Media-Whore D'Oeuvres



"With China and Russia both proposing some sort of change in the international monetary system, we're about to some veeery interesting economic negotiations. There are other important players -- the EU, UK, Japan, Brazil, the Gulf economies, etc. And their incentives to switch away from the dollar are more cross-cutting. For example, while the EU would probably love to switch to a system that keeps the euro from appreciating too much, I suspect they will be loathe to reallocate the IMF voting quotas that China would demand in any switch to a new system. Both Japan and the Gulf economies have security considerations that make them less eager to change. If this does happen, however, the United States will suffer a serious loss of standing and, oh yes, a much harder budget constraint. And whatever happens, it would be difficult to call the dollar a top currency anymore. I think we have clearly crossed some threshhold where the dollar is now a negotiated currency -- and some of the negotiating partners are pretty hostile to U.S. hegemony." (ForeignPolicy)



"Jon Hamm rounds out the cast for 'Howl,' the indie feature about the obscenity trial centering on Allen Ginsberg's famed poem. Hamm will star as defense attorney Jake Ehrlich, whose life was the inspiration for the TV series 'Perry Mason.' Cast includes James Franco, Mary-Louise Parker, David Strathairn, Jeff Daniels, Bob Balaban, Treat Williams and Alessandro Nivola." (Variety)

"I went to that cocktail/book party for William Cohan and his new book and the place was buzzing. It was a roomful of industrious individuals. There were a lot of prosperous, well-dressed, and engaged, intelligent people enjoying the company, as well as their friend’s most recent achievement. I even asked Mr. Cohan what he thought of the new trillion dollar Geithner plan that was announced earlier in the day. He told me he thought it was going 'to work.' Mr. Greenspan’s 'irrational exuberance,' however, has left the room and maybe even the country. It is definitely quieter now. You might say: sober. Or almost sober. Nevertheless life goes on, and so do its delicious dramas of distraction." (NYSocialDiary)

"Samuel Jackson cutting a maybe $50 mil deal with Marvel. Multiple flicks like 'Captain America,' 'Iron Man,' 'The Avengers.'" (Cindy Adams)

"For years, (Jeff) Katzenberg has used the (Cannes) as a launching pad -- and parade grounds -- for such films as 'Shrek' and 'The Bee Movie.' In one memorable publicity stunt, Jerry Seinfeld leapt off the roof of the Carleton Hotel in a bee suit -- secured by wires. Chalk one more up for Pixar, which has been in a nonstop tug-of-war with DreamWorks for the animation mantle ever since the two studios went head-to-head with two bug movies in 1998. Setting the tone for who would be trumping whom in this latest race, Pixar’s 'A Bug’s Life' beat out DreamWorks’ 'Antz' at the box office. Indeed, over the years, Pixar has largely prevailed, which means Katzenberg has a lot a stake with 'Monsters.' The film -- about a group of monsters who band together to save the Earth from an attack by aliens -- is the company’s first-ever 3D release, and Katzenberg has been tub-thumping even more vigilantly than usual, proclaiming that, with the advent of 3D, a 'revolution' is at hand. He has motivation to talk big: No less than his company is riding on the success of the film, seeing as going forward, all DWA movies will be made in the 3D format as opposed to being made as 2D movies and converted afterwards." (TheWrap)

"Dick Cheney had it coming and Barack Obama could not be happier to give it to him. The former vice president recently violated the norm of keeping your mouth shut when tempted to criticize a successor regime in the White House, and his beyond-the-boundaries claims that the current administration made the nation less safe from terrorists got a justifiably stern rebuke on Sunday from President Obama: 'How many terrorists have actually been brought to justice under the philosophy that is being promoted by Vice President Cheney?' Obama asked on CBS' '60 Minutes' in response to a question about Cheney's broadsides. 'It hasn't made us safer. What it has been is a great advertisement for anti-American sentiment, which means there is constant, effective recruitment of Arab fighters and Muslim fighters against U.S. interests all around the world.' In other words, Cheney's approach created more terrorists than were captured." (Craig Crawford/Politics)



"Vanity Fair and Bob Colacello celebrated the arrival of the BMW Art Car World Tour with a free public art installation at New York City’s Grand Central Terminal with BMWs redesigned by Andy Warhol, Frank Stella, Robert Rauschenberg and Roy Lichtenstein, who currently has an exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery on Madison Avenue. New York City socialites, art patrons, and BMW fans stopped in to check out the glamorous car show including Patrick McMullan, Kipton Cronkite, Vogue Senior-Editor Alexandra Kotur, and Andrew Saffir. You can check out the Beamers at Grand Central’s Vanderbilt Hall through April 6th."

"What is the Geithner plan? In briefest summary, it is the TARP—the Troubled Assets Relief Program—Bush Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s original plan to repurchase subprime and alt-A mortgage-backed securities from the banking system—dressed up to engage the interest of hedge funds and private-equity investors. Under the plan, 7.5 percent of the purchase price would come from private sources as equity. The same would come from TARP—that is, from the Treasury—also as equity. Eighty-five percent would come from the FDIC, as a low-interest, non-recourse loan, meaning that if the loans default, the FDIC gets the assets but nothing else. If the assets prosper, then public-private partners make money and the FDIC gets paid. If the assets default at high rates, then Treasury and the private investors are together wiped out. The FDIC would get the securities and sell them; its losses would depend on the price it can get. In this game, the banks benefit from a high price, the FDIC from a low one, in the initial sale." (James Galbraith/The Daily Beast)



"Bravo's reality show Make Me a Supermodel held a sparkling champagne celebration last night to kick of the new season at Catherine Malandrino's stunning Meatpacking District boutique. Catherine, an internationally renowned designer, is the new judge on the program which features male and female models vying for $100,000 and a lucrative modeling contract with New York Models .. Australian model Nicole Trunfio, and the always captivating and unpredictable model and co-host Tyson Beckford mingled with the pretty crowd." (Papermag)

"A caller asked Howard (Stern) if he had ever heard Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman having sex when they were on vacation together, but Howard denied it. Howard added that he believed Sarah was a very loving and 'physical' girlfriend, but she has so far spurned his efforts to mediate the couple's reconciliation." (HowardStern/Rundown)