A Little Of The Old In And Out



(image via telegraph)

In: Yves Saint Laurent. Minus some friction from Chinese cultural and heritage interests, Yves Saint Laurent's auction -- in the thick of an economic crisis -- was a success. An elegant man can be elected President, an elegant man can land a plane successfully and become the toast of the Oscar parties, and, finally, an elegant man's taste can be rewarded by the free market. From the salmon-colored weekly:

"The auction of Yves Saint Laurent's art collection in Paris last night brought in an astounding $262 million, according to Bloomberg. In fact, the sale set records for works of seven of the major artists, including Henri Matisse's 1911 still life of cowslips in a vase titled Les coucous, tapis bleu et rose, a 1922 Piet Mondrian abstract Composition With Blue, Red, Yellow and Black, and a 1921 Marcel Duchamp readymade of a perfume bottle with a Man Ray photograph of the artist’s female alter ego, 'Rrose Selavy.'

"The pre-action viewing of the collection attracted some 35,000 visitors including many French art collectors and a New York-based art dealer named Franck Giraud. The particular buyers for many of the highly-prized works were not disclosed. But it looks like the Daily Transom was correct in predicting that major Russian art collectors would have something to do with bringing back hope to the flailing art market when the time came."

Fuck cowboys, vive the elegant man.



(image via mccullah)

Out: Peter Chernin. Succession speculation at NewsCorp as one of Rupert Murdoch's key lieutenants exits stage right. From Paidcontent:

"After hours of tom-tom beating, it’s official—News Corp President and COO Peter Chernin will leave on June 30, when his current contract expires. As expected, Chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch did not announce a successor; the LA-based Fox businesses will report to him following Chernin’s departure. Murdoch’s statement from the announcement (full text after the jump): 'Peter’s contributions to the Company over the past two decades have been immeasurable. He has led important businesses and nurtured talented managers. We are fortunate to have such a strong and seasoned group of leaders at our Fox companies and we are confident that our success will continue. To that end, Peter and I will work closely over the next four months to ensure an effective transition.'"

In: Governor Bobby Jindal. If Sunday night was all about India rising and Bollywood, tonight will be partly about Obama's stimulus package and the GOP response, delivered by Indian-American governor and rising star, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. While Southern, he is not the typical angry Southern White Man -- as the GOP has often appears -- and represents generational change for Republicans. He is, in short, the best bet for the party to move beyond becoming a regional party like the Whigs. From AFP:

"Louisiana's Indian-American governor, Bobby Jindal, prepared Tuesday to give the Republican rebuttal to President Barack Obama's debut speech to Congress, fueling talk of a 2012 White House run.

Jindal, the 37-year-old son of Punjabi immigrants, has said he will seek a second term in 2011 while refusing to rule out seeking the presidency a year later as his party gropes its way back from its painful 2008 elections defeat.

"'It's a great opportunity for him to give the Republican response,' said Eric Davis, a political scientist at Middlebury College in Vermont. "But he also faces a real challenge tonight."

"Davis noted recent polls that show Obama enjoys the support of about two out of three Americans and that the Republican party is seen by half the country as 'saying no (to Obama's policies) for the sake of no.'

"Jindal seized headlines recently when he said his state would reject some of the money it stood to get under Obama's 787-billion-dollar economic stimulus package, which congressional Republicans overwhelmingly opposed."

Out: Phoniness. We feel a little bit like Holden Caulfield calling out people on their "phoniness," but it gives us pause when one contrasts the pungent fakeness of, say, Kate Winslet (tears at the Golden Globes?) with the breathtaking innocence of the Mumbai kids at the Oscars. From the NYPost:

"'I don't really know what the Oscars are,' Qureshi told CNN. 'I'm just glad my daughter looks happy, though she told me she misses Indian food.'

"Rubina lives with her mother in a one-room shack with a tin roof.

"Her co-star Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 10, lives in the same slum with his family. They have no walls or beds, just a tent-like covering of tarp. 'The whole country is happy about this. They are very happy that a boy from the slums is also now a star. I'm also very happy,' said Mohammed Ismail, Azharuddin's father.

"As for the children themselves, they gleefully hit up Meryl Streep and '007' Daniel Craig for autographs - Streep also gave them a hug - and their giddy red-carpet interview was a welcome respite from the tedious theatrics from some of their La-La Land peers.

"When Ryan Seacrest told them, 'Say hi, guys!' the grinning kids shouted, 'Hi guys!'

"And the six chimed in unison, 'Unbelievable!' when asked how they felt being at the Oscars. 'I never thought it would be an Oscar, this movie,' said a tuxedoed Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, who plays the youngest version of film's hero."