A Little of the Old In and Out



(image via nndb)

In: Mark Zuckerberg. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, is, at present, like the girl that everyone wants to take to the prom. Even as everyone in the digital space scrambles for the television industry (and vice-versa), Facebook still has major buzz. Do you hear that sound? It's the sound of MTV's Judy McGrath salivating. According to Rafat Ali at Paidcontent:

"So as I mentioned first here about Greylock, all the speculation has come to rest: the social networking site Facebook has closed $25 million in funding, from Greylock Partners, and includes earlier investors, Meritech Capital Partners, Accel Partners and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. Facebook had raised about $13 million earlier from Accel and Thiel.

"SiliconBeat: 'It has never been our intention to sell the company,' said Melanie Deitch, Facebook's director of marketing, adding that the latest funding puts the rumors of such a sale to rest. Which of course is a outright lie...it has been shopped around, for sure, so I don't want to hear 'oh-we-were-only-testing-waters' spiel.

Quick, start a social networking site. Immediately. With even minimal buzz you'll probably sell it for a few million. Seriously. More here.



(image via amazon)

Out: James Blunt. Shmaltzy dickhead crooner James Blunt (you're beautiffuuul ....")is, according to Britisher Tara-Palmer Thomkinson, a two timer. Says the 3AMGirls:

"Tara got jiggy with James ... in New York, unaware he was with girlfriend Camilla Boler, 24.

"'One thing I will say is I was never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, told by James Blunt that there was a girlfriend. One thing's for sure I don't think I did anything wrong.

"'I was deceived by this guy and that's it.'

What's more:

"'I mean all the stuff about how I went to America, and I did this and I did that, I was never told there was a girlfriend, in fact James told me he had split up with her at Christmas."

"It turns out the ex-Army man hadn't said Goodbye My Lover to Camilla and was still seeing her when Tara flew out to the Big Apple to be with him last month. The pair enjoyed a night of passion and Tara was said to be "besotted".

"But yesterday the 34-year-old blasted: 'I don't know a James Blunt, I only know a James c***.'"

(A considerable pause) Alright then. Camilla Bowler, of course, announced she's dumped the douchebag. She is now in Spain, recovering.



Gigi and Brian, in happier days. (image via z.about)

In: Socialite Divorces. It's the "In" thing, socialites splitting up. We were actually saddened to hear of the separation -- link via gawker -- of Brian Grazer and his superhott writer wife, Gigi Levangie Grazier, who, ironically, anticipated this unfortunate state of affairs in her latest book "The Starer Wife." They seemed like the perfect power couple. Add to the list Ron Perelman and Ellen Barkin (messy), and, arguably, Russell Simmons and his ultramaterialistic wife, Kimora (less messy). Raoul Felder and his colleagues are probably swimming in cash these days. Fashionweekdaily notes, "W staffer Marshall Heyman is currently working on a piece about socialite divorces (he was recently seen chatting up Tory Burch at New Yorkers for Children)"

And says our favorite and wise social chronicler David Patrick Columbia in NYSocialDiary:

"Marriage is big news in this land of divorce. A year or so ago, it was Tiffany and Louis Dubin. A couple of months ago it was Ronald and Jo Carole Lauder after many many years. A couple of weeks ago it was Alex and Nathaniel Kramer after a few years. Then it was Chris and Tory Burch after a little more than a few years. Both of these were blind items (together on the NYSD a couple of months ago). Now it�s Valesca and Mathias Guerrand-Hermes. After a few years. And there are more in the pipeline according to my little birdies.

"'Why?' people ask. Why not? We live in a society that eshews permanence, tradition, roots. We live in a society where if a family sits down at table together once or twice a week on a steady basis, it is something for the New York Times to write about. We live in a society where as individuals we are isolated by our technology, even, ironically, our communicative devices. Cell phones are instruments of alienation. And very popular.

"NYSD covers a world where women go out without their husbands to major social events. And frequently. Interestingly it�s rarer to see a husband out without his wife.

"People pass judgment on this ('she�s always out without her husband, what can she expect?'). But judgment is a moot point. It is the way of the world, different from our ancestors (and even our mothers and fathers) maybe, but the Way It Is."

More NYSocialDiary here.