A Little of the Old In and Out



(image via Drudgereport)

In: The Rowling Effect. The Corsair, as you know, has been railing against the deteriorating attention span of humankind like a John the Baptist in the wilderness of the blogosphere. Okay, alright: more like a Digital Diogenes, in search of people with swell concentration skills. No one nowadays reads The Novel anymore (Warren Peace? Whozzat? Can I get him on iTunes?), and no one does the ancient languages or classical mechanics at all (They have no utilitarian value, ladies and gentlemen, other than boosting the requisite SAT score; fuck the sheer joy of analytical thinking). JK Rowling may be just the person (starting with the children) to reverse the decline of the American -- and, quite frankly, International -- Mind. According to the AP via Drudgie-poo:

"The new Harry Potter book sold an astonishing 6.9 million copies in its first 24 hours, smashing the record held by the previous Potter release. 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' averaged better than 250,000 sales per hour, more than the vast majority of books sell in a lifetime.

"'This is a cause for celebration, not just for Scholastic, but for book lovers everywhere,' said Lisa Holton, president of Scholastic Children's Books, Rowling's U.S. publisher.

" ... Even allowing for deep discounts on the $29.99 release, 'Half-Blood Prince' still easily generated more than $100 million in revenue. It's not only the richest opening in publishing history, but tops the combined estimated take for the weekend's top two movies, 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' and 'The Wedding Crashers.'

"'When a book beats out movies, we're in great shape,' Holton said."

Amen. Or, in the case of Rowling, A-Woman.

(A Propos of nothing: The Corsair wonders deeply what the "Harry Potter Effect" will have on public opinion in post-bombing Britain in the long term. Does it -- or does it not -- steer Britishers into more of a Good-versus-Evil bilateral way of thinking? To wit: Lord Voldemort as the face of global terrorism? And, if so, does that strengthen the hand of Tony Blair? Time will tell ...)


Out: Jude Law. It's now official: Jude Law is an ass. Jude Law-Unto-Himself could have had any discreet Conde Nast associate editrix on the DL -- not that we'd ever condone that sort of thing, mind you -- but Judas chose to cheat on Sienna Miller avec his own children's nanny. You can't trust those Eurosmoothies ... They're sneaky! According to those intrepid Page Sixxies:

"JUDE LAW apparently can't get the philandering character Alfie out of his system. According to London's Sunday Mirror, he's been having an affair behind finance Sienna Miller's back with . . . his kids' nanny. Law's ex-wife, Sadie Frost, allegedly found out about it from one of their kids and told the weekend nanny, 26-year-old Daisy Wright, that her services were no longer needed."

The "Other Woman," Daisy Wright, who, quite frankly, was so Wrong. (image via thegossipist via popsugar)

And, according to British Vogue:

"JUDE LAW has issued a public apology after news of his affair with nanny Daisy Wright went public this weekend. 'I just want to say I am deeply ashamed and upset that I've hurt Sienna and the people most close to us,' the 32-year-old actor said. 'There is nodefensee for my actions which I sincerely regret.' Law is thought to have embarked on an affair with 26-year-old Wright while he was filming in New Orleans. She was employed to care for one of his three children while he was on set. According to the BBC, Jude and Sienna, to whom he proposed last Christmas, are now 'working through" their problems following his admittance.'"



Finally, with regards to the actual snogging, TheMirror (via popsugar via thegossipist):

"Jude first seduced Daisy when they returned to his house in New Orleans after a concert.

"In her diary, she wrote how Jude asked her to visit him in bed if she 'felt lonely.' She added: 'We kissed and kissed for what seemed like ages. I was thinking 'I cannot believe this. Jude Law is snogging me'.

"The next thing I know, we are dragging each other upstairs to his bedroom, kissing and then, in the bedroom, ripping off each other's clothes.'

"At dawn one of Jude's children caught the couple in bed. Repeated efforts to contact a spokesman for Jude went unanswered yesterday."

BTW: What the fuck is up with Jude Law inventing fresh Medieval ways to torture Sadie Frost? Why'd he have to fuck the nanny of his and Sadie's kids? That's some motherfucking evil psychological shit going on right there, let me tell you. Jude Law is like that heartless guy "Joe Lies(When He Cries)" in Say Anything, who lived to break Lily Taylor's heartfelt guitar-playing romantic character.



(image via fortunacity)

In: Courtney Love. The Corsair used to call her "Court Love," because of her, well, her propinquity to our revered municipal systems of criminal justice. And what not. No more slatternly Courtney. In fact, the woman who should be replacing Howard Stern has, apparently, overcome her demons. According to our favorite superhero gossip duo, Rush and Molloy:

"But the 'People vs. Larry Flynt' star and former lead singer of Hole is trying to get in shape.
'I'm working out,' said Love, her voice clearer and stronger than we've heard in the past.

"'Pamela Anderson runs with me up the steps of Pepperdine University. She's like my personal trainer. I'm a size-30 jeans now.'"

And -- mirabile dictu -- in case of sudden El Nino downpour, Pammie can double as an impromptu . (While, we cannot fail to note, Steven Dorff drowns his sorrows)

"... The best news for Love is that daughter Frances Bean, now 12, has been home with her since December. And Martin Scorsese wants her to star in 'Hello, Sucker,' the story of New York speakeasy owner Texas Guinan. "



(image via samism)

Out: Sandra Bullock. Forgive us for being so cynical (we are in that state of mind), but wedding a biker whose ex-wife is a porn star (NSFW) is the perfect way for Sandra Bullock to once and for all shed that unsuccessful 1990s strategy of being "The New Doris Day." (Averted Gaze) There, we told you we were feeling cynical today.



(image via NYSocialDiary)

In: NYSocialDiary on Truman Capote. We heard some of DPC's Truman stories over lunch last week, and they are killer. Today, in print, our favorite social chronicler, David Patrick Columbia shares on the subject of an encounter with the late enfant terrible Truman Capote in NYSocialDiary:

"... We were met on arriving at the Beverly Wilshire by the assistant manager waiting like a chief of protocol at the entrance. The valet took my car and he led us to the elevator to the floor where Truman would be staying. The rooms on this particular floor each had the name of a California vineyard on them, and as we passed, following the assistant manager to Truman's room, he cracked, 'Waaal, we're obviously on the alcoholics floor?.' Once in the room, Truman said to the assistant manager, 'Where's the Stolichnaya?'"

Later:

" ... Saturday morning, I later learned, Truman met with (DPC's then-boss) and then returned to his room at the Beverly Wilshire. Two days later, a Monday, when (Truman) didn't respond to his phone calls, he was found unshaven and half-conscious, aswirl in sheets soiled by incontinence and surrounded by empty Stolichnaya bottles. The night before, after a visitor had left him, Truman got into his odyssey of coke, booze and pills and never left the mattress until he was discovered by (DPC's then-boss) and a friend the following afternoon. The little man/boy all by himself."

The fucking 1970s.