DAMASCUS, Syria
U.S. military helicopters attacked an area along Syria's border with Iraq yesterday, killing eight people, the Syrian government said. A statement said four helicopters attacked a civilian building under construction near the town of Abu Kamal, just inside the Syrian border. The U.S. military did not respond to a request for comment. The area is near the Iraqi border city of Qaim, which had been a major crossing point for fighters, weapons and money for the Iraq insurgency.
Monday, October 27, 2008
FBI to help find Jennifer Hudson's nephew
By Kyle Peterson
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chicago police asked the FBI on Saturday to help find the missing 7-year-old nephew of Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson after her mother and brother were found shot to death a day earlier.
Julian King has been missing since Friday when Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, 57, and brother Jason Hudson, 29, were found dead in Donerson's south side Chicago home.
"Let my baby go," Hudson's sister Julia told reporters. She appeared at a news conference along with the boy's father, Greg King.
Chicago police spokesman Daniel O'Brien said the FBI had been asked to help in the search in case the boy had been taken across state lines, in violation of federal kidnap laws.
O'Brien declined to confirm various media reports that police had taken William Balfour into custody as a suspect in the double homicide investigation. Balfour, 27, had a relationship with Hudson's sister Julia but is not the father of the missing boy. Balfour's mother said earlier her son and Julia were estranged and that he had nothing to do with the slayings.
The Illinois Department of Corrections website lists Balfour as having been convicted of attempted murder, car theft and vehicular hijacking. He was released from prison in 2006.
O'Brien said more than one person had been questioned but that no one had been charged with a crime. He did not release any names. On Friday, police spokeswoman Monique Bond said of the murders, "It appears to be domestic related."
Hudson gained fame in 2005 as a contestant on the No. 1-rated U.S. television show "American Idol." She was one of 12 finalists in the third season but was voted off the talent show.
Her booming voice and popularity kept her touring in live shows and she eventually earned the role of Effie White in the 2006 film version of the stage musical "Dreamgirls."
The role of soulful singer White, who is kicked out of an all-girl 1960s singing group, earned Hudson the Oscar for best supporting actress and made her an instant star in Hollywood.
Hudson has since appeared in the movie version of "Sex and the City" and is currently in "The Secret Life of Bees." Media reports said Hudson was in Florida when she was told of the shootings and was headed back to Chicago.
(Additional reporting by Michael Conlon; Editing by Peter Cooney)
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chicago police asked the FBI on Saturday to help find the missing 7-year-old nephew of Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson after her mother and brother were found shot to death a day earlier.
Julian King has been missing since Friday when Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, 57, and brother Jason Hudson, 29, were found dead in Donerson's south side Chicago home.
"Let my baby go," Hudson's sister Julia told reporters. She appeared at a news conference along with the boy's father, Greg King.
Chicago police spokesman Daniel O'Brien said the FBI had been asked to help in the search in case the boy had been taken across state lines, in violation of federal kidnap laws.
O'Brien declined to confirm various media reports that police had taken William Balfour into custody as a suspect in the double homicide investigation. Balfour, 27, had a relationship with Hudson's sister Julia but is not the father of the missing boy. Balfour's mother said earlier her son and Julia were estranged and that he had nothing to do with the slayings.
The Illinois Department of Corrections website lists Balfour as having been convicted of attempted murder, car theft and vehicular hijacking. He was released from prison in 2006.
O'Brien said more than one person had been questioned but that no one had been charged with a crime. He did not release any names. On Friday, police spokeswoman Monique Bond said of the murders, "It appears to be domestic related."
Hudson gained fame in 2005 as a contestant on the No. 1-rated U.S. television show "American Idol." She was one of 12 finalists in the third season but was voted off the talent show.
Her booming voice and popularity kept her touring in live shows and she eventually earned the role of Effie White in the 2006 film version of the stage musical "Dreamgirls."
The role of soulful singer White, who is kicked out of an all-girl 1960s singing group, earned Hudson the Oscar for best supporting actress and made her an instant star in Hollywood.
Hudson has since appeared in the movie version of "Sex and the City" and is currently in "The Secret Life of Bees." Media reports said Hudson was in Florida when she was told of the shootings and was headed back to Chicago.
(Additional reporting by Michael Conlon; Editing by Peter Cooney)
"High School Musical," "Saw" lead U.S. box office
By Dean Goodman
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In one of the more unusual duels at the North American box office, a perky Disney romantic musical trumped the fifth installment in the grisly "Saw" horror series, according to studio estimates issued on Sunday.
"High School Musical 3: Senior Year," the first big-screen adaptation of Walt Disney Co's popular TV movie franchise, sold $42 million worth of tickets during its first three days. The opening sets a new record for a musical, surpassing the $27.8 million bow of the ABBA-themed romance "Mamma Mia!" in July.
"Saw V" followed with $30.5 million, in line with the previous three installments. Moviegoers can expect additional sequels of both films.
The one-two punch of the disparate duo propelled overall weekend sales to their highest level in 10 weeks. The top 12 films grossed $120 million, according to tracking firm Media By Numbers, up about 40 percent from both last weekend and the year-ago weekend.
But the news was not all good. The new cop drama "Pride and Glory," starring Edward Norton and Colin Farrell, opened at No. 5 with just $6.3 million. It marks the second consecutive dud for Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros. following "Body of Lies," starring Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio, two weeks ago.
Disney, on the other hand, is enjoying a strong fall, first with "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" three weeks ago, and now with "High School Musical 3." The movie also opened in 19 international markets, and was No. 1 in each of them, led by Britain with $13 million.
SONG AND DANCE
"Music travels," said Mark Zoradi, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group. "Sometimes American comedy is difficult to travel, but this is a relatively simple story and a good quality, fun movie."
The song-and-dance franchise has generated two smash TV movies and two chart-topping albums, and it made teen idols out of its stars, Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale. The three films were directed by "Dirty Dancing" choreographer Kenny Ortega.
Exit polling in North America indicated three-quarters of the audience was female, and just over half were under 18, Disney said. About two-thirds were families.
The plot of the new film brings the cast back to their fictional New Mexico high school, where Troy (Efron) must decide between pursuing a basketball scholarship or his song-and-dance dreams. The usual teen-angst issues ensue.
"Saw V" is the latest installment in the spectacularly profitable torture franchise that kicked off in 2004. Every October since then, a new "Saw" movie has opened at No. 1 in the $30 million range. Total sales peaked at $87 million for "Saw II," and the film's distributor, Lionsgate, hopes the new one will finish up in the $60 million range.
The studio, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp, said "Saw" will soon become the biggest horror franchise, with total domestic sales about $1 million short of the $318 million haul of the 11 "Friday the 13th" films.
Last weekend's champ, the Mark Wahlberg thriller "Max Payne," slipped to No. 3 with $7.6 million, taking its 10-day haul to $29.7 million. The film was released by 20th Century Fox, a unit of News Corp.
(Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In one of the more unusual duels at the North American box office, a perky Disney romantic musical trumped the fifth installment in the grisly "Saw" horror series, according to studio estimates issued on Sunday.
"High School Musical 3: Senior Year," the first big-screen adaptation of Walt Disney Co's popular TV movie franchise, sold $42 million worth of tickets during its first three days. The opening sets a new record for a musical, surpassing the $27.8 million bow of the ABBA-themed romance "Mamma Mia!" in July.
"Saw V" followed with $30.5 million, in line with the previous three installments. Moviegoers can expect additional sequels of both films.
The one-two punch of the disparate duo propelled overall weekend sales to their highest level in 10 weeks. The top 12 films grossed $120 million, according to tracking firm Media By Numbers, up about 40 percent from both last weekend and the year-ago weekend.
But the news was not all good. The new cop drama "Pride and Glory," starring Edward Norton and Colin Farrell, opened at No. 5 with just $6.3 million. It marks the second consecutive dud for Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros. following "Body of Lies," starring Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio, two weeks ago.
Disney, on the other hand, is enjoying a strong fall, first with "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" three weeks ago, and now with "High School Musical 3." The movie also opened in 19 international markets, and was No. 1 in each of them, led by Britain with $13 million.
SONG AND DANCE
"Music travels," said Mark Zoradi, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group. "Sometimes American comedy is difficult to travel, but this is a relatively simple story and a good quality, fun movie."
The song-and-dance franchise has generated two smash TV movies and two chart-topping albums, and it made teen idols out of its stars, Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale. The three films were directed by "Dirty Dancing" choreographer Kenny Ortega.
Exit polling in North America indicated three-quarters of the audience was female, and just over half were under 18, Disney said. About two-thirds were families.
The plot of the new film brings the cast back to their fictional New Mexico high school, where Troy (Efron) must decide between pursuing a basketball scholarship or his song-and-dance dreams. The usual teen-angst issues ensue.
"Saw V" is the latest installment in the spectacularly profitable torture franchise that kicked off in 2004. Every October since then, a new "Saw" movie has opened at No. 1 in the $30 million range. Total sales peaked at $87 million for "Saw II," and the film's distributor, Lionsgate, hopes the new one will finish up in the $60 million range.
The studio, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp, said "Saw" will soon become the biggest horror franchise, with total domestic sales about $1 million short of the $318 million haul of the 11 "Friday the 13th" films.
Last weekend's champ, the Mark Wahlberg thriller "Max Payne," slipped to No. 3 with $7.6 million, taking its 10-day haul to $29.7 million. The film was released by 20th Century Fox, a unit of News Corp.
(Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Search Continues for Jennifer Hudson's Nephew
By RUPA SHENOY Associated Press WriterCHICAGO October 27, 2008 (AP)
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A group led by community activist Andrew Holmes right, pray at a makeshift memorial outside the home...
A group led by community activist Andrew Holmes right, pray at a makeshift memorial outside the home belonging to the family of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson in Chicago, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008. Hudson's mother Darnell Donerson and brother Jason Hudson were found dead. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty) (AP)
Investigators and community members pressed their search for Jennifer Hudson's missing nephew on Monday, hoping a $100,000 reward offered by the Oscar-winning actress for the 7-year-old's safe return might turn up clues to his whereabouts.
Julian King hasn't been seen since Friday, when Hudson's mother and brother were found shot to death in their home. Police on Sunday ramped up search efforts for Julian around the Englewood neighborhood, where Hudson grew up, and transferred custody of a "person of interest" in the killings to state authorities.
On Sunday evening, in a statement from publicist Lisa Kasteler, the singer appealed to the public for help, offering the reward and asking any information be given to Chicago police.
"Jennifer and her family appreciate the enormous amount of love, support and prayers they have received while she and her family try to cope with this tragedy and continue the search for Julian," the statement said.
Hudson, who won an Academy Award for best supporting actress in 2007 for her role in "Dreamgirls," was in Chicago with her family during the weekend, her sister said. Hudson's publicist did not disclose her whereabouts, but the Cook County medical examiner's office confirmed she identified the bodies of her mother and brother.
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An Amber Alert remained in effect Sunday for Julian, the son of Jennifer Hudson's sister, Julia Hudson. The bodies of his 57-year-old grandmother, Darnell Donerson, and 29-year-old uncle, Jason Hudson, were found in the home they shared on the city's South Side on Friday. The deaths were ruled homicides.
"Detectives are working 24 hours on this case," said Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond. "There's a lot of forensic evidence. We have to work the evidence and try and solve this case. Most importantly, we want to find the child."
The Amber Alert listed William Balfour, the estranged husband of Julia Hudson, as a suspect in a "double homicide investigation."
Police said they did not have a motive for the killings but called the case "domestic related." Bond said Balfour, who had been in police custody since Friday, was transferred Sunday to the Illinois Department of Corrections "based on his active parole violation unrelated to this investigation."
David Burrell, a friend of the Hudson family wipes tears after praying at a makeshift memorial...
David Burrell, a friend of the Hudson family wipes tears after praying at a makeshift memorial outside the home belonging to the family of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson in Chicago, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008. Hudson's mother Darnell Donerson and brother Jason Hudson were found dead. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty) (AP)
Balfour has not been charged in the slayings.
Records from the Corrections Department show Balfour, 27, is on parole and spent nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possessing a stolen vehicle.
Corrections spokeswoman Januari Smith said Balfour would probably remain in state custody until the Illinois Prisoner Review Board looked at his case. She would not say where Balfour was being held.
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It was unclear whether Balfour had an attorney Sunday, but his mother, Michele Balfour, has denied he was involved the killings or in Julian's disappearance.
———
Associated Press writers Caryn Rousseau and Sophia Tareen contributed to this report.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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A group led by community activist Andrew Holmes right, pray at a makeshift memorial outside the home...
A group led by community activist Andrew Holmes right, pray at a makeshift memorial outside the home belonging to the family of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson in Chicago, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008. Hudson's mother Darnell Donerson and brother Jason Hudson were found dead. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty) (AP)
Investigators and community members pressed their search for Jennifer Hudson's missing nephew on Monday, hoping a $100,000 reward offered by the Oscar-winning actress for the 7-year-old's safe return might turn up clues to his whereabouts.
Julian King hasn't been seen since Friday, when Hudson's mother and brother were found shot to death in their home. Police on Sunday ramped up search efforts for Julian around the Englewood neighborhood, where Hudson grew up, and transferred custody of a "person of interest" in the killings to state authorities.
On Sunday evening, in a statement from publicist Lisa Kasteler, the singer appealed to the public for help, offering the reward and asking any information be given to Chicago police.
"Jennifer and her family appreciate the enormous amount of love, support and prayers they have received while she and her family try to cope with this tragedy and continue the search for Julian," the statement said.
Hudson, who won an Academy Award for best supporting actress in 2007 for her role in "Dreamgirls," was in Chicago with her family during the weekend, her sister said. Hudson's publicist did not disclose her whereabouts, but the Cook County medical examiner's office confirmed she identified the bodies of her mother and brother.
adsonar_placementId=1280599;adsonar_pid=44749;adsonar_ps=-1;adsonar_zw=165;adsonar_zh=220;adsonar_jv='ads.adsonar.com';
An Amber Alert remained in effect Sunday for Julian, the son of Jennifer Hudson's sister, Julia Hudson. The bodies of his 57-year-old grandmother, Darnell Donerson, and 29-year-old uncle, Jason Hudson, were found in the home they shared on the city's South Side on Friday. The deaths were ruled homicides.
"Detectives are working 24 hours on this case," said Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond. "There's a lot of forensic evidence. We have to work the evidence and try and solve this case. Most importantly, we want to find the child."
The Amber Alert listed William Balfour, the estranged husband of Julia Hudson, as a suspect in a "double homicide investigation."
Police said they did not have a motive for the killings but called the case "domestic related." Bond said Balfour, who had been in police custody since Friday, was transferred Sunday to the Illinois Department of Corrections "based on his active parole violation unrelated to this investigation."
David Burrell, a friend of the Hudson family wipes tears after praying at a makeshift memorial...
David Burrell, a friend of the Hudson family wipes tears after praying at a makeshift memorial outside the home belonging to the family of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson in Chicago, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008. Hudson's mother Darnell Donerson and brother Jason Hudson were found dead. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty) (AP)
Balfour has not been charged in the slayings.
Records from the Corrections Department show Balfour, 27, is on parole and spent nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possessing a stolen vehicle.
Corrections spokeswoman Januari Smith said Balfour would probably remain in state custody until the Illinois Prisoner Review Board looked at his case. She would not say where Balfour was being held.
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It was unclear whether Balfour had an attorney Sunday, but his mother, Michele Balfour, has denied he was involved the killings or in Julian's disappearance.
———
Associated Press writers Caryn Rousseau and Sophia Tareen contributed to this report.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
AC/DC Lands a Double Axel on 'Black Ice'
"Black Ice" is AC/DC's first album in eight years, which would be reason enough to love it. An even better reason: "Black Ice" is the best record the band has made in decades, and not only because all the other ones were pretty terrible.
AC/DC hasn't made a great album since "For Those About to Rock We Salute You," which came out during the early days of the Reagan administration. Few artists have relied so heavily on the indulgence of audiences, and on a reputation for fan-friendliness, as this one. Given the stinginess of its output and limited availability, those breaks aren't entirely deserved. (The band's songs aren't available on iTunes, and "Black Ice" will be sold only at Wal-Mart outlets and on the AC/DC Web site.)
Because "Black Ice" sounds merely like a better version of the same album AC/DC has made throughout its history, its near-greatness is hard to explain. Producer Brendan O'Brien, whose recent work with Bruce Springsteen has done the Boss no favors, worked wonders here, mostly by getting the band to regard "Black Ice" as an Actual Important Thing, not just a yowl-and-riffage delivery system that's a handy excuse for a tour.
Frontman Brian Johnson and guitarist Angus Young carry "Black Ice" on their backs: Johnson, now 61 (!), sings more and hollers less; Young, who seems more engaged than usual throughout, occasionally plays slide guitar. These might not seem like noteworthy developments, but for a band as resistant to innovation as this one, baby steps matter.
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Elsewhere "Black Ice" is the usual assortment of mountainous riffs and full-tilt boogies, done with uncharacteristic attentiveness. Its lyrics aren't worth mentioning, except to note that there are some, and they're the usual mix of cheerful incomprehensibility and innuendo-laden buffoonery. There are nods to consumer dissatisfaction ("Smash 'N' Grab") and the End of Days ("Stormy May Day"), while "Money Made" appears to have something to do with strippers.
But mostly, "Black Ice" contains songs about rocking. Specifically, about how much AC/DC rocks, how much it's rocked in the past and how, if given the opportunity, it plans to rock some more in the future. Even the song about a wartime something or other ("War Machine") seems to be about a really rocking war machine.
The band's now de rigueur sex songs (forget "You Shook Me All Night Long"; AC/DC long ago stopped writing about women unless it had to) sound increasingly like Mad Libs: haphazard assemblages of a noun, a verb, the word "she" and a euphemism for "penis." Just one listen to "Rock 'N' Roll Dream," a semi-ballad so ridiculously great and primally stupid it might have been assembled by cavemen, and you'll never hear the phrase "hard rain" in the same way again.
These, um, love songs are increasingly self-parodic, detailing amorous encounters so improbably hazardous ("She wanna shake you/No way to save you/She's got me shot/I'm fallin' ") you'll be tempted to wonder if anyone in the band has actually ever met a woman. They contribute to the dragginess of the disc's last half, as does "Decibel," the most generic AC/DC song of all time. "Black Ice" has 15 songs, which is about five too many: After its pulverizingly pleasurable first half, it's all filler and very little killer.
AC/DC hasn't made a great album since "For Those About to Rock We Salute You," which came out during the early days of the Reagan administration. Few artists have relied so heavily on the indulgence of audiences, and on a reputation for fan-friendliness, as this one. Given the stinginess of its output and limited availability, those breaks aren't entirely deserved. (The band's songs aren't available on iTunes, and "Black Ice" will be sold only at Wal-Mart outlets and on the AC/DC Web site.)
Because "Black Ice" sounds merely like a better version of the same album AC/DC has made throughout its history, its near-greatness is hard to explain. Producer Brendan O'Brien, whose recent work with Bruce Springsteen has done the Boss no favors, worked wonders here, mostly by getting the band to regard "Black Ice" as an Actual Important Thing, not just a yowl-and-riffage delivery system that's a handy excuse for a tour.
Frontman Brian Johnson and guitarist Angus Young carry "Black Ice" on their backs: Johnson, now 61 (!), sings more and hollers less; Young, who seems more engaged than usual throughout, occasionally plays slide guitar. These might not seem like noteworthy developments, but for a band as resistant to innovation as this one, baby steps matter.
if ( show_doubleclick_ad && ( adTemplate & INLINE_ARTICLE_AD ) == INLINE_ARTICLE_AD && inlineAdGraf )
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Elsewhere "Black Ice" is the usual assortment of mountainous riffs and full-tilt boogies, done with uncharacteristic attentiveness. Its lyrics aren't worth mentioning, except to note that there are some, and they're the usual mix of cheerful incomprehensibility and innuendo-laden buffoonery. There are nods to consumer dissatisfaction ("Smash 'N' Grab") and the End of Days ("Stormy May Day"), while "Money Made" appears to have something to do with strippers.
But mostly, "Black Ice" contains songs about rocking. Specifically, about how much AC/DC rocks, how much it's rocked in the past and how, if given the opportunity, it plans to rock some more in the future. Even the song about a wartime something or other ("War Machine") seems to be about a really rocking war machine.
The band's now de rigueur sex songs (forget "You Shook Me All Night Long"; AC/DC long ago stopped writing about women unless it had to) sound increasingly like Mad Libs: haphazard assemblages of a noun, a verb, the word "she" and a euphemism for "penis." Just one listen to "Rock 'N' Roll Dream," a semi-ballad so ridiculously great and primally stupid it might have been assembled by cavemen, and you'll never hear the phrase "hard rain" in the same way again.
These, um, love songs are increasingly self-parodic, detailing amorous encounters so improbably hazardous ("She wanna shake you/No way to save you/She's got me shot/I'm fallin' ") you'll be tempted to wonder if anyone in the band has actually ever met a woman. They contribute to the dragginess of the disc's last half, as does "Decibel," the most generic AC/DC song of all time. "Black Ice" has 15 songs, which is about five too many: After its pulverizingly pleasurable first half, it's all filler and very little killer.
Mr. Blackwell, fashion's First Critic, was about more than just zingers
Friends (and foes) will remember impish fashion critic Mr. Blackwell for his poetic evisceration of Hollywood's worst-dressed stars. But the creator of the annual "10 Worst-Dressed Women" list, who died Sunday in Los Angeles at age 86, had a talent beyond devilish rhyming - he also had impeccable timing.
MR. BLACKWELL'S TOP 10 ZINGERS
Blackwell stepped into the spotlight in 1960, at a moment when discussion of the clothes worn by celebrities was generally limited to praise. Joan Rivers had not yet set foot on the red carpet. There was no E! television. There was no Internet for the Fug Girls to explore.
So when Blackwell suggested that certain members of the elite didn't look so great, he set off waves of scorn and delight, laying the foundation for the fashion police of the future.
RELATED: MR. BLACKWELL DIES AT 86
"How sad that he died," Rivers said Monday, "because Bjork and Jennifer Lopez will no longer know which of their gowns they should donate to Goodwill.
"It also goes without saying," she adds, "that he will be the best-dressed body of the season."
Born Richard Sylvan Selzer in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, Blackwell hoped showbiz would whisk him away from his hardscrabble roots. His efforts as an actor took him to Broadway and to Los Angeles, where he swapped his name for his more famous moniker - on a recommendation from producer Howard Hughes - and soon ditched acting to become a talent agent. After designing outfits for one of his clients, he closed his agency and founded a fashion company with business and life partner Robert Spencer.
RELATED: LIST OF ZINGERS
While his clothing line never achieved mass popularity, it provided a platform from which he could deliver his first fashion critiques. In 1960, he put together his first list, for the Sunday magazine American Weekly, naming his picks for the nine worst-dressed celebrities.
"I merely said out loud what others were whispering," he said of his list, which grew to include 10 celebs a year. "It's not my intention to hurt the feelings of these people. It's to put down the clothing they're wearing."
The list became an annual tradition, and, in its heyday, Blackwell would announce his picks to journalists over a lavish breakfast at his home. In the following decades, he frequently skewered Madonna, Britney Spears and Cher - who took offense to his criticism and shot back: "What has Mr. Blackwell ever designed? I think he did one dress, and it was horrible."
Even as the fashion and entertainment worlds eventually stopped awaiting the list with the same excitement, the number of style pundits multiplied, finding homes on TV, in print and on the Internet.
MR. BLACKWELL'S TOP 10 ZINGERS
Blackwell stepped into the spotlight in 1960, at a moment when discussion of the clothes worn by celebrities was generally limited to praise. Joan Rivers had not yet set foot on the red carpet. There was no E! television. There was no Internet for the Fug Girls to explore.
So when Blackwell suggested that certain members of the elite didn't look so great, he set off waves of scorn and delight, laying the foundation for the fashion police of the future.
RELATED: MR. BLACKWELL DIES AT 86
"How sad that he died," Rivers said Monday, "because Bjork and Jennifer Lopez will no longer know which of their gowns they should donate to Goodwill.
"It also goes without saying," she adds, "that he will be the best-dressed body of the season."
Born Richard Sylvan Selzer in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, Blackwell hoped showbiz would whisk him away from his hardscrabble roots. His efforts as an actor took him to Broadway and to Los Angeles, where he swapped his name for his more famous moniker - on a recommendation from producer Howard Hughes - and soon ditched acting to become a talent agent. After designing outfits for one of his clients, he closed his agency and founded a fashion company with business and life partner Robert Spencer.
RELATED: LIST OF ZINGERS
While his clothing line never achieved mass popularity, it provided a platform from which he could deliver his first fashion critiques. In 1960, he put together his first list, for the Sunday magazine American Weekly, naming his picks for the nine worst-dressed celebrities.
"I merely said out loud what others were whispering," he said of his list, which grew to include 10 celebs a year. "It's not my intention to hurt the feelings of these people. It's to put down the clothing they're wearing."
The list became an annual tradition, and, in its heyday, Blackwell would announce his picks to journalists over a lavish breakfast at his home. In the following decades, he frequently skewered Madonna, Britney Spears and Cher - who took offense to his criticism and shot back: "What has Mr. Blackwell ever designed? I think he did one dress, and it was horrible."
Even as the fashion and entertainment worlds eventually stopped awaiting the list with the same excitement, the number of style pundits multiplied, finding homes on TV, in print and on the Internet.
Mr. Blackwell, fashion's First Critic, was about more than just zingers
Friends (and foes) will remember impish fashion critic Mr. Blackwell for his poetic evisceration of Hollywood's worst-dressed stars. But the creator of the annual "10 Worst-Dressed Women" list, who died Sunday in Los Angeles at age 86, had a talent beyond devilish rhyming - he also had impeccable timing.
MR. BLACKWELL'S TOP 10 ZINGERS
Blackwell stepped into the spotlight in 1960, at a moment when discussion of the clothes worn by celebrities was generally limited to praise. Joan Rivers had not yet set foot on the red carpet. There was no E! television. There was no Internet for the Fug Girls to explore.
So when Blackwell suggested that certain members of the elite didn't look so great, he set off waves of scorn and delight, laying the foundation for the fashion police of the future.
RELATED: MR. BLACKWELL DIES AT 86
"How sad that he died," Rivers said Monday, "because Bjork and Jennifer Lopez will no longer know which of their gowns they should donate to Goodwill.
"It also goes without saying," she adds, "that he will be the best-dressed body of the season."
Born Richard Sylvan Selzer in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, Blackwell hoped showbiz would whisk him away from his hardscrabble roots. His efforts as an actor took him to Broadway and to Los Angeles, where he swapped his name for his more famous moniker - on a recommendation from producer Howard Hughes - and soon ditched acting to become a talent agent. After designing outfits for one of his clients, he closed his agency and founded a fashion company with business and life partner Robert Spencer.
RELATED: LIST OF ZINGERS
While his clothing line never achieved mass popularity, it provided a platform from which he could deliver his first fashion critiques. In 1960, he put together his first list, for the Sunday magazine American Weekly, naming his picks for the nine worst-dressed celebrities.
"I merely said out loud what others were whispering," he said of his list, which grew to include 10 celebs a year. "It's not my intention to hurt the feelings of these people. It's to put down the clothing they're wearing."
The list became an annual tradition, and, in its heyday, Blackwell would announce his picks to journalists over a lavish breakfast at his home. In the following decades, he frequently skewered Madonna, Britney Spears and Cher - who took offense to his criticism and shot back: "What has Mr. Blackwell ever designed? I think he did one dress, and it was horrible."
Even as the fashion and entertainment worlds eventually stopped awaiting the list with the same excitement, the number of style pundits multiplied, finding homes on TV, in print and on the Internet.
MR. BLACKWELL'S TOP 10 ZINGERS
Blackwell stepped into the spotlight in 1960, at a moment when discussion of the clothes worn by celebrities was generally limited to praise. Joan Rivers had not yet set foot on the red carpet. There was no E! television. There was no Internet for the Fug Girls to explore.
So when Blackwell suggested that certain members of the elite didn't look so great, he set off waves of scorn and delight, laying the foundation for the fashion police of the future.
RELATED: MR. BLACKWELL DIES AT 86
"How sad that he died," Rivers said Monday, "because Bjork and Jennifer Lopez will no longer know which of their gowns they should donate to Goodwill.
"It also goes without saying," she adds, "that he will be the best-dressed body of the season."
Born Richard Sylvan Selzer in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, Blackwell hoped showbiz would whisk him away from his hardscrabble roots. His efforts as an actor took him to Broadway and to Los Angeles, where he swapped his name for his more famous moniker - on a recommendation from producer Howard Hughes - and soon ditched acting to become a talent agent. After designing outfits for one of his clients, he closed his agency and founded a fashion company with business and life partner Robert Spencer.
RELATED: LIST OF ZINGERS
While his clothing line never achieved mass popularity, it provided a platform from which he could deliver his first fashion critiques. In 1960, he put together his first list, for the Sunday magazine American Weekly, naming his picks for the nine worst-dressed celebrities.
"I merely said out loud what others were whispering," he said of his list, which grew to include 10 celebs a year. "It's not my intention to hurt the feelings of these people. It's to put down the clothing they're wearing."
The list became an annual tradition, and, in its heyday, Blackwell would announce his picks to journalists over a lavish breakfast at his home. In the following decades, he frequently skewered Madonna, Britney Spears and Cher - who took offense to his criticism and shot back: "What has Mr. Blackwell ever designed? I think he did one dress, and it was horrible."
Even as the fashion and entertainment worlds eventually stopped awaiting the list with the same excitement, the number of style pundits multiplied, finding homes on TV, in print and on the Internet.
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