A Little Of The Old In And Out



(image via nymag)

In: Anna Wintour. Granted, Bob Marley aficionado Anna Wintour does not know the first thing about superheroes. When faced with the dilemna of merging fashion and geek-wish fulfillment -- can it even be done? -- Wintour went in for a little number evoking Botticelli more than Fembot (The Corsair pours himself a mirthful glass of grappa). What kind of a superhero is that? And Art History major superhero? Still, say what you will about Anna -- who was probably too cool to be reading comics as a kid -- bitch knows how to throw a shindig. From The NYTimes:

"One could probably read as many metaphors about the transformative power of fashion in the silver-sequined, elaborately padded Chanel gown that Anna Wintour wore to the Costume Institute gala on Monday night as one could in Superman’s cape, which happened to be hanging in a gallery down the hall.

"The floor-length dress had curiously curling crescents attached at the hips and the shoulders, giving Ms. Wintour, the Vogue editor and overseer of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Party of the Year, the fuller-bodied appearance of Botticelli’s Venus on her clamshell. She seemed to be broadcasting a message of total earthly control. (Or it could have been that all the Vogue assistants standing along the way to Ms. Wintour’s receiving line had been strictly instructed not to speak to anyone, not even to people they recognized, or that so many guests were unusually prompt.)"

(image via nymag)

Out: Barbara Walters. We are kind of baffled as to why Barbara Walters, Upper East Side doyenne, veteran of so many smoked salmon and cucumber finger sandwiches, would do the unimaginable for someone of her social station, namely: dish on an affair she had with a distinguished and private gentleman to sell some books. Ed Brooks is the first elected African-American Senator post-Reconstruction, but he will now be remembered, unfortunately, as a notch on Barbara Walters' gnarled bedpost. From NySocialDiary's Jesse Kornbluth:

"Why did she choose to serve up Edward Brooke, naked, for the vicarious delight of Oprah's audience?

"It's tempting to speculate. Hot action between the sheets is bracing publicity for a 77-year-old woman. And there's no danger of blowback: Brooke's retired and private, not likely to retaliate. If those aren't the ingredients of a fast launch on the bestseller list, I'm clueless.

"But set aside the speculation. Consider the behavior.

"During his time with Walters, Brooke was married. And as an African-American, Walters says, he knew that revelation of a relationship with Walters would damage his career. So he had every reason to assume this coupling was, literally, a private affair. A secret.

"Given Brooke's decades of obscurity and the relative unimportance of this romance to her life story, Walters isn't writing 'personal history' here. And she's not 'setting the record straight'. This is a betrayal."

More here.



In: Things To Look For In Indiana. Politico.com tells us how to think about Indiana, which favors Senator Clinton, as the exit polls and results come in tonight:

"Check the polls. 'The mantra is that 10-2-4 routine,' said Brian Howey, editor of Howey Politics Indiana, referring to 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. checks to gauge turnout.

"Follow the turnout. Analysts are expecting far bigger turnout this year than in 2004, when about 22 percent of voters cast ballots in the presidential primary, said Russell Hanson, a political science professor at Indiana University-Bloomington.

"A much bigger turnout is good news for Obama because it means 'those who haven’t been politically engaged in the past are coming out,' Hanson said. 'If that is not happening, then that is working in Clinton’s favor because the traditional [party] machinery is working.'"

More here.



Out: Pete Doherty. Fucking class act, this guy. Hey Pete: As a former "London rent boy" who has a well-known -- and well photographed -- crack addiction that almost enveloped your former supermodel single mother girlfriend, what are you going to do now that you are out of prison? A sane person would say "I'm going to Rehab," or at least Disneyworld. Not Pete. He's speaking incoherently and fixing for some "brown juice." Stay classy, dickhead. From Thisislondon:

"Doherty, who emerged from Wormwood Scrubs prison in west London at 7.10am dressed in a suit and tie and wearing a plastic bead necklace, was as full of himself as ever in spite of his time inside.

"As he walked through the prison's exit, Doherty said, confusingly: 'Thank you Mrs Thatcher for putting me in the company of the most dangerous criminals in the country.'

"Smoking a cigarette, he told the waiting media he was pleased to be out, and was looking forward to having a rum and coke and spending some time with his pet cats.

"He said he was 'buzzing' to be free, adding: 'I feel great — I've walked out and I don't feel like I want to score. I want to go for a nice walk in the park instead.'"

Charmed, I'm sure (Averted Gaze).