Media-Whore D'Oeuvres



"Alex and Simon McCord from The Real Housewives of New York City tend to make us want vom a little, but we have to say we were horrified in a kind of amazing way when we saw what Simon decided to sport at last night's People Reaching Out benefit, hosted by our favorite Housewife Jill Zarin (sorry LuAnn!) at Hudson Terrace. We totally have no clue what he was thinking when he chose that outfit, but we have to give him points for bravery." (Papermag)

"A lot of fighting happened in front of the cameras on today's heated installment of The View, but according to a tip we just received from a Defamer operative, it was nothing compared to what went on after the show was over. Our tipster says that Elisabeth Hasselbeck was upset that Joy Behar has been using The View to tout Behar's upcoming stand-up performance, and the conservative co-host demanded equal time in a confrontation that got ugly .." (Defamer)

"IT got so ugly on the set of 'Ugly Betty' between Lindsay Lohan and the popular ABC show's star, America Ferrera, that Lohan was cut from an agreed-upon six episodes to four. One production source said, 'It was a mess. Lindsay would show up every day with an entourage of people. She smoked 24/7, and after she left, they had to repaint her dressing room it was such a mess.' In addition, Lohan 'would obsessively cut pictures of herself out of the tabloids like she was creating some sort of scrapbook and refused to go on set until America was there - it was a power play.' One episode, titled 'Granny Pants,' was about how Lohan, playing Betty's high school nemesis, would 'de-pants' Ferrera. But Ferrera exacts her revenge and pulls down Lohan's pants instead. 'Lindsay wasn't wearing any underwear,' the source said. But a Lohan pal fumed, 'Bull [bleep]! Lindsay wears underwear all the time now. She was wearing a G-string.'" (PageSix)

"John McCain has said his worldview was formed in the Hanoi Hilton, the jail where as a prisoner of war he learned to stand up to his country’s enemies and lost any youthful naïveté about what happens when America shows weakness. Barack Obama has written that his views began to take shape in the back streets of Jakarta, where he lived as a young boy and saw the poverty, the human rights violations and the fear inspired by the American-backed Indonesian dictator Suharto .. As the campaigns tell the story, those radically different experiences in different corners of Southeast Asia have created two men with sharply different views about the proper use of American power." (NYTimes)

"Last night down in the spectacular Winter Garden (with its own grove of full grown palm trees) at the World Financial Center across from the WTC site, they held 'Cabaret 2000' to benefit New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Charlotte Ford was chairman of the evening and in good part through her intense effort personally canvassing potential donors over the past few months, they had a huge turnout and raised a record $2.8 million for the evening. She, or someone close to her, also had the bright and rewarding idea of bringing Jon Stewart in as 'entertainment' for the evening ... There was a consensus of agreement for his hilarity although there was one individual, a woman in the audience, who drew distressing attention to herself by heckling many of his remarks in loud disagreements. Fortunately this behavior was barely audible to the guest entertainer and otherwise drowned out by the laughter in the room." (NYSocialDiary)

"A prominent lobbying firm with strong ties to the GOP is hosting a fundraiser for former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, the Democratic candidate for Virginia’s open Senate seat. BGR Holding, formerly Barbour Griffith & Rogers, will hold a breakfast next Monday in honor of Warner, according to an invitation obtained by The Hill. Warner is running against Republican Jim Gilmore for the Senate seat now held by Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), who is retiring. The two Warners are not related. The fundraiser marks a turn for the lobbying firm founded by three prominent Republican operatives. Ed Rogers, once an aide in Ronald Reagan’s White House, and Lanny Griffith, a member of the Bush-Cheney ’04 national finance committee, are among the hosts listed on the invitation. The third name partner, Haley Barbour, is now the Republican governor of Mississippi." (TheHill)

"Photographer Annie Leibovitz spoke vividly of her session with Queen Elizabeth II as the royal pictures and dozens of others went on show at London's National Portrait Gallery ('Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life, 1990-2005.') ... At a press view Wednesday, Leibovitz, wearing a black V-neck and black pants, told the media swarm how incredulous she was when a call came through from Buckingham Palace: The Queen wanted to be photographed before her first state visit to the U.S. in 16 years. Delighted, Leibovitz suggested a series of settings, all of which were turned down. The Balmoral summer residence was rejected, as was an equestrian theme. 'I wondered if she could get on the horse, ride through the woods, dismount the horse in the woods for the picture, and then go back,' said Leibovitz. 'They said no: Once the Queen is on the horse, she comes right back to the stable. She doesn't get off the horse.'" (Bloomberg)

"At a Newhouse School/New Yorker event yesterday, Gary Hart said that President Obama (presuming) could not rebuild a 20th century economy out of this wreckage but will need to build a 21st century economy." (Buzzmachine)

"Princess Eugenie has only recently become old enough to get into clubs, and she is certainly making the most of it. She was having a ball last night at the £2.5 million re-launch of Movida nightclub. An onlooker said: 'She was sitting with a male chum and a group of other friends. They were all having a great time, dancing and laughing.' But the fun came to an abrupt halt when Eugenie tried to get herself a drink. Our spy continued: "Eugenie and her chum were trying to open a bottle of champagne together, but obviously don't have too much experience - the bottle exploded, covering their friends and other clubbers in bubbly."(Thisislondon)

"By Daily Variety’s calendar, the award season begins next week. And judging from the initial murmurs, the 'talent' community should be aware that it’s going to receive significantly reduced support in ’08. The studios seem to be pulling the plug on many projected Oscar campaigns and cutting expenditures on others. The reason? Corporate belt-tightening is one. Disappointment in the quality (or at least the Oscar potential) of key films is another." (Variety)