Media-Whore D'Oeuvres



"Madonna told Jimmy Choo that 'buying a pair of [his] shoes is more satisfying than having sex with a man. At least you know they are going to last forever!' Somewhere, Jesus Luz is cringing." (NYMag)



"I am as worldly as the next dreamer, but the scales fell from my eyes, the same ones that keep finding their way back to my eyes, when I opened The New Yorker a few weeks ago and found, in a portfolio of 'portraits of power,' Mussolini’s full-page face piggishly staring at me in chicly lurid detail, the very emblem of brutality made aesthetically acceptable. And when I turned the page there was Franco, in full generalissimo kit gazing coldly forward, every hair on his heartless mustache uncannily vivid in a miracle of photographic verisimilitude. Is nobody any longer beyond the pale? Is moral judgment now bad form? Is repugnance a thing of the past? I’m lying, of course. Neither Mussolini nor Franco appeared in The New Yorker’s exciting feature. But Ahmadinejad, Mugabe, Chávez, and Qaddafi did. They were shot--sorry, I’m dreaming again--they were photographed by Platon at the United Nations in September, where, according to an unsigned editor’s note, he set up a little studio not far from the General Assembly." (TNR)



"Anne Phillips Ogilby, a bond attorney at one of Boston’s oldest law firms, on Oct. 31 last year relayed an urgent message from Harvard University, her client and alma mater, to the head of a Massachusetts state agency that sells bonds. The oldest and richest academic institution in America needed help getting a loan right away. As vanishing credit spurred the government-led rescue of dozens of financial institutions, Harvard was so strapped for cash that it asked Massachusetts for fast-track approval to borrow $2.5 billion. Almost $500 million was used within days to exit agreements known as interest-rate swaps that Harvard had entered to finance expansion in Allston, across the Charles River from its main campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts." (Bloomberg)



"Few people were photographed more in the aughts than Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, which means we’ve enjoyed a front-row seat as they’ve morphed from a pair of matchy-matchy multi-millionaire tweens to two of the decade’s most influential trendsetters. Most famously, the sisters signaled an end to the opulence and head-to-toe designer looks of the early ’00s with their trademark dumpster chic. But anyone can have a 'moment'; more remarkable was the fact that their impact on fashion was just beginning." (Style)



"Cast around for the figures who shaped the geopolitics of the opening decade of the 21st century and Osama bin Laden and George W. Bush spring to mind. Al Qaeda’s terrorist spectacular on September 11 2001 seemed to describe a new epochal challenge to a west grown complacent after the defeat of communism. The US president’s response defined first the reach, and then the limits, of American power. Some might add Vladimir Putin to such a list. I am not so sure. Mr Putin has salved Russia’s wounded pride. He now plans to win back the presidency. Yet neither high oil prices nor bare-chested machismo have reversed the underlying trajectory of Russian decline. Eight years after the destruction of New York’s twin towers, Afghanistan and Pakistan are still the cockpit of a conflict rooted in fractured states, violent extremism and a wider struggle against modernity. Mr Bin Laden has evaded capture; Barack Obama, Mr Bush’s successor, confronts in the war against the Taliban the most dangerous enemy of his presidency. The risk of unconventional weapons falling into the hands of jihadists – think about Pakistan’s nuclear stockpile – amplifies western anxieties. For all that, there have been bigger, more enduring, changes in the global landscape. Seen through the long lens of history, Mr Bin Laden and Mr Bush may turn out to be relatively minor players in an era of tumultuous upheaval. The big clashes of coming decades are more likely to be between states as ideologies. The prevailing tensions will be between co-operation and competition, rules and anarchy, order and disorder." (FT)



"Being a Brit transplanted to Los Angeles who never owned a TV, I had never even heard of Dr. Drew Pinsky, who has made a career for himself as a television therapist, specializing particularly in addiction. I had never listened to his show Loveline; I had heard of, but never seen, Celebrity Rehab and its other spinoff, Sober House. After a few minutes with the producers, I decided that a public rehabilitation was not for me. They persuaded me to meet Dr. John Sealy, one of the most important sex therapists in California who was affiliated with the show and would also be occasionally treating the cast members and act as the show consultant. I liked and trusted him, but again I said no to the producers. Interestingly, during that meeting Sealy confided in me that the producers of Sex Rehab had very different intentions from his. He genuinely wanted to shine a light into the shaming world of sex addiction, while Irwin Entertainment seemed hellbent on drama and titillation. (As it turned out, Sealy’s involvement on the show was minimal because he was awkward in front of the cameras, and not nearly as televisual as reality TV demands.) As is the way of Hollywood, once I said no, they wouldn’t take no for an answer. After a protracted financial negotiation and contract re-jig, I signed. I was very eager to protect myself from opportunists who may have crawled out of the woodwork to make a quick buck. I insisted that in case of any spurious claims against me, Irwin Entertainment would seek to protect me. I was going to enter a facility committing to the process of sex rehabilitation—and I was going to submit to the vagaries of reality television at the same time." (Duncan Roy/TheDailyBeast)



"In my style bible, the freakier the better. In the next decade, the freaks shall inherit the earth. Presenting my top five fashion freakazoids of 2009 ...Daphne Guinness: No one teeters in Alexander McQueen lobster claw shoes or pulls off alien-like couture at 10 a.m. the way Daphne does. At least now we can smell like the brewskie heiress and Steven Klein muse -- Comme des Garcons has a scent called Daphne, created by the fashion icon herself. Freaky never smelled so sweet ..Shauna Sand: The Playboy playmate and Lorenzo Lamas' ex wife is a model/mom who wears platform Lucite stripper shoes while driving a Segway. 'Nuff said." (papermag)



"In the great health care debate of 2009, President Obama has cast himself as a cold-eyed pragmatist, willing to compromise in exchange for votes. Now ideology — an uprising on the Democratic left — is smacking the pragmatic president in the face. Stung by the intense White House effort to court the votes of moderate holdouts like Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, independent of Connecticut, and Senator Ben Nelson, Democrat of Nebraska, liberals are signaling that they have compromised enough. Grass-roots groups are balking, liberal commentators are becoming more critical of the president, some unions are threatening to withhold support and Howard Dean, the former Democratic Party chief, is urging the Senate to kill its health bill. The White House scrambled Thursday to tamp down the revolt, which has been simmering for weeks but boiled over when the Senate Democratic leadership, bowing to Mr. Lieberman, scrapped language allowing people as young as 55 to buy into Medicare. David Axelrod, Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, began the day by calling in to MSNBC to urge the party to hold together, warning of a “tragic outcome” if Democrats failed to pass a bill that the White House says would expand health coverage while reining in costs." (NYTimes)



"I got off to a late start early in the evening, missing a couple of holiday cocktail parties including one hosted by Jill Spalding which I later heard was packed and full of interesting people which is Jill’s forte. I went up to the Carlton Hobbs mansion on East 93rd Street where they were hosting a book launch for Alexandra Kotur and Hamish Bowles – The World in Vogue; People Parties Places. This is a book with a sensational cover that promises a glamour trip and it delivers just that for almost 400 pages. Just a beautiful, fascinating, intriguing massive volume of people, parties and places. A vacation, a break from the agony and gloom abounding." (NYSocialDiary)



"As he does every Thursday, Howard got Mike Walker from The National Enquirer on the line to play 'The Gossip Game,' in which Mike reads four gossip items – three (allegedly) true, one false – and the crew has to pick the fake. This week's stories: 1. Paris Hilton interrupted 'Twilight' producers mid-meal to ask for an audition to appear in the sequel. 2. Miley Cyrus is trying to talk Taylor Swift into getting matching guitar tattoos. 3. 'Twilight' star Taylor Lautner fell down while trying to carry his bike up a flight of stairs. 4. Howie Mandel gave an aggressive hobo $42 but refused to shake his hand – offering a fist-bump instead. Everyone singled out the last item, as they couldn't believe the hyper-germaphobe like Howie would willingly consent to a fist bump from a homeless guy, although Fred went with the Miley Cyrus story to be different. Mike then reported that everyone was wrong – he'd double-checked the Howie item – the Taylor Lautner story was bogus." (HowardStern)



"So just how big will 'Avatar' be? 'We’re in uncharted territory -- this is a very difficult one to handicap,' said Fox executive VP of distribution, about the domestic box-office opening for James Cameron’s first film in 12 years. mArriving amid great expectations midnight Friday in 3,453 locations, the majority of which are digital 3D (2,038), 'Avatar' -- for a number of reasons -- is not the easiest film to track. For one, with James Cameron preferring that his film play mostly on 3D screens, and only secondarily in 2D, its initial theater count and screen allotment aren't that huge compared to recent mega-openers like 'The Dark Knight' (4,366 locations) and 'Twilight Saga: New Moon' (4,024). 'The number pales in comparison to a typical blockbuster release, which has like 8,000-9,000 screens,' says one rival-studio distribution president. On the other hand, 'Avatar’s' going to be pricy. In fact, its preponderance of premium 3D ticket prices are vexing computer tracking programs designed for standard admission fees -- especially with 179 IMAX locations charging up to $20 a head." (TheWrap)

Media-Whore D'Oeuvres



"As Time magazine anoints Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke as its 'Person of the Year,' I am reminded of the contributions of another economist, Paul Volcker ...Volcker met recently with an old source of mine, a former banker at Goldman Sachs. The meeting, I am told, focused on Volcker’s belief that last year’s financial meltdown can be traced back to a decision back in 1999, to allow banks that hold customer deposits to merge with investment banks that take risk on their trading desks. It was, of course, Volcker who helped save the nation from the hyperinflation of the 1970s and early 1980s, when he was Fed chairman, withstanding political pressure to keep pumping free money into the system, because he knew there’s no such thing as free money. Volcker’s legendary style—analytical brilliance combined with his gruff demeanor, as he smoked one of his cheap cigars when questioned about his policies during congressional hearings—made him a legend." (Charlie Gasparino/TheDailyBeast)



"'I’m not even angry at those who have done all of this to us. I just feel sorry for them, because they’re so unenlightened. They just don’t know, you know?' 64-year-old Charlene Marshall sighs in her living room. It’s a sad November afternoon, foggy and dim. Her husband wears a blue-striped shirt and red tie and has a badge from William Holden’s Mount Kenya Safari Club on his blazer. No one ever looked so starched, crisp, elegant—and beaten. Anthony Marshall, 85 years old, sags in an armchair near his wife like a ruined prime minister." (Observer)



"Holiday parties. Down at Swifty’s we had a holiday luncheon for our contributors to the New York Social Diary. This is of no particular interest to readers, I know, but it does amaze me and JH that there is a core group who provide interesting edit for the NYSD on a weekly basis. Present at the luncheon were: Jeanne Lawrence (SF and Shanghai Social Diary), Alex Lebenthal, the chronicler of changing times amongst the Wall Street crowd; Jesse Kornbluth, book review blogger (Headbutler.com), social commentator, and our literary Boswell of the world; Hilary Geary Ross who pens the Palm Beach Social Diary during the season; Charlie Scheips, the loquacious and peripatetic curator, art historian and uber-gadfly of the world of the creative arts .." (NYSocialDiary)



"The lines most cited in Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize speech were those about evil: 'Evil does exist in the world. A non-violent movement could not have halted Hitler’s armies. Negotiations cannot convince Al Qaeda’s leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force may sometimes be necessary is not a call to cynicism--it is a recognition of history, the imperfections of man and the limits of reason.' These lines won approbation from both liberals and conservatives. Former Clinton aide Bill Galston praised them as an example of Obama’s 'moral realism.' According to neoconservative Bob Kagan, Obama didn’t 'shy away from the Manichaean distinctions that drive self-described realists (and Europeans) crazy.' Former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson said the lines marked the speech as 'very American.' 'He didn’t speak as kind of the citizen of the world, as sometimes he has in the past,' Gerson added approvingly. I am not a self-described realist, and I am a Chicagoan by birth, yet I don’t care for these lines. While I don’t object to the idea of just war, and have supported the various wars that Obama cited in his speech, and wouldn’t balk at calling Al Qaeda or Hitler evil, I think Obama ventured onto dangerous terrain by invoking the existence of evil as a justification for war." (John Judis/TNR)



"T he Russian aphorism that 'the Kremlin has many towers' is a comment not just on its architecture but on the rivalries that pervade the regime that sits within it – maintaining an outward veneer of autocratic rigidity but roiling nonetheless with bureaucratic turf battles. Since the start of the decade, the tallest tower has belonged to the so-called siloviki, the former officers – security men, soldiers and spies – who have flooded into state structures on the coat tails of Vladimir Putin, former KGB officer, two-term president and now prime minister. With the end of the Putin presidency in 2008, however, the siloviki have retreated. Their representation in top government ranks has ebbed for the first time in 20 years, putting a question mark over their future. According to Olga Kryshtanovs­kaya, a University of Moscow sociologist who monitors elite groups, the siloviki – literally 'strong guys' – hit their apogee in 2007, when they accounted for two out of every three members of the president’s administration. But following the accession to the presidency of Dmitry Medvedev, they are this year down to barely one in two; their representation in other areas has fallen as well. Ms Kryshtanovskaya is among those who believe this shift may foretell a gradual move towards civilian government and a more liberal zeitgeist among the elite." (FT)

Media-Whore D'Oeuvres



"MSNBC's Rachel Maddow and Fox News chairman Roger Ailes were among the guests at last night's holiday party for tvnewsers at the White House ... Jake Tapper of ABC and his wife were there .. Gloria Borger...Tammy Haddad .. Wendell Goler...Bret Baier told me earlier in the day he was going but I never saw him....Bill O'Reilly likewise said he was going but I never saw him (and to think he is about 6'5 and I never saw him!)" (TVNewser)



"And then there is Rachel Uchitel, the alpha gal of them all: A mysteriously powerful honey-brunette in shades and designer clothing who met Mr. Woods through her job as a 'VIP nightclub hostess.' Press outlets have variously referred to Ms. Uchitel, 34, as a party planner, a club promoter, a New York socialite, a nightclub waitress and a professional party girl. None of these, however, accurately describes what Ms. Uchitel actually did for a living. 'People have actually gotten very interested in this profession and what she used to do exactly,' said Hector Longoria ... the 'director of guest services' at the Griffin on Gansevoort, where Ms. Uchitel had the same title. “Our job is like a concierge service for nightlife. It’s catering to our celebrities, bankers, trust-fund kids, billionaires, anyone who wants that special experience,” he explained. 'If it’s bankers, they might want to be seated next to a bunch of cute girls, so we hire promoters who bring girls in.'" (Observer)



"All eyes were on Emily Blunt last night at the Cinema Society screening of The Young Victoria. Her turn as the English monarch may be the, er, crowning achievement in the actress' career to date; if you ask us, she's an Oscar contender. 'I don't feel like I had a burning ambition to play the Queen of England,' Blunt said at the after-party at Norwood, adding that she did feel a deep sympathy for Victoria and her royal struggles. 'She learned not to mistake stubbornness for strength, and I learned about the humanity of that world.' Blunt was the only cast member making the rounds, but she found a friend in Michael Stipe when he cozied up to her on the couch." (Style)



"John Buffalo Mailer, the pouty-lipped 31-year-old son of Norman and Norris Church Mailer, has mainly been a theater actor and playwright. (Hello Herman, which he wrote in college, recently underwent a revival in Los Angeles, with Sawyer Spielberg, son of Steven, playing the lead.) But recently, Mr. Mailer finished filming for Wall Street 2, the sequel to Oliver Stone’s seminal 1987 film. He plays protagonist Shia LeBeouf’s character’s best friend, Robbie ... To prepare for his role, Mr. Mailer underwent voice training for a Long Island accent and shadowed traders at several firms during the summer. 'One of the more exciting places was Johns Thomas Financial,' he said. 'Tommy Belesis [the CEO], who is also in the movie, is essentially a ringmaster and he fires up his 300 traders like you wouldn’t believe. I was shadowing from 9 in the morning to about 6, and when Tommy finished his morning speech, I was on my feet from then on, so I kind of understood the addiction to the adrenaline. It was amazing. The traders eat their lunch at their desk, take a few smoke breaks and pop an Adderall to keep it going.'" (Observer)



"Two Republican lawmakers are lobbying President Barack Obama to pardon black boxer Jack Johnson, who was jailed nearly 100 years ago because of his relationship with a white woman. Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and Rep. Pete King (N.Y.) wrote a letter to Obama after Justice Department pardon attorney Ronald Rogers informed the duo that Johnson’s pardon was not a top priority. 'We were sorely disappointed' in Rogers’s note, wrote McCain and King. Rogers replied to a previous request from the two lawmakers, saying that a pardon for Johnson, who was the first black heavyweight champion of the world, is not a top priority in light of the 'record' number of clemency requests the president has already received. The House and Senate earlier this year passed a resolution requesting that Obama pardon Johnson, the first time since 1974 that Congress has taken such action." (TheHill)



"The Mediabistro.com E-Book Summit kicked off this morning with an engaging, cordial discussion with Jane Friedman and Jeffrey Sharp, co-founders of Open Road Integrated Media—an appropriate start to the event as the discussion hinted at both the promise of digital to transform publishing, as well as the thorny issues and legal battles still to come. Friedman and Sharp took turns sketching an invigorating vision of the future, with Friedman, the former CEO of HarperCollins, describing the company as 'marketing' oriented, and Sharp talking about bringing a filmmakers view to content production—a '360 degree' company with an eye to expanding—and exploiting—the market for content empowered by technology. Friedman told the audience that the business—a lynchpin of which will be 'an author-branded backlist,' including writers like Iris Murdoch and William Styron, as well as 'e-riginals,' under the watch of editorial director Brendan Cahill, would launch in 2010 with as many as 750-1000 e-books—but from 'a relatively small' list of authors. The company will also hopefully publish 20 originals, as well as roll out multimedia components, such as short films Sharp called 'mini-docs.'" (Publishers Weekly)



"Blue movie actress (Holly) Sampson confirmed she is in talks with film producers to star in a porn flick based on her alleged one-night stand with the golf superstar. She said: 'There are things that are in the works. Honestly, parodies are hilarious. I love that stuff. I know a lot of people that love that stuff.' Vivid Entertainment co-founder Steve Hirsch – who is hoping to make the film – hopes it will be an accurate portrayal of Woods' fling with the blonde adult star. He said: 'We have shown Holly a script we're working on that would sort of detail her time with the world's number one golfer. We're thinking more like a docudrama. We want her to re-enact events exactly as they happened.'" (TheSun)

Media-Whore D'Oeuvres



"On Oct. 27, a Katyusha rocket was fired from Lebanon and struck down in an open area outside the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmone. This was the ninth such rocket strike since the end of the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but smaller Palestinian groups hoping to spark another round of fighting are the most likely suspect. Hezbollah, despite its extreme anti-Israel politics, did not join the fight, even after Israeli counterstrikes. The 'Blue Line' separating Israel from Lebanon is one of the most volatile borders in the world. But predicting when this area, and other tense regions throughout the world, will erupt into violence often appears to be little more than guesswork. How can policymakers overcome their own biases and limited information to anticipate if an incident like the recent rocket strike on Israel will spark a larger conflict, like the 2006 war, or fizzle out? Increasingly, the answer is: Develop a computer model from historical data. The University of Maryland's Laboratory for Computational Cultural Dynamics (LCCD) constructed one such model that predicted this period of quiet along the Israeli-Lebanese border, and also provides insight into Hezbollah's priorities." (Foreignpolicy)



"It's the Madonna and child. Madonna introduced her 12-year-old daughter Lourdes to the delights of the red carpet at the New York opening of the film Nine, nominated for five Golden Globes." (Thisislondon)



"In Hollywood, revenue rarely tells the whole story -- as Disney proved this year. Based on ticket sales alone, the studio has had a pretty solid 2009, with about $2.8 billion in worldwide box office through the end of November. It's already up about 16 percent over its 2008 global total. And while it only ranks fifth among the majors in domestic box office, it already has eclipsed $1 billion in North American theatrical revenue for the fourth consecutive year -- a first for the studio. But there isn't much end-of-year cheer over these figures. The Mouse House is just beginning to settle its ranks following the abrupt replacement in September of longtime studio chief Dick Cook by former Disney Channel president Rich Ross. 'The disappointment stems from the fact that we didn’t make money on some of these movies because they cost too much,' admitted one studio official. 'We want to make great movies, but for a price that will give us a return on our investment.' The main issue: production and marketing costs on 3D features were simply too high in 2009." (TheWrap)



"The Obama administration is talking tough but acting tame with respect to Wall Street. But a pair of senators is coming out swinging. Today, Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and John McCain (R-AZ) are taking a step towards proactive reconstruction of the banking sector by introducing the Banking Integrity Act of 2009. The bill would reinstate provisions of the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933, the New Deal-era law that built a wall between commercial banks and risky investment banking.'Federally insured deposits must not be used as fuel for the fire of speculative trading at the expense of lending or investing,' Cantwell told me Tuesday. The Washington state Democrat has been particularly focused on banks’ excessive use of capital for derivatives transactions and is working hard to reduce the risky nature of today’s derivatives environment. 'Exactly how much capital that could be used for solid investing has been shifted towards derivatives instead?' Cantwell asks, going straight at one of the most complex issues with the current banking landscape." (TheDailyBeast)



"This weekend, as Los Angeles hid from the pelting rain, we drove to San Diego for the final leg of the W WonderLust Live concert series, hosted by Bryan Michael Cox and featuring the ferociously cool Gossip. Upon arriving, we settled in at the open bar by the makeshift stage in the ultra-swanky W hotel's living room. After a few fidgety moments, PAPER favorite Beth Ditto roared onstage like a scalded pixie, all orange bowl cut, skintight dress and some serious pipes. Ditto is not only a divine performer, but her sweet-as-pie Southern accent coats her trucker-mouthed crowd banter with such hospitality that even the few conservative-looking hotel guests who had wandered in by mistake seemed charmed." (Papermag)



"After a major contraction following the September 2008 market crash, art prices in most categories have found their level. The bellwether fall auctions in New York did decently, with some record prices set, like the $43.7 million (including fees) paid for Andy Warhol's '200 One Dollar Bills' (1962) at Sotheby's. that's not as much as the $71.7 million Warhol's 'Green Car Crash' brought at Christie's in 2007, but a strong price. This year, the art market will be driven by non-American buyers." (Forbes)



"NBC and MSNBC had an interesting cost-cutting measure at their joint Christmas party. We're told that on-air network talent served as guest bartenders during the fete, held this year in the same studio 'Saturday Night Live' uses. '[NBC foreign correspondent] Richard Engel manned the early shift with MSBC's Courtney Hazelett,' says a spy. 'He handed out maybe three beers and spent the rest of the time chatting.' Also putting in time behind the bar were 'Today' correspondent Jenna Wolfe, 'Today' host Hoda Kotb and NBC News correspondent Peter Alexander." (PageSix)



"Meanwhile, walking up Madison Avenue after lunch, in the low 60s, I ran into Mai Harrison looking very chic. I first noticed her in the crowd precisely because of that. She was on her way up to 64th Street to a friend’s apartment. When we got there, I complimented her on the way she looked and she told me it was a Trigere." (NYSocialDiary)

The New York City health department unveiled this new ad via -- of all places -- YouTube in an attempt to curb soda consumption among residents. The ads message is that drinking only one can of soda a day can add up to 10 pounds of weight in a year. Mayor Bloomberg's administration has taken a strong view on public health. He has already instituted an indoor ban on cigarettes. Mayor Bloomberg has also declared war on salt (that admittedly sounds almost Swiftian). But Michael Bloomberg, say what you will about this paternalism, puts his money where his mouth is, having donated hundreds of millions of dollars to institutions that promote public health and safety.It is not just theoretical and abstract with thim, Bloomberg is a true believer. Not a bad patch of public service for a former Eagle Scout.

There appears to be a thawing between jailed human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi and the military junta that controls Myanmar. Suu Kyi has has spent 14 of the past 20 years under house arrest and was ordered this past August to spend another 18 months under detention after a mentally ill American man swam to her house.

Myanmar's repressive military regime allowed detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to meet with three elderly senior members of her party. From AFP:

"The authorities allowed us to meet Aung San Suu Kyi privately at the guesthouse. She paid her respects to us and gave presents and fruit baskets," said (party secretary) Lwin after the meeting, which lasted about 45 minutes.

"I had not met her since 2003," he told reporters.

"Aung San Suu Kyi asked us to allow her to reorganise the central executive committee. We accepted her request," he added. Most of the party's current 11-member committee are very old.

In a letter to Myanmar's military strongman Than Shwe last month, Suu Kyi requested she be allowed to visit the three men.

Tom Ford: Shallow Like A Fox



"The fox knows many little things. The hedgehog knows one big thing," The Hedgehound and the Fox

This blog has been on Tom Ford's case for quite some time. It was, in a sense, almost too easy. Almost every time Tom Ford made a public utterance he proclaimed his astonishing shallowness. Further, he did it in an airy languid drawl. Tom wore open shirts exposing an almost indecent thatch of chest hair (public-pubic). He tarted up Dakota Fanning. He left Gucci because he caught the What-I-Really-Want-To-Do-Is-Direct cliche. Fashion wasn't enough for him; he wanted to make a statement. And so on.

Then came "A Single Man," which flipped the script. A game changer. Taken out of the context of commercial fashion and it's beautiful but vapid surfaces, Ford has made an interesting film. Not only that, he has all these clever plays on surfaces and shallowness and outer style that suggest he is a while fucking lot smarter than this blogger ever gave him credit for being. There is a scene in "A Single Man" when Colin Firth's character, wanting to commit suicide -- simultaneously the shallowest and most profound act of human torment imaginable -- is prevented by the fact that his blood may ruin the decor. Shallow and darkly clever, Tom Ford. The phantom of Death haunts the entire beautifully shot film. Who would have thought Tom Ford capable of such morbid depths and such terrible wit?



And then there is the style of the film. It is extraordinary. Julianne Moore looks ravishing (the woman gets more and more attractive with time). The exquisite cinematography (Eduard Grau) and the well-thought out costumes mesh with a complex script and Oscar calibre directing and subtle, touching performances. The subject matter -- Love and Death -- are among the most serious in the Western world, and yet it is the attention to the little (some might say shallow) details, the clothes, the design, makes for a magnificent organic whole. Tom Ford has addressed the interplay between the surface and the inner, answering all his critics of the past half decade. There is a line in Norman McLean's A River Runs Through It that goes, "All there is to thinking is seeing something noticeable which makes you see something you weren't noticing which makes you see something that isn't even visible." And this is his first film!

Damn you, Tom Ford. You make my previous blog posts about your shallowness look, by comparison, shallow.

Media-Whore D'Oeuvres



"Wall Street Journal editor in chief Robert Thomson took David Carr and Bill Keller to task for a story published in the Times today about the Journal's Washington bureau. Mr. Carr wrote that the Journal's D.C. coverage has been 'adopting a more conservative tone' and that editors have been 'editing and headlining articles to reflect a chronic skepticism of the current administration' ever since Mr. Thomson took over the paper as editor. Mr. Carr used former D.C. Journal staffers and two current staffers to build his argument. Mr. Thomson wasn't a fan of the piece. In a statement this morning, Mr. Thomson said that 'principle is but a bystander at The New York Times' and hinted that the paper's increasingly visibile rivalry with the Journal compelled them to write the story. Seperately, and more audaciously, Mr. Thomson built on his case that there's a vendetta against his paper when he said that Mr. Keller wrote to a Prize Committee last year to cast 'aspersions on Journal journalists and journalism.' We've reached out to Mr. Keller and Mr. Carr for a response. When we asked Mr. Carr for a comment, he wrote back, 'No, seems fair to have him have his say. I had mine and stand by it.'" (Observer)



"Though some say (Rachel) Uchitel’s Rolodex was filled with the kind of people who keep business popping at the joints she worked—Marquee, Pink Elephant, Tao, Avenue—her main contacts weren’t stars or prominent captains of industry, at least not the bulk of them. 'She’s good at her job,' says one promoter who has worked with Uchitel. 'I don’t think she has the biggest power-players on speed dial, but she has rich non-Page Sixers who spend big money. In her job, you wrangle people, make sure they have a great time when they’re at the club, provide them with connections in Los Angeles and Vegas when they’re there. It’s an extended client services job.' But at some point this year in Uchitel’s capacity as a VIP hostess, she did meet Woods, and the road since then has been paved with gold. After The National Enquirer closed in on proof that connected Uchitel to the golfing legend, his alleged paramour hired power-lawyer Gloria Allred, gave interviews denying being a homewrecker, scheduled a press conference (presumably to announce being a homewrecker), canceled said press appearance (presumably in pursuit of a payout that The Daily Beast’s Gerald Posner estimates to be in the ballpark of $5 million), and then popped up in Palm Beach this weekend just miles away from the golfer and his wife, Elin Nordegren, who may or may not be divorcing her husband." (TheDailyBeast)



"Top story: The world's two largest polluters have reached an impasse that threatens to derail the climate change talks in Copenhagen. China pledged a 40-45 percent in 'carbon intensity' -- a measurement of carbon dioxide per unit of production -- by 2020 but says it will resist any outside monitoring of its efforts. Negotiators from the United States -- which has pledged a 3-4 percent cut in emissions by 2020 -- believe the Chinese target is too low and say Congress is unlikely to approve any deal that does not include outside verification of China's efforts. The European Union, meanwhile, called on both countries to set more ambitious targets. Yesterday's talks were also hampered by a brief walkout of African nations demanding that rich countries sign on to deep and binding emissions cuts, as well as logistical problems that left thousands of attendees literally out in the cold without credentials. It now unlikely that a deal will be on the table by the time major world leaders -- including U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao -- arrive later this week, unusual for such a high-profile meeting." (ForeignPolicy)



"Kerry Washington has lived in several cities, but when it comes to playing favorites, she takes her lead fr om her Yorkie-shih tzu mix, who prefers New York. 'She likes the cooler weather and the change in seasons,' says Washington of her pooch, Josie B. 'There’s much more interesting stuff to sniff on the street here!' The 32-year-old Bronx native makes her Broadway debut as the latest of David Mamet’s diabolical women in Race. And while the former swim team member at Spence now calls the East Side home, she’s still got a soft spot for The Bronx. 'There’s a real diversity [here] that you don’t fi nd in a lot of places,' she says. 'I don’t mean that in the obvious sense, but that there are so many industries, so many ways people are making lives and making a living.' This is her New York." (NYPost)



(image via JH/NYSD)

"Last night I went over to the new Alice Tully Hall (new to me, my first time last night) where the American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra were presenting the orchestra in concert with Pinchas Zukerman conducting as well as playing the violin, with guest artist, Cellist Amanda Forsyth. In the co-chairmen’s message, Rochelle and David Hirsch and Elaine and James Wolfensohn explain that this year (and the orchestra's 74th season) has been difficult in many ways. Because of the severe economic conditions in Israel, the Orchestra took on a sizeable cut in salary in order to balance their budget. The evening was underwritten by Ingeborg and Ira Leon Rennert." (NYSocialDiary)



"Accenture’s advertisement featuring Tiger Woods, which declares brightly that 'It’s what you do next that counts', should have as much resonance for EU foreign ministers as for the unfortunate golfer. Last week, thanks to the energetic chairmanship of Sweden’s Carl Bildt, these ministers agreed a comprehensive statement of policy on Palestine and Israel. It was not quite as good as it should have been. Acting seemingly on instruction from Israel’s foreign ministry, Italy, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Romania fought to dilute the original text. But what survived was still pretty good. The ministers called for the urgent resumption of negotiations, within an agreed time-frame, for a comprehensive peace for Israel and Palestine. They recommitted themselves to an independent Palestinian state whose borders, including those of Jerusalem, should go back to the pre-1967 borders unless otherwise agreed. They promised to develop their relationship with the Palestinian authority and to help implement its plan for building state institutions. In addition they argued that Jerusalem should emerge from negotiations as the capital of both Israel and Palestine, that the fragmentation of Palestine between Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem should be avoided, that Palestinian elections should be held, and, of course, that Israeli settlement activity should end." (FT)



"We live in interesting times, to paraphrase the Chinese proverb. And when I say 'we,' I mean those of us in so-called old media, the kind tied up in ink and paper and trucks and big manufacturing plants; artifacts, in the minds of many, of an age gone by. But out of desperation comes invention, to paraphrase still another old saw, and there is no absence of ideas out there hoping to provide the cure for what ails us. One of the latest: 'Hulu for magazines' – a project launched by Time Inc. to create a giant virtual newsstand that could manage digital subscriptions and deliver the content from them to any and all devices, from Amazon’s Kindle to the iPhone. A noble thought, repurposing all that valuable content and distributing it digitally while keeping all your sub revenues (no fees to outsiders!), all while pocketing the savings from printing fewer magazines on all that 20th-century equipment. So, panacea or pipedream? Well, maybe a little of both. Here are my questions .." (Gary Hoenig, VP & General Manager, ESPN/Paidcontent)



"I've been saying for a while that Joe Lieberman posed the greatest threat to health care reform. Unlike the rest of the party, he has no political interest in the passage of reform or a successful Obama presidency, and he seems to view the prospect of sticking it to the liberals who supported his Democratic opponent in 2006 as a goal potentially worth sacrificing the lives of tens of thousands of Americans to fulfill. (Of course, the irony is that Lieberman is actually vindicating his 2006 critics and undermining his own defense from that time, which revolved around him being a progressive Democrat on domestic policy issues.) Still, I feel that liberals are somewhat overreacting to Lieberman's turn against health care reform. It's true that Lieberman refused to take part in negotiations with Reid over the compromise, suggested he could support the bill presuming a positive CBO score, and then decided to stick in the knife. However, I don't think that health care reform is in peril. If Harry Reid decided to submit to Lieberman's demands, the health care bill would basically revert to what the Senate Finance Committee produced. That's still a major piece of legislation. Expectations among liberals have risen since then, so the come-down is understandable. But this isn't the end of reform." (TNR)

Media-Whore D'Oeuvres



"THIS WEEKEND Fairy tales came true as mothers and daughters powered the animated film The Princess and the Frog to the number one spot in its first weekend of nationwide release. But the frame's only other wide opener, Clint Eastwood's Nelson Mandela drama Invictus, suffered a soft debut in third place. Overall, the North American box office remained ahead of the same frame from a year ago as 2009 continued on its record pace towards shattering the $10 billion mark for the first time ever. In a cartoon world ruled by computer animation and 3D wizardry, Disney went old school with its traditionally drawn pic The Princess and the Frog which won the box office crown with an estimated $25M this weekend. Following two weeks of exclusive play at solo theaters in New York and Los Angeles, the G-rated tale set in 1920s New Orleans won over kids with a powerful $7,280 average from 3,434 theaters. Kidpics rarely break $20M on opening weekend in December unless they bow over the Christmas holiday frame. With holiday shopping and other activities becoming a top priority, parents often become less available for moviegoing at this time of year, but invade the multiplexes in large numbers come the 25th. The Mouse House has a decades-long history of making princess movies, and even in the 1990s had multicultural female leads in major toons like Mulan, Aladdin, and Pocahontas. But Disney finally has its first black princess and audiences are giving her a big thumbs up." (BoxOfficeGuru)



(image via nysd)

"Washington is a town that understands divas. They do well here. What are politicians, lawyers, media stars and assorted other players if not a bunch of divas? And that’s just the men. Diva behavior is not an altogether bad thing. At its best it is rooted in self-confidence, rather than insecurity, and built on some real talent. This past week in Washington was a week of good divas. It began at the 'President’s Guest House,' Blair House Mansion, for a festive cocktail party to celebrate the season and a decorating extravaganza pulled together by Chief of Protocol Capricia Penavic Marshall and a handful of lifestyle magazines. The news isn’t that they did a beautiful job, it’s that they did it with only two weeks notice. Having Martha Stewart in the mix certified a bona fide diva presence, and she was confident and gracious as she mingled with other guests, posed for photos and took some of her own pictures ...After an hour or so at Blair House everyone boarded buses (well, Martha Stewart took a private car) for a slow but steady peak of rush hour ride to the State Department for a second reception with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton." (WashingtonSocialDiary)



"On the banks of the River Thames in the City of London, builders are putting the finishing touches to a new headquarters for Nomura, the Japanese investment bank. With three up-to-the-minute trading floors and enough desk space to allow the bank to increase its headcount substantially, the 11-storey glass and steel structure was widely hailed during its construction as a symbol of Nomura’s commitment to London as the hub of its international business. But just days after the British government levied a 50 per cent 'supertax' on bank bonuses, Nomura chiefs in Japan are said to be demanding alternative options to ramping up London capacity. Across the City, bankers are furious about the tax, saying the most draconian crackdown on remuneration in the world will only serve to boost rival financial centres such as New York, Hong Kong and Switzerland." (FT)



"Much of the old presidential campaign gang has moved on. The governor he made famous — Sarah Palin, his vice-presidential pick in 2008 — is the one exciting crowds these days. He is facing the possibility of a primary challenge at home, one more reminder of his uneasy relationship with his own party. Yet at the age of 73, one year after his defeat by President Obama, Senator John McCain of Arizona is trying to make the most of the platform where he has always been most comfortable, the United States Senate. The Republican Party’s leadership vacuum has given Mr. McCain an opening, and he is charging through it, tacking right on some issues and loudly embroiling himself in battles with the White House and Democratic leaders over health care, stimulus spending, foreign policy and the style of the Obama presidency. He is more visible now than at any time since the end of his presidential campaign." (NYTimes)



"NBC News White House correspondents Chuck Todd and Savannah Guthrie will be anchoring a new program for MSNBC, reports WaPo's Howie Kurtz. The program, titled 'Daily Rundown,' will air at 9amET in 2010, filling the slot formerly occupied by Dylan Ratigan's 'Morning Meeting,' who, we heard, will be on in the afternoon. Todd says the program 'has the feel of a signature Washington show for us.' The plan is for one of the two to anchor from the road when they are traveling with the president. Update: MSNBC has announced that 'The Daily Rundown' will premiere on Monday, Jan. 11, 2010 and that Ratigan's program will air at 4pmET starting the same day." (TVNewser)



"Last night, as an escape from the cold downpour that blanketed our city for most of the day, New York's literary luminaries gathered in the hearth-like glow of the Half King, where the PEN Edmont -- PEN's new committee of younger writers and supporters, named after the New York City hotel where Holden Caulfield stayed in The Catcher in the Rye -- held their holiday benefit for the PEN American Center's literary arts enrichment program for New York City public high school students. Among those in attendance: Paul Auster, Salman Rushdie, Steve and Barbara Isenberg, Georgia Tapert, Siri Hustvedt, Nathaniel Rich, Clairborne Swanson, John Buffalo Mailer, Stephanie LaCava, Garret LaCava, Becka Diamond, and Keegan Singh." (Papermag)

Media-Whore D'Oeuvres



"For more than 200 years, there has been a great debate about whether elected representatives should be trustees for the whole nation or delegates for the constituents of their district or State. This democratic dilemma -- small 'd' -- is now vividly on display as a group of centrist senators determine the final shape of health care reform, indeed decide whether there will be health care reform at all. None is in a more precarious position as 'delegate' than Blanche Lincoln, Democratic senator from Arkansas. She is the only one of the moderates up for re-election next year, and she is facing thunder on the right and on the left in her home state, which voted overwhelmingly for John McCain last year (59% to 39%)." (TheAtlantic)



"Naomi Campbell's rep confirmed that the supermodel is in talks to host an X Factor–style competition reality show for aspiring models. Though the rep says "nothing is set in stone yet," British Vogue reports the program would make Campbell the Tyra Banks–esque mother hen of the operation, shepherding a flock of aspiring models while whittling them down to a winner. This sounds like a wonderful idea because aspiring models need a better reality competition show than America's Next Top Model, the success of which now merely rides on Tyra's antics, such as her made-up superhero Smize and other publicity stunts like the recent blackface shoot. You know Naomi would have nothing to do with such absurdity." (NYMag)



" .. Julianne Moore’s character is a conglomeration of my grandmother and other women I’ve known in my life, and relationships I’ve had with women. I’ve had romantic relationships with women, and they’ve only gone to a certain level, and I’ve seen the frustration the women felt." (Tom Ford/TheWrap)



"Nikki Finke is reporting that Lauren Zalaznick, the President of NBC Universal’s Women and Lifestyle Entertainment Networks, is in 'advanced talk'” to take over as MTV President of Entertainment, a job recently vacated by departing Brian Graden. If true, why would she leave the string of successes at Bravo to go to the flailing catastrophe that is now MTV Networks? Perhaps because, right now, Bravo couldn’t get be any hotter, and MTV is nearly at rock bottom. A perfect opportunity to add to Zalaznick’s nearly legendary track record." (Mediaite)



"FT: If you had not been in business what would you have done?
Donald Trump: I had considered studying film at the University of Southern California before going to Wharton ... FT: What is the most treasured possession in your office? Donald Trump: As it came as a surprise, probably the plaque commemorating the star I received on the Hollywood Walk of Fame." (FT)



"Last night about 8:30 I was hailing a cab on Madison and 57th. There were minimal flurries streaming through the air, and the wind was beginning to bite. There were more parties, many I missed albeit with good intentions. There was a birthday cocktail for Lucy Sykes Rellie. I don’t know how old she is but she’s still a kid. With a couple of little ones. And that husband Euan. Nobody ever had a better pr guy for a business than Lucy with Euan." (NYSocialDiary)



"Martha Stewart's intricate TV studios in Chelsea are getting chicer by the minute. Tom Ford was a guest on her live show yesterday to hawk his film, and Roberto Cavalli made a pit stop aujourd'hui. 'I've never met Martha in my life,' Cavalli explained backstage pre-shoot. 'But you know what, if I'm comfortable, I'll enjoy it. And I almost enjoy everything, because I'm very funny!' Moments later, the queen of domesticity entered the green room and introduced herself. 'I love your clothes, Roberto,' she gushed. 'But I'm afraid I'm not much of the model!' 'My God,' the Italian responded with an open jaw. 'You're beautiful! Yes, you are.' Soon after, the connected duo were joined by SNL's Seth Meyers on the set, who jokingly acted like a third wheel to the host and the designer. "I didn't know you're bringing a sexy man in here,' he laughed. The three talked about wine, Cavalli's color-changing yacht, and of course, love lives. 'Seth, what do you have in common with Roberto?' inquired Stewart. 'I would guess...absolutely nothing!' shot back the comedian." (Fashionweekdaily)



"It's been half a year since the Obama administration pledged to send an ambassador to Damascus after four years' absence and now we are seeing movement. The State Department has reportedly sent its recommendation to the White House for approval and final deliberations are said to be underway. The two names leading the rumor mill in Washington as of now are Jacob Walles, the immediate past consul general in Jerusalem, and Nabil Khury, a veteran Foreign Service officer of Lebanese descent. State Department sources said that Daniel Rubinstein, the new Jerusalem consul general and rumored candidate, was not in contention because he was just settling into his new job. Sources close to the discussions also say that the job was offered and declined at some point by both Fred Hof, a Syria expert and deputy to Middle East Special Envoy George Mitchell, and Daniel Kurtzer, who was U.S. ambassador to Israel from 2001 to 2005 but is not currently in government." (ForeignPolicy)



"After yesterday's 'Rock and roll' meeting, as GMA senior EP Jim Murphy called it, which introduced the new anchor team, after today's show, Diane Sawyer and Chris Cuomo's last, the rock and roll atmosphere continues this morning on the second floor of ABC's Times Square studios. Insiders tell us there have been toasts by ABC News president David Westin and by Murphy. There was a Brian Ross 'investigation' asking 'Who is the real Diane Sawyer?' (the only copy of which will be destroyed, says our insider). And Sawyer's former GMA co-anchor, and the man she's replacing later this month on 'World News,' Charlie Gibson stopped by and gave Diane a 'big embrace.'" (TVNewser))



"It was the stuff of legend. After the emcee at last night's British Fashion Awards announced that the presenter of the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator would be Karen Elson, the flame-haired model appeared onstage, took a few steps, and, to the audience's horror, plunged offstage into the void. An agonizing silence followed, with no signs of life. Then, suddenly, Elson was back onstage, un-stunned but still stunning in her red velvet Alexander McQueen gown. 'I'm possibly the clumsiest person alive,' she declared to wild cheering, which continued as honoree Grace Coddington thanked her 'redhead friend' ... Meanwhile, Coddington accompanied Elson to A&E, where X-rays showed the only lasting injury from her stage-dive was a sprained thumb." (Style)



"Robin (Quivers) read some news about Tiger Woods and gave some updated details about what's going on there. Howard (Stern) said he loves that everything to do with that couple is related to golf. They said the wife broke windows with a golf club, she was out searching for Tiger in a golf cart and more." (Marksfriggin)



"In the ratings that actually determine how much the networks get paid, C3 commercial ratings that measure average commercial viewing within 3 days of airdate, Fox is the only broadcast network among the top 4 ahead vs. last season. And among the most important adults 18-49 demographic, CBS and ABC have lost the same % of their C3 ratings vs. last season, and NBC’s been crushed." (TVByTheNumbers)



"Last night's Paper Magazine Nightlife Awards joined the dismayingly long list of 2009 award-show travesties. The invite-only event went down at M2 (the old Mansion) to a packed audience of important downtown scenesters (that's the whole point of invite-only, right?) and D-list celebs. Huge mock disco balls made up of smaller crystal spheres and elaborate flower-stemmed chandeliers hung over the Svedka open bar that most likely facilitated some of the night's absurdity." (VillageVoice)