Editor’s note: Welcome to The Fug Report! Each week our fashion blogger friends Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, the sartorial geniuses behind Go Fug Yourself, will feature some of the most memorable looks of the week in this space. We hope you enjoy it!
According to the NY Post, when Lady Gaga was asked who she would want to play her in a hypothetical movie about her life story, she responded, “I’ve always been a big fan of Rosario Dawson. Oh, you know what, I would have Marisa Tomei play me. I am such a Marisa Tomei fan. All my friends call me Marisa when I get angry. Because my New York accent just flies out of my body and I start smacking my gum.” Well, even setting aside the fact that Rosario Dawson’s Puerto Rican and Afro-Cuban descent would, um, kind of change the story and that Marisa Tomei is 22 years older than Lady Gaga, we don’t think these are remotely appropriate choices. This is why Lady Gaga will have an agent to help her decide who should play her in the movie. And also, she’ll have, you know, us. Click through for our picks for the best actresses to play Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, AKA Lady Gaga, in the movie of her life.
While the Sleater-Kinney-shaped hole in our hearts remains gaping, some serious consolation can be found in Corin Tucker’s debut solo album, 1,000 Years. The riot grrrl-turned-righteous mama blends her fierce wail and earth-shattering guitar licks with softer touches of strings and acoustic guitar on her “middle-aged mom record,” an album that she admits is “not a record that a young person would write.” In fact, Tucker’s nine-year-old son and two-year-old daughter come first, traveling with their mom on short tours in support of the record.
As 1,000 Years proves — in tracks like the hard, fast “Doubt” — being a mom doesn’t stop the rock. In fact, lots of ladies have mastered the art of rocking and rearing. After the jump, we celebrate Tucker’s return to music with our list of the toughest rock ‘n roll moms, who balance the two roles without missing a beat.
Canadian synth-pop sensation Lights is the anti-Britney. A composer and lyricist since the age of 11, she creates an expert mix of catchy hooks and earnest, introspective lyrics that’s poised to crack the Top 40. The Listening, her debut album, was released this week, and she kicked off a small club tour to promote the record that will take her through a large part of the US and Canada for the rest of this month.
We caught up with Lights and found out why she’s certain to become the object of lust for legions of nerdy guys everywhere (she’s a huge comic-book fan) and how she’s able to translate her electronic, synthesized sound for a live show. Read our complete interview after the jump. Read More »
The video after the jump might be the cutest attack on the paparazzi yet (and we’d argue much more sophisticated than wielding an umbrella). As you can see from the image above, it’s also a slam dunk for Team Nature. There’s no denying it — three-year-old Kingston Rossdale didn’t fall far from the Gwen Stefani tree. Read More »
So YOU wanna be an MTV VJ?! Want to scream “Spring Break” in mid-autumn? Wanna toss to ironic ads for Stridex pads? Want to drink Budweisers with Fred Durst and, um, Carson Daly once a week? Personally, I’d never given the concept much brain space, except to wryly chuckle at it while searching in vain for 120 Minutes re-runs. Not that I haven’t got some experience: in college I was a bona fide college-radio nerd. Once a week I (sexily) muttered my thoughts on the latest Broken Social Scene releases into a microphone, and listeners in the Lehigh Valley called our request line to ask if we carried any early Zappa. It was awesome.
Maybe that’s why I ended up schlepping to the most ad-plastered section of New York City to try my hand at the VJ game. Quite simply, I felt so gosh-darn flattered that they liked my picture and cover letter that I figured what the hey? And so, live from Times Square, I hereby present a minute-by-minute account of what happens when you stop being polite and start getting real, VJ-audition style. Read More »
Diminutive English rapper Lady Sovereign’s first album showcased a mélange of sounds, repping everything from UK garage to punked-up drum n’ bass. In the subsequent whirlwind of attention, the cheeky singer signed to Def Jam (Jay-Z inked the deal himself), scored Missy Elliott for a remix of the TRL-topping track “Love Me Or Hate Me,” and hit the road with Gwen Stefani. Music media built on the buzz, championing the pint-sized powerhouse as grime’s ambassador in America.
So what happened to her? After a bit of soul searching, Sov realized she didn’t want to be on a major label or be considered grime’s great white hope, and she went into incubation. Finally ready to poke her head back in the stage door, Sov is rather humbly releasing her second album, Jigsaw, April 7th on her own label, Midget Records. Three recent stateside gigs revealed a more mature, subdued side of Sov, who has traded in Adidas tracksuits and a side ponytail for streetwear and a down ‘do. Earplug rang her in London to chat about tossing her cookies at McDonald’s, ditching her trademark tracksuit, dropping diss tracks for Lady Gaga, and getting down with Playboy’s wee ol’ wabbit.
Celebrity Apprentice‘s cast of crazies KILLS: Joan Rivers, Andrew Dice Clay, Dennis Rodman, T-Boz, and even that coo-coo figure skater Scott Hamilton! But this bit is troubling: Pro-golfer Natalie Gulbis had only nice words to say about her fellow cast members. Of the always salacious Joan Rivers, Gulbis told USA Today:”I thought of her when I picked out my outfits in the a.m. Is she going to put me on the ‘Worst Dressed List’ with this? Turns out she is just as sweet and motherly as can be.” Joan Rivers and sweet in the same sentence? Stop hiding under your visor, Gulbis. We see right through you and we cannot wait for the drama!
Brown wins everything at AMAs: Chris Brown swept the American Music Awards yesterday, winning three prizes including Artist of the Year, which he claims should have gone to Coldplay. (Incidentally, Coldplay went home empty-handed, which might explain why they’re breaking up.) Rihanna — Brown’s girlfriend and everybody’s obsession — was named favorite female artist for both R&B and pop/rock. We’re imagining they went home and talked about how cool they are. [Reuters]
No Doubt back in action: After Gwen Stefani did a little solo stint and had a baby, No Doubt is back. The band will allegedly be recording and touring in 2009. After a long hiatus will they have lost their charm? We doubt it. [Stereogum]