Media-Whore D'Oeuvres



"On the Senate side, newcomers include Western Democrats like the Udall cousins, Tom and Mark. Several younger senators are coming on board including newly appointed Michael Bennet of Denver, who is 44; Mark Warner, 54, of Virginia and Mark Begich, 46, of Alaska. They are filling seats vacated by such institutional titans as John Warner, 81, of Virginia (no relation) and Ted Stevens, 85, of Alaska. With their formal swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, the new members offer Democrats expanded majorities in both the House (257-178) and the Senate. If the contretemps over the Minnesota and Illinois Senate seats is resolved in the Democrats' favor, the Senate majority would be 59-41, which includes two independents. But with even at an overall size of 54 new House members, this freshman class falls far short of one of the largest – 118 new members in 1949 –or an average size of about 82 since 1913." (NYTimes)

"In the January/February issue of The Atlantic, columnist Michael Hirschorn looks at the future of The New York Times and wonders, '[W]hat if the old media dies much more quickly? ... [W]hat if The New York Times goes out of business—like, this May?' Mr. Hirschorn looks at the Times Company's difficult year—and its possibly even more difficult year ahead—before concluding that: 'Regardless of what happens over the next few months, The Times is destined for significant and traumatic change. At some point soon—sooner than most of us think—the print edition, and with it The Times as we know it, will no longer exist. What would that mean for readers?'" (Observer)

"'Daniel and I spent New Year's Eve in St. Barth's on our friend Ronald Perelman's amazing boat. Ronald is the most incredible and charming host and the boat is beyond chic with a guest list comprised of the most glittering mix of movie stars, moguls, musicians and the just-plain-fabulous. For all the famous faces though, the party is very intimate and super low-key. At midnight, fireworks are launched in the harbor, high above the terracotta rooftops of Gustavia. It's the only place we ever want to be on New Year's Eve.'--Andrew Saffir" (Fashionweekdaily)



"'I’ve never been more nervous about an opening,' said Kate Hudson at a little after-after-party at the Rose Bar. 'But that’s because I’ve never been more involved in a film. Five years of my life were spent on this bad boy. It wasn’t like they just gave me that producer credit. I earned it ...' Hudson’s famously plucky attitude came in handy for bathroom breaks, which required the help of two friends and lots of zipper-hunting. But she picked her statuesque Oscar de la Renta gown because it reminded her of the Chrysler Building—and goddamn it, she was going to dress up in it even if everyone else was in jeans." (Style)