Media-Whore D'Oevres



(image via vanderbilt)

"'Gore Vidal is America’s premier man of letters,' says Jay Parini in his introduction to The Selected Essays of Gore Vidal, and if after reading Vidal on William Dean Howells, Tennessee Williams, various dead Kennedys, and 'American sissy' Theodore Roosevelt the reader denies it —- well, hie on back to the MFA prison ... 'It should be noted that Vidal is conservative in many respects,' writes Parini. 'He stands behind individual choice, the limitation of executive power, and preservation of the environment. Like his grandfather, he dislikes the empire. … He would return us, if possible, to the pure republicanism of early America.' … Vidal regards federal taxes as confiscatory and the fuel by which an anti-American war machine is run. 'Why,' he asks in his 1972 essay 'Homage to Daniel Shays,' do we allow our governors to take so much of our money and spend it in ways that not only fail to benefit us but do great damage to others as we prosecute undeclared wars … in what is supposed to be peacetime? Whether he knows it or not, the middle-income American is taxed as though he were living in a socialist society.'" (American Conservative)

"At the HuffPo Oasis and Big Tent blogger area. Oasis= odd mix of health food and yoga, Big Tent = huge and freezing ... Early riser regulars spotted: Morris, Buchanan, Carville, Milbank, Roland Martin." (TVNewser)



(image via JT/NYSD)

"The US Open had its star-studded opening on Monday and celebrated the 40th Anniversary of the Open Era. Quite a few of the game’s stars didn’t make it but many others did. The event which took place at Arthur Ashe Stadium honored the first tournament champions of the Open era, Virginia Wade and Arthur Ashe. It was hosted by Forest Whitaker and included retired champions Billie Jean King, John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, Rod Laver and Boris Becker as well as Roger Federer, Lindsay Davenport, Venus Wiliams, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Marat Safin and Andy Roddick. Arthur Ashe’s widow Jeanne and his daughter Camera were present at the opening night ceremony." (NYSocialDiary)

"THAT Kate Pierson of the B-52's and Robert Kennedy Jr., along with his daughter Kick, attended the wedding of environmental lawyer Janet MacGillivray and Randall Wallace in Woodstock." (PageSix)



"On CNN, Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper sit side-by-side while hosting a revolving slate of talking heads. Off air, Wolf remains stoic, monkish, David Carradine in Kung Fu, never turning to watch the action live on stage. The man does not smile. Or move his neck." (Popwatch)

"Without fail, every year, at the last match of the Bridgehampton Polo season, the layers of propriety are peeled away to reveal the free-for-all party that shuts down the season. I don't know where all these people hide all summer, but somehow everyone and their mother shows up at the fields, ready to schmooze under the VIP tent." (Papermag)

"Democrat Barack Obama’s selection of Joe Biden as a running mate is complicating Republican John McCain’s analysis of his prospective vice presidential contenders. Biden will make his formal debut Wednesday with a primetime address. McCain is expected to announce his pick after Obama accepts his nomination here on Thursday. Some insiders are pressing McCain to make a strategic selection, one that beefs up his economic strength, enhances his chance to grab a state or amps up the partisan firepower. 'McCain knows Biden well. He knows how good he is as a knife fighter. He’ll take McCain apart,' said one Republican operative." (Politico)

"Barack Obama and running mate Joseph Biden will launch a battleground-state bus tour after the Democratic convention closes here Friday. The 'On the Road to Change' tour will bring the Democratic ticket to swing states Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ohio, underscoring their importance to Sen. Obama (Ill.). The two candidates will travel with their spouses and stop first in Pennsylvania, where Sen. Biden (Del.) was born." (TheHill)

"BRITISH fashion mogul Diana Jenkins really knows how to throw a party. The bikini empress held a summer birthday bash Saturday at her place in Malibu that had A-Listers scrambling for invitations. Jenkins counts Mary J. Blige as one of her close friends, and the hip-hop queen performed with De la Soul for guests including James Blunt, Bruce Willis, Owen Wilson, Sophie Dahl and Jerry Weintraub." (PageSix)

"TiVo Inc. hopes to make it easier for consumers to record top television shows by taping recommendations from Entertainment Weekly magazine. The Silicon Valley company on Wednesday plans to announce an agreement with the Time Warner Inc. publication that will let users of TiVo's digital video recorders automatically record shows suggested by the magazine's staff." (WSJ)