Media-Whore D'Oevres



"THAT New York Observer features writer and Transom stringer David Foxley will soon start as Vanity Fair honcho Graydon Carter's executive assistant." (Page Six)

"Who once generously gave a gentleman something during a charity event for an organization in his late mother's name? (What he gave, actually, was a blowjob in the bathroom. Ma would have been so proud.) Which young Broadway leading lady has for several years fallen in love with every guy who plays opposite her, even though—or maybe because—it's always a gay? Which reality star can be seen being fisted by an admirer in a kooky video that's making the underground rounds? Should we give him a hand? Which beloved Broadway diva was supposedly the girlfriend of grand dame Judith Anderson all those diva years ago? What comic in his 60s concerned onlookers when his speech at a roast last year was punctuated with loud snorts and grandiose nose wiping? Wouldn't I be crazy to give away any more just now?" (Musto)

"On Dec. 13, the two senators were preparing to board their private planes, parked next to each other at Reagan National Airport, to go back to Iowa for a debate. Hillary sent word to Obama that she wanted to talk to him. Obama’s aides figured that she wanted to make a pro forma apology for the comments of Billy Shaheen, the Clinton co-chairman in New Hampshire, who had told The Washington Post that Republicans would pounce on Obama’s confessions of cocaine and marijuana use in his late teens. Shaheen would step down the next day, but Camp Obama did not think the slam was a mere slip of the tongue. In front of her plane, Hillary apologized to her rival about Shaheen. Obama replied that he was concerned at the pattern of insinuations and attacks from her supporters and that a message needed to be sent from the top that sharp attacks were not, as Hillary had put it, 'the fun part.' He brought up another recent example: the Clinton volunteer in Iowa who had been asked to leave after forwarding sleazy e-mail falsely claiming that Obama was a Muslim.Then, according to witnesses from the Obama camp, Hillary got very agitated and was 'flapping her arms.' All her simmering grievances spilled out during the 10-minute talk. She was still furious about David Geffen’s searing interview with me the previous February, charging that she and Bill lie with such ease 'it’s troubling.' While Geffen’s fund-raiser for Obama spurred the column, Obama knew nothing about the interview until it appeared. Hillary was also angry that Obama had called her 'disingenuous,' telling Newsweek that it was a contradiction for her to claim that her tenure as first lady gave her more experience but then refuse to release her first lady papers from Bill’s library, saying she had no control over them. At some point, an Obama intimate recalled, he 'gently put his hand on her arm to chill her out.' The tall senator often leans down to put a friendly hand on the shoulder of his fellow senators — male and female — on the Senate floor, and they seem charmed by the gesture. But Senator Clinton and her circle were not." (MaureenDowd)

"The power supply crisis affecting much of southern Africa is causing some of South Africa's mines to temporarily halt or decrease operations despite residential customers bearing the brunt of the power cuts for most of January. Eskom has tried to maintain domestic supplies by cutting its exports to Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and elsewhere. In response, Zambia has cut its own exports while some power-dependent states are looking to other suppliers in the region. Eskom has invited tenders for power-generating plants and new generating capacity is under development, but these will take years to come on stream." (Janes)

"Over in Brentwood, political correspondent Arianna Huffington hosted a soirée at her home with Domino editor Deborah Needleman to celebrate the latter's husband, Slate editor Jacob Weisberg, and his recently published work, The Bush Tragedy, which, as described by its publisher, uncovers the 'black box' from the crash of the Bush presidency (Needleman's design director Stella Bugbee created the book cover). The larger-than-life Huffington stood at the door of her manse greeting her eclectic guests, which included Christine Lahti, Tracy Ullman, Simpsons creator Matt Groening, Minnie Mortimer, Irena Medavoy, and a slew of Condé Nast West Coast editors. A scruffy Adrian Grenier perhaps best summed up the reason for the varied, and packed, crowd. 'When you get an invite to Arianna Huffington's house, well, you can't pass that up,' the actor said. 'Not to mention a book entitled The Bush Tragedy--it just rings so true.' Clad in a black Dior pantsuit, Huffington was, at least for that night, showing a softer side of her usual no-holds-barred persona. "I just love what Deborah and Jacob stand for--the mixing of two worlds, politics and design together,' she said lovingly. 'Yes, we believe in the synergy of our households,' Needleman replied. 'Who knows what could come next?' Weisberg added with a laugh. 'Condé Graham or Vanity Post?'" (Fashionweekdaily)

"While the New York parties tend to take a back seat to the hoopla in Hollywood, EW’s annual fete is one of the more prominent East Coast events, which include those from the New York chapter of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and New York magazine. We have verified that both the Academy and New York magazine will be hosting their events as scheduled, with the former holding court in the Carlyle Hotel and the latter back at the Spotted Pig." (BizBash)

"It may be too little too late, but Hillary Clinton may have been onto something with her warning to Democrats last night. Only one of us, she said about her and Barack Obama at a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, is 'ready to defeat the Republicans.' On potentially lethal lines of attack, religion and patriotism, Obama has twice now demonstrated that he's not sufficiently aware of the danger that exists from the conservative Freak Show that did as much to beat John Kerry as George W. Bush did in 2004. Last year, Obama's campaign largely ignored the persistent rumor that he was some sort of crypto-Muslim. Emails to this effect circulated for months, tainting the first impression many casual voters had of the young senator. Obama's camp didn't want to give the smear more attention by spotlighting it, but it reached such a fever pitch in the days leading up to Iowa that the candidate himself finally had to bring it up in his stump speech. And even now, new anecdotes emerge every day about voters who are wary of Obama's middle name (Hussein) or his purported Muslim roots." (Politico)

"'I would tell audiences that we were facing not a bubble but a froth – lots of small, local bubbles that never grew to a scale that could threaten the health of the overall economy.' -- Alan Greenspan, The Age of Turbulence. That used to be Mr Greenspan’s view of the US housing bubble. He was wrong, alas. So how bad might this downturn get? To answer this question we should ask a true bear. My favourite one is Nouriel Roubini of New York University’s Stern School of Business, founder of RGE monitor. Recently, Professor Roubini’s scenarios have been dire enough to make the flesh creep. But his thinking deserves to be taken seriously. He first predicted a US recession in July 2006*. At that time, his view was extremely controversial. It is so no longer. Now he states that there is 'a rising probability of a ‘catastrophic’ financial and economic outcome'**. The characteristics of this scenario are, he argues: 'A vicious circle where a deep recession makes the financial losses more severe and where, in turn, large and growing financial losses and a financial meltdown make the recession even more severe. Prof Roubini is even fonder of lists than I am. Here are his 12 – yes, 12 – steps to financial disaster." (FT via NYSD)

"Today, after the results in Wisconsin and the fact that Obama has closed a 20-point voter preference deficit in Texas and is rapidly closing Ohio, the handwriting is starting to show through the wall paint: Gore and Pelosi will be behind the scenes (or not so behind) players to get Hillary Clinton to end her candidacy. Impossible? No. Bloody — quite likely. The Clintons are the 'never die' comeback couple — defeat and surrender are not in their vocabulary. Already the Clinton spokespeople (Lanny Davis, Howard Wolfson, Ann Lewis, etc.) are saying that regardless of the Wisconsin, Texas and Ohio results, Hillary is in the primary race until the end. The Clintons would sooner create a major rift in the party than face reality, not to mention a political loss to John McCain and the Republicans in November." (NYSD)

"Finally opening this week is, The Signal, a refreshingly original indie horror film made in Atlanta about a sudden signal that comes over the television and phone lines that causes most people to become violent and homicidal. Shot by three separate directors (David Bruckner, Dan Bush and Jacob Gentry), the film is broken up into three 'Transmissions,' and while each section varies in tone (from hair-raising horror to pitch-black splatter comedy) they mesh together beautifully." (Papermag)