Media Whore D'Oevres



"Maverick Republican senator Chuck Hagel raised his criticisms of the Bush White House to a new level in New York yesterday, holding open the possibility that he could serve in a future Democratic administration or even run on a presidential ticket headed by a Democrat. Mr. Hagel, who has become increasingly estranged from his party over the Iraq war, said that he would give the current administration 'the lowest grade' in 'almost every area.' He added: 'I have to say that this is one of the most arrogant, incompetent administrations I’ve ever seen.'" (Observer)

"Each piece of clothing from Billionaire Boys Club, the streetwear outfit owned by mega-producer Pharrell Williams and Japanese designer Nigo bears the tagline 'Wealth is of the heart and mind, not the pocket.' ... The after-party resembled something out of a hip-hop video. Snoop Dogg and his posse chain-smoked blunts on the balcony, while Jermaine Dupri, who would have difficulty passing the height requirements of most amusement park roller coasters, danced with a number of women of loose moral fiber." (Radar)

"Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie have been best friends – and occasionally the best of enemies – for years. Now that Richie is pregnant, Hilton says she's hoping their offspring will be second-generation BFFs. 'Nicole and I have been playing together since we were two years old,' she told PEOPLE at the Nissan Live Sets One Year Anniversary Party. 'I was just telling her, 'I want a baby so that our babies can play together.'" (People)

"Calvin Klein gave new meaning to the term 'foot traffic' Wednesday night when it set the Bowery ablaze with its sponsored-First Look bash, a grand opening celebration heralding the debut of the New Museum ...While Lance Armstrong (who quietly avoided rumored flame Ashley Olsen), Pharrell Williams, Piper Perabo, Sean Avery, Martha Stewart, Helen Schifter (who capped her Chanel dress and L.A.M.B. bag with a artsy Proenza Schouler cloche), and Margherita Missoni, who eschewed her familial zigzag prints for a sleek white Calvin Klein dress she accessorized with a beaded African belt she picked up in Kenya, opted to stay out of the lounge (which at one point had ushers refusing entry to guests due to overcrowding), others camped out on cushions in the basement to listen to live 15 minute interval performances by Raven O of The Box fame ... Back up in the lounge, co-hosts Julianne Moore and Maggie Gyllenhaal compared notes. 'It's all very transgressive,' said Moore, before quipping, 'but this is not fashion lighting.'" (Fashionweekdaily)

"The evening at this club where Tina Brown was speaking raised money for the cause through the sale of tickets. And they got a pretty good crowd. I’d say about 250. I was asked to introduce her for reasons that are unclear to me. I do know Ms. Brown, although not well. I’ve followed her career since she first started getting attention in the media. She is famous in certain circles, namely the ones that are the most famous, where fame resides by the bushel – the media, the world of entertainment, politics and publishing." (NYSD)

"U.S. oil surged more than $4 a barrel early Thursday before easing back later as Midwest refiners scrambled to find alternate supplies on concerns about a prolonged crimp in Canadian crude flows ... Enbridge Inc said it expects to quickly restart its huge pipeline system following a deadly blast in Minnesota that killed two workers and briefly choked off 10 percent of oil imports to the world's top consumer." (NYTimes)

"Well before it was publicly known he was seeing her, then-married New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani provided a police driver and city car for his mistress Judith Nathan, former senior city officials tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com. 'She used the PD as her personal taxi service,' said one former city official who worked for Giuliani. New York papers reported in 2000 that the city had provided a security detail for Nathan, who became Giuliani's third wife after his divorce from Donna Hanover, who also had her own police security detail at the same time. The former city officials said Giuliani expanded the budget for his security detail at the time. Politico.com reported yesterday that many of the security expenses were initially billed to obscure city agencies, effectively hiding them from oversight." (ABCNews)

" In the publishing world, it's not Black Friday or the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting that officially kicks off the holiday season, but rather Condé Nast Chairman S.I. Newhouse Jr.'s annual bash at the Four Seasons Restaurant for his top editors, publishers and executives ... Anna Wintour, the Vogue editrix, was smiling this year without her trademark sunglasses as she left the restaurant ..." (NYPost)