"Reviled by Democrats and generally avoided as a campaign talking point by his fellow Republicans, the former president is in a self-imposed political exile — an absence that was underscored in the last two weeks as his father and brother backed Mitt Romney. Reviled by Democrats and generally avoided as a campaign talking point by his fellow Republicans, the former president is in a self-imposed political exile — an absence that was underscored in the last two weeks as his father and brother backed Mitt Romney ... Like many former Bush hands, most of whom declined to speak for the record, Fleischer suggested Bush is getting a raw deal from his fellow Republicans. 'He’s taken a lot of hits, and politicians know how to read polls, and I understand why they’re not asking President Bush to stand at their side. But I think it’s unfortunate,' (former Bush Spokesperson Ari Fleischer)said." (Politico)
"New York Post scribe Jeanne MacIntosh reports today that she—and not her editor, Col Allan—is the paper’s connection with alleged Mommy Madam Anna Gristina. Her story contained a false assertion, namely that we claimed 'that the editor in chief of the New York Post, Col Allan, had a close friendship with Gristina and suggested that he had allowed that relationship to interfere with his professional responsibilities as the paper’s top editor.' In fact, our story said no such thing. We never claimed that Mr. Allan was friends with Ms. Gristina, only that she said he was on surveillance audio. Our reporting indicated that multiple sources had reported the existence of a surveillance tape on which Ms. Gristina boasted about a personal relationship with Mr. Allan. We were not able to determine whether the alleged madam’s claim was true or not, and never claimed to. Our story clearly stated: 'Ms. Gristina reportedly boasted of her years-long close association with the editor, whom she referred to as a ‘very, very good friend,’ and explained that she had personally been responsible for tips leading to more than a few of the Post’s most memorable cover stories.'" (Observer)
"Over the weekend, I read 'Dropping Names' by Frank Langella. Liz Smith recommended it. It’s 'a memoi'” but the author’s approach is to tell you about the people he met along the way. Like the title says: he drops names, and you pick them up with pleasure. It’s a clever because if you don’t know anything about the man (except perhaps the parts he’s played), you learn enough to think about him while he entertains you with his true-life yarns and fables. The technique makes for an extremely easy read. I say that especially for those of you who think you can’t sit still with a book for five minutes. With this one you could have ADD and still rip through it. His first chapter is on meeting Marilyn Monroe. I won’t tell you about it because the denouement is such a pleasure that I don’t want to spoil your fun. Then there’s one where Jack and Jackie Kennedy appear. Again, I don’t want to spoil it for you. It touches you. Mr. Langella never loses his place in talking about the famous and the notorious whose paths he’s crossed. He is still that kid of Bayonne, New Jersey who grew up to become a very successful actor and quite at home in the corridors of power, ballyhoo and fame. Not to mention the theatrical. In the meantime you get to know these people because he answers the age old question: 'What was it like? What was she like? What was he like?' And you laugh. There’s a line of Noel Coward’s that had me laughing so loudly I might have waked the neighbors."(NySocialDiary)
"Dear Novak, I have started a breeding colony of super talented hot Serbians and I need your DNA- just kidding! Seriously, you are the number one tennis player in the world; and you are number one in my eyes ...According to William Wright’s superb book Born That Way (Knopf), sense of humor and competitiveness are inherent, and beyond mere family there exist shared cultural traits. Djokovic loves to do funny impressions, I too am a goofball. He loves to throw rackets, so do I, as did my sister Catherine all throughout our childhood. Privileged to be introduced to the beguiling game of tennis when we were teenagers, we rebelled; stubbornness is also, allegedly, a Serbian characteristic. Many a graphite racket was reshaped, like tree tops in the wind, by hurling it at the fence surrounding the court, where sometimes it stuck. After countless hours logged in front of a ball machine I discovered I was not much enthralled with working up a sweat and retreated indoors to watch televised matches and sip iced lemonade and write stories. Well done Novak, I wish you all the best. After conquering tennis if you want to be a footballer, or a singer or an actor I will follow your journey with keen interest. Your number one fan, Kristina Oksenberg aka Christina Oxenberg PS: shout out to Princess Jelisaveta Karageorgevic, and Ana Ivanovic, and all good Serbs." (Christina Oxenberg)
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