Media-Whore D'Oeuvres



(image via JH/NYSocialDiary)

"At six o’clock I went down to the Museum of Modern Art, invited by Peggy Siegal to the premiere of 'Valentino, the Last Emperor,' a documentary film by Matt Tyrnauer on the life and times of the great Roman couturier and his partner .. It was a fashionable crowd with lots of boldface names. A few rows ahead of us were Valentino and his partner Giancarlo Giammetti standing in the aisle next to their seats surrounded by Gwyneth Paltrow, Anne Hathaway, Claire Danes. Nearby taking their seats were Reinaldo and Carolina Herrera, Carolyne Roehm and Simon Pinninger, Anne Bass and Julian Lethbridge, Louise Grunwald, Diane von Furstenberg and Barry Diller, Martha Stewart .." (NYSocialDiary)

"...Nbc uni's zucker on leno at 10 pm: 'this is not a ratings play...I don't think we'll ever say nbc' is tops in primetime.' Wow ..nbcuni's zucker: 'I don't wanna say ratings don't matter. They do. But they are not the only gauge of success.' Doublewow!" (JonFine/Twitter)

"I'm told NBC Universal spent a whopping $10 million on Sunday's two-hour opener for Kings and another $4 million per episode. That's a staggering amount of money to lavish on any drama series, especially one that's a bomb. By now you've seen the ratings reports about Kings pulling in horrible numbers -- a 1.6 rating/4 share in 18-49 demgraphics, and 6 million viewers overall. (ABC's heavy hitter Desperate Housewives was No. 1 from 9PM to 10PM.) Nor does Jeff Zucker have anyone to blame but himself for this disaster. Because I hear that Ben Silverman was hands-on. Remember, please, that Ben's predecessor at NBC Entertainment, Kevin Reilly, passed on it. But Ben picked up the script and ran with it. Some thought it should have been a mini-series, but Ben said no. Others thought the modernized Bible retelling should have had more backstory, and at one point Silverman ordered the writers to make it "more real world". So he told them to work up a cockamamie scenario whereby the Allies never won World War II, and America went bankrupt afterwards, which meant no oil out of the Middle East, so Mexico got rich, and then... Ugh, does anybody give a shit? It was scrapped anyway." (DeadlineHollywoodDaily)



"It goes without saying that GBH knows how to arrange solid shows; following Friday night’s GBH-hosted DJ set at Webster Hall featuring Calvin Harris, electronica goddess Peaches spun up a storm Saturday at the Tribeca Grand. Sans MySpace announcement, this special appearance was largely 'last minute,' approaching secret show territory .. Peaches jumped on the turntables after So Me (!!!) and Alex English, around roughly 2 a.m. The Berlin-based diva, with a half-shaven head and dressed in a getup the likes of which we’ve never seen before and words cannot adequately delineate, spun everything from up-and-coming Thunderheist to classic Daft Punk. Grooving beside her in the 'booth' were the evening’s VIPs, which included JD Samson and, to our amazement, the Aussie pop star Sia. Donning an oversized neon pink top and sporting her signature blonde bob, this Zero 7 sweetheart busted more moves than maybe anyone. And, as the evening wound down, Bjork herself was spotted at the bar." (Papermag)



"The party celebrating the arrival of Burberry's new Spring menswear collection at Barneys on Monday night drew the likes of Gossip boy Ed Westwick, real-life socialite Poppy Delevingne, and all-around scenester Leigh Lezark, as well as the label's main man, Christopher Bailey. Despite the flashbulbs, it was a low-key affair—this being the first day back in New York for many going-out types after a month of international RTW. There was a similar sense of ease on the sartorial front, thanks to the label's trademark trench. 'These hide a multitude of sins,' explained Mary-Kate Olsen, who had spent the previous night at the late-finishing Metropolitan Opera gala." (Style)

"Not so long ago, reality TV was the last place any self-respecting celebrity would wish to end up. 'Hollywood Squares' was another term for Hollywood Hell. 'Celebrity Boxing' -- remember that little delight from 2002? -- was a garbage collection point for tabloid cast-offs: Paula Jones, Joey Buttafuoco, Tonya Harding and the hapless Darva Conger, the former California nurse best known for thinking, wrongly, that she wanted to marry a multi-millionaire on live TV. Now, though, the famous -- and almost-famous -- are lining round the block to get on the most popular shows, like 'Dancing With the Stars' or 'Celebrity Apprentice,' sniffing out any opportunity to put themselves on the map or -- in the case of fading mid-career entertainers -- sell themselves in a different guise to a whole new generation of fans .. Stars on a multi-character scripted drama can make upwards of $50,000 an episode – sometimes way upward. Yet even on the most successful reality shows, celebrity participants are limited to a 'favored-nation status' fee of $200,000 for the season – with bonuses if they make it to the finals of another $100,000 or so for coming in first, second or third. Naturally, the fee is far lower, for example, on the VH-1, Bravo and E! shows." (TheWrap)

"With so much to argue about in Washington these days, what's left? The Supreme Court, that's what. As Taegan Goddard notes on his newsy Political Wire, a vacancy could be looming. And you don't have to believe the rumor mill to see it coming. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg herself hinted about the possibility, Goddard writes. Failing health, advancing age or reported weariness with the job puts Ginsburg, John Paul Stevens and David Souter on the list of impending departures. All are somewhat left-leaning in the context of the mostly conservative court, meaning that President Barack Obama would only be able to maintain the status quo with like-minded replacements. But just imagine how passionately the Republicans will fight him, even though they lack the votes to prevail. No matter how pre-ordained the outcome, at a minimum Supreme Court openings become tremendous opportunities for rallying supporters, raising money and provoking political mayhem, especially for the losing side." (CQPolitics)

"Time appears to be running out for Gordon Brown, Britain's beleaguered prime minister. He has to call a general election by the summer of 2010 and at present is 14 points behind in the opinion polls with a mere 29 percent of the vote. Nothing seems to be going right for him. He has lost control of the economy, lost control of immigration, lost control of Scotland (his home turf), lost control of defense and security policy. Even the Northern Ireland 'peace process' is under attack from renewed republican terrorism. Nor can he rely on much public sympathy. Unlike Tony Blair, he lacks charm; he is not one of the beautiful people; his Scottish accent grates on many English ears; he resents being depicted as fat by cartoonists; he comes across as cold and even unnatural – his jaw seems to detach itself in a strange manner when he inhales while speaking. Even his undoubted intelligence (Prospect magazine, written by Britain's would-be intellectuals for other would-be intellectuals, ran a series of six articles in 2007 on Brown as an intellectual) appears to be simply that of a boring school swat. Finally, the causes he takes up – his "Britishness" campaign for example – appear contrived and artificial. This man seems doomed." (ForeignPolicy)

"Those looking for potential fireworks when MSNBC's Keith Olbermann is a guest Friday on Real Time with Bill Maher may be disappointed. TVNewser has learned Olbermann's segment will be the second interview, and he will not appear on the panel which this week is made up of Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, actress Kerry Washington and NYTimes reporter Andrew Ross Sorkin. Meanwhile Olbermann will be a guest on NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno tomorrow night (one night before the first ever late show appearance by a sitting President). (TVNewser)