Audrina and Lo Take Time to Bond, Shop
The Hills rolled through trendy Fred Segal today, proving retail therapy can make gal-pals out of anyone. Even Audrina Patridge and Lo Bosworth, whom we last saw at odds for Lauren Conrad’s good favor on the show.
After arriving around 11a.m. at the trendy Melrose boutique, the pair seemed to make a genuine effort at bondingor at least the producers did anyway. As the girls perused Fred Segal Beauty (where Audrina picked up Lorac lip gloss and Lo some Bumble & Bumble hair spray), staffers were instructed to keep to themselves and assistance to a minimum.
“They told us not to talk to them. It was more about the conversation they were having,” one product pusher told News.
After that, the ladies headed to the roof deck for some sun and more shopping. They cruised womenswear but made no purchases. Some MTV staffers munched on salads from Segal’s Mauro’s Cafe while the two gabbed.
Finally, Audrina and Lo headed out around 1:15 p.m., to the firestorm of paparazzi seen on the video above.
Nearby, and nowhere near as noticed, Rebecca Demornay slipped out from lunch with a brunette pal.
Pissing Off The Catholics… Again?
Apparently, the Catholic Church hasn’t forgotten the firestorm of controversy that The Da Vinci Code (book AND film) dredged up a few years ago.
According to new reports, the team behind the upcoming Angels & Demons film adaptation, including director Ron Howard and actor Tom Hanks, have been banned from filming in two churches because the movie “does not conform to our views,” said Monsignor Marco Fibbi, a spokesman for the diocese.
The crew had asked to film in the churches of Santa Maria del Popolo and Santa Maria della Vittoria, two architectural jewels in the heart of Rome that include paintings by Caravaggio, sculptures by Bernini and a chapel designed by Raphael.
Permission was denied in 2007, but the issue [re]surfaced only now that filming is ongoing in Rome, Fibbi said. The Sony-produced film was put on hold during the Writers Guild of America strike that ended in February and is now scheduled for release in May 2009.
“It’s a film that treats religious issues in a way that contrasts with common religious sentiment,” Fibbi told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “We would be helping them create a work that might well be beautiful but that does not conform to our views.”
Fibbi acknowledged that the controversy over writer Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” and its blockbuster movie version had weighed on the decision.
The ban won’t extend to the exterior of the buildings, but film crews will not be allowed inside.
Something the church DOES seem to have forgotten is that, by boycotting and otherwise trying to block the release of the movie (and book, for that matter), it only added fuel to the controversy and probably made the franchise THAT MUCH MORE SUCCESSFUL. People who wouldn’t ordinarily have read the book or seen the movie were intrigued by something the church was so vehemently trying to squash.
Lesson to be learned: If you don’t want to make a big deal out of something, IGNORE IT. Besides, they obviously haven’t read A&D, because it has nothing to do with biblical conspiracies. The movie’s going to be successful anyway. Ah well.
Criss Angel Denies Britney Spears Romance
Criss Angel Denies Britney Spears Romance
Despite numerous reports to the contrary, Criss Angel is adamant when he says that his relationship with Britney Spears is purely professional.
The Mindfreak stud recently spoke to PEOPLE, insisting that he’s merely lending a hand to the Toxic songstress as she tunes up for a possible MTV Video Music Awards performance.
“It’s amazing what people think. We’re not together. Her manager is my manager, and I’m helping with one of her shows. I’m helping with her appearance on MTV,” Angel explained.
Rumors that the 39-year-old magician is romancing the 25-year-old troubled pop tart first began when the duo were spotted in Los Angeles a few days back.
Then on Wednesday night, the two set off a firestorm of speculation after meeting for dinner at Cravings in West Hollywood, followed by a trip into a nearby hotel. A driver is even quoted as talking about making a condom rum!
Denying anything more than a friendly outing, Criss tells, “Yes, I’m here working on some stuff, and we went to that restaurant with 10 people. We were talking about how she wants to do something more with the (awards) show, and about me helping out and hoping to work with her on doing something to make her MTV appearance more innovative. It’s amazing how you can’t do anything now without people making up stuff.”
So it seems that Angel, whose been rumored to have hooked up with Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton in the past, must not have the Trifecta on the mind. Or maybe he’s just playing tricks on the People at PEOPLE.
We’ll continue to follow this story, in the meantime, enjoy the pictures from a night out, Criss Angel / Britney Spears style (August 15).