Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

"Pity sub-Saharan Africa -- but maybe for not much longer. In the first decade of the new millennium, six of the world's ten fastest-growing economies (Angola, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Chad, Mozambique, and Rwanda) were from this region. And in eight of the past ten years, it has grown faster than Asia. To be sure, some of the region's growth stars owe their success in part to the global boom in commodity prices, most notably in oil. But Ethiopia managed to grow by 7.5 percent last year without producing a drop of petroleum. (Ethiopia's brightest newest export: cut flowers.) Note, too, that average incomes in sub-Saharan Africa are still very low; for example, the per capita income in Chad is below $1,800 measured in terms of purchasing power, less than a tenth that of Poland or the Czech Republic. It will thus take decades of years of growth to bring living standards to acceptable levels. But according to the IMF, the region is on track to grow by six percent this year, about the same as Asia." (ForeignPolicy)

"If not raining, then often cloudy, all of which means cooler weather; much preferred to the summer heat and humidity that will come our way sooner or later.Quieter on the social calendar too, but not entirely for this is New York after all. Also, feeling under the weather – a creeping-up-on-me cold or sinus condition – I was frankly too tired to go much. And so I missed a 'Cocktails and Conversation' hosted by Brooke Neidich and Dr. Harold Koplewicz at Paola’s restaurant on Madison and 92nd Street. Dr. Koplewicz, who is the President and Founder (along with Mrs. Neidich) spoke on the Institute’s progress and what they are doing that is important to every young family. The Child Mind Institute is dedicated to transforming the mental health care of children everywhere – a big undertaking being  made by the undaunted. They are committed to finding more effective treatments for childhood psychiatric and learning disorders, building the science of healthy brain development, and empowering children and their families with the information they need to get help, have hope and find answers ... At the same hour, down on East 65th Street, my friend Christopher Walling was showing new collection of his jewelry designs 'to celebrate summer' at Baby Jane Holzer’s house. For all those girls looking for something beautifully spectacular for those chic dinners on summer nights in Nantucket, Aspen, or Southampton (and all the other Hamptons)." (NYSocialDiary)

"All happy families are more or less similar"

"London’s big scandal this past week involves a rapper, a Rothschild, and a handsome son of the late businessman James Goldsmith. The British tabloids have been going bananas because record producer Kate Rothschild (from the billionaire banking family) has been cuckolding her husband Ben (from the billionaire Goldsmith dynasty) with one of her clients, a New Orleans rapper. As the couple’s nine-year marriage broke down, they took to Twitter to vent their frustrations, then quickly stopped after considering that they have three small children and aren’t rappers themselves. The couple is awfully young to be having such grown-up problems. She is 29 and he is 31, though age doesn’t seem to stop any of the Goldsmiths from divorcing before 35. Ben’s brother Zac and his sister Jemima both married right out of college, produced multiple children, then split from their spouses before taking up with other high-profile individuals. Jemima famously dated Hugh Grant, and Zac left his wife Sheherazade Bentley for Alice Rothschild, Kate’s sister. While a union between rich dynastic families such as the Rothschilds and the Goldsmiths appears perfect on paper, marriage is altogether another reality, one which these kids are not necessarily equipped to handle considering their family histories. James Goldsmith had children with four different women. Kate’s father Amschel Rothschild committed suicide when Kate was only 14." (Takimag)

"Last week, it was brilliantly (and falsely) rumored that Angelina Jolie was in discussions to direct the big-screen adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey, E. J. James’s bodice-ripping best-seller. While Universal Studios has not reported any developments about which filmmakers will be involved, novelist Bret Easton Ellis recently offered his services in a screenwriting capacity. Taking to Twitter, Easton Ellis—who has co-written the screenplay for the adaptation of his book The Informers—wrote, 'Okay. Today the team has been briefed and we will be approaching the studio this week about BEE adapting ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ into a film.' Among the potential names he’d like to see in the lead role of Ana: Kristen Stewart, Scarlett Johansson, or—his preferred choice—Lena Dunham. For Ana's seductive partner, Grey, Easton Ellis suggests Alex Pettyfer, Logan Marshall-Green, or Ryan Gosling, even going so far to propose a potential line-up: 'David Cronenberg directing. Bret Easton Ellis writing. Ryan Gosling acting. Fifty Shades of Grey team.' (As soon as my silkscreen kit arrives in the mail, this tagline will be available on T-shirts and beach towels, where it belongs.)" (VanityFair)





"Howard (Stern) mentioned that Henry Hill has died. He said he was 69 years old. He said that he was the guy that they based 'Goodfellas' on. Robin said that's such a good movie. Howard played a clip of a news reporter talking about Henry dying. She said he reformed. Howard said he never reformed. He said he was a despicable guy and he never reformed. Howard said they got a lot of different Henry's on the show. Howard said they'd get him on the show drunk and then he'd say he was sober. He said he was a pathological liar. Howard said he had those awful paintings he did and he was selling those. Howard said he had a spaghetti sauce that he sold too. He said he was out of his fucking mind ... Howard had this guy Pauly on the phone. He used to call in when Henry was on the phone and he'd go off on him every time. Howard asked if he was happy today. Pauly said the news did kind of put a smile on his face last night. Pauly said he hated Henry because he was a rat and a stool pigeon. He said he never killed anybody. He said he was just a gopher and a delivery boy. Howard asked if he thinks he embellished on the truth and made himself out to be more in the mob than he was. Pauly said that's exactly it. Howard asked if he thinks he was in on the Lufthansa heist. Pauly said he could have made a few bucks on it but he wasn't actually there doing anything. He said that the other guys had money and Henry was around the money and they spread the wealth. Howard said he was immortalized in that movie. Pauly said he was." (Marksfriggin)