Kings of Leon Concert Halted by Poo

Not everyone is a fan of Kings of Leon – especially a feisty flock of pigeons – who managed to halt the legendary band’s live performance at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in St. Louis recently after only three songs!

The mass of birds hovelled up in the rafters of the arena managed to synchronise their faecal tirade on the band, with bassist Jared Followill a particular target.

"I'm surprised they stayed on for as many songs as they did," Andy Mendelsohn of Vector Management (the band’s management company) said in the statement. "Jared was hit several times during the first two songs. On the third song, when he was hit in the cheek and some of it landed near his mouth, they couldn't take it any longer.

"It's not only disgusting — it's a toxic health hazard," Mendelsohn said. "They really tried to hang in there. We want to apologize to our fans in St. Louis and will be back as soon as we can." (Star Tribune)

Apart from the obvious hilarity that these alternative rock gods were ‘pooed’ off stage, it must have been pretty disappointing for the St Louis fans who weathered heavy storms and empty pockets just to see them.

Also, considering support acts The Postelles and The Stills made it through their sets (granted they were shrapnel-ed with shit as they walked into the wings) do you think it was pretty lame for the Leon boys to bail?

I just hope they opened with “Velvet Snow”…

New Music From Bloc Party's Kele Okereke - Everything You Wanted

Check out Kele's latest solo single "Everything You Wanted" making up part of his eagerly awaited upcoming solo release. This track has a bit more of the Bloc Party flavour tangled in within its phrasing, although still has a decidedly unique sound and I'm loving it - what do you think? Dig it?

You can catch Kele at the upcoming Parklife Festivals touring nationally via Fuzzy.

Bum Boosting Undies Boom... thanks Beyonce

Some admirers of the female form have suggested that celebrities like Beyonce and Kim Kardashian in recent times have reignited popular desire for a curvaceous figure. Some say the flame never died.

A telling sign is always when particular fashion companies cash in on such trends, like the latest to emerge “Booty Pop”: a company that produces underwear that give you that Snoop Dogg hoochie-mamma bootie you have always wanted but that no amount of squats could achieve.

Mastermind behind the butt-boosting wonder, 26-year-old Montreal wedding planner Azar Jazestani comments, "It's not so hot to have a pancake a** these days".(news.com.au)

Apparently the undies contain “egg-shaped” foam pads which pad out the back way – Brazilian style – and you’ll soon be able to grab a pair from Bed, Bath and Beyond? (I think they definitely fit into the “beyond” category).

Are you GetUpGo-er’s keen to pick up a pair? Do you think they will take off in Australia?

Top 10 Male Fashion Models for 2010

Australia's gearing up for summer - granted it is still July - but we all know once we are past the 15th, the countdown is on! Consequently, Sydney and Melbourne Spring consumer Spring fashion festivals are soon to be staged, and I thought it was high time I brought you some fashion forward posts. What better way to unveil the Australian summer of fashion, by taking a look back at some of our favourite unveiled high-fashion male models. The forthcoming selection have featured in some of the most influential fashion campaigns and editorials ever to grace our magazine covers, spreads, billboards and sometimes even the backs of our bedroom doors (or was that just me?)

Models.com release an annual top 50 male & female model list, which is largely based on who landed the most lucrative contracts for the year, and whichever campaigns received the highest acclaim: both artistically and commercially.

But I'm bit more relaxed about things here – whether they’re filling out a smoking jacket or just smoking hot, here are my top 10 international Male models for 2010:

1. Jon Kortajarena
Jon is an Espanol Senior with a weighty mess of hair, often shot with a 3 day growth and someone that exudes masculinity from every pore (he has to be one of my personal favourites). He has produced some heart wrenching editorial work for the likes of Guess, Tom Ford, Diesel, Versace and Pepe Jeans to name a few. Here is a shot of him which featured as part of a V Man editorial shoot entitled “How to wear denim” – thanks Jon. I now know.

2. Garret Neff
Garrett is an American model although his look in uncharacteristically so, or perhaps more vintage American than modern day. Arguably his most famous campaign was one he did for Calvin Klein Underwear in 2008 (photographed by Bruce Weber). This campaign was one of the first that managed to re-brand modern day masculinity by encapsulating both the heterosexual and homosexual market. See the money shot here:

3.Baptiste Giabiconi
Baptiste is one of the hottest new up and comers on the circuit at the moment. This year alone he has donned the cover of Vogue (Germany), Numero Homme and been the face of Chanel, Fendi, Karl Lagerfeld - even Coca Cola Light! His piercing eyes seem as if they could crack a camera lens. It is no wonder he has shot to be the #1 ranked model on models.com.

4. Mathias Lauridsen
Mathais hails from Copenhagen Denmark and has featured in numerous campaigns for high end brands like Gucci, Hugo Boss, Lacoste, Hermes. He has a distinguishing scar on his left cheek which only adds to his unique perfection. Here he is featured in a campaign for Gucci Pour Homme II back in 2007. Intense.

5. Eddie Klint
Eddie is another Danish model (there are some quality genes floating around in that country) although perhaps not as well known at Mathais, he had accomplished a lot for such a fresh faced 22-year-old scene-ster. The most famous contract he has landed is probably one for Prada Parfums in 2009 (the campaign featured) shot by Steven Meisel. It showed Eddie in a completely different light: boyhood to manhood in one frame.

/>

6. Noah Mills
The 6ft 2 Canadian born hunk of man has become a resident in recent years at Dolce & Gabbana, Versace and Michael Kors (he was even in Sex and the City 2!) and it seems his public profile is only on the up and up. He has done some amazing editorial campaigns but I think my favourite would have to be his one for Tom Ford Menswear 2008 (photographed by Terry Richardson) most of which is too racy to post! Actually all of which…here is a beautiful shot of Noah which was part of a larger campaign for Dolce & Gabbana Fragrance Anthology in 2009 (it ran through to 2010 it was so successful…I wonder why?)

7. Sam Webb
This London based British boy was recently named as Lindsay Lohan’s new beau (if only for a short stint based on totally unreliable sources) but it managed to get his name from the catwalk out into the celebrity stratosphere. He had been a star already however at Milan and Paris fashion weeks and is still a reasonably fresh face in the industry has already nabbed a D&G contract: featuring in both their Spring/Summer & Fall/Winter 2010 campaigns.

8. David Gandy
He got a massive schnoz and he totally owns it! That’s what I like to see. David Gandy has managed to cement himself as one of the favourite faces of D & G for over 3 years (what’s with all the D& G men you say – I think my choices are largely due to the work of Steven Klein’s amazing photography – but D&G sure know how to make 5 men holding each other in their underwear look incredibly manly). David is currently signed to DNA agency in NYC alongside Baptiste Giabiconi. His girlfriend is model Chloe Pridham (sorry ladies).

9. Evandro Soldati
Famous now for appearing in Lady Gaga’s Alejandro video, Evandro is a Brazilian born model with one striking brow-line. Above mentioned photographer Steven Klein actually collaborated with Gaga to produce the controversial video which may have had something to do with his appearance. He has completed campaigns for Louis Vuitton and Valentino amongst others but is probably most well known for being the face of Armani from 07/08. Here he is featured in one of their campaigns – he almost appears to be a rock-pool crustacean: the girl, his shell - such a fantastic image.

10. Jamie Dornan
Jamie is an Irish stew of striking features and musical talent to boot (swoon). You would recognise him from such fashion campaigns as Calvin Klein Jeans (probably most famously shot with Eva Mendes back in 2009 - who also looks incredible by the way!). He also appeared in Sophia Coppola’s “Marie-Antoinette” after Keira Knightly (who he also dated) introduced him to her agent. Aside from Calvin Klein he has also worked for Giorgio Armani and Aquascutum. His Irish folk band are called Sons of Jim, but hopefully he won't do away with modelling altogether.

Top Five Films Unintentionally Breaking Down Racial Barriers

In recent news, Twilight has been credited with being one of the first popular films to present Native Americans in a natural light within modern popular culture, that is without using stereotypical character references, costumes or dialogue.

Check out this earlier post for details: Twilight - Breaking Down Racial Boundaries

This got me thinking of other films which have stepped outside of racial stereotypes and bridged cultural gaps - sometimes even unintentionally - and how film, as such a popular and accessible form of entertainment has the power to change social construct with each push of the play button.

Here are the top 5 I have come up with to start with:

1. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)
This film is one that intended to cause controversy. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner is a drama which explored interracial romance and marriage never before seen on the big screen at that time, between a young African American doctor and the daughter of a self-proclaimed ‘liberal’ couple. The film was inherently politicised from the beginning as interracial marriage was illegal in the US up until around that point, although popular attitudes were already changing. Starring Sidney Poitier and Katherine Hepburn as the young engaged couple, the film dealt with not only the prejudices of white America but also addressed the class system by further exploring the relationship between the upper middle class parents of Katherine Hepburn’s character and their maid.

2. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Although there have been many influential Asian films that came before this one, I chose it specifically as its groundbreaking cinematic technique employed by director Ang Lee saw the film, originally released in Mandarin become an international success (the highest grossing in US history). The film also featured Chinese actors and although the film is laden with traditional Chinese practices, art and mythology – it is essentially a love story, and one that managed to surpass the unfortunate prejudices of western audiences who refuse to watch films in any language other than English, to be a cinematic landmark.

3. Samson & Delilah (2009).
An Australian film which follows the story of 2 ostracised teenagers in indigenous central Australia. It is essentially a love story, told with very little dialogue between Samson, petrol sniffing lost soul and Delilah, a caring young girl wrongly blamed for her grandmothers passing. The two find a strange solace in each other as the film deals with their exploitation and isolation they experience drifting away from their own community and not really fitting in anywhere else. In essence they are normal teenagers trying to find their way in the world and the audience feels all the way along with them. Racial issues and exclusion are present but only as an undercurrent, which makes an even more powerful statement. One of the best Australian films ever made.

4. Babel (2006)
Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (21 grams), Babel is a multi-faceted film with intertwining story lines all set in different parts of the world: Morocco, Japan, Mexico and the US and in different dialects. Problems ensue in each of the 4 different corners, largely due to culturally stereotypical attitudes resulting in a communication breakdown. Fear and finally tragedy follow for some of the individual characters involved (almost a metaphor for international relation on a larger scale, especially following 9/11). Babel however, did offer some resolutions and did leave audiences with a sense of optimism by cleverly showing how connected we all are, no matter where we are from.

5. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Although this film did receive some criticism from India, especially as the cast, ands especially the key protagonist spoke in British-English instead of Hindi (as slum boys normally would) it was an international box office hit and won a swag of Oscars, including Best Picture. It was essentially a film made for Western audiences, (once again taking the issue of race out of the picture), its strength lying in the uplifting portrayal of underdog Jamal and his ability to fight through incredible hardship to realise his dreams. Although British director Danny Boyle did present a stylised insight into the Mumbai slums, he employed and all-Indian cast, including real children from the slums which revived the often ignored global issue and placed it back into the consciences of the populus.

Others films to note include:

Waiting to Exhale: the first box office drama to feature an all-African American cast in its genre. It dealt with real women and their struggles in life on a romantic level, deliberately making race a non-issue.

Can you think of any others? Let us know!

Seabellies New Video - Young Cubs

Check out the latest from the Seabellies - Youngs Cubs. Awesome band - you have to see them live!

Warrant issue for Lindsay Lohan’s arrest… whatcha gonna do when they come for you?

Lindsay has reached the end of her tether with the law: a judge today issuing a warrant for her arrest after she missed a mandatory hearing (uh maybe because she was boozing it up at Cannes?)

Loose cannon Lilo was due in court for a probation progress meet with a judge (those pesky drug possession charges just won’t kick it!), but apparently her passport got “stolen” at Cannes and she was unable to make it back in time.

Is anyone wondering how she was allowed out of the country anyway on probation?
Judge Marsha Revel was not satisfied with Lindsay’s excuse.

As SMH reports,

“If she wanted to be here, it looks to the court that she could have been here," Revel said.

Revel then got her Judge Judy on, revoking LiLo's probation, issuing an arrest warrant instead.

Poor thing will have to wear an alcohol-monitoring bracelet and do weekly drug tests – that’s all if she makes bail!

Lately Lilo has been reported to be running dry (in funds that is) so she may have to crawl back to her estranged father and beg for the coin. Oh dear.

Up until now, Lohan was apparently making "good progress" on probation, according to Revel. She had never failed a drug or alcohol test!

Which begs the question - who's urine has she been stealing?

Chambers

Off tonight to see a band at the Hopetoun called Chambers. Saw them at work (Oxford Arts) the other week and they weren't bad. Should be a good night. Besides there is something about the Hopetoun that just feels like home...

Privacy Laws in the Spotlight

The Rudd government has re-ignited the “how far is too far” privacy invasion debate with recent news they are considering new laws to prevent paparazzi taking unauthorised pictures of people in public places or disclosing personal information.

The news spells trouble for publications and entertainment TV programs that rely the sensational slants on celebrity life to maintain their respective audiences.

Privacy Foundation spokesperson Nigel Waters said the media need to “practice some self-regulation and restrict reporting to instances where there is a genuine public interest.” Livenews.com reports.

It’s obviously hard to pinpoint the driving force behind the need celebrity exposes, but surely public demand and a competitive weekly market are major factors. Consumers should be considering their part at purchase point.

Aussie stars like Nicole Kidman will certainly be welcoming the changes are her much publicised defamation case involving Sydney photographer Jamie Fawcett.

What do you think?

So...this is my first post. Is anyone out there....?

Apologies for lack of creativity of first post. Second post promises to be riveting.