Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

"If ever there was a showman who knew how to end on a high note—leaving his awed and adoring audience begging for more—it is the man in the trademark black mock turtleneck. Even as an ailing Steve Jobs announced to the world last week that 'unfortunately, that day has come' for him to step down as chief executive officer of Apple, his timing was—yet again—impeccable. In the 14 years since Jobs regained control of his company in the summer of 1997 after a long, bitter exile, Apple shares have increased a stunning 110-fold. Having surpassed rival Microsoft a year ago, Apple’s $350 billion in market capitalization places it behind only ExxonMobil as the most valuable company in the world. Apple has made money so quickly and so prodigiously that it holds an outrageous $76 billion in cash and investments—an awesome sum thought to be parked in an obscure subsidiary, Braeburn Capital, located across the California border in Reno because the state of Nevada doesn’t have corporate or capital-gains taxes." (TheDailyBeast)

"Amply supplied for the weekend of potential meteorological catastrophe being promoted by the weather forecasters, I returned home to hunker down and await the lady called Irene. By then she had been downgraded officially. Earlier in the day I got an email from my sister who was on the West Coast of Florida. A friend of hers in Georgia had reported to her that the hurricane had already been downgraded before it hit the Carolinas. although that was not 'official.' The mayor’s shutting down the mass transit virtually shut down the city, making it problematic to go anywhere outside of your neighborhood. People with jobs who use mass transit to get to work couldn’t go unless they had a car. Many people who use mass transit do not have cars. The doorman at a building in my neighborhood told me that he took a taxi from his home in Brooklyn but because of the 'zone' fares, he took one cab to the Brooklyn Bridge for $15, walked over the bridge and took another cab uptown for a total of $31. Forty-six bucks to get to work. He also didn’t have to show up because of the weather and the rules but he did because he knew that if he didn’t someone else would have a double shift and then have trouble getting home. New Yorkers, you see, can be very thoughtful of others." (NYSocialDiary)

"Diane von Furstenberg canceled her celebrity-heavy 'Tanner Hall' Saturday screening after personally speaking to Mayor Bloomberg. She and Barry Diller were due to host the event at the UA Theater in Southampton with an after-party at Nobu, but called it off after heeding hurricane warnings from hizzoner. The film was co-directed by Diane’s daughter, Tatiana von Furstenberg, and Francesca Gregorini, the stepdaughter of Ringo Starr. Among the star-and-socialite studded crowd that had been expected were its star Rooney Mara, billionaire Ron Perelman, Andres and Lauren Santo Domingo, Vito and Lola Schnabel, Jay McInerney, Jane Wenner, Stefano Tonchi, Gina Gershon and Stavros Niarchos." (PageSix)

"A member of the '70s vocal group Labelle once told me that they broke up because they could no longer top their outfits and entrances. There was nowhere to go but out! For a while, I've felt that Lady Gaga might end up facing a similar problem. (No, she wouldn't break up as a result of it, but she could conceivably break down.) So, playing the vaguely Pacinoish (and Annie Lennox-ish) Jo Calderone on the VMAs last night was a very clever way to lose all the accessories yet flaunt a whole new persona. Gaga was wearing meat again--but this time it was in her pants. But I want to propose something even more radical for her next incarnation. For her own sake, here's what the woman needs to do next time..." (Musto)

"Readers of the online versions of Condé Nast publications will have to look no further than the bottom of their screens to see what content other readers have deemed worthy of a 'Tweet' on Twitter or a 'like' on Facebook. And right below that social media will be a hefty dose of advertising. On Monday, the magazine publisher will begin using a module called the Condé Nast Social Sidekick at the bottom of article pages for the Web versions of magazines like W, Style.com, Glamour, Self, Teen Vogue and Lucky. 'Consumer engagement has become a top priority,' said Louis Cona, chief marketing officer at Condé Nast. The company is hoping the new tool will encourage readers to view content from other Condé Nast sites, while giving advertisers like Gucci, the premiere sponsor, the option to showcase their own multimedia promotions." (Decoder)