A Little of the Old In and Out



In: Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are an Item, according to the British News of the World. I know you've prolly already heard this one, but now official-like sources are also reporting it, so, I guess, I am officially on the bandwagon. Glad to see that someone somewhere derived happiness from that stinker of a Daredevil film, Lord knows I didn't.

Comment here or on VH1's BWE Blog.

Out: John McCain, Apologist. On Chris Matthews' Show this past Sunday, slinky New York Times Op Ed columnist Maureen Dowd said, in the "Tell Me Something I Don't Know" segment, that Senator John McCain was busy all this week apologizing to liberal journalists at dinner parties around town for supporting President George Bush and speaking on behalf of him at the Convention, while the irresponsible Swift Boat ads were still up and doing major damage to his pal, Senator John Kerry. Dowd mentioned the name of fellow NYTimes scribe R.W. "Johnny" Apple, in particular, as someone who was receiving the soft touch approach.

Charmed, I'm sure.

Actually, that's a particularly sleazy preemptive maneuver, frankly: I want the usual support of the New York Chattering Class, to be known as a political maverick and reformer, but I am also going to keep my lips zipped and plow forward in defense of my party, which is doing something reprehensible -- disgraceful (in not publicly demanding the pulling of the 527 ads in swing states from rogue elements) -- so that McCain could have a shot at the nod in 4 years, as a loyalist to the party. Yeech.

I usually heart John McCain, American hero, scourge of fat cat donors looking to thwart the will of the people, but if he took a solid stand and refused to speak at the convention until those ads went off the air, which the President could easily make happen, then he would be not only the unofficial referee of this race, but a true blue Independent. Instead, bucking his beloved New York Chattering Class role as The Cool Headed Independent Patriot, Senator McCain was looking towards his prospects in 2008 (which, prolly, still suck among the steak-and-potatoes Republican faithful), being your average pol, and so, for today, he is a disappointment, and is: "Out."

In: Diane Von Furstenberg has a Shop in Paris. Finally. According to British Vogue:

"DIANE VON FURSTENBERG saw her dream come true last week as she threw open the doors of her first Parisian flagship store. The A-grade guest list, which saw Sofia Coppola, Lauren Bacall and Loulou de la Falaise supping Champagne with Madonna - in town for her Re-invention tour - was just as impressive as the shop itself. At 14 Rue d'Alger, the store includes a vintage section in homage to the iconic Seventies creations that made Von Furstenberg a household fashion name, as well as a beauty area which sells the fragrance and cosmetics lines, and shoes designed by Christian Louboutin. There is even a VIP section upstairs. 'It's totally a dream for me to open a store in Paris,' the Belgian-born, New York-based designer told the International Herald Tribune after an opening dinner hosted by Conde Nast International chairman, Jonathan Newhouse, and Paris Vogue's Carine Roitfeld. 'No one is perfect in their own country and it is one thing for a little Belgian girl to go to America and live the American dream. But Paris is another place and it is very much the fruit of my life and a personal satisfaction. It's a glance back at the little girl who took the train from Belgium to help in her aunt's boutique in the Rue de la Boetie.'"

Out: Commercials. TiVo has all but made commercial ads obsolete. Or, at least, all but. Now, Les Moonves -- ought we to call him, Mr. Chen?, of all people, is here to tutor us through the 21st Century concept of (air quotes) "Brand Integration," which, according to yesterday's NY Times:

"Television networks have worked hard in the last two years to strike their own product placement deals, closing the gap with the movies. CBS plans to broadcast product-themed nights, with a single brand featured on consecutive shows, although Mr. Moonves declined to offer details. Entire episodes of NBC's 'The Apprentice' will revolve around one brand: instead of selling lemonade or giving rickshaw rides, the aspiring business tycoons will sell Mars's newest candy bar, hawk Crest toothpaste and construct a new toy for Mattel. Campbell's Soup has been written into 'American Dreams,' with NBC and the soup maker sponsoring a real-life essay contest mirroring one in the show's plot.

"The new emphasis on product placement in television has brought new players into the business - brand wranglers who work with programmers and advertisers. They are pushing the placement, which they like to call 'brand integration,' into new territory, sometimes acting as co-producers and even building new programming around the brands.

"'There's been a gold rush that reminds me of the Internet 10 years ago,' said Scott Donaton, editor of Advertising Age and the author of 'Madison & Vine,' a book about the convergence of the entertainment and advertising industries."

In: Paris Hilton's new Memoirs of an Heiress. Stalkers, Take Note (only kidding): According to Fashionweekdaily, "Paris Hilton will f�te her book launch, 'Confessions of an Heiress,' with a whirlwind schedule of appearances this Thursday and Friday, including: the 'Today Show,' TRL and a book signing at the Times Square Virgin Megastore, capped off by an ultra-exclusive VIP party at Lot 61 on Thursday and then 'The View,' 'Conan O?Brien,' and a book signing at Borders Wall Street on Friday."

A book signing on Wall Street? Oh, God, can you imagine the sleazy gel-haired brokers skipping the strip club lunch and blow to see Paris, what they'll have to say to her?

I can imagine the scene:

(cinematic fade out)

Paris: For whom shall I sign this book to?

Gelled Broker #1: To my nuts, honey tits. I saw ya in A Night in Paris. Yer better than Jenna Jameson. Wanna Spend a night wit me inna Hampton Share?

Paris: Eeew.

Burly Store Assistant: Move along, Republican boy.

As uber sexy Miu Von Furstenberg, socialite extraordinaire, writes:

"The moment we've all been waiting for: Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose. Featuring more than three hundred photos of Paris, Confessions of an Heiress leaves little room for learning much about Miss Hilton (the book is only 192 pages long).
Once you've picked up your copy (oh you know you will) shoot me an email, and let me know what you've learned from Paris' book, and how it's changed your life."

We cannot wait.

Out: Richard Perle. Richard Perle, a real sleazebag with the stink of death, aircrafts and gunpowder about his name, he is known in certain circles in DC as "The Prince of Darkness." I am not going to be the one to disagree with that sobriquet. His lust for power is only exceeded by his lust for money. His entire career is a tightrope walk over the thin line line between ethical and unethical behavior. Now, according to yesterday's New York Times, he is back in the hot seat:

"'Conrad Black, who I know well, thought Richard Perle was the font of foreign-policy wisdom,' said Leslie H. Gelb, the president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, who met Mr. Perle in the 1960's when both were aides to United States senators. Mr. Gelb said he came to know Lord Black at the council. 'Once that happened, Black and Perle figured out how to work together to make more money.'

"For Mr. Perle, the Breeden report is the latest of several setbacks in both policy and business arenas.

"Less than two years ago, he had forged a place for himself at the pinnacle of power where Washington policy-making and corporate money-making intersect.

"He advised George W. Bush on foreign policy during his 2000 presidential campaign and went on to become chairman of the Defense Policy Board, an influential advisory board to the Defense Department. His prot�g�s were placed in important administration jobs; he was on the boards of several start-up companies and advised others about how to deal with the administration. He was preparing to open a venture capital fund, Trireme, to make investments in industries related to defense and homeland security. Hollinger made an initial investment of $2.5 million in the fund, but at last accounting it had lost $1 million in value.

"Now, Mr. Perle's position, both in the corporate world and in policy circles, has been shaken."

"'... Richard has always been willing to take the highest risks, playing for the highest stakes on policy issues over the years and often winning, but this is also really a story of being seduced by money,' said Mr. Gelb, a former official at the State and Defense departments and a former columnist at The New York Times. 'People in the foreign policy world do not make a lot of money. They go to think tanks, government, academe, and generally get $125,000 to $150,000 a year. When you are touched by lightning and manage to get into the inner sanctum to make money, the opportunities are delicious.'"

Why does foreign policy always attract the world class sickies and sleazeballs. Oh. Right. The international power. Gotcha. And while we are on a vaguely political topic and "outs," what the fuck is up with Time and Newsweek's 11-point lead for Bush polls. Who is doing their polling? Is there anyone politically sophisticated that believes those polls are accurate? Bullshit. Even the Bush camp sees the flaws in those polls. The Corsair believes that those absurd and spurrious polls will be put front-and-center on next Sunday's talking head shows that political geeks like me absorb like mad.

In: The Always Excellent David Patrick Columbia. My blogging pal DPC has a great take on the new new Aristotle Onaissis bio, Nemesis:

"This is a story about the man, his wife � and mother of his two children, Alexander and Christina Onassis � Tina Livanos, who later married Sunny, the present Duke of Marlborough and then Stavros Niarchos, who had previously been married to Tina�s older sister Eugenie, who was probably beaten to death by her husband; Maria Callas, Prince Rainier, Princess Grace, John and Robert Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Truman Capote, Lee Radziwill, Jackie, and a large cast of individuals, some known � such as Johnny Meyer who worked for both Howard Hughes and Onassis; Charlotte Ford, who was briefly married to Niarchos and was a friend of Stash Radziwill; Fiona Thyssen, once married to steel magnate Heinrich, and lover of much younger Alexander Onassis � and some unknown to most of us such as David Karr, an international 'fixer' and mystery man who introduced Onassis to another man named Mahmould Hamshari who 'just after the Six Day War suggested to Fatah that they kill a high profile American on American soil. Fatah declined but Hamshari was undeterred.'

"The tale leads from Hamshari to Los Angeles and among others, a hypnotherapist named William Joseph Bryan Jr., and ultimately, as the dots connect, to a Palestinian named Sirhan Sirhan.

"Onassis with Maria Callas, the love affair that broke up both his marriage (to Tina) and her marriage, later dashed by his affair with Lee Radziwill.

"Connecting the dots: Onassis hated Robert Kennedy. The feeling was mutual. Nemesis."

Gotta love David Patrick Columbia's fabulosity.