Match Made In Hollywood
Scarlett Johansson and her boyfriend, Ryan Reynolds, are engaged.
The 23-year-old actress and the 31-year-old actor have not set a wedding date, Johansson's publicist, Marcel Pariseau, said Monday.
Johansson's recent credits include "The Other Boleyn Girl" and "The Nanny Diaries." Reynolds recently starred in "Definitely, Maybe." He was previously engaged to Alanis Morissette.
Met Costume Gala
Newsflash: A cadre of superheroes has invaded one of Gotham's top cultural institutions, bringing swaths of bright color, pop graphics and an everyman theme to the hallowed halls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Have no fear, though. Their mission is friendly.
Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and hero-of-the-hour Iron Man have been employed by the Costume Institute to illustrate the parallel worlds occupied by fantastical creatures with super powers and creative fashion designers who dress mere mortals -- or at least the stars including George Clooney and Julia Roberts expected at the Met Monday night.
Sound like a stretch? There's no Plastic Man ploy at play.
"Superheroes are about issues of the body, identity and transformation, about acting your fantasies and transforming yourself into anyone or anything you want to be," said Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton. "Those are all the things at the heart of fashion."
"Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy" begins with an examination of Superman, the first modern superhero when he appeared on the page in 1938. He stood for all things good and patriotic during a time when the American public was trying to shake off the Depression while also watching what was happening in Europe in the days leading up to World War II.
Thanks to an old smoke-and-mirrors trick used by Victorian-era magicians, Superman is presented to museumgoers as both Clark Kent (in a 1950s Brooks Brothers suit) and the Man of Steel in the 1978 film costume worn by Christopher Reeve.
Then there are the antiheroes of the 1970s and '80s, such as the Punisher and Ghost Rider. Bolton points to them as successful metaphors for the conflicted and flawed characters prevalent in the dark side of the contemporary world.
If Superman is the ultimate graphic body, with a physique inspired by circus strongmen, a costume that came from acrobats and an "S" emblem that has become a positive icon and a textbook lesson in branding, the Punisher represents the postmodern body -- flaming skulls and all.
That look resonated with designers such as Alexander McQueen, Walter Van Beirendonck, John Galliano and Thierry Mugler, all of whom have embraced the Goth, grunge and biker styles. He thinks fashion could be headed down the dark road again, and that was a factor in the timing of this exhibit.
Bolton, an admitted Spider-Man fan from childhood, first wanted to marry superheroes and style in an exhibit about five years ago but, he says, it was the wrong moment in fashion as the "in look" was soft and ladylike.
"We're now returning to an aggressive femininity and the highly sexualized fashion of the 1980s," Bolton said.
Anyone looking for sexy has to go no farther than the Catwoman section of the exhibit. In addition to Michelle Pfeiffer's remarkably slim black catsuit from 1992's "Batman Returns," there are real-world examples of dominatrix-style outfits by Mugler and Dolce & Gabbana.
One of the most stunning couture pieces in the exhibit belongs with mutant creatures such as the X-Men: A rainbow-colored Mugler gown that morphs from a birdlike top to an amphibian's corset and then mermaid hem.
But Superman and Spider-Man have had the strongest influence on mainstream style. In the vignettes dedicated to each, there are not only the costumes that made these characters famous in film, there are clothes that mimic their spirit. For Superman, there is Moschino's M-logo gown with complementary red cape, while there are several spider-web dress silhouettes by Mugler, Galliano, Jean Paul Gaultier, Julien Macdonald and Giorgio Armani.
Armani is the sponsor and honorary chair of the exhibit and of the accompanying fundraising gala. He acknowledged through an interpreter at a preview Monday that he was surprised to be involved in an exhibit that veered so far from the wearable fashion he is known for.
It's also a departure for the Costume Institute, which in recent years has highlighted the works of designers Coco Chanel and Paul Poiret, and examined the historical use of animal prints and goddess gowns.
Calling it a "spectacular show," Armani tipped his hat to experimental designers. "I was wondering, `Are these pieces part of a collection? Did these guys have the guts to show these on the runways?"'
Armani also complimented the works of the cartoonists from the first half of the 20th century, noting that it's their vision of the future that has become the world of today.
"Superheroes" opens Wednesday and runs through Sept. 1.
Britney Back In Court
Britney Spears showed up at the county courthouse in Los Angeles for a custody hearing today, but there were no screaming fans, no signs or banners, no frenzied chase into the parking garage.
Dozens of photographers, reporters, sheriff's deputies and prospective jurors saw her arrive as a front seat passenger in a white Land Rover. Then she disappeared into the garage.
It's been three months since Spears slipped away from a psychiatric ward and stirred up a paparazzi car chase, a scene that looked like the beginning of even more erratic behavior for the troubled pop star.
Exactly three months have passed since Britney Spears left a psychiatric ward and promptly stirred up a paparazzi car chase, a scene that looked like the beginning of even more erratic behavior for the troubled pop star.
In the weeks that followed, Spears started acting out of character, all right: She lay low and avoided the cameras. She spent time with family members. She found work, and succeeded at it.
The troubled 26-year-old pop star, who has been under the conservatorship of her father since her one-week-early release from UCLA Medical Center, is expected to attend the custody status hearing in a downtown courthouse with her parents. Her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, will also attend, said his spokesman, Elliot Mintz.
Federline has had full custody of his two sons by Spears, 2-year-old Sean Preston and 1-year-old Jayden James, since January, when police were called to Spears' home after she refused to relinquish one of the boys to a Federline bodyguard. Spears was taken by ambulance to a hospital after the incident. Her visitation rights were suspended at the time, but have been gradually restored in recent months.
Tuesday's hearing will include discussion of a psychiatrist's evaluation of Spears, a person close to the case told The Associated Press. The person was not authorized to speak publicly about the case and requested anonymity.
Commissioner Scott Gordon, who will preside over the hearing, could modify the couple's visitation agreement Tuesday based on Spears' recent conduct, the person said.
Spears was a constant media presence before the conservatorship took effect. Photographers captured her every visit to Starbucks and gas stations around Los Angeles, and documented a bout of bizarre behavior that included appearing in public without underwear, shaving her own head and beating a car with an umbrella.
Since Spears' father, James, took over her affairs, the pop star has been relatively invisible to photographers, only occasionally snapped shopping or having dinner with her mother, Lynne. A traffic accident last month turned out to be a minor bumper-to-bumper incident in which no one was injured, and for which no one was cited.
Spears' public appearances have been limited to a well-received cameo on CBS' "How I Met Your Mother," a role she reprised during a taping last week, a CBS spokeswoman said. The episode is set to air May 12.
"We're thrilled to have Britney joining us once again," series executive producer and co-creator Craig Thomas said in a statement last month. The show's audience increased by a million viewers the week Spears appeared.
The pop star also made news last month when she took on full-time exercise and nutrition coaches from Bally Total Fitness. Once known for her flawless figure, Spears was widely ridiculed for her flabby form in September during a universally panned performance on the MTV Video Music Awards that was meant to herald her comeback.
Spears has been elusive at recent court hearings, her every anticipated appearance drawing a circus of media and paparazzi. In January, she arrived at the courthouse wearing cocktail-party attire -- a black minidress and gold platform shoes -- and left before the custody hearing began. A lawyer for Federline said that behavior may have played a role in the commissioner's decision that she remain barred from seeing her sons. Federline has allowed Spears limited visitation rights since Feb. 22.