We’re not claiming to be Dakota Fanning experts or anything. We like think of the five hours we spend each night watching her old movies and researching the veracity of her IMDB page as pleasure rather than business, but either way we know that Dakota Fanning’s much-touted nude scene in the upcoming film Very Good Girls is nowhere near her most scandalous cinematic moment. “Yeah, well, I’ve never done that before and I’m very newly allowed to do that,” the Breaking Dawn – Part 2 star told MTV about her nude sex scene. “I was newly 18, so yeah, it was, it’s kind of a sensitive thing, but it’s a part of life.” ” Added Dakota, “No one’s ever comfortable [doing love scenes].” Okay, fine, but how comfortable were we supposed to be watching Dakot’s other films?
Think about it: Dakota and Kristen Stewart smooched out for 2010′s The Runways, a scene which is allegedly historically accurate but clearly shot in a way that suggests it’s supposed to be “super-scandalous.” We can all remember the controversy surrounding Fanning’s rape scene in 2007′s Hounddog, which was shoot in 2006…when the actress was 12. Last year Dakota starred in Now Is Good, in which she played a girl dying of leukemia…while trying to lose her virginity. Compared to the rest of her oeuvre, actually, an 18-year-rold Dakota stripping down for a straight forward sex scene is downright wholesome. We’d almost go so far as to say it makes us miss the days of I Am Sam, but nothing is that strong.
We’re finding this cover shot of Dakota Fanning for the March issue of Glamour completely startling. Shot by fashion photography stalwart, Ellen Von Unwerth, the shot, and the spread inside the magazine, has Dakota looking like an artfully dishevelled disco doll. Tumbling curls, huge blue eyes, a red pout and a slinky, yet retro wardrobe all add to the look beautifully. While the interview focuses a lot on fashion and her sister Elle Fanning and so on and so forth, there’s a certain section that really caught our eye. Do you remember Dakota’s fragrace campaign for Marc Jacobs from 2011? Taken when she was 17, it had a whole Lolita vibe to it with Dakota sitting with the bottle (which has a large rose for a cap) between her legs. While a poll we posted revealed a number of you though it was okay, we still think it was super sexual for someone so young and it seems the U.K. agreed with us, banning the ad for being too provocative, pushing it in our list of the most controversial celebrity campaigns. But the actress herself thinks that the whole kerfuffle had no base, telling the magazine, “Yeah, I was! If you want to read something into a perfume bottle, then I guess you can. But it’s also like, Why are you making it about that, you creep? I love Marc and trust him, and we just laughed about it.” Which makes us the “creep”, but whatever.
The point is, Dakota’s now 18 (19 next month) and this extremely sexy shoot is deemed “high-fashion” and not creepy, leading some to ponder on whether industry standards are hypocritical. How does this shoot differ from that shoot? Well, the Jacobs fragrance was called “Oh Lola” which is a clear reference to Lolita, so let’s not be coy about the not-so-subliminal messages, especially with her wearing that babydoll dress. Dakota is older now and this shoot is sexy but in an exaggerated, almost caricatured way. There’s a deliberate sense of artifice, while the fragrance campaign was stripped down and “real.” We can appreciate the Glamour shoot as a look, and not because things are placed between her legs. And yes, she’s legal now which does make a huge difference. Don’t get it twisted.
From Amanda Seyfried and Evan Rachel Wood, to Shailene Woodley and Elizabeth Olsen, Hollywood’s female royalty were out in full force, and the fashion theme among the starlets’ – old favorites and newcomers alike - was simple: keep warm! Sweaters and fleeces, long-sleeves and jackets, even cute hats and scarves were all the rage among the ladies in chilly Utah. Except of course for Jessica Alba or Dakota Fanning, who both opted for sleeveless dresses. Risky, ladies! Cute – but risky! Either way, the women of Sundance proved once and for all that beauty doesn’t fall by the way side when the cold comes creeping in. Head down to the gallery below for more!
I saw the Twilight marathon last night. I saw all five movies of the saga and furiously wrote down my thoughts in real time for you to read. I am not a Twilight fan, I haven’t read the books and up until last night had not seen any of the films. (Okay, okay, I saw the Breaking Dawn – Part 1, but I wasn’t paying attention and I didn’t know who was who or what was going on. So I’m saying it doesn’t count.) I’m not some kind of cynic ready to tear Twilight a new one. I love almost any movie I see in the theaters. I almost wept when Cher sang “You Haven’t Seen The Last Of Me” in Burlesque when I saw it opening night, so yeah, I am not a hard sell when it comes to the magic of the movies. So whether you saw Breaking Dawn – Part 2 last night or haven’t seen any of the films in years, please join me on my fantastically long life-blogging adventure. It’ll be like you’re there, except you don’t have to remain seated for eight hours after spilling soda into your crotch. Or maybe that’s how you roll too. No judgment! (Along the way, I’ll also introduce you, via video, to the other marathon viewers who joined me last night. They were a very diverse bunch.)
11:38 a.m. Say what you want about Kristen Stewart (and I’m sure a lot of you have!), but she plays everything completely natural, and I think it’s what keeps Twilight from going completely over-the-top. (Also, nobody was booing Kristen at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13.0) You know what is over-the-top though?
11:40: Taylor Lautner‘s flowing mane (Insane Wig #1). Taylor looks about 14 in this movie, but I love that genuinely awkward moment when Bella accidentally opens a car door into him after seeing Jacob for the first time in a decade.
11:43: Whether it was director Catherine Hardwicke or the book that set it up first, I immediately feel protective of Bella when the high school kids hate on her old truck. You kids can go to hell! Read more…
We already know that Kristen Stewart is a stone cold fox in Zuhair Murad at the Breaking Dawn – Part 2 premiere in L.A. tonight. But there’s a lot more best-dressed action going on, on the black carpet as well. Kristen’s boyfriend, Robert Pattinson, for instance, is pulling off a bottle green Gucci suit. We kid you not. Also wearing the shade is a dark haired Dakota Fanning in an emerald Elie Saab, that’s lovely on her. Bella Thorne is in the same color too, wearing a mullet dress with a ruffled hem, paired with a black belt and pumps. Saoirse Ronan is ethereal in a white Simone Rocha dress and brogues, and the frock has this interesting broderie anglaise-esque hem on it. Christian Serratos is red-hot in a fire engine Zac Posen gown, YSL shoes, Judith Leiber clutch and Kisshy jewelry and is totally channeling an old Hollywood screen siren. Kiernan Shipka is chic in a navy frock with raspberry pumps and we want the whole damn thing. As we always do because she has the best stylist in the whole world who we want to be friends with. But … who really stole the show is Amadou Ly — Henri from the French coven — who came attired in full tribal gear. A nod to his Senegalese heritage? Either way, we love it! Check out all our picks in the gallery below and tell us if you agree!
If you’re like us, you’ve been following this election nonstop for a while — and if you’re like us, you mean the presidential election as much as the Twi-Fight going on over on MTV. Now we’re on pins and needles waiting to see if Kate or Jasper could possibly pull off an upset against Bella and Edward. But we also think it was kind of sadistic to pit the Cullens against any of the other vampires in the franchise. That’s why we decided to make our own little contest here this week — and to make the criteria a little bit simpler: we’re asking you to judge Volturi, Denalis, Amazonians and James’ crew all alike, purely based on their hotness. This is also tough, considering the fact that in Stephenie Meyer‘s mythology, all vampires are hot. But your blood might sing for some more than others. We managed to narrow this down to 20 vamps in all, now it’s your turn! Peruse the pics and vote. Poll closes Monday at 8 a.m.
One black and one white have already landed on the worst-dressed list at the Elle Women In Hollywood party, thanks to Lea Michele and Julianne Hough. The rest of the monochromatic bunch did alright for themselves, thankfully. Emma Watson played it super safe, perhaps because she was picking up the Calvin Klein Collection Emerging Star Spotlight Award. We’re assuming she’s wearing Calvin Klein! Elle Fanning shook things up as she usually does — we can’t believe we actually said that about a 14 year-old, but it’s true — in an edgy Calvin Klein dress and Dolce & Gabbana shoes and bag. Not many people could carry of that length, but Elle ends up looking coltish and youthful and pulls it off like a pro. We also can’t believe we’re saying this about a 12 year-old but we should get used to it because our favorite Kiernan Shipka is a sartorial star and didn’t disappoint at all in a gorgeous, age-appropriate Moschino dress. Is it wrong to want a 12 year-old’s wardrobe? We can’t help it — she always looks so wonderful!
We don’t want to rag on Uma Thurman because she just had a baby recently, so we won’t say much. But what we will say is that half-sheer skirts and lank hair don’t work on anyone. They wouldn’t even work on Jaime King, who is gorgeous and blessed with a body that comes around once every century or something. Luckily she went minimal and safe, like Emma, in pure white. We also think that Jenna Fischer‘s Basler dress, Cole Haan shoes and Lauren Merkin bag would have pulled together beautifully if she did something more exciting to her hair and face. A red lip wouldn’t kill her, right?
We like Elle Fanning around these parts, but we’re a little mad at her right now. Sure, she seems like a sweet and massively talented young lady and all. But this epic three minute long commercial she made for Lolita Lempicka fragrances kinda creeps us out. A lot. Why? Well, imagine if Fiona Apple directed a Sesame Street clip. It’s kind of like that.
We’ve stared at our screens for almost an hour trying to describe the many ways that the 14-year-old’s performance rubs us the wrong way. Sure, there’s the overused-yet-still-unnerving trope of pitting child-like innocence against sexual awakening. That’s unsettling in the best of occasions. But then the video takes a turn as Elle gets back to nature and starts doing things with sticks that we’re still trying to figure out. After a while, we realized it would be easier to just show you. Come take the journey with us.
1. The Wood Allen-style opening credits.
It’s a promo to shill scented water, folks. Let’s not get too arty here.
Okay, we’re just going to get straight to Dakota Fanning because can we get a “Woot woot!” She’s totally pulling out all the stops in this gold, sequined, figure hugging Stella McCartney gown. We normally never use the word we’re about to, but are going to drop it anyway because it’s so apt — va va voom. And how awesome is her body looking? Anyone can see you can’t have an extra ounce of jiggle if you want to wear a dress like that because it’s completely unforgiving. Top points for the back view as well. That’s the behind we’ve hoped to have most of our adult lives. Dakota finished off the look with two of our favorite brands — Jimmy Choo heels and a Lanvin clutch. This was worn to the London premiere of her film Now Is Good held at The Curzon Mayfair.
In the other corner, we have the literal translation of fairytale princess, because that’s exactly what Kate Middleton is looking like. The Duchess is travelling with her husband, Prince William, in Southeast Asia as a part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Tour. The occasion was an Official State Dinner at the Istana Negara hosted by The King and Queen of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. The dress was a white and gold Alexander McQueen and takes our breath away. And the floral detail is suppose to be the hibiscus, which is Malaysia’s national flower, which is just another one of those thoughful details Kate is becoming known for. What else can we say — she’s dazzling. And so is Dakota. Solid gold, ladies!
We are deliberately staying away from the controversy of those topless pictures Closermagazine of France has published of Kate’s, because they have crossed a major line. They’ve posted very blurry pictures of her without her bikini top on — showing they were taken by a very, very long lens, so it’s a gross breach of privacy. Wills and Kate were at the Provence chateau owned by Lord Linley, the Queen’s nephew, and thought they were completely alone on the estate, as they should have been. All magazines in the UK have shown solidarity with them by not publishing the photos and even the English branch of Closer has distanced itself from the story and is not taking it up. Read more…
Many a Twi-Hard heart was aflutter during tonight’s MTV Video Music Awards, counting the seconds to the promised Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 sneak peek. Naturally it was held until well into the show, and now we’re left wondering…was it worth the wait? Maybe we’re hitting the early stages of Twilight burnout (say it ain’t so!) or maybe it really was the same material we’ve seen mixed up a bit. We’ve pulled nine GIFs to illustrate loop-style what we learned, or perhaps just reviewed.
1. There will be blood, yes, and also sponsorship.