Media-Whore D'Oeuvres



(image via theagencygroup)

"'Most girls get into porn thinking, I have to look a certain way, I have to act a certain way. And I have to be what my title says I am,' Sasha Grey explains. I am sitting with the 21-year-old brunette in Regency Hotel, in a scenario that feels straight out of The Girlfriend Experience, Steven Soderbergh’s new film starring Grey as—what else, some might say—a high-class call-girl ... By now, Grey has done a lot of press, both onscreen and off, as she is attempting a difficult feat: making the jump from the adult film world to mainstream cinema. She is not only a porn star, but a porn star who’s just turned legal to drink, known for enthusiastic participation in acts too dirty to be accurately described on any website that doesn’t require an age check. She’s already gotten the standard-issue 'How could you?' treatment on The Tyra Banks Show; she handles the questioning admirably, almost invites it. Her background and unflappable attitude are precisely what won her the role in Soderbergh’s work." (TheDailyBeast)

"THE 19th century was dominated by the British Empire, the 20th century by the United States. We may now be entering the Asian century, dominated by a rising China and its currency. While the dollar’s status as the major reserve currency will not vanish overnight, we can no longer take it for granted. Sooner than we think, the dollar may be challenged by other currencies, most likely the Chinese renminbi. This would have serious costs for America, as our ability to finance our budget and trade deficits cheaply would disappear." (Nouriel Roubini/NYTimes)



"Last night, the Aerospace CTBS Championships, the special boxing competition and fundraiser to benefit the E. Harlem School at Exodus House, took over Aerospace on w. 13th street. Hosted by Michael Olajide Jr. and Leila Fazel with celebrity judges Hugh Jackman, Tracee Ross, Q-Tip and Laura Posada; this event drew quite the crowd. Veronica Webb and George Whipple were just a few of the names that made it for the fights." (Guestofaguest)



"I love ladies who lunch, or rather nibble on salads with dressing on the side. I was almost the only dude at a luncheon celebrating The Plaza Beauty by Warren Tricomi, hosted by Lucy Sykes Rellie, Kimberly Guilfoyle Villency and Coralie Charriol Paul (take note: maiden names are a must-include amongst socials). Held in the stately Oak Room at the Plaza Hotel, I sat with Alexandra Lind Rose and mingled with Adelina Wong Ettelson, Lara Meiland-Shaw, Susan Shin, Lydia Fenet, Melissa Foss, author Anisha Lakhani and divine designer Erin Fetherston." (Papermag)



(image via tvguide)

"The broadcast networks are going to unveil fall lineups to media buyers next week, and when they do there’s a good chance there won’t be many new comedies. The few that are on the networks’ schedules will most likely be along the lines of NBC’s 'Parks & Recreation,' meaning smart and edgy. Likely as not, they will fail to attract viewers. It’s almost as if the networks haven’t been paying attention to Nielsen ratings the past few years. Those ratings make clear that most viewers want family comedies like CBS’s 'Two and a Half Men,' which is a huge hit on network television and in syndication. They do not want quirky shows. That's according to a Magna analysis of comedy ratings over the past several years. Magna points to hit family sitcoms in syndication like 'Everybody Loves Raymond' and 'George Lopez' that are continuing to pull in strong audiences years after leaving network TV." (Medialifemagazine)



(image via JH/NYSocialDiary)

"Last night I started out at a reception at the Carlton Hobbs Gallery on 60 East 93rd Street between Madison and Park. Mr. Hobbs’ gallery is located in a Neoclassical style mansion designed by John Russell Pope in 1930 for Virginia Graham Fair Vanderbilt. Mrs. Vanderbilt died only five years after moving in .. From there it was down to the Plaza where The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center hosted its 2nd Annual Spring Ball. This glamorous evening is the Society’s biggest event of the year: dinner, dancing, and a live performance by Grammy® Award Winner, R&B singer-songwriter, Macy Gray. 350 guests attending, music by DJ Tom Finn, and décor by New York’s leading event and floral designer, Andrew Pascoe. The event was Co-Chaired by Muffie Potter Aston, Sara Ayres, Tory Burch, Shafi Roepers, and Caryn Zucker. NBC-Universal sponsored." (NYSocialDiary)



"The visual arts were the center of attention in Manhattan (Tuesday night), as painting and photography stars were honored on both sides of town. During a cocktail-hour ceremony at the United Nations, artist Ross Bleckner was officially made a Goodwill Ambassador for his work leading art classes in war-torn northern Uganda. 'It didn't take a lot of money. It just took a stack of paper and some paint,' Bleckner explained, adding that he'll be making a return trip soon. While introducing the evening's honoree, Ban Ki-moon welcomed two of the evening's celebrity guests in a way that only the U.N. Secretary-General could get away with. 'I just met Alex [sic] Baldwin,' he announced, before going on to praise Nicolas Cage for getting the word out about illegal arms proliferation with his 1996 action film The Rock. (Yeah, that's exactly the message we took from that movie, too.)" (Style)


"'We missed the first performance by a few minutes,' quipped Elise Øverland at last night's Spring New York City Ballet Gala, as she arrived with best friend Hope Atherton .. Candace Bushnell, whose husband is the company's principal dancer, Charles Askegard, was more than familiar withthe setting, the David H. Koch Theater. 'After being married to a ballet dancer, I certainly feel like I have more of an insider view during the performances,' she said. 'I don't claim to know more than others, but I certainly have a better appreciation for the art' .. There was plenty of nostalgia between seatmates Hamish Bowles and Anh Duong, who both used to sport ballet shoes of their own. 'I studied it pretty extensively when I was 7 or 8, until my parents forced me to stop because my teacher retired,' recollected Bowles. 'I danced until about my early twenties," offered Duong." (Fashionweekdaily)



"Nikki Finke posted this video of NBC wunderkind (and Vulture hero!) Ben Silverman singing an impromptu blues number wearing only a towel. The footage was shot by actor Rob Morrow during Silverman's ski trip to Utah last December. (Why, yes — that is Fisher Stevens accompanying him on harmonica!) So why was this only uploaded to YouTube yesterday? Obviously Silverman was cleverly waiting to deploy it to distract TV viewers from last night's highly anticipated Lost finale on rival network ABC." (NyMag)



"Most of the governors who wound up in the Senate of late were forced into it by term limits that caused them to find a new job in politics. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is an exception. The Republican could run again for governor in 2010, but has chosen to make a bid for the Senate, where 12 former governors now are serving. The recent history of sitting governors who run for the Senate suggests that Crist could face a very competitive campaign for the seat of retiring one-term Republican Sen. Mel Martinez. Until his Senate campaign in 1992, Republican Judd Gregg had dominated elections in New Hampshire. A recession in the early 1990s hit New Hampshire particularly hard — and hampered Gregg’s Senate effort such that he won only narrowly. Democratic Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia had the same problem in 1984, when he was only narrowly elected to the Senate in part because the state he had governed for eight years was plagued by a poor economy." (CQPolitics)