Media-Whore D'Oevres



(image via afp)

"Renewed fighting has broken out in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, with African Union peacekeepers coming under attack from Islamist insurgents. At least 15 civilians have died since clashes erupted late on Tuesday and people are fleeing the city. Insurgents attacked Ugandan peacekeepers, who responded with tank and artillery fire. On Monday about 30 people were killed and dozens wounded in some of the worst violence Mogadishu has seen in months." (BBC)

"Now that a northern front — including Alaska, Montana and North Dakota — looks out of reach, Obama has four central ways to win it all: — Hold the states John Kerry won in 2004 (which are in the Northeast, upper Midwest and West Coast), plus Ohio, where Obama has invested in more than 70 offices, or Florida, where his campaign recently pledged to spend almost $40 million over the remaining six weeks. — Take back parts of the South, winning Virginia, North Carolina and, maybe —just maybe — Georgia. — Have a strong showing in the Mountain West, winning Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico." (TheJohnBatchelorShow)

"SUPERCHEF Jean-Georges Vongerichten was about to leave town when he had a last-minute request to cook one more meal. The three-star Michelin man was asked to prepare a luncheon Monday for 14 people including French President Nicolas Sarkozy and visiting dignitaries at the Sutton Place residence of UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. And it had to be served quickly. 'We prepared a four-course meal in 45 minutes,' Vongerichten told The Post's Braden Keil. 'It was the first time I met Sarkozy. He's a very nice guy.' The fare included caviar, lobster in lemongrass broth and molten chocolate cake." (PageSix)

"Michael Jackson is so desperate for his comeback album to be a success that he's given his songwriters an ultimatum - make it better than Thriller or forget it. Hit-maker Neyo, who is on Wacko's select team, told us before his show-stopping Year Of Gentleman-themed gig at Hammersmith Apollo: "Michael's new album has to be amazing. I've already submitted some songs but we have no idea when it's coming out. He keeps putting it off. 'Michael is very nervous as he knows he's the underdog and people want him to fail.'" (3AMGirls)

"The young New York set was greeted by a 5.5 ton Mao Jacket sculpture as they approached the Park Avenue digs of the Asia Society for last night's APrivateClub party. The bash, which fêted the Art and China's Revolution exhibition, was sponsored by luxury label Shanghai Tang. "We wanted to give our members access to this amazing exhibition, but also give them the opportunity to meet each other," said Kloe Korby, a co-founder of the website. Dressed in Shanghai Tang, the host committee included Marissa Bregman, Dalia Oberlander, Anastasia Rogers, Luigi Tadini, and Ashley Wick, who came on the arm of Batman star Aaron Eckhart." (Fashionweekdaily)

"In the early evening, down at the newly re-designed and refurbished Museum of Art and Design on Columbus, Empress Farah Diba Pahlavi and Princess Marianne Bernadotte of Sweden were guests of honor at the opening." (NYSocialDiary)

"Think of a barrel of apples, some good, some less good. To oversimplify, the Paulson plan has the government buy some of the bad apples. The Dodd plan has the government buy a 20 percent share in the barrel. In both cases government buys something." (MarginalRevolution via ForeignPolicy)



"In scenes reminiscent of Naomi Campbell's infamous 1993 catwalk tumble, not one, but two Prada models tripped over their shoes in Milan yesterday. Onlookers, including-American Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, watched in horror as the girls lost their balance in their towering snakeskin stiletto sandals. They even had to be helped to their feet by members of the audience during the Italian designer's ready-to-wear spring/summer 2009 show for Milan's Fashion Week. Maybe Miuccia Prada, who, received a standing ovation for her collection, may need to rethink the slippery 'pop socks' which slid about inside the shoes and proved to be the the models' downfall." (Thisislondon)

"With a scorching $27,204 per-theatre-average, Saul Dibb's 'The Duchess' found 2008's second highest specialty average (behind arguable inclusion 'Kit Kittredge: An American Girl') and gave the competitive fall season a royal beginning. In 7 locations, the Paramount Vantage release grossed $190,426. A slew of other, lower-profile films also found decent numbers, including a Texas screening of Chris Eska's "August Evening," the debut of Stuart Townsend's 'Battle in Seattle' and the second weekend of yoga doc 'Enlighten Up!'" (IndiwireBoxOfficeBot)

"

"English singer-songwriter Billy Bragg used our EconMusic conference in London to urge the emerging wave of web services to pay artists fairly for using their songs. 'Everyone’s making a shitload of money, it seems, except the content providers,' said the singer-songwriter, who has previously criticized MySpace and MTV on artists’ rights and Bebo on payments. 'How much do you think MySpace makes from advertising?,' Bragg asked rhetorically. '$800 million? And how much do they pay for content?' The crowd’s titters belied the answer ‘not a lot’." (Paidcontent)

"So last night the folks over at UNIS hosted an after-party at Le Royale for the My Bloody Valentine concert. I'll tell you this: I've never felt more separated from a band... First, I didn't get to go to the show, which was a MAJOR bummer. THEN, the band didn't show up until WELL after your correspondent was significantly tipsy and had to take himself home." (Papermag)

"Turmoil in the financial industry and growing pessimism about the economy have altered the shape of the presidential race, giving Democratic nominee Barack Obama the first clear lead of the general-election campaign over Republican John McCain, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News national poll." (WashPo)