The Capri Lounge: Rants and Raves from Rolling Stone's Editors

May 2008 Archives

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The Coming Late Night Wars Continued: Jimmy Fallon Steps Into the Spotlight

May 12, 2008 3:45 PM

The Capri Lounge wandered across the street this afternoon to the 30 Rockefeller Center headquarters of NBC, where, in the worst-kept secret in show business, Jimmy Fallon was introduced as Conan O'Brien's successor as Late Night host when O'Brien takes over for Jay Leno sometime in 2009.

Fallon was his usually Fallon-y, charming, self-deprecating self, telling the assorted hacks that he'd always aspired to joining the late-night talk show racket. Standing beside Lorne Michaels — the man who brought him into TV via Saturday Night Live — Fallon said he wasn't "going to reinvent the talk show format" before adding "all the furniture would be suspended six feet in the air." He declined give details about his contract, other than to say, "I just want to live comfortablty — in Dubai."

The selection of Fallon for the Late Night chair has already provoked a fair amount of discussion, naturally. Those unimpressed by Fallon’s cutesy antics on SNL wonder if he has the bona fides for the Late Night grind.

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Jason Gay

Dispatches From the Intern Desk: German Emo Invades

May 12, 2008 2:52 PM

This past Friday, German pop sensation Tokio Hotel invaded the Rolling Stone office for an hour. As you can tell by the image above, these guys certainly have a unique image that has somehow struck a chord with teenage fans all over the world. I don't necessarily understand how this group got so popular, but I also do not think I am necessarily their target audience.

We did a short video interview with them in which they discussed such topics as German hip-hop, their infamous crazy fans, and of course, their love for David Hasselhoff (seriously, the 'Hoff came up at least two or three times).

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RS Intern

Banksy: The Streets Are Watching

May 9, 2008 5:17 PM

Last weekend in Britain the elusive graffiti master Banksy art directed The Cans Festival, an event being called the greatest showcases of guerilla street art in recent memory, hell perhaps the best ever. Over 30 artists
from all over the world created pieces in an unused Eurostar tunnel beneath Waterloo Station. (Click here for images). Some 28,000 pedestrians wandered through and checked out the 691 stencil pieces along the half-mile underground strip near where Ray Davies once mused about Terry meeting Julie. The stencils are supposed to stay on permanent display.

He keeps busy, this Banksy does. A few weeks earlier in April, he pulled one of his greatest stunts yet: painting a piece under the watchful eyes of closed circuit security cameras. The piece was done on an Oxford wall behind
a security fence. Working under the cover of a three story scaffolding – apparently no one ever bothered to ask for a building permit or questioned the artist as he painted – he created an instant subversive classic. The image of a child painting the words "One Nation Under CCTV" on a wall while a policeman takes his picture is a classic example of the artist's humor and his ability to seamlessly integrate his art into the terrain. The world is this dude's pallette and Banksy is simply one of the greatest social satirist working today. He's painted on the Israeli security wall. He's illegally hung his work at the Louvre in Paris and at the Tate in London. Just today there are reports of him painting on the streets of New York City. The fact is, Banksy is everywhere, except where you might be looking. And that's pretty fucking genius.

[Photo: Getty]


Sean Woods

Britney Spears Hearts Radiohead: The Transcript

May 8, 2008 3:03 PM

Britney Spears was spotted carrying a copy of Radiohead's In Rainbows. Below is the exclusive transcript of the conversation that led up to this historic photograph.

Britney: All this time in court has made me sluggish, y'all. I need to get to the gym, especially if I'm going to gorge myself on those crazy Tim McGraw Fritos.

Anonymous Hanger-On: Would you like to listen to some music while you're at the gym, Brit?

Britney: I love listening to music while I'm on the Stairmaster y'all, but I lost my magic box that played music.

AHO: You mean your iPod?

Britney: Whatever y'all.

AHO: Well, I've got a CD player you can borrow.

Britney: I remember CDs! I used to sell millions of those a week.

AHO: What CDs would you like to bring?

Britney: I don't have any CDs, y'all.

AHO: What happened? You had a big collection!

Britney: I got hungry, y'all!

AHO: You ate plastic compact discs?

Britney: I thought they were Fritos, y'all.

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Exclusive First Look: Tim McGraw's Spicy Jalapeno Fritos

May 7, 2008 5:01 PM

Our very nice friends at Frito-Lay sent us a giant mess of Limited Edition Tim McGraw Spicy Jalapeno Frito Corn Chips (LETMSJFCC) today and boy are they...interesting! Honestly, they must have sent us like 30 bags (right now they're available in selected stores but will be expanding throughout the universe later in the year) and you would have thought it was Christmas morning in the Capri Lounge from all the bag-tearing excitement. As everyone knows, nothing tastes better at 10:45 AM than a cup of coffee and a nice fist full of jalapeno-flavored corn chips!

We don't want to go overboard so we asked our colleagues for some one word reviews of the LETMSJFCC. Here they are:

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Jason Gay

New Photos From Hiroshima: An Unfriendly Reminder

May 6, 2008 3:18 PM

Hillary Clinton recently revealed what a Clinton Presidency would consider in response to a scenario in which Iran attacks Israel:

"I want the Iranians to know that if I'm the president, we will attack Iran...In the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them."

If news out of Iraq hasn't changed the tone and tenor of her words then I might suggest to the junior Senator from New York to take a look at a set of images, also a recent revelation.

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Sacha Lecca

Jessica Simpson's Tony Romo-Inspired Song Revealed!

May 6, 2008 1:30 PM

News item: Jessica Simpson has reportedly written a song for her new album about her boyfriend, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.


"Oh Tony"
By Jessica Simpson
(With Burt Bacharach)

I first met you at the ESPY awards
You were tall, I was todally boreds
When said you were a Dallas Cowboy
I said 'What's that?' My Dad groaned, 'Oy.'

But that night our love was easy to see
We went for Chicken Fingers at Applebees
You drank Coors Light and a shot of Patron
I had six appletinis and I passed out, gone

The next day we played catch with a Nerf
You kissed me on the lips and threw me on the turf
You introduced me to Terrell Owens and said he was the tops
I asked him, 'Damn, what up with all those end-zone drops?'

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Jason Gay

Barbara Walters: The Secrets Revealed!

May 2, 2008 3:15 PM

Barbara Walters has a brand new memoir out, in which she reveals a secret romance with a US Senator and her hurt feelings at those "Baba Wawa" jokes. Other details revealed in the new tome include:

• Barbara Walters real name: Lew Alcindor III.

• Barbara Walters produced Rickie Lee Jones' "Pirates"

• Barbara Walters' least favorite vegetable? Tie: Cucumber, Celery.

• Barbara Walters telephoned plays to Doug Flutie while he was a quarterback for the New Jersey Generals of the USFL.

• Barbara Walters did not sleep in 1976, or 1987.

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Jason Gay

Don't Suspend the Damn Gas Tax!

May 2, 2008 1:54 PM

I'm shocked — shocked! — that McCain and Clinton want to repeal the gas tax for the summer. This is simply the worst kind of political pandering — some truly shameful shit. Both candidates, who purport to be environmentalists, should be talking about how they plan to end our dependence on foreign oil, but instead they offer a summer vacation from reality. This repeal is like offering a junkie a set works and a couple of bags of dope before they try and go cold turkey. Moreover, the repeal would save the average consumer only about $30.00 dollars. This is pure bull and Obama should get credit for refusing to pander but his principled stand has been drowned out by the sound of the inane Rev. Wright show.

[Photo: Getty]


Sean Woods

The Coming Late Night War: Leno Vs. Conan Vs. Dave

May 1, 2008 2:51 PM

One of my favorite TV movies is The Late Shift, a 1996 HBO flick about Dave Letterman and Jay Leno's battle for The Tonight Show. In the past few years the late night wars have flared up again, hopefully paving the way for a sequel. Here's a quick recap: In 2004 Conan O’Brien's contact was up for renewal and much like Letterman before him, he was growing weary of the 12:35 AM slot. The NBC brass cut an unprecedented deal in which Conan was promised The Tonight Show by 2009. If they didn't deliver they'd have to pay a $45 million penalty. This didn't exactly please Jay Leno, who had been trouncing Letterman for over a decade and had no plans to retire.

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Andy Greene
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