A Little of the Old In and Out



(image via BBC)

In: Popbitch. Sometimes the offerings of Popbitch are not unlike a thin gruel. Unsatisfying, to say the least; entirely devoid of flavor or nuance. Not so today. Far from it. A veritable feast of salacious allegation is served up over a crackling bonfire of the vanities, to wit:

"MacCaulay Culkin's testimony that Michael Jackson had never fiddled with him went a long way to persuading the jury that XXX story couldn't be trusted. But we hear from a source in Santa Maria that Macaulay didn't want to testify until the judge ruled that he could not be asked any questions about whether he was the real sperm donor for Paris Jackson ... Michael's blonde, fair-skinned daughter."

WTF?! And: "While the unlucky Muslims at Guantanamo are subjected to the inhuman torture of Christina Aguilera on repeat play, their leaders back in the Middle East are doing their bit to preserve the purity of Islam. Prince Faisal Al Saud of Saudi Arabia regularly hires out the Al Falak ballroom of the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, the world's most expensive hotel. He always flies in a dozen or so of the best call girls from Lebanon and Syria. The girls parade around in knee-length boots and miniskirts ... but in order to comply with the Koran also wear a hijab or veil. So that's alright then..."

Brilliant. Scandalous. Allegedly.



(image via Mediabistro)

Out: NBC News and Judith Regan. The embattled Today Show stoops low, oh-so-very-low, in its attempts to put some distance between their flailing franchise, and the rapidly gaining Good Morning America, thus becoming, in the process, a low grade piece of ass indeed. (Averted Gaze) NBC News: Did they or did they not pay for an interview?

Evidently some intricate, labyrinthine deal with an indirect cash payout was wrought so that NBC News could interview The Runaway Bride but not come off as sleazy as, say, Star Magazine. NBC News is, of course, refusing to admit that there was any payment involved. And now, NBC News appears to be even distancing themselves from Judith Regan, the controversial alleged deal broker. Says Page Six:

"Secrecy was crucial because NBC News, like other network news divisions, has a policy against paying for interviews. NBC claims it hasn't paid a dime to Wilbanks or to Regan, who runs ReganMedia. But speculation has been rampant that Couric landed the Wilbanks interview as part of a $500,000 deal that included a TV movie.

"A rep for NBC told us yesterday: 'We have not, never have and never will pay for an interview. Whatever deal Judith Regan has with the Wilbanks' is not with us.'

"The carefully worded 'deal memo' never mentions NBC. 'Maybe Judith thinks she can garner interest in Jennifer Wilbanks so she can sell her rights to a TV movie,' the NBC rep said. 'She owns Jennifer now. Call Judith.' Regan didn't return calls."

Judith owns The Runaway Bride? Owns, you say? That just adds a whole new level of unsavoriness to the proceedings.

In: Mediabistro's Lunch at Michael's. The Time-Warner posse was there in full effect. Lloyd Grove did the whole Paula Zahn-Roger Ailes thing. Otherwise, the usual suspects are represented. David Patrick Columbia is in the UK, so, we gather, his table was otherwise occupied. There was Charlie Rose (The Corsair waves). Ken Sunshine ("Charmed, I'm sure"). But this report from Laurel drove us to distraction, astonished were we, that chattering social class distinctions were not rigorously enforced. To wit, "Pattie Sellers, editor at large of Fortune magazine was with an unknown person."

Unknown?! What the fuck! Waiter! Waiter!! Please show that (said with unconcealed disgust) "unknown person" to the door! (Averted Gaze)

Out: Tommy Hilfiger Corporation. What happened to Hilfiger? It was so hot a year ago; or, more likely, at least it gave off the perception of incandescence. There was real heat there for a while. Not anmore, according to British Vogue:

"TOMMY HILFIGER CORP revealed yesterday that its pretax profit had fallen 45.9 per cent during the 12 months up to March 31 2005. Citing a decline in orders from US department stores, the company said that net income for the period hand dropped to 50 million pounds from 93 million the previous year. Accounts were also affected by 20 million pounds related to legal fees due to governmental investigations of the company's commission policies, which have spawned 11 shareholder class-action lawsuits, according to Women's Wear Daily. Revenues, meanwhile, fell to just under 1 billion from $1.04 billion a year ago."