When we were looking at those photos of Empress Zahara and Shiloh Jolie-Pitt the other day, did anyone else think that Shiloh looked a lot like a little Fanning girl? She resembles both Dakota and Elle Fanning, only Shiloh inherited her mom’s crazy lips. Well, this Star Magazine story reminded me of that association – according to their sources, Angelina is “ready to pass the torch to the next generation” (at the ripe old age of 37!!) and she decided to mentor her young Maleficent costar, Elle Fanning. She may have chosen Elle because Elle reminds her so much of Shiloh, I just don’t know.

Angelina Jolie is ready to pass the torch to the next generation of actresses and has chosen to mentor Elle Fanning!

“They became firm friends on the set of Maleficent and Angie’s decided to take Elle under the wing!” explains an on-set insider, adding that the 14-year-old is already growing under Angie’s tutelage.

“In this film, Elle really comes into her own, and they’re looking for another project to develop together.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition]

I can’t even imagine how terrifying it must have been for a 14-year-old to do scenes with or against Angelina. I’m sure Angelina was lovely – no costar has ever complained about her – but Angelina was probably in her Horns of Doom and even adults would have been like, “Wow, The Villainess Jolie has come out!” So while I think it’s reasonable to assume that Angelina made a special effort to get to know her young costar, please let’s not even play into this whole idea that at 37, Angelina needs to “pass the torch”.

In other Angelina news, The Enquirer has a funny story about what Angie got Brad for Valentine’s Day. Hint: NOT breath mints.

Hubba Hubba ANGELINA JOLIE got BRAD PITT just what every horndog hubby wants for Valentine’s Day – but had to hide her X-rated gift from their kiddies.

Heavily-tattooed Angie special-ordered Hunky Valentine the naughty coffee table book “SuicideGirls: Hard Girls, Soft Light,” a collection of more than 2,500 photos of young, tattooed and nude pinups.

“I actually think the book’s more for Angie than Brad,” said an insider.

“She fell in love with the photos and said they reminded her of her youth!”

[From The Enquirer]

See? Doesn’t that sound more reasonable? If Angelina is going to “mentor” a young actress, it will probably be some teenage hellraiser with tattoos and a motorcycle. And does anybody else kind of want to look through that book now? I do. Of course, maybe I’m not the best judge. The other day I was idly wandering through Amazon’s online vibrator collection. I think I found one. His name will be L’Fassdong.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Nina Dobrev really stood out for me at last night’s Critics’ Choice Awards. She was one of the first presenters (with Henry Cavill) and at first I couldn’t decide whether or not I liked her scaly blue-green mod dress. It was like the dress stood out so much that it was wearing her. It kind of grew on me, and now I find it very striking. It’s Monique Lhuillier. Nina often wears bright solid jewel tones and she favors contemporary dresses. This really suits her. For a 24 year-old, she dresses with so much sophistication.

Famke Janssen, on the other hand, looked kind of scared when she was presenting. I was wondering whether she was freaking out to see her sort-of ex, Ben Affleck, in the audience. (Who didn’t he date?) This teal John Galliano gown with the sheer panels and ruffled neckline was slightly less fug in motion, but barely. It reminds me of those horrid blouses with the tiered ruffles we used to wear in the 90s. (Yes I had one and I rocked it!)

How adorable was little QuvenzhanŽ Wallis (there’s a name I will be cutting and pasting forever, I doubt I’ll ever learn it properly) when she accepted her award for Best Young Actress? She shook her iPhone in the pink case as if it were an Etch-a-sketch and then she gave a quick thank you speech and exited. I was surprised at how calm and happy she was. We’ll be seeing a lot more of her.

Elle Fanning was also nominated in QuvenzhanŽ’s category. She wore Chanel and it looks like she paired this dress with shoes that were similar to the ones worn on the runway. Her people haven’t been getting her fashion right at all, and this is not a cute dress. Her shoes remind me of something that Hugh Jackman’s wife would wear. I think her stylist was going for young and whimsical, but this just looks like one of those bathrobe wrap-arounds that you wear after a shower. Comfy, but not red-carpet ready. Also, who put that pink eyeshadow on her? Poor Elle. Still she’s super cute.

Photo credit: WENN.com and FameFlynet

Here are some more photos from last night’s British Independent Film Awards in London. I already covered the “hot guys” although in retrospect… yeah, Tom Hiddleston just wasn’t doing it for me. I want you to just go back to the Hot Dudes post so you can get a feel for what this event was supposed to be like, fashion-wise. The BIF Awards aren’t the Oscars or anything, and they’re not the BAFTAs. Traditionally, I think they should be considered as very similar to the American Critics Choice Awards, or one of the more prestigious critics’ awards. The dress code (informally) is cocktail-evening – most men were wearing suits, not tuxedos. Most ladies were wearing cocktail dresses or suits. But not little Elle Fanning! Elle wore this full-on Oscar de la Renta GOWN. Ugh.

While a pale pink Oscar de la Renta frock is “girly” enough for someone so young, did no one say, “Hey, should we let a 14-year-old wear a giant gown for a cocktail-style event?” I guess this only bugs me.

Here’s Noomi Rapace in a simple and not-cute LBD. I love Noomi, but I feel like she needs some style help.

And here’s Alicia Vikander in Chanel. After my hissy fit about Elle being overdressed, should I say the same about Alicia? Eh. To me, this looks like something a starlet would wear to a premiere, which is what the event called for. Elle’s dress looks like something that she would wear to the Golden Globes.

And here’s Ruth Wilson in Jason Wu. She’s super-talented and while I don’t care for this look, I like that she’s mixing it up.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.

These are some photos from last night’s AFI Fest screening/premiere of the new film Ginger & Rosa. If that film sounds familiar, it’s because we covered some pics of the London Film Festival premiere a few weeks ago. The film stars Christina Hendricks, Elle Fanning, and Alice Englert, all of whom you can see in these photos. Sigh… I really don’t like the way anyone looks here. I know I’m nit-picky and bitchy and all of that, but seriously! WHY does Christina Hendricks insist on doing that to her boobs? WHY does a 14-year-old need to wear a strapless gown?! Let’s analyze.

Christina is wearing L’Wren Scott. You know how much I love L’Wren – I think her clothes are classic, elegant and very, very wearable for women with diverse body types. Is this sparkly black dress flattering on Christina? Yes. It is. It’s a pretty dress that I personally would have no problems wearing. But I feel like we’ve reached a point where Christina should be beyond jacking up her boobs for every red carpet. We don’t need to see your girls EVERY time, Chrissy.

As for Elle… she’s 14 years old. This is the second time she’s gone strapless for a film festival premiere for just THIS movie. The last time it was in London, and she wore a cardigan draped around her shoulders with her strapless Rochas gown. This time there’s no cardigan to pair with her Oscar de la Renta gown, and I still think that she’s just too young to go strapless in general, especially on a red carpet. I do like that her face looks “fresh” and that she’s not wearing a ton of makeup. I also like the hairband. It’s youthful. Too bad about the strapless gown, though.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Elle Fanning is 14 years old and adorable. She’s in the middle of a promotional tour for her new film, Ginger & Rosa, and these are photos of the film’s BFI London Film Festival premiere over the weekend. I actually try to avoid writing about Elle because… she’s only 14, dude. We can’t judge her fashion or her pictorials or her interviews by the same standards we can judge an adult woman’s. Not for lack of trying on the part of Elle, though. And not for lack of trying by Elle’s people, by her management and her stylists and her publicist, who often greenlight some looks and images that I consider inappropriate for someone so young. Remember that “Lolita” style photo shoot in Blackbook last year? Yeah.

So… Elle wore Rochas to the London Film Festival premiere. I actually think this is a really sweet look for someone so young, although I do have two minor quibbles. But first I want to talk about the look as a whole! I think the combination of a princess-y gown with a cute little cardigan is adorable and age-appropriate. I can remember, back in the 1990s, when this was an actual “thing” that adult women were doing – pairing gowns and eveningwear with normal sweaters and cardigans. If done well, it’s a really great look. I think it would have been cuter if Elle had actually worn the cardi rather than just using it as a cape to cover her arms, but still… it’s okay.

So here are my two quibbles. One, the lace choker. Two, the fact that the Rochas dress is in fact strapless. For the lace choker… it ruins the look stylistically, and I just don’t think 14-year-olds should be wearing chokers. At all. Ever. I associate chokers with “something George Clooney’s girlfriends wear.” Right? As for the fact of the strapless gown on a 14-year-old… it’s too much (or “too little” really). I don’t care that we can barely see that it’s strapless because of the cardi. I don’t care that the dress is still relatively modest up top. I still think some straps should have been added for Elle, simply because I don’t believe any 14-year-old should go strapless. Call me conservative, call me old-fashioned, call me whatever you want. I’m holding the line for straps and sleeves for our youths, and if I have to go it alone, so be it.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Strangely enough, there was plenty of yellow to be found last night at the Critics Choice Awards. It seems like an odd choice for January, and most of it was overdone to the max. First, we have Diane Kruger in a rare red carpet miss. Diane can usually wear anything and look like Aphrodite incarnate, but this yellowish Grecian Prada gown was just terrible. Overall, the dress would’ve looked better in a solid color instead of pairing a lighter yellow with darker painter stripes along the sides of the skirt. And the blue grey tone of the rest of the dress with the built-in bra cups? Oh, Diane. Then she chose to accessorize with hot pink lipstick and a matching Prada clutch. I’m really not sure what happened here, but it’s like Diane really went out of her way to look bad. Maybe she lost a bedroom-oriented bet with Joshua Jackson? I need to believe that to justify the existence of this dress.

Also, the purposely messy hair was a bit too messy and the hot pink color makes her lips look extremely tiny. Not good.

Elizabeth Olsen (nominated for Best Actress in Martha Marcy May Marlene) faired slightly better with a short Emilio Pucci dress. Lizzie has a bit of difficulty dressing to her body type, and this dress (like many of her other choices) makes her look slightly hippy. Yet she’s showing off great legs, and the hair is just right.

And of course, once Lizzie flashed her fabulous smile, all was forgiven.

Finally, Elle Fanning (who was up for Best Young Actor/Actress in Super 8) emphasized her youth with a whimsical Rodarte dress. Elle is still so young, so she gets a pass for wearing daisies (or are those sunflowers?) on the red carpet.

Still, Elle really should’ve put her hair in a messy updo instead of letting it hang all over the place. She’s got plenty of time to learn though.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN

Elle and Dakota Fanning cover the new December issue of W Magazine. Elle is 13 years old, Dakota is 17 years old, and they blonde hair, big blue eyes and an otherworldly precocity in common. In their separate interviews with W Mag (which you can read here at W), Elle talks about her dreams of working in Paris and how she knows the names of all of the major models, while Dakota talks about real estate and improvising with Sean Penn when she was 6 years old. It’s weird, basically, especially in Elle’s case. Dakota has grown up in the spotlight, and she’s managed to balance fame and work with a normal childhood experience, but Elle seems like she’s already a little adult. Plus, these photos seem way too mature for a pair of sisters who only have 30 years between them. Here are some highlights from the piece:

Elle on Dakota, her big sister: “She is a nice older sister. But it’s not like we always get along. Now that she’s going to college, it’s different. I went into her room at home in California, and all her clothes were gone! Her closet was empty! I don’t get to go in there and steal clothes anymore. It’s really strange. It’s sort of like she’s off making a movie, but this time she’s not coming back.”

Elle on playing the young Cate Blanchett in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: “I was 9 years old during Benjamin Button. I had to wear a long red wig because [Cate] had red hair in the movie. I remember that. I had a great time on set. The director did a lot of takes, and he would say, “Take 50,” and I would just go do it again. I was only 9, so I thought that was fun.”

Elle on ballet: “Yes, ]I still do it] five days a week. That’s something I always try to keep on my schedule. I would love to do a musical! Dakota did The Runaways, so she got to sing in that one.”

Elle’s favorite television shows: “We watch a lot of reality TV. My sister and I record Big Brother. We’re obsessed! And we love old game shows like Password and the original Family Feud. Also, me and my sister watch Criminal Minds. We record every episode, and we watch it every single night… My sister likes psychology, and they really get into the mind of the killers. I’ve been on Criminal Minds twice! On the first show, a boy brought kids out to the woods and was beating them with a baseball bat, but I got away. Then they brought Tracy, my character, back—as a kidnapped girl. They saved me two times! Tracy lived!”

Elle is little fashionista: “Oh, yes! When I found out that I was invited to the Chanel show—that was the loudest I’ve ever screamed in my life. That was the best day of my life. It was my first fashion show, and I know every model by name. I go on Style.com and look at all the shows. It was just the best experience ever! And, of course, we did some sightseeing. We went to the Eiffel Tower at night. It was sparkling. I would be the happiest you would ever see me if I got to film a movie in Paris. That would be everything!”

Dakota on why she decided to go to college: “For the same reasons I wanted to go to a high school: You hear people say, “Oh, when I was in high school” or “When I was in college.” That defines a lot of who people are, and I didn’t want to miss out on that.”

Dakota’s 17 and she lives on her own with her mom? “No roommates. Because I’m only 17, my mom is staying with me in my apartment for a little bit. She’s teaching me how to wash clothes and such. But I’m so excited to be on my own. In my house in L.A., we all feel that everything is everybody’s, and so doors are never really closed. My sister and I share a bathroom, and when you have a sibling, nothing is actually your own. I’ve never really had anything or any place that was just mine.”

Dakota on improvising with Sean Penn when she was 6: “And I thought, Okay, that’s what it’s going to be like. There was no other choice. I think he said, “Knock, knock,” which was not in the script. I said, “Uh…who’s there?” [Laughs.] And, yeah, that’s what it was like. It definitely prepared me for the future. At other times, in other movies, actors would go off script and kind of test me like, Ah—maybe she’s not going to be able to reply. And I already knew how to be ready for anything.”

Dakota on auditioning as a child actor: “It didn’t bother me, but I usually wouldn’t get things because of my hair. I had really short, wispy hair, and the girls with perfect long, straight hair with bangs and a butterfly clip would always get picked. Finally, I got some more hair and started getting roles.”

[From W Magazine]

They mention that their mom was some kind of fashion buyer before she started “managing” her girls’ careers – and I’m using “managing” loosely because it doesn’t seem like Mother Fanning is some Dina Lohan or Kris Jenner-style momager. I think Mother Fanning is just very involved in her girls’ lives, and she gives career advice, especially about clothes and ad campaigns. Which makes that Marc Jacobs ad with Dakota even creepier, because the mom used to a professional in the fashion industry, and she knew what Dakota was getting into.

So here’s the question: Are the Fanning girls simply smart and precocious, or does their momager need to take a step back and pull the girls away from the limelight a bit?

W Magazine photos courtesy of The Fashion Spot.

Kaiser has already covered some of the fashion at last night’s Hollywood Film Awards, including Michelle Williams, Carey Mulligan and George Clooney and Stacy Keibler. She’ll be mentioning Anne Hathaway and Emma Stone in a moment. Here we have a few of the other celebrities that lit up the red carpet. No one really impressed me except for Julianne Hough and Viola Davis.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley tried to work a intricately beaded Pucci gown and kind of failed, in my opinion. She’s so hot and she’s gotten it absolutely right so many times in the past. It’s kind of refreshing to see her with messy pulled back hair, minimal makeup and a dress that makes her look more like a rare exotic bird than one of the hottest models around. Even the chick who gets to sleep with Jason Statham looks like crap once in a while.

Elle Fanning, still just 13 years old(!), wore a very conservative off white Valentino dress that could pass as a tablecloth. She accented the look with a Heidi braid. It’s kind of sweet for a kid and while I’m not a fan of the dress, I like that she’s covered up.

Julianne Hough really shone in a tight beige dress with a sequin swirl pattern and a deep v-neck that went nearly to her belly button. In theory I don’t like this dress and find her matchy shoes too much. On her though it worked and she looked amazing. Love her hair and makeup.

Amber Heard vamped it up in a blue silk dress with a dramatic bodice slit. I thought we were about to see sideboob, but it didn’t materialize. As we’ve seen in the past from her, the color seems a little off, but I think it’s more her hair color this time than the colors in her dress. Her hair and makeup are phenomenal though.

Busy Phillips was goofy in an updo and a tight black dress with a sequin boob window. I still love her though. She always looks like she’s having so much fun and would be a blast to be around.

Bryce Dallas Howard does not get a pregnancy pass for this mess. She has no boob support, the dress looks like a nightie, and she may have gone for the soft wave look with her hair but the result is no better than an air dry. Her jewelry and shoes look cheap too. Get it together, Bryce!

Sara Rue showed off her body by Jenny Craig in a purple formfitting gown that was the same shade as Stacy Keibler’s dress. She lost a lot of weight and looks different due to that of course, but what did she do to her face? I get the impression that she had some work done.

Viola Davis was one of the best dressed of the night in this off-the shoulder jade flowing gown that she accessorized perfectly. She’s so well put together without going overboard.

Photo credit: WENN and Fame

Yesterday, the biggest show in town (for Paris Fashion Week) was Chanel, of course. Karl Lagerfeld wouldn’t have it any other way. But here’s what surprises me: none of the standard-issue famewhore fashion girls dropped everything to fly to Paris to be with Karl. There was no Kate Bosworth, no Rachel Bilson, no Kirsten Dunst and NO BLAKE LIVELY. What’s up, fashion girls? But of course, Alexa Chung showed up, looking like hell. The biggest “names” at the event were Diane Kruger, one of Lagerfeld’s favorites, and little Elle Fanning, looking out of place.

I guess I like Diane’s gown the most – I really love the top part, with the studs, but the skirt is rather meh. I also feel bad for Joshua Jackson. Poor guy has to escort his girl to all of these fashion events, and I bet he doesn’t even give a crap.

Here’s Elle Fanning – the outfit is cuter without the little jacket thing, but I still don’t care for a girl this young A) wearing Chanel and B) Attending a Chanel runway show in Paris. Elle just turned 13 in April.

And here’s Alex Chung, looking… ugh.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Over the weekend, Green Lantern officially grabbed the top box-office prize with an estimated $52.7 million, which is slightly amazing considering that the trailer looked like an enormous mountain of shiny green crap. Despite this supposed coup, however, $52.7 million certainly doesn’t make a dent in the film’s $200 million production budget (with at least another $100 million blown on publicity on top of that). Of course, all of the fanboys flocked to see the movie on opening weekend, so I seriously doubt that the movie will have “legs” in the coming weeks. Certainly, there will be no substabtial measure of positive word-of-mouth in manner of X-Men: First Class (including but not limited to Kaiser’s official take) to keep the money rolling in for the weeks to come. Interestingly enough, many prominent critics have chosen to pepper their Green Lantern reviews with some choice words on Blake Lively’s (for lack of a better word) performance:

“[Carol] is played by Blake Lively, and some in the audience might be heard to observe, ‘What is she, like, 15?’ And frankly she is also not too terribly convincing these days playing anything other than somebody who doesn’t know how to frame a cellphone picture. What. Ever. As I think they said on that TV show she used to be on.”

[From MSN]

“Blake Lively wins this year’s Kristin Stewart Award for Indistinct Diction”

[From Wall Street Journal]

“…Carol Ferris, who would be an amazing character as depicted by Blake Lively if only she weren’t allowed to speak. Ever.“

[From Pajiba]

“As appealing as Blake Lively might be in the right role, she’s miscast here and it shows in her wooden, unconvincing delivery. A life-size Barbie Doll would emote better.”

[From James Berardinelli]

“Blake Lively is decorative — no more”

[From Rolling Stone]

Ouch. Not that those meanies will affect Lively’s own plan for A-list stardom, for she’s still got Leo, right? Meanwhile, the J.J. Abrams’-produced Super 8 held on to second place by adding another $21.3 million for a two-week total of $72.8 million. If nothing else, this will give a substantial boost to Elle Fanning’s future marketability.

In third place, the debuting Mr. Popper’s Penguins landed with a decent but not stellar $18.2 million, which is about what analysts expected from this Jim Carrey-starring kiddie flick. In my review, I stated that this was a much better than expected movie, but (admittedly) that bar was set pretty low in the beginning.

In its third weekend, X-Men: First Class nabbed another $11.5 million for a domestic total of $119.9 million (and $282 million worldwide), which easily takes care of the pic’s $150 million budget and virtually guarantees that we’ll probably get another installment of Fassbender/McAvoy deliciousness.

And somehow, The Hangover Part II added another $9.6 million for an astonishing four-week domestic total of $232.7 million (and $488.7 million worldwide). Exactly how did this happen?

Movie stills courtesy of AllMoviePhoto