As we all know by now, Blake Lively’s is the latest enhanced rack of Chanel. Blake currently fronts the campaign for Chanel handbags, and her first Chanel ad was photographed by The Kaiser himself, Karl Lagerfeld. Blake even got to go to Paris and be the woman of honor (tits of honor) at several Chanel events. It’s a big deal. But there are some mutterings that perhaps this plastic American (mall) girl who couldn’t act her way out of a paper bag is perhaps the wrong “face” of the famous French brand. Oh noes! According to The Mail and NYDN, there are “internal grumblings” within Chanel (specifically, Chanel’s American branch) that Blake is “off-brand”. Which is a fancy way of calling her cheap. For real.

Karl Lagerfeld called her the ‘American dream girl’, but apparently not everyone at Chanel is as enamoured with Blake Lively as the label’s head designer.

According to reports today, the fashion label’s office in Miss Lively’s native U.S. is less than impressed that the Gossip Girl star has been chosen to represent its Mademoiselle handbag line.

A source told the New York Daily News that there were ‘internal grumblings’ at the Chanel American headquarters.

They said that the star was considered ‘off-brand’ by some U.S. employees, which the paper translated as ‘the bitchy fashion industry’s clinical way of saying that Lively’s contemporary American beauty does not dovetail with Chanel USA’s efforts to sell its fashions as the height of European sophistication.’

The suggestion was quickly dismissed by Chanel’s U.S. press office, which remained full of praise for the actress.

A spokeswoman said: ‘Blake’s spontaneity and fresh youthful image have convinced Chanel that she is the right person to represent the house and this range of bags.’

But the rumoured criticism echoes comments made to Miss Lively herself, when she admitted that she had been waiting for an opportunity from the French fashion powerhouse.

‘I had other opportunities and I would say, “Thank you so much, but I am holding out for Chanel,”‘ she told the New York Times. “’That’s who I want to be the face of.”

‘And people would say, “Well, that’s unrealistic, they only hire Europeans,” and I said: “Well, how great. I’ll be the first then.”‘

But the Daily News’s source claimed that Chanel ‘would literally fire anyone who admits’ they are not happy with Miss Lively as a spokesmodel.

Miss Lively was named the face of the Chanel Mademoiselle handbag line in January after she was introduced to Mr Lagerfeld by U.S. Vogue editor Anna Wintour. The campaign image, shot by Mr Lagerfeld himself, appeared in glossy magazines for the first time this month. It shows the 23-year-old leaning against a wall of mirrored panels allowing for a reflection of both her and her glossy red bag. It is both moodier and more colourful than past campaigns for the collection – Lily Allen’s playful 2008 version was shot in black-and-white.

Mr Lagerfeld, 77, told reporters that the shoot for the ad, which took place at Chanel’s Rue Cambon HQ, ‘was an easy job because everyone fell in love with her’.

Miss Lively herself was also thrilled about the appointment she said at the time: ‘How did Cinderella feel when she slipped on the glass slipper? How did Snow White feel when she met her Prince Charming? A dream come true is an understatement. I can say that I feel like the happiest, luckiest girl around.’

The actress joins an illustrious cast of Chanel ‘faces’ – among them Vanessa Paradis, Audrey Tatou, Keira Knightley and Georgia May Jagger.

The label’s current womenswear campaign stars model-of-the-moment Freja Beha, while its catwalk shows are a roll-call of the industry’s hottest faces, including Lindsey Wixson, Anja Rubik and Karolina Kurkova.

[From The Daily Mail]

While I do think that it’s nice to have a “fashion girl” out there who genuinely seems interested, engaged and happy to be apart of the fashionable crowd, I also think Blake’s critics have a point. It’s great to have a happy, blonde, all-American girl representing a famous brand, and at this point, Blake is “new” and “different” from other fashion girls. But there is something cheap, something down-market, something “off brand” about her representing Chanel. Is it the fake tatas? Is it the fact that she just looks like a mall girl, one of millions you could find at any American mall? Is it the fact that for a “fashion girl” she really doesn’t know much about fashion? Is it because she can’t ever be covered up, and she always has to show off her boobs, her legs, her vagina drapes? Ugh.

Photos courtesy of Google, WENN, Fame.

Extra’s Mario Lopez was allegedly trying to pull a Star Jones and get free crap for his wedding in exchange for plugging donors on the show. When he tried to score a free diamond engagement ring, he got schooled by a producer for being so miserly about a meaningful piece of jewelry.

Mario Lopez… beats even Star Jones when it comes to snagging free stuff, sources say – designer duds, dude bling, a home makeover, etc. – and when dining out, Lopez often lopes off just before the check arrives. But insiders were really shocked when Mario went mega-mooch, hustling an “Extra” boss to promote him a freebie diamond engagement ring from advertiser Kay Jewelers – so he could present it to baby momma Courtney Mazza! Horrified, the ex wailed: “Are you kidding? Enough with the freebies! This is a ring you’re giving to a woman you’re going to marry – not to mention she’s the mother of your child! Step up and pay for it Mario! This is a very personal item – not something you barter for!” Shocked and upset at her reaction, Mario groused: “Fine, I”ll figure it out myself.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, Mike Walker's column, January 10, 2011]

How is that that “celebrities” (and I use the term loosely here) feel that they should get so much stuff for free when people who earn so much less than they do have to pay for it? That’s ridiculous that this jerk can’t even pay for a meal without trying to get it comped.

I googled “Mario Lopez cheap” to see if anyone else had stories of him being a cheapskate, and all I found was this 2006 Defamer article about how Eva Longoria was out with him for drinks and complained about a $17 tab, saying “celebrities should be comped.” I guess we know why these two are such good friends. They certainly share a sense of entitlement.

Oh and I’m not sure if Lopez is engaged or not yet. There were rumors after his daughter Gia was born in September that he proposed, but we didn’t hear anything more about it. Lopez told Ellen that “The jury is still out whether she wants to keep me.”

Photos are from 8/11/10 and 11/19/10. Credit: WENN.com

Over the weekend, I read this bitchy report from The Daily Mail – they claimed that after Carey Mulligan and Shia LaBeouf split, Carey had moved out of Shia’s mansion and was “slumming it” at a cheap Best Western in LA while she completed work on Drive, the film that she’s doing with Ryan Gosling. The point of The Mail’s piece was “Isn’t it pathetic that an Oscar-nominated actress would choose budget lodgings?” Well, anyway, last night Carey attended the Hollywood Film Awards, and she confirmed the Best Western report in her standard adorable way, and she also pretty much confirmed that she and Shia are over:

Carey Mulligan and Shia LaBeouf have said goodbye to their romance, PEOPLE has confirmed. The Transformers star and the Never Let Me Go actress, who were first linked in August 2009 after being spotted kissing at a New York restaurant, called it quits “some time ago,” according to sources.

Since the split, Mulligan has been in Los Angeles shooting the indie film Drive, opposite Ryan Gosling. She checked in to the Best Western Hollywood Hills Hotel for a few days while the film shot nearby.

“I don’t know why people are so down on the Best Western,” Mulligan joked to PEOPLE at Monday’s Hollywood Film Awards in L.A., where she presented her Never Let Me Go costar Andrew Garfield with an award. “They have the best sweet potato fries I’ve ever had.”

The hotel is known for its 101 Coffee Shop, which was featured in 1996′s Swingers and is a popular late night diner for young Hollywood.

[From People]

“I don’t know why people are so down on the Best Western.” I love that. And hey, it could totally be worse: she could be staying at the Chateau Marmont, you know? She’s young, she’s cool, she’s working hard – why not spend your time in comfortable accommodations on a budget? Sidenote: did anyone read her profile in the October Vogue? She also proudly takes public transport in whatever city she’s in. When Warren Beatty found out she was taking the bus to meetings, he offered to chauffeur her around town too. How could you not? I would offer her a ride too.

These are outtakes from Megan Fox’s photo shoot with the New York Times Magazine last week. I think they originated from one of Megan’s fansites, but I got them off Popoholic, which has even more here. Popoholic is claiming these are some of “Megan’s sexiest shots ever” but I find these images… sketchy. Like, child-pr0n sketchy. What stylist is like “Oh, Megan Fox is coming, let me go get a little ruffled ice skater outfit!”? Ruffles plus Converse sneakers = not good. Add to that the trashy poses, and it’s all pretty bad. Does Megan know how to make a striking, interesting photo without sucking on her toe-thumb, or spreading her legs, or flashing her cooch, or bending over, or hanging on whatever guy is standing next to her?

Anyway, that’s really all I’ve got about Megan and her idiocy. She doesn’t seem to have given any more new interviews in about a week – which is shocking – so we don’t have any new quotes, only these photos. But I finally got around to reading the complete Us Weekly cover story from last week – all about how Angelina Jolie is the devil, et cetera. One of interesting little slice of info comes in one minor little pullout, though. Apparently, Angelina has been telling friends that they need to send word to Megan Fox to shut the hell up. Here’s what Us Weekly says:

Transformers starlet Megan Fox, 23, has unabashedly talked up her lesbian trysts, wild temper and self-cutting. But Angelina Jolie has some advice for her young doppelganger: Shut your mouth.

According to a Jolie source, “Angie has been saying, ‘That woman acts like a fool. She needs to mind her Ps and Qs. She’s saying shocking things for attention, but those things will follow her around and be reprinted forever.’”

Jolie, of course, speaks from experience, the pal adds: “Angie said, ‘I wish someone had pulled me aside when I was young and told me that. Now I’ll forever be known as a lesbian or a self-cutter, instead of what I worked so hard to become. You have to put a muzzle on it!’”

[From Us Weekly, print edition, November 23 edition]

I’d really like to hope that this is not really the way Angelina feels about Megan. What I want to believe is that either Angelina is like “Megan who now?” or that Angelina’s like “I’ll shank that sk-nky little poseur if she comes near me.” As much as the media seems to want to make the Angelina-Megan thing a competition, or that Megan is “replacing” the 34-year-old Jolie, I don’t really think that’s their dynamic. I think Megan stalks (“the comparison is the bane of my existence” she says), and Angelina is aware, but doesn’t really love or hate Megan. Certainly, Angelina wouldn’t care enough to give advice to Megan. Just my take.

Megan Fox’s NYT outtakes courtesy of Popoholic.

This story is in the same sketchy, tantrumy, disgusting, entitled, nasty vein as some previous stories we’ve been hearing about Lindsay Lohan this past week. Allegedly, last week Lindsay was at a hot spot, ordering bottles of champagne and having a good time – until the waitress brought over the bill. Then Lindsay threw a hissy fit, demanding that the bill be put on Kellan Lutz’s credit card. When that was refused, Lindsay apparently had a full-fledged tantrum, crying and wailing and throwing the diva act. This next story is a lot of the same.

According to Fox News Pop Tarts, Lindsay was being paid to show up at an event for Pascal Mouawad’s jewelry line at Kitson. Not only was she being paid, the designer told her she could pick out anything $500 or less to take home. First, Lindsay bargained that number up to $1000. Then she picked out $15,000 worth of stuff she wanted, and when the designer refused to give it to her for free, she pitched another tantrum. Here’s more:

It sounds as though Lindsay Lohan has run into some serious cash flow problems. Last week Pop Tarts reported that the troubled Tinseltowner attempted to pawn an expensive bottle of champagne onto Kellan Lutz’s card at Crown Bar, but now she’s taken it a step further and tried to scam $15,000 worth of free clothes and accessories.

Lohan showed up to last Thursday’s launch of Jermaine Dupri’s new watch line “NuPop” in collaboration with famed jewelry designer Pascal Mouawad at Kitson in West Hollywood, but wanted more than just a nice watch to take home. Although Linds was apparently already being paid to turn up to the gig, we’re told Mouawad offered the actress $500 to spend at Kitson, which she successfully bargained up to $1000.

Pop Tarts watched as Lohan (looking her usual worse-for-wear self) went crazy in the store pulling out drawers and insisting she wanted this and that, eventually racking up a hefty $15,000 bill. But when told she had exceeded her limit quite significantly, Lohan responded that “Pascal would take care of it because I’m the only celebrity here.”

(FYI not true – Dupri himself was there along with Bridget Marquardt and “Real Housewife” Gretchen Rossi).

“Pascal said no, so she went and started talking smack about him to Jermaine Dupri who doesn’t even know her,” said an insider. “He was totally bewildered and couldn’t believe it. Eventually Pascal said she could have $2000 to spend but that was the absolutely limit.”

An absolutely distraught Lohan then tried to bargain with the Kitson staffer that was helping her through the store and insist that the boutique should let her take the remaining items for free. In exchange, she offered to “come in the next day and carry bags out so the paps could take shots.”

“The owner (Fraser Ross) couldn’t be reached so they told Lindsay just to take the $2000 worth and come in the next day and speak with him about the rest,” said our source.

But the drama still didn’t stop there – Lohan’s friend then got involved and said that it was the least Kitson could do seeing as though the 23-year-old had been such a loyal customer over the years. But Ross still couldn’t be reached and Linds was simply told no. Eventually the sulking starlet took her bags and stormed out in a huff declaring she would return for the rest.

But it seems Mouawad hasn’t been turned off by Lindsay’s behavior and will even consider working with the out-of-work actress.

“Lindsay is a close friend of mine, who has a keen eye for jewelry,” Mouawad told us. “We have thrown around the idea to collaborate together to create an exclusive line for a retailer who has shown interest in a fashion line designed by her.”

[From Fox News]

I’m shocked! Shocked that Lindsay didn’t just try her other cracked-out jewel heist idea, which is “borrow” for the jewelry with a credit card imprint (in case it wasn‘t returned), then cancel the credit card and keep the jewelry. That’s what she did when she was in Paris. Instead, she tried the “desperate, tantrumy, cracked-out bargaining” method, which rarely works. What’s even more shocking is that this Mouawad guy is actually one of Lindsay’s friends – he’s defended her for a while, and given her free sh-t before. I guess Lindsay tries the patience of everyone she meets.

Speaking of, The Chicago Sun-Times has a report that pretty much every acquaintance of Lindsay is trying to convince her to go to rehab, usually when they run into her at a party. But crackheads are paranoid! Apparently, whenever people try to talk to her about her problems, she runs. Also, people are still wondering if there’s something going on with her and Leonardo DiCaprio. According to sources, “Lindsay has a major crush on Leo but that’s as far as it goes right now. She knows him, they are friends but that’s it. Lindsay is ready to be more then friends with Leo but he doesn’t see her that way. She’s says he’s her perfect man but fears he doesn’t take her seriously.” Dur, no one takes her seriously. She’s a f-cking wreck. She’s like the Typhoid Mary of sketchiness.

Here’s Lindsay on Novemeber 15, 2009 at around 4:30 a.m., about to go into a “private party”. Credit: WENN.

Mummy star Brendan Fraser, 39, is said to have committed a minor retail sin. He bought designer clothes for a special event to the tune of thousands of dollars. He then had them rush dry cleaned and is said to have put the tags back on so he could return the items and get his money back.

Brendan Fraser… spent thousands on designer clothes he wore to a special event, then sneakily reattached the tags and returned them to the story for a refund after hurry-up dry cleaning!

Insiders say Frugal Fraser’s assistant arranged a 2:30 am laundry pickup at his swank BevHills hotel, insisting that the dirtied duds had to be ready by daylight because “the items were being returned to the store” where he bought them.

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, August 18, 2008]

Have you ever done this? I’ve returned clothes of course, and sometimes after I’ve worn them, but it wasn’t like I had the intention of returning them at the point that they were purchased. That makes it ok, right? Usually the returns were for a reason, like the clothing itched or didn’t fit right. I’m not a returner so much as someone who tries on as many clothes as possible in the dressing room, which can also be annoying for retail staff. There are other people who just buy a bunch of clothing at the store, try them on at home, and then return what they don’t like.

Maybe Fraser had a justifiable reason to return the clothes, but it sounds like he bought them with the intention of bringing them back. Fraser is going through an expensive divorce and hasn’t had a lot of films out in recent years, so maybe he’s trying to save some cash where he can.

Many stores have a database that’s set to detect when people habitually buy clothes and return them. For example, The Limited and Express stores allow only so many returns from a single person in a 60 day period. Are you a wear and return type of person or do you know someone who is? Is this ever justified?

Brendan Fraser is shown outside of The Today Show on 7/30/08. Credit: L. Gallo/WENN

In case you accidentally didn’t totally hate Liz Hurley, have I got a story for you. Liz is apparently pretty darn cheap. And not in that cute, “I still buy my shoes at Payless” way, but in that “I buy the very best for myself and stiff the little people as brutally as I can” way. Last month, Helen reported that Liz and her husband Arun Nayer stiffed the church at which they were married. The couple had promised to buy the church a set of kneelers as payment. That was considered tacky enough, as the standard donation is $2000. And it’s generally customary to give more based on your wealth – but Liz gave less. And while that was ungracious enough, she and Arun still haven’t ponied up and actually supplied the kneelers. Heaven forbid they actually compensate the church for their services. Unfortunately, this hasn’t been some little oversight that can happen to anyone, it turns out it was very much indicative of Liz’s character.

Several UK papers are reporting that Liz Hurley and Arun Nayer have been accused of paying their maid as little as $2.50 an hour. At times she was forced to work from 7:30 in the morning all the way until 3 in the morning the next day.

Liz Hurley and husband Arun Nayar have been accused of paying their Indian maid as little as £1.20 an hour. Violet d’Souza, who is said to have been brought to Britain by Mr Nayar’s family, claims she was paid in rupees for working up to 70 hours a week at the couple’s Chelsea home.

Ms d’Souza, 31, says she worked several days a week at the Chelsea house, where she also lived. Her chores included cleaning, cooking and babysitting from 7.30am until, on occasions, 3am the next day. According to the Daily Mirror, the couple paid her 8,000 rupees a week – around £100. The equivalent hourly rate would be between £1.40 and £1.60, and sometimes as little as £1.20 if she worked long hours. The legal minimum wage is £5.52. Hurley, 42, is said to be worth £13 million from acting and modeling contracts while Mr Nayar, 43, comes from a wealthy Indian textiles family.

[From the Daily Mail]

The Daily Mirror says that d’Souza withdrew her claims after she was given a five-figure settlement. She was scheduled to have a hearing in front of the employment tribunal tomorrow. Ms. d’Souza was fired without warning by the couple, supposedly after getting into an argument with them. I’m guessing a person can get a little cranky after working for 20 hours in a row. Ms. d’Souza was then immediately kicked out of the residence, which was her only shelter. She took refuge at her aunt’s home, where she learned that she was being paid illegal wages. She was able to get an Oxford-educated lawyer to represent her for free from the Citizens Advice Bureau, so it sounds like she had a legitimate case. I’ve never been a big Liz Hurley fan. There’s something about her that I can’t put my finger on, but I find her distasteful. Now hearing that she’s stiffed a church and paid her maid $200 a week, I find her utterly contemptible and disgusting. Unfortunately she’s settled the claim, so there won’t be any penalty for her. Except for a bit of unkind press.

Here’s Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar at the Women of the Future Awards at Grosvenor Marriott Square Hotel on November 8th. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Janet Charlton reported that Tyra Banks didn’t give her talk show staff any kind of Christmas bonus and that she had the holiday office party at a dive bar. Instead of serving food, she showed up with a guy dressed in a santa suit toting cold McDonald’s cheeseburgers and then took off. Staff got predictably wasted, and an ambulance had to be called after a woman was injured falling on the street. There was also a drunken brawl. The National Enquirer has more details, and they confirm Charlton’s story.

The night got off to a bad start after the employees arrived at the [Christmas] bash, held December 6 at Pianos, a Manhattan dive bar.

“First there was no food and guests began drinking heavily. Soon everyone was drunk,” another insider said.

Tyra showed up late, saying she was on her way to Italy.

“She told staffers, who relocated from LA to NY for her: ‘I want to thank you guys for working so hard. I have a special guests – here’s Santa!’”

According to an insider, the staff rushed over to Santa expecting to be handed a Christmas bonus. Instead, they were served dinner – burgers from McDonald’s!”

Things went downhill from there.

“People were getting sick on the dance floor. Then drunken fights started breaking out! It was a complete fiasco!” the source said.

A Pianos bartender told The Enquirer: “After Tyra left, some guys had a fight in the room and then a female member of the group fell outside and broke three of her teeth on the sidewalk. An ambulance had to be called for her.”

“When we went upstairs to clean up, there were McDonald’s burger wrappers all over the place.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, January 7, 2008]

In case you wonder if either of these stories is fabricated, In Touch has confirmation from Tyra’s PR person that McDonald’s was served at the Christmas party. Not that there’s anything wrong with that:

A rep for Tyra says the [McDonalds] burgers weren’t meant as gifts. “It is not true,” the rep tells In Touch. “Cheeseburgers were provided as a late-night snack for the staff at the party.”

[From In Touch, print edition, January 7, 2008]

So Tyra Banks’ PR person doesn’t say she did give staff bonuses, or that they didn’t have their Christmas party at a bar, just that the burgers weren’t intended as their Christmas gifts. It sounds to me like Tyra showed up with McDonalds as reported and that she stiffed her staff on Christmas. Janet Charlton also reported that Tyra received a whopping $30 million for moving from LA to NY. You think she could arrange for the people who moved to keep working on her show to get a small piece of that.

I love Sarah Michelle Gellar, I think she’s so down to earth and adorable, even if she’s not exactly become the ‘next big thing’ predicted when she was on Buffy. So, I was suitably excited to hear she uses coupons and rides a bike around to save money.

She tells Self magazine, “I take my reusable bag to Whole Foods so I get a discount.

“I go to Bloomingdale’s on double rewards day. And I always print my dry cleaning coupons before I go. My dry cleaner laughs. He’s like, ‘You don’t have to keep printing them out!’”

But it’s her bright pink bicycle which earns her frowns from friends and neighbours now she lives in New York. She adds, “Not only is it bright pink with the bell and streamers and the whole thing, but it has Hello Kitty tyres. Every time I leave my apartment, my doorman just shakes his head.”

Contact Music

I extra love the fact that she isn’t claiming any sort of environmental reason for riding her bike, just that she likes riding and saving money. Not that there’s anything wrong with saving our planet! Who wouldn’t like to go riding on a pink bike with streamers? Who knew they made Hello Kitty tires in an adult size?

I also like to go to sales and clip coupons, except the sales I go to are a K-Mart and the coupons I clip are for fast food joints. I bet Sarah Michelle Gellar would do that too if she lived in the suburbs.

Sarah Michelle’s next movie Suburban Girl will be going straight to DVD, but check it out. It also stars Alec Baldwin.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Sarah Michelle Gellar and her husband of five years, Freddie Prinz Jr., are shown at the Hairspray premiere in London on 7/5/07. Thanks to PRPhotos.

Brad and Angelina must be too busy fighting off the paparrazi to make sure the checks get sent out to the needy African country they exploited for their prenatal privacy needs.

Radar Online reports that almost none of the donations they promised to needy Namibian charities have been received. They promised $315,000 but have only squeezed out a mere $15,000 to the hospital and preschool they pledged to help. What’s more, they didn’t really do their homework and stiffed a nearby school that could have thrived off a pittance from the famous couple.

Brangelina can’t be blamed for being preoccupied with Shiloh’s birth and not donating to every local charity, but it’s rather suspect that barely any of the money they promised has been received.

They threw that big press conference and made a public pledge to give over a quarter of a million dollars to the hospital and preschool in Swakopmund, and the people there are left waiting for help they sorely need.

We figured out that the bill to rent out The Burning Shore lodge where Brangelina holed up for a three month stay was nearly a quarter of a million dollars. They were able to shell out that kind of money for their own comfort, but can’t be bothered to follow up on the needs of others.