DEATH OF A BOMBSHELL: Jane Russell Dead At 89

LOS ANGELES TIMES: Jane Russell, the dark-haired siren whose sensational debut in the 1943 film “The Outlaw” inspired producer Howard Hughes to challenge the power and strict morality of Hollywood’s production code, died Monday at her home in Santa Maria, Calif. She was 89. Russell, who would later turn her sexy image to comic effect in films with Bob Hope, Marilyn Monroe and other major stars, had respiratory problems and died after a short illness, her family said. Russell’s provocative performance in “The Outlaw” — and the studio publicity shots posing her in a low-cut blouse while reclined on a […]

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WTF: Your Daily Dose Of ‘I Can’t Believe It’s News’

PUNK AS F*CK FAKE RAHM EMANUEL TWITTERER OUTS HIMSELF The real Rahm Emanuel offered to donate $5,000 to the charity of the anonymous Tweeter’s choice if the creator of the account would out himself (Update: even now, the offer still stands). The Chicago Tribune’s editorial board begged the account not to stop, saying, “The fun is just beginning,” and comparing the mystery of the account’s author to the “intrigue surrounding the identity of “Anonymous,” the author of the 1996 novel “Primary Colors,” a devastating insider take on Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign. If that seems like a lot of fuss […]

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LADY GAGA: Born This Way

Let the buyer be weird. TIME: The video opens with a “Manifesto of Mother Monster”–as Gaga calls herself, with her fans being “monsters”–where a Gaga voiceover tells the tale of the birth of good and evil. Or something. Frankly, it’s hard to follow her story because at the same time that she’s narrating it, we’re witnessing what appears to be a gooey, kaleidoscopic alien birth, before we’re plunged into the depths of hell. MORE

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We Know It’s Only Rock N’ Roll But We Like It

[Photo by JONATHAN VALANIA] DEAD MAN TALKING: Steve Earle, Johnny Brendas, last night. BY JONATHAN VALANIA FOR THE INQUIRER Steve Earle would be the first to admit he’s no saint, but by my tally he’s been going to bat for the angels ever since he tamed his demons – a nasty drug habit that ended in a prison sentence – nearly 20 years ago. Earle is just old-fashioned enough to think that folk songs can make a difference and protest singers should put their money (and their downtime) where their mouth is. Case in point, Earle performed Sunday night at […]

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WORTH REPEATING: If Hedge Fund Managers Paid Their Fair Share Of Taxes, It Would Pay The Salaries And Benefits Of 5,000,000 Teachers

ROBERT REICH: Republicans would rather go after teachers and other public employees than have us look at the pay of Wall Street traders, private-equity managers, and heads of hedge funds – many of whom wouldn’t have their jobs today were it not for the giant taxpayer-supported bailout. Last year, America’s top thirteen hedge-fund managers earned an average of $1 billion each. One of them took home $5 billion. Much of their income is taxed as capital gains – at 15 percent – due to a tax loophole that Republican members of Congress have steadfastly guarded. If the earnings of those […]

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RIP: Suze Rotolo Dead At 67

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: Susan “Suze” Rotolo, who inspired some of Bob Dylan‘s most intense songs and later spent much of her own life trying not to be known as Dylan’s former girlfriend, died Friday night after a long illness. She was 67. Rotolo lives in Dylan lore as the inspiration for some of his most bittersweet love songs, including “Boots of Spanish Leather,” “Tomorrow is a Long Time” and the razor-edged “Don’t Think Twice.” She also became permanently engraved in Dylan lore as the girl on the cover of his 1963 “Freewheelin’ ” album.It was shot by photographer Don […]

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OSCARS: The King’s Sweep

LOS ANGELES TIMES: The monarch may have stammered terribly, but Oscar voters spoke loudly and clearly Sunday night, handing “The King’s Speech” four Academy Awards, including best picture, best director and best original screenplay. The come-from-behind “King’s Speech” coup concluded a providential journey for the drama about Britain’s King George VI (played by Colin Firth, who won the lead actor Oscar) and his unconventional speech therapist, Lionel Logue (played by Geoffrey Rush). The film beat out “The Social Network,” which had been considered the likely choice for best picture for much of the fall and early winter, but ended up […]

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Phawker Presents The Fifth Installment Of Blotto

BY LANCE DOILY I should have known how the day was going to turn out when Rex walked in with a carton of eggs tucked underneath his arm. As he’s proved time and time again, the dude couldn’t make eggs for shit, and we were all too hungover to eat anything besides a couple tugs off a Slim Jim and a fistful of Percocets anyway. Once again, we’d closed Murph’s the night before (truth be told, we actually got Dusty to come back to reopen at quarter after 2 and drank huddled next to a candle until about 5:30 this […]

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