I tend to underestimate the interest in stories about casting couches and who “got the part” for reasons other than “talent”. I’m trying to figure out why so many of you are so fascinated by the stories and why I’m almost always just kind of “meh” about it. Am I really jaded? Could be. I think the casting couch is a real thing, and I think we see the effects of horny producers making terrible casting decisions all the time in Hollywood. But I do think we should differentiate between the casting couch and the simple fact that – at least in my mind – people in Hollywood hook up and sleep with each other a lot. Like, I think the majority of producers, actors, directors and assorted personnel treat the Hollywood experience as a chance to bang as many people as they can. So, does every affair between an actress and a producer or director automatically equate to “casting couch”? Eh, not really. It depends.

But this story is particularly creepy, and it’s not the kind of story that even little ol’ jaded me could throw some shade on. Susan Sarandon says that in her early days as an actress, she was pretty much sexually assaulted when she came in to audition for a role:

Susan Sarandon isn’t afraid of letting her skeletons out of the closet! The 66-year-old actress opens up to Elle magazine in the November 2012 issue about a “disgusting” casting-couch experience that happened in her younger years – and RadarOnline.com has the details.

“It was not successful – for either of us,” Sarandon admits, when asked if she had ever had a casting-couch experience.

“I just went into a room, and a guy practically threw me on the desk. It was my early days in New York, and it was really disgusting. It wasn’t like I gave it a second though, it was so badly done.”

As RadarOnline.com previously reported, the Academy Award winner also defended her romance with her much-younger boyfriend, ping-pong entrepreneur Jonathan Bricklin.

“People make him out to be much younger than he is – and me older,” Sarandon “wryly” explained to the fashion magazine, clarifying that he is 35, not 33 as the media has widely reported.

[From Radar]

Ugh. I kind of don’t understand what happened in between “the dude threw me on a desk” and “he’s disgusting and it wasn’t successful” – did she slap him? Did she fight back? Did she kick him in the balls? Did she laugh at him and threaten to slice him up? How did it stop being a story about a horrible sexual assault and become a tale of some pathetic dude in her youth? And no, I don’t consider this a casting couch situation. This is straight-up sexual assault. I would love to know what Susan Sarandon would do with someone like Michael “You Have to Wash My Ferrari While I Videotape You” Bay.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Here’s Halle Berry promoting her film Cloud Atlas at the Toronto Film Festival. It’s an epic adventure film based on a book of the same name by David Mitchell. It also stars Tom Hanks, Susan Sarandon, Jim Sturgess, and Hugh Grant among others. It’s out on October 26th. I just watched the extended trailer and there are so many different interwoven storylines, I came away with no idea what it’s about. It’s futuristic, it’s historical, parts look like Inception and parts like Avatar. There’s also a little Water World mixed in. Screen Rant has some advanced reviews if you’re interested. Apparently it’s getting good reviews overall and needs to do well since it cost $100 million to make.

Getting back to Halle Berry, she wore this see-through lace top to remind us of how hot she still is, and paired it with a purple snakeskin print suit with shoulder pads that has a very 90s sillouette. The only designer ID I have found for Halle’s outfit is that the blouse is Monique Lhuillier. I don’t know who made that crazy suit, but I don’t hate it. She really works it hard. I just wish she had gotten the pants tailored. We just saw Kate Hudson in some too-long pants so maybe that’s going to be a fashion “do” now. Halle’s hair and makeup are perfection. I’m so glad she ditched the crazy curls.

I came into this story thinking I would talk about Halle Berry’s silly fashion and maybe wonder aloud what’s going on with her custody battle, but having seen the Cloud Atlas trailer I realize I don’t care. It’s all part of the intricate dance of humanity, where we love, lose, die, fight for our rights and try and remain relevant with wacky fashion and extreme fitness. I don’t know. The film is described as “exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.” Here’s a brief part of a glowing review on Collider that makes me really want to see it:

“My life exists far beyond the limitations of me,” a character notes in Cloud Atlas. By the same token, The Wachowski Siblings and Tom Tykwer‘s film exists far beyond the limitations of genre, narrative, identity, and time. It is a work of sweeping ambition, engrossing stories, compelling characters, and powerful emotions. The filmmakers have taken David Mitchell’s novel, and rebuilt it into a captivating sextuplet filled with love, hate, redemption, damnation, bravery, cowardice, and more. Through skillful editing and astounding performances, Cloud Atlas is a cinematic experience like few others, and it will leave viewers in awe.

[From Collider]

I’m kind of excited for this movie. Plus I love Hugh Grant and Tom Hanks. I know it will make me cry, though. I cried at Avatar, and had to fight the urge not to bawl.

Hugh Grant. He still looks great, right?

Jim Sturgess does not do it for me. I understand why Kaiser calls him “pillow weeper”

Hugo Weaving. I would!

Susan Sarandon needs a new stylist, but you know she does not GAF at all. Look at her shoes.

Love Tom! I’m not a fan of that barely-there mustache, but maybe he’s growing it in for a role.

Photo credit: Dominic Chan/ WENN.com

I don’t know why I care so much, but I was just wondering in my last story on Susan Sarandon whether she was still with that 30-something ping pong entrepreneur, Jonathan Bricklin. Bricklin was all of 31 in December of ’09 when we first heard rumors that Sarandon was messing around with him. Of course we heard that Sarandon had split with her longterm partner, Tim Robbins, right before the news came out that she was seeing a guy who was 32 years younger than she was. So the timeline was suspect, or maybe Sarandon and Robbins waited months to announce their split.

Anyway fast forward two and a half years and Sarandon and Bricklin are still going seemingly strong. She took him with her to the Czech Republic, where she premiered her film Jeff Who Lives at Home at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival this weekend. She also received a lifetime achievement award. The Daily Mail has details of Susan’s acceptance speech, and dedicated the award to the late great Nora Ephron. Sarandon got choked up when she said “I dedicate this to Nora Ephron. My friend and a wonderful director and writer.” As The Mail points out, Sarandon never starred in Ephron’s films, but they were old “friends who travelled in the same circles in New York and Los Angeles.” It’s hard to believe Ephron has passed. It seemed like just yesterday that she was promoting her memoir.

To lighten the mood, let’s talk about Susan’s dress at the closing ceremony, above. I don’t have a designer ID on it, but this black number with the sheer side panels looks like Stella McCartney. From far away and when the light isn’t hitting it full on it looks potentially flattering on her, as compared to the other hideous sack dress she wore to premiere the film. In the photo above you can see nip, her boobs are hanging low and the dress looks way too revealing to me. In each of these appearances her shoes are really dragging her down. She obviously goes for comfort and it shows. Would it kill her to throw some cute heels in her bag to slip into for the red carpet?

Also, Bricklin’s mustache is ridiculous. Is that what they call an “ironic mustache?” I really hope so, but even so there’s no excuse for it. Maybe it looks better from another angle?

When I was in grad school I had a professor who couldn’t use a computer or type and I found it kind of fascinating. He would either hand write his notes for us or have his secretary transcribe them, which just seemed like a total waste of time. The guy was in his late 70s and that was the mid 90s though, not nearly 20 years later when we’re walking around with smart phones, iPads and little laptops that fit in our purses. (How I wish I had those things in college when they would have made such a difference.) So I’m surprised to hear Susan Sarandon, 65, admit that she can’t turn on a computer or use Google. My mom and dad are around her age and they’ve been online since dialup days. (Can you hear the sound in your head now of the modem connecting? I can but as I’ve already established I’m old.) All their friends are online and they’re chatting on Facebook and sharing photos of their grandkids. It just surprises when someone says that they can’t use a computer or the Internet, if I’m reading this right. Here’s what Sarandon said, she was at an event for the Trevor Project, an LGBT suicide and crisis prevention group:

Susan Sarandon isn’t bothered by bad reviews — or good ones, for that matter. She doesn’t read them at all, and abstains from Google. “I wouldn’t even know how to Google myself,” she told us at a Trevor Project gala at Chelsea Piers. “I don’t know how to touch a computer.” As far as critics of her work, the star takes an ostrich-like approach: “I don’t want to know,” she says. “Even stuff that’s really good shouldn’t get stuck in your head, because it’s not real.” Sarandon was honored at the benefit to fight teen suicide. When asked about the online bullying phenomenon, she replied, “Usually the people that have time to go online and sit there and be negative are such losers. But, of course, you can’t understand that when you’re a kid.”

[From The New York Post]

Sarandon had that young boyfriend for a long time (although we haven’t heard about him for a while), she’s into ping pong and she’s always been committed to liberal causes. I just assumed that she’s online like so many of the rest of us, and that’s where she gets her information. I’ll admit that sometimes I yearn for the time when I wasn’t connected all the time, when I wasn’t compelled to check my email and the news just one last time before I went to bed. But to be honest, I have a hard time remembering what that was like. My son will never know what that was like. Is that progress or is it scary? Is it a bold statement to say that you don’t know how to use a computer and you can’t be bothered? I think it is, and I admire it like I admire people who do incredible things like go on an inexpensive vacation around the world for months at a time. I know it’s not for me, but I can’t help wonder what it would be like, and if I would enjoy it.

Here Susan is at the Trevor Project event in a really fug dot print navy suit and wide-collar white shirt. Look at her shoes! Does that make me a loser for pointing out her bad outfit? What do I care, she’ll never read it. She’s also shown at the “That’s My Boy” premiere with her sons Miles Robbins and Jack Henry Robbins. Cute! (Except for her suit. She looks great otherwise though.)

Update: Susan probably isn’t as computer illiterate as she claims. She joined twitter this week and her account is verified and everything. Maybe someone is helping her with it.

Photo credit: WENN.com

This is a kind of bizarre political crossover story that we debated whether to cover. Actress Susan Sarandon, 65, is involved in activist causes in her native NY City and often speaks at protests and events around the US. I googled “Susan Sarandon protest Youtube” and found videos of her at Occupy Wall St, and in Madison, WI during the union busting protests in 2011. She’s also been an outspoken anti-war advocate, and made appearances at protests both before and after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The first thing that came to mind when I heard this story, though, is the speech that Susan and her then longterm-partner, Tim Robbins, made at the 1993 Oscars about the plight of HIV-positive Haitian refugees in America. (I couldn’t find video of that, let me know if you can find it.) Word was that they were banned from the Oscars after that, but Susan of course won Best Actress in 1996 for Dead Man Walking. She didn’t mention anything political in her acceptance speech at that time, and Tim was there in the audience.

In a new interview with documentarian activist Michael Moore, Susan claims that she was denied security clearance recently to visit the White House, and that her phone is being tapped. (Sidenote: Remember Moore’s 2003 Oscar acceptance speech against Bush?)

Controversial activist and actress Susan Sarandon has never kept her opinions to herself, and she is now claiming that her outspoken political opinions have made her a security risk.

“I’ve gotten my (FBI) file twice,” the liberal activist revealed during a Q&A session with filmmaker Michael Moore at the Tribeca Film Festival on Sunday, reported the Los Angeles Times.

“I know my phone was tapped. If they’re not surveilling you then everyone else has cameras on phones.” She added, “I was denied security clearance to go to the White House [next week], and I don’t know why.”

Moore responded by saying: “I never think about it. It would unwind me. I assume everything I’m saying in an email or saying on the telephone is being looked at,” he added.

The Fahrenheit 9/11 and Capitalism: A Love Story documentary maker also revealed that he thought the phone-tapping scandal that rocked Rupert Murdoch’s media empire, News Corp in the UK, could happen in America.

“I’m interested to see what happens with Fox News and phone hacking,” said Moore. “I really can’t believe it just happens in Great Britain. Because really, who cares about just hacking phones over there?

“I’ll make a prediction about something — I think the phone-hacking thing Murdoch is involved in … is going to be investigated, and it will be found that it’s been going on here too. I just have a gut feeling.”

As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Sarandon outraged the Catholic Church recently when she referred to Pope Benedict XVI as a “Nazi” during an interview last October.

[From Radar Online]

Again, we really didn’t want to touch this story. I do want to say that I think Susan is wrong about any scandal occurring this side of the pond due to phone tapping. If she’s right that her phone is under surveillance and it’s a government entity doing it, that’s pretty much legal under the Patriot Act. If The National Enquirer or Star is hacking her phone, then we might get an investigation.

Note by Kaiser: I think CB is right, in that it’s perfectly possible (and “legal”) that a government agency could be tapping Susan’s phone (or anyone else’s). But I think the discussion about Murdoch and the phone hacking in the UK is related to that in an unexpected way – did anyone watch the Frontline episode devoted to the hacking scandal? What surprised me most was the British government’s complicity in the press’s hacking of public figures. That’s one of the reasons that it took the New York Times (working with The Guardian) to break the story internationally – because the British government was stonewalling just as much as Murdoch’s people were. What the UK hacking scandal showed me was that an ultra-right-wing press operation can work concurrently with a government when they share common interests.

Susan is shown on 4-2, 4-18 and 4-22-12, credit: WENN.com

Susan Sarandon is talking about plastic surgery! And she’s admitting to it! Epic. Here’s something that’s weird though: Susan admitted that she had “some lipo under my chin and under my eyes” in a new, exclusive interview with People Magazine, but People Mag didn’t lead with that admission in their online story. Not only did that refuse to lead with it – they didn’t even include it in the online edition. Other outlets are simply crediting People Magazine, in what I’m assuming is a more extensive article in the print edition. WTF? Here’s the People piece, with the quotes culled from the print edition:

If you want the truth about aging in Hollywood, ask Susan Sarandon.

“It’s true there aren’t that many good parts,” the outspoken actress, 65, says in an interview in the new issue of PEOPLE. “I’ve had my disappointments. It’s hard to be in this business and not be an alcoholic or a drug addict or bitter as an older woman.”

But, she adds, “that’s one of the things you have to make your peace with – or get out of the business because everyone has those moments. I’m not the only one.”

At an age when many actresses are relegated to granny roles, Sarandon mixes it up with such unexpected cameos as a seductive teacher on 30 Rock and Andy Samberg’s mom in Saturday Night Live’s “Motherlover” skit.

In her latest movie Jeff, Who Lives at Home, she plays an uptight mom dealing with two dysfunctional adult sons (Ed Helms and Jason Segel). Of course, she shows her sensual side, too: “It’s really more of an attitude than it is being naked,” she says.

Before she even hit 40, Sarandon was informed that her sexy days were over. “I was told by John Cassavetes when I did The Tempest never to be a mom because I would not be sensual anymore,” says the actress. Her reaction? “I think I laughed.”

Sarandon went on to have three kids: her actress daughter with Italian film director Franco Amurri, Eva Amurri, 27, and two sons with her former partner Tim Robbins, Jack, 22, and Miles, 19. And she definitely still has sizzle. “I’m happy to be considered desirable.” she says. “I love it!”

Besides, she says, “I think there’s a lot of guys who like strong women. Maybe because women have raised sons who have different expectations. I think we can take some credit for that!”

As for plastic surgery, Sarandon says, “I’ve had some lipo under my chin and under my eyes.”

And the actress says she would consider getting Botox injections as long as doctors don’t go overboard.

She adds, “I have these two huge frown lines here (on my forehead). But if you can’t move your face or you’re unrecognizable, I don’t see how that’s a productive enhancement. You don’t want to look like a female impersonation of yourself.”

[From People Magazine and Starpulse]

Media relations aside, what do you think of Susan’s lipo admission? I’m slightly disappointed, just because I thought she was all-natural. But I like that she admits it – and says what she had done specifically. I looked through these recent photos of Susan, seeing if I could detect the work… and I can’t really. Which is a good sign. It’s not like Susan’s revelation brought a “No sh-t, Sherlock” moment for me, at least. Even though she had lipo under her eyes (probably to remove the bags, right?), I can’t tell that she messed with her eyes at all. It’s not like a Kate Winslet situation where we’re just supposed to accept that her eyes are now pulled and tweaked, and we’re supposed to think that’s “natural”. Susan doesn’t look pulled, or tweaked or jacked. Yay?

Thanks to LaineyGossip for the story!

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Susan Sarandon is now a mother-in-law! Her daughter, Eva Amurri, walked down the aisle in a Southern-style ceremony in Charleston over the weekend. I loved Eva in the third season of “Californication,” and she’s currently running the up-and-coming starlet gauntlet. Hopefully, she’ll get a real mainstream break soon so that her resumé won’t be so littered with one-off episodes of “House, M.D.” and the like. At any rate, Eva tied the knot with soccer commentator Kyle Martin, who’s pretty cute but demonstrates questionable fashion sense on the red carpet. Eva really should gift her new hubby with a new wardrobe:

Seriously, he really likes this shirt:

With a little bit of Southern charm, Eva Amurri and Kyle Martino, a former MLS soccer player who is now a soccer commentator, were married Saturday afternoon in historic Charleston, S.C, her rep confirms exclusively to PEOPLE.

The nuptials were hosted by Amurri’s mom Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins – who helped raise the bride during his 21-year-long relationship with her mother – and capped off a weekend of festivities including a scavenger hunt, cocktail party and casual oyster roast and barbeque rehearsal dinner.

The ceremony, officiated by Sister Helen Prejean – about whom the movie Dead Man Walking, starring Sarandon, was made – was to be followed by a black-tie celebration of dinner and dancing and guests toasted with Perrier Jouet champagne.

Amurri, 26, donned a dress by designer Lela Rose.

“I tried it on and it was over,” she told PEOPLE of the dress. Rose also designed Sarandon’s mother-of-the-bride dress, as well as looks for the bridesmaids. The groom, 30, wore a Brioni tux.

The pair, who became engaged in December, chose the historic city because the groom’s parents currently reside there.

[From People]

That’s a nice detail about Susan Helen Prejean, isn’t it? That brings a nice sense of occasion to the event, although I had no idea that nuns could preside over weddings. Maybe I should brush up on a Catechism at some point. It’s also nice to learn that Kyle wore something different to get hitched because, hey, the least a guy can do, right? On 9/23, Eva celebrated her bachelorette party in Vegas at Lavo nightclub and showed off her enviable bod in this figure-hugging silver number:

And here’s Eva and Susan doing the mother-daughter thing together at the 2010 Golden Globe Awards:

Photos courtesy of WENN

Susan Sarandon with son Jack Robbins at the SAG Awards. Credit: WENN.com. Inset via Hollybaby. She didn’t wear that bracelet to the SAGs, though.

This is a bizarre story that I just couldn’t resist covering. The lovely Susan Sarandon, 64, had an elegant bracelet custom made for her – out of her children’s baby teeth. She told Popeater that the bracelet was made from her three children’s teeth: Eva Amurri, 25, Jack, 21, and Miles, 18.

Apparently, the tooth fairy doesn’t visit Susan Sarandon’s house. ‘The Lovely Bones’ actress has been stepping out at events wearing a rather unusual bracelet crafted from opals, rubies, gold and — her children’s teeth! Yes, you read that right.

She crafted the personalized bracelet from the pearly whites of daughter Eva Amurri and sons Jack Robbins and Miles Robbins. “A friend of mine designed it,” she told PopEater as she twirled the bracelet around her wrist.

[From Popeater]

Hollybaby reported on this same bracelet last month and claimed that it was made with Eva’s wisdom teeth, but either way teeth are involved and they’re her childrens.

My son recently lost his first two baby teeth, which he was adorably proud of. It was a big moment in our house and he made us promise that the tooth fairy wouldn’t take his teeth. We said we’d work something out with her so he would still get paid but could keep his teeth. I have no idea what I’ll do with those teeth, but we’re keeping them for now. Around that time I was kind of skeeved out to learn that my mother-in-law had saved every one of my husband’s baby teeth. She had a little sack filled with them and it wasn’t pleasant to see them all laid out on the table.

Sarandon’s bracelet is so pretty and you can’t even see that there are teeth in it. Us moms can be a little weird about saving things from our children, and I guess teeth are relatively harmless when compared to the other things kids shed that we could possibly save. I’m thinking fingernails, placenta, boy parts that are sometimes removed at birth. Umbilical cords make sense to me, although I have no idea where my kid’s is. Teeth are just little bones and kids shed them like so many other things from childhood. We just want to hold on to that time somehow, even as our kids give us new things to be so proud and thankful for every day.

Susan and Eva Amurri are shown below on 8/29/10. She’s shown with Miles Robbins below on 5/3/08. Credit: WENN.com

It’s her birthday today! Happy birthday, Susan! Anyway, I swear, I feel like I’ve read this Susan Sarandon interview before, but I guess I’m wrong. It seems to be new. Maybe she’s just been repeating herself lately? Could be. Anyway, Susan has given an extensive interview to The Telegraph to promote her supporting part in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (I think she plays Shia LaBeouf’s mother, maybe), and no subjects are off-limits. She talks about sex, tattoos and her split from Tim Robbins. Oh, and the interview takes place at the ping-pong club Susan is invested in – the same place where her young lover, Jonathan Bricklin, is a co-owner. The full piece is here, and here are some highlights:

On Botox: ‘I’m afraid of Botox, As an actress you have to use your face. But I do think a woman has a right to do whatever she wants with her body.’

On drugs and clean living: ‘I was lucky to come of age at a time when there were consciousness-opening drugs as opposed to the meaner chemical drugs.’ Later she mentions that she is on a health kick, not even drinking coffee. So drugs are out of the question then, I say. ‘I wouldn’t go that far,’ says Sarandon, laughing. ‘And I do like tequila.’

On her first husband, Chris Sarandon, who she married when she was 20 years old: ‘He was the first person I ever had sex with and my best friend. I married so young but took it very seriously; I never had that kind of free-love 1960s. I was slow to lose my virginity. In fact, throughout my life I’ve been with so few people; I’m one of those serial monogamists. I was never that wild, although I was a bit of a hippie chick. I think I probably still am a hippie chick.’

On getting cougar parts: ‘Certainly if there is an older woman/younger guy theme they seem to come to me. I think it’s great that people see me as being multifaceted and still desirable and smart and funny. What more could you ask?’

On her politics: ‘I’ve never had anyone come up and say to me, “You suck as an actor,” but I’ve had people say, “You commie c–nt,” which is shocking when you’re nursing a baby in the middle of the afternoon.’

On not ever marrying Tim Robbins: ‘I’ve always liked the idea of choosing to be with somebody, I thought that if you didn’t get married you wouldn’t take each other for granted as easily. I don’t know if after twentysomething years that was still true.’

On their split: ‘People were coming up to me in the street and saying “I cried and cried when I heard.” Well, I was sadder! I didn’t think it would ever happen, either.’ She implies that her relationship with Robbins ran its course. ‘You bring people into your life at certain times. Maybe you have a relationship to have children and you realise that it’s fulfilled after that point.’

On the dating-Bricklin rumors: Rumour has it that Sarandon is involved with her Spin business partner, Jonathan Bricklin, 31, who is chatting to her when I arrive. ‘You have to have a sense of humour,’ she says about the reports. ‘There are lots of people in my life at the moment.’

[From The Telegraph]

So… I guess Susan is dating Bricklin, and probably some other dudes. I have to admit, if I was an older gentleman, I would probably go for Susan. She seems like a lot of fun, and I buy that she really is this natural. She’s not the woman who has to get Botoxed for every event, she’s not the woman who puts herself out there as the “Look At Me, I’m Still Sexy!” cougar. Hell, I’d kind of like to date her right now.

Look at these sexy photos of Susan making out with Matthew Fox!

Very soon after Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins announced their split late last year, Susan was immediately rumored to be bangin’ 31-year-old Jonathan Bricklin (he could be 32 years old at this point, I can’t find his birth date). Bricklin is/was best known as the dude who ran a ping-pong club, and as a New York hipster. Neither Jonathan nor Susan really protested or denied that they were dating, and now we have our first photos of the couple, where they’re looking rather coupley. I should point out – there were photos of the two of them hanging out every so often in the past few months, but they were always with other people, and you know, it didn’t seem like ZOMG BOYFRIEND.

But these photos do seem very coupley, in my opinion. Susan and Jonathan (his HAIR, Jesus) are walking around Italy together. Susan brought him to Italy for the Giffoni Film festival in Ravello. Sexy Italian times with her hipster boy-toy? Oh, Susan. I love you, girl. Of course – they could just be “working” – Susan is producing a ping-pong reality show with Bricklin, maybe. More likely she’s just hittin’ it until she moves on to someone younger, hotter and cooler, though. Because that’s the way La Sarandon rolls.

Susan and Jonathan on July 26, 2010. Credit: Fame.