February 01, 2012, 1:15 AM EST NFL Lawsuits Over Head Injuries Consolidated in Philadelphia U.S. Cable Television Ratings for the Week Ended Jan. 29 Viacom CEO Dauman Says Hes Open to Unbundling Cable Channels Ticketmaster Says Scalpers System as Springsteen Goes on Sale DirecTV Ends Blackout of Sunbeams Stations in Boston, Miami By Alex Sherman and Andy Fixmer Feb. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Comcast Corp.s NBC, the last-place network for seven straight years, will use this weekends Super Bowl broadcast to promote a prime-time lineup being remade by entertainment chief Bob Greenblatt. The NFL championship match between the New York Giants and New England Patriots will draw as many as 115 million viewers on Feb. 5 -- potentially the largest U.S. television audience in history, according to Brad Adgate, head of research at New York- based Horizon Media Inc. The game, and the Summer Olympics in July, give NBC the chance to promote shows like the returning talent competition The Voice and Smash, a n...

Artist Claire Milner's Swarovski Marilyn Monroe portrait commissioned by Rihanna. Photo: Splash News If you haven't been clued into the style world of Rihanna lately, let's just say you have a LOT of catching up to do. First of all, our multi-faceted gal just landed a fashion reality show that will air in the UK this summer (no word on whether we'll get it stateside), and she also acquired a new "Thug Life" tattoo . It seems like she's truly enjoying her adopted hometown of Los Angeles, too, as she's taken to attending Lakers games and Cirque du Soliel shows wearing American flag t-shirts and head-to-toe leather . It's also been reported that she's currently zhuzing up her LA pad and recently commissioned a $160,000 Marilyn Monroe portrait made entirely of Swarovski crystals. Created by UK artist Claire Milner especially for Ri-Ri, the art piece took four months to finish, measures 5 feet x 5 feet, is covered in 65,000 crystals, and weigh...

Michelle Williams s Oscar nomination means one more month of my least favorite activity: thinking about Marilyn Monroe . Are we done yet? The whole point of My Week With Marilyn was to validate your great aunts boring perception of Norma Jean that she took great photos, was sometimes a screen gem, and confused pills for meals. I get it. Here are five screen legends with lesser-explored stories worthier of a biopic. 5. Montgomery Clift Nearly a decade ago, Colin Farrell was in talks to star in a biopic of the gifted and visibly tragic actor who made A Place in the Sun s insane melodrama sort of believable, From Here to Eternity a classic, and Judgment at Nuremberg the slightest bit awkward. (Was that slurring at the witness stand part of his role or everyday life?) Clift is captivating as a screen presence and as a subject, and Id pay $16 alone to see the debilitating car accident scene where Clifts heroic pal Elizabeth Taylor manually pulls a broken tooth out of his tongue. Cast...

By Nadine DeNinno | Jan 30, 2012 12:08 PM EDT Rihanna recently dropped $160,000 for new artwork, a Swarovskicrystal bedazzled Marilyn Monroe portrait that glistens in the light because she reportedly identifies with the fallen star. British artist Claire Milner was commissioned through Gemstone Creative to construct the five square-foot mural of Monroe for 23-year-old Rihanna's Beverly Hills mansion. The artwork, which took four months to complete, is comprised of more than 65,000 Swarovski crystals weighing in at a total of nearly 120 pounds. "Because of who Rihanna is, everything had to be done through her interior decorators," Milner explained to The Sun , "But they told me afterwards that she loved it." The Sun reported that Rihanna spent extra to have the Marilyn portrait shipped to her home. A source told The Sun that Rihanna wanted the artwork of Monroe because she identifies with the late-movie star, experiencing "the same pressures of fame,"...

13:05, Monday, 30 January 2012 Rihanna has allegedly spent a cool 100,000 on a giant portrait of screen icon Marilyn Monroe , made out of 65,000 crystals. According to The Sun , the Barbadian beauty commissioned British artist Claire Milner - who has done similar portraits of David Beckham and Elvis - to make the 5 sq ft picture of Monroe, which constantly changes colour. Milner spent four months making the portrait for RiRi, with the artist telling the tabloid: "I tried to show the glitter of the public life and then the sadness in Marilyn's eyes. "Because of who Rihanna is, everything had to be done through her interior decorators. But they told me afterwards that she loved it. "A 100 per cent Swarovski crystal portrait is very luxurious people stand and stare because it constantly changes colour, sending rainbows round the room." As well as the We Found Love singer splashing out 100k on the piece, The Sun claims she has also shed out thousands more to h...

She commissioned British artist Claire Milner to make the 5 sq ft picture of the Hollywood legend. Then 23-year-old Rihanna lashed out thousands more having it shipped to her luxury Beverly Hills mansion. The portrait constantly changes colour, sending rainbows of light round the room. Claire spent four months finishing the shimmering picture which weighs a hefty 13 stone placing each of the crystals by hand at her Yorkshire studio. The artist, who has done similar portraits of David Beckham and Elvis, said: "I tried to show the glitter of the public life and then the sadness in Marilyn's eyes." Shimmering ... artist Claire with Marilyn portrait She added: "Because of who Rihanna is, everything had to be done through her interior decorators. "But they told me afterwards that she loved it. Overdose ... Marilyn Monroe died fifty years ago this August Ronald Grant Archive "A 100 per cent Swarovski crystal portrait is very luxurious people stand and stare be...

She's got the look. She's also got the walk, the talk and the wardrobe. When Michelle Williams pouts and flounces and oozes her way across the screen in the film "My Week With Marilyn," giving herself unreservedly to the role of a tormented yet still-alluring Marilyn Monroe at a pivotal moment in 1956, you're filled with admiration. What you're not filled with, however, is the conviction that this is actually Monroe. Williams, a performer of uncommon skill and dedication to her craft, is not to blame, any more than the great Meryl Streep is responsible for the fact that "The Iron Lady" is unlikely to convince people that they have suddenly been ushered into the presence of Great Britain's first female prime minister. The fault lies not in our movie stars, but in ourselves in, that is, the profoundly complex and endlessly shifting nature of human beings. To capture the richly dynamic essence of any individual requires the only medium that...

LOS ANGELES (AP) What a cast the Screen Actors Guild Awards have lined up: Marilyn Monroe , Laurence Olivier , Margaret Thatcher and J. Edgar Hoover . Actors playing illustrious real-life figures factor into the 18th annual honors given by Hollywood's main acting union Sunday. The best-actress category features Meryl Streep as Thatcher in "The Iron Lady" and Michelle Williams as Monroe in "My Week with Marilyn." Leonardo DiCaprio is up for best actor as FBI boss in "J. Edgar," while "My Week with Marilyn" co-stars supporting-actor nominee Kenneth Branagh as Olivier. Streep won a Golden Globe for "The Iron Lady" and is considered a favorite for the SAG prize and for her third win at the Academy Awards, which are set for Feb. 26. The front-runners for the other SAG awards are actors in fictional roles, though, among them George Clooney as a dad in crisis in "The Descendants" and Jean Dujardin as a silent-film star fal...

She's got the look. She's also got the walk, the talk and the wardrobe. When Michelle Williams pouts and flounces and oozes her way across the screen in the film "My Week With Marilyn," giving herself unreservedly to the role of a tormented yet still-alluring Marilyn Monroe at a pivotal moment in 1956, you're filled with admiration. What you're not filled with, however, is the conviction that this is actually Monroe. Williams, a performer of uncommon skill and dedication to her craft, is not to blame, any more than the great Meryl Streep is responsible for the fact that "The Iron Lady" is unlikely to convince people that they have suddenly been ushered into the presence of Great Britain's first female prime minister. The fault lies not in our movie stars, but in ourselves in, that is, the profoundly complex and endlessly shifting nature of human beings. To capture the richly dynamic essence of any individual requires the only medium that...

Audiences are anxiously awaiting the February arrival of NBC 's " Smash ," and once the curtain goes up on the new series, viewers will see a bevvy of Hollywood beauties gunning for the role of Marilyn Monroe - including Uma Thurman , whose character is battling for the part. "It was great -- it was really fun," Uma told Access Hollywood correspondent Jill Martin of filming scenes as the "Some Like It Hot" legend, at the " Smash " premiere in New York City on Thursday. "It's a great cast, a great crew of people all filming here in New York and even on Broadway , so, it's a treat. PLAY IT NOW: Are Anjelica Huston & Debra Messing Nervous About The Hype Surrounding Smash? "I love Broadway, I love musicals and song and dance," she added. "It's really good." The 41-year-old star admitted playing the legendary Marilyn Monroe is no ordinary feat. VIEW THE PHOTOS: Uma Thurman "Marilyn's a magical...

Great L.A. theaters and intriguing gravesites. With the Academy Award nominations out, thoughts of movies turn once again to Hollywood. The Oscars will be held at the Kodak Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard on Feb. 26, and we recent looked at a trio of great theaters nearby. Tom Cruise at a 1999 movie premiere for "Magnolia" at the Bruin Westwood, now part of the Regency Theater chain. REED SAXON, ASSOCIATED PRESS ADVERTISEMENT But when I want to treat friends from out of town to a classic Los Angeles-area movie experience, I'm more likely to head to Westwood, on the west side of the metropolis. Westwood was a planned community near the University of California, Los Angeles, launched just as the stock market crashed in 1929, and movie theaters were part of the master plan. There are many theaters in the area, but the highlights are a pair of classics across the street from each other. Right now, each is showing Oscar-nominated films. No matter what is playing, the theaters ...

20th Century Fox Since the death of Marilyn Monroe in 1962, the blonde bombshell continues to spark fascination, as evidenced by the recent release of My Week With Marilyn . But do Monroe's heirs benefit from such persistent popularity? Her estate is now making a $3 million bet that the answer will be yes, and thatthe public will continue to have a strong appetite for images of the actress who became a sex symbol in the 1950s. Gaining from Monroe's enduring fame hasn't been easy for her heirs. Over the past decade, Marilyn Monroe, LLC, in conjunction with its manager CMG Worldwide, have been attempting to gain a cut whenever the late actress's image has been used in commercial endeavors. This aggressive stance has put them at odds with others who have a stake in the Monroe mystique, such as the various photographers who captured Monroe's life. PHOTOS: The Lost Marilyn Monroe Photoshoot For nearly six years, Monroe's estate has been in court with the family of on...

Michelle Williams just received her third Academy Award nomination this morning for her portrayal of icon Marilyn Monroe in "My Week With Marilyn," a story based on the journal of Sir Lawrence Olivier's assistant during the filming of the comedy, "The Prince and The Showgirl." Monroe's breathy voice, sultry moves, and child-like vulnerability has been adapted for the screen in several different stories based on her life. Actresses have been excited to portray the former movie star's iconic look and mannerisms in photo shoots, movies, and music videos. So who else has channeled Marilyn Monroe on the screen? Here's a list of five other actresses who along with Williams brought Marilyn to life once again. Poppy Montgomery - " Blonde " The "Without A Trace" actress embodied Marilyn for this made for TV movie based on the Joyce Carol Oates novel. This movie will be remade for the big screen starring Naomi Watts next year. Mira Sorvin...

HomeSav.com partners with ABG to launch a two-week long Marilyn Monore inspired pop-up sale and collection. The sale will include Andy Warhol prints, mid century furniture, photos of Marilyn and crystal chandeliers inspired by Marilyn, all at affordable prices. Toronto,ON (PRWEB) January 23, 2012 Today, HomeSav.com, a Canadian, private online shopping club focused on designer home dcor, furniture, and luxury lifestyle products, announced today its partnership with Authentic Brands Group , an intellectual property corporation with a mandate to acquire, manage and build long-term value in prominent consumer brands . This partnership will include a two week long pop-up sale with items hand selected by our expert buyers to bring you an exclusive Marilyn Monroe inspired collection. Online pop-up sales are sales or stores that pop-up for a limited time where the items are only available on line. HomeSav.com pop-up stores feature interesting companies or our favourite designers, in class...

Oh to be Serena van der Woodsen. In a dream sequence to air during Gossip Girl 's 100th episode on January 30 (8 p.m. ET on CW), Serena ( Blake Lively ) struts her stuff as the late Marilyn Monroe during a rendition of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend." PHOTOS: What Serena and Blair wore on last night's episode The blonde beauty, who's surrounded by her male suitors including Dan Humphrey ( Penn Badgley ), Nate Archibald ( Chace Crawford ), Chuck Bass ( Ed Westwick ), Prince Louis ( Hugo Becker ) and several others, is decked out in piles of dazzling jewelry and a red strapless gown with matching opera-length gloves. PHOTOS: Gossip Girl stars, then and now Also in the sexy montage? Blair Waldorf ( Leighton Meester ) dressed as another late, old Hollywood icon, Audrey Hepburn . PHOTOS: Gossip Girl 's top 10 OMG moments Yahoo TV writes , "According to executive producer Josh Safran this Marilyn number has been something he's wanted to film since...

VINTAGE erotica photos are brought to you by A Housewives guide to auto-erotic devices in the home and Marilyn Monroes ice-box free underwear Anorak Posted: 13th, January 2012 | In: In Pictures Comment | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink

Electro swing duo GoodLuck have unleashed the brand new music video for their single Stars in My Eyes . The Cape Town based band pay homage to the last 72 hours of Marilyn Monroe's life in the video which features a washed out black and white tone. Interestingly, the video coincides with the South African release of the Hollywood film My Week with Marilyn starring Michelle Williams. The duo said in a statement that their video echoes the sentiments of looking back on a happy time and having a heart filled with hope for the future. Even though this story ends tragically, the legacy Marilyn Monroe left in the world shows how a bittersweet life and spirit can still have a massive, lasting impact on history. "All stars, no matter how brightly they shine, feel pain, longing and have real, human experiences. This lady had an incredible, dramatic and short life, but she lived, loved, cried and screamed, and was a real as you and I," said Ben Peters, producer of GoodLuck. The vi...

Actress Michelle Williams reveals her seductive side on the cover of GQ magazine, and it's all thanks to Marilyn Monroe. BY Olivia Bergin | 18 January 2012 It appears that Michelle Williams really can't shake off her role as legendary actress and sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe. The 31 year-old has taken to the cover of US GQ magazine as we've never seen her before - wearing nothing but a platinum blonde wig and vintage-inspired lingerie to show off her set of dreamy curves - and bearing more than passing resemblance to the late pin-up. See Michelle Williams's fashion hits A firm departure from the white, knee-length smock dresses and Peter Pan collars we're more accustomed to seeing Williams in, we're still digesting these pictures of her in smalls - courtesy of Eres, Agent Provocateur and Stella McCartne! y. But W illiams, who just scooped a 'Best Actress' Golden Globe for her performance in the hit film My Week With Marilyn , appears to be revelling in ...

Michelle Williams is underwear sexy on the cover of GQ Magazine ! Here are some excerpts from the interview: Shes not drawn to the darkness: Maybe when I was in my early twenties and my late teens, I was more prone to sitting in it or lacerating myself with it, she says. Now I want to move out of it. I have a daughter. I want a happy life. On her education, and how she ended up being home-schooled (a better fit with her acting work): Her last formal school was Santa Fe Christian in San Diego; later its principal would denounce Williams after she appeared in Brokeback Mountain. (Michelle doesnt represent the values of this institution, he said. She made the kinds of choices of which we wouldnt approve.) It didnt really bother me, she says, when I allude to this. No twinge, I ask, when you suddenly found out that youd been living a sinful, artistic career? It wasnt any surprise to me, she says. I knew. I remember my mother saying to me at one point, Just dont make anything your grandmot...

She may have been awarded with a Golden Globe for her work portraying the ever-sexy Marilyn Monroe, but Michelle Williams' new cover for GQ certainly oozes sexiness but this time from the star herself, rather than from a role. "This Just In! Who Knew Michelle Williams Had This Body?" reads the cover story for Williams' spread for GQ's February issue , while the world wonders just that. In the interview that accompanies the sexy spread, 31-year-old Williams talked about her breakout role as Jen Lindley on "Dawson's Creek," who she believes was sexy, though she personally is not, in addition to the death of ex-husband Heath Ledger and raising her six-year-old daughter Matilda. "I wouldn't say that that would be one of my first qualities as a human being-being sexy," Williams told GQ. "And I think because my character on Dawson's Creek was sexy...sexualized...sexual...I saw all the negative attention and connotations that can come...

Michelle Williams took home the Golden Globe for her portrayal of Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe - an honor that her 6-year-old daughter Matilda helped her acheive. "I was learning how to be in [ Marilyn ]... I was getting there and one of the ways that I practiced her was in the princesses in the bedtime stories," the actress told Access Hollywood 's Billy Bush , when asked of her process for nailing down Marilyn's voice while reading to her daughter. PLAY IT NOW: 2012 Golden Globes Backstage: Michelle Williams Takes On Marilyn Monroe "[My princesses] all had a kind of breathy quality," she explained. During her acceptance speech on Sunday night, Michelle thanked Matilda - whom she had with the late Heath Ledger - saying her "bravery and exuberance is the example that I take with me in my work and in my life." VIEW THE PHOTOS: Golden Globes 2012: The Winners "I consider myself a mother first and an actress second," she said on the ...

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Michelle Williams has earned the Golden Globe for actress in a musical or comedy as Marilyn Monroe in "My Week with Marilyn," 52 years after Monroe's win for the same prize at the Globes. The supporting-actor prize Sunday went to Christopher Plummer as an elderly widower who comes out as gay in the father-son drama "Beginners." Williams offered thanks for giving her the same award Monroe once won and joked that her young daughter put up with bedtime stories for six months spoken in Monroe's voice. "I consider myself a mother first and an actress second, so the person I most want to thank is my daughter, my little girl, whose bravery and exuberance is the example I take with me in my work and my life," Williams said. The black-and-white silent film "The Artist," which led the Globes with six nominations, split its first two awards of the evening, winning the musical-score prize for composer Ludovic Bource but losing...

Gorgeous creature Robert Pattinson picks up an award at the People's Choice Awards. See more photos of winners and losers at the 2012 Peoples Choice Awards!

One of the great Palm Springs legends is that Marilyn Monroe's career was launched at the swimming pool of the fabled, and now dilapidated, Racquet Club. Actually, the former Norma Jeane Baker had several small film roles before visiting the Racquet Club in 1949, including a famous scene in Love Happy in which Groucho Marx leered at her. But the late Bruno Bernard's photos of Monroe at the Racquet Club in 1949 and '50 are among the most famous taken of the icon. They definitively show Johnny Hyde, the West Coast vice president of the William Morris Agency, becoming smitten with Monroe at the Racquet Club pool and on its dance floor. Hyde signed Monroe to a contract and had her get facial cosmetic surgery to become the screen legend we know today. He got her a seven- year deal to 20th Century-Fox just before his death in December 1950. Bernard, who first photographed Monroe at his Hollywood studio in 1946, published four books of original photographs under his professional n...

Reading Eagle Company W E E U Reading Eagle Press AP Dougray Scott portrays Arthur Miller and Michelle Williams portrays Marilyn Monroe in a scene from "My Week With Marilyn." NEW YORK - The connection between Michelle Williams' acting and her personal life is so strong that even she gets the two confused sometimes. Making last year's "Blue Valentine," which painfully and intimately depicted the collapse of a young marriage, occasionally seems so intense of a memory to Williams as to be a true one. "When I look back on my life and I sort of reflect on relationships or anything, my mind folds that one into the mix of the real relationships that I've had in my life," said the actress. "And I have to stop myself and say, 'Oh, no, you did not marry and divorce Ryan Gosling.' " While delusions of wedding Ryan Gosling aren't necessarily uncommon to moviegoers, for Williams they exemplify the intensely introspective approach she ...