Media-Whore D'Oeuvres



(iamge via straitstimes)

"Looking at the news clips from London of Michelle next to all the other well-put-together first ladies, there’s a red-blooded realness to her that almost makes you feel the warmth of those long, sculpted arms. No wonder she has become the new hugger-in-chief. The most frequent thing people said to me about Princess Diana when I was conducting interviews for my biography was that she could create a circle of intimacy in the middle of a crowd. Those quivering antennae of the Princess could pick up the neediness of some unremarkable person in the room, lock into their gaze, and make them feel special. And when Michelle stooped down from her powerful height in those big fat pearls to embrace each of the little girls at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School, it was Di time all over again. There has been much speculation about how the Queen must have felt when Michelle, at their celebrated first meeting alongside the president and the Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace last night, not only broke the touching taboo but rubbed the monarch’s back in sisterly solicitude. How did she feel? I think she felt fine." (TheDailyBeast)



(image via babble)

"As spring dawns, so does one of the film world's biggest questions, namely -- what's in the Cannes? .. The most prominent pic, at least from a star-power standpoint, won't even have its star there, as Terry Gilliam's 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,' the last film from Heath Ledger, is expected to make its debut after a lengthy postproduction process. In addition to Gilliam's first appearance on the Croisette in more than a decade, a 'Parnassus' debut also would offer the prospect of several stars -- including Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law -- who all stepped in to play different parts of Ledger's role after the actor died last year. That glitzy cast could be used as a de facto tribute both to Gilliam, an auteur favorite, as well as to the late Ledger .. On the U.S. side, Francis Ford Coppola's 'Tetro,' which the director plans on self-distributing, is a strong bet to land at the fest. The pic, which stars Vincent Gallo and an international ensemble cast, tells the story of a rivalry in an Italian family (between artists, not mobsters)." (TheHollywoodReporter)



(Theodora Richards at Topshop via style)

"Topshop is finally opening in New York, and Tuesday night's celebratory dinner at Balthazar, the first of this week's three buzz-generating bashes organized by owner Sir Philip Green, helped ensure his cheap-chic fashion chain will hit the ground running ... Santigold took the stage later, and Jimmy Fallon closed out the party with a surprisingly adept rendition of Sting's 'Englishman in New York.' Serendipitously, Jay-Z rolled in just in time to listen (poker-faced) to the late-night host's quick remix of 'Single Ladies.' Saying hi to Michelle Monaghan on the way out, Marchesa designer Georgina Chapman, who had already 'hurt the credit card' during a sneak preview of the store earlier in the day .." (Style)

"Smokers are losing their last major indoor refuges on the House side of the Capitol complex. The House Administration Committee said Thursday it has decided to close the glassed-in smoking rooms in the cafeterias of the Longworth and Cannon office buildings. Smokers will get a reprieve while officials prepare for the closure. 'No time frame has been established for the closure,' said panel spokesman Kyle Anderson. 'The decision was made today.' The move is little surprise. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is no fan of smoking. Shortly after becoming Speaker in January 2007, Pelosi banned smoking in the ornate Speaker’s Lobby off the House floor. House members must gather outside on a balcony if they want to light up during floor votes. Members can still smoke in their own offices. Under the latest edict, House employees, members and visitors will no longer be able to light up after going to the busy cafeterias for lunch, snacks or a coffee break. Instead, they probably will have to go outdoors." (CQPolitics)



(image via JH/NYSocialDiary)

"I went down to Michael’s to have lunch with Liz Smith and Elaine Kaufman and Anne Slater. This was organized by Liz back in February when she and Elaine of the one and only Elaine’s were both having birthdays. The birthday for Elaine was number 80. If you knew Elaine you would be amazed at the number because she’s not like a kid or a girl; she’s definitely a grown-up woman, but she doesn’t have an age; she’s Elaine. Liz thought it would be fun to lunch at Michael’s where she and I often lunch (separately). Elaine, as far as we know, doesn’t go out to lunch that often. She’s a night person who doesn’t head home until about three ayem .. at the next table over from us at Michael’s was Barbara Walters and Shirley Lord Rosenthal." (NYSocialDiary)



(image via thisislondon)

"THE QUEEN today became a worldwide hit on YouTube after she was caught on film reprimanding Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for being too noisy. The footage shows the Queen gesturing in mild irritation at the Italian leader as she posed with President Barack Obama and other world leaders in the traditional 'family' photograph at Buckingham Palace to mark the G20 summit. As the photoshoot ends, Mr Berlusconi is heard shouting: 'Mr Obama, Mr Obama,' prompting the Queen to turn round, sigh and raise her arms in mock frustration, before saying: 'What is it? Why does he have to shout?' Within minutes, the Queen's burst of annoyance - which came despite an attempt by Mr Obama to quieten Mr Berlusconi by responding in a low voice - had become a worldwide hit after being posted on Italy's YouTube site and published on newspaper websites." (Thisislondon)

"MERRILL Lynch -- which shelled out millions in bonuses days before being rescued in a merger with Bank of America -- is still letting its suits live high off the hog. A source tells us, 'Merrill's executives, even the mid-level ones, are put up at the Ritz-Carlton when they stay in the LA area. Isn't this a tad extravagant in this day and age for a firm that nearly went under?' Company rep Selena Morris insisted, 'Merrill Lynch uses a number of different hotels and has negotiated highly competitive rates with substantial discounts." But she declined to divulge just what those discounted rates were.'" (PageSix)



(image via msnbc)

"Already, the question is being asked: when and how will Democratic leaders, fearful of losing a safe Senate seat, prevail on (Senator Chris) Dodd to pull the plug, just as they finally did with Torricelli '02? A high-profile ambassadorship or an appointment to head of the Peace Corps - in which Dodd served as a young man - have been suggested as potential parachutes." (PolitickerNY)

"I'm amazed by Iowa legalizing gay marriage. I promise never to say anything negative about 'middle America' again!" (CandidaRoyale/Twitter)

"With its four major networks all seeing primetime ratings growth in first quarter and a number of series slated to return, Discovery Communications didn’t have any radical changes to introduce yesterday at its upfront presentation. But it did have one of the most anticipated launches of 2010, the Oprah Winfrey Network, to tout. Discovery gave a few more details on OWN at yesterday’s presentation and also said it has launched an associated web site, MyOwn.com, where viewers can create their own OWN logo. The channel will launch in early 2010, taking over for the current Discovery Health Channel, which is available in 70 million households .. Because this is Oprah, there's also a far bit of celebrity wattage to the shows, along with a focus on everyday folks trying to improve their lives. Chief executive officer Christina Norman told media people and advertisers on hand yesterday that programming will consist of a mix of original and acquired programs, including strips, specials and movies." (Medialifemagazine)

"Just sat down with Nelson Mandela for 2 hours. Life changing!" (NickCannon/Twitter)

"Liberty Global CEO Michael Fries isn’t giving up hope when it comes to kids and TV. Forget the handwringing over the so-called lost generation - the increasingly untethered-to-TV teens and 20-somethings causing so much concern for anyone whose business model relies on a device that doesn’t fit in a pocket or can’t be carried in a backpack. Fries, the lone cable operator on a Cable Show panel with Jeff Bewkes, Rupert Murdoch and Phillipe Dauman, explained: 'I have kids who are 10 and 7 and they have a very different relationship with the television than teenage kids. They love the TV in my house—it’s big, it’s flat, it’s high definition. The point I’m making is that we have a generation below this lost generation that we can still capture and retain—if this industry does it right.'" (Paidcontent)