Media Whore D'Oeuvres

"Finally, about Qaddafi's Viagra. This came up in our discussion about the competing claims on Saif al-Islam Gaddafi by the ICC and the Libyan interim government, and whether Libyan courts could possibly be 'capable and willing' to try him and other top regime officials. 'Absolutely not' at the current time, ( Arab international law expert Cherif Bassiouni) answered, though it would not be impossible to create an effective body with 5-10 good judges and some training, capacity building, and international support. Such a trial would be conducted according to local law, however, which would not necessarily accord with the statutes of the ICC. But Saif personally posed another problem for prosecutors: establishing his role in his father's demonstrably paranoid and capricious decision-making. And here Bassiouni did, indeed, begin to speak about Qaddafi's sex addiction. (I started coughing right about then, as you'll see in the video). Qaddafi, he argued, had serious psychiatric problems for which he had long been self-medicating. He was extremely secretive and paranoid. On top of that, well, let's go to the tape: 'Most people don't know, he was almost addicted, he had sexual addiction, consumed enormous amounts of viagra and other similar pills, which had a very serious negative effect when combined with his other medication'  How did Bassiouni know this? Sometimes, it's perhaps better not to ask." ((ForeignPolicy)


"THE buzz from Zimbabwe’s whirring rumour mill had Robert Mugabe, the country’s 88-year-old president, fighting for his life in a Singapore hospital. His hardline defence minister, Emmerson Mnangagwa, known as “the crocodile”, was said to be hatching a deathbed succession deal. A coup by the defence chief, said fearmongers, could mean renewed chaos. Hogwash, retorted loyalists. The president had flown to Singapore on a private holiday, and would soon be back. In fact, Mr Mugabe did rush home to quash the rumours. Yet everyone knows that the president visited Singapore no fewer than eight times last year. This was said to be for check-ups following an eye operation. But according to WikiLeaks, a top Mugabe confidant told American diplomats in 2008 that the president was suffering from prostate cancer and was not expected to live for more than three to five years. Despite all the hair-dye, Botox and revitalising drugs pumped into him by his doctors, Africa’s oldest leader has appeared increasingly doddery of late. While he continues to play his public role reasonably well, everyone knows he could pop off at any time. The sudden death of nearby Malawi’s president, Bingu wa Mutharika, from a heart attack on April 5th, has helped to focus concern." (Economist)

"Wednesday/the Michael’s lunch. Mob scene. Bonnie Fuller was at her regular Wednesday Table One with a whole gang, beginning with Gerry Byrne, plus Marc Carver, Carlos Lamadrid, Judge Jeanine Pirro, Elizabeth Park, Norma Kamali (whose got a great boutique around the corner on 56th between Fifth and Sixth); Luanne Zurlo of the World Fund, Lynn Tersoro, Marcy Fisher, James Meigs ... Around the room: Diane Dimond, Judy Twesky, Jennifer Bristol, Brian Balthazar; next door: William Lauder with Steve Rubenstein; then Charles Grodin and John Gabriel. Stan Shuman was with James Murdoch, the Murdoch son who stepped down from his post at BSkyB two weeks ago in a haze of the British phone hacking scandal. Mr. Murdoch, who is the youngest son of Rupert, in this restaurant jammed with media people, is a very conscientious, studious looking young man (he’s forty but he looks younger), ironically innocuous considering his high public profile and the current state of things. He went largely unnoticed by the crowd, which no doubt was fine with him." (NYSocialDiary)

"Howard (Stern) started the show talking about how he was listening to Ted Nugent. He said that guy is a lunatic. He said he's just nuts ... Howard said Ted made some statements and he had the audio of what he said. Howard played the clip and Ted was talking about why President Obama and Hillary Clinton are criminals in his mind. Ted wouldn't say what crimes they committed but he said everyone knows what they are. Ted also said we have to get involved and engaged. He said we let the enemy in and bent over for them. Howard said he's not sure what he's talking about. Robin said she doesn't care. She said he's a rock and roller and that's all he is. Howard said he should be playing Cat Scratch Fever and that's it. Howard said maybe that's the problem ... Howard said he would like to see President Bush put on trial. He thinks that he actually did some things wrong. Howard said they really do have to get Ted back in there to talk about this stuff. Howard played more of Ted talking about the President. Howard said Ted was talking about ''chopping their heads off'' at the voting booth and he doesn't think he was literal. Howard said the Secret Service is keeping an eye on him now after some of the comments he made. Howard played more of Ted's rant and how this country became what it was because they defied the King. He said we're Braveheart. Howard said that this guy really isn't brave just because he shoots animals with a gun. Ted was talking about chopping their heads off in the clip so Howard pointed out that a lot of guys who have guns are just a bunch of pussies." (Marksfriggin)

"When we ran into Judd Apatow at Vanity Fair's party for the Tribeca Film Festival, the filmmaker fretted that he was far too underdressed. 'I thought this was like a film festival, where you don't dress up!' he said to us. 'I gotta go in there and talk to Graydon Carter in jeans?' It turns out, Apatow's fears were justified, as we discovered later at the party while chatting up Vanity Fair head honcho Carter. 'Did you see Judd Apatow?' the impeccably styled Carter asked us. 'He's here. Underdressed, as usual.' What would Carter do about the situation? 'Tolerate it. What else?' We tried to explain on Apatow's behalf that he didn't realize there was a dress code, but Carter wasn't having it. 'Yeah, that's what he said,' sniffed Carter. 'That's formal wear in Southern California, you know. He does have a suit. I've seen him in a tuxedo. He is capable of looking better. I mean, if this was in California, that would be acceptable, dressing like an eight year old.'" (NYMag)

"Media Power Mazel Tovs: Also from inside The Daily, we hear Media Power Couple (Class of ’11) Mike Nizza and Claire Howorth are engaged! Matrimony fever appears to be spreading: Another Media Power Couple (Class of ’11) from The Daily—their Fearless Leader/Murdoch Dream-to-Reality Manifester Jesse Angelo and Rebecca Dana of The Daily Beast are also, we hear, now engaged and set to marry in the coming months. Boy, to be a fly on a caterer’s tray at that wedding. Also, we had something about destination weddings being the norm here vis-a-vis the whole 'you can only read it on an iPad' mandate but it didn’t make it through the subway ride this morning ... Adios, Nomigos: Here’s a not-at-all-fond adieu to the absurdity that are entitled commenters, who Gawker Media killed en masse at 6AM yesterday morning. Somehow, the simple point of 'THEY ARE COMMENTERS' escapes most high-falutin’ discussions about their nature. To briefly editorialize, it is this writer’s opinion that comment sections should be treated like cow dung: disregarded and overlooked as a rule, except when in search of psychoactive fungi growth. This is the first time comments have been offline on all Gawker posts since September of 2005, when they first introduced them. Silence is golden." (Observer)