Media-Whore D'Oeuvres



"As usual with anything involving intelligence, the left and the right are trading blows -- with the professional spooks caught in the middle. The only people who looked really happy at the CIA Christmas party last week were the journalists, who were feasting on the hors d'oeuvres and spicy gossip .. To avoid duplicating functions, it would make sense to move analysis into the DNI's shop -- and let a leaner, more aggressive CIA focus on spying. 'We should be thinking about CIA the way the British think about MI6, with a career intelligence professional at the head who has a fixed term that transcends elections,' the former top official argues. The Great Mentioner (whom we pundits consult about who's being 'mentioned' for top jobs) continues to spin out names for intelligence posts: Former CIA officer and Obama intelligence transition chief John Brennan was thought to be a likely CIA director until he was vaporized by left-wing opposition. Retired Adm. Dennis Blair is a leading candidate for DNI, but some wonder whether the community needs yet another ex-military official. Rep. Jane Harman gets high marks for strong oversight, but some worry about the Porter Goss problem of appointing a politician. The right answer? Find the Buffett-like manager who can create a truly great U.S. intelligence system at DNI, then let that person pick a CIA director who will be nonpolitical. And then, as the late CIA Director Richard Helms liked to tell his trench-coated colleagues, 'Let's get on with it.'" (David Ignatius/WashPo)

"He's rapped, he's crooned... and now Kanye West is ready to stitch. We can reveal the music legend is moving to London next year to pursue his love of fashion. And not only will the 31-year-old unveil his very own clothes range, he's prepared to muck in and learn his craft. He is applying to train at Louis Vuitton's luxury goods HQ in Bond Street as well as approaching other leading fashion houses here and in Europe." (3AMGirls)



"It begins with whispers while waiting at the airport. Casino. Lazy river. Rock climbing. Water slides. White sand beaches. They are all intriguing when you're in thirtysomething degree weather, but you really don't know the attractiveness of those amenities until you attend the Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF) and try to weigh them against going to see movies during the day .. In its fifth year BIFF (Dec. 4-11) has become known as a working vacation .. Along with programming a mixture of films that have already been released in the States, like Austin Chick's 'August,' Stephen Higgins's 'The Matador' and closing night film Spike Lee's 'Miracle at St. Anna,' with soon-to-be released titles like Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden's 'Sugar,' BIFF has a healthy dose of what's been on the festival circuit throughout the year as well as conducting informative poolside panels with top industryites (this year included lawyer and BIFF Advisory Committee member Steven Beer, Variety's Steven Gaydos, 'Sugar's Fleck and Boden and actress Lisa Gay Hamilton to name a few). The fest also uses its heavenly locale to nab impressive talent for their award ceremonies (this year Laurence Fishburne received their Career Achievement Tribute and Anna Faris was given the Rising Star Tribute) and hold glitzy parties at night. Two that stood out this year were the chic Chopard/Versace Opening Night Party at the stunning One & Only Ocean Club that included a fashion show with models flown in from Italy and ending with a fireworks show, followed days later by an intimate dinner after the Fishburne tribute at the historic Graycliff Hotel and Restaurant, that not only served a delicious meal but hand rolled cigars to close the evening." (Indiewire)

"'Afro Samurai' is a Spike TV program featuring the voice of Samuel L. Jackson in its titular role and music from Wu-Tang Clan rapper/producer RZA. The second season of the show hits Spike next year, and RZA's been busy in the lab with quite a few friends crafting the soundtrack to all that swordplay. The music from season two will be collected on the album Afro Samurai: The Resurrection which will be released January 27 from Wu Music Group. RZA himself, Sly Stone, Kool G Rap, Rah Digga, Stone Mecca, and Wu members and associates Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, Killah Priest, and Ol' Dirty Bastard's son Boy Jones all put in appearances on the album. It's the sequel to the 2007 release The RZA Presents: Afro Samurai: The Soundtrack. RZA's got big plans for the silver screen in '09 as well, as he'll appear in Funny People, the forthcoming Judd Apatow manchild love vehicle starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, and Leslie Mann (IMDB lists no specific role for RZA yet). UPDATE: He plays a worker at a supermarket deli counter, sharing scenes with Sandler and Rogen." (Pitchforkmedia)

"... comb through the audiotapes. Wow, we're seeing people we actually KNOW. And can Jesse Jackson Jr. really talk his way out of being "Candidate Number 5"? Maybe he'll do some soft shoe with Client Number 9 Spitzer. Expect more players to emerge. And soooooo ironic that the Trib (aka 'Thorn in Blago's Side') declares bankruptcy even as Chi-town politics go vaudevillian." (TheTurnerReport)



(Ciara via Fashionweekdaily via PatrickMcMullen)

"Last night, Miu Miu celebrated the opening of the brand's third New York store on 57th Street (sandwiched between Chanel and Dior) with a so-called 'casual cocktail' .. The first half of the fete was dominated by editorial types, with Amy Astley, Hope Greenberg, Kate Young, Julia Topolski and Karla Martinez stopping in for some salmon-topped hors d'oeuvres and a bit of shoe-ogling .. As the evening drew to a close, Rougier's door magnetism was suddenly explained. In walked Claire Danes and Ciara -- clad in Miu Miu, bien sûr, almost as if dropping by before a dinner at nearby 21. The former chatted with models Hana Soupukova and Lonneke Engel as PMc's Billy Farrell and Clint Spaulding captured Sasha Pivavarova and Vlada Roslyakova from every angle." (Fashionweekdaily)

"Kennedy, the 51-year-old lawyer, education advocate and daughter of President John F. Kennedy, has done little more than express interest in the job during a phone call with Gov. David Paterson — but that doesn't mean the woman who inspired 'Sweet Caroline' is being spared the elbow-to-the-teeth New York treatment. Rivals – including at least three members of the New York congressional delegation — are starting to doubt Kennedy's viability and experience, and Paterson is said to be less than enthusiastic about picking her, people close to him say. Critics are even questioning the substance of her accomplishments in education, her most high profile issue. 'There is no frontrunner - period,' snapped a person close to Paterson, when asked about Kennedy's prospects." (3AM Girls)

"L.A.'s Ford Modeling Agency held their annual holiday party at the new Crown Bar (recently written up in the New York Times, which noted that all waitresses are required to incorporate Alexander McQueen scarves in their uniforms). In addition to celebrating the holidays and Ford's pretty faces, the event was a charity fundraiser, which raised over $10,000 for Corazon De Vida, an organization that aids orphans in Baja." (Papermag)



"Lily Allen arrived at Mayfair restaurant Nobu for dinner last night looking casual in shorts and a T-shirt, before slipping into a pretty evening dress. She was whisked off in a taxi to Damien Hirst's Christmas party at the Bloomsbury Ballroom, but caused a paparazzi frenzy on arrival. As the Smile singer walked to the entrance, her knickers were clearly on display and, as she waited to be ticked off the guest list, her layered dress shifted, allowing photographers a perfect shot of her bottom." (Thsisilondon)

"Nearly a month of suspense at 10 East 53rd Street came to a close yesterday when HarperCollins house joker David Hirshey was informed that Sarah Silverman had chosen him over two of his colleagues to be the editor of her as-yet-untitled book of essays. Settling on a home for Ms. Silverman’s book has been a long and drawn-out process that began in mid-November, when an intense auction overseen by Trident Media Group CEO Dan Strone ended with HarperCollins prevailing over several other houses with a stunning $2.5 million bid submitted jointly on behalf of Mr. Hirshey at the Harper imprint, Gillian Blake at Collins and Laurie Chittenden at William Morrow. To be sure, winning the auction for Ms. Silverman’s book was a victory for HarperCollins, but the fact that all three of its major nonfiction imprints wanted to publish it meant that Mr. Hirshey, Ms. Blake and Ms. Chittenden would have to compete for it with each other in an unpleasant in-house ritual known as a 'beauty contest.'" (Observer)

"Tara Subkoff, fashion’s original actress turned designer turned multitasking cool kid, celebrated her birthday last night in possibly the most unexpected place for the former reigning queen of downtown cool: the very uptown, very polished Carlyle hotel. 'Well, I’m getting a little bit older and figured I needed to start making the shift,' deadpanned Subkoff, sipping hot chocolate and wearing vintage seventies YSL, from her perch in the Café Carlyle .. She and her birthday posse—Arden Wohl, Jen Brill, Bonnie Morrison, Fabiola Beracasa, and Noah Mills — were by far the youngest and least physically or medically altered group in the place." (StyleFile)

"The penultimate episode of this fall's 'Survivor' combined with some of the best scores of the season for 'CSI' and 'Eleventh Hour' to lift CBS to a convincing victory in key demos on Thursday. According to preliminary nationals from Nielsen, 'Survivor' (4.1/11 in 18-49, 13.2 million viewers overall) was up vs. recent weeks in advance of its two-hour finale this Sunday. It was followed by 'CSI' (5.7/14 in 18-49, 20.6 million viewers overall), which delivered its strongest scores since its season premiere in early October with an episode that introduced new cast member Lawrence Fishburne. And at 10, 'Eleventh Hour' (3.8/10 in 18-49, 13.4 million viewers overall) retained about two-thirds of its 'CSI' lead-in to win its hour with best-since-premiere ratings. NBC ran second, led by 'The Office' at 9 o'clock, which matched some season highs (4.8/12 in 18-49, 8.8 million viewers overall) and dominated its half-hour in adults 18-34 (5.4/15), doubling up on its 'Kath & Kim' lead-in (2.4/7 in 18-49, 5.3 million viewers overall). Also for the Peacock, 'My Name Is Earl' (2.7/8 in 18-49, 6.6 million viewers overall), '30 Rock' (3.8/9 in 18-49, 8.9 million viewers overall) and 'ER' (3.4/9 in 18-49, 8.9 million viewers overall) were also up week to week." (Variety)

"For two hours last night, the embattled Plaza looked a lot like it used to, when the scions of well-dressed and glamorous New York families mingled in the Assouline Boutique on the second floor. They gathered to toast the release of High Society, a wistful collection of photographs and anecdotes from the days of the New York 40 .. Marina Rust Connor, wearing Carolina Herrera, sipped a Hemingway Daquiri while admiring the collection of handpicked vintage books that lined the shelves. 'Whenever they offer one of their specialty cocktails I take it, because it's usually pretty fruity,' she mused. Prosper and his elegant wife Martine Assouline (in DvF, whom she called 'a family friend') proudly showed guests like Andrew Saffir, Bettina Zilkha and Zani Gugelmann around the small store. 'High society has changed,' Martine said, 'but in New York, it is still the Upper East Side.' Hamish Bowles, looking quite dapper in a three-piece Jasper Conrad suit with Wedgewood cufflinks, recalled his most recent high society event. "It was Nicky Haslam's 70th birthday party in an 18th century house, to which he can lay some sort of ancestral claim. I guess that is more demimonde than high society." (Fashionweekdaily)