The Slug

Ellen DeGeneres Asks Vince Vaughn the Tough Questions

The Slug loves, loves, loves it when celebrity interviewers broach hard-hitting personal questions by peppering them with "the tabloids said this..." and "the paparazzi photographed that..."

Our favoritest talk show host ever Ellen DeGeneres will go there with Vince Vaughn on Friday's show. The Slug's got the advance transcript. Interestingly, DeGeneres discovered something juicy that we've never ever heard before.

Ellen: Did you know Jennifer (Aniston) before this (the film) had you all met or did you have her in mind?

Vince: Yeah, I had her in mind when I was writing it but, I had never met her before. I just think she is such a good actress as well as being really good at comedy and she also just has a natural warmth about her. It was my first choice and I was very fortunate that she said yes to do the movie.

Vince Vaughn writes?! We had no idea! More disclosure after the jump.

Slugshots: Katie Couric Cries on National Television

• Boo. Hoo. You're rich.
• Prince is so innovative. Remember those butt-less pants?
• Do celebrities need free Netflix in their gift bag? Really?
• In the future, all reality show cast members will have previously been on other reality shows.
• This makes us crave some tuna steak.
• If you look like this, please just don't stop on the red carpet. Please.

It's Our Birth and We'll Make Cupcakes If We Want To

It's official. As of that last posting, The Slug is a real live blog brought to you by the letters asap, The Associated Press, Derrik J. Lang and viewers like you. We're so excited. And we just can't hide it. In fact, we made Slugcakes. See.

(AP Photo/Derrik J. Lang)

We're Your New Best Friend

(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Katie Couric got the "CBS Evening News." Meredith Vieira got the "Today" show. Rosie O'Donnell got "The View." And, well, we got The Slug.

What you should expect: From inside our cardboard box at the Associated Press World Headquarters, The Slug will love/hate celebrities, reality shows, candy, roller coasters, "Lost," video games, blogs, new-and-improved products, tabloids, award shows and anything else worthy of a passing obsession.

Brought to you by the good people behind the multimedia news service asap, think of The Slug as your personal medieval food taster. We gobble pop culture for you — just in case it's been poisoned. We'll scour press releases, red carpets, our e-mail and AP wires to simultaneously investigate and celebrate all thangs pop culture.

Hope your expectations aren't too high!!!

Whatever You Do, Mimi, Don't Look Up

(AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Grammy schmammy. Mariah Carey was honored with the "Celebrity Legs of a Goddess" award (yeah, we never heard of it either) and a 16-foot tall replica of her, um, lower portion yesterday to promote Gillette's nationwide search for the most beautiful legs in the U.S. Mimi, you've got us feeling emotions deeper than we've ever dreamed of.

Ricki Lake is No Bob Barker

Hold onto your buzzer. CBS' "Game Show Marathon" begins tonight. There's nothing The Slug loves more than a good game show. (Or a good burger.) So when we heard about "Game Show Marathon" — seven game shows in one! — our bells and whistles started going off like we'd just come within $250 and won a Double Showcase.

The Slug got our hands on an advance copy of "The Price is Right"-themed first episode and, well, we'll pass, Wink. First, the contestants are "celebrities" (and by "celebrities" we mean the type of "celebrities" who would appear on "Skating with Celebrities"). Second, after "celebrity" contestant Kathy Najimy didn't sink a "Hole in One," host Ricki Lake -- yes, the Ricki Lake who hosted a talk show with such episodes as "Back Off My Man" and "Your Kid's Look is Trash" — failed to slap the set piece to become "Hole in One or Two." She just went to commercial.

Sigh. That ain't the way Bob does it. We feel both spayed and neutered, "Game Show Marathon." Spayed and neutered.

Slugtrend: With These Rings, I Thee Vibrate

(AP Photo/Derrik J. Lang)

Way back when asap was just a young babe of a multimedia news service and The Slug wasn't even a sperm of a blog, we wrote this story about a vibrating ring from condom makers Trojan (the lil' guy on the left). It's available in your grocer's feminine hygiene aisle unless your state laws aren't into that sort of thing.

What a difference nine months makes.

The Slug received these two new rings — OK, fine, sex toys — from MP Innovations today.The one in the center is disposable. The bad boy on the right is, uh, reusable. The best part? Unlike Trojan's 20-minutes-and-it-sputters-out latex ring, you can change the Omazing's battery to keep going and going and going.

Erection willing, of course.

Slugshots: Bartenders are Drunk When You're Hotter

• Who do you think is gonna be the meaner sibling: Maddox or Zahara?
• In case you didn't notice, asap was redesigned. Pretty boxes.
• That's better than being stranded on a kooky island.
• Who's not having a baby?
• We'll wait for Supernova. Thanks.
• Somebody needs to talk to Gayle King about this.
• Bartenders aren't that cute when you're sober, now are they?

I'll Take That Super-Super-Super-Super-Sized Please

(AP Photo/HO/Foxwoods)

This is scarier than Ronald McDonald! Here's a photo of that Guinness World Record-breaking big ol' burger we told you about last week. You can chow down on your very own 29.6 pounder at Fuddrucker’s at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut for $250 with at least 48 hours notice. We're not sure whether we want to eat this, vomit or both.

When It Comes to Starbucks, Our Lips Aren't Sealed

Recently, The Slug was caffeinated and transported to the Starbucks roasting plant and distribution center in York, Pa., for this totally interactive story.

The coffee masters were kind enough to grant us access to their java wonderland. (No kidding: The breakrooms are filled with as many fraps and lattes the workers care to drink.) The Starbucks folks even allowed us to "cup" several different blends of coffee. (It's like wine tasting for recovering alcoholics.)

However, the globalizin' empire didn't allow us to photograph several pieces of "proprietary information." But they didn't say we couldn't write about it! Ha ha ho ho. Starbucks' secrets, after the jump.

Slugfest: Only Eight More Months to Go 'Til Next Idol

(AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)

The horror! The horror! It's Tuesday and "American Idol" won't be on tonight. How can we live without this juggernaut of modern entertainment on our television? Fox shouldn't except us to just go back to our humdrum lives without the vocal stylings of Taylor Hicks, that guy with the teeth, the dumb girl, those long-haired guys or, well, we forgot the other ones. Have no fear. The Slug is here.

• Start boning up for the next auditions with this "SingingCoach" software.
• Lower your expectations and watch "American Idol Undeground" online.
• Play the DVD board game "American Idol All Star Challenge" — from the makers of "Scene It."
• Buy your tickets for "Pop Tarts Presents American Idol Live!"
• Set your PVR/TiVo/DVR for "Idol" knockoffs "America's Got Talent," "The One," "Rock Star: Supernova" and "So You Think You Can Dance?"
• Drink some gin.

Taylor Hicks is Electromagnetic

Sorry we've been incommunicado today. Our brain is still reeling from both the "Lost" finale and the Mary J. Blige-Dionne-Live-Prince-Bacharach songs stuck in our post-"Idol" head. Honestly, we're slightly miffed "Lost" ended with a scene in the outside world. Then again, the show ain't called "Island." Sigh. Is a big ol' electromagnet really to blame for this hot mess? If so, what now? And who wants to bet these bunker buddies will be cast members next season...

(AP Photo/HO/ABC)

And We Wonder Why Americans are Obese

In celebration of National Hamburger Month, chefs at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest commercially available hamburger tomorrow by creating a 25-pound beast. The fries, however, will be regular size.

Slugshots: Venti Meryl Streeps for Everyone

• Hmmm. We always suspected Aquaman.
• Can she also get us a grande chai latte too? Thanks.
• And then we can go back to living a peaceful existence.
• Yeesh. We don't even like leaving our neighborhood on the weekend.
• Like that's gonna help.
• Wow. Being a rock star can save your life.

It's a Boy! (and Creepy Marketing Promotion)

(AP Photo/Derrik J. Lang)

You may have seen those "6 + 6 + 06" signs around your town. It's subversive promotion for the upcoming "The Omen" remake, which is being released on — you guessed it — June 6, 2006. But you probably haven't seen the creepy sonograms Twentieth Century Fox has been sending to people in the mail. The AP got one. But we're still waiting for a baby shower invite.

Prison Stripe Break

(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, Charles Krupa)

Left: Cate Blanchett arriving for the "Babel" screening at the Cannes Film Festival today. Right: Tim Robbins being named Man of the Year by Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Theatricals last year.

Slugshots: Poor Celebrity Babies

• We can't keep up. Or want to.
• Britney's got nothing on her.
• Ginger Spice continues to make bad decisions.
• Ian McKellen is so Demi.
• Hey, it beats being on "The Apprentice."
• See. The AP hearts blogs.

Lassie's Roots Revealed

(AP Photo/HO/Classic Media)

Recently, The Slug hung out with the biggest bitch in Hollywood for this story. Little did we know Lassie was such a controversial figure. She seemed so nice! After the story was published, we received this letter, setting the record straight about the pooch's history. In our defense, we were just writing about hanging with the bitch for one night. We weren't hired to write her biography. (But we totally would. Lassie, call us!) The bizarre letter, after the jump.

Anybody Cannes Attend?

(AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Charlie Sheen. Animals from "Over the Hedge." Al Gore. Marilyn Manson. Sarah Michelle Gellar. The Rock (with hair). Bai Ling. This has to be the weirdest Festival de Cannes ever. Granted, the last four were just there for the premiere of "Southland Tales," Richard Kelly's new furistic flick.

Slugshots: Madonna, Keith Richards Still Kickin' It

• Jet Li sees dead R&B singers.
• What won't she wear?
• Wait a second. He's still alive!?
• Prince is sexy — to people who don't eat meat.
• Can you spot Angela Bassett au 'fro?
• Just when he couldn't get any gayer.
• What did you expect from Christian Slater's mother?
• Hey Broadway, Julia Roberts ain't mad atcha.
• Bet nobody saw this coming.

Sluts Get No Respect

(AP Photo/Dima Gavrysh)

We hate to admit it, but we watched last night's "Desperate Housewives" finale (pronounced: finally).

What we despise more than Teri Hatcher's buffoonery is the writing staff's disrespect for Nicollette Sheridan's fussy floozy Edie Britt. They burned down her house. They killed off her best friend. They sent a hitman after her. They turned her into an arsonist. And now, worst of all, she didn't even appear in the flashback-y season ender while another trampy character was introduced.

Kim Cattrall would have never stood for this.

We're Your New Best Friend

(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Katie Couric got the "CBS Evening News." Meredith Vieira got the "Today" show. Rosie O'Donnell got "The View." And, well, we got The Slug.

What you should expect: From inside our cardboard box at the Associated Press World Headquarters, The Slug will love/hate celebrities, reality shows, candy, roller coasters, "Lost," video games, blogs, new-and-improved products, tabloids, award shows and anything else worthy of a passing obsession.

Brought to you by the good people behind the multimedia news service asap, think of The Slug as your personal medieval food taster. We gobble pop culture for you — just in case it's been poisoned. We'll scour press releases, red carpets, our e-mail and AP wires to simultaneously investigate and celebrate all thangs pop culture.

Hope your expectations aren't too high!!!