Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

"The size of China’s urban real estate market is staggering: There are more than 160 Chinese cities with populations over one million people. (The United States has nine.) Real estate investment makes up more than 10 percent of China’s GDP and 20 percent of outstanding loans. China’s high building-turnover rate also helps keep demand high: In 2010, an expert in the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development estimated that buildings in China last just 25 to 30 years, compared with an average of 74 years in the United States. Analysts have been predicting the burst of the China real estate 'bubble' for years. If that moment does come, it will be disastrous for the Chinese economy, and the global repercussions could be significant." (Politico)



















"The Time 100 Gala drew the most influential in the entertainment, media and political worlds, including Twitter’s Jack Dorsey and girlfriend Kate Greer (global director of social media and digital strategy for fashion brand Alice + Olivia), who sat with venture capitalist Vivi Nevo and Martha Stewart. Google’s Eric Schmidt — still married to wife Wendy — skipped the cocktail reception and arrived at the gala dinner with glamorous brunette Bengi Korkmaz, a partner at McKinsey &Company’s Istanbul office, with whom sources naturally insist he is 'just friends.'" (P6)







"When Craig Ferguson announced yesterday that he would be 'consciously uncoupling' from CBS come December, some Ferguson fans felt as though the decision was related to him being passed over as David Letterman’s Late Show successor, in favor of Stephen Colbert. But in a new interview, Ferguson claims that there are multiple reasons for his exit from CBS—none of which relate to him feeling as though he was dissed by the network. 'It wasn’t contentious,' Ferguson tells Variety of the upcoming split. 'I was just like, ‘I feel like I’m done.’' In fact, Ferguson claims that he had begun working out the details of his CBS departure before Letterman even announced his own retirement earlier this month. “It’s an inevitable thing when David announced his retirement, people are going to say, ‘Oh he’s leaving because of that.’ No matter what I say or what I do, they’re gonna say that.'The truth, Ferguson claims, is that, 'Ten years is a very long time in one job—for me. I wanted to leave the show before I stopped enjoying it. That was my goal. I didn’t want it to be a chore. . . . The whole idea is that show business should have some adventure to it, I think.' He even goes so far as to claim that he never had his eye on inheriting Letterman’s Late Show (even though he had a clause in his contract stipulating that if he did not succeed Letterman, he would receive a sizable payout from CBS.)" (VF)




"Last Monday night at Capitale on 130 Bowery, Symphony Space hosted its Spring gala, Fiddler at 50, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Fiddler on the Roof.  They honored Sheldon Harnick, the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning lyricist behind the iconic musical.  Symphony Space’s Gala was co-chaired by Lenore Davis and Amy Wilson. Honorary co-chairs for the evening were Mary Rodgers Guettel, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Harold Prince, and Stephen Sondheim. The evening was hosted by BD Wong. Performers included Kate Baldwin, Christina Bianco, Stephanie J. Block, Len Cariou, La Tanya Hall, Clint Holmes, Tovah Feldshuh, Linda Lavin, Megan McGinnis, Trevor McQueen, Jane Monheit, Christine Pedi, Andrew Rannells, Tori Scott and Leslie Uggams. Violinist Christian Hebel performed the role of The Fiddler. " (NYSD)