Media-Whore D'Oeuvres



(image via uark.edu)

"Down at Michael’s over the Gazpacho and the Shrimp Tortellini we watched the passing parade and discussed several little known facts about the players in the current courthouse drama. Charlie Rose came in late (1:30-ish) wearing a bright yellow polo and a blue double-breasted blazer. A yachting cap would have assured the onlooker that there was a yacht awaiting his command. My lunch date dated Mr. Rose when they were in college when it was suggested that they’d make a 'dynamite couple.' My lunch date’s father, a fine old Southern gentleman, hearing the suggestion, said to his daughter: 'you are the worst picker when it comes to men' .. Vernon Jordan was lunching at Table One with a lady who was listening and laughing. When Mr. Jordan entertains the ladies at his table, there is always laughter. He is one of the most remarkable men on the New York/Washington scene. The word power comes to mind. He’s a big man, tall and imposing but with an almost diffident bearing. When he speaks, and it is with certainty and aplomb but not arrogance, people listen." (NYSocialDiary)

"Now that summer is in full swing, the usual mix of movers and shakers at Michael's was a bit on the light side today. But Ron Perelman was there, proving this is no time to slack off if you're a true mogul. Frank Gifford and Charlie Rose were in the dining room yesterday. And, we hear, our pal Jack Kliger stopped by to open up a bottle of 1969 Pommard Rugiens ('a rich red Burgundy' says wine director Seth Liebman) and celebrate, no doubt, his new gig as acting CEO of TV Guide. Congrats!" (FishbowlNY)



"Huang Xinyuan, who sells mining equipment and pesticides to customers across China’s border with Vietnam, says he no longer wants payment in U.S. dollars and prefers the yuan. Sales using the greenback at Guangxi Jinbei Group, where Huang is vice president, dropped to 30 percent of contracts in 2008 from 87 percent in 2007. The yuan, which has gained 21 percent since it was allowed to strengthen against the dollar starting in 2005, offers greater stability, he said. 'In recent years, the dollar has gone in only one direction and that is down,' said Huang, 45, in his second- floor office in Pingxiang, a town set amongst karst limestone hills and sugar-cane fields in China’s southwest Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, three kilometers (1.9 miles) from Vietnam. 'Settling our orders in yuan removes a major risk.' China expanded yuan settlement agreements last week from border zones to its largest financial centers, including Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. The program is being rolled out across Malaysia, Indonesia, Brazil and Russia, all nations seeking to reduce the dollar’s role as the linchpin of world finance and trade. The central bank first brought up the concept of a supranational currency to replace the greenback in reserves in March. It will sponsor use of the yuan in trade by arranging export tax rebates." (Bloomberg)



"Unfortunately for actress Emma Watson, 19, the combination of blustery wet weather and freeflowing dress led to a few problems on the red carpet last night. Goodness only knows what she was up to lifting her dress to one side as the rain tipped down - but it certainly didn't escape the attention of eagle-eyed photographers nearby. Later, on the way home in the car from the afterparty at Middle Temple with boyfriend Jay Barrymore, her wayward dress struck again - as if cursed with bad magic." (Thisislondon)



"JANE Fonda and music producer Richard Perry 'all over each other all night' at LA's Sunset Tower Bar while celebrating Robbie Robertson's birthday." (PageSix)

(Carrie Fisher and Patti Lupone via JaneFonda)

"I finally met Patti Lupone. You can’t be on Broadway for long without knowing her legendary status. I had never seen her in anything but she sent me flowers when I was nominated for a Tony Award and we have been emailing. She and Mandy Patinkin are performing in L.A. At the Ahmanson Theatre. A new and compelling compilation of show tunes. She knocked me socks off—and about 3000 other people. I invited her, her husband and son to join me, Carrie Fisher, Richard Perry and my son and daughter-in-law for dinner after the show. Patti turns out to be a real mensch…easy to be with, interesting to talk to and she had so many tips for Carrie Fisher who is coming to Broadway with her one-woman show, 'Wishful Drinking' in the fall." (Jane Fonda Blog)



"Michael’s was abuzz last night for the book launch of Chris Anderson’s 'Free: The Future of a Radical Price.' The Wired Magazine Editor-In-Chief celebrated his second book with close friends including Tina Brown, Rebecca Lieb, Megan Keane, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Miles Nadal, Katie Kempner, Brad Gerdeman, Courtney Humiston and John Capone…" (Guestofaguest)



"I was down in the Big Easy for the 15th Annual Essence Music Festival. This year's fest was hotter than a Bourbon Street pole dancer, with performances from headliners like John Legend, accompanied by my favorite British import since SoHo House, Estelle. John graciously allowed Estelle to perform her hit 'American Boy' and the crowd saluted her like she was the Queen Mum! Lionel Richie (aka Nicole Richie’s dad for you toddlers) reunited with his old group The Commodores and his heir apparent, Neyo! You might be 'So Sick Of Love Songs' but Neyo is damn sure the cure, an amazing songwriter and performer." (Papermag)



"A 73-year-old man who spent nearly 10 weeks as an alternate juror in the trial of Brooke Astor’s son said on Tuesday that he thought Mrs. Astor 'knew what she was doing' when she made changes to her will, although he was unsure what his verdict would have been and how other jurors were leaning. 'The woman was no dummy,' said the man, Frank Waring of Manhattan, who was removed last week from the jury for unknown reasons, leaving 12 jurors and 3 alternates. He said he could not believe that Anthony D. Marshall, who is accused of taking advantage of Mrs. Astor’s Alzheimer’s disease to change her will, had sufficient motive to swindle his mother, because he stood to get a lot of her fortune anyway." (NYTimes)