Media-Whore D'Oeuvres



"For all of the weirdness surrounding Caroline Kennedy's now-defunct Senate quest, how odd was that phone call that she made this week to the New York governor asking for another 24 hours to think it over? I mean, it was her idea in the first place to seek the job. Imagine applying for a job, then calling back before any offer is made to say you needed more time to think about whether you really wanted it. Who would ever hire you? Unless you knew the job offer wasn't coming and wanted to save face -- which is what Caroline's withdrawal sounds like. And what must her uncle, Ted Kennedy, think about Caroline's camp hinting that his poor health was a factor in her decision. Some of his aides, who are struggling to keep the Massachusetts senator at the helm of enacting universal health care, were not a bit pleased at the suggestion that he was too ill for his niece to take the job." (Craig Crawford/CQPOlitics)

"Go ahead, David Paterson, thumb your nose at Andrew Cuomo, the boundlessly ambitious political legacy who's hoping to capitalize on the demise of another, slightly less ambitious, legacy: it won't come back to haunt you. Cuomo wants to be a U.S. senator for the same reason he wanted to be attorney general in 2006: to climb further up the political ladder, one step closer to national stardom, which has really been his only goal all along. And now that Caroline Kennedy and her mega-powerful backers are, you know, out of the way, Mario's boy is the last big name standing. Part of Cuomo's strategy, of course, is to feign indifference, the same way would-be running-mates always pretend they aren't really interested in being vice president." (Observer)

"TRUDIE Styler drew a stellar crowd at the Sundance Film Festival to the dinner celebrating her documentary 'Crude' (as in oil) thrown by Self magazine editrix Lucy Danziger. Such guests as Sting, Pierce Brosnan, Kevin Bacon, Tessa Benson and Emma Roberts were surprised by 'Access Hollywood' host Billy Bush, who tried to crash the bash but was escorted across the street by his pal, NBC Entertainment chief Ben Silverman. Sting stayed close to the deejay booth and danced until the wee hours." (PageSix)

"Gwyneth Paltrow is helping her newly divorced mate Madge turn over a new leaf .. by setting up a Hollywood book club. Gwynnie has asked some of her pals to talk about their favourite books to ease her winter blues. She says: 'I feel a bit swallowed up in January, the days are so short, the sky is so close and grey ... The best way to escape is to curl up by the fire with an amazing, transportive novel.' Gwyneth admits she’s a nosy parker. 'I like knowing the literary preferences of people,' she says. 'It gives a better understanding of their inner life.'" (3AMGirls)



"Two nights ago, the New York Times threw a party in honor of what has become an historic moment of monolithic proportions: the hand over of power from George W. Bush to the patron saint of post-modern cultural synchronization, Barack Obama. The party was held at the New Museum and featured a swirling sea of socialites and medialites all raising a celebratory glass of cheer to this wondrous occasion. In attendance were the gorgeous and gregarious Bonnie Morrison, writer Derek Blasberg, Fox News' Hunter Ryan, funny man John Leguizamo, Gawker founder Elizabeth Spiers, CNN's Poppy Harlow, and Guestofaguest.com's Rachelle Hruska, who arrived arm and arm with socialite Stephanie Wei (who just returned to the city from a long hiatus in suburbia)." (Papermag)

"'Now is the time to be bold, which is why I am wearing a brace,' said Justin Giunta quite matter-of-factly, gesturing to the ribbon-wrapped apparatus winding around his waist. The Subversive designer was at Bobo last night to celebrate Elise Øverland and threeASFOUR, beneficiaries of the Villency Emerging Fashion program .. Glenn O'Brien eschewed the cocktail portion of the evening and plopped down at a banquette, awaiting the promised dinner. 'Horacio [Silva] is sitting at my table, or else,' said Lauren Goodman ominously, as Sabine Heller and Serena Merriman managed the incoming throng .. In all seriousness--with the bottom lines and balance sheets preoccupying the fashion world during daylight, it was refreshing to celebrate unadulterated creativity. As wild children Adi, Ange and Gabi mugged for Pruting, establishment types like Richard Johnson, Andrew Saffir and Daniel Benedict and Eric Villency descended upon Bobo to support young talent when it is most needed. 'Yes, it is a great program,' confirmed Villency, who was squired by wife Kimberly. The troops settled into dinner before burning off the dessert with a sustained dance party, which kept the restaurant open and buzzing until 1:30 a.m.." (Fashionweekdaily)

"Lily Allen was left red-faced last night when she had to beg her way in to Kate Moss's VIP party at Whisky Mist in Mayfair. The 23-year-old singer was forced to wait as security didn't recognise her, until Kate spotted her and gave her the nod to come through. Our spy told us: 'When Lily saw that Kate had arrived she made her way over to her to say hello. But surrounding Kate's table in the VIP room were three burly security men who would not let her through. They didn't seem to recognise her at all and just thought that she was another die hard fan.'" (Thisislondon)

"At noontime I went down to the townhouse of interior designer Geoffrey Bradfield who was holding a champagne reception in honor of Lady Henrietta Spencer Churchill and her new book 'Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living.' The Bradfield townhouse was packed with guests many of whom were using the opportunity to tour the very glamorous house. There were about sixty guests – men and women." (NYSocialDiary)

"The centerpiece of debate the last weeks of the Gaza fighting was that the IDF aimed to cut the tunnels and smuggling supply conduits between Sinai and Gaza in order to rid Gaza of the weapons and rockets that give Hamas power. The MOU signed by Jerusalem and Washington on Friday 16 is said to prove for US back security of the Gaza border, with the aid of Quartet and Egyptian authorities. Prime Minister Olmert's claim that the IDF had achieved its goals was based upon the MOU promises. That was then. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak now declares that there is no arms smuggling across the Sina and into Gaza. Mubarak tells the EU that the arms come form Lebanon. That there is no need to patrol or secure the border. Best signals source says that, at this remark, the EU ministers sat quiet and unfazed at the magnitude of the falsehood. The only way to change the smuggling of arms and rockets into Gaza is to change the padlocks on the Egyptian military warehouses at Al Arish, the Hamas stronghold on the Sinai side of the border. The Mubarak regime receives a cut of the smuggling fees each time a convoy comes in from the Sinai and goes out to Gaza. The arms come from Iran via the Port of Sudan and then up the Red Sea on coastal freighters to Sinai ports, where the cargo is off-loaded and transported across Sinai by the tribals to Al-Arish." (JohnBatchelorShow)



"The hottest ticket in London town Wednesday evening, Hussein Chalayan's exhibition opening at The Design Museum, was so popular that fashionable types patiently perched on their stilettos for upwards of an hour for a sneak peek, happily freezing the night away. The 15-year retrospective of Chalayan's conceptual designs, entitled From Fashion and Back, is the designer's first UK retrospective, and it was fêted in style with lots of booze, bites and Brits, including Roisin Murphy, Julie Verhoeven and Erin O'Connor - even Christian Slater made an appearance." (Fashionweekdaily)

"Howard (Stern) opened this morning laughing at how Amy Fisher's new porno was proof that REAL porn stars need to have talent: 'She's such a turnoff.' Howard then played a clip of Amy's odd dirty talk: 'It's always been my fantasy to rub cream all over myself...it feels so cold and silky.' Artie didn't like it at all." (Howardstern.com)

"Howard (Stern) asked Jose (Canseco) about his recent arrest for HGC trafficking, so Jose explained: 'It's basically a female urine that you inject into your body to make your testosterone levels get back to normal...I didn't know you had to have a prescription for it.' Jose added that years of steroid use had rendered his body totally unable to produce testosterone on its own .. Jose then brought in his girlfriend, Heidi, and Howard noted how good she looked. Heidi echoed Jose's complaints about the side effects of steroids, saying it really affected Jose's manhood: 'It was completely non-existent. He was basically a useless, lifeless body...it was like an anorexic gummy worm.'" (HowardStern)

"Ida Maria will be touring North America with fellow Europeans Glasvegas in the Spring (basically from probably-SXSW to probably-Coachella). That tour includes a March 28th show at Music Hall of Williamsburg (on sale at noon today) and the March 30th one at Webster Hall (still on sale). After recently seeing Glasvegas at Bowery Ballroom and Ida Maria at Mercury Lounge (which was a day before her show at Union Hall), I've come to the conclusion that the opener will be giving the better live performance on this tour. I would say, 'that sucks that she's opening,' but her headlining sets were only 30 minutes, so it probably doesn't make a difference. All in all though, a good double bill of two buzzed bands from overseas." (BrooklynVegan)

"The global crisis blindsided most Japanese executives and politicians. Much of the chatter in 2008 was about how Japan’s cash-rich banks would play a white-knight role for a Wall Street in turmoil. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc.’s $9 billion investment in Morgan Stanley was seen as the first of many such deals. As 2009 unfolds, the folly of that view will come into sharper focus. Yes, Japan’s government has the resources and borrowing potential to forestall a meltdown. The roughly $15 trillion of household savings is a comforting counterpoint to press reports of rising Japanese poverty and homelessness. Yet Japan will have the same problem as China this year. Both economies can hold their ground when others are booming. With the U.S and Europe in deepening recessions, all that’s left is domestic stimulus. That goes for Asia, too. Singapore may contract a record 5 percent this year. In South Korea, industrial production fell by the most on record in November. Officials in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand are struggling to boost slowing economic growth." (Bloomberg)