Jessica Simpson doesn't brush her teeth, Joaquin Phoenix might be playing Edgar Allan Poe, and an appeal has been filed in the Phil Spector case...Mantenna, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!
Photo: Brian Ach/Getty Images
Jessica Simpson Doesn't Brush Her Teeth (or Know How to Spell the Word "Toothbrush")
When asked how she keeps her pearly whites looking so fresh, Jessica Simpson told reporters recently that she simply uses mouthwash, and doesn't bother with toothbrushes. "I do brush every now and again, but my teeth are extremely powerful," she says… Hear that, America? The girl who can't understand the complexities of a can of tuna believes her teeth are powerful. [Yahoo!]
Joaquin Phoenix to Play Edgar Allan Poe in The Beautiful Cigar Girl?
Joaquin Phoenix famously "retired" from acting a year ago to start some sort of career as a rapper which may or may not be fodder for a documentary or other film project involving Casey Affleck. It’s all a bit murky, really, but we don’t think anyone has ever been convinced that Phoenix is really retired. If this report is correct, he isn’t, and will in fact be playing Edgar Allan Poe in an adaptation of Daniel Stashower’s book The Beautiful Cigar Girl. [The Playlist]
Rupert Wyatt to Direct Planet of the Apes Prequel
20th Century Fox has hired Rupert Wyatt to develop and direct a prequel to Planet of the Apes. Wyatt directed The Escapist, which premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. The screenplay for the Apes remake, titled Caesar, was written by screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, The Relic). [Media Connection]
Appeal Filed in Phil Spector Case
Photo: Tiffany Rose/Getty Images
Lawyers for Phil Spector have asked a court to throw out his second-degree murder conviction on the grounds of judicial error and prosecutorial misconduct. In a 148-page brief filed Wednesday, the attorneys cited multiple reasons they believe Spector was denied his right to a fair trial. They asked the California Second District Court of Appeal to reverse the jury verdict and order a new trial. The state attorney general's office, which is to file a reply brief next month, has made no official comment as of yet. [Reuters]
Get Ready to be Samefully Defeated by Your Secretary
Selection Sunday is less than 48 hours away and offices filled with guys who think they know what they're doing are getting ready to bust out their brackets. CBS plans to reveal the 64-team field Sunday evening, meaning that the obnoxious account executive with a "can't miss strategy" should be holding court at the water cooler in front of the people who secretly hate him first thing Monday morning. [NCAA]
United Airlines Claims In-Flight Video Chat Illegal
John Battelle was on a Wi-Fi-enabled fight with United Airlines last night, and he decided to use videochat to say goodnight to his kids. Unfortunately, a flight attendant told him it was illegal. The reasoning? Videochat could be used to coordinate terrorist attacks. Good thing he didn't have email or IM access! [Boing Boing]
FCC Asks You To Test Your Broadband Speeds
The Federal Communications Commission is asking the nation's broadband and smartphone users to use its broadband testing tools to help the feds and consumers know what speeds are actually available, not just promised by the nation's telecoms. Users can enter their address and test their broadband download speed, upload speed, latency, and jitter using one of two tests (users can choose to test with the other after one test is complete). The FCC is requiring the street address, as it "may use this data to analyze broadband quality and availability on a geographic basis." [Engadget]
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