Friday, May 04, 2012

Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

 

"They say they don’t want the vice presidency — that they like the jobs they have now, aren’t seeking national office and can’t imagine Mitt Romney would ever pick them. But for the handful of GOP rising stars viewed as potential running mates, actions speak louder than words. The veepstakes tryouts have begun, and in a remarkably public way. And for Romney’s potential number twos, many of whom have vehemently denied that they’re interested in the job, the coming weeks and months require a delicate dance between not appearing too interested in joining the ticket but still proving their mettle. We’re in the phase now that I’d call the vice presidential casting call — everyone’s effectively being called in to read their line and see if they’ll be cast for the role,' said Democratic strategist Chris Lehane, who worked for Al Gore’s 2000 campaign.
The showy manner in which these pols are demonstrating their support for Romney raises the question: How do you keep yourself in the veep sweepstakes while still not looking like you’re begging for the job?" (Politico)


"The death of Benzion Netanyahu, the father of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was announced just before 8 a.m. on Monday, April 30, Israeli time. By nightfall, the elder Netanyahu was interred in the soil of Jerusalem, where the old man had lived in the same home in the Old Katamon quarter for the last 60 of his 102 years. 'I never told you how proud I am that you are the man you are,' Israel's premier eulogized, 'and that I am your son.' In death, as in life, Benzion was a polarizing figure. Leftist Israelis bid good riddance to a man they scorned as an unrepentant militarist and bigot, while those on the right extolled the deceased's erudition, ideological purity, and vital contributions to the Zionist project. The real issue, though, is what Benzion means to Bibi. Received wisdom says that to understand the prime minister, you have to first understand his father -- a view that Netanyahu has long dismissed as 'psychobabble' and 'psychoanalysis.' But while nobody should expect the premier to transform into a dove now that he is clear of his father's shadow, there is a grain of truth to the claim: Netanyahu's political life has long been an attempt to find a balance between the unwavering ideals of his father and the need to reach a modus vivendi with rivals in Jerusalem, Ramallah, and, occasionally, Washington." (ForeignPolicy)


"Aside from everything else, Art is the name of the game in New York right now. Yesterday was the opening of Frieze Art Fair New York on Randall’s Island. This was a major art world event, and people came from all over for it. The night before last over at Sotheby’s, Edvard Munch’s 'The Scream' sold for almost $120 million, the highest price ever paid for a painting. On Wednesday, the second edition of the Art and Antiques Dealers League of America’s SpringShowNYC opened at the Park Avenue Armory (running through Sunday). The evening was sponsored by 1stdibs, to benefit the ASPCA. 63 top-tier dealers were showing an incredible array of art and antiques from antiquities through the 20th century. Honorary co-chairs were: Amy Fine Collins, Somers and Jonathan Farkas, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, and Hilary Geary Ross and Wilbur Ross. Co-chairs of the Connoisseurs Committee were:  Michael Bruno, Mario Buatta, Robert Couturier, Celerie Kemble, Edward Lobrano, Brian McCarthy, Miles Redd, Ellen and Chuck Scarborough, Michael Smith, Bunny Williams, Vicente Wolf, and this writer." (NYSocialDiary)


"My friend Michael Mailer is producing a film which will be directed by the terrific James Toback and starring Alec Baldwin. They’re already shooting it, and the greatest of all Greek thespians starts his role in ten days onboard my yacht. (I have a fight with Baldwin and we both fall overboard.) Graydon Carter has given us permission to shoot during the Vanity Fair bash at the Cannes Film Festival, which means a broken-down old actor like me might finally get lucky. (Nurse Jenny, eat your heart out. And you, too, Jessica Raine.) (Taki Theodoracopoulos)


"'I didn't know she was an artist,' said one gallery hopper last night at Courtney Love's debut exhibition, entitled And She's Not Even Pretty, at Fred Torres Collaborations in Chelsea. Gazing at one of the drawings, featuring a doll-like woman resembling Love with the phrase 'I'm a celebrity, get me out of here' scribbled across it in red, he added, "But if I were to envision what her art would look like, it would look exactly like this. Like, exactly this, #whitegirlrockerproblems.' The white girl rocker in question—whose art, like her music, is a compelling mash-up of confrontation and vulnerability—made her entrance more than an hour after the likes of Julian Schnabel, Steven Klein, and Olivier Theyskens began filtering into the small studio space. 'What I am is nervous. I can't hide behind my guitar in here,' Love told Style.com as she lit up a cigarette. 'It ain't a rock show, that's for sure. I only went to San Francisco Art Institute for two years, mainly so I could get my allowance. Basically, I just wanted to be a rock star and a movie star. I wanted to either go to Miss Porter's to be a lady, or Chatham Hall, or Interlochen, because Tatum O'Neal won an Oscar when I was two and I wanted one too.'" (Style)

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