Media-Whore D'Oeuvres



"When Edward Odocken, 25, arrived at Kampala's Kyadondo Rugby Club to cheer for the Netherlands in the World Cup final yesterday, he was expecting little trouble other than teasing from his two companions, both of whom were supporting Spain. Then the bomb detonated. 'All of a sudden there was a blast and people began to run,' said Odocken, a tennis instructor. As he and his friends reached the gate, another explosion went off. 'It hit people very seriously,' Odocken explained, his voice laced with guilt as he noted that he escaped with only a deep cut on his leg. 'Some people didn't have heads and some people were coming out without arms and getting in the ambulance to go to the hospital.' Across town, about 50 minutes earlier, another bomb had been detonated at a popular Ethiopian restaurant, also decked out with big screens and extra chairs for the festivities. As word spread from person to person through worried calls and panicky text messages, bars all over town began to empty. The outcome of the game was no longer important. Managers at one establishment simply turned off all the televisions, sending a clear message: Go home now." (ForeignPolicy)



(Francois Marie Banier of l'affaire Bettancourt via NYSD)

"Let me tell you a thing or two about Francois Marie Banier. I first met him during the late 60s in Paris, when my old friend Jimmy Douglas, an American expatriate in the City of Light, brought him to my flat in the Rue du Bac. Banier was a poseur to end all poses. He muttered something about my butler being a stupid dwarf because the poor man dripped some water on his outrageously flared trousers. The 'Tout Paris' used to go bananas over Banier’s looks, but I always thought he had the appearance of a low-grade bank clerk. He preened like Dorian Gray, pursing his lips and smoldering against his Gitane cigarette smoke ... He was also memorably rude, but never to me as he knew I would have applied instant sedation with a right cross to his sculptured jaw. He was always on the make, and he once tried his lizard-like charm on my aunt, Nonie Phipps, but got nowhere. Behind his back many of my friends like Jimmy Douglas and Kim D’estainville referred to Banier as a painted, perfumed gigolo, who concentrated on old rich ladies. He knew how to bring them in ..." ("Bunkie Mortimer")



"According to the Twitter accounts of various well-sourced journalists, President Obama will announce today that he will nominate Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Jacob Lew—he prefers Jack, actually—to replace Peter Orszag as the director of the Office of Management and Budget, a job which Lew’s already held under Bill Clinton. Last week, The Washington Post’s Al Kamen suggested that Lew was a contender for the position, but noted that there was “strong resistance from Madam Secretary' .." (VanityFair)



"It was no surprise to learn that the Met's Young Members Party doesn't exactly put the 'art' back in 'party.' In theory, Thursday night's event would provide a chance for the museum's under-35 crowd to view two of its special exhibitions-Big Bambú, a giant site-specific installation on the roof, and American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity, which explores women's fashion from 1890 to 1940-without the nuisance of tourists. In practice, more of the guests spent time admiring the asparagus-and-parmesan balls than either exhibition. (To be fair, they were delicious.) We did, however, catch at least one young woman trying to turn Big Bambú into an interactive work: she swung her body around one of the larger pieces of bamboo in an improvised pole dance for the benefit of an amused friend and then accidentally dislodged it. Both scurried off looking faintly guilty." (Observer)



(Liz Smith and Matthew David via NYSD)

"I went to dinner with Peter Rogers and Liz Smith at Donohue’s, the steakhouse pub on Lexington Avenue between 64th and 65th. Donohue’s has been there forever. One of the holdouts from another era in New York, Donohue’s, from the outside, looks like an old fashioned bar and tavern from the 1950s, with a long bar just inside the door ... It was one of those conversations at dinner where you’re enriched by the recollection and experience of someone who has seen and known more. This is especially true in Liz’ company because despite her now long life, she has miraculously maintained the child’s ability to wonder. This is perhaps her blessing and secret in life." (NYSocialDiary)



"Here I was confident that USA Network would top the cable primetime viewership until the MLB playoffs this fall, but it was Hannah Montana Forever lead Disney that proved me wrong! In a week when not a single original scripted USA show made it into the cable viewership top 25 (only Law & Order: CI had an original airing), Disney edged USA for the top cable primetime viewership. It wasn’t all surprises though, USA still topped the primetime adults 18-49 averages." (TVBytheNumbers)



"Officially, all the Arab rulers of the Gulf and other Arab leaders are strenuously opposed to any Israeli and/or U.S. air strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities. But that opposition is eroding rapidly. Speaking at the Aspen Institute in Colorado last week, the United Arab Emirates Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef al-Otaiba said publicly - before denying it - 'I think despite the large amount of trade we do with Iran, which is close to $12 billion, there will be consequences, there will be a backlash, and there will be problems with people protesting and rioting and very unhappy that there is an outside force attacking a Muslim country; that is going to happen no matter what.' And he added, 'If you are asking me, Am I willing to live with that, versus living with a nuclear Iran, my answer is still the same - We cannot live with a nuclear Iran.' A former Arab leader, in close touch with current leaders, speaking privately and not for attribution, told this reporter July 6, 'All the Middle Eastern and Gulf leaders now want Iran taken out of the nuclear arms business, and they all know sanctions won't work.'" (ArnauddeBorchgrave)



(January Jones via style)

"With many of the actresses in attendance clad in Louis Vuitton, Brittany Snow joked that she felt a bit left out. 'Apparently, I didn't get the memo,' she said, pointing to her Phi top. January Jones, who did receive the memo and looked fetching in a pair of natty Louis Vuitton trousers and a matching navy top, held court in a corner of the terrace, relaxing and chitchatting with friends. It was a surprising sight for those more accustomed to seeing the actress as the tightly wound 1960's housewife Betty Draper on Mad Men. In fact, the only time Jones clammed up was when asked (read: begged) for spoilers about the show's hotly anticipated fourth season, which premieres on July 25. 'All I can say is it's going to be good,' she demurred. 'I mean, I don't want to lose my job!'" (Style)



"With a whopping 101 Emmy nods, HBO’s decade of TV awards domination would seem in very good order for 2010 and beyond. But a closer look shows that when it comes to the coveted original series nominations, its main cable rivals have caught up to – and now passed – the premium channel. In fact, for the first time ever, AMC and Showtime both got more Emmy nominations for original shows than HBO. HBO still gets bragging rights as the most-nominated network by far – an honor it’s held for a decade running. The next-most nominated network is ABC, with 63. And neither Showtime (24 total) nor AMC (26 total) come close to HBO’s total nominations haul. But most of HBO's nominations this year came from movies, documentaries and mini-series, not the original shows that were once the network's calling card, like 'The Sopranos,' 'Six Feet Under,' 'Sex & The City' and 'The Wire.'" (TheWrap)




"Saturday evening, the who's who of the art and fashion worlds converged to the Parrish Museum for the big event. Separate tents for cocktails and dinner were decorated with flora and fauna worthy of a Louis XIV Ball. Art world stars like Chuck Close and Eric Fischl collided with fashion world cognoscenti, including Donna Karan and Isaac Mizrahi, for an unforgettable event. Dancing continued past midnight in the balmy night air. The next morning, we convened for breakfast, with visits from various friends and family including James Solomon of Solomon Contemporary. Last minute preparations were being made for 'Hunt & Chase,' co-curated by Beth and James. The exhibition later that afternoon surveyed various contemporary artists interpretations of hunting scenes, both friendly and fearsome. Some of our favorites included the work of Marina Abramovic, Walton Ford, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Texan Artist Bob Wade, whom we had the pleasure to meet. The crowd at the opening was diverse and exciting ranging from Teen Vogue's Amy Astley to photographer Spencer Tunic. We all hopped in our cars (and we hopped in our Ferrari) and caravaned to Townline BBQ for ribs and art talk." (Brian Wolk and Claude Morais
/ Fashionweekdaily)



"I’ve been living in New York for just over a month now, it’s great! I miss London kind of but not really. Change is good; I’ve officially decided. In fact we all need to make more of an effort to frighten ourselves out of our everyday, everyday. Take note! That was a very un-me thing to say, I know, but I’ve just had some stimulants and am feeling uncharacteristically chipper at the moment. As I'm still relatively new to NYC, I figured now is a good time to make a list of some of the observations / sweeping generalizations I’ve made about this city and the people in it since moving here. Here goes! 1. The hot girl / hot guy radio = insanely depressing. What the fuck?! This city is crawling with beautiful, half naked, horny women and there are NO hot guys! I’ve seen like 3 potential fucks in the past month, and I’m being generous at that. Despair! (Hot guys take note.) 2. People LOVE cocaine .." (Karly)



"The fashion world has been buzzing all day with the news that Jeremy Scott, one of our favorite designers, will be guest-starring on upcoming episodes of The Young and The Restless. We were lucky enough to get the scoop straight from the source before his debut tomorrow." (Papermag)