News Roundup: Rihanna’s New Video, Janet Jackson in Trouble With PETA, Lady Gaga’s Newsstand Appeal Drops
– We’ve come to expect that a new Rihanna video will be accompanied by spectacle and speculation, and “You Da One,” directed by Melina Matsouka, reliably follows suit. The video is an enviable fashion-fest with cameos from recent Dolce and Gabbana and Balenciaga collections. It’s also the latest pop creation to subtly employ the aesthetics of A Clockwork Orange. But does it also borrow other, uncredited ideas? A few keen observers think so: a Numero pictorial from 2008 by photographer Solve Sundsbo features the same “projected polka dots on a nude female form” concept that “You Da One” incorporates three years later. Already accused of ripping off David LaChapelle’s imagery with “S&M,” is the singer destined for another expensive court battle with a photographer?
Watch “You Da One” below:
– Janet Jackson just landed the inglorious honor of being dubbed “Grinch of the Year” by PETA. Not only does she continue to wear fur, she also designed a fur collection for clothing label Blackgama. Animal rights crusader Pam Anderson is also not pleased with Miss Jackson, having called her “greedy” for her involvement with the Blackgama ad campaigns.
– In other dubious milestones, GQ just named actor and 30 Seconds to Mars frontman Jared Leto the “worst dressed man of the year.” Our review of his Video Music Awards’ ensemble may clue you in to how we personally feel about the matter.
– Recently interviewed by The New York Times, the original British songbird of the Sixties, Marianne Faithfull, acknowledged her cult fashion status, as evidenced by her enduring popularity on style blogs, but said she doesn’t engage in it. “I can’t possibly keep up, so I don’t really bother,” she said. “It’s better that way. I would get too self-conscious, and that would be bad for me.” She mainly performs in Chanel these days, with her eternally-lit cigarette still in hand.
– Lady Gaga still sells magazines, but not like Jennifer Aniston and Sarah Jessica Parker do, as New York‘s annual round-up of publication wins and losses reveals. While Gaga’s flamboyant covers (Vogue, May’s Harper’s Bazaar) still move units, her “stripped down” cover shoots (like her second Harper’s cover in October) failed to engage much public interest.
– Jessie J’s latest video, “Domino,” is practically screaming to be an ad for Versace’s recent collection for H&M. No one is complaining.
Watch “Domino”:
– Crossover sensations and K-Pop superstars 2NE1 just won MTV’s Best International Band Award and invaded New York City for a special show. Now they are quickly landing on American fashion editors’ radar. Their longstanding kinship with designer Jeremy Scott, as spotlighted by MTV Style, seems only to help. They even have a shoe collaboration out through the designer’s Adidas line.
– A “Brooklyn Alumni” sweatshirt designed by Brian Woods featuring Lil’ Kim and Notorious B.I.G. has been generating plenty of online interest. Aside from some of Brooklyn’s famous musical elite, it also features Larry David and Michael Jordan.