A Little of the Old In and Out

In: Gossip; and, on the side, a possible NY Times Sunday Styles story. Fashionweekdaily's Daily Spy notes (second story down):

"New York Magazine is finally closing its Ian Spiegelman gossip column piece for next Monday�s issue (penned by the Vanessa Grigoriadis and Jacob Bernstein tag team), but the New York Times Sunday 'Styles' section wants in on the action and may try to steal some of the mag�s thunder this weekend. Insiders say editor Trip Gabriel has assigned a piece on the proliferation of New York gossip columns and the increasingly competitive market for juicy items. The addition of two Sunday columnists, Elisa Lipsky-Karasz at the Post and Ben Widdicombe at the Daily News, has certainly upped the gossip quotient. The Times piece is said to be focusing on the fact that there are too many columnists and not enough items or events worth covering. Apparently their theory is that sooner or later, it�ll boil down to survival of the fittest."

Survival of the fittest, you say? The Corsair merrily dusts off his college copy of Darwin's Origin of the Species and softly chuckles to himself, reading Chapter 3, the key to the whole book really, entitled "The Struggle for Existence."

In: We have always maintained that the first blog "celebrity" is Wonkette's Ana Marie Cox. Her timing was precise. We like her better than Drudge, to be frank, because Drudge doesn't have a sense of humor, and, what's more, operates more like a Public Access show than a blog proper. Anyhoo: There are many reasons for Ana Marie's success: one, being, that the US is the last superpower left standing; two, is that that fact makes DC the de facto capitol of the world; three, that makes DC gossip -- the gossip of world power -- priceless; four, there is really no minute-by minute-DC-gossip newspaper or radio station or media outlet at all, that task is particularly well suited to the web; five, Drudge is based in Florida, thus Wonkette has the monopoly on the up-to-the-minute DC power gossip; and, finally, six, Ana Marie Cox is fucking funny. Add it all up, and all the ingredients of stardom are there; famous for DC, in an election year, is, basically, influential. Enough with the ass kissing, though, because Ana is covering the Democratic Convention for MTV News, a big multimedia break for us bloggers, according to the Washington Post (fourth story down, link via Romenesko):

"That foul-mouthed red-haired vixen known as the Wonkette ( Ana Marie Cox of Arlington) has leveraged her popular political gossip site, Wonkette.com, into a gig with MTV News. The network will announce today that it has hired Cox, 31, to cover all the incredible tension and excitement that is the Democratic National Convention. It says her 'unabashed style and irreverence' will galvanize young voters."

Rock on, Ana Marie, we like your style. What next? Old Hag on PBS? A Gothamist 30 minute show on NY1? The sexy Miu Von Furstenberg's Socialite Life on VH1? A smart Charlie Rose-like pop culture talking head show on Trio featuring Choire Sicha? Jason Calacanis on CNBC weeknights wrapping up the tech news? Ron Mwangaguhunga doing an edgy Chris Rock-like talk show on that fertile experimental Viacom laboratory, Showtime? We can dream, can't we?

Out: Celebrity Sex videos are so jejune. I mean, we could definitely say something about Cameron and whether or not, in the video, she gets it in "Diaz," but you would forever lose a tenth of respect for my comedic talents, so I'll refrain. According to The Daily News, "Cameron Diaz is calling her lawyers now that a kinky video she made long ago has found its way onto the Internet.

For more than a year, the 'Shrek 2' star, 31, has been fighting to stop the world from seeing photos and video she made over a decade ago when she was a model. But now a Russian-registered Web site (WARNING: ADULT CONTENT!) www.scandal-inc.com is trafficking in an 'S&M' film titled 'She's No Angel: Cameron Diaz.'

"The home page shows a woman who looks like Diaz - topless and in fishnets - joining a brunette in some 'Spartacus'-style role-playing with a grimacing guy in shackles and a loincloth.

"According to www.defamer.com, the trailer for the 30-minute video, which sells for $39.95, shows the actress using a can of Freon or compressed air for a purpose probably not recommended by the manufacturer."

(The Corsair abruptlu declares with heartfelt candor) 'Would that I were a can of Freon!'

Comment here, or on the VH1's Best Week Ever Blog.

In: Vivi Nevo. The Post's Tim Arango mingles with the captains of Industry in Sun Valley, and writes:

"The mysterious international financier Vivi Nevo � who has not yet shown his face here but is expected shortly � is apparently ready to open his checkbook for Miramax chief Harvey Weinstein, The Post has learned.
Nevo, who runs a firm called NV Investments, is a frequent attendee at the annual Allen & Co. confab here and is usually seen bantering with every big-name CEO in attendance.

"But details on his background are scarce; sources will only say that he is a wealthy individual with stakes in many large media companies, including Time Warner.

"Now, a source says, Nevo could become a backer for Weinstein if the Miramax chief, as expected, bolts his employment contract with Disney, which bought Miramax in the 1990s.

"Amid frayed relations with Disney chief Michael Eisner � who has arrived in Sun Valley, but has kept a low profile � Weinstein has been negotiating a possible exit with Disney for months.

"Sources say a preliminary resolution could be reached this week, although a public announcement would likely not come for some time.

"Weinstein is expected to hit the ground (in Sun Valley, Idaho) today."

Intriguing.

Out: A Spy In The House of Mouse! Defamer is reporting that FlyOnTheWall says (The Corsair also is thoroughly confused by the meta-media nature of blog reporting), that embattled Disney CEO Michael Eisner's office was bugged:

"Blogger A Fly On The Wall reports that electronic listening devices ("bugs," in the parlance of espionage) were found in Disney CEO Michael Eisner's office on the company's Burbank lot during a "routine" security check over the July 4th holiday weekend. Just to make sure everything was nice and bug-free (tiny microphones do wreak havoc on an office's decor), some furniture was hauled away, ostensibly to be replaced by furnishings vetted by Disney's anti-spy squad. We've unfairly imagined Eisner as a disturbed paranoid, fortifying his office against bloodthirsty shareholder mobs. But it appears his fears were justified."

In: Would it be arrogant of me to nominate myself as in? Yes? Okay, I'll do it anyway, because it's my party and I'll plug if I want to. I was looking back on my past blog writings, and stumbled upon a series of writings, a la Machiavelli's Prince, to John Kerry, and they are rocking. I mean (The Corsair looks at himself in the mirror and smiles). really good stuff. So, check them out, as they are sure to be added to the standard curricula at good liberal arts colleges:

Prolegomena

Book the First: On Lies and Manliness

Book the Second: Exhortation to seize the UN and Save It From Irrelevance (and, thusly, from Itself)

Book The Third: On The First Lady as The embodiment of Soft Power

Okay, enough plugging.