What Celebrities Says in November

This prolific entertainer is on a lot of people's minds these days, but not just for his holiday cheer or his critically acclaimed new album. Find out about his never-ending beefs with a politician and a pop star, and learn what other water-cooler topics had the rest of our tastemakers' tongues wagging this month.

Madonna

Madonna took time out from her latest business ventures teen fashion and fitness to appear on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
She spoke out against a recent rash of anti-gay bullying.
"The concept that we are torturing teenagers because they're gay … It's unfathomable. It's like lynching black people or, you know, Hitler exterminating Jews. … Sorry if I sound like I'm going on a rampage right now, but this is America. The land of the free and the home of the brave ..."

Bill Clinton

Former President Clinton has been getting an earful from his daughter, Chelsea, who's trying to broaden his musical horizons.
"You know, my daughter introduced me to rap and hip-hop music after I said some things she thought were not very smart. She said, 'Dad, you need to listen, all these people are smart.'"

Kanye West

Apparently, the rapper-producer still has a lot to say about his widely publicized awards show run-in with pop star Taylor Swift.
"Taylor never came to my defense at any interview … And (she) rode the waves and rode it and rode it."

Barbara Bush

The former first lady has never seemed very outspoken. If anything, she might be pegged as bookish. But in an interview with Larry King, she shared her rather blunt thoughts on Sarah Palin.
"I sat next to her once. I thought she was beautiful. And she's very happy in Alaska. I hope she'll stay there."

Eva Longoria Parker

The petite prime-time actress announced that she and her NBA player husband are going their separate ways.
"It is with great sadness that after seven years together, Tony and I have decided to divorce. We love each other deeply and pray for each other's happiness."

Janet Jackson

When interviewed for a newsstand staple, the pop icon revisited haunting memories from her early TV acting career.
Reportedly, her maturing wasn't in the script.
"It immediately makes you think, 'The way I am isn't good enough.' That's the message that it sent to me: 'The way you look now isn't right ...' It would make me sad. It wouldn't make me mad. It would hurt."

George W. Bush

Rapper Kanye West lobbed a remark at former President Bush in 2005 that reportedly still sticks him.
"I faced a lot of criticism as president … But the suggestion that I was racist because of the response to Katrina represented an all-time low."

Anne Hathaway

In an interview about her latest film, Hathaway turned diva-esque in an attempt to help her co-star, who was facing tricky questions about his possible new romance.
"I've been Jake's onscreen love interest for years ... You keep the conversation to me and only me, otherwise I'm going to get nasty!"

Warren Buffett

Billionaire CEO Buffett announced to the news media that he isn't afraid to dig deeper into his own coffers at tax time and thinks others who are wealthy should do the same.
"The rich are always going to say that, you know, just give us more money and we'll go out and spend more and then it will all trickle down to the rest of you. But that has not worked the last 10 years, and I hope the American public is catching on."

Willow Smith

Riding the wave of her hit single, this daughter of a box office titan and a stylish star seems to be enjoying her new status. Though she's got a recording contract at the ripe old age of 10, she does have boundaries, she told this magazine.
"I can't do whatever I want … Mommy has to say it's OK."

George Clooney

When another actor was given the title of People's "Sexiest Man Alive," the magazine turned to one of the two-time title-holders for his reaction. He was a good sport.
"I'm very happy for him," he said. "I'm also happy that it's not Brad."

Hillary Clinton

Travelers across the country have been up in arms about new TSA protocols. The secretary of state admitted she would avoid them if she could, but she tried to remain diplomatic when discussing them on-air.
"Striking the right balance is what this is about. And I am absolutely confident that our security experts are gonna keep trying to get it better and less intrusive and more precise."

Sylvester Stallone

Apparently back in fighting form after an accident sustained while shooting his latest film, the tough guy actor tweeted some jabs at President Barack Obama on Election Day.
"I voted did you? Gotta get the Manchurian Candidate out of the drivers seat before were ALL soaring off a cliff into Oblivion ... Be smart."

Will Ferrell

For the second year in a row, funnyman Ferrell has topped this magazine's list of the Most Overpaid. His response to the news?
"Isn't that the whole point? Aren't we all striving to be overpaid?"
His place on the list was surely secured by his hit animated release and clearly not hampered by this setback.

Tim Lincecum

"A lot of orange and black … And hopefully, a lot of alcohol."
That was how the San Francisco Giants pitcher predicted fans would celebrate his team's big achievement, a historic one at that. But their reaction ended up being quite a bit different than he expected.

Courtney Love

It would seem the former rock frontwoman is seeking addiction advice from elsewhere in the rock world.
"I am the smoker and the curser, but I am trying to learn about taking care of myself … I have friends that are growing old and freaking out and I am, like, getting hotter."
Now, perhaps she'll seek legal and parenting advice, as well.

Nancy Pelosi

In an interview, the outgoing speaker of the House had some comments about her successor, particularly about his sensitive side.
"You know what? He is known to cry. He cries sometimes when we're having a debate on bills. If I cry, it's about the personal loss of a friend or something like that."

Cher

The veteran entertainer offered some words of wisdom to Christina Aguilera, her co-star in a recently released movie.
"You know, honey, husbands come and go, but I am still Cher at the end of the day."
The advice comes amid talk about Aguilera's marital woes and alleged dalliances.

Conan O'Brien

The lanky late-night comedian indicated that he hasn't quite buried the hatchet when he spoke to this magazine about one day having his frenemy as a guest.
"He can come as the musical guest, because that I want to see; no one knows he has an operatic range … No, there are certain things I will not do, regardless of the price."
Though O'Brien has settled into a new talk show home, he seems to still harbor feelings about a switcheroo at his old network.

The Situation

The attention-seeking reality TV star has more on his mind than his abdominals, according to a recent interview.
"Obviously it's a blessing -- the women and the money and the fame, but at the same time it's -- it's actually very lonely."

Roberto Baggio

When he accepted this esteemed award, the retired Italian soccer great addressed the Nobel Prize laureates gathered in Japan:
"I have lost three World Cups, all on penalties ... If you'll allow me this, it really gets on my nerves."
"Il Divin Codino" was honored for, among other efforts, his altruistic work in Haiti.

Lori Berenson

After spending years in a prison in Peru, the convicted U.S. activist ended her sentence this month, to the dismay of many in that country.
"I totally understand that people feel a strong rejection to someone who represents terrorism. The problem is, I may not be the person they paint me to be, and they'll never know that."

Furniture from Paper Folding Chair

13 Best Summer Albums of All Time

Whether you’re into rock, rap, or songs about drug-addled concertgoers hooking up in the chill-out tent, you’re in luck.
Summer means different things to different people. For some, it’s all about avoiding work and enjoying barbecues. For others, it’s all about avoiding the heat and enjoying the water. And for a select few, it’s all about avoiding deadly projectiles while enjoying backyard games of Jarts.

But no matter what you’re up to this (or any) summer, you need a soundtrack.
The 12 albums on this list of the best summer albums of all time vary in the amount they’re actually about summer. (A few are really more about Southern California than anything else, but hey, it’s basically always summer there.) Just trust us — all of these records are ideal for beating the heat by rolling down the windows and turning up the volume.

Best Album For Sleeping Under The Stars (In Your Car)
Back In Black (1980)
AC/DC
When frontman Bon Scott died in February of 1980 of alcohol poisoning — okay, he choked on his own vomit after passing out in a parked car — his bandmates were understandably devastated. But then the plucky Australians found Brian Johnson, who happened to be the one person in the universe who could emulate Scott’s dentist-drill voice. They released this hastily put-together album in July of 1980 and kicked off the first of 30 summers (so far) that Back In Black — it’s sold 49 million copies and counting — would make totally kick-ass.
Summeriest Song: “You Shook Me All Night Long”

Best Album For…Uh, We Forget
The Chronic (1992)
Dr. Dre
Even though it’s laaaaaid-back, this solo debut from the N.W.A. mastermind was just as hard-edged as Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet — but thanks to its SoCal roots, it’s just a tad more summery. The east-coast/west-coast divide started to get ugly not long after The Chronic was released, but for a minute there, the difference between the two was as simple as an infusion of classic ’70s soul samples and a a few cubic acres of medicinal-grade weed.
Summeriest Song: “Let Me Ride”

Best Summer Album(s) of This Particular Summer
King of the Beach (2010)
Wavves
Best Coast (2010)
Best Coast
Maybe it’s because they came out within two weeks of each other, or maybe it’s because the bands’ respective leaders — Nathan Williams and Betheny Costentino — are dating, but it’s hard not to lump these two records together. Williams has a darker, punkier edge than Costentino and her girl-group melodies, but both albums are instant classics that ruminate on such urgent matters as the beach, getting high, and getting high at the beach.
Summeriest Songs: “King of the Beach” (Wavves), “Summer Mood,” (Best Coast)

Best Summer Album Obligated To Be On a List of Best Summer Albums
All Summer Long (1966)
The Beach Boys
The very concept of a “summer album” was pretty much invented by the Beach Boys, and this collection of beach-blanket bingoism is their best example. Of course, the band also pretty much invented the concept of the epic rock-band meltdown as members started suffering unfortunate bouts of madness, drug abuse, and drowning. (Speaking of which, you’d score music-geek cred with Dennis Wilson’s 1977 lost classic Pacific Ocean Blue, the melancholy yang to All Summer Long’s bouncy yin.)
Summeriest Songs: “Girls on the Beach,” “I Get Around”

Best Album For People Who Wish Bruce Springsteen Made More Drug References
Boys and Girls in America (2006)
The Hold Steady
Okay, pretty much every song frontman Craig Finn has written is a meditation on the honored summer pastimes of getting wasted and hooking up near a body of water. But his band’s third album raises the bar with the seasonally appropriate “Chillout Tent,” which celebrates the less honored pastime of taking waaaay too many drugs at a music festival. And then hooking up.
Summeriest Song: “Massive Nights”

Best Album For Getting F’d Up in 110-Degree Heat
Rated R (2000)
Queens of the Stone Age

The band’s debut album — the band is basically made up entirely of Josh Homme — helped define a genre so completely that it became alternately known as “desert rock” (since Homme is a native of Palm Desert, California) and “stoner rock” (since … well, ask Homme). But the true breakthrough came on this sophomore album thanks to the snarling opening track “Feel Good Hit of the Summer,” whose verses consisted solely of the words, “Nicotine, valium, vicodin, marijuana, Ecstasy and alcohol,” followed by the chorus, “C-c-c-c-cocaine.” It made Homme the easiest man in rock to buy birthday presents for.
Summeriest Song: “Feel Good Hit of the Summer”

Best Pool Party Soundtrack…If You Only Had a Pool
Paul’s Boutique
Beastie Boys

Following the ridiculous success of Licensed to Ill, the Beastie Boys truly were, as they boasted, always on vacation. So when it came time to work on the follow-up, they rented a house in the Hollywood Hills that included a bedroom whose window faced out onto the pool. Stocked with stranger-than-fiction war stories of hooliganism, the entire album is the sound of three New York kids having so much illicit fun in the sun that they’ve been tending to the hangover ever since.
Summeriest Song: “Hey Ladie

Best Album For City Folk Pretending They’re Country Folk

Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (1998)
Lucinda Williams
When you’re choking on exhaust in rush-hour traffic, playing this album is a great way to imagine you’re drinking beer on a quiet porch miles away from anyone else. Those kinds of simple pleasures are made all the more appealing because they’re brought to life by the weary but wizened Williams, who, quite honestly, would just as likely pull a shotgun on you as offer you one of her beers if you drove up her road uninvited.
Summeriest Song: “Can’t Let Go”

Best Album For Picking Up Chicks In Your Trans Am
Van Halen (1978)
Van Halen
Even the weakest tracks on this debut (“Feel Your Love Tonight,” “Little Dreamer”) would be standouts on any other hard-rock album of this, or any other, era. Eddie’s pyrotechnics, Dave’s ringmaster bluster, Alex’s relentless drumming, and moreover — yes, moreover — Mike’s background vocals all add up to create an album so carefree and id-driven that it can make Minnesota in January feel like Pasadena in July.
Summeriest Song: “Ice Cream Man”

Best Album For Passing Out On a Beach

Album (2009)
Girls
Frontman Christopher Owens sings like Roy Orbison during allergy season and looks like Laura Dern, but as one part of the duo Girls, he’s half responsible for last year’s best debut album. It’s a strung-out masterpiece that blends plaintive crooning with ’60s-style pop haze and answers the eternal question, “What would the soundtrack sound like if David Lynch made a surf movie?”
Summeriest Song: “Summertime”

Best Album For Battling Big-City Heat Waves

Songs In the Key of Life (1976)
Stevie Wonder
Widely considered one of the greatest R&B/pop albums of all time — where would Coolio be if not for “Pastime Paradise?” — Songs mercifully predates Wonder’s post-disco treacle like “I Just Called to Say I Love You.” Even a song called “Ordinary Pain” sounds happy, while the instrumental “Easy Going Evening” is as advertised. Unintentional summer-related coincidence: Lollapalooza is another term for an “all day sucker,” which is one of the bonus tracks on this album.
Summeriest song: “Summer Soft”

Best Album For Proving Even Jaded Hipsters Love Summer
Slanted and Enchanted (1992)
Pavement
One could argue that Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, the second album from these indie heroes, had a more sun-baked, skateboarding-after-sunset vibe. But it was this debut album that led off with “Summer Babe,” precisely the sort of instantly iconic anthem that these ambivalent curmudgeons would never admit to wanting to write.
Summeriest Song: “Summer Babe”

Best Album For Getting Stoned In Your Parents’ Basement in 1975
#1 Record/Radio City (1972/1974)
Big Star

It’s borderline criminal that it took the death of frontman Alex Chilton this past March to cement his status as a master of the kind of power pop summer nights are both suited for and the subject matter of. The first two of the three albums his Memphis band made—generally packaged now as a double album—plays like a greatest-hits set. “In the Street” nails no-good teen ennui so perfectly that the makers of That ’70s Show swiped it for their theme song, while the comedown “Watch the Sunrise” makes you want to stay up until six in the morning just on principle.
Summeriest Song: “September Gurls”