Madam Tussaud’s Wax Museum in Washington DC has put together a new holiday themed exhibit which features President-elect Barack Obama and Secretary of State designate Hillary Clinton surrounded by wrapped Xmas gifts as they stand side-by-side in the Oval Office of the White House next to a festively adorned Xmas tree:

LOL. And, for your information, the gifts that are piled atop the President’s desk have gift tags made out to the Cabinet member nominees that have already been announced — Rahm Emmanuel (Chief of Staff), Tom Daschle (Secretary of Health and Human Services) and Robert Gates (Secretary of Defense). Hahahahaha … I really love this display … cuz as much as I adore Michelle Obama and I *know* that she will be an amazing First Lady, I honestly believe the real First Couple of the US is going to be made up of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. If she successfully becomes approved to be our next Secretary of State, Obama is going to essentially be married to her for the course of her tenure. Honestly … I’m not really sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing ;) But by looking at this wax exhibit … I do think they make a very handsome couple.

[Photo credit: Splash News]

Kiefer Sutherland was among the guests who attended the premiere opening of a new photography exhibit called 24: Redemption - Captured In Africa which was held at the The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, CA last night. 24: Redemption, as some of you may be aware, is a 2-hour TV movie prequel that will air on FOX on Sunday November 23 ahead of the debut of the new season of 24 in January. The TV movie was shot on location in South Africa and this new exhibit at The Paley Center (on display until January 11) showcases some of the amazing photography that was shot while the movie was being filmed. Here are a couple pics of Kiefer on the red carpet at last night’s event and some information about the exhibit itself:

From the press release: Last spring, FOX announced that after a nearly two-year hiatus, 24 would return to the airwaves with 24: REDEMPTION, an unprecedented two-hour television event shot on location in South Africa and Los Angeles. Now as the producers ready this epic tale for broadcast, they are unveiling a never-before-seen collection of stunning photographs shot by five members of the show’s creative team during the overseas filming. “24: REDEMPTION – Captured in Africa” is a rare inside look at the making of the show composed of candid moments between cast and crew, including Emmy Award-winner Kiefer Sutherland; dramatic stills from the spectacular action sequences; and vivid photographic captures of the scenic South African locations. The Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles will host the one-of-a-kind photo exhibit of fine art museum quality archival prints from Nov. 10, 2008 through Jan. 11, 2009, when it may move on to additional venues to be announced later. Curated by Entertainment Weekly deputy photo director Michael Kochman and custom printed at DigitalFusion’s fine art printing facility, the exhibit features works by executive producer/director Jon Cassar, director of photography Rodney Charters, producer Michael Klick, unit photographer Kelsey McNeal and star/executive producer Kiefer Sutherland. “I was so impressed with the quality of the photography, and it was exciting to see a production photographed from five different perspectives,” said Kochman. “Each photographer captured something very special and poetic – sometimes intimate, sometimes epic, sometimes documentary-like and raw. It all adds up to a fascinating photographic experience.” “Shooting 24: REDEMPTION in South Africa was the highlight of my six years on the show,” said 24 executive producer and Emmy Award-winning director Jon Cassar. “It was nothing short of exhilarating. Africa also became a wonderful canvas for the still photography enthusiasts among our crew. Every day put us in places and situations that were new and exciting to us, and our cameras clicked constantly. This exhibit chronicles the seven weeks that were spent in Cape Town and the surrounding regions from moments captured during a hectic shooting schedule to the faces and places that represent not only the making of 24 but the Africa of today.”

After the jump, check out a few of the photos that will be on display in this new exhibit … (more…)

Carrie Underwood is the latest celeb to have her likeness made into a wax statue for display at Madam Tussaud’s Wax Museum … unfortch for Carrie, tho, her statue was not made by the London branch of Madam Tussaud’s (which is known for their expertly flawless recreations) and was instead made by the folks at the Las Vegas, NV branch of the museum … which may explain by Carrie’s statue looks like it has Céline Dion’s face … EW!

Carrie was a good sport to show up for the unveiling of her wax likeness but if I were her, I’d sue. Carrie Underwood looks far prettier than her waxen doppelgänger … especially in these pics.

[Photo credit: Splash News]

Back in August we were alerted to the fact that UK artist Marc Quinn was working on an upgraded version of the Kate Moss statue, called Sphynx, that he created back in 2006. When news came out that Quinn would be casting his Kate Moss statue in 18 carat gold we were not allowed to see the finished product (but we were shown a glimpse). At last, the final product can be revealed … behold, Marc Quinn’s latest “masterpiece” Siren:

She has graced countless magazine covers and inspired numerous artists to copy her image. But now Kate Moss has received the ultimate accolade after being immortalised in gold and displayed at the British Museum. And with daily share price drama as well as collapsing house prices this gold sculpture would provide as safe a haven as any for canny, and extremely wealthy, investors. Dubbed a ‘modern day Aphrodite’ the supermodel’s statue, unveiled on Wednesday, cost more than £1.5million to make - of which £1million was the price of the 18 carat gold. Artist Marc Quinn, who named the work ‘Siren’, said he expected to sell it for more than £10million. The piece is hollow and at 50kg is understood to weigh the same as the diminutive Miss Moss herself. It will be displayed from Saturday until January as part of the Statuephilia exhibition in the Nereid Gallery among statues of classical Greek goddesses including Aphrodite. Miss Moss’ pose is a little less conventional however. Mr Quinn elected to immortalise her in provocative yoga pose with her legs behind her head wearing only skimpy underwear. He said: “When I showed Kate the statue she told me she loved it. She really liked the idea and she modelled for me for a day or so.” But he added: “She didn’t pose for me like that. For Kate, she thinks it lifts her into a mythic level. I think she very much loved it because she understands the difference between her image and her self. The sculpture is really about whether we make images or they make us. It’s about trying to live up to impossible dreams and immortality.” The artist claimed that his piece questioned the notion of value in society in the light of the credit crunch. “With the financial crash at the minute. It is a really interesting time to do this. Why should gold be worth lots and steel not?” he said. “It’s because we have agreed it represents something special in our society.” The work is the largest gold statue made by man since ancient Egyptian times. Mr Quinn, who once made a bust of himself using eight pints of his own blood - has created statues of Kate before: Sphynx, a white painted bronze figure of Kate in another yoga pose, and an early version of Siren, also in white. Mr Quinn said of using Moss as a subject: “I thought the next thing to do would be to make a sculpture of the person who’s the ideal beauty of the moment. But even Kate Moss doesn’t live up to the image.”

Uhhh, yeah. I didn’t really understand the point of this piece back in 2006 and I really don’t get it now … but hey, it’s art, right? I’m actually very surprised to learn that this golden statue of Kate Moss is “the largest gold statue made by man since ancient Egyptian times”. I’m not entirely sure that I believe it but … again, who knows. In the end, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and while I may not necessarily be beholding a lot of beauty in this garish art piece myself that doesn’t mean that others can’t behold the beauty for themselves. What do y’all think … do we like?

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Remember THIS statue of Kate Moss? Well, I guess it was time for an upgrade:

She’s been immortalized in bronze, painted in oils and photographed all over the world. Now Kate Moss - fashion icon, mother and long time paparazzi favourite - has been paid the kind of compliment normally reserved for Egyptian queens and mythological goddesses. She has been sculpted in gold. A new statue of the controversial model is to unveiled at the British museum for an exhibition in October. The 34-year-old will join some of the nation’s other great treasures, including a centuries old statue of a naked Aphrodite, on loan from the Queen. This is the first teasing glimpse of the £1.5million likeness of Kate, one of a series by Marc Quinn, the artist responsible for the ‘Alison Lapper Pregnant’ sculpture that adorned the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square for 20 months. The museum released only a detail of the Kate Moss work in the hope that the full image could remain private until its unveiling. The statue, entitled ‘Siren’, depicts her in a yoga contortion. If it follows the theme of his previous Kate Moss works, it will place her feet somewhere near her ears and leave various other bits of her leotard-clad body inelegantly exposed to public gaze. The statue is said to be the largest of its kind since ancient Egyptian times. It is fashioned from solid gold. But because the statue is hollow, it weighs only 50 kilograms (110 lb) - possibly a little more than the waif-like subject on which it is modeled.

Um … why Kate Moss? Why not, say, Bea Arthur? Seriously. Anyone?

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Earlier this week we saw that Madam Tussaud’s Wax Museum in London immortalized the whacky Amy Winehouse with a wax statue that looked far too healthy to adequately represent the real-life person. But an industrious competitor at the Lambeth Country Show in South London finally got it right … here is a pic of one of the winning entries in the Vegetable Figure section of this year’s country fair in South London … and a pic of Miss Winehouse for comparison:

This model of Amy Winehouse is made from a potato and aubergine and was awarded first place by a team of judges from Lambeth Horticultural Society. The pallid color, the spotty skin — they surely deserve the blue ribbon. This is the closest representation of Amy Winehouse that I’ve yet to see (and still the potato looks healthier). Well done!

[Photo credit: Splash News, Big! Pictures]