A Little of The Old In and Out
 
In: Gary Hart. Although it appears that John Forbes Kerry has all but chosen Richard Holbrooke, Diane Sawyer's former "himbo",  to be Secretary of State in his Administration in the event that he win the election, Hart, the former Colorado Senator, would be an incredible choice as Homeland Security chief, or, if it isn't beneath him, UN Ambassador, in a vamped up Cabinet level post. As Henry the Intern at Gawker writes of his Topic A appearance:
 
"Gary Hart, former (Senator) from Colorado, author, and terrorism hound, predicted there would be biological attacks 'sooner rather than later' in Middle America. Good thing all of Middle America watches 'Topic A.' He criticized President Bush, domestic security, scandal-driven media, and expressed fear of the U.S. having 'a long-term agenda of dominating the politics of the Middle East [and] generally playing a more imperial role.'"
 
Gloomy, yes; but the wise utterances of an Oxford PhD in Philosophy.  Why the fuck isn't this Intellectual Patriot the President?
 
Out: Oscar De La Renta, according to British Vogue:
 
"OSCAR DE LA RENTA has handed over the title of chief executive of his eponymous company to his 36-year-old son-in-law, Alex Bolen. Retaining his position as chairman, 71-year-old De La Renta, who set up the company in 1965, told Women's Wear Daily that this latest move will simply free him up to do more of the designing that he loves. 'I feel really great about it,' he said. 'I'm seeing the continuity of my business beyond my life span. That's important for my family and my employees. But I hope to go on for a long time - you know I'm a control freak.' Bolen, who is married to Oscar's stepdaughter, Eliza Reed Bolen, only joined the company last year at his father-in-law's request. "
 
In: Nicole Ritchie, who, according to Ananova, had a "Nipplegate" episode of her own:
 
"Lionel Richie's daughter Nicole had to show her breasts to airport security staff after her nipple ring triggered off metal detectors.

"Nicole, who stars with Paris Hilton in US reality TV show The Simple Life, was traveling from Reno, Nevada to New York City.

"She says: 'I said: "I'm pierced', and that usually is the end of it. And she said: 'Well, what are you gonna do about it?'
 
"I said: 'Well, you can either scan it or ... I don't know what to tell you.' She said: 'Well, visually, I can't say that that is okay. Even if I look at it I can't say it's okay. I'm not even allowed to touch it.'
 
"I'm like: 'What if I say you can touch it? It should be fine.' She's like: 'No, I'm not allowed to do that.'
 
"So they brought in two female officers and took me not to necessarily the most private place in the airport and made me take off my top. Thank God I'm not a shy person, but what if I was shy?"
 
Well, then you wouldn't be the lovable Nicole Ritchie, easy like Sunday morning, that we know and love, right?
 
Out: The LA.com blog once again bewilders us with this sleazy piece of yum-yum:
 
"While slithering up the ladder of TV and movie fame, this prodigiously sexy (and prodigiously well-endowed) actor won raves from scores of female journalists by seducing them, sometimes literally, whenever a pretty one came to interview him at some distant location. Now, slightly older, a bit scruffy around the edges, but still a raving horndog, the married-with-kids guy is happily enjoying the time he's gained from the cooling of his career. How? By plowing his way through erotic encounters with a dizzying succession of anonymous housemaids, waitresses, nannies, sales clerks, cocktail waitresses and Starbucks chicks. Meanwhile, his certifiably insane showbiz wife slaves away to put health food on their very expensive table."
 
The people on the board mention both Sly Stallone and John Travolta. 
 
In: The "Is Meryl Streep Playing Hillary In The Manchurian Candidate Remake?" question. Meryl Streep is tied for The Corsair's favorite actress with Ingmar Bergman's haunting -- and haunted -- Muse, Liv Ullman and, our sleeper pick, Cate Blanchett, who, to us,  can do no wrong. That question, some wonder, may have made stillborn the subliminal feelers put out to accumulate "Hillary for Vice President" buzz; I mean, what, how does one run against Cheney when Streep is portraying her as "brilliantly evil" in the summer's blockbuster?   
 
Newsweek Magazine (link via Drudgie poo)weighs in with:
 
"'(Says the  film's Producer Scott Rudin)I think this character is the closest Meryl's ever played to herself.' Is that a compliment? Must be. 'Actually,' Streep says, 'it's the closest to Scott Rudin that I've ever played.' In truth, she did have some models for the role. Just don't ask her who they were. "Never mind," she says, laughing. 'Fox News would love if I were doing Hillary, but that's so off the mark.'"
 
But, Flyonthewall wrote, earlier this summer:
 
"It doesn't help, either, that Meryl has a Hillary hairdo and wears Hillarian clothes and jewelry. 'Meryl has the Hillary hand gestures totally down pat,' my insider tells me. 'I don't know whether this is something she picked up subconsciously or an idea Jonathan gave her, but she's totally dead on. You feel like you're watching Hillary Clinton conspire to take over the world. The Republican Hillary-haters should totally eat this up.'" 
 
We'll see for ourselves.
 
Out: The Kravitz-Washington He Man Woman-Haters Club. According to the merry band of Page Sixers:
 
"Lenny Kravitz and Denzel Washington's long-awaited members-only club, Kos, reportedly is close to opening.

"Kravitz's cousin, Kevin Connor, who is also the club's managing partner, confided to a PAGE SIX spy that 'Kos' is actually a racy Persian slang term. The storefront spot at 264 Bowery features a carpet-covered VIP room called 'The Kitty Box,' modeled after a playpen for housecats. "
 
Damn.  'The Kitty Box'? Kos? Denzel and Lenny aren't quite going after the enlightened Ms. Magazine demographic, are they folks? Chickenheads drink fro free from 11 to Midnite; holla. 
 
In: Girls With Gravity Issues. This from a Wonkette spy:
 
"Once again, Jenna Bush was letting loose at Smith Point on Saturday night. She and three friends were saddled up at the bar, and were surrounded by a number of people trying to talk to her. I went over to the bar where they were standing myself, and was ordering a drink when Jenna fell off her barstool. "
 
The Corsair has fallen off a couple of barstools in his day, but the timing of her fall, and the recent fall of Lindsay Lohan (link via Defamer) makes us wonder. Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation, which came from an apple being brought down from a tree to the earth, states that the force of gravitational attraction between the Earth and other objects is inversely proportional to the distance separating the earth's center from the object's center. But what brings a hott chick from the barstool to the floor? Let's just say The Corsair's Law of the Apple Martini and be done with it. Basta!
 
Out: CBS Evening News Executive Producer Jim Murphy is talking smack about The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz, and if he isn't careful, frankly, my man Howie's going to find a "Reliable Source" (wink, wink) to be his second (is Bernie Kalb available?), repair to Weehauken, New Jersey, and square off in a duel with .56 caliber ancient pistols at the ready. Quoth the saucy Murphy, via Romenesko Letters, that randiest of journo watering holes:
 
"The endless debate over how American politics are covered by domestic media gets another treatment in today's Howard Kurtz column in the Washington Post. And in the sidebar debate over television versus print as a source for comprehensive treatment, Howie comes down firmly on the side of print without ever saying so.But it's obvious in the subtext of Kurtz's report that he reached two conclusions from a selective viewing of the CBS Evening News reports about this year's issues called 'What Does It Mean To You?'"
 
Read on and imagine, like I am now, a Barry Lyndon-like duel between the two media mavens.
   
In: The Sean Carter Scholarship Program. Fashionweekdaily writes about Sean Carter, formerly known as Jay Z, and how he is raising money for the laudable philanthropy:
 
"First came the S. Carter II sneaker Jay-Z designed for Reebok. Now the hip-hop mogul ... has enlisted some of his high-profile friends to collaborate in designing limited edition S. Carter II sneakers, with proceeds benefiting the Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund. The program, 'S. Carter Women in Entertainment,' features the likes of Beyonc�, Joy Bryant, Queen Latifah, Fergie from Black Eyed Peas, and Tyra Banks all of whom have taken the h-o-t Reebok sneaker and infused it with their unique flourishes. Beginning today at noon, fans can log onto www.rbk.com and bid online for these shoes. Bidding prices start at $100. In addition to scoring the shoe, each winner will also take home the celebritys sketch of the shoe and an authentic autograph."