Lauren Conrad, whose debut teen novel, L.A. Candy, hit #1 on a New York Times bestseller list, just landed another three-book deal with HarperCollins, she tells UsMagazine.com exclusively.
Called The Fame Game, the Hills alum’s upcoming trilogy is set in the reality TV universe, and features Madison Parker, an ambitious, ruthless character from the L.A. Candy series.
“This series is about a girl who loves everything that fame is, and that’s all she’s ever really wanted,” Conrad explains. “[ Madison ] has fun with the press, she enjoys the attention, she welcomes scandal!”
If Madison sounds familiar (Heidi Montag, perhaps?), Conrad assures Usmagazine her characters aren’t based on anyone real. “No. We have fun with it! We kind of take [ Hollywood ] stereotypes.
With a clothing empire to run as well (her third line debuts this fall), when does Conrad write?
“Between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m.,” Conrad tells Us. “My phone doesn’t ring, and there’s nothing on TV!”
Is Conrad‘s longtime beau, actor Kyle Howard, an L.A. Candy devotee? “He read my first book, which was very sweet,” Conrad says, laughing. “I told him he didn’t have to read the rest. I don’t think he’s the target market!”
The paperback edition of Conrad’s third L.A. Candy book, Sugar and Spice, goes on sale Tuesday.
The 7th Annual Hollyshorts Film Festival, an annual showcase offering the best and brightest short-form filmmakers prime industry exposure in Hollywood, California.
Since its inception in 2004, HSFF has gained impressive momentum exhibiting the short-form works of talents such as David Lynch, Eli Roth, Paul Haggis, Scarlett Johansson, James Franco, James Caan, Scott Porter, John Dahl, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kirsten Dunst, Courteney Cox, Jessica Biel, David Arquette, Demi Moore, and Josh Brolin.
Emerging filmmakers may find a unique opportunity at HollyShorts to showcase their work alongside A-list stars and industry heavyweights.
Taking place in the movie capital of the world, media and industry presence is abundant, with past seasons receiving write-ups in The Los Angeles Times, In Style Magazine, and indieWIRE. MovieMaker even named HollyShorts one of 25 festivals “worth the entry fee.”
The new issue of Rolling Stone features a deep interview with Rihanna in which she talks about her difficult upbringing, the endless rumors about her relationships and why she agreed to let a judge ease the restraining order against Chris Brown. “That’s my decision,” she says. “It doesn’t mean we’re gonna make up, or even talk again. It just means I didn’t want to object to the judge.”
“We don’t have to talk ever again in my life,” she says. “I just didn’t want to make it more difficult for him professionally. What he did was a personal thing – it had nothing to do with his career. Saying he has to be a hundred feet away from me, he can’t perform at awards shows – that definitely made it difficult for him.”
“I put my guard up so hard. I didn’t want people to see me cry,” Rihanna says regarding the aftermath of the Brown incident. “I didn’t want people to feel bad for me. It was a very vulnerable time in my life, and I refused to let that be the image. I wanted them to see me as, ‘I’m fine, I’m tough.’ I put that up until it felt real.”
On S&M being semi-autobiographical, Rihanna says, “Being submissive in the bedroom is really fun. You get to be a little lady, to have somebody be macho and in charge of your s**t. That’s fun to me…I like to be spanked.”
On sexting, Rihanna tells Rolling Stone, “When you’re not with the person you want to be intimate with, a picture is the next best thing. Well, Skype is safer. But a picture lasts a long time. When you’re alone, and those horny moments come up, pictures can be very handy.”
The Rolling Stone issue hits newsstands this Friday.
In the new issue of Rolling Stone, Ricky Gervais sets the record straight about his controversial Golden Globes monologue. “If you can’t tease the richest, most powerful people in the world, who can be the butt of your jokes?'” he asks. “It was six or seven one-liners, throwaways I wrote in an hour. It was nothing.
Let’s go through them one by one. Johnny Depp wasn’t offended. I’ve spoken to him about five times since. Hugh Hefner tweeted he wasn’t offended. I can’t imagine Bruce Willis being offended. I did nothing wrong. I know I didn’t!”
Even though Gervais is the producer and creator of The Office, he didn’t freak out when Steve Carrell announced that he was leaving. “It’s probably expected of me, as executive producer, to try and persuade him to stay,” Gervais said. “But I sent him an e-mail saying, ‘I think you’re doing the right thing.'”
Gervais has been an atheist ever since he was eight. It wound up helping him when a test audience gave an early version of The Office the lowest rating in the history of the BBC. He refused to change a word of it. “I’ve always done exactly what I wanted,” he says. “Which is important for an atheist, because there’s nothing else. No reward later. My reward is the here and now. It’s me that’s got to sleep with me, only me.”
Just two things make Gervais‘ blood boil: religious fanaticism and animal cruelty. “I cheer when a matador gets gored,” he says.
The full article appears in the new Rolling Stone, on newsstands Friday.
Ashton Kutcher likes to be ready — for anything. The actor recently visited the Surplus Value Center in LA and stocked up on $4,000 worth of survival gear for himself and his family.
“He is obsessed with the idea of either an earthquake or massive uprising,” an insider tells In Touch.
Ashton bought some basic survival packages: emergency blankets, hand-powered radios and flashlights, as well as a lot of emergency water rations and ready-to-eat meals. “The store specializes in anything you might need for basic survival in the event of a natural disaster,” says the insider. “Ashton apparently likes to keep up a good stock of emergency goods.”
And he’s not the only one! Stars including Kiefer Sutherland, Leonardo DiCaprio and Angie Harmon are all regulars at the Sunset Boulevard shop, the insider reveals.
