Killian, was scary to say the least, I mean you kind of knew from Tony’s opening narration that he would be a bad guy but just how bad isn’t revealed until later.

And not forgetting the precocious if not adorably funny Ty Simpkins as Harley Keener, who lightened up Tony’s mood and enabled him to move past his issues and fix his Iron Man suit. He was definitely needed to provide the light relief during the period Tony is trying to figure out is foes and fight his way back to becoming Iron Man.

I think my only issue was with the fire-breathing and weird ass Terminator-like Extremis ‘victims’, but that was probably because they were pretty much unbeatable and I think I kind of wanted Stark/Iron Man to get a bit ahead after they destroyed his home. But then the movie took a quick turn for the better, which seemed a bit like HUH but they were all destroyed at the bottom of the ocean HOW could that happen.

That’s were I think the movie went slightly off-kilter because the ending was rushed. There was a moment where I was like boom, go Pepper, in the face of what she goes through she could work alongside Tony rather than him having to constantly feel like he has to protect her and choose between her or his suits. But then oh no, the writers can’t be bothered with that and a quick fix is put in place and that is that.

And then the other part of the epilogue where (OK SPOILER) Tony gets the piece of Iron removed from his chest and is in effect no longer Iron Man! SAY WHAT? I genuinely believed from the first movie that the reason Tony Stark built a mini version of the Ark Reactor was because the iron pieces could not be removed, only for him to decide in the epilogue ah bugger it I’ll get them taken out now. I just don’t know why they did that?! Anybody else give me an explanation, because I don’t know the comic book lore a great deal.

I still really enjoyed the movie, it was a great piece of action and I’m especially looking forward to Thor 2 and Captain America 2 because of it. And everyone else in the world must have enjoyed it too because it became the second biggest debut in the US  just behind Avengers Assemble, grossing an estimated $174.1 million.

Oh and lastly when did Jon Favreau get so fat?

Jennifer Lawrence gets new haircut and fluffs her lines

Posted in Awards, Celebrity, Fashion, Girl Crush, Hair, Red Carpet by

Reese Witherspoon’s arrest just pipped Jennifer Lawrence’s new haircut to the post as biggest celeb news of the weekend.

She debuted the new ‘do at the GLAAD Awards in America wearing a dress that isn’t Dior black David Koma dress.

And everyone loves her new choppy, messy, layered bob. Just one thing, even though she’s had it cut it’s the exact length necessary for extensions to be put in and no one would ever tell the difference.

I love her for taking a risk and doing something new because she’s young and she is a bit crazy, but it’s nothing new. If she’d gone Karlie Kloss bob length it may be a different story.

And if there’s one person you can’t say isn’t hot now she has short hair, it’s the sexiest woman on the planet Jennifer Lawrence!

Jennifer Lawrence at the GLAAD Awards in David Koma.

Jennifer Lawrence at the GLAAD Awards in David Koma.

And if she wasn’t already adorably ditzy, fluffing her lines during her joint speech with Harvey Weinstein when awarding Bill Clinton with the Advocate for Change just made me love her even more… “Gl-ill Bin.. Uh-oh… Of all the lines to get wrong”…

 

Dylan O’Brien cast in The Maze Runner, plus Teen Wolf Season Three Promo

Posted in Celebrity, Film, Television by

It looks like I’ve found another young adult series to get my teeth into after finishing the Michael Grant Gone series.

Any excuse to remind people I have met him and he's a good hugger.

Any excuse to remind people I have met him (yes I am crazy) and he’s a good hugger.

Deadline reports that Teen Wolf star Dylan O’Brien has been cast as Thomas the lead from the dystopian book The Maze Runner.

I’ve never heard of this series, but the brief premise is Thomas plays the main character who wakes up inside a maze with no memory of his previous life. Soon discovering that there are other boys who have all been dropped into the maze they live in the The Glade an encampment in the centre.

It sounds Hunger Games-esque purely because they have to survive the maze and the weird half creatures that threaten them. But I think I’m already interested to know what happens especially when there are already four books to get my teeth into.

The movie is to begin filming in May, directed by Wes Ball, it co-stars Skins actress Kaya Scodelario who has been quietly making a name for herself in Hollywood after starring in Wuthering Heights, Now is Good with Dakota Fanning and Emmanuel and the Truth about Fishes with Jessica Biel which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Also starring in The Maze Runner is Will Poulter who we’ve seen in The Chronicles of Narnia, The Son of Rambow and television series School of Comedy.

With a crop of British talent and the very funny Dylan O’Brien taking on his first serious lead role, I hope that it will be successful. If the first movie does well I assume that their contracts will include filming the whole trilogy which to any actor is always a good thing to have in the bag.

Now hurry up Teen Wolf, June 3 is a long way away!

You can follow me on Twitter @nlcorner, or find me on Facebook here.

Trailer: Superman Man of Steel

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Man-of-Steel-Official-Poster-Movie (1)

I’ve kept my excitement level firmly at neutral for the latest incarnation of Superman and that of course has a lot to do with the the Bryan Singer Superman Returns of 2006 starring Brandon Routh.

I feel sorry for that guy he took on that role, and the movie just sucked. It didn’t have any impact whatsoever and of course seven years later paves the way for a hopefully better version of the most powerful* superhero to be made (*he’s an indestructable alien with only one weakness this isn’t open for debate).

Man of Steel sees British actor Henry Cavill stepping into that blue lycra suit (minus the red undies) and red cape. First impressions last year when the first promo image was released, was that Cavill was BUFF. He’d put everything into that role including beefing up to resemble a god-like superhero so kudos to him.

The director this time around is Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen, Sucker Punch), and the big pull is the screenplay/story penned by David S Goyer (Blade, Dark Knight Rises and the Godzilla 2014) and Christopher Nolan who is also a producer. You cannot possibly wonder if this movie is going to be bad when Christopher Nolan is attached, his body of work is outstanding and even just considering his work on the Dark Knight Trilogy means he has more than enough knowledge of how to resurrect a superhero and make him intense, dark but heartwarming.

In the trailer we see Russell Crowe as Jor-El Clark’s Krypton father, sending his son to earth where he will “become a god to them”, as their planet is blown to pieces by enemies. Kevin Costner as Clark’s earth father Jonathan Kent, and not seen in the trailer is Diane Lane as his mother Martha Kent. Not forgetting Amy Adams as Lois Lane, who I’m not as excited for hell knows why!

I’m most excited about Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire, Take Shelter)  as General Zod, the character can be played in so many different ways and hopefully he will be unlike Callum Blue’s pathetically British Smallville version, which I’m guessing by the trailer he is absolutely not. Yey.

After watching the full length trailer June 14 cannot come soon enough, the story is familiar to me and with flashes of Smallville (I still think that television show did so bloody well for 10 seasons it cannot be discredited for being part of the Superman history!), I hope Snyder, Nolan and Goyer have done the unthinkable and given Superman a new lease of movie life that Bryan Singer failed so spectacularly at in 2006.

Are you excited for the new Man of Steel movie? What do you think of yet another Brit taking over a superhero role in Hollywood? Will it be better than the Superman circa 2006? Will Russell Crowe be the best Jor-El yet?

 

You can follow me on Twitter @nlcorner, or find me on Facebook here.

New couple alert: Ashley Benson and Tyler Blackburn

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Ashley Benson aka Hanna Marin from the ABC show Pretty Little Liars was seen cosying up to her on-screen boyfriend Tyler Blackburn aka Caleb Rivers, at Coachella this weekend fuelling rumours that the two are now an item.

She posted a picture of the two of them on Twitter the other day with the caption “my boo”, but I totally glossed over it! And now after pictures appeared on Zimbio of Tyler kissing Ashley I’m hoping that this on-screen duo have moved into an off-screen relationship because that would just be darn cute.

Tyler is so much hotter and much more sane than that tool James Franco who Ashley was supposed to be humping after the two hit it off whilst filming and promoting their movie Spring Breakers, but according to Ash it looks like this is just a rumour but there’s still hope!

Ashley Benson and Tyler Blackburn at Coachella 2013

Ashley Benson and Tyler Blackburn at Coachella 2013

(AshBenzon Instagram)

(AshBenzo Instagram)