Media-Whore D'Oevres



"Putin also takes a swipe at NATO in (Time) magazine, saying that while it isn't exactly a "stinking corpse," it certainly is a holdover from the past. He emphasizes that NATO cannot protect its members in today's world, but adds that those threats can be dealt with by increasing trust and relationships with other countries -- such as Russia. This is a theme Putin has been hammering with many of the former Soviet bloc states, especially Ukraine and Georgia: NATO will not come to their aid, especially against Russia. In the interview, Putin directly blames the United States for the instability seen in many of these countries, accusing it of threatening their sovereignty and territorial integrity." (Stratfor/GeopoliticalDiary)

"Christy Turlington and Ed Burns, Bob Woodruff, James Kaliardos, Rory Kennedy, and Serena Altschul all convened downtown at Chanterelle Tuesday night for an intimate dinner celebrating the launch of the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund. Hosted by Tribeca Film Institute co-chairmen Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal, the initiative seeks to fund emerging talent currently missing from mainstream media--a notion that was enthusiastically embraced by Cecilia Dean." (Fashionweekdaily)

"Nigeria's stance on the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) has been clarified following confusion sparked by a statement made by Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua during a visit to Washington, DC. After meeting US President George Bush in the White House on 13 December, Yar'Adua announced that Nigeria had resolved to partner with AFRICOM 'to actualise its peace initiatives and security on the continent.' The statement, taken as an endorsement of the command, elicited angry reactions in Nigeria, with the opposition Action Congress slamming Yar'Adua for 'elevating expediency over Nigeria's sovereignty' by endorsing AFRICOM in return for a US recognition of his government." (Janes)

"Tomorrow is D-Day for rapper turned alleged child pornographer R. Kelly. A Chicago judge will decide whether or not to clip the wings of the 'I Believe I Can Fly' crooner." (PageSix)

"I don’t know how John Edwards’s union members will do in the caucuses. My guess is that they will be pretty good at intimidating the yuppies who make up the bulk of the Obama campaign. I also don’t what promises Hillary has been making to Joe Biden, Bill Richardson and Chris Dodd to get their supporters to vote for her after they don’t meet the 15 percent threshold. Horse-trading vs. union thuggery? What wins? Either way, Obama’s folks could be squeezed out." (TheHill)

"(Madonna's husband Guy) Ritchie's new movie, crime thriller Revolver, has followed in the footsteps of its UK release, and flopped at the US box office, according to reports. Despite being re-dited for the US market, Revolver - which was orginally released in the UK in 2005 - has failed to make an impact on its release on US screens earlier this month, taking just under £40,000 ($75,000) in its first 12 days of release." (Thisislondon)

"So this actually is, for reporters, the fun part of covering a campaign like this. I'm writing this from a shed in the Cedar County Fair Grounds in Tipton, IA, covering a couple of Clinton events before getting on an Obama bus tomorrow. The suspense of who's going to win the caucuses, and the primary, is real." (Politico)

"Johnny Depp has a lot to thank friend Nicolas Cage for. Over a game of Monopoly, Face Off star Nicolas, 43, suggested Depp give up guitar playing to try acting. Nicolas said: 'There was just something about him, so I introduced him to my agent.' Johnny, 44, landed a role in Nightmare On Elm Street the very next day." (3AMGirls)

"Still unseen by the general public as the year comes to a close, Paul Thomas Anderson's 'There Will Be Blood' dominated indieWIRE's annual survey of more than 100 North American film critics. Set for a limited U.S. release starting next week, the exceptional fifth feature by P.T. Anderson was named best film of the year in indieWIRE's poll of 106 film critics. Notably, the film topped five categories: Anderson was singled out for best director and best screenplay, while Daniel Day-Lewis' role as oil man Daniel Plainview was named the best performance of 2007 and Robert Elswit was singled out for best cinematography." (Indiewire)