REVIEW: Lindsay Lohan in Speed-the-Plow

It’s safe to say that Lindsay Lohan has lead a colourful life over the past few years and has earned quite the name for herself as a troubled Hollywood party girl. The last year or so, however, has seen Lohan try and make an effort to rid herself of this reputation and get back to  the star-status she once had, when she was celebrated for actually being a talented actress (hopefully this is the last time, 6 rehab stints? Come on hun.) This effort has been backed up with a role in David Mamet’s Speed-The-Plow which has been running at London’s Playhouse Theatre for the last couple of months, something she hopes has gained her back some much needed credibility. 

The audience wasn’t as full of die hard Lohan fans as would perhaps be assumed. Saying this, the Mean Girls and The Parent Trap quoting was heard throughout the evening, for example when Lohan graced the stage in a black polka dot mini dress someone whispered ‘On Thursday’s we wear black’. These quiet heckles were just a testament to how iconic Lohan’s early films were to a certain generation. One thing has been clear from the mixed reviews the starlet has received, it’s that she does possess actual star presence. And it’s true when she entered the stage, the audience took notice, although perhaps this was because a good percentage of onlookers knew who Halle Parker was or that it isn’t appropriate to wear sweat pants on Monday. Either way Lohan looked great, if a little enhanced, perhaps this is a sign of the healthier lifestyle she is now apparently living.

Her performance, although slightly shaky at the start, eased up and flourished as the evening continued. Playing the seemingly naïve but ultimately manipulative and ambitious Karen (a role first played by Madonna in 1988), Lohan exhibited enough range to show this duality in her character. At times her lines felt a little rushed, although it could be argued this was a part of Karen’s desperate manner and the density of Mamet’s script.  By the final scene Lohan was holding her own beside her two co-stars Nigel Lindsay and Richard Schiff, who both gave stellar performances as the two greedy Hollywood producers Lohan’s character tries to have one over on. All in all for someone that’s not a stage actress Lindsay Lohan gave a good performance, shaky and unsure at times but good enough to put her back on the map. With the show closing very soon only time will tell whether this change in direction will pay off.

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Bette Midler and Ariana Grande come to blows

Uh Oh looks like there's another fued a'brewin in celebville as pop-princess Ariana Grande and all-round ball of fabulousness Bette Midler get caught in a heated row. It all started when Bette threw shade Ariana's way, stating in an interview with The Telegraph:

'It's terrible! It's always surprising to see someone like Ariana Grande with that silly high voice, slithering around on a couch, looking so ridiculous. I mean, it's silly beyond belief and I don't know who's telling her to do it. I wish they'd stop.'

Ariana was said to be upset by the comments as she is apparently a big fan of Bette's. The starlet was also claimed to have thought Bette was being a little hypocriticial seeing as she was partial to showing a bit of flesh here and there in her heyday. Eventually it seems Bette may have had second thoughts and sent a tweet out Ariana's way:

 

To which Ariana replied with:

Well it looks like this fued may be over before it's had time to fully bloom, although is anyone still sensing some anger in the supposed 'let's make it up' tweets? 

Break The Internet: Kim Kardashian

Love it or hate it, let's face it, in 10 years people will still be talking about THAT Kim K cover...

She's certainly established herself as the most iconic reality star in history with what is the most notorious derriere in showbusiness today. Now Kim Kardashian has posed for Paper Magazine in a spread which was aptly titled 'Break The Internet', and that she did, just take a look at some of the reactions below as well as the original pics!

Some seemed to agree Kim's isn't quite the best.

 Some likened it to sugary snacks.

 Her husband had only adoring words (well kind of)

 Naya threw shade.

Chelsea threw back a selfie. 

THANKS TO EVERYONE THAT'S VIEWED, POP TARTZ NOW HAS OVER 1000 VIEWS!

It may not seem a lot but remember Nadine Coyle's debut only sold 17 copies and look how far she came (on second thought...)

REVIEW: Ariana Grande 'Love Me Harder' Video

She’s made quite an impact on the chart music scene over the course of the last few months, with mega-hit ‘Problem’ and super-collaboration ‘Bang Bang’. But with this mid-tempo R’n’B jam Ariana slows things down and the song finally has an accompanying video that compliments this change of pace.

The video starts by introducing both Ariana’s and featuring artist The Weeknd’s names before revealing the title of the song. Here she is establishing herself the kind of artist whose video deserves an introduction, giving it the feeling of an event. We then see Ariana writhe around in what looks like an abandoned chateau, clad in a bralet and pencil skirt. Gone is the playful ponytail that originally got her noticed and had fast become her go to ‘look’. Maybe by this point Ariana feels it’s time to ditch the image that got her name out there and is now establishing herself as a grownup entertainer, although without too much shock value (ala Ms. Cyrus). She’s not gone all mature on us just yet though with some fun cat ears thrown in for good measure. As Ariana continues to grind on what could possibly be her nans chair, the room lights up, with sunlight beaming through the windows. Intercutting this are clips of lightening and random explosions of dust. Is this another hint at Grande’s ascendance into adulthood, her, ahem, awakening?

We then see The Weeknd in what is perhaps the dingy basement to Grande’s old mansion. His inclusion adds a certain urban flavor to the video. Throughout these early stages of her career Ariana has made a point to team up with artists perhaps already more respected than herself, Iggy, Nicki, Mac Miller the list goes on (well actually not really, Jessie J? Nah.) She takes this theme a step further with The Weeknd, a less 'mainstream' artist. However, is this a case of Grande aligning herself with the cool elite or The Weeknd slumming it with a bubblegum pop princess? Either way it’s a hookup that just seems to make sense. Separate clips of the two singers are interspersed until they finally seem to unite back to back (with a little help from CGI perhaps). Ariana is next seen in a long overdue second setup (it was getting a bit tiresome seeing her throw dust around that grotty bedroom.) Here she lays on a dark rippling pool that is intercut with scenes of her and The Weeknd cavorting amidst the debris, giving a climactic feel to the end of the video.

All in all compared to the sense of event and decadence of Ariana’s other videos this latest effort seems a little beige and lazy. But perhaps Ariana wishes to show a more stripped back part of her star persona. This may be something the star feels is necessary in order to gain credibility in a world where it can be hard for ex-tween darlings to be seen as anything different. Well, with this chilled R’n’B tinged number, accompanied by an understated laid back video, Ariana Grande seems to be making an effort to do so.

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