Sir Elton John owns the largest collection of 20th century photography in the world, and has his own gallery, the Sir Elton John Photography Collection. He loaned 150 of his photographs by Nan Goldin to the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, England, which appeared to be what started the controversy. Nan Goldin’s images are very provocative and unusual and often elicit a very visceral response – however it hasn’t ever lead to her being accused of creating - and Sir Elton being accused of owning - child pornography. One of the photographs John lent was titled “Klara and Edda Belly-Dancing,” and depicts two young girls, one laying on the ground naked with her legs spread apart, the other standing over her belly dancing. The image doesn’t really seem that provocative to me, but more the playing of children who aren’t yet aware of the strict social morays that will come to govern their bodies. However an employee at the Baltic Centre complained that the images were pornographic, which has caused quite a stir for Elton and Goldberg.

“Police in Northumbria, in northeastern England, were called to the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead after fielding a complaint from the gallery’s management. ‘We attended the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead last Thursday at the invitation of the management, who were seeking advice about an item for an exhibition prior to it going on public display,’ a police spokesperson told the Times of London. ‘This item is being assessed, and Northumbria Police, in consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service is investigating the circumstances surrounding it.’

“In a statement on his official Website, the 60-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer confirmed that he had purchased the picture in 1999 from the White Cube gallery in London. Titled ‘Klara and Edda Belly-Dancing,’ the image is one of 149 images comprising the ‘Thanksgiving’ installation of acclaimed American photographer Nan Goldin.

“‘The photograph exists as part of the installation as a whole and has been widely published and exhibited throughout the world,’ the singer said in defense of the artist. ‘It can be found in the monograph of Ms. Goldin’s works entitled “The Devil’s Playground” and has been offered for sale at Sotheby’s New York in 2002 and 2004 and has previously been exhibited in Houston, London, Madrid, New York, Portugal, Warsaw and Zurich without any objections of which we are aware.’”

[From E! News]

Elton John has an amazing photography collection that includes works by Richard Avedon, Man Ray, Ansel Adams, and Diane Arbus, my photographic hero. I don’t find the image to be all that provocative, or even that special from an artistic point of view. I truly can’t see what the problem is – though for the sake of not offending others, I’ve chosen not to put the image on the site but to link to it above. The gallery has chosen not to display this image, which I think is a shame. To let one person’s perception of art affect everyone else’s jeopardizes creativity. There is certainly a line, but I don’t think this image is near it.

Picture Note by Jaybird: Here’s Elton John and husband David Furnish at the GQ Magazine Men of the Year Awards on September 4th. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Leonardo DiCaprio is proving his geek credentials – getting into a fight with Nicholas Cage about a dinosaur head.

The bidding war between the two Hollywood stars was intense as the price soared for the 67 million-year-old dinosaur skull.

Only when it reached $276,000 did Leonardo DiCaprio blink - and Nicolas Cage walked away from the Beverley Hills auction with a ferocious-looking addition to his fossil collection.

As this recent battle of the celebrities for the head of a tyrannosauras [sic] bataar — the Asian cousin of T-rex — proved, dinosaur bones are emerging as the new, collectible must-haves for the multi-millionaires of Hollywood, Wall Street and Silicon Valley.

Daily Telegraph

Apparently these are the new must-have accessory, although I guess more for geek boys than fashion conscious ladies. Hopefully this doesn’t translate to fashion – I’m thinking the Flintstones here!

Dinosaur bones are a new form of wall art, an alternative to a Monet or Picasso. It must be cool to have one of these.

“Dinosaur bones and all sorts of fossils are increasingly hot right now. Hollywood heavy-hitters and the mega-rich types from the Middle East love this stuff,” said Josh Chait, operations director of the family firm (auctioneers IM Chait).

“When you already have a Warhol or a Monet on the wall, you tend to want a change from traditional artwork and people are turning to natural history for that.”

Daily Telegraph

This is a great trend for Hollywood to get into. Hopefully when they turn into old bones themselves, or even just tire of the trend, they’ll donate the bones to a museum. A Chicago museum recently paid $8.3million for a dinosaur skeleton, so if they could get some for free, everybody wins!

Picture note by Celebitchy: Composite picture includes an illustration of the Tarbosaurus bataar, also known as Tyrannosaurus bataar. It was one of the last surviving dinosaurs, and lived in the Gobi desert in southern Mongolia. It was a carnivore and is a close relative of the T-Rex. Thanks to Dinosaur-World for the picture and description.

And now for a bulletin from the world of high culture … in an era when the high is interested in getting as way down as it can. The National Portrait Gallery in London is no exception: here trouncing over the old high/low divide with that easiest and most often of cheap curator stunts - the Fashion Photography Show … and with the extra cojones of announcing this moldy old museum move as new and cutting edge. If it was a knife it couldnt get through soup. And we quote:

Face of Fashion focuses on the portraits of five outstanding fashion photographers from Europe and America: Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, Corinne Day, Steven Klein, Paolo Roversi and Mario Sorrenti. It is the first exhibition of its kind, celebrating the innovation and diversity of current fashion portraiture.

Cheap curatorial maneuvering to imply. “Don’t worry folks … its just like a Vanity Fair meets People spread with pricier admission … nothing to be bored by here … you can stroll around then go for drinks.”

The National Gallery is adding to the extra thrilling kick of guarunteed non-boring art with a healthy helping of popular wish fulfilment. Photographer Steven Klein kicks in a picture of Kevin Federline (K-Fed, Fedex, K. Fiddy, Kuff Faddy, etc. etc. etc.) with his throat slit. The NPG continues in heinous prose:

In the contemporary fashion world, models, actors, musicians and designers frequently swap places. The exhibition highlights the relationship between fashion and celebrity and illustrates the extraordinary intimacy that often develops between photographer and subject.

K. Fiddy is none of those but here’s betting the free PR from the photo more than makes up for breaking the paper thin logic of this paper thin concept of a show. And its gotta give Britney a bright moment in an otherwise so far bleak 2007.

Paris Hilton is proving once again that she has a near endless ability to spin any news into good news. Following revelations that her lazy left eye is the result of a botched eye lift the heiress has cut a deal with The Spinach Growers of America (SGA) to appear as their new Paris ‘Popeye” Hilton Spokesperson. That ain’t just spin … it’s a salad spinner.

Miss Hilton has controversially refused to follow Doctor’s advice and cease her near constant use of the zombie blue contact lenses, which are reportedly aggravating her condition. One source close to her medical team reports: “That eye has been drooping like the backend of a lazy hound dawg for years … let me tell you … she keeps up like this — that dawg won’t hunt much longer!”

But in yet another example of Hilton hubris turned savvy Paris has transformed her permanent wink from a medical problem to a financial asset. “Popeye” Hilton will be launching a multi-media, vitamin rich, international advertising campaign to bring Spinach back from it’s recent troubles with E. Coli — which recently killed one and sickened 187 other spinach eating unfortunates .

Feeling uneasy about their industry’s future, and not knowing what it might take to win back public confidence. The SGA was thrilled to hit upon the Parisian solution.

“Nowadays when the public thinks Spinach they think fecal-matter borne, deadly bacteria — with Paris as our spokesperson we have turned that into a positive. Everyone knows she’s America’s number one Petri dish and all the more popular for it.” said SGA Media rep Alice Goon ‘” and given that our previous Popeye was a Sailorman we look forward to Leno, Letterman and Stewart doing endless seamen jokes.”

From E-Online:

If you measure riches in cold hard cash, Oprah Winfrey’s got it going on. And for those of you who measure riches in love and warm, fuzzy feelings…well, Winfrey’s got plenty of that going for her, as well.

The multimedia maven topped two snazzy lists this week, landing at number one on Forbes’ first-ever compilation of the 20 richest women in entertainment and placing first in the annual Harris Poll that determines America’s favorite TV personalities.

From the Upcoming Issue of O Magazine: The Oprah Winfrey Magazine

WHAT I KNOW FOR SURE

So here we all are just on the far side of that crazy holiday season full of wishes and expectations. The pressure to give and receive—and spend until you wish you hadn’t. It’s a part of the culture we need to change, or we’ll all pay a price for mindless giving. Well not me … its actually mathematically impossible for me to spend other than mindlessly . Too many zeros for the human mind to grasp. Sometimes I have to actually overspend just to reduce the neck strain from the krugerrands weighing down my Herme’s bags (which arrive pre-release, pre-season, in bulk and for free –‘ cause Herme’s knows all about the cost of not showing Oprah love).

Four years ago, you may remember, I went to South Africa to bring gifts to 50,000 children, many of whom had never received a present in their lives. That was the first year I won the Harris poll as America’s number one favorite Oprah – Lightbulb moment!.

I knew I couldn’t rely on popularity alone to keep on knowing WHAT I KNOW FOR SURE. Love lists are all very nice, but the OPRAH mobile had its GPS set for Benjaminville. I mean sixteen years of a number one talk show hadn’t gotten me to number one on that list. I searched high and low till I found the most overbearingly Sure of Knowing WHAT HE KNOWS character I could — and syndicated his shiny-pated ass

Those Dr. Phil syndication dollars pushed me over the finish line onto Forbes Billionaires list . What did I learn? I learned that I can have it all … all the money … all the love and I can be the covergirl on my own magazine every month … I can have a pony made of cookies – and Steadman won’t mind the crumbs in bed.

I Feel a life lesson coming on!

“Everyone has the power for greatness—not for fame, but greatness, because greatness is determined by service.” Even before I did a make-over on Coretta Scott King, who’s helmet hair was not of service to anyone, I knew my favorite quote, I knew in my heart that its message was true. As far back as I can recall, my prayer has been the same: “Use me, God. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to be, and what I can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself.” Naturally I had no idea back in the day what a challenge that would be for God … who knew that the greatness of myself would be so large and in charge. I mean it’s gonna be quite a job for God to come up with something than what I did all by myself … Where do you go from up?

All of us need a vision for our lives and even as we work to achieve the vision, we must surrender it to the power that is greater than we know. The power of the Forbes TOP 100 Most Richest Celebrities List or the polling expertise of the nice people at Harris are obvious examples of candidates for this greater power.

It’s one of the defining principles of my life that I love to share: God can dream a bigger dream for you than you could ever dream for yourself. Success comes when you surrender to that dream—and let it lead you to the next best place. And of course, for me, shortly after the Next best place – to the Very Best Place of All … that being the number one place on all lists everywhere.

What I know for sure is that if you want to have success, you can’t make success your goal. As my friend Wintley Phipps, the gospel singer and minister, once told me, the key is not to worry about being successful, but to instead work towards being popular and rich —and the success will naturally follow.

How can you serve your way to greatness? That is surely a question the staff at Hermes know the answer to — I schooled them there. When you shift your focus from success to accumulating vast amounts of pollable love and money from strangers, your work as a teacher, clerk, doctor or dot-commer will instantly have more meaning. Relative, of course, to those of us who are already front loaded with super-meaningful buckets of money, love and cookie based ponies.

Oprah

I was thoroughly dissapointed in Pirates 2, which had some cool special effects but seemed to drag on forever without a point. I don’t really care about the next Pirates movie and doubt I’ll be seeing it in the theatre, but people seem excited about it and the site with this concept art for the film got a lot of diggs.

People are commenting on Digg that Keira Knightley has some boobies in these pictures, and also it looks like the movie ends with a fight scene at the edge of the world or near a whirlpool or something. Commentor darthdurden says “yea apparently the biggest spoiler is that kiera knightly is going to be stacked.”

There, I really don’t need to see it now.

Follow the thumbnails below for bigger versions.

I wanted to avoid talking about this, because homophobes are so 1987, but Isaiah Washington called his co-star on Grey’s Anatomy, T.R. Knight the f word while they were on set back in October, prompting a fight with fellow star Patrick Dempsey, who came to Knight’s defense. Knight has since come out of the closet, making Washington look like even more of a douche.

Then during a Golden Globes interview, Washington invoked the terrible f word again while denying that the incident happened, and tried to backtrack by saying how much he loves the gays.

Their other co-star Katherine Heigl chimed in, saying Washington should STFU about it and not ruin everyone’s special night. ABC was forced to issue a statement saying they have a good work environment and don’t condone Washington’s behavior, and Washington has finally apologized with a statement admitting that he is the idiot that everyone has been calling him.

Here’s Heigl’s second statement about it. She says they need to stop talking about it, it’s hurtful, and that T.R. is her “best friend in the whole world.”

Can they fire this guy and can we move on now?

Header image is original art for Celebitchy by UrbanDK. Video is from TMZ.

“Bestriding the British TV industry like a leggy goth King Charles spaniel on heat” (via Startrip.tv) nothing can stop the madcap genius of Brit Comedy sensation Russell Brand. Having worked his way precipitously through the shag-ready ranks of A,B, C and D level British Babes including Kate Moss, Sadie Frost, Kimberly Stewart and Abi Titmuss (famous for nothing in England –but should be famous everywhere just for that name) as well as any female who’s been on Big Brother UK — he’s the mad-haired, fey, boho lothario of the British moment. He’s a bit of a lad, a right womaniser and saucy tales of his bedroom antics are daily fare in the always estimable London tabloids. All we can say (since you ask) … if you meet the legendary ladies’ man… Don’t shake him by the thumb.

Fresh from his double entendre appearance on the cover of Backdoor Living — Russell has been tapped to host the live broadcast of this years Brit Awards ‘I will do my level best to tear it up,” says RB. “Once it starts it is all in my hands. It it is going to be like the rock and roll Brits of old, returned to the controlled mayhem and danger. I am going to be the ringleader at this carnival of mayhem and I’m really looking forward to it.’ ” Like we said … stay away from his thumbs … unless you are into that sort of thing … then welcome to the digital age. We wish you all opposable joy!

From HolyMoly.co.uk:

Special J
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it’s clear that Jade Jagger realises this.
No ‘Special K’ for her. ‘Weetabix’? Get fucked, and don’t even mention eggs and bacon.
Jade sets herself up for her rigorous days by smoking a simply HUGE reefer and quaffing a glass of champagne. Daddy must be proud.
Actually, he probably is.

Original art by UrbanDK.

Daniel Craig can’t stand looking at Nicole Kidman. In fact, it’s so painful that he has stuck his fingers in his ears and is humming loudly to drown her out. The first Blonde Bond isn’t overly bright … but eventually switches to covering his attractively crinkled baby blues …which while distracting is rather more effective. Meanwhile, Kidman is happily responding to a question about whether the 38-year-old actor changed after landing his role as James Bond last year.

“Oh, completely,” deadpans Kidman, 39, who was with him, shooting one of their upcoming films, The Invasion of the Wrinkle Snatchers, when he got the call. “In 24 hours he became a diva,” she adds, with a nod toward the temporarily sightless Craig, who oddly continues to hum his tune as the pair sit in the cozy bar of a London photography studio, sharing a bottle of sparkling water, not that’s there anything wrong with that. But then Kidman breaks down and tells the truth: “Oh, he didn’t change at all,” she says in her haute-Aussie twang. “The thing about Daniel, and the reason I like working with him, is that he’s an actor’s actor. He has no access to Diva scrubs, exfoliating agents or even basic moisturizers. Look at the sate of that mug. Weathered we call it back home …and Australians know from weathered – its generations of freckled convicts frying in the noonday soon”

Of course, Craig has heard the whole thing due to his humming skills being complete rubbish and he seems far more alarmed by the compliment than by the faux insult. “How dare you!” he shouts, and they both giggle. An oddly blonde moment from two actors who are ever verging on the edge of ginger.

Other quotes from this month’s cover story:

Daniel on Nicole :”She turns me on… in the nicest possible way, you understand. Through heavily retouched photography.”

Nicole on Daniel: “In 24 hours, he became a diva — but still couldnt approach the smooth perfection of my epithelial layer”

“R Me in the M” by UrbanDK, has been edited for Celebitchy: for the complete story, pay attention to the powdery, oddly flat visage of your favorite females on your favorite mags.