Last night in Hollywood at the Mad Men Black & Red Ball…

It’s probably the last major carpet for the show before it concludes in about 8 weeks. So Jon Hamm went all out in a white jacket tux. And Christina Hendricks went all out in a dramatic gown…

After all, it&rs…      

Cate Blanchett’s still doing the rounds for Cinderella. She visited with Australian journalist Jonathan Hyla on The Project. The interview took an unorthodox turn. Many media outlets are focusing upon Cate dropping an f-bomb when Hyla asks a weird question about leashing the movie’s cat (I haven’t watched the film yet). She did drop an f-bomb, no lie.

If you take Cate’s response out of context, the f-bomb makes her look a little rude and possibly unprofessional. But the whole interview was offbeat. Hyla and Cate bantered about potato vodka, beer, and sex for over four minutes. They were vibing off each other well. Then Hyla asked asked the cat question, which was a little dumb (but not as dumb as a pumpkin turning into a coach). Cate wrinkled her nose in faux-distaste and shut down the interview in a joking manner:

Hyla: “Serious question: How were you able to get that cat to do what you wanted to do on a leash? Because I try and put my girlfriend’s cat on a leash and it just never works for me.”

Blanchett: “That’s your question? That’s your f***ing question?”

[From The Project]

This was quite possibly the classiest f-bomb in history. Hyla didn’t act insulted, and both of them knew Cate was joking around. They were having a grand time, and the soundbite age divvied up the interview for scrutiny. The Project released a statement on their website, saying they contributed to the miscommunication (time constraints prevented them airing the whole interview at once). They understood why the media seized upon the f-bomb: “We were delighted to learn that Hyla and Cate Blanchett share the same wicked sense of humour. It is one of the funniest interviews we have ever done.”

Here’s the full interview, which Hyla posted to his Twitter page. It’s cute.

For those misrepresenting my #CateBlanchett interview, here it is uncut
https://t.co/xNtObSNgSh #IStillNeedKnowHowTheyGotThatCatOnALeash

— hyla (@hyla) March 26, 2015

Photos courtesy of WENN

I keep forgetting that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice actually has a real villain. Like, Zac Snyder isn’t just making the film about Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Aquaman (Jason Momoa). There’s a real villain, Lex Luthor, played by Jesse Eisenberg. Entertainment Weekly got their hands on the first character portrait of Lex Luthor and… it just looks like a glowering Jesse Eisenberg with no hair. INTENSE!

Don’t get me wrong, I actually sort of like Jesse Eisenberg. I think he’s talented and he deserved his Oscar nomination for The Social Network. I was as surprised as anyone that Jesse would agree to play Lex Luthor, but here we go. I wonder if he enjoyed his superhero/supervillain experience. Doubtful.

EW says that Aquaman only has a “cameo” but that Wonder Woman’s part is “sizable”. And I guess we’re supposed to believe that Lex Luthor is set up as the Big Bad. Zac Snyder tells EW:

“He’s not any of the Lexes that you’ve seen, that’s for sure, other than him being a captain of industry and one person to the world and another person to himself. And bald, of course. Our Lex is disarming and he’s not fake. He says what he believes and he says what’s on his mind. If you can unravel the string and decipher what he means, it’s all there.”

[From EW]

Eh. I mean, sure. I didn’t hate Man of Steel, but I’m not sure that I’m totally on-board for the Batfleck plus Wonder Woman plus intense bald dude Lex Luthor.

Photos courtesy of EW, WENN, Fame/Flynet.

In preparation for Game of Thrones taking over my life starting in April, I’ve been watching DVDs of the previous GoT seasons. I’ve even been listening to the DVD commentary. On one episode, I listened to Emilia cheerfully gush about every single actress on the show. There is no question in my mind that Emilia loves playing the Mother of Dragons/Dany and that she loves being part of such a dynamic show featuring so many strong performances from so many actresses. She came across really well, and she seems very genuine in her girl-power-rah-rah-ness.

Anyway, Emilia covers the new issue of The Hollywood Reporter. It’s a lovely shoot, and I always enjoy seeing her with her naturally dark hair (she wears a wig on GoT). Emilia talks to THR about her role as Sarah Connor in Terminator: Genisys, why she didn’t want to do Fifty Shades of Grey (whoa, she would have been perfect for that) and her stardom as the Mother of Dragons. Oh, and here’s something I didn’t know: she’s currently dating Jai Courtney. He’s cute! He was in Unbroken. He seems a bit bro-y, but I bet they work well together.

Emilia on the success of GoT: “Never in a million years did I think Game of Thrones was going to take off like it did. It’s taken me five years to catch up with it. I’m still not sure I’m there.”

She was offered the lead in Fifty Shades of Grey: “No regrets… I’d done nudity before and was concerned with being labeled for doing it again.”

How no one recognizes her without her GoT-wig: “I get to play other roles without the comparison of being Daenerys, which I think is so lucky.”

She hasn’t been doing much nudity on GoT these days: “There are other women who remove items of clothing on our show, so they’ve kind of got my nipple count down now.”

[From THR]

So, Emilia says that she was outright offered the role of Anastasia Steele? I can see why they wanted her – she really would have been great for the part. She’s appropriately young-looking, she’s beautiful, and she’s got a quiet sexiness. I wonder if this means that Dakota Johnson was Sam Taylor Johnson’s second choice?

Oh, and there are some interesting details about the money for GoT too, if you’re interested (I’m always interested in hearing about the money). Some sources tell THR that Emilia will be getting about $7 million a season by the seventh season, but Emilia denies that number in the interview, saying it’s “not even close.” But she doesn’t deny the other rumor, which is that she, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Lena Headey and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau banded together to collectively renegotiate their contracts and a pay raise. That’s pretty cool, if true (I bet it’s true).

Photos courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter.

E! News wasted no time yesterday after Zayn Malik’s announcement that he’s quitting 1D in reporting that Harry Styles might be next. According to E! sources, Harry’s been telling his friends that he wants to get into acting and permanently move to LA. Since he’s been worki…      

View image | gettyimages.com

Can you believe that national treasure Dolly Parton is 69 years old? She has that ageless look that comes with lots of makeup, tons of fake hair, and the cumulative effect of plastic surgery. Dolly will tell you about it too. She’ll also tell you that she’s happiest working and that she doesn’t plan to stop until she’s physically unable to. In a new interview with People Magazine, Dolly talks about her latest business endeavors, her plans for the future, and how she wants people to remember her. She’s as funny and self deprecating as ever. This is a brief piece in People but I really wanted to cover it.

On Dollywood
When we first opened [in 1985,] I was so scared. I was just thinking ‘Oh, please. Let the people come.’

On her career
I don’t intend to ever retire unless I get sick or my husband gets sick. I want to work until I fall over dead!

On the TV movies she’s developing for NBC
[They’re based on] stories from my life and songs that I’ve written.

She wants her own cosmetics line
I’m in my own class, but it’s mostly low. I have my makeup on every day. It’s how I feel comfortable.

On what she wants people to celebrate about her
There’s a brain under the wig and a heart beneath the boobs. I may look artificial, but inside I’m totally real.

[From People Magazine, print edition, April 6, 2015]

People notes that Dolly is opening a new resort this summer in Dollywood, called DreamMore. It looks pretty incredible and like it’s specially tailored for kids and families. I didn’t realize what a big deal Dollywood is, but the amusement park has been around for 30 years and is thriving. There’s also a sister waterpark, Dollywood’s Splash Country.

As for Dolly herself, I’m surprised she doesn’t have a makeup line already. She’s shown that she can pretty much do whatever she sets her mind to. She’s an incredible lady and we know that she’s got a big heart too. Have you heard about her Imagination Library? Every child under five in her home county, Sevier county, Tennessee, is eligible to receive a free book a month up to age five. They also serve 1600 other communities in the US, Canada, Australia and The UK.

View image | gettyimages.com

Photo credit: Getty Images and WENN.com

Proud daddy-to-be Evan Ross shared an Instagram image of his wife, Ashlee Simpson, and her growing baby bump.

“My beautiful wife @ashleesimpsonross and our baby girl in that belly… Life is better is amazing,” he captioned the photo.

The couple were spotted picking up lunch after their morning workout in Los Angeles, Calif. on Monday (March 23). The expectant mama, 30, donned a tan coat over her black workout gear, paired with shades and a high bun.

The newlyweds have been keeping fit during Ashlee’s pregnancy. Last week, we spotted the pair hitting the Tracy Anderson gym in Studio City.

This will be the first child – a girl – for Ashlee and her newlywed husband, 26, whom she wed on Aug. 30.

She is already mom to 6-year-old son Bronx with ex-husband, Fall Out Boy rocker Pete Wentz.

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I’m splitting up the photos from last night’s LA premiere of Mad Men, which they called the Black & Red Ball. Jon Hamm had some extra stuff, so I covered it in another post. This post is just for the other cast members! Unfortunately, my girl Elisabeth Moss wasn’t there. But Christina Hendricks got a lot of attention last night for her over-the-top Zac Posen ball gown. The skirt was massive… and then it wasn’t. She walked the carpet with the massive ball-gown skirt and then she detached part of it and the gown just became a sleek look. I like the gown more with the skirt detached – it’s a cleaner, simpler look. It’s more flattering too.

January Jones seemed almost low-key in this Prabal Gurung Pre-Fall 2015. I like the idea of this more than I like the execution – the midsection isn’t very flattering, right? And let’s be real: January has an amazing figure. You really have to try to make her figure look bad.

Kiernan Shipka is adorable. She’s growing up to be such a lovely young lady.

John Slattery is everything!

And finally, here’s Vincent Kartheiser, looking better than he has in years!! It helps that he’s months past shaving back his hairline to play Pete Campbell. The beard helps too. But he just looks happy all-over. I think his marriage to Alexis Bledel is really working out.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.

From the beginning, it’s been clear that Jeremy Renner’s divorce from Sonni Pacheco is going to be ugly as sh*t. Then, for a while, it seemed like maybe it would end up playing out largely behind closed doors, especially as Renner’s only move has been to emphasize his daughter a…      

Beautiful Sophie Hunter with Creative Directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli prepping her couture dress for her March wedding to Benedict Cumberbatch. #magicmoment #sophiehunter #benedictcumberbatch photographed by #AnnieLeibovitz for @voguemagazine

A photo posted by Valentino (@maisonvalentino) on Mar 26, 2015 at 2:06am PDT

Yay! I was hoping we would get to actually post a photo of Sophie Hunter’s wedding gown! And here we go. Maison Valentino posted this Instagram – taken from Sophie’s wedding gown fitting – several hours ago. This is the same photo that Vogue uses, just FYI. The bride wore silver-grey instead of white, and I really don’t have a problem with that. I also like that she had sleeves, although I could do without the high neck.

There are also some additional details about the gown which I found interesting. I mean, nothing is going to beat the quotes we already had, in which Sophie sounded really pretentious. But I thought you would enjoy this:

The dress, which featured an elegant high neckline, long sleeves and a sweeping train, is described as a “high-waisted medieval gown”.

According to Vogue, Sophie brought her paper mood boards to a meeting with the Valentino designers and during their three-hour brainstorm session, she showed them Anna Karenina-inspired dresses and Gustav Klimt landscapes. The result was the exquisite, pale silver dress, embroidered with motifs of vines and pomegranates.

Although Sophie was in the second trimester of her pregnancy, her growing bump was barely visible. The dress acknowledged her bump, but didn’t emphasise it.

“It seemed to encapsulate everything I’d been speaking about,” the English Rose said. “It feels very much of nature, and it’s so detailed and extraordinary that I’m still trying to get my head around how beautiful it is.”

Sophie was also presented with a matching silk velvet cape, in case of rain on her big day.

While Valentino usually takes at least six months to create a gown, Sophie’s couture dress was completed in just three. Celebrity photographer Annie Leibowitz was then flown out to Rome to shoot the fitting.

[From Hello]

I can’t believe Annie Leibowitz had to fly to Rome just to photograph Sophie’s fitting. Of course, Annie also had to fly to Amal Alamuddin’s dress fitting with Oscar de la Renta last year too. Why does Annie keep getting these assignments? Poor Annie. As for Sophie and her gown… now I want to see the silk velvet cape. And I never want any dress I wear to be described as “medieval.”

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and Instagram.