Media-Whore D'Oeuvres



(Pinkham and Harry in 2006 via bloggerheads)

"PRINCE Harry was looking perky as he hooked up again with Natalie Pinkham, the stunner who once left his ex Chelsy Davy fuming. Our exclusive pictures show the prince and the Dancing on Ice star on a night out clubbing until 3.30am yesterday. And afterwards the pair, who left Chelsy seeing red after a secret smooch in 2006, went back to a pal's Mayfair flat with a group of friends. They left the pad at 4.30am, separately but just minutes apart." (Newsoftheworld)



"30 Rock is a fan’s favorite example of a low rated show that seemed destined for the chopping block but ended up renewed a couple times and then saw a ratings surge. And since it’s on NBC, fans of shows like Chuck and Life might see this as a beacon of hope. But, I’m sorry to tell you that you’d be mistaken. First of all, 30 Rock’s saving grace has always been the households with incomes over $100k." (TVBytheNumbers)



"Peter Bart, a Hollywood institution for 20 years in his role heading up Daily Variety, has been moved aside to be replaced by his deputy Tim Gray, Reed Business CEO Tad Smith announced on Sunday. The move is the end of an era for the daily and weekly trade publication, which has been struggling to adapt to the rapid-fire pace of news-gathering while seeing advertising decline sharply in the wake of a weak economy and entertainment industry cutbacks. The trade went through severe cutbacks in January and has continued to lose web traffic and ad revenue, mirroring the troubles facing many other traditional newsprint companies across the country. Gray, who will report to Variety president Neil Stiles, faces a daunting challenge. For two years in a row, the movie studios have severely cut back their advertisements during the Oscar season, in 2008 because of a writers guild strike, and this year in the overall context of a weak economy." (TheWrap)



(image via modamilanessa)

"J.D. Salinger gets crankier by the day. Tom Leonard, of London's Spectator, says that as he tried to interview the 90-year-old 'The Catcher in the Rye' recluse at his Concord, NH, home, Salinger shouted, 'Oh, no!' and sidled, 'crablike, out of his small kitchen with his back to the window . . . His wife -- an attractive woman with perfect teeth and a blond bob -- opened the window to get rid of me on his behalf.' She said: 'I'm so sorry you've come so far, but as you will know, my husband is someone who values his privacy.' Leonard learned from neighbors that Salinger likes 'the spinach and mushroom wraps' at a local cafe and the monthly turkey dinners at a nearby Universalist Unitarian church. 'Nobody is supposed to acknowledge that he's there," one parishioner said. One neighbor recalled an exchange with him in the 1990s when he was irritated with her for dropping a loaf of bread at his feet.'" (PageSix)



(Abe via NYSocialDiary)

"By 1998, his companies had total assets of approximately $2.3 billion and his fortune was estimated by Forbes to be between $300 to $400 million. Abe Gosman's soaring fortunes changed his life in many ways. He became a philanthropist joining boards and building committees of several institutions and cultural organizations including Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts to whom he gave the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center, one of the largest facilities of its kind in New England .. (Abe Gossman) now 80, has, as he always said he would, remained in his beloved Palm Beach. Now reportedly separated from his wife, he has taken a job as a salesperson at Corcoran’s Royal Poinciana Plaza office." (NYSocialDiary)

"Guantanamo is history. The thought that this centerpiece in the global war on terror would soon be closed without ever having its day-to-day operations independently documented on film is what propelled National Geographic Explorer to the U.S. military enclave on Cuba’s southeast coast. Director John Else might well have taken his time. The tropical prison, caught in the crosscurrents of politics, the courts and the absence of a solution to the disposal of some 60 remaining “hard core” terrorists, is not likely to be closed soon. Whether it should or not has deeply divided Americans. Two years ago, with tales of beatings and suicide leaking out, seven out of 10 Americans thought prisoners should not be kept there indefinitely. But after President Obama made planning for its closure one of his first executive acts, more of us thought that he should not close it than thought he should — 45 to 35 percent — according to a Gallup Poll. 'Explorer: Inside Guantanamo,' premiering April 5, is not designed to sway viewers one way or another, much to its credit. But if ever the shopworn Latin phrase res ipsa loquitor was applicable, it’s here: The thing speaks for itself." (CQPOlitics)



(image via papermag)

"Wouldn't it be great if fashion legend Oscar de la Renta stopped talking smack about First Lady Michelle Obama? In a ridiculous NY Times story Cathy Horyn talked about designers feeling insulted by being denied access to the White House by Mrs. Obama's style advisor Ikram Goldman .. Now de la Renta has criticized Mrs. Obama's choice of wearing a cardigan to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen. (An Alaia cardigan over an outfit by Isabel Toledo, two of Mrs. Obama's preferred designers). Really Oscar? It's beneath de la Renta's dignity as an elder statesman of American Fashion to consistently complain and criticize a First Lady who has done so much for American fashion. Overnight, Jason Wu and Thakoon went from being young designers to world famous designers. Isabel Toledo, one of America's most under-appreciated fashion talents, has gone from cult-figure to household name. Mrs. Obama has worn Tracy Reese on the cover of People Magazine, Michael Kors in her official White House portrait, and has given J. Crew the biggest moment in the spotlight its ever had. All this is great for American fashion." (Mr. Mickey/Papermag)



"Take the new issue of Rolling Stone, which sports a cover of Lil Wayne sure to cause nightmares in the late life miracle babies of the magazine's aging Boomer readers. Should you make it past that cover—but go boldly or he'll open his eyes like the Sphinx Gate from The Neverending Story and you shall perish—you'll find an eleven page story (fourteen if you include three full pages of photos) about Kris Kristofferson by actor-director-author Ethan Hawke, went from RS cover boy to contributor in 14 short years. What's amazing about the piece is that it's... actually kind of amazing. Mr. Hawke, who wrote the novels The Hottest State and Ash Wednesday, does a pretty good job capturing Mr. Kristofferson in 'The Last Outlaw Poet' (which is not online, but you can enjoy its accompanying 'online exclusive' playlist), whom he describes as 'cut from a thicker, more intricate cloth than most celebrities today.'" (TheObserver)



(image via guestofaguest)

"The Bar Marmont in Hollywood was undoubtedly the place to be on Friday night, as Charlotte Ronson .. ushered in the designer's new I [Heart] Ronson clothing line with a celebrity-packed party and musical performances by Mark Ronson and The Version Players, featuring Daniel Merriweather with deejay Samantha Ronson. Guests including Sting, Cory Kennedy, Mark Hunter, Rachel Zoe, Nicole Richie, Paris Hilton, Milla Jovovich .. Jeremy Piven, Sanaa Lathan, Monet Mazur, Jewel .. Drea de Mateo .. crowded into the venue to pay homage to the affordable fashion launch and take in a phenomenal live concert-a spectacular celebration of the Ronson family talent." (Fashionweekdaily)

"The 1947 partition of the subcontinent was traumatic for both Pakistan and India, resulting in hatred on both sides. Kashmir was the focal point of this enmity and almost immediately the object of a bitter war with a subsequent partition along a line of control which remains to this day ..The army developed what Leon Hadar termed a strong 'military-mosque' nexus, providing measured support to more radical Islamic groups to reduce their potential for internal disruption .. But the radicals have also overstepped their appeal. Brutal attacks, including the attack on the Lahore police academy (which radicals publicly claimed responsibility for) have increased public concern that actions in the border areas will spread violence into Pakistan proper. But the attacks are a two-edged sword, also demonstrating the threat which radical elements pose to Pakistan proper and vividly displaying their indiscriminate brutality. Similarly, much of the Pakistan public has been appalled by a widely distributed video of the public flogging by the Pakistani Taliban of a young woman in the Swat Valley. Stabilizing Pakistan and developing effective anti-radical policies in the border areas requires a long-term effort promoting Pakistan's socio-economic development, strengthening democratic and legal systems, and building a recognition that the core threat to a prosperous, democratic Pakistan is no longer India, but the extreme radical elements within the country." (GlobalSecurity.org)

"On the April 6 Tyra, the guest is Levi Johnston, the hapless guy who impregnated Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol, but who at least got lucky enough to not go through with the whole thing. Well, Palin is spitting mad that Levi has gone public with his views, and her official response, through a family rep, is as fiery as her butt is after a plate of chile rellenos. Let me break it down for you. Palin's statement: 'Bristol did not even know Levi was going on the show.' Translation: 'The girl's not too plugged in--except for Harlequin romance novels and the daily specials at Applebee's.'" (Musto)



"Whether you’re a mom, a future mom, or have a mom, 'Love, Mom' is relevant to read. The book that sprang from the site 'Postcards From Yo Momma,' founded by Jessica Grose (Jezebel) and Doree Shafrir (The Observer), held a festive book party last week at the Slipper Room." (Guestofaguest)



"Tonight's Roots show (4/6) is sold out, but tickets are still available for a lot of the other ones coming up at Highline Ballroom. The April 1st show featured 'James Poyser, Fresno Rapper, Fashon, Vernon Reed from Living Colour, and an eclectic cast of characters who usually perform in the subways of NYC.'" (BrooklynVegan)