Media-Whore's D'oevres

"Prince William turned 25 on Thursday and gained part of the inheritance left him by his mother, Princess Diana. William, who is second in line to the throne, gains access to the interest and other income accrued on the $13 million he was left by his mother, who died in a Paris car crash in 1997.William's Clarence House office would not say what the prince planned to do with the money, estimated at $500,000 to $600,000 a year. Harry, 22, William's brother, will gain access to a similar amount when he turns 25. According to Diana's will, the brothers gain access to the capital sum when they turn 30." (HuffPo)

Oddly Compelling Crying Criminals (TheSmokinggun)

From Maverick to Urchin: "SEN. John McCain, reflecting dire financial straits for his Republican presidential campaign, has sent a desperate plea for funds to previous contributors who have not reached their campaign limit. 'I took a risk by sending you first class postage stamps with this air gram letter,' McCain began his appeal. 'But I had no other choice because I urgently need your help before June 30th.'" (Rovak)

"HOLLYWOOD director David Lynch, of Mulholland Drive fame, will direct the advert for Gucci's new perfume, named simply Gucci. He follows a trend set by Baz Luhrman, who directed Nicole Kidman in a Moulin Rouge-inspired advert for Chanel No 5." (DailyVogue)

"While we all enjoy bashing the Hollywood studios for lack of imagination, at this point in the summer the naysayers should also own up to this reality: The world's filmgoers seem to like what they're getting.The basic facts are as follows: Just about all the tentpoles and sequels have turned out to be hits this summer, unlike last. Box office results have improved by roughly 7%, and that's a big number. Earlier concerns about 'cannibalization' (too much product in the marketplace) haven't materialized, except that some independently financed fringe movies are being crowded out of the multiplexes. And the lineup of films still to appear seems remarkably solid -- shows like The Simpsons, Hairspray, Transformers and the next iterations of Rush Hour and Bourne Identity. To be sure, there are still some big question marks. Will Evan Almighty, with its oddly evangelical subtext, justify its enormous budget (somewhere around $200 million)? Will Michael Moore's superbly crafted Sicko perform like a Columbine or like a Fahrenheit? Setting these aside, the bottom line seems to be that the movie going public worldwide seems to relish its diet of sequels and remakes." (HuffPo)