Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

"President Barack Obama has won re-election. However, in addition to all of the constraints on him that I discussed last week, he won the election with almost half the people voting against him. His win in the Electoral College was substantial -- and that's the win that really matters -- but the popular vote determines how he governs, and he will govern with one more constraint added to the others. The question is whether this weakens him or provides an opportunity. That is not determined by his policies but by the strategic situation, which, in my view, gives the United States some much-needed breathing room. At the moment, the international system is built on three pillars: the United States, Europe and China. Europe, if it were united, would be very roughly the same size as the United States in terms of economy, population and potential military power. China is about a third the size of the other two economically, but it has been the growth engine of the world, making it more significant than size would indicate. The fundamental problem facing the world is that two of these three pillars are facing existential crises, while the third, the United States, is robust only by comparison. Europe is in recession and, faced with a banking and sovereign debt crisis, is trying to reconcile the divergent national interests that were supposed to merge into a united Europe. China, dependent on exports to maintain its economy, is confronting the fact that many of its products are no longer competitive in the international market because of rising costs of labor and land. The result is increasing tension within the ruling Communist Party over the direction it should take." (Stratfor)

"So, why did the FBI bother to investigate the e-mails in the first place? The latest salacious detail to emerge in the rapidly unfolding story provides some possible insight. According to The Wall Street Journal's sources, the FBI agent friend who first heard Kelley's complaints about the e-mails is now under investigation by the agency for questionable conduct, including sending shirtless photos of himself to Kelley. The Daily Beast's source says that when the FBI friend first showed the e-mails to fellow agents in the Tampa field office, they questioned if the matter was worth pursuing since there were no clear threats. It was a 'close call,' but they decided that the messages might constitute harassment and opened an investigation. The Journal reports that the agent was banned from taking part in the investigation over the summer after his supervisors started to worry that he'd become 'obsessed' with the case. The October the same agent reportedly leaked information about the scandal to GOP Congressman Dave Reichert, who then told Eric Cantor. 'I don’t know if it would have taken this course without Cantor,' said a person involved in the investigation. Even after learning of the investigation, Petraeus initially had no plans to resign. Peter Mansoor, a retired Army colonel who served as Petraeus's executive officer in Iraq, tells the Washington Post, 'Once he knew it was going to go public, he thought that resigning was the right thing to do. There is no way it would have remained private.' Petraeus and Broadwell had attempted to keep their e-mails secret by saving them as drafts and then logging into each other's gmail accounts. The Associated Press notes that the trick is 'known to terrorists and teenagers alike,' so unsurprisingly it didn't fool FBI agents." (NYMag)

"Sunil Patel had never been published before he decided to go to Syria in August 2012 to become a war correspondent. Before his trip, the 25-year-old worked as a community-support officer for the London Police, lived with his mom and dad, and occasionally volunteered in Palestinian and Kurdish refugee camps. On one of his activist trips, Sunil befriended an ever so slightly more experienced freelance journalist from Canada who promised to take him into parts of Syria that were almost impossible for a foreigner to get to through legal routes. It was a foolish idea for sure, and he almost died several times during his trip, but we still think his story was worth the risk. And no, VICE did not send him there. He did this of his own accord, and we found out about it after the fact." (VICE)

"After the break Howard (Stern) came right back and had Sandra Bernhard come in. Howard said she is so connected to show business. Howard said she lives and breathes it. Howard said that he has heard a lot of stories from her and they always come back to her. Howard said the big scandal was with Arnold Schwarzenegger this year and the woman that he hit on initially was Sandra. Sandra said she was on the beach and Arnold got down on one knee to talk to her. She said it was very chivalrous. Sandra told Howard that she's on this new show called DTLA on the Logo network. She said that they're trying to reach out a little more other than the gay thing. She said she plays the mother of the lead character on the show. She said her son on the show is a gay man. She said that she tells him to pull his shit together on the show. She said Melanie Griffith plays her ex on the show. Howard asked how she's looking. Sandra said she looks great. Howard said he almost did a movie with her years ago. Howard asked if she shot this thing yet. Sandra said she did and the show airs this Friday on Logo. Howard said that Sandra was offered the part of Amanda in Sex and the City. Sandra said it was actually Miranda, not Amanda. Howard said that she turned the part down. Sandra said it wasn't enough money and she had no idea the show was going to be a hit. Howard asked if she pulled the hair out of her head when she watched the show. Sandra said she really didn't because she didn't see herself in that role. She said Cynthia Nixon was good in the role. Howard said she could have been a sexy friend. Sandra said she would have done something different on the show. Howard asked what they were offering her to do that. Sandra said it was $7,500 a week and she had done Roseanne and she was making a lot more than that. Howard said if she did that then she'd bring her price down. Sandra said that's what it was. She said that the show took a while to get its legs and they were making that kind of money for like 2 years." (Marksfriggin)

"It was a typically busy night on the Social Calendar. Fair weather, easy to get a cab. I went down to Archivia just before closing to pick up another copy of Tom Mankiewicz’  My Life As A Mankiewicz. I’m promoting this book because it’s such a pleasure, such an excellent diversion from all the angst in the air. If you love film and Hollywood and the last four decades of it all, this is a perfect gift for yourself, for your boyfriend, wife, husband, daughter, grandmother, son, nephew, grandfather. IF they just like the subject. Mank, as he was known to his good friends (or 'Tom' or 'Tommy') talks to you. He tells his story to you. I was halfway through the book before I realized that this champion screenwriter/director does great dialogue, and in this case it’s done to you, the reader. I was giving it as an early Christmas present to my friend Philip Carlson whom I was seeing last night at the ENCORES! Gala at City Center. Philip and I met in the mid-60s when we were both cast in a de Ghelderode play 'Christopher Columbus' off-off-off Broadway at the Judson Memorial Church in Brooklyn Heights. My only memory of it was meeting Philip. I wasn’t very good and managed to conveniently forget the whole experience. However it was one of those instant friendships with me and Philip. He went on to a career with a very successful off-Broadway play 'Until The Monkey Comes' and then signed a contract with Universal and moved to Hollywood with his first wife Patty, who was also an actress. He later quit acting and became an agent. He loves the business." (NYSocialDiary)