Hoodgate: 'Telegraph' Spanks Journa-Blogger

Sunday Telegraph US editor Toby Harnden better still have that badass flak jacket. He's enjoying a flurry of abuse after an article he filed about Saddam Hussein's execution appeared to describe details of the scene that never happened — particularly, Saddam wearing a hood on the gallows. After the obvious…
Dolce & Gabbana Too Edgy?
A pair of Dolce & Gabbana ads that ran in the London Times and Daily Telegraph have caused a row (as they say over there) due to their literally knife-edgy content. The first ad shows a pair of D&G-clad boy-creatures on the brink of stabbing another of their number, apparently having already done in yet another who…
Alan Cumming Betrothed
Sorry ladies, but he's off the market. Recovering nicely from his early-1990s bout with heterosexuality, Alan Cumming married boyfriend Grant Shaffer outside London over the weekend. The couple wanted to do the deed in America, but could not because of our prejudicial laws against Broadway actors. Check out the guest…
Pretend Prostitutes vs. Rent Inflation
Way off our geographical radar, but this has such obvious local application. Tel Aviv "creative co-op" VeeCee has launched a campaign to bring down inflated rents by infesting overpriced neighborhoods with cardboard prostitutes. "More whores in your neighborhood = lower rent prices." Flickr set here, "making of"…
Are Any of These Books Not by Mitch Albom?
More detritus cleanup as we venture into the new year: Click to enlarge the above image into a (very large) perspective on pre-holiday book inventory prep in one of Amazon.com's UK warehouses. Bear in mind this is likely one of Amazon's more modest operations. Any similarity to the warehouse scene at the end of …
Dead Skinny Model Craze Sweeps Brazil
Technically only one actual Brazilian model has died so far — Ana Carolina Reston, shown here, who succumbed to anorexia-related infections after her tomato-apple diet kept only 88 pounds on her 5'8" frame. (This beat out the August death of Uruguay's model Luisel Ramos, 98 pounds at 5'9", who lived on "lettuce leaves…
Subtle Frangelico Ad Resists Easy Decoding
We might need your help to figure this one out (click to enlarge). From the land where Terry Richardson does denim photography, this Brisbane ad for Frangelico has a young lady palpating nuts in her mouth until the sweet, sticky juice overflows her succulent lips. Wasn't this beverage named after a priest or…
Times Square: Hub of Art, Reliever of Solitude
In a New York Times article about the city of Sao Paulo's decision to do away with outdoor advertising, our hearts leapt at the sentiment predicting this would make Sao Paulo "like New York without Times Square." Of course, the sentiment came from an ad man, complaining about "a diminishing of urban life" in ad-free…
Did Jack Bauer Kill Princess Diana?
This Thursday, Scotland Yard will release their final report on the 1997 auto crash that killed Princess Diana and her loverman Dodi Fayed. The greater mystery may be why anyone still cares, unless it's an attempt to drum up buzz for a 10-year anniversary series of commemorative plates. Nevertheless, other than the…
'Playboy' Indonesia Mildly Salacious!
Erwin Arnada, EIC of Playboy Indonesia, in happier times — last April to be exact, when Playboy Indonesia debuted. Unfortunately, The Man has cracked down on his mag, with Arnada on trial for publishing indecent material. To wit:
Crack Now Basically Legal in UK for Pete Doherty
Britrocker and Kate Moss manbutter supplier Pete Doherty may have been caught with heroin and crack in his car while ostensibly in drug rehab, but that's nothing a few hundred pounds and a break from driving can't fix. Making his weekly court appearance, Doherty didn't pretend to wince at this slap on the wrist, even…
HOWTO: Faint for the Camera
If you're going to have a weird malfunctioning-robot fainting spell, it's probably best to do it away from the news cameras. Recently ousted Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi had his TMZ moment at a rally this weekend, appearing to blow a fuse while speaking at a Milan rally celebrating his own self. Observe as…
NBC Declares Civil War
As of yesterday, NBC has decided to start referring to the conflict in Iraq as a "civil war." The decision was reached after much internal/external consultation, and its announcement has been attended with much ceremonial chin-wagging. Other news organizations were quick to note that they, too, have used the phrase,…
"Suckling Pig" Illustrated
OK, the pork obsession is indeed out of control. This print ad from the Philippines exhorts the viewer to help feed hungry children, but really: pork milkshake? Not something we needed to consider. Interesting to see that many of the more visually arresting print campaigns lately come from social/charity causes, such…
"Law Lords" to Adjudicate Dueling Brit Tabloids
For the 2000 wedding of Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas, British tabloid OK! had an exclusive contract with the Douglas-Jones enterprise to run dewy styled photos of the proceedings. Rival exclamatory publication Hello! scammed and ran their own photos, resulting in years of litigation between the two tabs.…
If It's Sunday, Pete Doherty Must Be on Crack
After managing to stay away from the authorities for over a week, Pete Doherty, Babyshamblet and Kate Mossifier, was arrested yesterday on suspicion of driving on crack. Apparently, Doherty and a couple pals were busted near his London home, meaning he was either on his way out or on his way home. Buzzkill. But at…
English-Language Al-Jazeera Debuts This Week
After a year's delay, the English-language version of al-Jazeera — the Arab television network based in Qatar — will finally debut on Wednesday. The Guardian has a complete rundown on the tangled backstory of how the channel has finally come about. Of particular note is the London-based crew of broadcasters al-Jazeera…
Angelina Jolie Rides Public Transit, Ethnicity Train
Hey there, Angelina Jolie, when you're not adopting babies or fainting all over the place, how's it going with A Mighty Heart? In the biopic, Angelina plays Marianne Pearl, wife of Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl, who was murdered in Pakistan in 2002; Dan Futterman plays Daniel. Above, Futterman and Jolie…
Pete Doherty Only Has Two Bits to Pay Off Harassing Scum
Finally brought to book on charges that he kicked a reporter on the way out of court the last time he was brought to book on charges, Kate Moss cocaine-impregnatron and Babyshambler Pete Doherty was ordered to pay $2,255 in various fines. The aspiring fashionistard
