More Disney Dream Portraits

A few years ago I posted a bunch of photos taken by Annie Leibovitz of celebrities as Disney characters as part of Disney's Year of a Million Dreams promotion, and recently a few more have surfaced.  A couple of these I think are kind of inspired, and a couple I think are kind of a stretch, but I wanted to post them regardless.  I think it's a really cool idea, and I'm glad to see they've released a few more.

Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens as Phillip and Aurora

Alec Baldwin as the Magic Mirror and Olivia Wilde as the Evil Queen

Jeff Bridges as the Prince and Penelope Cruz as Belle

Queen Latifah as Ursula

The first one seems to have been released prior to the following three, and I kind of wish they had used some more established and long-lasting actors for it, but oh well.  That kiss is so awkward, and she's not even sleeping.  Alec Baldwin is kind of, I don't know, ridiculous or something, but Olivia Wilde is perfect as the Evil Queen.  I like Penelope Cruz as Belle, but Jeff Bridges looks entirely too Photoshopped to match (nice work slimming down that belly).  I was surprised and impressed to discover that for Queen Latifah's shoot, they actually built a squid apparatus for her to sit in for the photos, complete with all six legs--it seems obvious it would be completely digitally-created, but not so!  (See here -- scroll down to the behind-the-scenes photos.)  Also, is it of note to anyone else that two of the features actors in this new set starred in TRON: Legacy?  Interesting.  I guess that's what you call synergy.

Open Letter to Mr. Ricky Martin

Dear Ricky,

I don't think you're gay.  I think you are bored, spoiled, oversexualized, probably more than a little bit perverted, and that this is a last ditch attempt to save your floundering career.  Pretty sure you'll be back to straight once you fall into obscurity again.

Regards,

Drew

(I mean, really, why do has-beens feel the need to come out when no one even cares what they're doing in their personal life?  They're not doing any favors to anyone, not even the agenda to which they currently ascribe.  Bleh.  Everyone knows they only play Ricky Martin songs on the oldies stations anymore, right Melody?)

Un-American Redux

Well, whatever the reasoning, Tom Hanks has retracted his unfair and nonsensical statement about Mormon supporters of Prop 8 being un-American (not to mention the hundreds of thousands of non-LDS and/or Catholic Califiornians who were also evidently in favor of it) and actually apologized. Whaddaya know, participating in the democratic process is an American-ish thing to do after all! Thanks for the (eventual) stamp of approval, Tom!

But really, an apology from Hollywood? That's the last thing I expected to hear from this guy. I really would have thought he couldn't care less what his LDS viewers thought of him. He (or his publicist?) at least seems to know to follow whichever way the wind blows.

Un-American

Apparently, Tom Hanks has (very authoritatively, of course) decided that Mormons are "un-American" for our support of Proposition 8 in last fall's election.

Evidently, if you're liberal and follow the lawless standards of the world (nay, even Hollywood, for Pete's sake), that's what qualifies you as an American. If standing up for what I believe in, fighting for traditional values and participating in the democratic process makes me un-American, then I guess that's what I am.

Why do celebrities think they know everything anyway? Stick to acting, leave politics to the politicians. Heaven knows they mess it up enough for themselves. They don't need a bunch of self-important pseudo-intellectuals to help them out.