Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

"One of the stranger phenomenons of President Barack Obama's foreign-policy record is the extent to which he gets blamed for the things he does well -- and gets something of a pass for the places where he deserves the most criticism. For example, perhaps the most prominent and widely expressed criticism of Obama by Republicans is that he apologizes for America -- even though he has never done any such thing. He is accused of throwing Israel under the bus -- though from any unbiased reading of the president's record on Israel he has done nothing of the sort. Even on Iran, an issue where the differences in his policy approach from Republicans are barely visible, he is regularly attacked by the GOP for insufficient rigor in seeking to prevent the mullahs in Tehran from getting a bomb. Yet, on Afghanistan, where Obama's record is the weakest, he has operated with a surprising lack of political scrutiny. But with this weekend's massacre of 16 civilians by a U.S. staff sergeant, which comes on the heels of riots over the burning of Qurans by U.S. troops (and in the harsh klieg lights of a presidential campaign), it's possible that Obama's free ride on Afghanistan might be coming to an end. Indeed, recent poll numbers suggest that Americans are growing sick of the war -- 60 percent now say the war was not worth the cost, while 54 percent say that it's time to bring the troops home now, even if the Afghan National Army is unprepared to take over security from the U.S. and NATO." (ForeignPolicy)

"She was one of America's most mysterious characters, her life the subject of speculation and intrigue. Huguette Clark, who died last year at the age of 104, was reputedly the nation's fourth richest woman - and now a selection of her dazzling jewels are going on sale. The copper heiress' estate is gradually being sold off following her death in May. The recluse had not been photographed since 1930 and few knew about her private world. The latest items to go on sale from the heiress' haul are a set of stunning jewels - with a single pink, nine carat, cushion-cut diamond among the collection which alone may fetch as much as $15million. The showstopping gem is joined by two dazzling diamond bracelets, a diamond ring, a brooch and a charm bracelet, all of which are in their original boxes ... According to NBCs Today show, Ms Clark would have likely kept the jewels in a family bank vault since the Forties. They would have had rare outings at best - especially as the heiress spent the last twenty of her life in various New York hospital beds." (DailyMail)

"I met Kathy S at Trattoria dell’Arte on the corner of Seventh Avenue and 57th Street at 6:30. I hadn’t been there in years but I remembered it was good. Kathy told me she’s been there many times because she often goes to Carnegie Hall. She loves Carnegie Hall and takes it all in. She even walks there (she lives in the East Sixties). We shared a Margherita pizza and then the spaghetti with pesto ... All this from meeting Kathy before the concert in Carnegie Hall. Which was the real star of the night: “The Music of the Rolling Stones; Hot Rocks 1964 – 1971.” Produced by Michael Dorf. Mr. Dorf, who has been producing music in New York for 25 years, put this together. It is part of Carnegie Hall’s “Tribute” series which he’s been bringing about – including the Music of Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen Elton John, Neil Sedaka, REM, the Who and Neal Young. He’s also done the program Central Park Summerstage with the Music of Simon & Garfunkel.  Kathy and I both came of age on this music. And music always takes us some place else, and in my case anyway, it’s an easy pick for nostalgia. I recently found 70s Retro on my iTunes radio not long along. WOGL somewhere. The other night I just got up and danced to some of that 70s disco. The dogs thought I was losing it. In the finale Mary Ann Faithfull came back to sing the first song she and Mick wrote, 'Sister Morphine.' It was a benefit last night. 100% of the net profit from the evening benefits Church Street School for Music & Art, the Pinwheel Project, Music Unites, The American Symphony Orchestra, Young Audiences New York, Fixing Instruments for Kids in Schools, The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, Midon and Friends, and the Center for Arts Education." (NYSocialDiary)

"What happens when Oprah is on the premises, Diane von Furstenberg is running the eponymous show, Tina Brown is co-hosting, Rep. Nancy Pelosi is in attendance, and the setting is the U.N.? Welcome to the third annual DvF Awards, the intimate, lounge-y celebration of womankind on Friday evening from which it was tough to leave without being a smidge touched, a little bit inspired, and much more fulfilled than one's typical TGIF antics probably entail. As for the co-hosts, regardless of their collective experience with soirees and PAs galore, concerns still cropped up--of the too-much-fun variety, thankfully. 'I just hope there aren’t too many people! The room is small, and we have more people than we’ve had in the past,' remarked von Furstenberg as a duo of twee-vF's flocked to their glam grandma's side. 'Did you eat something yet?! Are you hungry? Or did you eat before?' DvF asked the girls with a protective hug and a bit of grandmotherly affection in her voice. 'Every woman ever encountered in the fashion business has a girl crush on DvF; everyone aspires to have her easy confidence and intelligence,' enthused Brown of the woman and the 'powerful Pulitzers of courage' that von Furstenberg's namesake awards represent. 'I even toyed with the idea of naming myself Tina von Brown for some time. I have such a girl crush!'" (FashionweekDaily)

"British billionaire Sir Philip Green is throwing a lavish party for his 60th birthday at a luxury resort in Mexico. Guests were not told the secret location of the bash before boarding private planes from London and Miami yesterday. They were told to arrive at a private airfield with passports and clothing for a warm-weather destination. The fortunate 150 are believed to include Simon Cowell, Kate Moss, Iranian property moguls Robbie and Vincent Tchenguiz, plus many of the jet-set crowd. Green, who is worth more than $7 billion and owns British Home Stores, Topshop and Arcadia Group, is reported to have booked Rihanna, Bruno Mars and Stevie Wonder to perform at the four- day party, at a cost of nearly $5 million. And guests have also been asked to submit their measurements, as outfits will be provided for a themed costume party. Green is well known for throwing lavish bashes — for his 50th, he dressed as Emperor Nero for a toga party in Cyprus, with Rod Stewart serenading his guests." (PageSix)