A Little of the Old In and Out



Above: Lucha Libre! Caught in the appraising sweep of The Corsair's eyes.

In: Catfights. What is it about a catfight that is so visually arresting? A catfight appeals to all that is base in The Corsair. (The Corsair easily pours himself a glass of Ouzo, puts on a particularly mysterious piece by Francois Couperin) We know we should not like such things (The Corsair pours out some Ouzo for "the dead homiez"), but we are powerless to resist our nature. One cannot deny that there is a sort of "vicious attractiveness" to it all. From Thisislondon:

"Miss Pope, in faded denims and a low-cut top, was suddenly confronted by the two wannabes - one in white, one wearing pink.

"'They came up screaming their heads off,' said an onlooker. 'One said something like, I was talking to him, you f...... bitch. You think you are so pretty, you f...... celebrity.'

"Miss Pope was knocked off her stilettoes and ended up flat on her back, then Penny was bustled to the ground after trying to help her. One of the attackers was even heard to shout gleefully: 'I hit a celebrity - that'll teach her.'"

more.



Above: Katie Couric, back when she was cool.

Out: "Jonathan Wald's Revenge." (Averted Gaze) Crackpot theories abound in Titanic situations, when an organization is in decline (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment). Blame it on the entropy. NBC is blaming their faltering ratings on some vast "transportation reporter" conspiracy.

We won't entertain the possibility that the sinking feeling may be due to the fact that Katie Couric is no longer "Miss American Pie." Seven figure salaries and colossal displays of diva will do that to a person. According to the Page Sixxies:

"BOTH Ken Auletta of The New Yorker and Meryl Gordon of New York magazine are working on stories about the vicious war between the morning news shows. Auletta is said to be getting more cooperation from the folks at NBC, who are on the defensive because of the recent firing of 'Today' executive producer Tom Touchet and the steady erosion of their ratings dominance.

"'Today' had a 6-million viewer lead a couple of years ago. Now they are down to a 70,000 margin," said one TV insider.

"... Meanwhile, fingers are pointing at the New York Times, which ran a piece by Alexandra Stanley last month trashing 'Today' host Katie Couric. 'Insiders at NBC News say it was a premeditated hit and have taken to referring to the piece as Jonathan Wald's Revenge, ' said one source. Wald ? the 'Today' executive producer forced out before Touchet was axed ? is the brother of Matthew Wald, the Times' energy and transportation reporter."

Riight. Whatever.



Above: Bob "Me So Horney" and Harvey "Pretty Boy" Weinstein, triumphant. (image via CBSNews)

In: The Weinstein's. The business of building an second media empire from scratch is thirsty work. But them Weinstein brothers are at it again. According to The Old Gray Lady:

"The Weinstein brothers will be given an undisclosed sum of money to acquire low-budget films for distribution mainly on DVD and television, and their company will become the sole home-video distributor and overseas sales agent for Rainbow's IFC Films unit. Production credits for IFC Films include 'The Ballad of Jack and Rose.' It was the theatrical distributor of 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' in 2002 and, with Lions Gate, 'Fahrenheit 9/11' last year.

"The Weinsteins will also handle home-video distribution of original programming by Rainbow's various cable networks, including the Independent Film Channel, American Movie Classics, WE: Women's Entertainment and the Fuse music-video network, a rival of MTV.

"The Rainbow networks will get first crack at the domestic broadcast premieres of films bought by the Weinstein-run fund."



(image via Wanadoo)

Out: Liz Hurley, Box Office Jinx. Parallel to the Weinstein's we have (Averted Gaze) Elizabeth Hurley. Question: Has a Liz Hurley film ever made a studio a dime? Why is she famous? Why do we care? Why was she gifted a vanity production company? Liz Hurley has the charisma, charm and box office appeal of recycled cardboard. And she looks like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth besides! According to Ananova:

"Elizabeth Hurley has announced she is to star in a new film.

"She is to appear with Lucy Liu in the action comedy The Cleaner reports IOL.com.

"The announcement comes three weeks after she said she was quitting acting to spend more time with her son Damien.

"The film will be released next year."

And, a week later, on DVD.



(image via awwbn)

In: Usher. "Ush" runs a tight game. Multidimensional, even. You don't want to get on the wrong side of Usher. According to popbitch:

"At last year's MTV Europe awards, host Xzibit was overheard casting doubts on Usher's sexuality. Then Usher met a girl at that very event, with whom he's recently been seen out and about. The girl? Eisha Brightwell, now ex-fiancee of Alvin Joyner aka Xzibit. Funny."

Out: E3. Alexandra of LA.Com said it best when she said, "At last night's Inside E3 party at Avalon, techno circus act Mutaytor entertained geeks with aerial acts while scantily clad models who looked like baked potatoes wrapped in tin foil roamed about."

Charmed, we're sure. More social evisceration from the cool cats at LA.Com



Above: Socialites Ashley Hilton and Kady Tremaine. The woozy, glowing red feral eyes are courtesy of the rich, full bodied Panamanian peasant blood upon which they feast.

In: The American Cancer Society. According to our favorite social chronicler (And, most recently, the smart and urbane host of a swishy shindig at the Maya Stendhal Gallery), David Patrick Columbia in NYSocialDiary:

"Bill Boggs was the master auctioneer. The objective was to raise money to launch the Society?s New York City Hope Lodge venture. Hope Lodge is a much-needed place for out-of-town cancer patients seeking treatment in New York City ? an adult version of the Ronald McDonald House (and completely free). Gold balloons sold for $50,000, silver for $25,000, pearl for $10,000 and red for $500 each. In fifteen quick minutes the auction raised a whopping $262,000 which will go toward the naming of a suite in honor of the spring gala 2005."

Hooray for philanthropy.