Media-Whore Doeuvres



(image via askmen)

"I renamed my hot tub 'Cougar Lagoon.' And that’s been an argument with me and my friends cause they’re like, ‘You’re not a cougar at 30.’ And I’m like 'Yeah, you’re a cougar at 30!’ And I’ve also decided that because I’m 28 and I’m not a cougar yet, I’m a pre-cougar, I’m a bobcat. I’m a bobcat now, and I’ll be a cougar in two years .. At 20 I think you’re like a kitten. And then in your mid-20s, you’re like a shelter cat, or street cat." (Bijou Phillips/BlackBookmag)

"Tomorrow's edition of The Wall Street Journal reports that Hollywood financial adviser Jerry Breslauer steered his two top clients, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg, into investments with New York money manager Bernard Madoff, and now the pair have been hurt in the widening $50B fraud scandal. The newspaper says Katzenberg has suffered millions in Madoff-connected losses, while one of Spielberg charities, the Wunderkinder Foundation, has sustained losses on investments with the Madoff firm. According to the WSJ, Breslauer was known to be a Madoff investor and has 'likely sustained heavy losses' himself in the Madoff fraud. Breslauer, now age 80, was for decades the financial adviser to many of Hollywood's top stars and moguls. (I know it was seen as having 'arrived' at the top rung of showbiz if the publicity shy Breslauer accepted you as a client.) But in recent years, Breslauer began to shed clients until he worked in semi-retirement handling only Spielberg's and Katzenberg's financial affairs." (DeadlineHollywoodDaily)

"Howard (Stern) started off the show telling a story about Mickey Rourke, who at one point was operating out of an 'office' that was really a car parked in front of Giuseppe Franco's salon in LA. One morning Mickey cold-called Howard from the 'office' to offer him a part in 'some movie' about 4 guys from Long Island who hang out in a diner. When Howard said he wasn't sure about the idea, Mickey handed the phone over to the project's director on the phone - who was sitting in the passenger seat – but not before he yelled all kinds of obscenities at the guy." (Howardstern.com/rundown)

"Sir Elton John hosted a private screening last night, and it looked like the booze was flowing nicely. Elt, 61, looked like he needed to lean on his partner David Furnish for support as they left the Mayfair Hotel." (Thisislondon)

"(Kate Moss) reckons she’s feeling the strain at the moment and is embarking on a stress management course. But things aren’t all bad – she’s booked the seven-day break at a five-star medical spa in Thailand. And with the plushest suite in the hotel, four staff to every guest and 120 relaxation treatments on the menu, Mossy will want for nothing. She flies out on Boxing Day with boyfriend Jamie Hince and daughter Lila Grace and will undergo a programme to help her forget her troubles and deal with her anxiety." (3AMGirls)

"FOX’s 'American Idol' was the top TV program of 2008, according to Nielsen. Tuesday night broadcasts of 'American Idol,' through December 7, drew 15.5% of U.S. TV households, on average, while Wednesday night 'American Idol' broadcasts drew an average of 15.3% of all TV households. Viewers with DVR access gave NBC’s 'Heroes' the biggest bump any primetime program received in 2008. The average TV audience for 'Heroes' increased by 35% when timeshifted viewing within seven days of a program’s original air date was factored into Nielsen’s ratings. FOX’s 'Fringe' and ABC’s 'Lost' also drew large audience boosts — +26% and +25%, respectively — from DVR viewers. The 2008 Superbowl, which drew 43.1% of all U.S. TV households, was the most popular single telecast of 2008." (Blog.Nielsen)

"The head of the House defense appropriations panel warned Wednesday that defense spending will be under severe pressure in the coming years. President-elect Obama’s administration is facing an 'enormity of challenges,' said Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) in prepared remarks to the Center for American Progress. In defense alone, the Obama administration is inheriting two wars, a military stretched to the edge of its capabilities and severe challenges in the way the Pentagon buys weapons systems, Murtha said. 'Our job will be to manage the current and future threats under a constrained defense budget,' he said. However, Murtha did not want to predict how much the budget would change in the coming years. The defense budget has reached more than $500 billion and is expected to level off and decline in the coming years." (TheHill)

"LEONARDO DiCaprio, Russell Simmons and Jay-Z hanging out together in the Rose Bar at the Gramercy Park Hotel." (PageSix)

"An Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit will take place late February in Thailand, its government announced Tuesday, a day after Abhisit Vejjajiva was picked as Thai prime minister and ASEAN's charter came into force .. The charter sets a 2015 goal for establishing a free-trade zone among its members and lays out a set of political, economic and 'people-oriented' commitments -- including respect for democratic principles and human rights, a 'nuclear weapon-free Southeast Asia' and progress toward regional economic integration." (CNN via ForeignPolicy)

"TOMMY Hilfiger, who married his lady of three years, Dee Ocleppo, Friday night in a secret wedding - no family, no friends, nobody other than a justice of the peace and someone to pour the champagne at his home in Greenwich - is now honeymooning at his home in Mustique. The reception will be after they return for New Year's." (CindyAdams)

"HBO will preview the first episode of the new season of its comedy 'Flight of the Conchords' on the FunnyorDie.com Web site this week, a month before the series launches on the cable channel. HBO bought a stake in the Will Ferrell-backed site earlier this year. The sneak peek, which will last four days, represents the first time the site has presented a TV-episode-length video. After that HBO will put the first episode on a number of digital platforms, including HBO.com, iTunes and YouTube. Users will be able to share or embed the episodes. 'After the success of last season, we knew that online sampling would be the most effective way to energize the Flight of the Conchords fan base and generate excitement for season two,' said Chris Spadaccini, VP for advertising and promotion at HBO. 'FunnyorDie has emerged as the go-to destination for great online comedy content, and the decision to partner with them to launch the new season was an easy one.'" (TVWeek)

"Last night at the Stephan Weiss Studio at 711 Greenwich Street at Charles Street, ACRIA (the AIDS community Research Initiative of America) held its 13th Annual Acris Holiday Dinner hosted by Ross Bleckner, Bob Colacello, Francisco Costa, Donna Karan, Charla Lawhon and Martha Nelson and honoring Donald Baechler for his generosity and enduring support of the cause. Mr. Colacello was unable to attend, stuck in Los Angeles where he’s working on two pieces for Vanity Fair. This is a wonderful party. It’s downtown and uptown folk and in a downtown venue. Everybody’s happy do be there. Mr. Weiss is the late husband of Donna Karan .. There’s a big silent auction of art donated by a lot of artists such as Ross Bleckner, Julian Schnabel, Kiki Smith, Herb Ritts, April Gornik, Donald Sultan, Joe Andoe, Brian Alfred. The evening is underwritten by InStyle magazine and the Urban Zen Foundation – which is Karan’s foundation, a memorial to her husband." (NYSocialDiary)