Media-Whore D'Oeuvres



New York's #1 Escort. Who says the city has lost it's competitive edge? (image via amazon)

"Natalie McLennan, who used to make $2,000 an hour working under the name Natalia, plays coy in her new memoir about her supposed acquaintances with rockers Lenny Kravitz, Fred Durst and photographer Peter Beard .. McLennan admits that she and (Spitzer hooker Ashley) Dupre were unsuccessful getting Nas into bed, though they did get the rapper back to Itzler's loft to party." (RushMolloy)

"Hijackings by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden region have leaped this year, with more than 581 crew members taken hostage from January to September, compared with 172 in all of 2007, according to the International Maritime Bureau. Before the Sirius Star incident, ransom demands had hovered between $500,000 and $2 million, up from tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars 'in recent years,' said Chatham House, the London-based international affairs group, in a report last month. The increasing income does more than just make the pirates more brazen. The more ransom they receive, the more sophisticated their operations become, said Will Geddes, managing director of ICP Group, a London-based security company. Geddes estimates Somali pirates may have accumulated $100 million in ransom since the 1990s, booty that will make their attacks more effective. 'These boys can buy some fast, powerful boats, which can get them out quickly and easily into the channel,' he said." (Bloomberg)

"MADONNA ordered staff to compile a damning DOSSIER on Guy Ritchie’s 'boozing and sexist behaviour' to get a low-key quickie divorce, we can reveal. She told close friends: 'I’m going to BURY him.' Then she handed pages of neatly typed 'evidence' to lawyers .. “Madonna was angry because she felt Guy had welshed on the deal that they would keep the happily married image going until the end of her current tour. 'So she became determined to paint him as a drunken, lewd sexist.' Madonna, 50—angered by his lads’ nights out—roped in her workers to help. The source said: “She got staff to keep a record of every time he was out late or made an off-colour comment. It was bizarre as he’s not a heavy drinker or abusive. He doesn’t drink any more than the next man. 'But she was trying to show he’d be a bad influence on the kids, which is rubbish. Guy’s a devoted dad and the kids adore him.'" (Newsoftheoworld)



(image via nyscoialdiary)

"Last Thursday night, the American Museum of Natural History held their annual benefit with more than 500 guests attending the dinner and a performance by Jon Bon Jovi in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life. There was an auction, as there is an auction at any benefit going these days. Although this one was conducted by Brian Williams of NBC Nightly News (announcing the items to be sold) along with Jamie Niven, executive Vice President of Sotheby’s actually conducting the sale .. Mr. Niven, however, more than met the challenge on Thursday night, selling packages like visits to the set of Saturday Night Live, and an SNL after party (the whole cast had a table there) and Late Night with Conan O’Brien (he was there too) with so much enthusiasm he sold some things twice and three times and raised an additional hundreds of thousands of dollars for the cause. And everybody loved it." (NYSocialDiary)

"The cast of Saturday Night Live joined Lorne Michaels, Brian Williams, Mayor Bloomberg, and Conan O'Brien at the American Museum of Natural History's annual gala on Thursday night. After cocktails in the Roosevelt Rotunda, guests made their way to the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life for dinner and a performance by a squeaky clean Jon Bon Jovi, his once voluminous locks now a bit of, well, natural history. Upping the youth factor in a room full of dinosaurs (what? we're just talking about the exhibits), Amy Poehler glowed in white Zac Posen with a killer neckline, while Kristen Wiig opted for a smart navy blue Moschino. Kenan Thompson, sporting a pair of black shades, weighed the merits of the evening's auction items, which included an exclusive tour of the Big Bone Room — and no, the comic wasn't about to let that one go by without comment. 'Is that where everybody's boning?' he wondered. 'That's where I want to go.'" (Style)

"Fans of Brooklyn native and gifted soulster, Maxwell, literally lost their marbles this fall with the announcement of his long awaited tour, Maxwell Live ‘08. Concert-goers packed into venues across the country selling out more than half of the tour after waiting six long years for the singer and his mic to return to the stage. Sunday night he celebrated the tour’s end in New York at the Bowery Hotel with friends including Megan Carlotsi, Steven Hill, Sarah Tressler, and funny guys Anthony Anderson and Cedric the Entertainer." (Guestofaguest)

"In her 25 years at CNN, Christiane Amanpour has hopscotched the world, the very model of a foreign correspondent, turning up at seemingly every war, genocide, famine and natural disaster, slipping through previously closed borders and interviewing even the most recalcitrant. That will change next year, when she starts a nightly program on CNN International, which is retooling its lineup. An edited version of Ms. Amanpour’s show is expected to be shown on the weekends on CNN’s United States channel." (NYTimes)

"Newsweek's Julia Baird gives an in-depth look at Rachel Maddow's childhood, home life and MSNBC program in the upcoming issue of the magazine. Baird visits the show, beginning at the afternoon staff meeting, on the day after Obama's election, and describes Maddow's work ethic. 'She regularly works 16-hour days, only eating once she has finished,' she writes. 'She often has just one large meal at 2 a.m., purchased from street vendors.' Part of the piece focuses on how the program's ratings success can continue in an Obama presidency. Maddow says she thought Barack Obama was 'monotone, literally and figuratively,' after first interviewing him. Even those that could be counted as critics, like David Frum, had compliments for the host, who described her as an 'unusually thoughtful and intelligent person.'" (TVNewser)

"The Huffington Post has raised another $15 million in funding, according to the Times UK, as it continues on a high growth trajectory, which also means a high cash burn....to be fair, the site’s traffic went through the roof and sky during the election season, and it has been investing a lot in expansion ... the round hasn’t yet closed completely, and the company is looking to close it $20 million, and that may mean besides Oak and previous investors, some other investor might be coming in. And the valuation is a bit higher than we initially reported: it is $90 million pre and if the round closes at $20 million, then the post money valuation would be $110 million, a huge one in news media business by any standards." (Paidcontent)

"The new Bond pic Quantum Of Solace was down 59% from its franchise record opening a week ago for a $27.4M weekend. Its new North American cume passed $100M Saturday in just 6 days time to finish with $109.4M through Sunday. Going into Friday, Daniel Craig's 2nd turn as 007 had made $335M worldwide. Then the actioner opened in Australia and Spain to the biggest Bond openings ever. So MGM/Sony had an overseas weekend of $40.6M which will put international at $309M for a staggering $418.5M worldwide through Sunday. There are four territories left to open -- New Zealand, Venezuela, Uruguay, and Japan." (DeadlineHollywoodDaily)