A Little of the Old In and Out



(image via opencenter)

In: The We: Media Conference. Tomorrow's We: Media conference hosted by the Associated Press, for which The Corsair is a media Fellow, should be hott. Generally, we don't do these things, but the chance to stalk CBS Digital's Larry Kramer up close and in the flesh proved too tempting to resist. We will be shyly "casing the joint," gaging the social atmospherics, so if we respond to your queries with one-word answers, don't take it personally. We are rather withdrawn and "Ugandan" in person, despite how we come off in the blog.

Also there will be former Vice President Al Gore, who may or may not be a dark horse Presidential candidate for anti-Hillary forces within the Democratic Party for 2008 (And you can be sure that someone, if not myself, will ask him for a comment on that juicy report from "The Chris Matthews Show" last Sunday).

Nicholas Kristoff of the New York Times will, also be there, as will our old pal Jason Calacanis, Jessica Coen, Ana Marie Cox, Farai Chideya, Craig Newmark, and all sorts of blogging and MSM media boldfacers. We won't be liveblogging the event, unfortunately (We want to actually pay attention to some of what is being said), but We:Media will be doing so here.

(image via iwantmedia)

Out: Jon Stewart? Say it isn't so. We don't want to believe it. Is the print media lovefest with Jon Stewart on the rocks? According to WWD (link via iwantmedia):

"The magazine industry loves a good joke � just not at its own expense. Four days after Jon Stewart laid a comic smackdown on four top editors during an event hosted by the Magazine Publishers of America, many industry voices were still grumbling that MPA had shelled out a quarter of a million dollars ($150,000 for Stewart, another $100,000 for the event, according to a source) only to have 'The Daily Show' host question the relevance of print in front of a roomful of advertisers."

Well, what did they expect? A "safe," docile, advertiser-friendly fireside chat with Jon Stewart? Not going to happen. Complaining about Jon Stewart roasting a panel is like ordering sahimi with wasabi and then complaining afterwards about the kick. Caveat emptor:

"And then there were the shots he took at the panelists: Vanity Fair's Graydon Carter, Cosmopolitan's Kate White, Time's Jim Kelly and Men's Health's David Zinczenko. 'I think it's safe to say we probably all felt a little ambushed,' said White afterward. 'We were led to believe it was going to be not a roast or anything of that nature, but a dialogue. The biggest frustration was how poorly prepared he was. He didn't know where to go, and the only thing to do was get nasty or toss it to the audience.'"

(image via all-encompassingly)

In: Harry Reid. It appears that the diminutive Minority Leader Harry Reid has scored a triumph (who knew he had it in him?), possibly in the wake of President Bush's Hurricane Katrina fatigue and the Scooter Libby confusion. Apparently, Reid is the one who recommended Harriet Miers to Vice President Dick Cheney. This is a "no new taxes"moment, redux; like father, like son.

Miers' nomination will, we are predicting, signal the end of the Bush-conservative coalition, already frayed by his spending ways, and, to be frank, there is no guarantee that Democrats like Chuck Schumer themselves will even be on board to defend her against the right. And so, with no guarantees -- no guarantees! -- Reid got through a candidate to the nominating process who hurts the President's base, and will also face tough questioning from the Democrats. Says TheHill:

"Reid urged Bush to consider Miers two weeks ago at a White House meeting also attended by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Pat Leahy (Vt.), the panel�s top Democrat.Senators, aides and activists have consistently predicted a tough battle over the pick to replace O�Connor, who was often a swing vote on the court. But Miers�s selection may make it difficult for some Democrats � Reid in particular � to filibuster a vote or even oppose confirmation."

(image via thisislondon)

Out: Rachel Hunter. Beautiful but emptyheaded mannequin Rachel Hunter only really has to remember one thing, namely, what dress is hanging off her bod. That is all. When asked by reporters what she's wearing, she supplies the line, thus giving the designer some buzz, and everything is okay in the cosmos. That proves, alas, a task too demanding. According to Fashionweekdaily:

"At Jhane Barnes' 30th Anniversary dinner hosted by Patrick McMullan at Cain, the FDNY calendar boys got camera ready for Rachel Hunter�s WE TV reality series Style Me. The Daily talked to Rachel about fish and chips, life in front of the camera, and her least favorite things about fashion week.

"Fashionweekdaily: That's a fabulous dress. Who is it by?

�Rachel Hunter: (Pulling out her tag) I think it's by Lotta in Los Angeles. My friends keep telling me to stop pulling out my tag, but I can't help it. I forget."

Or (Averted Gaze), never knew ...