Media-Whore D'Oevres



"Musharraf remains determined to cling on to power and to this end he is likely either to try and engineer a repeat of the 2002 elections or to attempt to form some sort of pre-poll alliance with one of the opposition parties, similar to his deal with Bhutto before she died. However, Musharraf's political position and credibility are so tenuous that his political maneuverability to weather this crisis is likely to become further restrained, likely forcing the military to step in and remove Musharraf from the political scene." (Janes)

"Southampton is really quiet. Have you noticed how quickly the streets and lanes of our villages emptied within minutes the day after Christmas? Not even deep discounts at Ralph Lauren’s Jobs Lane shop could keep folks from heading off in search of snowy mountaintops or sultry beaches for the remainder of the holidays ... Our favorite guitar-playing billionaire Paul Allen lived out his rock fantasy by backing Jon Bon Jovi and Robbie Robertson aboard Allen's good ship 'Octopus' for guests that included Billy and Katie Joel. Russell Simmons took a nasty fall down the stairs but girlfriend Porschla Coleman was on hand to comfort him after he injured his foot – no dancing for Russell on this trip. Billionaire Charles Simonyi and his (dare I say 'girlfriend'?) Martha Stewart threw a bash aboard his yacht." (Hamptons)

"After a whole lot of holiday-ing, it was with refreshed excitement that I headed over to the 2007 New York Film Critics Circle Awards at the Spotlight Live penthouse theater (where PAPER’s Nightlife Awards were recently held) ... When the heavy celebrity stuff started to arrive we snapped to attention. Heavy-hitters like Sidney Lumet, Ruby Dee, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Patricia Clarkson, Daniel Day-Lewis, Amy Ryan, Sarah Polley and Javier Bardem sauntered down the red carpet. A highlight of the evening was the fresh-faced Amy Adams, who posed enthusiastically for us and seemed to embody just how delirious and delicious stardom is in the beginning and got us to thinking about what pressure there must be when that blooming thrill is over and the urge to hide or escape takes over…" (Papermag)

"Tom Cruise's United Artists is talking with union leaders to bring striking Hollywood writers back to work at the film studio, according to people briefed on the discussions. The negotiations involve a contract similar to one reached last month with David Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Inc., the people said. That deal allowed Letterman's ``Late Show'' to return to the air with its writers on Jan. 2." (Bloomberg)