Amanda Bynes Goes Over to the Dark Side
She’s a red hot actress who has her own line of clothing at Steve and Barry’s, and Amanda Bynes just got a new hairdo.
The “Hairspray” actress was spotted leaving the Jessica Galvan Hair Studio in Beverly Hills where she made the transition from light tresses to a dark-hued coif.
She looked fabulous in a white top, denim skirt and a pair of super-trendy Roman-style sandals as she walked her pooch around Beverly Hills.
As for her Steve and Barry’s collection Dear, she says, “I would like to wear it on a day-to-day basis. When I was growing up, I always wanted the coolest jeans and the ‘in shirt.’ But my parents would always say to me, ‘We’re not going to buy the most expensive thing, because you’re growing.’ ”
Rise ‘n’ Shine: Amanda Bynes’ Funny Line of the Day
Spears as we are: “Well, I have never been 16 and pregnant. But I have a dog, which is a lot of work, so I couldn’t even imagine how hard it would be. I was just always told to try and not get pregnant!”
• Meanwhile, Jamie Lynn is hard at work, planning her wedding. Each guest will receive a box of Jordan almonds and some stretch-mark cream.
• Madonna and Guy Ritchie sleep with their BlackBerrys. Which is fitting, since we doubt they still sleep with each other.
• BTW, they totally still sleep with each other. (P.S.: We just threw up a little in our mouths.)
• Matt Damon still listens to his mom, who warns against violence in videogames. Could he be any cuter?
• Tom Cruise is suddenly realizing that improving his image by playing a Nazi might not pay off. Go figure.
Be Kind Rewind: An Homage to Amanda Bynes?
When it comes to imaginative and inventive indie auteurs, you can have your Spike Jonzes and your David O. Russells and your Vincent Gallos. But us? We’re sticking with Amanda Bynes! Thanks to the copious research of one delightfully outraged YouTube user, it has come to light that the plot of Michel Gondry’s Be Kind Rewind was lifted lock, stock, and barrel from an 8-year-old episode of Nickelodeon’s The Amanda Show.
The evidence is truly startling (ish). Be Kind Rewind features Jack Black and Mos’ Def creating their own quirky versions of popular films. This clip features Amanda Bynes doing the same exact thing! It’s now obvious that Michel Gondry was busy watching Nickelodeon in 2000, which goes a long way towards explaining why Human Nature sucked so much. But so long as Gondry is busy mining the Nickelodeon back catalog, might we suggest that he put his considerable talents to use on a re-imagined You Can’t Do That On Television next?
Amanda Bynes Covers Curves in Strapless Maxi Dress at SAG
Amanda Bynes have definitely put on a few pounds since starring in Hairspray but she disguised it perfectly with a full length strapless Marchessa gown at last night’s Screen Actors Guild.
Cate Blanchett and Angelina Jolie also used the new strapless gown trend to cover up their tell-tale baby bumps.
Amanda Bynes lost a significant amount of weight last year, sparking fears she had developed an unhealthy diet regime.
But she explained it was actually due to an illness: “I came back from Lovewrecked and started feeling really tired and I couldn’t keep weight on. It turns out I had mononucleosis.”
“It’s unrealistic to be that thin. The only girls who are (that thin) have admitted to using drugs or having an eating disorder. I’m so against it. People should strive to be happy with who they are and not be obsessed with how they look.”
Amanda’s face definitely showed signed of weight gain last night, suggesting you is over the illness. It’s nice to finally see a young actress who realises there are more important things than being size zero.
Strapless maxi downs are fab for covering up lumps and bumps while still showing off a bit of flesh on the shoulders. However shorter people can risk looking frumpy in too much long flowing material. If your as bit on the small side try a dress which is shorter at the front or has a slit to show some leg.
Bynes is snowy sweet in ‘Sidney White’
‘Sidney White,” a pastiche of “Snow White” and “Revenge of the Nerds,” is easy-to-take kid- and teen-oriented fluff that floats on the affability of star Amanda Bynes. Bynes plays the title character, a pretty, level-headed plumber’s daughter who starts college with hopes of joining her late mother’s sorority — then finds the members are all blonde snobs who kowtow to the whims of their narcissistic president, Rachel Witchburn (Sara Paxton, excellent as a witchy woman).
Jealous of former beau Tyler Prince’s (Matt Long) attention to the pretty newcomer, Rachel boots Sidney out of the castlelike sorority house, forcing her to move into the old eyesore that’s home to seven socially challenged nerds (the film’s also known as “Snow White and the Seven Dorks”).
A cute conceit that aspires to little more than amusing to its young target audience, the film’s an OK way to teach the importance of being yourself.
Extras: Squeaky-clean gag reel; making-of shorts where supporting-cast members describe the main stars as likable, witty and humble; deleted scenes.
Engrossing oldie
In the early 1800s, trapper John Colter survived being chased through the wilderness by Blackfoot Indians. His story served as the source material for 1957’s “Run of the Arrow,” with Rod Steiger, and for 1966’s “The Naked Prey.” Out in a restored, remastered edition by the Criterion Collection — the Rolls Royce of restoration companies — the enthralling saga resets the story in mid-1800s
Africa. A safari guide played by Cornel Wilde, who also directs and produces, is captured by Zulus. After toying with his colleagues and bearers, they strip him naked, shoot an arrow, then start chasing him after he reaches the arrow.
A survival tale, an allegory, a political statement, a great chase film, “The Naked Prey” contains no real bad guys among the major players (except for a rich white hunter). The movie humanizes the Zulus as well as Wilde’s nameless character in this kill-or-be-killed story. The print’s pristine; even the artistic opening credits stand out. Shot entirely in South Africa during apartheid, the anti-apartheid picture is very satisfying. The minimalist screenplay earned an Oscar nomination. With Ken Gampu, the first black South African film star.
Extras: A fine brew: the story of Colter’s escape read by Paul Giamatti; cues that let you switch back and forth between the rich commentary by film scholar Stephen Prince and the soundtrack; a booklet with a 1970 Wilde interview and an auteurish essay by film critic Michael Atkinson.
Kidding around
The second half of “The Game Plan,” a predictable fish-out-of-water comedy starring East Bay native Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as a self-absorbed pro quarterback, makes up for much of the dopiness that comes before.
Madison Pettis, the film’s raison de watch, is button-cute as Peyton, a poised, playful 8-year-old who shows up at his swanky apartment claiming to be the daughter he never knew he had. Ostensibly, her mother (his ex) is in Africa for several weeks, giving Peyton the chance to get to know her pop. Naturally, he’s resistant — she interferes with his swinging lifestyle — and clueless about fathering. That repetitive shtick and her charming his teammates take up most of the first half, during which parents may want to stick around to reassure their kids when Johnson goes ballistic and yells at the little girl.
The remainder of the film pours on kid-friendly, happily-ever-after sentimentality laced with some pretty good football sequences. Kyra Sedgwick co-stars as the player’s cold agent.
Extras: A few amusing bloopers; ESPN interview with the Rock about learning to play QB; making-of short; ESPN’s look at the fictional star; deleted scenes.
Bloody nasty
Saw the first “Saw”; sat through every gruesome moment. Didn’t see “Saw II” or “III”; zero desire. Sat through the first 20 or so minutes of “Saw IV: Unrated Director’s Cut” the other night. It opens with an autopsy sequence that makes “CSI” look like Disney kiddie fare. Next comes a scene with two guys, one with his eyes sewn, the other with his lips sewn, chained together and fighting to the death, which might matter if we knew who they were.
Cut to cops examining the hanging, mutilated corpse of a female detective. Evidently, there’s a back story involving all of them and other detectives killed and tortured by the demented Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) — whose body is being autopsied at the start — but we aren’t privy to it unless we’ve seen “Saw II” and/or “III.” No doubt “Saw IV” spews more gore, torture and Rube Goldberg-like killing contraptions.
The plot has something to do with a Jigsaw minion giving a cop 90 minutes to figure out something to save a life. It’s all there on DVD if you want it.
Extras: Two commentaries; shorts on traps, props, music; a deleted scene; video diary.
Also on DVD
“Fatal Contact”: Underground prize-fighting champ (Wu Jing) loses soul fighting to make money to please his girlfriend.
“The Hunting Party”: TV journalists Richard Gere and Terrence Howard track a war-crimes fugitive.
“Missionary Man”: Dolph Lundgren’s back — spread the word — as a mysterious stranger out to rid a small town of its resident bad man.
“She Likes Girls 2″: Shorts series includes festival award winners.
Coming soon
Feb. 5: “The Jane Austen Book Club,” “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”
Amanda Bynes Stars In The Hilarious Underdog Tale Sydney White,’ On DVD Jan. 22
America’s sweetheart Amanda Bynes brings her trademark style of comedy to the funny and charming underdog tale, Sydney White. When tomboy Sydney (Bynes) is banished from the most popular sorority on campus, she is taken in by seven socially challenged but endearing guys.
With the help of her new friends, Sydney stands up for outcasts everywhere and takes on the reigning campus queen in a popularity showdown and battle for campus dominance. But can she succeed and also win the heart of gorgeous frat guy Tyler Prince? You’ll love this hilarious and sweet age-old story with a charming modern-day twist.
Bonus Features:
· Deleted Scenes: Hilarious deleted scenes extend the fun of the film.
· Gag Reel: Laugh with the cast as you watch their bloopers from the set.
· Sydney And Her Prince: An in-depth look at the film’s two main cast members, Amanda Bynes and Matt Long. See what makes them tick while in and out of character, and the chemistry the two had on set.
· Kappa’s Forever?: Meet the Kappa sorority sisters and find out if sisterhood is all it’s cracked up to be.
· Meet The Dorks: An endearing featurette on the film’s lovable outcasts.
· Welcome To The Vortex: Tour the infamous nerd palace in all its squalor.
· The Skooze: Meet the beloved “mascot” Skoozer.
· The Original Dork: Take a look inside the making of the movie with director Joe Nussbaum as he and the cast discuss his directing style, and the fun that was had on the set of Sydney White.
Amanda Bynes’ Hairspray Week
One of the perks of being a movie star is getting gifts just for being who you are. And Amanda Bynes (along with her puppy) enjoyed the fringe benefits of her success yesterday at the 2008 World Experience DPA Gift Lounge, along with some of her Hairspray cast mates.
And speaking of Hairspray, the “She’s the Man” actress delighted her fans earlier this week at the Palm Springs International Film Festival during a free outdoor screening of the film.
According to Bynes, it was the movie’s values that drew her in. “The reason I wanted to be in this movie so badly is because it has such a great message to send to kids. It’s a wonderful movie that families can watch together. It’s a movie about accepting yourself and accepting others for their differences and it’s just got great music. I feel very lucky to be in it.”
And the “What a Girl Wants” hottie confessed that working with the amazing cast of the John Waters remake was a bit overwhelming. “I was lucky to be in this ensemble. To be with Queen Latifah and Christopher Walken, Michelle Pfeiffer, Allison Janney and John Travolta, I look up to all those actors. So I got to learn a lot and I got to work with Adam Shankman, who is such a talented, amazing director. I felt so blessed.”
As for the writers strike, Amanda is trying to look on the bright side of things. “The strike is affecting me. I had a few projects in the works and they were sort of stopped dead in their tracks. But I’ve taken it as a time to play with my puppy and just relax because once it is over, I think everything is going to come back strong. I hope!”
Amanda Bynes Biography
The squirrel-cheeked young actress Amanda Bynes rose to fame on Nickelodeon and moved on to the WB network for her teenage years. In 1996, she became a regular cast member on the kid’s sketch comedy show All That, which first earned her a growing fan base of adoring admirers. Sticking with Nickelodeon-style broad comedy, she was a panelist on the game show Figure It Out as well as host for the popular variety show The Amanda Show, which won several Kid’s Choice awards. After lending her voice to the long-running cartoon Rugrats, Bynes made the big switch from the PG world of Nickelodeon to the PG-13 world of the WB with a part on the short-lived series The Nightmare Room, narrated by author R.L. Stine. The next year she made her feature film debut in the comedy Big Fat Liar as the best friend of fellow young superstar Frankie Muniz. In 2002, she launched the WB sitcom What I Like About You, playing a comedic younger sister who moves into the trendy Upper West Side apartment of her straight-laced older sister (Jennie Garth from Beverly Hills 90210). Widely released one day after her 17th birthday, the romantic comedy What a Girl Wants marked her first major starring role and showcased her Sandra Bullock-style pratfalls as lead Daphne, a girl who goes to England in search of her father (Colin Firth) and finds romance.