Media-Whore's D'Oevres



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"Revelers spilled out into Mercer Street at Phillip Lim's store opening party on Tuesday night. The new boutique's air-conditioning was having trouble keeping pace with the capacity crowd, which included Coach's Reed Krakoff, Vogue's Anna Wintour, Barneys' Howard Socol, and fellow designers like Sue Stemp, Subversive's Justin Giunta, and David Neville and Marcus Wainwright of Rag & Bone—not to mention a clutch of celebrities in Lim's Fall line. 'I love that his clothes are so effortless and simultaneously so chic and couture,' said Debra Messing, who looked like she could've been preparing for her role in the remake of George Cukor's 1939 film The Women in Lim's crystal-studded turban ... And no expense was spared, either, on the Veuve Clicquot bubbly. Five of the house's signature champagnes accompanied the meal, during which John Legend regaled his tablemates with tales of his recent tour of South Africa, Nigeria, and Europe. Asked why he was at the party, the crooner said, 'I like to dress well, why else?'" (Style)

"Hillary Clinton once again edged out Barack Obama in entertainment industry fund-raising in the second quarter, with the two candidates holding a commanding lead in the race to draw Hollywood donors. According to preliminary figures compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, Clinton collected $753,790 from donors in the industry to Obama's $617,388. The numbers cover the period from April 1 to June 30. The margin of difference between the two candidates was nearly identical to the first quarter. Even though Clinton's campaign got a boost in June from the high-profile endorsement of Steven Spielberg, the figures show that Obama continues to enjoy significant industry support. As a generalization, Clinton has been drawing a sizeable share of what could be called the industry's established, politically active class, like Spielberg and Haim Saban, while Obama has attracted progressives and newer donors from Hollywood's creative community, like Will Smith and Chris Rock." (Variety)

"I asked our interns to make a list of who’s been spotted here in Southampton…. Felicity Huffman buying vintage Chanel bags at Collette. Joy Behar and Kim Porter buying dresses, individually, at Biba. Richard Gere purchasing an American flag at Privet Cove ... Kelsey Grammar also went to Follow Your Art to decorate bowls with his family ..Dakota Fanning at Splash of Pink." (DanHamptons)

" The internet, as an inclusive mechanism, has effectively provided the means through which leaders are now able to incorporate and engage with geographically disbursed individuals in the movement's operations. Compelled by the need to reach a broader resource pool and advocated by numerous prominent strategists, the internet has significantly enhanced the capabilities and proficiency of the movement. Although this shift from organisational to individualised jihad was not brought about by an executive mandate, the movement as a whole has adapted its strategies and procedures to include this potent tool. As the movement continues to evolve and as strategies that emphasise the critical nature of the internet are published by jihadist thinkers such as Abu Musab al-Suri and Muhammed Khalil al-Hakaymah, the internet will increasingly serve as the primary vehicle for the atomisation of the global jihadist movement." (Janes)

"HBO, with 86 nominations, tallied the most bids overall for the seventh consecutive year, but with its lowest total since that streak began. The pay cabler has been the most-honored network six years running, including ties with NBC in 2001 and ‘02.The HBO charge was led by the historical movie 'Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee,' which, despite mixed reviews, lassoed 17 nominations — one more than another western, AMC’s 'Broken Trail,' starring Robert Duvall. Interestingly, last year’s most-recognized project was also a miniseries drawn from that era, TNT’s 'Into the West,' suggesting a strong oater-Emmy link." (Variety)

"A great deal of the world suffers not from too much of this power, but from too little of it. More precisely, much of the world suffers from a lack of legitimate power—that is, authority that is accepted because it rests on generally recognized norms and laws—and too much pure force. Sometimes the force is physical and raw, as when tribal groups clash in Afghanistan or Somalia, or when governments decide to suppress real or imagined enemy groups ... There are, moreover, other arenas for contestations of power, which we might think of as infrapolitical—the family realm, the spiritual realm, and the economic realm. Often we discuss these spheres of social life as if they were devoid of power. But if we think of power as a form of potential constraint designed to ensure desired collective behavior—whether through enthusiasm, obedience, or labor—then most people experience power within non-state institutions, whether these be families, religious communities, or economic structures. Indeed, to most people in the world, the power exerted through families and markets is far more pressing and immediate than power exerted between or within states. Just as physicists postulate dark matter to explain the full strength of gravitation in the universe, we might term this often overlooked capacity to compel outcomes as 'dark power.'" (HarvardInternationalReview)