September 23, 2011

Lady Gaga's Harper's Bazaar Cover Is 'A Big Deal'

Fashion photographers Inez & Vinoodh say stripped-down photo shows 'the old soul that she is.'
By Jocelyn Vena

Lady Gaga on the October 2011 cover of <i>Harper's Bazaar</i>
Photo: Inez & Vinoodh / Hearst Communications

Lady Gaga appears barefaced on the latest cover of Harper's Bazaar. The cover is simply a close-up of her face: no makeup, wigs, masks or high-end couture. For a star who's frequently adorned elaborately, the simplicity of the look was so drastic that it made headlines.

Fans might be surprised to learn the cover shot was taken during a hectic video shoot in Nebraska, where Gaga was not only shooting her official "You and I" clip, but also several Inez & Vinoodh-directed fashion films.

The pair, who shot the Harper's cover, told MTV News the photo truly exposes Gaga as the person she is. "She's so beautiful in it. It's her emotion and her expression, and you can just see the old soul that she is, the pure happiness," Inez explained. "She's a very special human being that is all about giving. I think that's what's great with that cover: It's so out; it's so talking to the people. That's her most incredible quality: radiating that happiness that she has, and you really see it."

Over the course of her career, Gaga has had many extreme looks on the cover of countless magazines, and it seems that this stripped-down look was the only natural progression for her. The duo, who also shot her three-headed V Magazine cover, explained that this cover is "her purely; seeing her how she is inside."

So, how did the cover come to be? Inez explained, "I think it was Stephen Gan, the art director of Harper's Bazaar, that came to us and said, 'I would love to have a shoot with Gaga where she's really bare, where it's really her,' because he knows her very well; they're great friends. He feels the same way that we do: She is so beautiful, but because of all the stuff around, you don't get the chance to see really the gorgeousness and the person inside in that part of her. For Harper's Bazaar, I think it's a big deal to have a black-and-white cover to begin with, and it's great."

It was an idea that Gaga jumped on quite enthusiastically. "She's at a point in life too where she's very confident and ... everything's going so well and enjoying so much, it's really the right timing too to bare herself like that," the pair added.

Share your thoughts on Gaga's Harper's Bazaar cover in the comments below!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1670535/lady-gaga-harpers-bazaar-october-2011.jhtml

Bridget Moynahan Britney Spears Brittany Daniel

September 23, 2011

Fired 'Real Housewives of NYC' Already Replaced?

They're rich, they're fashionable, they're New Yorkers -- but are they the new Real Housewives of New York City? Following the news that Jill Zarin, Alex McCord, Kelly Bensimon and Cindy Barshop have been fired from the Bravo series, People reports that three powerful women have already been selected to take their place. Who are these ladies, and how do they stack up against remaining cast members Ramona Singer, LuAnn DeLesseps and Sonja Morgan?

The first name on the list is Carole Radziwill, a former ABC News producer whose late husband was the son of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' sister. (That makes him JFK's nephew, and her a Kennedy by marriage.) She's the author of the best-selling memoir What Remains, for which she went on an extensive media tour -- meaning she has plenty of TV experience. She also writes a monthly Glamour column called "Lunch Date," in which she interviews the rich and famous. Basically, Bravo won the lottery if they got her!

Next up is Heather Thomson (pictured in the inset above) a fashion designer who has helped Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Lopez and Sean "Diddy" Combs launch their clothing lines. A married mother of two, she created a successful shapewear line called Yummie Tummy for her own post-pregnancy body.

Last but not least is Aviva Drescher, a philanthropist and "Wall Street wife" with three children. All three new cast members fit the rumored new direction of the show: more money, more prestige and generally more like the California Housewives.

"They want rich, rich women, like Adrienne Maloof and Camille Grammer, dripping in glamour and $10 million penthouses," a source told the New York Post this past spring. "And they don't want to fake it."

Even so, that doesn't necessarily explain why they fired Zarin, Bensimon, McCord and Barshop, who all seem to be doing pretty well for themselves. (Morgan, meanwhile, filed for bankruptcy last fall.) Here's one possible explanation: It's Ramona Singer's doing. According to Us Weekly, the Pinot Grigio-loving jewelry designer suggested the new cast members, in an effort to get Zarin kicked off the show.

"(Singer) came to Bravo with a few pals she thought would make good additions," says the magazine's insider. "Bravo decided to go with the new girls and not Jill, so Ramona basically ran her off the show."

Singer has denied the story, saying she doesn't have the power to make casting decisions. But Cindy Barshop says she believes that show's infighting had a lot to do with the casting changes.

"Following the reunion it was clear that the women genuinely didn't like each other anymore," she told ABC News.

Zarin, however, says that the catfights were all just part of the game.

"There's no question there was fighting going on," she told Good Morning America. "But I believe the format of the show encourages that. And even if someone doesn't say to you to have a fight or whatever, you feel like you're supposed to."

Did Jill take the need for drama too far? Some people think she's out because she made more enemies than friends. "Jill caused a lot of problems," another insider tells Us. "Her castmates were upset with her, since she'd tweet all these negative things. Karma's a bitch."

Bravo has yet to confirm any new cast members.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/fired-real-housewives-nyc-already-replaced/1-a-384846

Carla Gugino Carmen Electra Carol Grow

September 22, 2011