Media-Whore D'Oeuvres



"Now we know why polo-playing pony breeder Peter Brant married supermodel Stephanie Seymour — she’s a thoroughbred clotheshorse, according to Brant. New legal filings in the Greenwich, Conn., divorce of the power couple show the split is getting cruel, nasty and even amusing — with the allegation that Seymour spends $257,000 per month, including $50,000 on new clothes alone. While that isn’t much, considering that Brant says he’s worth $489 million, the same court papers also include claims that Seymour is a first-class hellion. Brant, a paper and publishing mogul who is also a horse breeder and art collector, claims she’s been running amok at their contested Connecticut mansion and stealing some of his pricey art objects." (PageSix)



"TheWrap: 'Head of State' was this crazy, far-fetched comedy … Chris Rock: So absurd that they gave me $30 million to go and make it. I didn't even have a plot! And they were like, 'A black guy's the president! Ha ha ha!! Here!! Take the money!!' TheWrap: So has the reality of a black president taken the edge off comedy about race in this country? Chris Rock: 'I remember I was watching the Super Bowl this year and I kinda wanted Arizona to win, even though the Steelers had a black coach. Normally I always bet on black! But it just wasn't that important to me anymore, 'cos the president's black. I already won! It's definitely taken the edge off me a little bit -- not as a comedian. I still want to be as funny as I can be. But just racially, I've probably exhaled a little bit towards white people since Obama was elected. (Laughs.) But don't worry -- you're still on notice.'" (Chris Rock/TheWrap)





"Gary Ross is writing 'Venom,' Columbia’s 'Spider-Man' spinoff based on one of the villains from 'Spider-Man 3,' as a potential directing vehicle. Ross is already writing 'Spider-Man 4' for the studio. In the comics, Venom is a gooey alien parasite that bonds with Peter Parker and later his newsroom rival, among other people, becoming one of more popular villains in "Spider-Man’s" rogue gallery. Topher Grace portrayed the character in the 2007 movie, which ended with both the human and the alien symbiote apparently destroyed in an explosion ... Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who wrote 'Zombieland,' previously worked on the script, as did Jacob Estes." (THR)



(image via NYSD)

"Around The Town Last Night. The New-York Historical Society hosted its annual History Makers Gala at its Upper West Side quarters last night. A man dressed as Abraham Lincoln, whose legacy was honored at the party, greeted guests at the front door. The event also paid tribute to Bill Clinton, who delivered the keynote address before dinner. His topic: Abraham Lincoln and New York. Clinton mentioned Lincoln's two most famous speeches, the Gettysburg Address and his second Inaugural address, but chose to focus on his favorite oration from the Great Emancipator, Lincoln's 1860 speech at the Cooper Union. The captivated crowd, in black tie, listened intently as Clinton described the speech. 'It was the only time in history where the speech was the campaign,' Clinton said of the talk. One hundred thousand copies of the speech were printed, and at 7,700 words, it was certainly no light read. Still, the speech, in which Lincoln demonstrated that the Founding Fathers had intended for Congress to regulate slavery, won him the Presidency." (NYSocialDiary)



"'I feel old, but I do not feel wise.' So confesses Jenny, Carey Mulligan's character in An Education written by Nick Hornby and directed by Lone Scherfig ..'I wasn't bold or rebellious in high school,' Mulligan confessed at the film's Cinema Society screening last night at the Crosby Street Hotel .. Guests and friends including Susan Sarandon, Dylan McDermott, Mamie Gummer, Steve Guttenberg, Rachel Roy, Charlotte Ronson, among others stepped out to see the film (and most notably, Mulligan's performance) that is already garnering Oscar whispers .. Susan Sarandon, however, was alone at the head of the class: 'I was always a good student; I was too uncool to get in trouble.' Sarandon proved her classmates dead-wrong; she recently took pole dancing classes with daughter Eva Amurri, who was preparing for her Californication role .. Bai Ling and Susan Sarandon made an unusual coupling, chatting it up and snapping pictures together on Ling's cell phone." (Fashionweekdaily)



"Among other things, (Congressman Charlie) Rangel stands accused of failing to disclose rental property income, using a rent-controlled apartment as a campaign office, and living large on lobbyist-funded junkets. So in terms of ginning up popular anger, the Republicans’ task is easy: How can a man who didn’t pay all of his taxes be in charge of the tax-writing committee? Didn’t Pelosi say she’d run the most ethical Congress in history? And it only helps their cause that Pelosi’s hands are essentially tied. For a whole bunch of complicated reasons involving racial and factional politics within the House Democratic caucus, she can’t take on the task of giving Rangel the boot by herself. She needs cover. And she’ll only get cover if he’s formally charged with something, or if he’s rebuked by the ethics committee, which is now reviewing his case but has yet to take any action. Republicans know this, of course, and they’re happy to take every opportunity they get to rub it in Democrats’ faces." (Politicker)



"My sources are telling me that Nancy Tellem has gone to her boss Les Moonves to discuss stepping down from her longtime post at CBS as Les' right hand exec. 'No final decision will be made until she returns from MIPCom in Europe,' an insider informs me. But I'm told what's contemplated by the 55-year-old president of the CBS Television Studios Entertainment Group is to move into a consultancy role sometime within the next 3 weeks. Nobody would take her place, but president of CBS Entertainment Nina Tassler would take on more responsibilities. About why Tellem wants out, I'm told: 'She's just done. She's thinking about what the next chapter is for her life.' If she's not replaced, then this leaves questions about succession for the 60-year-old Moonves because Wall Street doesn't like for its publicly traded corporations to not have an heir apparent in place." (Nikki Finke/DeadlineHollywoodDaily)



"Bai Ling stopped by (The Howard Stern Show) to promote her new film, 'A Beautiful Life,' wearing an outfit she described as an homage to Howard, while Robin called it, 'the weirdest she's ever been [dressed].' Howard said Bai Ling always went for an interesting Lady Gaga-esque look, but Bai disagreed: 'She's learning from me.' Bai then told the crew she got her start in Asia (where she was first a soldier in the Chinese army) and is now an 'international star.' Howard asked about Bai's infamously large nipples, but Bai wouldn't really answer: 'You seen me nipple magazines.' Bai revealed she was once hospitalized with mental issues: 'I've been to many hospitals...I said, Nurse, you cannot stand. I am an actress.' Howard asked who committed her, and Bai confessed: 'I think partially it's myself...I was kind of depressed. I'm not sure. I was kind of-a lost' ..Bai went on to say she was the best actress in the world: 'Yes I am. I'm one of them.' She cited Johnny Depp as one of her contemporaries at the top: 'He does it for his own love for the craft of art.'" (HowardStern)