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Vulture

Edited by Dan Kois & Lane Brown

Archive of Beef

Beef

5/14/08

3:30 PM

Warren Christopher Angry at ‘Buffy’ Nerd Over ‘Recount’

warren christopher and danny strong

Getty Images (Christopher); courtesy of UPN

The Times today goes through some of the complaints that Democrats have with Recount, the HBO film dramatizing the 2000 presidential-election battle. Many feel that the portrait Recount paints of Warren Christopher is unfair, and that he was more assertive in the fight than he is portrayed as being. Even James Baker, Christopher's opposite on the Bush side, says that Christopher was "not as wimpish as it makes him appear."

That's all well and good, but we feel it is crucial to remind you of one important fact. All those quotes from the screenwriter, in which he defends his movie, talks about refusing to send the screenplay to Christopher, and calls Christopher a "noble statesman"? That's Danny Strong! That's Jonathan from Buffy! Warren Christopher is in a fight with Jonathan from Buffy!

Read more »

Beef

5/ 9/08

12:00 PM

Verdi-vs.-Shakespeare Beef Not As Hard-core As We Hoped

verdi and shakespeare

The combatants.Photo: Huttom Archive/Getty Images

How excited were we to read the headline on Anthony Tommasini's piece in today's Times? "Verdi Versus Shakespeare," it said. All right! Another celebrity beef, this one a beef for the ages! That would show that cacophonous ass-weasel Doree Shafrir! Sadly, however, it turns out that the beef between composer Giuseppe Verdi and playwright William Shakespeare was not as violent or hard-core as we hoped. For instance, the two men never got in a swordfight. Neither stole the other's woman. Verdi thought Shakespeare's tragedies were "one of the greatest creations of man," and Shakespeare died nearly 200 years before Verdi was born. Who knew?

Anyway... »

Beef

5/ 7/08

3:00 PM

Vulture vs. Doree Shafrir and the New York ‘Observer’

Old-timey boxers

Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

In today's Observer, Doree Shafrir bemoans the end of the New York City blood feud, claiming that today's literary and cultural tussles — Buzz Bissinger vs. Will Leitch, Leon Wieselter vs. Andrew Sullivan, Dale Peck vs. Rick Moody — rarely reach the great heights of, say, Norman Mailer punching Gore Vidal. "What happened to the days when an enemy was an enemy, till death do they part?" Shafrir writes. She claims that:
The emotions that fuel feuds are still boiling away under the surface. Enemies have gone underground. Which is frankly a much scarier state of affairs. One of the features of classic enemies was that, out of a sense of a kind of mutual fairness, they always had the good manners to broadcast the feud, so that witnesses—colleagues, peers, friends—were always the final arbiters. Publicly known enemies battled with the assurance that the blood was always, ultimately, fake.
You know what we say to that? Go to hell, Doree Shafrir. You and your article and your goddamn pink newspaper are full of crap.

More invective, after the jump! »

Beef

4/29/08

1:30 PM

Jay-Z's New Song Disses … DeShawn Stevenson?

Photos: Getty Images

There’s a new Jay-Z track up at America’s No. 1 source of news about today’s hottest hip-hop and R&B (Kanye West’s blog). Apparently a freestyle, it’s recorded over the beat from Too Short’s “Blow the Whistle.” Though no target is named, the track is clearly aimed at Washington Wizards shooting guard DeShawn Stevenson and rapper Soulja Boy. What? Yes. It all started when Stevenson started talking jive about Jay-Z’s main man LeBron James, whose Cavaliers are currently taking on the Wizards in a first-round playoff series. LeBron responded that such a move was like Soulja Boy taking on Jay-Z, which prompted Stevenson to invite Mr. Boy himself to game three of the series in D.C. Jay then responded with the track, which was played Friday in a D.C. club and hit the Internet yesterday.

As a track, it’s not much; there are some decent if vague lines — “We [that’s Jay and LeBron] let the money do the talkin’ / And as you see, we talk rather often” — but since Jay refuses to actually mention whom he’s talking about because he thinks he’s above it, there’s none of the hilariously personal cutting-down that makes a dis track a dis track. It's too generic to be memorable, but we nonetheless appreciate it if simply for the fact that Jay-Z's catalogue now includes an entire song about a semi-obscure player for the Washington Wizards. It's an entirely new category of music: the Novelty Beef. —Ben Mathis-Lilley

Beef

4/ 7/08

5:15 PM

Charlie Daniels vs. Guitar Hero

Photo: Getty Images, Courtesy of Activision

If you had asked us, we'd probably have told you the worst possible side effects of playing too much Guitar Hero III were blistered fingers and a renewed appreciation for the Scorpion's Love at First Sting (which is approximately 6 percent better than you remember). According to 71-year-old country-music star Charlie Daniels — whose song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" is featured in a later stage of the game — though, the dangers of GHIII are a little more serious.

And they might even include eternal damnation! Or something! »

Beef

3/25/08

2:15 PM

How Fanboys (Sort Of) Saved ‘Fanboys’ From Harvey Weinstein

Courtesy of Weinstein Company

It's a situation eerily similar to the way the Rebellion achieved galactic victory by discovering that the Empire’s muffler ports had not been properly secured against proton torpedoes (stupid contractors). Star Wars–philes upset that Harvey Weinstein had reshot portions of the upcoming Star Wars–phile comedy Fanboys got the production giant to promise to release an unaltered version. Well, on DVD, anyway.

How did the fanboys (sort of) save Fanboys? By declaring an Internet-organized boycott of the Weinstein Company's Superhero Movie this weekend. Although that seems on the face of things the least threatening boycott ever — given the potentially meager audiences for Superhero Movie in the first place — it makes a certain kind of sense.

Read more »

Beef

3/24/08

4:15 PM

Blasphemy! Blake Lewis Doesn't Like David Archuleta

Photos: Getty Images

Add beat-boxing American Idol runner-up Blake Lewis to the list of minor speed bumps David Archuleta will roll over on his way to unstoppable televised glory. Lewis, who claims he never even watched American Idol before this season, thinks Archuleta is "boring" — a claim that so upset Archuleta's fan base that the comments at Rickey.org have been overwhelmed with posts slamming Lewis. Plus, there are a whole bunch of super-creepy comments from self-proclaimed cougars who can't stop thinking of — and voting for — David Archuleta. Heads up, Lewis — this is a guy who survived not even knowing who the Beatles are. That which doesn't kill him just makes him stronger.

Blake Lewis Thinks David Archuleta is Boring [Rickey.org via Idolator]

Beef

3/24/08

2:15 PM

Gibson Guitars vs. Guitar Hero

This photo is also the intellectual property
of Gibson Guitars.Photo: iStockphoto

Last Friday, the guitarsmiths at Gibson expanded their legal campaign against video-game retailers to include Activision, Harmonix, MTV Networks, and Electronic Arts. All these companies were or are involved in the development or distribution of the video games Guitar Hero and/or Rock Band. The premise behind Gibson's lawsuits, apparently, is that in 1999 the company filed a patent related to “the use of technology to simulate a musical performance,” and therefore any and all music-simulation devices are patent infringements.

Can you patent the concept of air guitar? »

Beef

3/11/08

1:45 PM

Edward Norton Battling Marvel Over ‘The Incredible Hulk’

Photo Illustration: Courtesy of Universal and Marvel

Nikki Finke reports this morning that Edward Norton, the star, screenwriter, and producer of this summer's The Incredible Hulk, is battling Marvel over how to edit the movie. When he signed on, Norton was promised "tremendous involvement and access" and was invited to help rewrite Zak Penn's script, which sort of strikes us a mistake given his famously cooperative past (in 1998, director Tony Kaye tried to take his name off American History X after New Line let Norton recut the film, purportedly giving himself more screen time) and the fact that he's, well, never really written anything before (Update: He's done some uncredited rewrites on a few of his films, most notably Frida). Now, according to Finke, Universal is worried that Norton might refuse to do promotion for Hulk, due in June (see a teaser of the forthcoming trailer here).

There's no word yet on what, specifically, the dispute is over, but with Universal under pressure to deliver a more action-packed Hulk movie — after Ang Lee's thoughtful, plot-heavy The Hulk put hard-core fans to sleep in 2003 — the studio probably needs Norton's support to win over nerds and earn back its $150 million investment. We hope this will be a lesson to the next studio considering allowing an actor to do anything!

Ed Norton And Marvel In 'Hulk'-ing Feud [Deadline Hollywood Daily]

Beef

3/ 6/08

12:00 PM

Uwe Boll vs. Steven Spielberg

Photos: Getty Images

Legendary German director Uwe Boll is picking fights again. Two years after he entered the boxing ring to take on his critics, Boll (legend in his own mind) is claiming he will crush Steven Spielberg (authentic film legend) when his latest video-game adaptation, Postal, opens on the same weekend as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Boll asserts the mighty box-office power of his newest horror-comedy in an e-mail to the movie Website Bloody Disgusting (all [sic]s implied, natch):

On the Indiana Jones weekend - May 23 - we will go out and destroy Indiana Jones in the Box Office! We all know that Harrison Ford is older as my grandpa and his time is up - would Michael Moore say!

(Michael Moore has not been reached for comment.)

As evidence to back up his claim that he can take down Spielberg in this mano a mano cinematic combat, Boll trumpets the magnum force of his superior directing and acting skills:

Spielberg gets sloppy. We saw that with War of the Worlds (why the fuck the older brother survived?) and also in parts of Jaws, E.T., Munich etc.! My performance in Postal as 'Nazi Theme Park Owner' outperforms easily Ben Kingsley in Schindler's List!

And what are the chances that Boll will be victorious on Memorial Day weekend? »

More Beef posts

R. Kelly Finally Responds to Ne-Yo Lawsuit in New Dis Track

3/ 4/08

|
10:45 AM

| Tags: music, ne-yo, r. kelly

Simon Pegg vs. McG

3/ 3/08

|
10:15 AM

| Tags: edgar wright, fox, jessica stevenson, mcg, simon pegg, spaced, tv

State Liquor Authority Rejects Andrew W.K.’s Application to Party

2/22/08

|
12:30 PM

| Tags: andrew w.k., partying, partying hard, partying till one pukes, santa's party house, state liquor authority

Conspiracy Theory: Was Clive Davis Behind Beyoncé's Grammy Slap at Aretha?

2/13/08

|
11:15 AM

| Tags: aretha franklin, beyonce, clive davis, grammys, music

‘Friday Night Lights’ Fans So Angry at Ben Silverman They're Sending Him Envelopes Full of Broken Glass

2/ 8/08

|
3:30 PM

| Tags: ben silverman, friday night lights, tv

Woody Allen Fails to Step to Ricky Gervais

12/20/07

|
1:45 PM

| Tags: movies, ricky gervais, woody allen

Prince Declares War on Music Pirates

11/ 9/07

|
3:20 PM

| Tags: music, oink, piracy, pirate bay, prince

Hollywood vs. Christmas

11/ 5/07

|
3:28 PM

| Tags: fred claus, hollywood vs. christmas, i am legend, movies, no country for old men, sweeney todd, there will be blood

Santiago Calatrava vs. the City of Bilbao

10/31/07

|
3:44 PM

| Tags: architecture, art, santiago calatrava

Francis Ford Coppola Takes On Pacino, De Niro, Nicholson

10/18/07

|
3:31 PM

| Tags: al pacino, francis ford coppola, jack nicholson, movies, robert de niro

Raymond Carver's Widow vs. Alfred A. Knopf

10/17/07

|
11:29 AM

| Tags: andrew wylie, binky urban, books, gary fisketjon, knopf, raymond carver, tess gallagher

Do Not Cross Ben Silverman, For He Will Date Your Children

10/17/07

|
10:22 AM

| Tags: abc, barry sonnenfeld, ben silverman, fox, nbc, tv

Reilly vs. Silverman vs. McPherson: The Battle of the Century Happens Today

10/16/07

|
11:30 AM

| Tags: abc, ben silverman, fox, kevin reilly, nbc, steve mcpherson, tv

Hollywood Columnists Nikki Finke and Glen Kenny Do Battle in Comments Section of Blog

10/12/07

|
4:18 PM

| Tags: eli roth, glen kenny, movies, nikki finke

Does Hollywood Hate Women?

10/10/07

|
2:38 PM

| Tags: columbia pictures, jeffrey wells, movies, nikki finke, sony, warner brothers

Ben Silverman Fights Dirty

9/26/07

|
4:19 PM

| Tags: abc, ben silverman, cavemen, nbc, steve mcpherson, tv

Not Gangsta: 50 Cent Blames Record Label, Kanye West Runs to Mommy

9/13/07

|
5:20 PM

| Tags: 50 cent, kanye west, music

50 Cent vs. Kanye West: This Thing Is Pretty Much Over, Right?

9/12/07

|
9:44 AM

| Tags: 50 cent, kanye west, kenny chesney, music

50 Cent vs. Kanye West: Today's the Big Day, We Guess

9/11/07

|
4:35 PM

| Tags: 50 cent, kanye west, kenny chesney, music

‘New Yorker’ Hire Hates Our Way of Life?

8/29/07

|
10:30 AM

| Tags: books, james wood, literary patriotism, the new yorker

Kanye West: Worst Beefer in History

8/27/07

|
5:21 PM

| Tags: 50 cent, kanye west, music

Religious Zealots vs. Pop Culture

8/24/07

|
1:30 PM

| Tags: crazy people, music, video

When Rap Magazine Editors Go Wild

8/17/07

|
4:24 PM

| Tags: 50 cent, crazy people, elliott wilson, kanye west, music, rolling stone, xxl

Mark Ronson Needs to Pick Better Rivalries

8/14/07

|
12:51 PM

| Tags: mark ronson, music, myspace, portishead, stupid

Kanye West Not Working Hard Enough at Rivalry with 50 Cent

8/ 7/07

|
5:31 PM

| Tags: 50 cent, kanye west, music

Elton John vs. the Internet

8/ 2/07

|
11:45 AM

| Tags: crazy people, elton john, internet, music

Exec Fight: Ben Silverman vs. Steve McPherson

7/26/07

|
11:35 AM

| Tags: abc, ben silverman, bionic woman, isaiah washington, kevin reilly, nbc, steve mcpherson

Today in Old-Lion Feuds That Crack Us Up: Norman Mailer vs. Jean-Luc Godard

7/23/07

|
12:08 PM

| Tags: books, jean-luc godard, movies, norman mailer

Megadeth vs. the United Nations

7/13/07

|
3:35 PM

| Tags: megadeth, music, united nations, visigoths

Eli Roth Botches Response to Danny Boyle's Feud Offer

7/ 5/07

|
12:35 PM

| Tags: danny boyle, eli roth, famous wangs, movies

Joss Whedon vs. ‘Captivity‘

5/22/07

|
11:06 AM

| Tags: captivity, joss whedon, movies

Mike White Calls Out Judd Apatow

5/ 7/07

|
10:35 AM

| Tags: freaks and geeks, judd apatow, knocked up, mike white, movies

Conspiracy! Tribeca Film Festival! 9/11!

5/ 2/07

|
5:45 PM

| Tags: jane rosenthal, robert de niro, tribeca film festival

Rage Against the Machine Hate Bush. Finally!

5/ 2/07

|
2:35 PM

| Tags: audioslave, bjork, chris cornell, coachella, music, nine inch nails, rage against the machine, rufus wainwright, tom morello, trent reznor, zach de la rocha

De Niro vs. Bowie. Fight!

4/24/07

|
12:07 PM

| Tags: david bowie, highline festival, movies, music, robert deniro, tribeca film festival

If I Had a Hammer, I'd Hammer Stephen Hunter

4/23/07

|
2:40 PM

| Tags: a.o. scott, cho seung-hui, movies, pulitzer prize winner stephen hunter, virginia tech killings

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