Arnold Schwarzenegger, apropos of nothing except his new film The Last Stand co-starring Johnny Knoxville (in theaters Friday!), showed up on Reddit’s IAmA (Ask Me Anything) subforum today to answer questions in beautiful cursive handwriting on his iPad, which he then uploaded onto the site. Adorable!
Let’s look at some of the better responses. Read More
Is there anything more beautiful than feeling the cool air of fall start to kick back up? Then again, is there anything more depressing than coming to realize in the very same moment that summer has nearly passed? Sure, we’ve spent these waning days of late July and early August complaining about the heat, but who ever wants to contemplate seasonal change? What did we really do with our summer, after all? Read More
Used to the more snug confines of downtown boîtes, The Observer approached the hulking Park Avenue Armory with trepidation last Wednesday.
We were there for what turned out to be a very manly party celebrating the birthday of a watch: the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak (starting price $10,500) was 40 years old, and some real guys were there to make sure the timepiece did not feel slighted on the momentous occasion.
Now, the nature of time is a subject we contemplate often—particularly as the sun creeps up over the ragged eastern edge of the city’s skyline—but never have we been confronted with it quite so literally. Read More
One ad stuck out during this year’s Super Bowl broadcast, for its message of patriotism, shared sacrifice and faith in American exceptionalism—and it wasn’t Clint Eastwood’s Chrysler spot.
The spot began with a pregnant woman, framed by a playpen and on the phone, asking an unseen person to “Be safe.” A man on what appears to be an aircraft carrier replied, “You know I will.”
It was a military recruitment commercial.
The legend “On February 24th” appears onscreen, as Eminem’s “Not Afraid” scores footage of enlisted men skydiving, deep-sea diving, and shooting in a desert. “We all have something worth fighting for,” intones a narrator as a man kisses a woman while a towheaded child rests on his shoulder and the legend “FAMILY” appears onscreen. More footage—a fighter dropping through a glass ceiling, a military funeral, a bomb exploding, many a handshake—is intercut with legends reading “HONOR,” “FREEDOM,” and “A MOTION PICTURE EVENT.”
Wait, it was a feature film trailer. Read More
Arnold Schwarzenegger is publishing a memoir with Simon & Schuster. Scheduled for publication in October 2012, the tentative title is Total Recall (total cringe.) [NYT]
After his memoir hit bookstores in Britain this morning, Julian Assange accuses his British publisher, Canongate, of “old-fashioned opportunism and duplicity.” His American publisher, Knopf, announced the cancellation of his contract yesterday. [The Bookseller] Read More
Gawker’s retraction of their flubbed Arnold Schwarzenegger love child story wasn’t good enough for the former flight attendant Tammy Tousignant, whom it wrongly identified as the most recent employee/mistress/love child-bearer of Arnold Schwarzenegger. She’s filed a $40 million libel lawsuit against Gawker, National Enquirer, Daily Mail, and others, according to the OC Weekly.
“News crews and paparazzi converged on the Tousignants’ quiet Brea neighborhood,” says the lawsuit. “They were inundated with phone calls and messages. They were forced to flee their house and stay at another location. Tanner was followed. Their online accounts were hacked into. They were and continue to be the subject of scorn and scrutiny in their own community. Their reputations have been permanently damaged.”
The Hangover Part II, True Blood and Mortal Kombat 9, saved Time Warner, Jeff Bewkes told the The New York Times. On Wednesday the company, which owns Warner Brothers, Turner Broadcasting and Time Inc., reported a 10% increase in revenue this quarter, the highest growth since January. Read More
WILLIAMSVILLE—David Paterson is in Los Angeles today, talking about green energy at a summit convened by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
I examined his schedules for a story this week, and found he hasn't been as publicly active as one might expect of a man in his political shoes. The trip to Los Angeles comes Read More
Jerry Brown’s career serves as a four-decade testament to the idea that politics is a means to a means. Every time he gains an office, he almost immediately sets out to parlay it into a new one.
Which is why the prospect of his return (after a 28-year absence) Read More
Jerry Brown’s career serves as a four-decade testament to the idea that politics is a means to a means. Every time he gains an office, he almost immediately sets out to parlay it into a new one.
Which is why the prospect of his return (after a 28-year absence) to California’s governorship next year Read More
Michael Bloomberg will appear on Meet the Press this Sunday, his spokesman confirmed.
This comes as Bloomberg and others head to Washington to ask the president for money to help rebuild the nation’s infrastructure.
Bloomberg will appear on the show with Ed Rendell and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
