CollegeCandy » hollywood

Obviously I love Harry Potter, that’s not a secret. This summer I was in Orlando for a lacrosse tournament and went to the original Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which is the most magical place I’ve been. I’m talking exact replica of Hogsmeade, full on Hogwarts Castle, and Butterbeer. Although it was insanely crowded, it was so cool that we went twice. In the same day. Seriously, if I could move there and be a character, I definitely would.

People were lined up for hours waiting to get into Ollivander’s Wand Shop and The Three Broomsticks. That was actually a good thing because it freed up the lines for the rides. The former Dueling Dragons roller coaster is now based off of Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. Yeah, they have the Tri-Wizard cup there. There’s also a kid’s ride called Flight of the Hippogriff, but the real kicker is in Hogwarts. You travel with Harry, Ron, and Hermione through all of their wild adventures in one of the coolest rides I’ve ever been on. Trust me, you have to go. Even if you don’t like Harry Potter, it’s awesome.

What’s even more awesome is that Warner Bros. and Universal Parks and Resorts are bringing The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to Universal Studios in California and expanding the one in Orlando! That means all of you west coasters can indulge in the magic without having to travel across the country. And for Potter-obsessed fans like me, it looks like we’re taking a trip to Hollywood.

Check out the original Wizarding World…

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Candy Dish: A Bella By Any Other Name

Amanda - Wisconsin — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 23:00:40 +0000

Can you imagine Michelle Trachtenberg as Bella Swan?

The best bootays in Hollywood

Johnny Depp’s kids are so much cooler than us

A Britney Spears song for every mood

Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj get the Barbie treatment

Why we love Kelly Ripa

No shirt, no problem!

Lady Gaga’s sex secret to good skin

Are you a mean girl when it comes to other women?

Jessica Simpson Sells Pregnancy Announcement for $500,000

Ashley Lee - UC San Diego — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 17:30:44 +0000

Are you between film projects? Still recovering from your last tour? Does your new NBC reality competition Fashion Star have yet to set a premiere date? If so, here’s how to make a quick buck as a celebrity: Get pregnant. Hide your pregnancy. And sell the announcement for half a million dollars.

Okay, we know it wasn’t strategically planned that way—we really do want to love you forever, Jessica—but it kinda seems like it.

It was obvious that Jessica Simpson was already pregnant with former NFL player/fiancé’s baby—public appearances and paparazzi photos with big sweaters and handbags cleverly held in front of her stomach gave off the hint that she had something to hide. But she wouldn’t confirm anything until she secured a weekly magazine deal of $500,000 to officially make the announcement.

So who’s the lucky tabloid that paid her asking price? OK! magazine, who published the cover headline “Yes I’m Having a Baby!” to accompany the incredibly insightful article.

Cashing in on the kid before birth? We know that pregnancy announcements to the public are just part of how Hollywood works, but we usually don’t (want to) hear about the price tag. It’s supposed to be all hidden behind the red curtain. Do we care how much Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon scored for their 20/20 interview with Barbara Walters and the twins last night? No, we just wanted to watch it while home on a Friday night. After the all-new episodes of Say Yes to the Dress.

Well, it’s not over: Jessica’s looking to sell the eventual baby photos—once the baby’s actually born (what, no sonogram deal up for grabs?). Seriously, that kid has already made more money before breathing than I have made to date!

Celebrity Baby Bumps

Caitlin-University of Alabama — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 15:44:41 +0000

Someone is always pregnant in Hollywood, and every now and then we’ll have a ton of celebrities pregnant at the same time. There must be something in the water over there. Celebrity babies are so exciting because we know they’re going to be really cool kids like Suri Cruise and Kingston Rossdale. For some reason we just can’t get enough of them.

It can be really difficult to keep track of who’s pregnant and who the baby daddy is (here’s looking at you January Jones). And there’s some celebs that are trying to deny their pregnancies more than hipsters are trying to deny that hipsters exist. Some of our favorite Disney stars like Hilary Duff and Brenda Song are expecting little ones. This seems like a trend, I wonder if there will be anymore Disney babies soon? There’s a baby boom happening in Hollywood so we’re helping you keep track of this fall’s pregnant celebs:

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The Dehumanization of Celebrities

Jasmine - Northern Arizona University — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 01:00:36 +0000

Presumably, we all know that Amy Winehouse passed away on Saturday afternoon, after a long, public struggle with substance abuse. Though we do not know exactly what the cause of her death was, her tumultuous relationship with drugs and alcohol were most likely linked to any health complications that led to her passing. When the news broke, I was on Twitter, and immediately, there was a huge collective burst of sadness and shock among the people I follow who loved her music and were rooting for her to make a comeback. At the same time, there was another loud outpouring of contempt by people who decided to make tacky, tasteless jokes about how she should have said “yes, yes, yes” to rehab and celebrated the death of another waste of space drug addict. The complete lack of empathy for her, her family, her friends and her fans was just shocking to me, especially mere moments after her death was announced.

It’s one thing to delight in the glee of celebs showing up to events in consistently tacky outfits, becoming divas on the Home Shopping Network, continuing to star in movies that flop or getting caught in ridiculous sex scandals (Seriously, tweeting a crotch photo? Comical, lame and totally worth mocking).

It is a completely other story to take pleasure in another human being’s death. I don’t know what it is about celebrities that makes us forget that they are actual people. Is it the over-the-top lifestyle? Is it the way they live their lives so openly in a way that would mortify most of us? I remember talking to a friend during Charlie Sheen’s meltdown, and I asserted how uncomfortable I was with the way people were idolizing and condoning his ridiculous behavior, especially since he has a history of violence. In response, she said “celebrities don’t count.” But celebrities do count. Their actions have consequences. They don’t exist in a bubble. The way that we choose to contextualize the actions of our celebrities says a lot about our society’s values.

Sheen, the highest paid actor on TV with a long history of domestic violence, goes on some awful rants, complete with some completely unnecessary Anti-Semitism (rants that eventually led to making money), and everyone bows down to the altar of yet another privileged white man who knows how to drum up publicity and make a profit for himself. Chris Brown has still not been forgiven for his attack of Rihanna. He had a fit on the set of Good Morning America and the media was quick to paint him as angry and unstable, and I find it impossible to believe that race doesn’t have anything to do with it. He’s a young black man who sings music that widely appeals to a young black audience — ie: the majority of people are not interested in investing in him or his success. Now, I am not an apologist for violent men. I don’t think it’s hard to avoid hitting women, and I believe both Charlie and Chris should be blacklisted, but the unequal treatment is most certainly not a coincidence.

And when Amy Winehouse dies, her struggle with drugs and alcohol made people feel comfortable enough to express their delight, because they know their marginalization of substance abuse, mental illness and, let’s be totally honest here –women — is acceptable in our society. It’s even been perpetrated on College Candy. Amy Winehouse, despite winning five Grammys in one night, despite having two critically acclaimed albums, despite being a distinguished vocalist and songwriter who has sold several million albums worldwide, is still not considered “worthy” of being part of a morbid club of rock stars who have all died far too young. The impact that she has made in the music industry is undeniable.

To deny the fact that celebrities reflect the ignorant and dysfunctional norms of our culture is to deny the true extent of how deeply our collective racism, misogyny and tendency to devalue people with mental illnesses runs. It’s counterproductive and doesn’t allow our society to evolve to its true potential.

Candy Dish: Age is Just A Number

Amanda - Wisconsin — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 22:00:28 +0000

Hollywood hunks that got better with age

Which Showtime leading lady are you?

How to stay fashionable without hating your body

TV’s all-time sexiest couples

A guide for seducing your favorite literary characters

Are you always honest with your friends?

Mmmmm…sexy wet men

How to get the bombshell look

Kim Kardashian sets a date for her big wedding

10 Celebrities and The Scandals We’re Nostalgic About

Jenn - Wagner College — Fri, 13 May 2011 19:00:32 +0000

Maybe it’s because I’m done with finals and I have nothing to worry about. Maybe it’s because all of my favorite TV shows are going on hiatus. Maybe it’s because I zoomed through my blogs too quickly this week, but I have to say, I’ve come to a sad realization.

Celebrity scandal is dead.

Think about it. There has been absolutely nothing of interest going on in the world of celebs these past few weeks. Why is Hollywood so quiet? Even Charlie Sheen has been MIA. Has it finally happened? Has Hollywood finally imploded? Has the well gone dry? Have they run out of stupid things to do? For my sanity, I hope not. Celebs, I beg of you, please continue to entertain me with stories of your crazy.

Please?

Sigh.

Maye a little inspiration will help. Let’s remember some of the greatest celebrity scandals of our time.

The Weekly Ten: Predicting Celebrity Meltdowns

Jenn - Wagner College — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 13:00:38 +0000

Okay. So by now we’re all aware of Charlie Sheen’s major meltdown. His in-house goddesses. His tiger blood. His reinvention of the word ‘winning.’ Charlie Sheen is having a major moment. He’s also having a major meltdown. And it’s newsworthy right now, but he’s also just the most recent celeb to meltdown in a long line of many.

Britney Spears. Lindsay Lohan (now simply known as ‘Lindsay’). Michael Jackson. Tom Cruise. There have been some pretty major meltdowns before Charlie and there will be some pretty major meltdowns after him. But who will be meltdowning? Well, I’m glad you asked. Because that’s just what this week’s Weekly Ten is trying to predict.

Let’s have a look.

10. Rebecca Black. Honestly, I barely even know who this girl is. But her name is all over Twitter and apparently she’s the new Justin Bieber? Or the most hated Tween in the world? Whatever. It’s only a matter of time before this young soon-to-be-celeb melts down.

9. PINK. She’s on here only because of a recent tweet she posted after Cristina was arrested. “Out of Myself, Britney and Christina — didn’t everyone think I was gonna be the troublemaker? LOOK MA!!! NO CUFFS!” Funny, Pink. Very Funny. I was amused. But don’t count your crazy chickens before they’ve hatched.

8. Justin Timberlake. Justin seems like a pretty stable guy. He’s funny, a decent actor, and a hell of a singer. But he’s also single for the first time in months. And having that many girls after him is bound to lead to a mental breakdown or two.

7. Taylor Swift. T.Swift plays the sweet and innocent card really, really well. But after her last album, we all know the deal. Those songs she writes in response to the boys that broke her heart? Her all out attack on Camilla Belle in “Better Than Revenge”? If something doesn’t go her way and she’s not set to release a new album anytime soon, you know it’s meltdown city.

6. Justin Bieber. He’s a young, successful, relatively cute teen heartthrob dating another young, successful, relatively cute teen heartthrob. This can only end one way.

5. Jennifer Aniston. This poor girl just can’t seem to keep a boyfriend. Brad Pitt. Vince Vaughn. John Mayer. There’s only so many bad movies and bad relationships a girl can take before she starts to break down. I know she cut her hair recently, but let’s hope she doesn’t pull a Britney anytime soon, you know?

4. Ronnie. It’s coming. And it’s fueled by protein powder and Jager. Watch out, Seaside!

3. Usher. Apparently there’s a sex tape going around of Usher and his ex-wife. And apparently the release of such a sex tape may or may not lead to some very unflattering realizations about Usher. If that doesn’t lead to a meltdown, what will?

2. Brad Womack. Here’s the thing. I’ve never been a fan of this guy to begin with. And not because he crushed poor Deanna’s heart; mostly because he has no personality whatsoever and is a really big bore. But even I had hope that maybe, just maybe, he had found love. That is until sweet little Emily tore his heart out. Then I felt bad for him. And now, well, now I’m wondering when exactly Brad is going to snap. Or, as his family puts it, when we’ll all “wake the bear.”

1. Miley Cyrus. Miley’s meltdown is a long time coming. We’ve been waiting for it ever since her Disney days of Hannah Montana. We’ve had scandalous photo shoots, scantily clad outfits, mouthing off to the media, and now parental alienation. Miley is one bad romantic relationship away from a meltdown. And I think we’re all just waiting for it to happen.