Stones Play China!



Look out, China! He's not playing!(image via bookitentertainment)

For a nation with acute population issues, inviting priapic modelizer Mick Jagger to "perform" -- how does one say this? -- may not be one of the more sagaciuous maneuvers for the Mandarins of Beijing. (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment) For all we know, in 9 months time, Guangdong and Yunnan provinces may have population growth spurts. And the babies will all have plush lips and hyperactive movements.

From the AP:

"The Rolling Stones opened their first-ever concert in mainland China on Saturday with 'Start Me Up,' a song with suggestive lyrics that apparently made it past the censors who banned five other songs.


"The so-called 'world's greatest rock 'n' roll band' played to a packed house at Shanghai's 8,000-seat Grand Stage indoor stadium, where the audience was overwhelmingly foreign. Demand for tickets had driven up prices on the black market to $624.

"Chinese rock pioneer Cui Jian, who was to perform a duet with Mick Jagger, said before the concert that the show was a 'milestone' for him and all rock fans in China.

"'It is a big moment. I will never forget this,' said Cui, whose songs were anthems for student protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989."

Neither will Mick Jagger's accountant.

Picture Pages, Picture Pages ...



When Antonio Banderas sits completely still you can hear the unencumbered wind rushing from between his ears. (image via wireimage)



Mick Jagger replies with soft chuckles when asked about his youthful vigor, as he wanly sips the distilled blood of Ecuadorian peasants.(image via wireimage)



"You're my beeesssshhht friend!" (image via thecobrasnake)



The Metamorphosis: Katie Holmes woke from uneasy dreams one morning to find herself changed into a giant Theta V.(image via justjared)



Wigga, please. (image via wireimage)

A Little of the Old In and Out



(image via bbc)

In: Michael Jackson. No, not that Michael Jackson. InterActiveCorp's creative honcho Michael Jackson -- the one who doesn't carry about him a luminous nimbus of "the freak" -- seems to get the possibilities of marshalling the untapped talent on the web. Kate Lee, at ICM, similarly gets it. The are so many undiscovered superstars, gleaming gems, and cosmoses of talent out there that have not yet been "discovered" by the Masters of the Universe. IAC is going after that potential synergy. From TheGuardian:

"Michael Jackson, the former head of Channel 4 turned US media executive, has predicted a leading role for the internet in plugging a "creative deficit" in American broadcasting.

"In his new role role as president of programming at Barry Diller's $9bn web empire, InterActiveCorp, Jackson is charged with finding text and video content to sit alongside IAC websites, which include the Ask.com search service, dating portal match.com and Ticketmaster.

"Jackson said the US TV industry had suffered from the dominance of media conglomerates such as Disney and Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, but the sector was entering a new era as the web undermined the advertising-based business model.

"A new generation of content makers is emerging, he said, able to screen shows on the web, bypassing Comcast's cable system or DirecTV's satellites. 'Broadband will enable content to get around the old aggregators. That to me is the most exciting thing. In the US you cannot launch a TV show without Brian Roberts [chairman of Comcast] or Rupert Murdoch [owner of DirecTV] on your side.'

"... Although IAC's new programming venture has yet to make a statement of intent with a site launch or acquisition, its benchmarks are the Huffington blog - Huffingtonpost.com, which has become a lightning rod for liberal debate in the US within a year of its launch as a collection of contributions from people such as Warren Beatty and Tina Brown - and the blog empire Gawker Media, created by former journalist Nick Denton and described by Jackson as a 'Web2.0 version' of the Cond� Nast magazine group.

"'There is going to be potential for new channels, new programming and new creative ideas,' Jackson said."

More here.



Out: The Kim Mathers-Eminem Divorce. You knew that this was going to go from zero to insane-crazy in a matter of seconds, correct? That's how trailer trash rolls, ladies and gentlemen. We're dealing here with two lowgrade pieces of ass, that's all. It must be something in the possum and the strawberry wine. In fact, if someone doesn't catch a bullet in the ass by the end of the procedings then we know that Em has finally jumped the shark. From Yahoomusic via Tabloidwhore:

"'He's having problems with, you know, his problem that he had. I was hoping we could get counseling and work it out, you know? ... Right after he came home from his rehab, we started to have a few problems, and I thought it was going to be in our best interest to delay the wedding. But he really pushed it and I thought it was really going to be something that worked this time,' she said.

"Eminem, however, has not spoken with her in about six weeks, she said, and surprised her by having her served with divorce papers. 'I don't really necessarily want to get divorced,' said Mathers, whose first marriage to Eminem lasted from 1999 to 2001. 'I was hoping he was going to come home and say, `I got us a counselor, let's go.' But you know it didn't work out that way. I got an attorney at the door instead.'"

You know? (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment) That's what happens when your family tree is a wreath.



(image via nndb)

In: Judas Iscariot. Perfectly timed between the liberation of "The DaVinci Code" from questions of plagerism and the Holy Week's annual Christianity covers of the newsweeklies is the re-evaluation of Judas Iscariot. There is a tradition that always held the belief that Judas Iscariot turned Jesus over to the Romans in an act of obedience. According to the Old Gray Lady:

"The Gospel of Judas is only the latest crumbling parchment to surface in the sands of Egypt like an ancient time capsule. Even before its formal introduction at a National Geographic Society news conference yesterday, scholars have been part of a debate that will soon be echoing in churches, on the Web and in Christian publishing.

"The real debate is whether the text says anything historically legitimate about Jesus and Judas.

"Some of the scholars on National Geographic's advisory committee said the text should prompt a reassessment of Judas. In it, Jesus speaks privately to Judas, telling him he will share with Judas alone 'the mysteries of the kingdom.' Jesus asks Judas to turn him over to the Roman authorities so that his body can be sacrificed."

Out:

David Spade and Mo'Nique Eschew the Critics



(image via cinemablend)

When The Corsair feels the urge to kick back and watch the craft of an American Master, we turn to Davis Spade and Mo'Nique. (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment) Beacuse nothing spells attention to detail and complexity of composition quite like a David Spade vehicle. Oddly, the studios disagree. According to Indiewire:

"Critics are being shut out of more films as studios forgo advance screenings on flicks they expect reviewers to trash, figuring the movies stand a better chance of box-office success with no reviews rather than bad ones. So far this year, 11 movies have not screened for critics before opening day, including the Rob Schneider/David Spade sports comedy 'The Benchwarmers' and Mo'Nique's fashion comedy 'Phat Girlz,' both opening Friday. During the same period last year, just two movies did not screen in advance for reviewers."

This can't be true. A studio skittish about the critical reaction to "Phat Girlz"? We won't entertain the possibility.

Picture Pages, Picture Pages ...



Brokeback Annan. (image via wireimage)



Jon Stewart, transforming the world, one step at a time, through irony and extraordinarily well-bahaved hair. (image via wireimage)



This is too easy. The Corsair doesn't bother with low-hanging comedic fruit. No pun intended. (image via junk-mag)




Voigue's Hamish Bowles conveying a desperate need for a robust multivitamin. (image via style)



Yeah, come on, bring it, Bitch! We can do this. Let's throw down Ugandan style! Yeah, that's what I thought ... (image via thecobrasnake)



Johnny Depp, looking to be sorely in need of a bath. (image via wireimage)

A Little of the Old In and Out




Kevin Wall in the center of it all. (image via networklive)

In: Kevin Wall. Digital killed the radio star. And now, the network of the future lies doggo before us. Kevin Wall, the founder and CEO of Network Live, the lifeforce behind the groundbreaking Live8, is looking for the next big thing. And, he says, it won't be music. Says Staci Kramer of Paidcontent:

"Caught up with Kevin Wall after his session near the end of Billboard Mecca conf at CTIA. It's been more than 8 months since the success of Live 8 and almost that long since Network Live, a joint venture with AEG, AOL and XM went live with its first concert. What most people may not realize is Network Live was already in start-up mode when Wall took a leave of absence to produce Live 8. (Until then, he'd been out of the concert production business for ten years.) The deals with XM and AOL were "pretty much negotiated" before Live 8, says Wall.

"'There's no regularity to this yet. In a very short period of time we're doing great numbers in traffic, which I can't tell you. Revenue is way over what we projected. Expenses are less than I said. My headcount's less than I thought it would be. I've got a global infrastructure -- an office in London, an office in New York, this office in LA. We've produced about 35 shows in music. We're now hopefully going to accelerate our plans on our launch of our next big vertical, which will not be music, it will be the next big thing around the theory of live and I think that's probably going to be in the fall so we've accelerated that by six months. We are looking now to start to look at some strategic acquisitions to continue to drive this. We are here to build what is the new live pop-culture, multi-platform digital entertainment universe.'"

Download the interesting audio of the interview from Paidcontent here.



(image via observer)

Out: Pinch Sulzberger. The Old Gray Lady is clearly at an historical crossroads. (The Corsair lights a Cohiba Corona Especiale) Even Harold Evans has noticed. Sulzberger's anxious hesistation at this critical Either/Or juncture annerves. Perhaps "Pinch" should whip out his goddamned Purple Moose to help him make the next pimp move. (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment) On the one hand, he can take baby steps on digitizing the New York Times entirely, which was an rather brilliant suggestion by the otherwise buffonish James Cramer. (Averted Gaze) The Corsair would phase out the daily print editions of the Times altogether, except for the Sunday edition, which is an advertising cash cow and the way we work our way through our hangovers. Says Cramer:

"In a week�s time, the New York Times Company will report another dismal quarter, one that will show decreased cash flow and total chaos in the New England region (thank you, Boston Globe) and reflect the admission, however tacit, that the company, despite recent deep job cuts, still has too many mouths to feed.

"... Yet, there�s hope. Hope from an ironic source, but hope nonetheless ... Why not preselect everything we need from the Times via Google and be done with the paper entirely? While we�re at it, why not write the obituary of the whole company? After all, it�s been the worst-performing newspaper stock in America for the past five years. The stock�s down 30 percent in the last year and 50 percent from just three years ago. Portfolio managers despise the thing and know that, unlike the just-sold Knight Ridder, the family owners at the Times have created a dual class of stock that makes a takeover simply impossible (the other class has all the voting power). To Wall Street, despite the unassailable brand name, the company�s got a real Sartre thing going, a total Huis Clos: static circulation, uneven ads, and a cost structure that, despite giant cuts to every division save online, can�t be right-sized without gutting the operation."

Sulzberger is portrayed as channeling his inner Hamlet once again on the TV side. Says Gabriel Sherman in the salmon-colored weekly:

"The New York Times is considering pulling up stakes in its great venture into television.

"Though the award-winning but ratings-deficient Discovery Times channel is a 50-50 partnership with Discovery Communications, Discovery currently controls four of the seven seats on its board. According to sources at The Times and the Discovery Channel familiar with the negotiations, The Times wants to add an eighth member.

"Or perhaps Times executives may decide not to have a television station at all.

"Later this month, The Times will reach a window in its three-year-old deal with Discovery: It will have an option to sell back its stake, for which The Times paid $100 million."

In for a penny, in for a pound, Pinchykins. No one can put on more meaningful documentaries than the Times. And let's see Kristoff in Darfur; Friedman in India and Lebanon and Herbert in Washington. But you have to go in full-throttle, Pinch. You can't just be a bitch. More here.



Michael Roberts and Roberto Cavalli. (image via style)

In:The New Yorker's Michael Roberts. Fashionhero Michael Roberts, who may or may not be the frontrunner to become Vanity Fair's Fashion Director, packed them in Tuesday despite the April chill. According to Fashionweekdaily:

"...A gaggle of 'it' boys and girls turned up the heat inside the Tod�s store on Madison Avenue, where the Italian leather goods house joined The New Yorker in hosting a preview of its Michael Roberts-designed T-Logo accessories.

"Dennis Hopper, Samantha Boardman, Fabian and Martina Basabe, Julia Restoin Roitfeld, Margherita Missoni, Robert Burke, Barbara Wilhelm, Claire Bernard, Genevieve Jones, Zani Gugelmann, Ren�e Rockefeller, Jennifer Creel, Carlos Souza, Amanda Hearst, Lisa Airan, Carlos Mota, Kelly Killoren, Marina Rust Connor, and Celerie Kemble all made their way through the newly-expanded, 6,500-square foot store, where floor-to-ceiling vachetta leather screens housed different rooms displaying Roberts� oversized illustrations of cartoon-like speedboats alongside wares from Derek Lam."

Does this constitute the "Seventh Room," Graydon?

More here.



(image via stephenelliot)

Out: The Legacy of Tom Delay. The perfect Dickensian villain Robert Novak wildly overstates the ultimate legacy of Tom Delay, who was ultimately brought low by his own political overreach namely, Texas Congressional redistricting. The Texas finance probe was merely the proximate cause. Novak valedictory:

"DeLay's 11-term House career now coming to a close was filled with paradoxes. He must be ranked with the great legislative leaders of all time, such as Thomas Brackett Reed, Robert A. Taft and Lyndon B. Johnson. Nobody has been as effective in enacting the conservative agenda into law, which explains the intense opposition to him. The House has been a different place since he stepped down as majority leader six months ago, easier to go along and get along for members of both parties."

It is impossible to argue that Delay was one of the most successful Congressional legislators of our time. But -- leaving aside the financial improprieties -- there was never any grand vision or overarching theme beyond his cultural conservatism that drove him. Delay was simply an ideological enforcer, the soi-dissant "Hammer." Taft, for all his faults, was a committed isolationist (at the time "anti-interventionist"), and LBJ, notwithstanding Vietnam, signed the Civil Rights Act.


Delay utilized his power bluntly, hammerlike, not for a worthy ideal, but only for the betterment of his organization.



(image via sky)

In: Peaches Geldoff. In lieu of Parasite Hilton, whose demise from our radar may or may not have something to do with the The Herpes Simplex (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment), we need a new "It" Girl. We vote for Peaches Geldoff, even though she is only 17, and won't be ripe yet for another year (but that didn't stop her from pinching Pete Doherty's concave ass). According to the 3AMGirls:

"Trying to get into Madame JoJo's club in Soho, preachy rock star Bob's 17-year-old daughter came out with the immortal 'Don't you know who I am?' line.

"She rocked up with sister Pixie, 15, and a group of pals to see band Naked Girls play on Tuesday night.

"... Our source tells us: 'Peaches strutted up to the front desk and looked shocked when she was asked to pay to get in. She asked, 'Do you know who I am?' but no one recognised her until she said her name.

".. But the undeterred party girl pulled a fast one and crept in with the band itself"

Lunch at Michael's



ABC's Cynthia McFadden, executor of Katherine Hepburn's estate, she of the stunning cheekbone structure, is the center of attention. (image via fishbowlNY)

Yesterday -- blame it on the rain -- was a bit of a jip at Michael's. One expects, especially on a Wednesday, to be inundated by the boldfacers. Drowning in Power. We wanted to be bedazzled by the talent in the room. Didn't happen. (The Corsair pours himself a glass of 2000 Chateau du Cedre) Unless, that is, you count Regis Philbin as media A-List. (Averted Gaze) We .. didn't think so. According to FishbowlNY:

"Table 1: It was the TV Ladies Who Lunch table, starring Primetime Live senior producer and birthday girl Jessica Velmans (ABC), Marty Spanninger (PBS), Karen Burnes (ABC), Phyllis McGrady (GMA), Cynthia McFadden (Nightline) and Scribner's Nan Graham (okay, she's not in TV). RUMORED: McFadden is writing a script of some sort..."

The script we REALLY want to see materialize is what exactly was McFadden's relationship to the late Katherine Hepburn. We'd pay real money for that story. The Corsair is a thousandaire, you know ..

"... 5: Court TV chairman and CEO Henry S. Schleiff with Talk Show Host Regis Philbin. They looked like old friends.

"6: Dominick Dunne with two people who we couldn't ID .."

We're sure "Dom" would be mortified at thought of dining with the identifiable.

"7: Ex-Variety publisher and current Velocity Services board member Gerry Byrne, who winked at us when we arrived but failed to provide his guest list.

"8: New York Social Diary's David Patrick Columbia with a bevy of guests today, including: socialite Brooke Duchin, fashionably appointed Alex Hitz, 'What Becomes A Woman' author Peter Rogers and Frank Bowling, head of the Peninsula Hotel in LA.

"... 22: Va-va-va voom. Chris Taylor (uber PR Goddess to the media moguls) with the very alluring but a bit shy Silda Wall (married to Eliot Spitzer) and Maggie Jones. They both work for Children to Children, a non-profit.

"... 26: Patricia Duff and cute Jonathan Wald."

As we said, bantamweights. (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment) But the recent frequency of Mrs. Eliot Spitzer visits to the Michael's scene is quite curious. Or preparatory. And Patricia Duff, for all her, uhm, "eccentricities," surely prettied up the joint a bit.

For the full dose of the media crack go here.

On Sino-Japanese Relations



(image via skimountaineer)

China's adroit use of their growing soft power in the Third World -- locations where terrorists lurk -- parallels Donald Rumsfeld's stark admission that he doesn't even understand the term (see paragraph 2). In the March/April 2006 issue of Foreign Affairs Kent E. Calder has an incredibly interesting article on Sino-Japanese relations.

As the destinies of the Taiwan and the Koreas (as well as, increasingly, and disturbingly, Russia's) become more economically intertwined with China, conservative Japan must be feeling rather claustophobic. The Corsair has always been of the opinion that the remilitarization of Japan ought to be a vital goal of American foreign policy. The Sino-American alliance is the linchpin of our Pacific policy. (The Corsair sips a glass of Sake)And China's economic aid package today to their Pacific allies should be a wake-up call to the masters of American-Pacific policy.

The cautious handlers of Beijing make few foreign policy errors. One such error, though, may be their over-agressive mock charges at an increasingly nationalistic Japan (for further reference see Chinese aggression in the Cunxao gas fields). As we get older we have resigned ourself to the belief -- like Hobbes and Machiavelli pronounced -- that the primary motivating force that activates the Will of nation-states is fear. Enter, Stage Right: a claustrophbic Japan.

Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution is thorougly obsolete. The nationalists control the Japanese Diet and public opinion is growing increasingly anti-Chinese. The most recent incarnation of Chinese aggression emanates from the fact that Prime Minister Koizumi's conservative government has ties to the political leadership in the 30s and 40s, which was part of what the mandarins in Beijing refer to as "The War Against Japanese Agression." In addition, there's the thorny matter of Koizumi's provocative fourth visit to Yasukuni (which, we cannot fail to note, was opposed by 5 of the 6 major Japanese papers and 6 former Prime Ministers).

If the United States were to signal that the Japanese Diet's abolition of Article 9 would be amenable, of course, China would act aggressively. That is, unless the United States strongly opposed it. Diplomacy would ensue. As a result, the United States would offer two possibilities to China. One: Allow Japanese remilitariazation, which would serve American interests greatly by providing a check on Chinese power. Two: Table re-militarization (for now) but allow Japan a seat on the Security Council. As Japan supplies 20 percent of the UN budget (China supplies a paltry 3 %), and the alternative is a nuclear Japan, the answer is obvious. And America gains a friend for life on the Security Council.

But we digress. Says Calder:

"China and Japan, the giants of Asia, account for nearly three-quarters of the region's economic activity and more than half of the region's military spending. Despite their deep economic ties and a doubling of their bilateral trade in the past five years, their relationship is increasingly strained, with dangerous implications for the United States and the world at large.

"Historically, relations between Japan and China were clearly structured. One country was always more prosperous or powerful than the other. Before the nineteenth century, China was usually dominant; since the Meiji Restoration, in 1868, Japan has generally been preeminent. The prospect that China and Japan could both be powerful and affluent at the same time has only recently emerged, largely because while China's economy and influence have grown rapidly, Japan's have remained stagnant. China has nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles, and its military budget has grown by double-digit rates for 17 consecutive years. Although Japan has a relatively low military profile, with its 'no-war' constitution and strong alliance with the United States, its defense-relevant technology is sophisticated and it has recently become more proactive. The stage is now set for a struggle between a mature power and a rising one."

More here.

Marc Cuban Cockblocks Struggling Sex Addict



(image via cnn)

Goddamn it, we love us an indie film feud! Marc Cuban is seen as something of a maverick in the indie film community, a self-made billionaire using his own brand of serial capitalism to take on the bloated studio system. Thats why his quixotic decision to pull "I Am A Sex Addict" from Landmark Cinema's is more than a little bewildering. Then again, maybe we could have predicted that Cuban and indie filmmakers would not play well together. Filmmaker Joe Swanberg commented, "I've been trying to stay out of it, but fuck Mark Cuban."

The Sex Addict's director, Caveh Zahedi, has been reduced to appealing to Steven Soderbergh for aid. According to Caveh Zahedi's Indiewire hosted blog:

"Dear Steven Soderbergh
We've never met, but we both appeared in the same movie: Waking Life.

"Also, I called you on the phone once and asked if you could spare some of your short ends for a film I was making at the time. You said no, but you were nice about it.

"I am writing to you now to ask for another favor.

"My most recent film, 'I Am A Sex Addict,' was scheduled to open this Friday at a Landmark Theater in Berkeley (and subsequently in Chicago and Atlanta). Meanwhile, Mark Cuban has suddenly (yesterday) banned the film from all markets in which Comcast has a presence (because the film is being distributed by IFC and IFC has a day and date Video-on-Demand deal with Comcast, which has refused to carry Mark Cuban's HDnet and HDnet movies). Word has it that you and Mark Cuban are good friends, and that you might be able to wield some influence in the matter. I have asked Mr. Cuban to reconsider his decision, as the whole thing has nothing to do with my film, which I spent the last fourteen years trying to make (that's what the requested short ends were for), and which IFC Films has (thankfully) picked up for distribution. Mark Cuban has been faultlessly courteous and straightforward in his replies, but he has also refused to budge."

From Indiewire: " 'Landmark is the most accepting of day and date,' Mark Cuban told indieWIRE today, 'But we aren't going to subsidize what amounts to our competition.'"

Hmm. Big business rules in the indie game? Oh, it's on, it's on like Gray Poupon! Read the full blog post here.

Indiewire's update.

Picture Pages, Picture Pages ...



She's Once ... Twice ... One-Third a Lady. (image via wireimage)



"Swear I didn't know we were gonna get into this again, Kofi. Hell, yes I did, redlined it all the way, couldn't get here fast enough."

(image via wireimage)



Tamara adjusts her Mellons. (image via wireimage)



DJ AM and DJ Jazzy Jeff commisserate on the travails of being the low-grade piece of ass DJ half of a popular duo. (image via wireimage)]



"And on the count of three, Ana Marie Cox, you will wake up feeling refreshed and wanting to blog for TheHuffingtonpost. (image via fishbowldc)

A Little of the Old In and Out



(image via jsonline)

In: Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. LivePlanet, cofounded by MattFleck, has come up with an interesting idea that is sure to be embraced by the coveted afflent, male 25-34 demographic. Especially with Mattfleck doing promotion. We are surprised that no one is doing an in-depth story on this new electronic phone tag story. It has celebrities, social networking, a key demo, location-based technology, homoerotic subtext, and -- best of all -- it launches in a few months. From Mediapost:

"Amp'd announced a partnership on Sunday with LivePlanet--a production company founded in part by actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck --to debut LivePlanet's new multiplayer video game, 'PhoneTag,' on Amp'd before next year. Game players will be given geographically-targeted mapping and messaging technology to play a 21st Century version of the playground classic."

The possibilities for perennial fratboys who secretly covet one another's but cheeks is near-infinite. We can clearly see the hazy televison commercial: Matt, running in slo-mo, slightly tousseled dirty blond locks bouncing in the breeze. Looking freshly fucked. Soft fade. Cue to the Theme from "Ice Castles." Then cut to Ben, softly chuckling, also in slo-mo, trying to evade the electronic tag. No touching is involved. It is all done by electronics. The zapless fuck.

(The Corsair gathers his forces) Seriously, though: Imagine if this debuts on college campuses like Berkeley or Ann Arbor and and spreads. This could be sick.



(image via sony-europe)

Out: SONY Connect. Of late it seems to the casual observer that this blog has been on a tear against everything SONY. We can even find fault with SONY's new Easy Reader (To us, Morgan Freeman is the one and the only "Easy Reader")So, in keeping with that trend, SONY Connect, apparently, believes that they stand a chance competing against iTunes. (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment) This, from paidcontent:

"...the music/video service from Sony Connect will launch on the PSP by September, according to sources, and will have extensive music and video downloads to the handheld devices. Among the companies its has tied up with includes Vongo, the online movie service from Starz"

First off, association with Vongo is not something one wants to particularly trumpet. (Averted Gaze) Further. there's the matter of corporate infighting:

".. But what might trip up the effort for this undeniably logical push from Sony? Internal politics. If only various Sony divisions and even the Sony Connect division can get their act together. I have heard through my sources that Jay Samit, the GM for Sony Connect, has effectively been sidelined by Phil Wiser, and that his fate within the company is a bit of an unknown for now."

The full post here.



Seacrest worships His Lord, Basophet, The Goat of Mendes.(image via defamer)

In: Seacrest Bashing. We loathe Ryan Seacrest's aggressive social climbing as much as we hate his overly aggressive metrosexuality. It's de trop. It irks us. It seems that Ryan is Seacresting. Says MercBlog:

"A funny, and kind of awkward, moment on "American Idol" tonight during what seemed like a typical exchange between Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest.

"Often, Seacrest gets in his jabs at Simon -- kind of like a chihuahua nipping at an ankle -- and Simon may or may not react. Sometimes it's about what Simon says, sometimes about what he wears. But this time, Simon gave Seacrest a sound beat-down, saying to the now semi-bearded host: "I'm not the one trying to look like someone out of "Desperate Housewives."" This, of course, was a comparison to James Denton, who plays Mike Delfino, Teri Hatcher's on-again-off-again love interest on the show.

"And Teri Hatcher is, of course, the woman who was making out with Seacrest in Malibu a couple of weeks ago."

And, from Starpulse:

"In response to recent photos that were captured of Hatcher and the American Idol host kissing and reportedly dating, she said, 'Well, I guess what's caught on film is caught on film and it would be hard for me to stand here and say that it wasn't me. I'm not a liar and I wouldn't do that, but I could say that I could still use the business card!' When asked if she was attached to Seacrest, she added, 'I'm not.'"

Not even the most fucked up of childhoods could lead a person to that kind of self-destructive behavior.

The End is Near: David Spade and Heather Locklear



(image via earthlink)

During his significant run at SNL the marginally witty David Spade was legendary for parlaying his celebrity into saucy sex with women way beyond his pay grade (Kristy Swanson and Lara Flynn Boyle, whose nickname for Spade was "peanut"). In point of fact, the virtually unfuckable Bea Arthur is way out of David Spade's league.

So it stunned us to no end to hear that Spade is now canoodling with superhott MILF Heather Fucking Locklear. According to Rush and Molloy, who write:

"David Spade was 'full-on making out' with Heather Locklear at Jones restaurant in Los Angeles last week, reports In Touch. 'It was a friendship that turned into something more,' a source told Us Weekly, adding that Spade's nerdy humor is helping her get over Richie Sambora. ..."

Something "more"? Is this the first sign of the Apocalypse, dear reader, or is it just a particularly rough rebound time for Heather?

McCain Versus Allen?



(image via jedinet)

Is it just The Corsair or has Senator John McCain lost some of his lustre? Arianna Huffington likens the sad McCain operetta to Goethe's "Faust." McCain doesn't quite shine like he used to. This Sunday's appearance on "Meet the Press" was particularly brutal. We sat there cringing as Tim Russert tore through McCain like a grinder into bologna.(Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment)

The wear and tear of unblinklingly support of President George Bush's war -- and his ridiculous alienation of Russia -- is wearing on him. Should he become the 44th President of the United States, the horrible weight of the Iraq War will fall on his heroic shoulders.

And let's not even talk about McCain's position on Creationism or gay marriage. Still, McCain is the Republican frontrunner for '08.

Unless, of course, Senator George Allen has something to say about it. Allen, who we cannot fail to add has never lost an election, is also running for the 2008 nomination, as is Christian Conservative favorite Bill Frist, who is laboring mightily to recapute some of the goodwill of The Chattering Classes (after those atrocious "Justice Sunday" event ancillary to Schiavo).

But Allen-McCain is the heavyweight main event for 2008 Republican politics. Interestingly, McCain, a long-term political strategist and 3rd generation Naval Captain has friend who just happens -- wink, wink -- to be challenging Senator George Allen in what appears to be a tough race that just might dethrone the undefeated Virginia Senator, or show cracks in his armor enough for McCain to best him. But it's only a coincidence. Says TheHill:

"Sens. George Allen (Va.) and John McCain (Ariz.) could square off for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination � if an old McCain friend doesn�t get to Allen first.

Former Navy Secretary James Webb, one of McCain�s 'oldest friends,' is vying for the Democratic nomination to take on Allen in his reelection bid this November. Although Webb must first get past lobbyist Harris Miller in the Democratic primary, political analysts say his candidacy could end up hampering Allen�s presidential aspirations and bolstering McCain�s.

"'Party activists expect a presidential contender to have strong home support, and if Webb (or Miller) could even come close to Allen in 2006, the results would raise questions about Allen�s own base,' said Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia�s Center for Politics. 'Indirectly, any weakening of Allen would help McCain, and some other GOP presidential candidates.'

"Despite the longtime friendship between McCain and Webb, a former Republican, the Arizona senator said he is backing Allen. Even so, in an interview outside the Senate chamber last week, McCain called Webb 'a war hero' and 'a great patriot.'"

And remember, boys and girls: It's just a coincidence that he's running in Virginia at this point in time. Just. A Coincidence.

More here.

Picture Pages, Picture Pages ...



Nelson Mandela is smiling on the outside, but on the inside he is afraid ... very afraid. (image via people)



Fredrick Fekkai's Hair Watch: Bold, yet unpretentious. (image via nysocialdiary)



Help prevent crack abuse. (image via thecobrasnake)





Julia Styles, at the way-over-her-head Museum of Modern Art, looking like she's lost her Mommy. (image via artnet)

Bijou Phillips, (image via thecobrasnake)

Is CBS Radio "Building a Case" Against David Lee Roth?



(image via nysocialdiary)

The soap opera that is the DLR-Les Moonves-Howard Stern feud just keeps getting better. And we can't wait for the Vanity Fair article. From Marksfriggin:

"Howard took a call from a guy who said he wanted to hear what David Lee Roth is up to after hearing the news reports about him last night. Howard said that he hasn't listened to Dave's show a little bit last Friday but he didn't last too long. It was the first day back since he got suspended for a couple of days. He said he sounded like a beaten man.

"Howard believes that CBS is building up a case so that they won't have to pay the $8 million they owe Roth when they fire him. He said that's why he was warning Katie Couric earlier this morning about moving to CBS. It's all about the money for the ''bloodsucking leaches'' at CBS. He said that they put him on the air knowing what they had, he didn't bring big ratings right away so now they're going to make him seem like he's a piece of shit. He said that it's Joel Hollander and Leslie Moonves who should be fired."

Yesterday Roth said the same thing, basically. He believes that Joel Hollander is doing his best to make his life miserable enough to quit. Roth said CBS Radio is "building a case."

We'll see ...

A Little of the Old In and Out



(image via yimg)

In: Meredith Viera. What a curious moment it is for women on television news. As Katie Couic ascends to the throne of the Walter Cronkite chair on CBS Evening News, Meredith Viera is the top contender to take the place of Katie as the alpha-woman on The Today Show, the NBC News division's bread-and-butter.

In the process, the eye-candy role that women on Today were once relegated to -- remember Deborah Norville? -- as well as the mousy Today Show lietenent role perfected by Jane Pauley in the 1980s has evaporated before our eyes. (The Corsair pours himself a glass of aged champagne) Says Howie Kurtz in the Washpo:

"Vieira, 49, who is being courted by NBC executives for Couric's seat, is a former '60 Minutes' correspondent with deep roots in network news. The other 'Today' contenders are NBC insiders, White House reporter Campbell Brown, who also co-hosts 'Weekend Today,' and correspondent Natalie Morales.

"Vieira, who has turned down other morning-show offers in the past, is said to be torn because she enjoys the two programs she hosts now and is concerned about the effect of a more demanding schedule on her husband, who suffers from multiple sclerosis.

"Vieira's agent, Michael Glantz, said yesterday: 'Probably no one in this business is more qualified. Meredith is certainly flattered to be the subject of all this attention and certainly would have to consider all possibilities.'

"Barbara Walters, who founded the morning chat show 'The View' and is a former co-host of 'Today,' said yesterday she would support Vieira no matter what her decision. 'We would miss Meredith terribly, but I would understand if she decided to pursue this new and challenging opportunity . . . As for 'The View,' it is a very strong franchise and if Meredith did decide to leave, 'The View' would, of course, continue.'"

In the event that Viera not take "Today," which is a position entirely defensible on the grounds that: a) she has set a priority on caring for her husband's MS, and b) she is already incredibly sucessful where she is and has nothing to prove, then the lead candidate is Campbell Brown, another strong and fetching woman who will play the dominant role to Matt Lauer's unthreatening beta male. The era, it would seem, of the eye candy (Norville) and mousy "younger sister" types in the morning has died, unburied and unsung.



(image via chinadaily)

Out: The Degenerate Regime Of Naomi Campbell. It is no surprise to student of international relations that Nelson Mandela, a man who faced down with steely resolve, the tyrannical Apartheid regime for 27 years while incarcerated in a high-security prison is wisely showing signs of self-preservative F-E-A-R at the prospect of encountering the degenerate regime that is Naomi Campbell. (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detahcment) We would too, considering the amount of blood affixed to the petite servants wardrobe (now: exhibit A for the prosecution). From Rush and Molloy:

"Days after New York's Finest snapped a pair of bracelets on her wrists, supermodel Naomi Campbell turned up in South Africa to talk with a man who knows about life behind bars � Nelson Mandela.

"Word is that Mandela's advisers were wary of the manic mannequin, who last week was busted for allegedly conking her maid on the head with a crystal-studded BlackBerry."

And Mandela's not the only one:

"She's expected next month at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute gala. Although she's due to sit at the table of co-host Anna Wintour, one source says, 'I suspect Anna is nervous.'"

Of course she is. (sotto voce) Of course she is.



In: The Jake and Jackie Show. As the slow-motion car crash that is the Howard Stern-Les Moonves-David Lee Roth-FreeFM soap opera leaves smouldering chunks of hot debris all over the information superhighway, the late night "Jake and Jackie Show" emerges from the smoke as the station's breakaway hit.

Both were trained at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater and mix sketch comedy with the celebrity gossip. On any given night you can hear VH1's Chuck Nice and Paul Scheer, "Monk" television writer Tom Sharpling, Michael Musto of the Village Voice, SNL's Horatio Sanz, ESPNClassic's Sklar Brothers or The Colbert Report's Eric Dreysdale waxing from pop-mostalgia to 1980s professional wrestling to the sensitive subject of feline AIDS.

He's the bad cop: the high-strung but extremely knowledgeable music and pop-culture geek; she's the good cop: the boozy-voiced older sister who asks you to not tell Mom and Dad she's sneaking out to be roam the night with her fast-living boyfriend. The show is tightly-produced by Viacom's up-and-coming player Ivan Lee (in 10 years he will be Executive Proucer of the CBS Late Show). And the bouncer-phone screener of the "Jake and Jackie Show" is the stressed-out but awesometastic Gillian.

Frankly, The Corsair is addicted to this show. And you should be too.

Podcast clips:

"We Are At War" here.

On Naked women on radio shows. Here.



Out: Glenda Bailey's Harper's Bazaar. The fearless Kim Hastreiter of Papermag's Blog says out loud what we all know is true but keep to ourselves about Hearst:

"I have been reading the requisite gossip(mostly in WWD lately) about Harper's Bazaar and how editor Glenda Bailey's contract is coming up for renewal and that the powers-that-be at Hearst have been quietly looking around. Many are speculating about yet one more change and if that is true and they don't get it right this time, I think they should just close their doors. There is something about that magazine that simply has never worked. Including in the Tilberis years! As much as everyone deified Liz Tilberis I feel even she didn't get it right. Kate Betts (after Tilberis) certainly got it wrong. And Glenda Bailey's Bazaar just doesn't seem to hit the luxe nail on the head. I think one of the big problems with Harpers Bazaar is that Hearst just has some sort of cheapskate mentality in their corporate culture and it seems to rub off on the aura of their magazines. Bazaar just doesn't come across as luxurious as it should be. Hearst needs to open their pocketbooks further if they're gonna make this one work."

So true. More here.



(image via imdb)

In: Jason Reitman. Jason Reitman learned the mechanics of moviemaking from his dad, Ivan Reitman. "Thank You For Smoking" was a texbook case of how to do an indie movie right. Limited initial release. Critical praise. Box office buzz. Great opening. Onward. Jason Reitman is stiking while the iron's hott. According to Cinematical:

"Last week, Martha reported on 'hot young director-of-the-moment' Jason Reitman signing a deal with Fox Searchlight. In fact, it's a cool deal with a lot more behind it than Fox Searchlight's press release touting the deal actually lets on. I talked to Reitman the other day about his new prodco, Hard C, in which he is partnering with Daniel Dubiecki. Dubiecki, in addition to producing Reitman's current hit Thank Your For Smoking, produced all of Reitman's short films and, most recently, a controversial short called The Big Empty, starring Selma Blair as a woman whose vagina is both a literal and metaphorical frozen tundra because she doesn't have love (that one really pissed off the feminist crowd when it screened at last year's Seattle International Film Festival.)

"The press release revealed that under the terms of the deal, Reitman and Dubiecki will develop and produce films for Fox Searchlight."

More here.

The Sublime Symmetry of Chelsea and Marc



(image via people)

There is something quite lovely -- and here we are not being ironic -- about the rekindling of the childhood flame between Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky in New York at the onset of Spring. His mother, the one-term Congresswoman Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky -- "3M" as she was called on Phildephia's Main Line -- lost her seat out of extreme loyalty to then-President Bill Clinton. She won a narrow 50.3 percent victory in a conservative Philadelphia district, but voted for Bill Clinton's Omnibus Budget Reconcilliation Act of 1993 bill. Depending on what your economic philosophy is, this was either a deficit reduction bill, or a tax increase bill. Mezvinsky, already weak, heroically backed Bill Clinton against her political self-interest. From Businessweek:

"Clinton was working the phones steadily now, trying to round up votes that only a direct call from the president could bring. Early on, the House's hardnosed vote counters complained that Clinton would call members only reluctantly and then engage them in a sort of Socratic dialogue that ended without his directly asking for their vote. 'He was not enthused about making a lot of phone calls to people originally,' said a senior Democrat. 'Then when he started to do them, he'd spend 15, 20 minutes on a call to someone, and then he wouldn't close the deal.' But now that they were down to the wire, Clinton was at last getting tough and direct. When he called Williams that afternoon, Clinton got right to the point: 'Pat, I need you on this,' Clinton said. 'It will not pass without your vote. My presidency is at stake.'"

"With time running out, the yeses would not move above 212--a stubborn six votes from the 218 they needed. Majority Leader Gephardt was deeply worried. 'I was the one in the leadership who was saying, we've really got a problem here. I mean, this thing well may not pass,' he said.

"... The chamber was in pandemonium.

".. Margolies-Mezvinsky was waiting 30 feet away next to the vote computer on the Democratic side of chamber, where nervous members and aides were anxiously watching the vote count. To anyone looking down from the spectators' galleries high above the floor, Margolies-Mezvinsky was instantly noticeable. Around her, people swirled in constant motion, conferring, shouting, grabbing arms and yelling in each others' ears. She alone seemed to stand stock still, her face ghost-like, her eyes wide and fixed in the middle distance, contemplating what must have seemed like the imminent end of her short career as a House member. Foley walked up and told her they needed her vote. Barely glancing at him, she hesitated and then began to walk slowly down the aisle toward the well. She had the look of someone on the way to her own hanging. A Democrat handed her the green card she would need to vote yes. She joined Williams at the desk at the foot of the Speaker's dais. Williams signed his card and handed it in and, finally, agonizingly slowly, Margolies-Mezvinsky did the same.

"After a few seconds' delay, the orange lights displaying the vote total blinked out the changes: from 216-216 to 217-216 and finally to 218-216. It was over. Cheers swelled from the Democratic side of the chamber. Republicans hooted derisively. 'Goodbye, Marjorie,' they shouted, pantomiming extravagant goodbye gestures. Margolies-Mezvinsky was in tears. Michigan Democrat Sander Levin kissed her on the cheek and gently guided her off the floor into a small holding area called the Red Room, where California Democrat Anna Eshoo comforted her. (Bill) Richardson came hustling in and thanked her for her vote. 'But I may have lost my seat,' she protested, choking back tears."

Unfortunately Mezvinsky did lose her seat. In the meantime she has served her country as director and deputy chair of the United States delegation to the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women and is presently chair of the Women's Campaign International.

And, in perfect symmetry, the children of Clinton and Mezvinsky are in love.

P Diddy: Ghetto!



(image via Eonline)

How ghetto is it for a CEO to miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to open the NYSE? Amazing how P Diddy can manage to haul ass into the streets of Ibiza in shorts and a fur coat just in time to avoid a raid, yet miss the opening bell. Curious. According to those intrepid Page Sixxies:

"TYPICALLY tardy Sean Combs stood up his own brand yesterday when he missed the opening bell for the New York Stock Exchange. Combs was supposed to stand alongside Federated Department Stores Chairman Terry Lundgren and Estee Lauder CEO William Lauder as well as Estee Lauder brand President John Demsey when the group rang the bell in honor of Combs' new fragrance, Unforgivable - but he was a no-show. 'He overslept,' said a source. 'You know Puff - he'd be late to his own funeral.' Combs' people blamed 'traffic.'"

Nonono, really the problem is the Ghetto.

Picture Pages, Picture Pages ...



Coming to Theaters Near You -- Britney Spears Starring In: "Breast Sweat"!



But what if Ellen Degeneres likes her insincerity "poised" and "creamy." (image via wireimage)



Ziyi Zhang and Armani / Live together in perfect harmony ... (image via hellomagazine)

Robert Downey Jr 's got a secret/ He's been hiding/ Under his skin. (image via wireimage)



-- The pretentious French translates into roughly -- and we do mean roughly, "Feel free to Donkey Punch when leaving." (image via thecobrasnake)



A clearly jonesing Macy Gray wishes she took one ... last ... hit off the sweet leaf before heading into the Kid's Choice Awards. (image via wireimage)

Love Tats



Marc with Jason, who, according to Friendster, wants to meet guys that know how to be a "Hot Fuck" (image via oanmedia via socialitelife)

This emerging trend of "Love Tats" is bewildering. It suggests all sorts of dodgy human-ownership issues. Even Winona wasn't Forever (Although, evidently, "Wino's" are). Inking without thinking, is what it is. A "Love Tat," as we call it, is a tatoo, often worn by the subordinate -- i.e. the less monied -- in a romantic-strategic relationship. (Averted Gaze)

Didn't the Emancipation Proclamation put the kibosh on all that?

And, while we are at it, don't the aforementioned "Love Tats" only draw attention to the skin deep symbolism of the dubious "love"? (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment) To The Corsair's count, Tori Spelling's lover is the most prominent member of this little Joy Tat Club. (Averted Gaze) Add Marc Jacobs' better half to the list, according to the ever-observant Ben Widdicombe and his spywitnesses:

"So the designer Marc Jacobs, wearing pearls and black eyeliner, is at Marquee on Wednesday. He makes a snide remark quoting the rude slogan ('F� You') printed on the sweatshirt of a nearby girl.

"'Wow, you can read,' she snarks back in reply.

"Marc gets snitty and turns on his heel in a tiff. But his boyfriend and former rent boy, Jason Preston, decides he has to defend his honor.

"'You don't insult MJ!' he barks at the girl, who looks at him with complete confusion.

"'Marc Jacobs!' he snaps after a beat, as my spy-witness snickers.

"Or he could have just rolled up his shirt sleeve and shown her Jacobs' name, which he had tattooed across his arm."

Does Jason Preston also pick the actual cotton used in Marc Jacobs' fashion lines?

My magnificent Blog Wife, Miu, on Jason Preston here.

A Little of the Old In and Out




In: CouricMania. Katie Couric Mania (tm) reaches its inevitable zenith this week -- or next -- when it is finally announced that the gummy smiling host heading towards CBS Evening News to become the first woman network anchor. Break out the post-coital cigarettes if you've got them, Chattering Classes. (The Corsair sparks a Cohiba Robusto) These are the last days, sadly, to catch a quick morning hit of The Katie's legs before traipsing off into the morning. Afterwards, we are pretty sure that the sober suits all up in Black Rock's bitch will keep all camera shots above the waist. Life, as JFK clearly warned us, is not fair.

Fox 411's Roger Friedman hints that Katie may even be doing "60 Minutes" stories, which is certainly a deal sweetener for Katie, who has been criticized, somewhat, for her lack of gravitas. We'd push for a catfight, but Leslie Stahl is way too classy a dame.

So ... Katie goes from Morning talk, which provides roughly 3/4 of the profits of the news division, to a prestigious -- if embattled -- Evening network news division. Ah, Prestige: It makes suckers out of all of us.

Let the musical chairs as to who replaces Katie on the "Today Show" formally begin.



(image via idontlikeyouinthatway via gawker)

Out: Cheekslip. Lindsay Lohan had an unintentional apple-sized "Cheekslip" moment at the Kids'Choice Awards in front of a crowd of 10,000 impressionable eyes after receiving an award for "Herbie: Fully Loaded." (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment) From the picture above, though, we cannot help but mention that the "tank" could not have been more than half-full.



Out: Sony BMG. Poor SONY; can't a hobbling record label get a break? It's like a week doesn't pass without some sad story surfacing about SONY. As if the state of the labels weren't enough of a downer (Labels vs. Steve Jobs), this, from Gatecrasher:

"Insiders say there could be recriminations at Columbia Records over Prince's album '3121,' whose distribution rights the label lost to Universal, now that it has topped the Billboard charts.

"One source says fingers are pointing at Sony BMG (Columbia's parent) President and COO Michelle Anthony, who is said to have had a falling out with the hip-high hitmaker after the company distributed his last album, 'Musicology.'

"The 'Purple Rain' singer sells his music through his own label, NPG Music Club, but uses larger industry players for distribution. After 'Musicology' hit No. 3 on the charts, it was widely expected that Columbia would be involved with his next project.

"'There are some very unhappy suits at Sony,' says a source."



(image via cbsnews)

In: Russ Mitchell. Who says anchors -- The Wise Men -- have to be silvery tressed white men to be credible as deliverers of the sobering realities of international news? In anticipation of The Katie Couric Pimp Move (tm), Black Rock is unveiling some more -- and flavorful -- additions. TVNewser hips us to the fact that Russ Mitchell will be CBS Evening News' Sunday anchor, suspiciously in time for Gawker's "sexy anchor" contest. (A considerable pause) Yeah, Sean McManus -- we'll be keeping an eye on you ... According to TVNewser:

"Russ Mitchell is now the one and only anchor of the Sunday edition of CBS Evening News, effective immediately, Sean McManus announced today.

"Mitchell will still co-anchor the Saturday Early Show. He's also one of the rotating anchors for the Saturday Evening News (along with Thalia Assuras and Mika Brzezinski.)

"McManus says: 'Russ is one of our most versatile anchors. He has more than earned this position, and I'm pleased to further raise Russ' profile at CBS News.'"

Congrats.

Stern, Roth, Crazy Fan



(image via thebosh)

The Stern-Moonves-Roth radio imbroglio got a little weirder if that is even possible. They turned up the crazy. After Les Moonves agreed to appear in a CBS remake of "Network" playting the corporate-evangelizing Ned Beatty role, we thought we had heard it all. From today's NYPost:

"Shock jock Howard Stern and his sexy girlfriend Beth Ostrowsky were attacked just outside Lincoln Center by a crazed man who threatened the couple and then spit in the blonde bombshell�s face as they tried to get away in a cab, a police source told The Post last night.

"The violence happened about 8 p.m. Saturday night as the couple left a restaurant.

"Without warning, Gregory Forbes, 50, ran up to them as he menacingly waved his fists, the source said.

"The terrified couple hailed a cab to try to get away.

"But as they opened the door, Forbes spit in Ostrowsky�s face, according to the source.

"They called cops on a cellphone.

"Stern then helped officers collar the suspect � who lives nearby on Amsterdam Avenue � about 50 minutes later by identifying him after cops nabbed Forbes walking on the Upper West Side.

"Forbes was charged with assault and menacing."

Good for Stern for getting him off the streets. Unfortunately, on the NYRadio Message Board (yes, unfortunately, there is such a thing) a poster "Josh M" said this was comeuppance for Stern's pranking of news stations. The two, of course, are not comparable. (Averted Gaze)

In other news, David Lee Roth, on FreeFM is attacking his bosses at Infinity Radio on air. His argument is twofold: one, Joel Hollander, apparently, gave his word to Roth that he would have creative control. Second, Roth argues that the execs at FreeFM -- who have sent him 5 memos in as many days -- got rid of his "ethnic music." In addition, Roth says "there's only one other (African-American) on the station." This was in retaliation for their firing of his African-American bodyguard.

Finally, Roth predicts he has only 3 weeks left. His argument ties into Howard Stern's argument as to how Infinity Radio -- and Viacom as a whole -- treats "talent." Roth believes that the bosses at Infinity are "making their case" for future litigation against Roth. He argues that they want to memo him to quit. Roth says he won't quit, however.

The feud continues ...