A Little of the Old In and Out



(image via dhm.de)

In: Angela Merkel, Iron Lady. Employing the same steely resolve that she used to overcome former Chancellor Gerhard Schroder's shameful "Hell, no, I won't go" strategem after he lost the election, German Chancellor Angela Merkel faced the first major challenge as head of state when Vladimir Putin attempted to start off the new year by lustily strangling Ukranian oil supplies and, ancillary to that, affecting European oil in the process (Russia supplies 30 percent of European oil). Charmed, we're sure (Averted Gaze). The Chancellor passed with flying colors, bringing up the uncomfortable prospect that Russia: 1) May risk its hard-won new G8 Presidency, and, 2) That Europe may need to rethink getting 30 percent of it's oil supply from a politically pathological regime.

Okay, she didn't actually say "politically pathological regime," that was The Corsair on a tear. From WSJ Europe:

"With Poland and the other 'new Europeans' in the EU firmly supporting Ukrainian democracy, Germany will be the key in this crisis. Under the previous Red-Green government, Berlin was particularly indulgent of Mr. Putin. Its gas industry is also closely linked with Russian energy giant Gazprom.

"But new Chancellor Angela Merkel, an avowed Atlanticist with hopes of mending ties with the U.S., has promised a new approach. This will be the test for both her and George W. Bush. The Ukrainian crisis demonstrates what a colossal disservice previous Chancellor Gerhard Schr�der has done to Europe and his own country by pushing for the ill-conceived new pipeline that will go under the Baltic Sea and bypass Ukraine and the Baltic countries.

"At the moment, Moscow can't shut off the Ukrainian pipelines without also hurting European gas supplies. Once the new pipeline is finished around 2010, Russia's power to reward those states that follow its ukase and punish those that question its policies will only increase. And this doesn't only apply to Russia's former vassals. It would also allow Moscow to target just Germany and Western Europe without affecting deliveries to other regions."



Freak! (image via variety)

Out: Tom Ford. The drama -- Tomfoolery? -- at Vanity Fair over Tom Ford continues apace. When last we left the professional shocker (Averted Gaze), he was trying to tart up Dakota Fanning (How CONTROVERSIAL!!). Now, apparently, he's getting on Graydon Carter's nerves. According to those intrepid Page Sixxies:

"TOM Ford's stint as creative director of Vanity Fair's Hollywood issue is getting messier by the minute. West Coast sources say the former Gucci designer's frequent fits and imperious manner during photo shoots have forced the magazine's battle-weary fashion stylists to take extreme measures. According to a source close to the L.A. set, Ford's finicky taste in designer labels has run his staff so ragged, they now remove the tags on all garments before Ford can see them. 'It was getting comical,' says our spy. 'He would like a dress and then look at the label and send it back because he hates that particular designer. Eventually, somebody got the idea to just cut out all the labels so he couldn't tell what was what.'

"Meanwhile, back in New York, sources say editor Graydon Carter is getting concerned. 'Graydon's a conservative guy, and Tom's out there telling people everyone in the issue's going to be naked and bringing in all these outside photographers who've never worked at VF, like [debauched downtown snapper] Terry Richardson. It's been one disaster after the next, and I think at this point he's just praying Tom doesn't embarrass everyone."

And here we thought Graydon was an Ayn Randian self-invented liberatrian.



This ... can only properly be construed under the category of: "Sweet Ass." (image via pub/tv2)

In: James Burke. Is Kate Moss' new "boo" James Burke? And is he 11-years her junior? Hott! According to British Vogue:

"AFTER frenzied tabloid coverage of her romance with Pete Doherty last year, Kate Moss has given us all something new to gossip about by being pictured snogging someone else. The 31-year-old British supermodel apparently insists she is 'just friends' with the 20-year-old hottie she was spotted with in Aspen, Colarado, over the New Year break. Thought to be singer-songwriter James Burke, the new man was introduced to Kate by Richard Branson's son Sam � and while we're told it's very early days, he has already met the model's mother Linda and brother Nick, both of whom joined her on holiday. Formerly a pupil at Charterhouse School in Surrey, Burke signed with Models One before moving to New York to try and set up a band."



(image via kasharnews)

Out: Digital Cable "Channels." First, our beloved Trio TV switches to the computer screen today, now something simian-sounding called "Vongo" unceremoniously pops up onto our media radar. (The Corsair sips an urbane, hand-crafted Armagnac with an herbal nose) According to the always excellent Rafat Ali on Paidcontent:

"These are very initial thoughts ... I haven't subscribed to the full service, and probably won't unless the company gives me a trial pass. Anyway, the Vongo movie service from Starz (read about the launch below) has launched and the site has a lot of intro information on how to use the service. (It does not work in Opera on PCs, and not yet on Macs either)

"... It is all Flash magic... The preview window for movies works well. The same window is used to stream the live Starz TV channel, and the interesting part is that you can download most (depending on the rights issues) of the movies being shown on the live movie channel from the schedule window below the preview window. But the most interesting thing is to read the terms of service, where there is a lot of info on the restrictions placed on the service. Among them: --

"'Please be advised that the Vongo Client will only allow you to have 10 Content files in your download list at a time.

"-- Except for Pay Per View Content, each Content file downloaded will allow you to have 10 24-hour periods to view the Content, provided that the Content does not otherwise expire due to availability.

"-- For Pay Per View Content, you will be provided with 1 24-hour viewing period, which period shall commence when you initiate the viewing of the Content. -- Please be advised that not all Content may be available for all purposes."

Ah, the fine print (AKA: the "Thou-Shalt-Nots"). More here.



(image via computerclubhouse)

In: Aspen. Where to powervacation over New Year's? There are votes for St. Bart's (Barry Diller, Lorne Michaels, Jon Bon Jovi, "Go-go" Gagosian), to Cabo San Lucas (Howard Stern, Julie Chen, Les Moonves), to Punta del Este, Uruguay ("the boho chic of South America" according to Fashionweekdaily; featuring: Brooke de Ocampo, Lillian Wang von Stauffenberg), to South Beach (Mischa Barton, uber-wigger Scott Storch)but Aspen -- where Kate Moss spent New Years -- appears to have had the highest concentration of the jet set. According to our favorite social chronicler David Patrick Columbia in NYSocialDiary:

"Way out west in Aspen there were parties galore (and fresh powder almost everyday for the ski bums and bunnies). Christy Ferer had a dinner for Cathy and Stephen Graham, Carolyne Roehm, Charlotte Moss and her hubby where they all watched the fireworks on Aspen Mountain. Steve and Jamie Tisch entertained their troops at their chalet just outside Aspen, with those can�t-stop eatin�-em hors d�oeuvres � pigs in a blanket, mini-hamburgers, etc. Among the guests: Denise Rich, Don Johnson, Jack Wagner, Bill and Maria Bell (producers of 'The Young and the Restless,' and 'The Bold and the Beautiful'), Bob and Soledad Hurst, Richard Edwards (of the Caribou Club), Ashley Schiff, KK Kravis, and Johnny Schulhof.

"The day before, art collectors Melva Bucksbaum and Ray Learsy had a party for Carolyne Roehm and her new internet business 'Presentations.' Up on Red Mountain that night, Congresswoman Jane Harman and her husband Sidney (Harman Electronics) hosted a party for about eighty guests included ... Queen Noor, Senator Dianne Feinstein and Dick Blum, Mr. and Mrs. Michael Eisner, Arianna Huffington, and Jeff Blau. While over at the Caribou Club, Kurt and Goldie (you have to ask Kurt and Goldie who?) threw a dinner in a private room.

"Meanwhile back in town, Jack Nicholson entertained at home."

Kim Hastreiter on the Papermag blog notes that Isaac Mizrahi recently had some fun at the expense of Carolyne Roehm: "Oh, my God, and then he TORTURED the society babe Carolyn Roehm when she was on. She has a new book out about giftwrapping presents and Isaac tormented her til I thought she would storm off. It was hysterical."

Quick! Someone get me the DVD!