Chloe Sevigny: "Hollywood is a little too much enamored with British [actors] or people with accents"
That Vincent Gallo -- Eew -- "Beej scene" notwithstanding (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment), Chloe Sevigny -- Jay "The Jayster" McInerney's former "It Girl" -- is one of, if not THE best actor of her generation (For further reference see her masterful performance in: Melinda and Melinda). The actress, who made her bones in Independent Film Cosmos has some interesting things to say about The Hollywood Establishment. From HollywoodLife:
"HL: Are you a jealous person in real life?
"Sevigny: Yeah. It's not that I'm bitter, but sometimes I think, 'Why her?'
"HL: Professionally or romantically?
"Sevigny: Both. In romance, forget it. I'm extremely jealous in my relationships. I'm trying to get over that. I've been in a relationship for six years [with musician Matt McAuley] and I used to be really bad but I've gotten better.
"HL: Do you feel competitive with other actors?
"Sevigny: There are careers that I aspire to have, like Cate Blanchett's or Kate Winslet's. I think Hollywood is a little too much enamored with British [actors] or people with accents. I think they think they are more 'master thespian' than their American counterparts and give them a lot more leeway in taking more complicated parts. I find that very frustrating."
You do your thing, Chloe Sevigny; you .. Do. Your. Thing. (HollywoodLife)
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Albrecht Out, and other AlBRECHTian Drama
(image via nytimes)
We've avoided wading into the fetid pool that is the Chris Albrecht story because, well, it is impossibly sordid. But now that Albrecht has been tossed as CEO of HBO -- which is to this era of television what PBS was to the 1970s -- we have no choice. Granted, HBO has been losing Mojo, and there is still a question as to what will be the new HBO in prestige programming (FX Network?), but HBO is still HBO. Even after the overhyped De La Hoya-Mayweather stinker -- which still brought in record business. Acccording to Variety:
"Chris Albrecht is out as chairman and chief executive officer at HBO.
"Albrecht's departure caps a stunning turn of events that began when he was arrested early Sunday morning by Las Vegas police for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend.
"Albrecht announced Tuesday that he would take a leave of absence from the pay cabler in order to enter rehab - admitting that he'd begun drinking again after having stayed sober for 13 years.
"But on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times reported on allegations that Albrecht in 1991 had shoved and choked a former employee - ex- HBO Ind. Prods. senior VP Sasha Emerson - with whom he had recently ended an affair with."
(Variety)
(image via nytimes)
We've avoided wading into the fetid pool that is the Chris Albrecht story because, well, it is impossibly sordid. But now that Albrecht has been tossed as CEO of HBO -- which is to this era of television what PBS was to the 1970s -- we have no choice. Granted, HBO has been losing Mojo, and there is still a question as to what will be the new HBO in prestige programming (FX Network?), but HBO is still HBO. Even after the overhyped De La Hoya-Mayweather stinker -- which still brought in record business. Acccording to Variety:
"Chris Albrecht is out as chairman and chief executive officer at HBO.
"Albrecht's departure caps a stunning turn of events that began when he was arrested early Sunday morning by Las Vegas police for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend.
"Albrecht announced Tuesday that he would take a leave of absence from the pay cabler in order to enter rehab - admitting that he'd begun drinking again after having stayed sober for 13 years.
"But on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times reported on allegations that Albrecht in 1991 had shoved and choked a former employee - ex- HBO Ind. Prods. senior VP Sasha Emerson - with whom he had recently ended an affair with."
(Variety)
MySpace Buys Photobucket
Galactic Master of the Universe Rupert Murdoch's double-barelled stranglehold over the constantly evolving digital cosmos was strengthened mightily as the whispered-about MySpace-Photobucket deal went through for a crisp $250 million. As first reported by ValleyWag, " Photobucket, and its bankers Lehman Brothers, were looking for at least $300m." Game, set and match: Rupert Murdoch. Paidcontent also noted, billionaire Barry Diller's "IAC was in the bidding till the last moment, say our sources, but the pricing was too aggressive for anyone but MySpace/Fox." Kristina Knight of Bizreport writes:
"PhotoBucket serves roughly 3 billion photos and videos every day for 41 million members. About 85,000 new members sign up each day, that is about 40% of all photo-sharing activities. In comparison, Yahoo and Flickr together account for only about 10% of all photo/video sharing activities.
"Though it hosts pics and vids free of charge, PhotoBucket is a cash cow. In addition to a $25/year subscription fee, it makes money by displaying ads while users wait for photos and videos to upload to the site. PhotoBucket brought in about $6.3 million in revenue in 2006. As more advertisers and users sign on, they are expecting revenue to jump to $25 million in 2007.
"Another interesting fact is that users are staying on-site. In December 2006, the average users viewed 13+ pages each visit. As publishers begin to pay more attention to the engagement level of users (how many pages are viewed, how long a user stays on-site), these numbers become even more important."
And at a $50 million discount. (Bizreport)
Galactic Master of the Universe Rupert Murdoch's double-barelled stranglehold over the constantly evolving digital cosmos was strengthened mightily as the whispered-about MySpace-Photobucket deal went through for a crisp $250 million. As first reported by ValleyWag, " Photobucket, and its bankers Lehman Brothers, were looking for at least $300m." Game, set and match: Rupert Murdoch. Paidcontent also noted, billionaire Barry Diller's "IAC was in the bidding till the last moment, say our sources, but the pricing was too aggressive for anyone but MySpace/Fox." Kristina Knight of Bizreport writes:
"PhotoBucket serves roughly 3 billion photos and videos every day for 41 million members. About 85,000 new members sign up each day, that is about 40% of all photo-sharing activities. In comparison, Yahoo and Flickr together account for only about 10% of all photo/video sharing activities.
"Though it hosts pics and vids free of charge, PhotoBucket is a cash cow. In addition to a $25/year subscription fee, it makes money by displaying ads while users wait for photos and videos to upload to the site. PhotoBucket brought in about $6.3 million in revenue in 2006. As more advertisers and users sign on, they are expecting revenue to jump to $25 million in 2007.
"Another interesting fact is that users are staying on-site. In December 2006, the average users viewed 13+ pages each visit. As publishers begin to pay more attention to the engagement level of users (how many pages are viewed, how long a user stays on-site), these numbers become even more important."
And at a $50 million discount. (Bizreport)
Buying "Melons," Indeed
Under the vaguely hilarious headline "Buying 'Melons,'" comes a story teeming with all the swellegant class that surrounds that rogue metropolitain province, Suffolk County -- the teased hair capital of the Western World (Averted Gaze). Fuggedaboudit. Amy Fisher and "Roads" scholar, Joey Buttafuoco may or may not be back in some sort of a relationship -- Eew -- and looking to run the remaining time on the clock that is their 15 minutes of fame (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment). Oh, and Amy Fisher, for those of you who care, has had a breast job. From "Buying 'Melons'" -- ha,ha -- in the NYPost:
"The Long Island Lolita's hubby Lou Bellera, 55, filed for the divorce on Long Island, where they still live together, according to the Suffolk County clerk's office.
"But Fisher's confidant, TV producer David Krieff, said Bellera will soon be moving out. They have two young children.
"The divorce action was filed last Friday - on the same day that Joey Buttafuoco's second wife, Evanka, also filed for divorce in Los Angeles, amid reports that Fisher and Buttafuoco - the man busted for her statutory rape 15 years ago - had renewed some kind of relationship."
Altogether now: Eew.
"Krieff, who is currently pitching a show to the networks about celebrities and the rich and famous behind bars, confirmed Fisher's breast augmentation and said he is also trying to get the cute ex-con into Playboy.
"'She has a Playmate's kind of body. She's perfectly proportioned, no waist and perfect, large breasts,' said Krieff."
Class (The Corsair expectorates into the blogosphere). That last line was delivered, no doubt, in the crispest Suffolk County accent. Elan.
"'It's something she's wanted to do for a long time,' said Krieff. 'Get a divorce, get a boob job. I think that's God's order.' Krieff also said he is in talks to book Amy and Joey with Howard Stern and on 'Saturday Night Live.'"
From God's plan to Amy's tits. -- And if that doesn't work out, buttercup, there is always Public access teevee. (Buying 'Melons')
Under the vaguely hilarious headline "Buying 'Melons,'" comes a story teeming with all the swellegant class that surrounds that rogue metropolitain province, Suffolk County -- the teased hair capital of the Western World (Averted Gaze). Fuggedaboudit. Amy Fisher and "Roads" scholar, Joey Buttafuoco may or may not be back in some sort of a relationship -- Eew -- and looking to run the remaining time on the clock that is their 15 minutes of fame (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment). Oh, and Amy Fisher, for those of you who care, has had a breast job. From "Buying 'Melons'" -- ha,ha -- in the NYPost:
"The Long Island Lolita's hubby Lou Bellera, 55, filed for the divorce on Long Island, where they still live together, according to the Suffolk County clerk's office.
"But Fisher's confidant, TV producer David Krieff, said Bellera will soon be moving out. They have two young children.
"The divorce action was filed last Friday - on the same day that Joey Buttafuoco's second wife, Evanka, also filed for divorce in Los Angeles, amid reports that Fisher and Buttafuoco - the man busted for her statutory rape 15 years ago - had renewed some kind of relationship."
Altogether now: Eew.
"Krieff, who is currently pitching a show to the networks about celebrities and the rich and famous behind bars, confirmed Fisher's breast augmentation and said he is also trying to get the cute ex-con into Playboy.
"'She has a Playmate's kind of body. She's perfectly proportioned, no waist and perfect, large breasts,' said Krieff."
Class (The Corsair expectorates into the blogosphere). That last line was delivered, no doubt, in the crispest Suffolk County accent. Elan.
"'It's something she's wanted to do for a long time,' said Krieff. 'Get a divorce, get a boob job. I think that's God's order.' Krieff also said he is in talks to book Amy and Joey with Howard Stern and on 'Saturday Night Live.'"
From God's plan to Amy's tits. -- And if that doesn't work out, buttercup, there is always Public access teevee. (Buying 'Melons')
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Howard Stern Denied "Tour" of Iraq?
If Senator manque Al Franken is allowed to "entertain" -- has he ever entertained anyone? -- the troops in Iraq, then why not Howard Stern, who's bawdy sense of humor is more attuned to the jocularity of a GI? Apparently, Howard Stern tried to entertain the troops, or at least put out feelers. And he was turned down. From Marksfriggin:
"Howard read an e-mail he got from a guy over in Iraq who is very happy that he gets to hear the show over the internet. He said the guy goes on and on and on telling them that he's doing okay over there and that they're making his day great while he's serving there. Howard said that there was a time when he wanted to go over and visit the troops but he was denied, unofficially, but he was denied."
Granted, Stern was one of the biggest enemies of the war and the Bush Administration, but what is this all about? (Marksfriggin)
If Senator manque Al Franken is allowed to "entertain" -- has he ever entertained anyone? -- the troops in Iraq, then why not Howard Stern, who's bawdy sense of humor is more attuned to the jocularity of a GI? Apparently, Howard Stern tried to entertain the troops, or at least put out feelers. And he was turned down. From Marksfriggin:
"Howard read an e-mail he got from a guy over in Iraq who is very happy that he gets to hear the show over the internet. He said the guy goes on and on and on telling them that he's doing okay over there and that they're making his day great while he's serving there. Howard said that there was a time when he wanted to go over and visit the troops but he was denied, unofficially, but he was denied."
Granted, Stern was one of the biggest enemies of the war and the Bush Administration, but what is this all about? (Marksfriggin)
Herod's Tomb Discovered
(image via sciencedaily)
The Tomb of Herod Agrippa, the grandson of Herod the Great, the Roman-appointed Jewish King from 37 to 44 AD has been discovered by archaeologists near the Judean Desert, 9 miles south of Jerusalem. He is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew as the political force behind the "Slaughter of the Innocents," an episode in which all boys under the age of two were to be killed in an effort at killing the Jewish messiah. Herod was educated with the Princes of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, and was close with both the mad Emperor Caligula and Claudius. From Time:
"An Israeli archaeologist has found the tomb of King Herod, the legendary builder of ancient Jerusalem and the Holy Land, Hebrew University said late Monday.
"The tomb is at a site called Herodium, a flattened hilltop in the Judean Desert, clearly visible from southern Jerusalem. Herod built a palace on the hill, and researchers discovered his burial site there, the university said.
"The university had hoped to keep the find a secret until Tuesday, when it planned a news conference to disclose the find in detail, but the Haaretz newspaper found out about the discovery and published an article on its Web site.
"Herod became the ruler of the Holy Land under the Romans around 74 B.C. The wall he built around the Old City of Jerusalem still stands, and he also ordered big construction projects in Caesaria, Jericho, the hilltop fortress of Massada and other sites."
(Time)
(image via sciencedaily)
The Tomb of Herod Agrippa, the grandson of Herod the Great, the Roman-appointed Jewish King from 37 to 44 AD has been discovered by archaeologists near the Judean Desert, 9 miles south of Jerusalem. He is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew as the political force behind the "Slaughter of the Innocents," an episode in which all boys under the age of two were to be killed in an effort at killing the Jewish messiah. Herod was educated with the Princes of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, and was close with both the mad Emperor Caligula and Claudius. From Time:
"An Israeli archaeologist has found the tomb of King Herod, the legendary builder of ancient Jerusalem and the Holy Land, Hebrew University said late Monday.
"The tomb is at a site called Herodium, a flattened hilltop in the Judean Desert, clearly visible from southern Jerusalem. Herod built a palace on the hill, and researchers discovered his burial site there, the university said.
"The university had hoped to keep the find a secret until Tuesday, when it planned a news conference to disclose the find in detail, but the Haaretz newspaper found out about the discovery and published an article on its Web site.
"Herod became the ruler of the Holy Land under the Romans around 74 B.C. The wall he built around the Old City of Jerusalem still stands, and he also ordered big construction projects in Caesaria, Jericho, the hilltop fortress of Massada and other sites."
(Time)
Picture Pages, Picture Pages ...
Vogue's Hamish Bowles, looking to be sorely in need of a robust multivitamin (image via jackieohflash)
Jessica Simpson's abstract expressionist interpretation on the process of stuffing sausages. (image via myspace)
Christina Ricci, Breast in Show. (image via jackieohflash)
Vogue's Hamish Bowles, looking to be sorely in need of a robust multivitamin (image via jackieohflash)
Jessica Simpson's abstract expressionist interpretation on the process of stuffing sausages. (image via myspace)
Christina Ricci, Breast in Show. (image via jackieohflash)
Met Costume Gala
Iman and the Thin White Duke, take that Bobby Deniro!(image via style)
Whither The Met Gala (Otherwise known as "The Oscars of the east Coast")? And, second question: What the Fuck were Jason Binn and Chris Klein doing there? Debra messing was there, in a Jacko glove. There was Andre Balasz, looking oily as ever; Eric Wilson of the Gray Lady begins, thusly:
"Early yesterday afternoon, a peahen — a female peacock — escaped from a 20-foot-high gilded bird cage that had been constructed inside the main entrance of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, causing a brief stir as organizers of the annual Costume Institute gala clumsily chased her about the Great Hall. The bird, an indentured guest with pristine white feathers, seemed to be setting a tone for the untamed evening that was to come."
John Mayer, the hungry man's Johnny Depp (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment), was there. As was Cameron Diaz, who -- although we are loathe to admit it -- looked surprisingly fucky. And from Style.com, the final word:
"During cocktail hour in the Carroll and Milton Petrie Sculpture Court, Kirsten Dunst, in vintage YSL, smooched her new paramour, Johnny Borrell of Razorlight; Julianne Moore and Stefano Pilati exchanged hugs with Salma Hayek and François-Henri Pinault; and Tom Ford mussed Jack McCollough's new mod 'do. Watching from the sidelines, actress and rock 'n' roller Juliette Lewis admitted to being a tad shy. 'I'm a bit of an outsider at these things,' she said. 'Especially because I've been living on a bus for the past six months with my band, The Licks, but Tommy Hilfiger asked me to come and it's nice to dress up once in a while.'
"Four trumpeters gave the universal signal for 'make your way to dinner,' and soon the fashion flock was on the move again. Inside the Engelhart Court, the walls and oversize lanterns were decorated in lavish Poiret style. 'This is one of the best years for the gala,' said Vogue's André Leon Talley, in a signature cape, with Renée Zellweger at his side. 'It's so relaxed. Everyone is at ease.' While waiters rushed to pass out the Poiret-rose-shaped salmon appetizers, the actress mused about Talley, her personal king of fashion for the evening: 'He's holding court, I'm just a loyal subject. All I saw was miles and miles of fabric and then him. Of course it was him.'"
Count Blacula, himself. The full Style.com assessment: Style
Iman and the Thin White Duke, take that Bobby Deniro!(image via style)
Whither The Met Gala (Otherwise known as "The Oscars of the east Coast")? And, second question: What the Fuck were Jason Binn and Chris Klein doing there? Debra messing was there, in a Jacko glove. There was Andre Balasz, looking oily as ever; Eric Wilson of the Gray Lady begins, thusly:
"Early yesterday afternoon, a peahen — a female peacock — escaped from a 20-foot-high gilded bird cage that had been constructed inside the main entrance of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, causing a brief stir as organizers of the annual Costume Institute gala clumsily chased her about the Great Hall. The bird, an indentured guest with pristine white feathers, seemed to be setting a tone for the untamed evening that was to come."
John Mayer, the hungry man's Johnny Depp (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment), was there. As was Cameron Diaz, who -- although we are loathe to admit it -- looked surprisingly fucky. And from Style.com, the final word:
"During cocktail hour in the Carroll and Milton Petrie Sculpture Court, Kirsten Dunst, in vintage YSL, smooched her new paramour, Johnny Borrell of Razorlight; Julianne Moore and Stefano Pilati exchanged hugs with Salma Hayek and François-Henri Pinault; and Tom Ford mussed Jack McCollough's new mod 'do. Watching from the sidelines, actress and rock 'n' roller Juliette Lewis admitted to being a tad shy. 'I'm a bit of an outsider at these things,' she said. 'Especially because I've been living on a bus for the past six months with my band, The Licks, but Tommy Hilfiger asked me to come and it's nice to dress up once in a while.'
"Four trumpeters gave the universal signal for 'make your way to dinner,' and soon the fashion flock was on the move again. Inside the Engelhart Court, the walls and oversize lanterns were decorated in lavish Poiret style. 'This is one of the best years for the gala,' said Vogue's André Leon Talley, in a signature cape, with Renée Zellweger at his side. 'It's so relaxed. Everyone is at ease.' While waiters rushed to pass out the Poiret-rose-shaped salmon appetizers, the actress mused about Talley, her personal king of fashion for the evening: 'He's holding court, I'm just a loyal subject. All I saw was miles and miles of fabric and then him. Of course it was him.'"
Count Blacula, himself. The full Style.com assessment: Style
The Love Song of K-Fertiline
"LET us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky/
Like a patient etherised upon a table"
K-Fert's Cosmic Role -- and all organbic matter has one -- was to oscillate wildly, thus serving as a Galactic Tension Reliever (tm) for geopolitical forces. Unfortunately, a Horny Britney inserted herself -- Eew -- into the Galactic Administration of the Universe, Thus Releasing -- Eew -- K-Fert's explosive "Forces (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment)."
"Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats/
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels"
K-Fertiline, or, as we like to call him, K-Fert (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment), was -- how does one say this in polite company? -- "Active" at the Kentucky Derby the other day. And how could he not? Those Fiery Loins (tm), once countenanced by a heavy back-up dance routine, hath been loosed! Surely, the fetid heat activated his preternatural powers of Fertility.
"And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
Streets that follow like a tedious argument/
Of insidious intent"
From those intrepid Page Sixxies:
"Downtown at the Stereo party, Kevin Federline was not amused when organizers brought him to a table in the VIP area he deemed was too small and said, 'Yo, I need a bigger table - I got six bitches with me.'
"After DJ AM finished his set, Federline hi-jacked the microphone from Kid Rock. K-Fed gave "shout-outs" to hot girls in the crowd and screamed, 'I got four kids already - which one of you Kentucky girls wants to have my fifth?'
"There were no takers .."
"In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo."
Still, despite the fact that there were no takers, anyone in hearing distance is strongly counselled to take an early pregnancy test just to be on the safe side ...(Page Six)
"LET us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky/
Like a patient etherised upon a table"
K-Fert's Cosmic Role -- and all organbic matter has one -- was to oscillate wildly, thus serving as a Galactic Tension Reliever (tm) for geopolitical forces. Unfortunately, a Horny Britney inserted herself -- Eew -- into the Galactic Administration of the Universe, Thus Releasing -- Eew -- K-Fert's explosive "Forces (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment)."
"Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats/
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels"
K-Fertiline, or, as we like to call him, K-Fert (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment), was -- how does one say this in polite company? -- "Active" at the Kentucky Derby the other day. And how could he not? Those Fiery Loins (tm), once countenanced by a heavy back-up dance routine, hath been loosed! Surely, the fetid heat activated his preternatural powers of Fertility.
"And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
Streets that follow like a tedious argument/
Of insidious intent"
From those intrepid Page Sixxies:
"Downtown at the Stereo party, Kevin Federline was not amused when organizers brought him to a table in the VIP area he deemed was too small and said, 'Yo, I need a bigger table - I got six bitches with me.'
"After DJ AM finished his set, Federline hi-jacked the microphone from Kid Rock. K-Fed gave "shout-outs" to hot girls in the crowd and screamed, 'I got four kids already - which one of you Kentucky girls wants to have my fifth?'
"There were no takers .."
"In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo."
Still, despite the fact that there were no takers, anyone in hearing distance is strongly counselled to take an early pregnancy test just to be on the safe side ...(Page Six)
Monday, May 07, 2007
That Felliniesque Kentucky Derby
It is truly hard to imagine any media event -- with the possible exception of The Cannes Film Festival (Think: Jean-Paul Sartre strolling the Croisette in a bathing suit in 1947) -- competing, on the showbiz tip, with The Kentucky Derby for sheer decadent Fellinisque madness (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment). And we're not just talking about the hats, the plunging necklines, and the splendiferous display of fucking C-Listers getting blind drunk South of the Mason-Dixon line (The Corsair gamely pours himself a glass of the black wine of Cahors, elixir of Popes). Spencer Morgan, who arrived late last Wednesday to his lunch at Michael's with our pal Michael Gross was "on-time" -- as they say -- for The Derby, writing for the salmon-colored weekly:
"Mrs. (Cyb Barnstable Brown’s) eyes seemed to glaze over. “The Derby is an international event,” she said.
Adorning her arm was Mr. Birkhead, a native Louisvillian. Four years ago, at this very party, he had met Anna Nicole Smith.
"'It’s kind of weird to be back at this party,' he said. 'Kind of full circle.'
"He said their child Daniel-Lynn was 'doing great. She’s teething. Everything’s great. She got a Derby outfit with a pink hat. It’s great.'"
Great. Not to be outdone, DJ AM, Star Jones, "big gay Al Reynolds", Tara Connor and Vanessa Minnilio -- collectively the bottom of the show-biz food chain -- also get positively C-List Felliniesque:
"The party happening just down the street was trying hard to be all New York. Stereo, the hipster nightclub with its main incarnation on New York's West 29th Street, had set up an outpost in the V.I.P. section of the Louisville nightclub, Felt.
"Inside—it was around 2 a.m.—Star Jones, clad in a black mini-skirt was getting freaky with her husband Al Reynolds, as Adam 'DJ AM' Goldberg burned up the turntables. Mr. Reynolds was gyrating up against Mrs. Jones’ backside, his hand positioned oddly on top of her head, while hers clutched the back of his thigh.
"Nearby Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo shared a table with fallen Miss America Tara Connor.
"'Did you hear?' gushed a reveler. 'Vanessa just tried to have Tara Connor removed from their table. Ha!'"
All those boldfaced C-Listers reminded us of a bad "Hollywood Squares" -- was there ever a good "Hollywood Squares" -- episode. (Observer)
It is truly hard to imagine any media event -- with the possible exception of The Cannes Film Festival (Think: Jean-Paul Sartre strolling the Croisette in a bathing suit in 1947) -- competing, on the showbiz tip, with The Kentucky Derby for sheer decadent Fellinisque madness (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment). And we're not just talking about the hats, the plunging necklines, and the splendiferous display of fucking C-Listers getting blind drunk South of the Mason-Dixon line (The Corsair gamely pours himself a glass of the black wine of Cahors, elixir of Popes). Spencer Morgan, who arrived late last Wednesday to his lunch at Michael's with our pal Michael Gross was "on-time" -- as they say -- for The Derby, writing for the salmon-colored weekly:
"Mrs. (Cyb Barnstable Brown’s) eyes seemed to glaze over. “The Derby is an international event,” she said.
Adorning her arm was Mr. Birkhead, a native Louisvillian. Four years ago, at this very party, he had met Anna Nicole Smith.
"'It’s kind of weird to be back at this party,' he said. 'Kind of full circle.'
"He said their child Daniel-Lynn was 'doing great. She’s teething. Everything’s great. She got a Derby outfit with a pink hat. It’s great.'"
Great. Not to be outdone, DJ AM, Star Jones, "big gay Al Reynolds", Tara Connor and Vanessa Minnilio -- collectively the bottom of the show-biz food chain -- also get positively C-List Felliniesque:
"The party happening just down the street was trying hard to be all New York. Stereo, the hipster nightclub with its main incarnation on New York's West 29th Street, had set up an outpost in the V.I.P. section of the Louisville nightclub, Felt.
"Inside—it was around 2 a.m.—Star Jones, clad in a black mini-skirt was getting freaky with her husband Al Reynolds, as Adam 'DJ AM' Goldberg burned up the turntables. Mr. Reynolds was gyrating up against Mrs. Jones’ backside, his hand positioned oddly on top of her head, while hers clutched the back of his thigh.
"Nearby Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo shared a table with fallen Miss America Tara Connor.
"'Did you hear?' gushed a reveler. 'Vanessa just tried to have Tara Connor removed from their table. Ha!'"
All those boldfaced C-Listers reminded us of a bad "Hollywood Squares" -- was there ever a good "Hollywood Squares" -- episode. (Observer)
Claire Danes to present Narciso Rodriguez Award
Claire Danes, the rather intense former child actress who recently broke up with Billy Crudup (Who, himself was for a while in social limbo for breaking up with Mary-Louise Parker when she was 7 months preggers) for actor Hugh Dancey, has always been a fixture at Narciso Rodriguez' front row. It's all so complicated; So it is all poetic that she will be honoring Rodriguez -- not Crudup. From Fashionweekdaily:
"Claire Danes has been tapped to present Narciso Rodriguez with the 2007 Pratt Institute Fashion Icon Award this Wednesday."
(Fashionweekdaily)
More Narciso: Fashionweekdaily; LATimes
Claire Danes, the rather intense former child actress who recently broke up with Billy Crudup (Who, himself was for a while in social limbo for breaking up with Mary-Louise Parker when she was 7 months preggers) for actor Hugh Dancey, has always been a fixture at Narciso Rodriguez' front row. It's all so complicated; So it is all poetic that she will be honoring Rodriguez -- not Crudup. From Fashionweekdaily:
"Claire Danes has been tapped to present Narciso Rodriguez with the 2007 Pratt Institute Fashion Icon Award this Wednesday."
(Fashionweekdaily)
More Narciso: Fashionweekdaily; LATimes
Peter Jackson to Work With DreamWorks, Spielberg
It is, in a sense, a match made in Nirvana: Peter Jackson, the certifiable sci-fi geek, gets to work with Steven Spielberg, the alchemically concocted Overlord-Master of Time and Space (With special attention paid to Hollywood). But, Hark! What's that sound? Oh, no worries, True Believer: That gnashing of teeth and howling of Despair? That's just stubborn New Line CEO Robert K. Shaye -- the man who let Jackson go for monetary reasons-- slowly eating his heart out as New Line goes ... sideways. From Variety:
"Peter Jackson will make his next movie at DreamWorks.
"Committing at least $65 million, DreamWorks, in association with Film 4, has won the bidding for Jackson's bigscreen adaptation of Alice Sebold's bestselling 2002 tome 'The Lovely Bones.'
"Announcement came early Friday evening, capping a weeklong auction that had three other majors -- Warner Bros. Pictures, Universal and Sony -- vying for Jackson's project as well.
"DreamWorks was a natural fit -- DreamWorks fought hard for the film rights to Sebold's book for several years ago before the rights went to Jackson. Also, Steven Spielberg has long wanted to work with Jackson."
Robert K. Shaye will just have to get by on "The Last Mimzy" (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment), while double-fisted moneymaker Peter Jackson does his thing at DreamWorks. (Variety)
It is, in a sense, a match made in Nirvana: Peter Jackson, the certifiable sci-fi geek, gets to work with Steven Spielberg, the alchemically concocted Overlord-Master of Time and Space (With special attention paid to Hollywood). But, Hark! What's that sound? Oh, no worries, True Believer: That gnashing of teeth and howling of Despair? That's just stubborn New Line CEO Robert K. Shaye -- the man who let Jackson go for monetary reasons-- slowly eating his heart out as New Line goes ... sideways. From Variety:
"Peter Jackson will make his next movie at DreamWorks.
"Committing at least $65 million, DreamWorks, in association with Film 4, has won the bidding for Jackson's bigscreen adaptation of Alice Sebold's bestselling 2002 tome 'The Lovely Bones.'
"Announcement came early Friday evening, capping a weeklong auction that had three other majors -- Warner Bros. Pictures, Universal and Sony -- vying for Jackson's project as well.
"DreamWorks was a natural fit -- DreamWorks fought hard for the film rights to Sebold's book for several years ago before the rights went to Jackson. Also, Steven Spielberg has long wanted to work with Jackson."
Robert K. Shaye will just have to get by on "The Last Mimzy" (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment), while double-fisted moneymaker Peter Jackson does his thing at DreamWorks. (Variety)
Naomi Campbell Goes French
Oily, overcosmeticized Gallic "mancandy" Andre Balazs, whose very name when pronounced correctly makes the listener feel the need to reach for ointment -- Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment -- is, apparently, seeing our favorite punchy supermodel, Naomi Campbell. Damn. And we like our girls a little crazy, you-know-what-I-mean? From those intrepid Page Sixxies:
"NAOMI Campbell's latest arm candy is dashing hotel mogul, and Uma Thurman's recent ex, Andre Balazs. Though insiders say the two are not a couple, they were spotted last week at Waverly Inn having a cozy dinner, which was briefly broken up when Donna Karan plopped down to chat with the dinner daters. Later, Balazs brought Campbell to Kelly Killoren Bensimon's birthday party at Pop Burger, though a spy said, 'They weren't really together there.'"
We wonder, in earnest, what the fuck slightly batty Donna Karan had to say to the extremely volatile yet super-hott supermodel and that aged slab of USDA-prime boef (Averted Gaze). Must have been one hell of a Dadaist collaboration in the waverly that night.(pageSix)
Oily, overcosmeticized Gallic "mancandy" Andre Balazs, whose very name when pronounced correctly makes the listener feel the need to reach for ointment -- Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment -- is, apparently, seeing our favorite punchy supermodel, Naomi Campbell. Damn. And we like our girls a little crazy, you-know-what-I-mean? From those intrepid Page Sixxies:
"NAOMI Campbell's latest arm candy is dashing hotel mogul, and Uma Thurman's recent ex, Andre Balazs. Though insiders say the two are not a couple, they were spotted last week at Waverly Inn having a cozy dinner, which was briefly broken up when Donna Karan plopped down to chat with the dinner daters. Later, Balazs brought Campbell to Kelly Killoren Bensimon's birthday party at Pop Burger, though a spy said, 'They weren't really together there.'"
We wonder, in earnest, what the fuck slightly batty Donna Karan had to say to the extremely volatile yet super-hott supermodel and that aged slab of USDA-prime boef (Averted Gaze). Must have been one hell of a Dadaist collaboration in the waverly that night.(pageSix)
David Carr: "The deal would give him ... a seat at the gentlemen’s table"
Clearly, Rupert Murdoch, though we chide him mercilessly on this blog, is a genius at discerning the zigzag trajectory of The Media Cosmos (cue: Monteverdi). Rupert operates, though, in such an aggressively operatic manner that we feel compelled -- compelled! -- to bonfire his vanities with some fava beans and a nice Chianti (Said with an air of restrained laughter).
Today, on Murdoch, growly-voiced New York Times columnist David Carr says, among other things, that:
"Despite his allaying words to the contrary, Murdoch would operate The Journal, including its editorial operations, as he sees fit. As Mr. Murdoch himself has said throughout his relentlessly acquisitive career, he buys things to run things."
Further, Carr asserts that Murdoch wants a level of respectability that he has yet to achieve. Huh? Isn't he already a "Master of the Universe (Spending, along the way, we cannot fail to note, '$44 million for a Fifth Avenue penthouse previously owned by Laurance S. Rockefeller - the most expensive residence ever sold above 14th Street'"? From Carr in the Gray Lady:
"The price that Mr. Murdoch is offering — $60 a share — is a multiple of ego, not earnings. He may have some other super-secret plan to squeeze more value out of the company, but the deal would give him something that, for all of his stellar business achievements, he’s never achieved in this country: a seat at the gentlemen’s table.
"...perhaps buying Dow Jones presents Mr. Murdoch with a dilemma he hasn’t quite faced before. Being the rustic from Australia whose media interests now span the distance from London to Beijing is a fine thing. But owning The Journal — the historical, respectable, ink-and-stippled Journal — signifies a kind of arrival, a yearning for respectability that owning one of the country’s great newspapers confers."
And to be sure the sepia-colored "House of Murdoch" Shakespearean succession-of-Kings drama (The Corsair pours himself a tawny glass of Madeira) continues, behind the scenes. (NYTimes)
(NYMagazine on The Dao of rupert)
Clearly, Rupert Murdoch, though we chide him mercilessly on this blog, is a genius at discerning the zigzag trajectory of The Media Cosmos (cue: Monteverdi). Rupert operates, though, in such an aggressively operatic manner that we feel compelled -- compelled! -- to bonfire his vanities with some fava beans and a nice Chianti (Said with an air of restrained laughter).
Today, on Murdoch, growly-voiced New York Times columnist David Carr says, among other things, that:
"Despite his allaying words to the contrary, Murdoch would operate The Journal, including its editorial operations, as he sees fit. As Mr. Murdoch himself has said throughout his relentlessly acquisitive career, he buys things to run things."
Further, Carr asserts that Murdoch wants a level of respectability that he has yet to achieve. Huh? Isn't he already a "Master of the Universe (Spending, along the way, we cannot fail to note, '$44 million for a Fifth Avenue penthouse previously owned by Laurance S. Rockefeller - the most expensive residence ever sold above 14th Street'"? From Carr in the Gray Lady:
"The price that Mr. Murdoch is offering — $60 a share — is a multiple of ego, not earnings. He may have some other super-secret plan to squeeze more value out of the company, but the deal would give him something that, for all of his stellar business achievements, he’s never achieved in this country: a seat at the gentlemen’s table.
"...perhaps buying Dow Jones presents Mr. Murdoch with a dilemma he hasn’t quite faced before. Being the rustic from Australia whose media interests now span the distance from London to Beijing is a fine thing. But owning The Journal — the historical, respectable, ink-and-stippled Journal — signifies a kind of arrival, a yearning for respectability that owning one of the country’s great newspapers confers."
And to be sure the sepia-colored "House of Murdoch" Shakespearean succession-of-Kings drama (The Corsair pours himself a tawny glass of Madeira) continues, behind the scenes. (NYTimes)
(NYMagazine on The Dao of rupert)
Lohan: "I'm Going to New York Tomorrow to F*ck Jude Law"
(image via newsoftheworld)
Blowcaine ... it's a Hell of a drug. We'd counsel "momager" Dina Lohan to look to it. The stories of Lindsay Lohan and coke have been with us for some time. LiLo and "Blow" go together like LiLo and exposed coochie. But until now there has been no photographic evidence. Enter: the extremely downmarket Newsoftheworld, and a handy little bathroom cam:
"Sordid snaps of her snorting the drug and shoving it up a pal's nose was taken as she and two friends crammed into a club toilet during a wild night on the town.
"Then the Mean Girls star bragged to the others: 'I'm going to New York tomorrow to f*** Jude Law.'"
What is it about starlets and pseudo-beefcakish cads? But there's more with regards the "Booger Sugar":
"Now a friend of the 21-year-old actress says she is spiralling out of control since rehab and revealed that Lohan:
"SNORTED 20 lines of cocaine in ONE night alone."
That would explain all those blind items about out-of-control starlets and their drugs lately. The full Lindsay: (Newsoftheworld)
(image via newsoftheworld)
Blowcaine ... it's a Hell of a drug. We'd counsel "momager" Dina Lohan to look to it. The stories of Lindsay Lohan and coke have been with us for some time. LiLo and "Blow" go together like LiLo and exposed coochie. But until now there has been no photographic evidence. Enter: the extremely downmarket Newsoftheworld, and a handy little bathroom cam:
"Sordid snaps of her snorting the drug and shoving it up a pal's nose was taken as she and two friends crammed into a club toilet during a wild night on the town.
"Then the Mean Girls star bragged to the others: 'I'm going to New York tomorrow to f*** Jude Law.'"
What is it about starlets and pseudo-beefcakish cads? But there's more with regards the "Booger Sugar":
"Now a friend of the 21-year-old actress says she is spiralling out of control since rehab and revealed that Lohan:
"SNORTED 20 lines of cocaine in ONE night alone."
That would explain all those blind items about out-of-control starlets and their drugs lately. The full Lindsay: (Newsoftheworld)
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Zuckerman's Famous Scam
(image via gonzaga.edu)
Does anyone really take the arbitrary US news & World Report college rankings seriously? Journalist Peter Sacks finally debunks what might be the most ambitious of Mort Zuckerman's profitable scams, namely the US news & World Report College Rankings (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment). Their arithmetic algorithms for their ranking of tiers have always struck as naught else but simple shit. From HuffPo:
"The recent disclosure by a college president that U.S. News & World Report is willing to publish made-up data about a college that dares not play the silly rankings game suggests just how far the magazine is willing to act like Tony Soprano to protect its lucrative franchise. And I'm not talking about the teddy bear Tony who likes his midnight ice cream splurges in his underwear and bathrobe.
I'm talking about kick the marked man until he bleeds and leave him to rot in the New Jersey wastelands Tony Soprano.
Like the sweet Tony, U.S. News & World Report has been known as that nice middle-of-the-road magazine that your grandmother likes and the one students and their parents look to for reliable information about everything from hospitals to colleges, universities and graduate schools. In fact, as the nation's lowest ranking news magazine -- after Time and Newsweek -- U.S. News has endeavored mightily to maintain readership by ranking everything in sight. And none of its franchises in the "America's Best" ranking business comes close to the popularity of its annual college guide.
"In fact, while U.S. News appears to crunch all manner of numbers, from graduation rates to student/faculty ratios, in order to derive its rankings, there is just one factor that drives virtually the whole ranking scheme, and that is the SAT or ACT scores of an institution's entering freshman.
"... All of which makes the story of Sarah Lawrence College so astonishing. A couple of years ago, the private liberal arts college decided to drop the SAT requirement, concluding that the entrance exam wasn't a very good predictor of success at Sarah Lawrence, and that the SAT testing culture simply did not mesh well with the institution's undergraduate emphasis on writing and, well, thinking. Because the college no longer required the exam, it stopped sending the scores to U.S. News. But, as college president Michele Tolela Myers revealed in a Sunday Washington Post op-ed piece, lacking the actual SAT data, U.S. News simply made up some numbers, arbitrarily assigning an SAT average of one standard deviation below Sarah Lawrence's peer institutions, the equivalent of about 200 SAT points."
The full post here. (HuffingtonPost)
(image via gonzaga.edu)
Does anyone really take the arbitrary US news & World Report college rankings seriously? Journalist Peter Sacks finally debunks what might be the most ambitious of Mort Zuckerman's profitable scams, namely the US news & World Report College Rankings (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment). Their arithmetic algorithms for their ranking of tiers have always struck as naught else but simple shit. From HuffPo:
"The recent disclosure by a college president that U.S. News & World Report is willing to publish made-up data about a college that dares not play the silly rankings game suggests just how far the magazine is willing to act like Tony Soprano to protect its lucrative franchise. And I'm not talking about the teddy bear Tony who likes his midnight ice cream splurges in his underwear and bathrobe.
I'm talking about kick the marked man until he bleeds and leave him to rot in the New Jersey wastelands Tony Soprano.
Like the sweet Tony, U.S. News & World Report has been known as that nice middle-of-the-road magazine that your grandmother likes and the one students and their parents look to for reliable information about everything from hospitals to colleges, universities and graduate schools. In fact, as the nation's lowest ranking news magazine -- after Time and Newsweek -- U.S. News has endeavored mightily to maintain readership by ranking everything in sight. And none of its franchises in the "America's Best" ranking business comes close to the popularity of its annual college guide.
"In fact, while U.S. News appears to crunch all manner of numbers, from graduation rates to student/faculty ratios, in order to derive its rankings, there is just one factor that drives virtually the whole ranking scheme, and that is the SAT or ACT scores of an institution's entering freshman.
"... All of which makes the story of Sarah Lawrence College so astonishing. A couple of years ago, the private liberal arts college decided to drop the SAT requirement, concluding that the entrance exam wasn't a very good predictor of success at Sarah Lawrence, and that the SAT testing culture simply did not mesh well with the institution's undergraduate emphasis on writing and, well, thinking. Because the college no longer required the exam, it stopped sending the scores to U.S. News. But, as college president Michele Tolela Myers revealed in a Sunday Washington Post op-ed piece, lacking the actual SAT data, U.S. News simply made up some numbers, arbitrarily assigning an SAT average of one standard deviation below Sarah Lawrence's peer institutions, the equivalent of about 200 SAT points."
The full post here. (HuffingtonPost)
20/20 Declines to Name Names
ABC's Brian Ross. (image via podspider)
Looking backwards, in what may appear to be one of the rather noble modern network news decisions of the year, ABC News decided not to go with naming names from the 46-pounds of "DC Madam'" Deborah Jeane Palfrey's phone log. From Howie Kurtz of WashPo:
"During several weeks of calls to possible clients of the woman dubbed the D.C. Madam, Brian Ross of ABC confirmed that some fairly important people had used her escort service.
But when he put together last night's segment for "20/20," the network's chief investigative reporter decided against outing anyone beyond the two people who already had been identified."
Granted, the more cynical among us will shoot back -- ABC News just didn't have any high calibre names. And they would be right:
"'They just weren't newsworthy enough,' ABC's Brian Ross said of the names. (By Donna Svennevik -- Abc)
"'Their names won't mean anything to our audience,' Ross said in an interview. 'They just weren't newsworthy enough.' Instead, he said, 'what we really wanted to do is demonstrate the range of official Washington' involved with the escort service.
"Their positions, as described by Ross, made them important, at least by the capital's standards: A federal prosecutor, who recently died. A handful of military officers, including the head of an Air Force intelligence squadron. A senior official at the World Bank and other officials at NASA and the International Monetary Fund. Corporate CEOs. And lobbyists, both Democratic and Republican."
Still, it took guts for ABC news -- especially after all the hype from the blogosphere -- to play it clean. Perhaps NBC News, which has a long and honorable tradition, but of late has been "ethically mired," could learn a thing or two? (WashingtonPost)
ABC's Brian Ross. (image via podspider)
Looking backwards, in what may appear to be one of the rather noble modern network news decisions of the year, ABC News decided not to go with naming names from the 46-pounds of "DC Madam'" Deborah Jeane Palfrey's phone log. From Howie Kurtz of WashPo:
"During several weeks of calls to possible clients of the woman dubbed the D.C. Madam, Brian Ross of ABC confirmed that some fairly important people had used her escort service.
But when he put together last night's segment for "20/20," the network's chief investigative reporter decided against outing anyone beyond the two people who already had been identified."
Granted, the more cynical among us will shoot back -- ABC News just didn't have any high calibre names. And they would be right:
"'They just weren't newsworthy enough,' ABC's Brian Ross said of the names. (By Donna Svennevik -- Abc)
"'Their names won't mean anything to our audience,' Ross said in an interview. 'They just weren't newsworthy enough.' Instead, he said, 'what we really wanted to do is demonstrate the range of official Washington' involved with the escort service.
"Their positions, as described by Ross, made them important, at least by the capital's standards: A federal prosecutor, who recently died. A handful of military officers, including the head of an Air Force intelligence squadron. A senior official at the World Bank and other officials at NASA and the International Monetary Fund. Corporate CEOs. And lobbyists, both Democratic and Republican."
Still, it took guts for ABC news -- especially after all the hype from the blogosphere -- to play it clean. Perhaps NBC News, which has a long and honorable tradition, but of late has been "ethically mired," could learn a thing or two? (WashingtonPost)
Novak Defends CIA's Director Tenet
Our favorite Dickensian villain Robert Novak -- Think of the full bodied lips, those impeccably tailored three-piece suits, that single-minded devotion to a capital gains tax cut -- defends former CIA Director George Tenet's overall recollection of Richard Perle's advocacy of invasion of Iraq. You'll recall, neoconservatives Richard "The Prince of Darkness" Perle and William Kristol quibbled with Tenet's recall of dates, thus negating his argument altogether. No dice. From the NYPost:
"EX-CIA Director George Tenet had the date wrong but the message right when he said neo-conservative policymaker Richard Perle was advocating intervention in Iraq immediately after the 9/11 attack on America.
"Tenet's memoir ('At the Center of the Storm') reports that Perle had advocated an assault on Iraq when they met at the White House on Sept. 12, 2001. But Perle let it be known last week that he was out of the country that day and never said what Tenet claimed. However, Perle told this column by phone on Sept. 17 that there were few good targets in Afghanistan but many in Iraq. Perle, a former assistant secretary of defense, was then chairman of the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board."
Tenet will be on NBC's "Meet the Press" with Tim "Bologna Grinder" Russert on Sunday.
Our favorite Dickensian villain Robert Novak -- Think of the full bodied lips, those impeccably tailored three-piece suits, that single-minded devotion to a capital gains tax cut -- defends former CIA Director George Tenet's overall recollection of Richard Perle's advocacy of invasion of Iraq. You'll recall, neoconservatives Richard "The Prince of Darkness" Perle and William Kristol quibbled with Tenet's recall of dates, thus negating his argument altogether. No dice. From the NYPost:
"EX-CIA Director George Tenet had the date wrong but the message right when he said neo-conservative policymaker Richard Perle was advocating intervention in Iraq immediately after the 9/11 attack on America.
"Tenet's memoir ('At the Center of the Storm') reports that Perle had advocated an assault on Iraq when they met at the White House on Sept. 12, 2001. But Perle let it be known last week that he was out of the country that day and never said what Tenet claimed. However, Perle told this column by phone on Sept. 17 that there were few good targets in Afghanistan but many in Iraq. Perle, a former assistant secretary of defense, was then chairman of the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board."
Tenet will be on NBC's "Meet the Press" with Tim "Bologna Grinder" Russert on Sunday.
Paris Hilton To The Pokey
So, Paris -- like Macauley Culkin before her -- is about to find herself ensorcelled in a moist "Oz"-like scenario pretty soon (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment). That little test tube baby!
Then again: Who are we really kidding with this whole Paris Hilton incarceration scenario? Does anyone think our vengeant prison system, as it is presently consituted, is going to "reform" Paris? Whatever does not kill her will make her goddam stronger; and Paris Hilton is pretty fucking unkillable.
Paris Hilton reminds us of a young Nicolette Sheridan. Leathery, cold, invincible. In the event of a nuclear nightmare scenario Sheridan and Keith Richards will be required to -- Eew -- repopulate the planet with a tougher, radiation-immune variation of our species.
But back to Paris: She shrugged off a porn tape that would have ruined any socialite with any sense of decency (Averted Gaze). Paris, as we all know, has such richly evolved reptilian survival skills that inside of 20 days she will be governing that damn joint. Within 15 days, Paris will be cutting the bathroom line without impunity (And, like in the clubs, if anyone --ANYONE -- acts out, saying it's "unfair," the rest of the inmates will just say, "Relax; it's Paris")
Paris will have "gen pop" concocting her customary vodka and lemonade "sterno" out of the fruit cup they serve at the commisary.
Frankly, we are rather amazed that her lizard-like survivability was not immune to The Herpes (tm). Perhaps that, like actual Labor and Intelligence, is her Kryptonite (Said with an air of restrained laughter)
So, Paris -- like Macauley Culkin before her -- is about to find herself ensorcelled in a moist "Oz"-like scenario pretty soon (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment). That little test tube baby!
Then again: Who are we really kidding with this whole Paris Hilton incarceration scenario? Does anyone think our vengeant prison system, as it is presently consituted, is going to "reform" Paris? Whatever does not kill her will make her goddam stronger; and Paris Hilton is pretty fucking unkillable.
Paris Hilton reminds us of a young Nicolette Sheridan. Leathery, cold, invincible. In the event of a nuclear nightmare scenario Sheridan and Keith Richards will be required to -- Eew -- repopulate the planet with a tougher, radiation-immune variation of our species.
But back to Paris: She shrugged off a porn tape that would have ruined any socialite with any sense of decency (Averted Gaze). Paris, as we all know, has such richly evolved reptilian survival skills that inside of 20 days she will be governing that damn joint. Within 15 days, Paris will be cutting the bathroom line without impunity (And, like in the clubs, if anyone --ANYONE -- acts out, saying it's "unfair," the rest of the inmates will just say, "Relax; it's Paris")
Paris will have "gen pop" concocting her customary vodka and lemonade "sterno" out of the fruit cup they serve at the commisary.
Frankly, we are rather amazed that her lizard-like survivability was not immune to The Herpes (tm). Perhaps that, like actual Labor and Intelligence, is her Kryptonite (Said with an air of restrained laughter)
Friday, May 04, 2007
Quien es Mas Macho: Steven Spielberg, Or God?
Okay, okay, so Steven Spielberg did not create the world in six days and rest on Sunday. The uber-director did not create the Infinite skies and multitudinous seas aqua. Then again, Where was The Silent One, the Lord of Hosts on the Time 100? Huh? And how many Oscars does the God of Abraham possess? Does His Endlessness get to work with Peter Jackson on "These Lovely Bones"? I'm just saying ...
And if memory serves was it not Steven Spielberg and not The Almighty, The Endless One who has been pressuring China -- via his role in the 2012 Olympics -- to stop selling arms to the Sudanese government who, in turn, are slaughtering black Africans? Where was G-d on the whole Sudanese genocide thingie anyway? Deus Otiosis? From The Council on Foreign Relations:
"As a result of China ’s Sudan investment, Mia Farrow, an actress and former UNICEF spokesman, has led a campaign to dub the Games the “Genocide Olympics” and hopes to shame international sponsors and film producer Steven Spielberg from participating in public relations efforts to support Beijing. Experts disagree on the efficacy of such criticism from outside China."
and so we ask: Quien es Mas Macho?
Poles
G-d: North Pole; Pro: the point of intersection of the Earth's surface with the axis of a simple magnetic dipole (like a bar magnet) that best approximates the Earth's actual more complex magnetic field. Con: Two words: Global Warming.
Steven Spielberg: Summer Tentpole. Pro: Spielberg's "Jaws" inaugurated the Summer Tentpole film, creating the modern studio system. Con: There was a moment when the tentpole seemed cliche, but Spiderman 3 will see to that noise.
Winner: Spielberg
Love
G-d: Pro and Con: Not much Love happeneing here on Planet Earth. Shi'ites fighting Sunni's fighting Sunni's fighting Christians ... Evengelicals fighting Agnostics ... That creepy Pope
Spielberg: Pro: The unquestioned King of Hollywood. Con: Wanted GE, and not Viacom to buy Dreamworks: "I was waiting at the altar for GE, and it never happened .. and Paramount gave us everything we ever wanted and more."
Winner: Draw
Disaster
Spielberg: Pro: Master of the Disaster pic. Con: Discovered Dakota Fanning. Con: Told Chris Rock to direct the box office bomb "I Think I Love My Wife. From Marksfriggin: "Howard (Stern) wanted to know more about the pressure Chris was under making this movie. Chris told Howard how he didn't even want to direct this movie but the movie company wanted him to do it. He said that Spielberg actually told him to try out the directing thing. He directed Head of State and Spielberg thought that he should direct more so he went with this one and tried it out."
G-d: Meteor showers? Hello.
Winner: G-d.
Props
Overall winner: Yaweh. Okay, okay: we give the G-d of Abraham props. Just ... look to that, yknow, Darfur situation.
Okay, okay, so Steven Spielberg did not create the world in six days and rest on Sunday. The uber-director did not create the Infinite skies and multitudinous seas aqua. Then again, Where was The Silent One, the Lord of Hosts on the Time 100? Huh? And how many Oscars does the God of Abraham possess? Does His Endlessness get to work with Peter Jackson on "These Lovely Bones"? I'm just saying ...
And if memory serves was it not Steven Spielberg and not The Almighty, The Endless One who has been pressuring China -- via his role in the 2012 Olympics -- to stop selling arms to the Sudanese government who, in turn, are slaughtering black Africans? Where was G-d on the whole Sudanese genocide thingie anyway? Deus Otiosis? From The Council on Foreign Relations:
"As a result of China ’s Sudan investment, Mia Farrow, an actress and former UNICEF spokesman, has led a campaign to dub the Games the “Genocide Olympics” and hopes to shame international sponsors and film producer Steven Spielberg from participating in public relations efforts to support Beijing. Experts disagree on the efficacy of such criticism from outside China."
and so we ask: Quien es Mas Macho?
Poles
G-d: North Pole; Pro: the point of intersection of the Earth's surface with the axis of a simple magnetic dipole (like a bar magnet) that best approximates the Earth's actual more complex magnetic field. Con: Two words: Global Warming.
Steven Spielberg: Summer Tentpole. Pro: Spielberg's "Jaws" inaugurated the Summer Tentpole film, creating the modern studio system. Con: There was a moment when the tentpole seemed cliche, but Spiderman 3 will see to that noise.
Winner: Spielberg
Love
G-d: Pro and Con: Not much Love happeneing here on Planet Earth. Shi'ites fighting Sunni's fighting Sunni's fighting Christians ... Evengelicals fighting Agnostics ... That creepy Pope
Spielberg: Pro: The unquestioned King of Hollywood. Con: Wanted GE, and not Viacom to buy Dreamworks: "I was waiting at the altar for GE, and it never happened .. and Paramount gave us everything we ever wanted and more."
Winner: Draw
Disaster
Spielberg: Pro: Master of the Disaster pic. Con: Discovered Dakota Fanning. Con: Told Chris Rock to direct the box office bomb "I Think I Love My Wife. From Marksfriggin: "Howard (Stern) wanted to know more about the pressure Chris was under making this movie. Chris told Howard how he didn't even want to direct this movie but the movie company wanted him to do it. He said that Spielberg actually told him to try out the directing thing. He directed Head of State and Spielberg thought that he should direct more so he went with this one and tried it out."
G-d: Meteor showers? Hello.
Winner: G-d.
Props
Overall winner: Yaweh. Okay, okay: we give the G-d of Abraham props. Just ... look to that, yknow, Darfur situation.
"Our Network News Division Never Pays For Interviews" And Other Lies The Newsies Tell Us
Is it the astonioshingly competitive nature of Morning television that causes Executives looking after the show to engage in such, ehr, dodgy practices? Or is it just the proprietary rights to over $250 million (pre-4th hour) of profits that "Today" means to the sweet NBC-Uni bottom line? Remember a week ago when we did that post about NBC News and Larry Birkhead? Page Six reported then that NBC -- through a shady little shell game with the "Entertainment" division -- paid Larry Birkhead $1 million for exclusive interviews. Then, on the "Today" Show, which, we cannot fail to note, is a part of the News division, started getting exclusives.
Clever. If anyone were to ask if there was some financial deal between the News division and a sordid tabloid story, they could say: No. It was the "Entertainment" division that paid him. Classic Network Ass Coverage.
NBC is having another attack of the Ass Coverage Syndrome. Again, From those intrepid Page Sixxies:
"NBC News doesn't pay for news, but NBC does. Matt Lauer just interviewed British Princes William and Harry (the heir and the spare) after NBC paid $2.5 million for the 'rights' to the Diana tribute concert on July 1. Sources say the unwritten quid pro quo was that whichever network paid for the concert would get an exclusive interview with the royals. 'It's not like they would pay for the concert otherwise," said one source.
'It's a bunch of C-listers.'
"... 'The rep refused to comment on how much the company spent for the 'concert rights.'"
Nice. (PageSix)
Is it the astonioshingly competitive nature of Morning television that causes Executives looking after the show to engage in such, ehr, dodgy practices? Or is it just the proprietary rights to over $250 million (pre-4th hour) of profits that "Today" means to the sweet NBC-Uni bottom line? Remember a week ago when we did that post about NBC News and Larry Birkhead? Page Six reported then that NBC -- through a shady little shell game with the "Entertainment" division -- paid Larry Birkhead $1 million for exclusive interviews. Then, on the "Today" Show, which, we cannot fail to note, is a part of the News division, started getting exclusives.
Clever. If anyone were to ask if there was some financial deal between the News division and a sordid tabloid story, they could say: No. It was the "Entertainment" division that paid him. Classic Network Ass Coverage.
NBC is having another attack of the Ass Coverage Syndrome. Again, From those intrepid Page Sixxies:
"NBC News doesn't pay for news, but NBC does. Matt Lauer just interviewed British Princes William and Harry (the heir and the spare) after NBC paid $2.5 million for the 'rights' to the Diana tribute concert on July 1. Sources say the unwritten quid pro quo was that whichever network paid for the concert would get an exclusive interview with the royals. 'It's not like they would pay for the concert otherwise," said one source.
'It's a bunch of C-listers.'
"... 'The rep refused to comment on how much the company spent for the 'concert rights.'"
Nice. (PageSix)
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Lou Dobbs on 60 Minutes
Lou Dobbs had a nickname when The Corsair was an editor at Silicon Alley Reporter. Back in the late 90s, when he was CEO of the quixotic Space.com -- ?! -- every few weeks or so, another story about his, ehr, tantrums, would surface. Some of the editors came up with the sobriquet "Lou Dobbs Does Not Play Well With Others," the others being. of course, other players in that NYC fin-de-siecle playgound known as Silicon Alley (The Corsair sips an unctuous 1982 Chateau Latour).
Nearly a decade later, he has reinvented himself as a Populist Patriot, neither too Democrat nor too Republican. Not only that, but Dobbs moderation in articulating this uncomfortable debate has earned him the respect of the Chattering Class Arbiters -- both Ken Auletta and Kurt Andersen -- and, presently, a spot on CBS's beleagured "Early Show" (The CBS-CNN connection, however vague, oozes Amanpourish journo street cred). And don't forget his usual space at The Grill Room at The Four Season (his favorite haunt), an unlikely spot for a Populist, but there you go. Dobbs is bringing his tough immigration talk to CBS's "60 Minutes" on Sunday, interviewed by Leslie Stahl. Says CBSNews (link via Drudgie-poo):
"Dobbs is against amnesty programs for illegal immigrants and the president's guest worker proposal, so Stahl wonders whether Dobbs thinks the government could deport all illegal immigrants. "I've never called for their deportation," says Dobbs. "But at the same time, when this president and open-borders, illegal-alien-amnesty advocates say, 'You can't deport them,' my answer is, 'You want to bet?' because this is the United States. I think this country can do anything it sets its mind to," he tells Stahl.
"... The debate is often about illegal immigration. He is a believer in curtailing illegal immigrants' access to some social services. 'I happen to think that it is necessary, given the fact that the federal government won't control immigration and won't control our borders,' Dobbs tells Stahl. Dobbs says he's not for shutting off medical services, but illegal immigrants' use of other entitlements and the public schools is problematic. 'Going to food stamps — should taxpayers be paying for food stamps? Should taxpayers be burdened with schools that are overcrowded?' Dobbs asks. '[Taxpayers'] children, therefore, are being denied education. Those are very serious issues,' he says."
Oh, it's on; it's on like Gray Poupon!
(CBSNews)
Lou Dobbs had a nickname when The Corsair was an editor at Silicon Alley Reporter. Back in the late 90s, when he was CEO of the quixotic Space.com -- ?! -- every few weeks or so, another story about his, ehr, tantrums, would surface. Some of the editors came up with the sobriquet "Lou Dobbs Does Not Play Well With Others," the others being. of course, other players in that NYC fin-de-siecle playgound known as Silicon Alley (The Corsair sips an unctuous 1982 Chateau Latour).
Nearly a decade later, he has reinvented himself as a Populist Patriot, neither too Democrat nor too Republican. Not only that, but Dobbs moderation in articulating this uncomfortable debate has earned him the respect of the Chattering Class Arbiters -- both Ken Auletta and Kurt Andersen -- and, presently, a spot on CBS's beleagured "Early Show" (The CBS-CNN connection, however vague, oozes Amanpourish journo street cred). And don't forget his usual space at The Grill Room at The Four Season (his favorite haunt), an unlikely spot for a Populist, but there you go. Dobbs is bringing his tough immigration talk to CBS's "60 Minutes" on Sunday, interviewed by Leslie Stahl. Says CBSNews (link via Drudgie-poo):
"Dobbs is against amnesty programs for illegal immigrants and the president's guest worker proposal, so Stahl wonders whether Dobbs thinks the government could deport all illegal immigrants. "I've never called for their deportation," says Dobbs. "But at the same time, when this president and open-borders, illegal-alien-amnesty advocates say, 'You can't deport them,' my answer is, 'You want to bet?' because this is the United States. I think this country can do anything it sets its mind to," he tells Stahl.
"... The debate is often about illegal immigration. He is a believer in curtailing illegal immigrants' access to some social services. 'I happen to think that it is necessary, given the fact that the federal government won't control immigration and won't control our borders,' Dobbs tells Stahl. Dobbs says he's not for shutting off medical services, but illegal immigrants' use of other entitlements and the public schools is problematic. 'Going to food stamps — should taxpayers be paying for food stamps? Should taxpayers be burdened with schools that are overcrowded?' Dobbs asks. '[Taxpayers'] children, therefore, are being denied education. Those are very serious issues,' he says."
Oh, it's on; it's on like Gray Poupon!
(CBSNews)
The Republican Debate Drinking Game
(image via funideas)
Another debate, another excuse to cover up that binge drinking with the patina of political action. The 10 candidates in search of Reagan do their thing tonight. Some rules for the evening's festivities:
Take One Sip If ..
--Ronald Reagan is shamelessly referenced
--The word "Leadership" is used (Especially by Giuliani).
--Congressman Ron Paul says something wacky.
--A candidate mentions that Nancy Reagan is in the audience for the effect of cheap applause.
Take One Shot ...
--If Arizona Senator John McCain is aggressively or obnoxiously tanned.
--Every time the camera pans to California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
--Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback mentions his hero, William Wilberforce.
-- The uber-smooth Mitt Romney gives off a particularly creepy vice.
--"We've got to give General Petraeus a chance" or somesuch derivative is spoken.
Chug:
--Tom Tancredo mentions illegal immigration.
--If Rudy Giuliani, whose foreign policy experience extends only to the doors of The Russian tea Room (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment), mentions how he's like to "pull the switch" on Osama Bin Ladin once he's caught.
--"Government spending out of control" or somesuch derivative is mentioned.
(image via funideas)
Another debate, another excuse to cover up that binge drinking with the patina of political action. The 10 candidates in search of Reagan do their thing tonight. Some rules for the evening's festivities:
Take One Sip If ..
--Ronald Reagan is shamelessly referenced
--The word "Leadership" is used (Especially by Giuliani).
--Congressman Ron Paul says something wacky.
--A candidate mentions that Nancy Reagan is in the audience for the effect of cheap applause.
Take One Shot ...
--If Arizona Senator John McCain is aggressively or obnoxiously tanned.
--Every time the camera pans to California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
--Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback mentions his hero, William Wilberforce.
-- The uber-smooth Mitt Romney gives off a particularly creepy vice.
--"We've got to give General Petraeus a chance" or somesuch derivative is spoken.
Chug:
--Tom Tancredo mentions illegal immigration.
--If Rudy Giuliani, whose foreign policy experience extends only to the doors of The Russian tea Room (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment), mentions how he's like to "pull the switch" on Osama Bin Ladin once he's caught.
--"Government spending out of control" or somesuch derivative is mentioned.
Tonight's Republican Debate (Starring Chris Matthews)
TheHill's A.B. Stoddard blogs about tonight's MSNBC-Politico.com debate (hosted by Chris Matthews), which Nancy Reagan will attend, in which all the candidates will lay a claim on the mantle of her husband:
"Tonight at the Reagan Library the GOP presidential candidates, known as the 10 White Men, all hope they will have a chance to break away from the pack. We are sure to hear much gushing about their hero, Ronald Reagan, and some awkward statements about the current Republican president, George W. Bush. But to make an impact the candidates clearly need to talk about themselves, and to do a good job of it.
"This task is hardest for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) who has built his career as a politician defined by his independence — that is, until recent years, when he has become defined by his contradictions. All eyes are on him tonight as the former frontrunner fighting to regain his momentum. To win, candidate McCain must become someone beyond the guy who infuriated conservatives and opposed Bush, then the guy who embraced conservatives and Bush.
"For the first time in months McCain is topping the field in a new poll by the American Research Group Inc. that showed him up in all three early-primary states: Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Rudy Giuliani wasn’t even close to McCain in this poll.
"But the interesting data didn’t involve the candidates but the Iraq war. The survey showed 75 percent of Republican primary voters believe the United States can win in Iraq while only 17 percent of Democratic primary voters do. The numbers supporting and opposing withdrawal from Iraq nearly match the 'can/cannot win' numbers. This means McCain’s poster-child-for-war status can’t hurt him now, even though it will if he becomes the nominee."
The complete blog post here (TheHill)
TheHill's A.B. Stoddard blogs about tonight's MSNBC-Politico.com debate (hosted by Chris Matthews), which Nancy Reagan will attend, in which all the candidates will lay a claim on the mantle of her husband:
"Tonight at the Reagan Library the GOP presidential candidates, known as the 10 White Men, all hope they will have a chance to break away from the pack. We are sure to hear much gushing about their hero, Ronald Reagan, and some awkward statements about the current Republican president, George W. Bush. But to make an impact the candidates clearly need to talk about themselves, and to do a good job of it.
"This task is hardest for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) who has built his career as a politician defined by his independence — that is, until recent years, when he has become defined by his contradictions. All eyes are on him tonight as the former frontrunner fighting to regain his momentum. To win, candidate McCain must become someone beyond the guy who infuriated conservatives and opposed Bush, then the guy who embraced conservatives and Bush.
"For the first time in months McCain is topping the field in a new poll by the American Research Group Inc. that showed him up in all three early-primary states: Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Rudy Giuliani wasn’t even close to McCain in this poll.
"But the interesting data didn’t involve the candidates but the Iraq war. The survey showed 75 percent of Republican primary voters believe the United States can win in Iraq while only 17 percent of Democratic primary voters do. The numbers supporting and opposing withdrawal from Iraq nearly match the 'can/cannot win' numbers. This means McCain’s poster-child-for-war status can’t hurt him now, even though it will if he becomes the nominee."
The complete blog post here (TheHill)
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Billionaire Mayor Bloomberg and Senator Hagel Break Bread
What an intriguing little scenario that Politico is painting with bold, broad brushstrokes (The Corsair uncorks a silky and sumptuous 1947 Cheval-Blanc). We know that the billionaire former media mogul, Mayor Michael Bloomberg -- or at least his most ambitious advisors -- is itching to throw his hat into the 2008 Presidential ring as an Independent candidate, if the conditions are just ... right. Could "just right" include Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel? Since McCain's late embrace of the Bush "surge," Hagel -- a war-hero who exudes Patriotic skepticism at the war's progress -- Hagel has inherited the mantle of "Senate Maverick." Now, from Politico:
"As the 10 GOP candidates gear up for their first debate tomorrow night here, two other Republicans with potential White House ambitions had dinner 2,300 miles away.
"In an eyebrow-raising move, Nebraksa Sen. Chuck Hagel and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg -- both independent-leaning Republicans -- supped together at the see-and-be-seen Palm Restaurant in downtown Washington, D.C, according to another diner.
"That the two would share a meal together would alone be noteworthy, but that it would come on the night before their party's first debate and at such a conspicuous venue is downright mischevious.
"Said our spy: 'Seems like the Independent ticket to me.'"
The timing is, of course, uncanny. This is a major Existential Crossroads in the political life of Senator Hagel, veteran, holder of the Purple Star. Says our favorite Dickensian villain, Robert Novak on Monday:
"Sen. Chuck Hagel returned from his fifth visit to Iraq to join Senate Democrats last Thursday as one of two Republicans voting to begin withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. It was not an easy vote for a conservative party regular and faithful supporter of President Bush's non-Iraq policies. A few days earlier, Hagel sat down with me to paint a bleak picture of the war and U.S. policy.
"Over a dozen years, I have had many such conversations with Hagel not for quotation. This time, I asked him to go on the record about his assessment of what the "surge" has accomplished. In language more blunt than his prepared speeches and articles, he described Iraq as 'coming undone,' with its regime 'weaker by the day.' He deplored the Bush administration's failure to craft a coherent Middle East policy, blaming the influence of Deputy National Security Adviser Elliott Abrams.
"Hagel faces a political paradox as he ponders a career decision -- to run for president, seek re-election next year or get out of elective politics. His harsh assessment resonates with many Republicans who believe Bush's war policy has led the party to disaster. Yet, this message faces rejection by GOP primary voters, and he is under attack from the right at home in Nebraska (with 38-year-old state Attorney General Jon Bruning threatening to run against him).
Because Bloomberg would be willing to self-fund a candidacy for the Oval office to the tune of half a billion dollars (without breaking a sweat), he has the luxury of waiting as long as he wants to enter the race. Hagel-Bloomberg -- '2008 -- anyone? Maybe not so far fetched.
(Politico)
What an intriguing little scenario that Politico is painting with bold, broad brushstrokes (The Corsair uncorks a silky and sumptuous 1947 Cheval-Blanc). We know that the billionaire former media mogul, Mayor Michael Bloomberg -- or at least his most ambitious advisors -- is itching to throw his hat into the 2008 Presidential ring as an Independent candidate, if the conditions are just ... right. Could "just right" include Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel? Since McCain's late embrace of the Bush "surge," Hagel -- a war-hero who exudes Patriotic skepticism at the war's progress -- Hagel has inherited the mantle of "Senate Maverick." Now, from Politico:
"As the 10 GOP candidates gear up for their first debate tomorrow night here, two other Republicans with potential White House ambitions had dinner 2,300 miles away.
"In an eyebrow-raising move, Nebraksa Sen. Chuck Hagel and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg -- both independent-leaning Republicans -- supped together at the see-and-be-seen Palm Restaurant in downtown Washington, D.C, according to another diner.
"That the two would share a meal together would alone be noteworthy, but that it would come on the night before their party's first debate and at such a conspicuous venue is downright mischevious.
"Said our spy: 'Seems like the Independent ticket to me.'"
The timing is, of course, uncanny. This is a major Existential Crossroads in the political life of Senator Hagel, veteran, holder of the Purple Star. Says our favorite Dickensian villain, Robert Novak on Monday:
"Sen. Chuck Hagel returned from his fifth visit to Iraq to join Senate Democrats last Thursday as one of two Republicans voting to begin withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. It was not an easy vote for a conservative party regular and faithful supporter of President Bush's non-Iraq policies. A few days earlier, Hagel sat down with me to paint a bleak picture of the war and U.S. policy.
"Over a dozen years, I have had many such conversations with Hagel not for quotation. This time, I asked him to go on the record about his assessment of what the "surge" has accomplished. In language more blunt than his prepared speeches and articles, he described Iraq as 'coming undone,' with its regime 'weaker by the day.' He deplored the Bush administration's failure to craft a coherent Middle East policy, blaming the influence of Deputy National Security Adviser Elliott Abrams.
"Hagel faces a political paradox as he ponders a career decision -- to run for president, seek re-election next year or get out of elective politics. His harsh assessment resonates with many Republicans who believe Bush's war policy has led the party to disaster. Yet, this message faces rejection by GOP primary voters, and he is under attack from the right at home in Nebraska (with 38-year-old state Attorney General Jon Bruning threatening to run against him).
Because Bloomberg would be willing to self-fund a candidacy for the Oval office to the tune of half a billion dollars (without breaking a sweat), he has the luxury of waiting as long as he wants to enter the race. Hagel-Bloomberg -- '2008 -- anyone? Maybe not so far fetched.
(Politico)
Lunch at Michael's
(image via crookedbrook)
Michaelsologists will be pleased to know that today, according to a source who told FishbowlNY's Diane Clehane, was the first time that our media pal Michael Gross was in the same room as Ralph Lauren, the subject of his simultaneously deliciously tart but scrupulously fair unauthorized biography Genuine Authentic: The Real Life of Ralph Lauren.
"Table 1. Ralph Lauren and a table full of business types.
" ... 4. Jeffrey Katzenberg. The DreamWorks CEO was sporting his signature California casual look (v-neck and T-shirt). He passed the time waiting (?!) for his guest by sipping iced tea and reclining back in his chair elbows akimbo. When a blonde gal in a black power suit finally arrived to join him, we recognized the face, but no one seemed to know her name ...
"... 15. NBC's Jonathan Wald.
"... 23. Best-selling author Michael Gross, who was more patient than we would have been waiting for the late arriving New York Observer scribe Spencer Morgan."
The rundown of the talent in the room here (FishbowlNY)
(image via crookedbrook)
Michaelsologists will be pleased to know that today, according to a source who told FishbowlNY's Diane Clehane, was the first time that our media pal Michael Gross was in the same room as Ralph Lauren, the subject of his simultaneously deliciously tart but scrupulously fair unauthorized biography Genuine Authentic: The Real Life of Ralph Lauren.
"Table 1. Ralph Lauren and a table full of business types.
" ... 4. Jeffrey Katzenberg. The DreamWorks CEO was sporting his signature California casual look (v-neck and T-shirt). He passed the time waiting (?!) for his guest by sipping iced tea and reclining back in his chair elbows akimbo. When a blonde gal in a black power suit finally arrived to join him, we recognized the face, but no one seemed to know her name ...
"... 15. NBC's Jonathan Wald.
"... 23. Best-selling author Michael Gross, who was more patient than we would have been waiting for the late arriving New York Observer scribe Spencer Morgan."
The rundown of the talent in the room here (FishbowlNY)
Drew Barrymore, Talking to Arcade Fire and then making out with an Arctic Monkey
We actually like the Venusian Drew Barrymore -- she who is in love with the concept of Love. And, we gather, she is as loyal to her friends as she is rich from producing the "Charlie's Angels" franchise. If one is going to love something, then why not the big L? Our interest in Drew's, uh, complicated lov e-life intrigues us. That's why we could not Avert our Gaze when we read Shannon Kelly's Coachella Wrap-up on Papermag:
"I just got back yesterday morning from an amazing weekend at Coachella. During the three-day-long festival I had the extreme pleasure of staying with the Brazilian cuties of CSS. We partied and played all weekend (and I even saw some great music in between). Other celebrities and musicians that I saw (and that were seen) include Amy Winehouse and Kelly Osbourne walking hand in hand, Vincent Gallo, Jeremy Scott, Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore (talking to Arcade Fire and then making out with an Arctic Monkey), Perry Farrell, Courtney Love, Jason Statham (actor from Snatch and The Transporter), Danny DeVito, Lindsay Lohan, Steve Aoki, Mark Hunter, Cory Kennedy, Busy Phillips and Scarlett Johansson (singing with the Jesus & Mary Chain and then later driving home with Cameron Diaz)."
You do your thing, Drew Barrymore; you do your thing. More here (Papermag)
We actually like the Venusian Drew Barrymore -- she who is in love with the concept of Love. And, we gather, she is as loyal to her friends as she is rich from producing the "Charlie's Angels" franchise. If one is going to love something, then why not the big L? Our interest in Drew's, uh, complicated lov e-life intrigues us. That's why we could not Avert our Gaze when we read Shannon Kelly's Coachella Wrap-up on Papermag:
"I just got back yesterday morning from an amazing weekend at Coachella. During the three-day-long festival I had the extreme pleasure of staying with the Brazilian cuties of CSS. We partied and played all weekend (and I even saw some great music in between). Other celebrities and musicians that I saw (and that were seen) include Amy Winehouse and Kelly Osbourne walking hand in hand, Vincent Gallo, Jeremy Scott, Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore (talking to Arcade Fire and then making out with an Arctic Monkey), Perry Farrell, Courtney Love, Jason Statham (actor from Snatch and The Transporter), Danny DeVito, Lindsay Lohan, Steve Aoki, Mark Hunter, Cory Kennedy, Busy Phillips and Scarlett Johansson (singing with the Jesus & Mary Chain and then later driving home with Cameron Diaz)."
You do your thing, Drew Barrymore; you do your thing. More here (Papermag)
Tobey Maguire, Liv Tyler, A Hot Tub and -- Puke
Tobey Maguire, promoting the super-hott Spiderman 3, which everyone -- except Rex Reed -- seems to love was on "The Howard Stern Show" this morning. Of course the conversation went to a bad, bad place, namely, the fin de siecle excesses of "The Pussy Posse." Quoth Marksfriggin:
"Howard told Tobey that he should get back into that Pussy Posse thing. Tobey said that he's getting old but Howard said at 31 he should be back in the Pussy Posse. He asked him if he and Leonardo Dicaprio ever banged the same chick. Tobey wasn't talking about that stuff and wouldn't answer any questions about that stuff. He did talk about throwing up in a hot tub one time when he and Liv Tyler were hanging out. Tobey said that there were other people there as well and it wasn't just Liv. He said he wasn't feeling very well that night and he wasn't necessarily sick, it could have been induced by something else. He said he got into the hot tub and it all came out."
Toby must have been contemplating Liv Tyler's "performance" in "Armageddon." (Marksfriggin)
Tobey Maguire, promoting the super-hott Spiderman 3, which everyone -- except Rex Reed -- seems to love was on "The Howard Stern Show" this morning. Of course the conversation went to a bad, bad place, namely, the fin de siecle excesses of "The Pussy Posse." Quoth Marksfriggin:
"Howard told Tobey that he should get back into that Pussy Posse thing. Tobey said that he's getting old but Howard said at 31 he should be back in the Pussy Posse. He asked him if he and Leonardo Dicaprio ever banged the same chick. Tobey wasn't talking about that stuff and wouldn't answer any questions about that stuff. He did talk about throwing up in a hot tub one time when he and Liv Tyler were hanging out. Tobey said that there were other people there as well and it wasn't just Liv. He said he wasn't feeling very well that night and he wasn't necessarily sick, it could have been induced by something else. He said he got into the hot tub and it all came out."
Toby must have been contemplating Liv Tyler's "performance" in "Armageddon." (Marksfriggin)
Murdoch and Dow Jones: A Bad Operetta
A bad operetta is unfolding before us, a lusty production that can only be properly sung with compound German-words and unsettling Minor keys of Rupert Murdoch's ambitions for the nymphy Dow Jones (The Corsair sips a bold, yet unpretentious 1979 Château de Ravignan). Murdoch, a raffish warrior prince, larger than "Kane," caresses the dangling tresses of Dow Jones, in a woodland setting, and sings with an expressive sweetness, of his love and the future of the media. Countertenors The Bancroft Family introduce a note of forbidding pessimism. Says Staci Kramer of Paidcontnet:
"Rupert Murdoch discussed News Corp.’s $5 billion offer during an interview with Fox Business Now’s Neil Cavuto, who is helping plan the Fox Business News Channel. Cavuto repeatedly described the offer as 'generous' and asked Murdoch if it was designed to scare away potential competition. Murdoch’s response: 'Well, I hope so. But we feel it’s worth this. This is the greatest newspaper in America, one of the greatest in the world. It has great journalists which deserve, I think, a much wider audience. We feel that with coming both online and offline, there’s a great deal to be done here.' As for private equity, 'We are paying, offering a very, very high premium, which I don’t think they could reach. They need to leverage with a lot of interest-bearing notes, and this is already at about 50 times earnings.'
On the future of newspapers, Rupert sings, with expressive vocals: ".. the great thing, and the value of financial journalism and high-quality journalism is that you can charge for it. The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times, I think, are the only two newspapers in the whole world that charge for their online editions."
And, of the business channel, Murdoch sings enchantingly: "I think it will help it, of course. There is a deal already with CNBC. But we just want to have a business channel that lives up to the quality and traditions of The Wall Street Journal, and we think that if we can do that, we will do very well."
Brava! Read Staci D. Kramer's post here (Paidcontent)
A bad operetta is unfolding before us, a lusty production that can only be properly sung with compound German-words and unsettling Minor keys of Rupert Murdoch's ambitions for the nymphy Dow Jones (The Corsair sips a bold, yet unpretentious 1979 Château de Ravignan). Murdoch, a raffish warrior prince, larger than "Kane," caresses the dangling tresses of Dow Jones, in a woodland setting, and sings with an expressive sweetness, of his love and the future of the media. Countertenors The Bancroft Family introduce a note of forbidding pessimism. Says Staci Kramer of Paidcontnet:
"Rupert Murdoch discussed News Corp.’s $5 billion offer during an interview with Fox Business Now’s Neil Cavuto, who is helping plan the Fox Business News Channel. Cavuto repeatedly described the offer as 'generous' and asked Murdoch if it was designed to scare away potential competition. Murdoch’s response: 'Well, I hope so. But we feel it’s worth this. This is the greatest newspaper in America, one of the greatest in the world. It has great journalists which deserve, I think, a much wider audience. We feel that with coming both online and offline, there’s a great deal to be done here.' As for private equity, 'We are paying, offering a very, very high premium, which I don’t think they could reach. They need to leverage with a lot of interest-bearing notes, and this is already at about 50 times earnings.'
On the future of newspapers, Rupert sings, with expressive vocals: ".. the great thing, and the value of financial journalism and high-quality journalism is that you can charge for it. The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times, I think, are the only two newspapers in the whole world that charge for their online editions."
And, of the business channel, Murdoch sings enchantingly: "I think it will help it, of course. There is a deal already with CNBC. But we just want to have a business channel that lives up to the quality and traditions of The Wall Street Journal, and we think that if we can do that, we will do very well."
Brava! Read Staci D. Kramer's post here (Paidcontent)
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
The Aftermath of the White House Correspondents Dinner
My acidic thoughts on the White House Correspondent's Dinner are out there for all the world to see (The Corsair sips an insouciant little Louis Jadot Pouilly Fuisse 2005). It was a tragic opportunity lost for The President to bring a divided DC -- if on ly for a night -- together. Be a "Uniter."
Brian Montopoli writes on CBS News Public Eye Blog of the immediate media aftermath:
"As you may have heard, the New York Times has decided to stop participating in the White House Correspondents' Association dinner. (The news was buried in the 13th paragraph of Sunday's Frank Rich column.)
"There has been much debate about the dinner over the years, with many outside the media establishment citing it as evidence of a too-cozy relationship between the media and the administration.
"While one can certainly make the argument that the media need a more adversarial relationship with the government, I've come to question the significance of the dinner in making that case. One night of revelry, after all, does not constitute a compromised relationship. One can certainly argue that the dinner is a symptom of larger problems. But reporters need to have a civil relationship with those they cover, and for all involved to have a night out just doesn't strike me as that big of a deal.
"To be clear, I'm not a fan of the dinner – I certainly wouldn't want to have to suffer through the hobnobbing and awkward speeches that mark the event. It's just that it strikes me as far less significant in the grand scheme of things than some people seem to think."
The Corsair agrees that the dinner is not something that merits this Cosmic Overreaction by the Times. In this hyper-partisan era, for example, it is not necessarily a bad thing for a festive "Oscars-in-Washington" one off of an evening, as a psychological release-valve for the overheated Partisan tensions that will, no doubt, resume -- enginelike -- on the Hill the day following.
We have to take some time out, however, to hurl criticism at the Correspondence Dinner staffers who booked Rich Little, though (Said with an air of restrained laughter). This was such a lost opportunity. We are entirely convinced that that horrendous booking and the subsequent, predictable bombing ruined a real chance at creating an American tradition of Presidents facing strong satire in front of the DC Establishment at the WHCD. Annually.
And by strong satire, The Corsair doesn't mean Don Imus; The Corsair means someone funny, tart and, above all fundamentally Decent. Wouldn't it have been magnificent if they had booked someone like, say, Bill Maher, or Florence King, or Jon Stewart or even paleo-conservative Joe Bob Briggs to truly "roast" the President of the Last Standing Superpower in DC? All Presidents have a thick skin; if The President could take a proper satirizing, what a cleansing example that would send to the corrupting influences of Partisanship and Gridlock presently at play in DC. It would say: Even though we may not agree, I can take your criticisms because we are all Americans and we believe in Freedom of Speech and I, The President, have a sense of humor about Human Frailty and can takle it. It would set an example -- if for only on e day -- of American unity; and in these days of hyper-partisanship -- of Red and Blue America -- that would have been tonic.
Alas, an opportunity lost and a NYTimes overreaction gained.
My acidic thoughts on the White House Correspondent's Dinner are out there for all the world to see (The Corsair sips an insouciant little Louis Jadot Pouilly Fuisse 2005). It was a tragic opportunity lost for The President to bring a divided DC -- if on ly for a night -- together. Be a "Uniter."
Brian Montopoli writes on CBS News Public Eye Blog of the immediate media aftermath:
"As you may have heard, the New York Times has decided to stop participating in the White House Correspondents' Association dinner. (The news was buried in the 13th paragraph of Sunday's Frank Rich column.)
"There has been much debate about the dinner over the years, with many outside the media establishment citing it as evidence of a too-cozy relationship between the media and the administration.
"While one can certainly make the argument that the media need a more adversarial relationship with the government, I've come to question the significance of the dinner in making that case. One night of revelry, after all, does not constitute a compromised relationship. One can certainly argue that the dinner is a symptom of larger problems. But reporters need to have a civil relationship with those they cover, and for all involved to have a night out just doesn't strike me as that big of a deal.
"To be clear, I'm not a fan of the dinner – I certainly wouldn't want to have to suffer through the hobnobbing and awkward speeches that mark the event. It's just that it strikes me as far less significant in the grand scheme of things than some people seem to think."
The Corsair agrees that the dinner is not something that merits this Cosmic Overreaction by the Times. In this hyper-partisan era, for example, it is not necessarily a bad thing for a festive "Oscars-in-Washington" one off of an evening, as a psychological release-valve for the overheated Partisan tensions that will, no doubt, resume -- enginelike -- on the Hill the day following.
We have to take some time out, however, to hurl criticism at the Correspondence Dinner staffers who booked Rich Little, though (Said with an air of restrained laughter). This was such a lost opportunity. We are entirely convinced that that horrendous booking and the subsequent, predictable bombing ruined a real chance at creating an American tradition of Presidents facing strong satire in front of the DC Establishment at the WHCD. Annually.
And by strong satire, The Corsair doesn't mean Don Imus; The Corsair means someone funny, tart and, above all fundamentally Decent. Wouldn't it have been magnificent if they had booked someone like, say, Bill Maher, or Florence King, or Jon Stewart or even paleo-conservative Joe Bob Briggs to truly "roast" the President of the Last Standing Superpower in DC? All Presidents have a thick skin; if The President could take a proper satirizing, what a cleansing example that would send to the corrupting influences of Partisanship and Gridlock presently at play in DC. It would say: Even though we may not agree, I can take your criticisms because we are all Americans and we believe in Freedom of Speech and I, The President, have a sense of humor about Human Frailty and can takle it. It would set an example -- if for only on e day -- of American unity; and in these days of hyper-partisanship -- of Red and Blue America -- that would have been tonic.
Alas, an opportunity lost and a NYTimes overreaction gained.
Larry Dobrow is Still a Dick
Our old nemesis -- a nonentity by the name of Larry Dobrow -- is still, evidently, a Dick (Averted Gaze). You'll remember Dobrow as the media critic from something called Mediapost who trashed my monthly column for Razor Magazine, really going out of his way to settle ... something. Good to see that we were right on the first go-around as to the nature of Dobrow's slithery character. From Jossip:
"On his way to reviewing Washington Monthly, MediaPost blogger Larry Dobrow takes the scenic (and newspeg-worthy) route before expunging on a political magazine that's looking more Us Weekly than Washingtonian.
"Mostly, the post is a worthwhile tongue-in-cheek (we're hoping) nudge at ASME for not inviting him as a guest or presenter at tonight's Ellie Awards. He's been hurt!"
Yup. Still a dick.
(Jossip)
Our old nemesis -- a nonentity by the name of Larry Dobrow -- is still, evidently, a Dick (Averted Gaze). You'll remember Dobrow as the media critic from something called Mediapost who trashed my monthly column for Razor Magazine, really going out of his way to settle ... something. Good to see that we were right on the first go-around as to the nature of Dobrow's slithery character. From Jossip:
"On his way to reviewing Washington Monthly, MediaPost blogger Larry Dobrow takes the scenic (and newspeg-worthy) route before expunging on a political magazine that's looking more Us Weekly than Washingtonian.
"Mostly, the post is a worthwhile tongue-in-cheek (we're hoping) nudge at ASME for not inviting him as a guest or presenter at tonight's Ellie Awards. He's been hurt!"
Yup. Still a dick.
(Jossip)
Gore Vidal: The New Yorker Has Never Been As Good As It Was Under Tina Brown
(image via NYSocialDiary)
One of our favorite literary figures is, was and always will be Gore Vidal. Vidal and Ingmar Bergman, Modernists who are both rapidly approaching the finality of Death, have been artistic signposts for several generations of non-conformist thinkers across the globe.
Amateur Classicist, Jet-setting raconteur, a-hisrical Historical Novelist, and the best damned essayist since Michel de Montaigne -- better even than Virginia Wolfe -- Gore Vidal's life spans one-third of the history of the American Republic. Gore oftentimes seems more like a Roman Senator and part-time Historian than a fin de siecle American. It is indeed unfortunate that so vehement a republican -- small "R" -- exits stage left off the pandemoniacal global theater at the precise moment that his Republic veers incoherenly into full-blown Empire.
Vidal has never shied from contrarian truth-telling, and doesn't do so now even at the doorstep of Death as he lionizes -- of all people -- Tina Brown, who once attenpted, to the horror of The Chattering Classes, to have Rosanne Barr edit the literarily sacrosanct New Yorker (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment). Our favorite social chronicler David Patrick Columbia of NYSocialDiary caught up with Vidal at the American Museum of Natural History last night for the PEN gala. From NYSocialDiary:
"This year’s inaugural award went to Gore Vidal. Mr. Vidal now gets about in a wheelchair, but is nevertheless still a commanding figure even in his ambulatory vehicle. His thick grey and wavy hair looking slightly windblown, brandishing a cane which he waved just slightly and occasionally, and filling out his seat like Sheridan Whiteside in The Man Who Came To Dinner, the great American essayist, commentator, historian, novelist and now memoirist turned the floor into his stage, providing the grand and theatrical presence, as we’ve come to expect over the decades.
"After a standing ovation, he moved quickly into his signature provocative controversy congratulating Tina Brown for her great editing, and remarking that she had been 'betrayed' by the New York publishing world. 'She was a great editor and under her the New Yorker was a great magazine. It’s never been as good as it was under Tina.'"
Oddly, Chris Buckley said the same thing to The Corsair during a boozy Taki dinner at Elaine's several years ago. And it wasn't just loyalty speaking. Perhaps we should all rethink Tina's tenure at Wallace Shawn's New Yorker?
More Gore (NYSocialDiary)
(image via NYSocialDiary)
One of our favorite literary figures is, was and always will be Gore Vidal. Vidal and Ingmar Bergman, Modernists who are both rapidly approaching the finality of Death, have been artistic signposts for several generations of non-conformist thinkers across the globe.
Amateur Classicist, Jet-setting raconteur, a-hisrical Historical Novelist, and the best damned essayist since Michel de Montaigne -- better even than Virginia Wolfe -- Gore Vidal's life spans one-third of the history of the American Republic. Gore oftentimes seems more like a Roman Senator and part-time Historian than a fin de siecle American. It is indeed unfortunate that so vehement a republican -- small "R" -- exits stage left off the pandemoniacal global theater at the precise moment that his Republic veers incoherenly into full-blown Empire.
Vidal has never shied from contrarian truth-telling, and doesn't do so now even at the doorstep of Death as he lionizes -- of all people -- Tina Brown, who once attenpted, to the horror of The Chattering Classes, to have Rosanne Barr edit the literarily sacrosanct New Yorker (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment). Our favorite social chronicler David Patrick Columbia of NYSocialDiary caught up with Vidal at the American Museum of Natural History last night for the PEN gala. From NYSocialDiary:
"This year’s inaugural award went to Gore Vidal. Mr. Vidal now gets about in a wheelchair, but is nevertheless still a commanding figure even in his ambulatory vehicle. His thick grey and wavy hair looking slightly windblown, brandishing a cane which he waved just slightly and occasionally, and filling out his seat like Sheridan Whiteside in The Man Who Came To Dinner, the great American essayist, commentator, historian, novelist and now memoirist turned the floor into his stage, providing the grand and theatrical presence, as we’ve come to expect over the decades.
"After a standing ovation, he moved quickly into his signature provocative controversy congratulating Tina Brown for her great editing, and remarking that she had been 'betrayed' by the New York publishing world. 'She was a great editor and under her the New Yorker was a great magazine. It’s never been as good as it was under Tina.'"
Oddly, Chris Buckley said the same thing to The Corsair during a boozy Taki dinner at Elaine's several years ago. And it wasn't just loyalty speaking. Perhaps we should all rethink Tina's tenure at Wallace Shawn's New Yorker?
More Gore (NYSocialDiary)
Uma Thurman and Luke Wilson?
(image via imdb)
Uma Thurman, whose feet were wa-a-ay too lovingly portrayed -- Eew -- by Kill Bill director and self-proclaimed toe-fetishist Quentin "QT" Tarantino, is, apparently, finally veering away from the oily charms -- Eew -- and overcosmeticized Gallic good looks of Andre Balazs (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment). She's sampling now -- How does one say it? -- "American cuisine (The Corsair sips a fine domestic, All-American Monterey Bay red wine)."
Although their film "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" stunk up cinemas around the globe ("soulless and dimwitted"), Uma Thurman and Luke Wilson have hooked up, critics be damned. This, from Fashionweekdaily:
"Uma Thurman has just bought a townhouse on 9th between Fifth and Sixth, where she was spotted last week making out with Luke Wilson!"
Those damn Wilson boys!
(image via imdb)
Uma Thurman, whose feet were wa-a-ay too lovingly portrayed -- Eew -- by Kill Bill director and self-proclaimed toe-fetishist Quentin "QT" Tarantino, is, apparently, finally veering away from the oily charms -- Eew -- and overcosmeticized Gallic good looks of Andre Balazs (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment). She's sampling now -- How does one say it? -- "American cuisine (The Corsair sips a fine domestic, All-American Monterey Bay red wine)."
Although their film "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" stunk up cinemas around the globe ("soulless and dimwitted"), Uma Thurman and Luke Wilson have hooked up, critics be damned. This, from Fashionweekdaily:
"Uma Thurman has just bought a townhouse on 9th between Fifth and Sixth, where she was spotted last week making out with Luke Wilson!"
Those damn Wilson boys!
Picture Pages, Picture Pages ..
After the exhausting launch of her new collection, Kate Moss entertains the limosine passengers by bringing her A-Game to a luscious "Kirsten Drunkst" impression. (image via thisilondon)
Next to Bishoping, male fashion model strikes us as the creepiest. Profession. Ever. (image via fashionweekdaily)
Deep down, past the whole "Distinguished-East-Meets-West-literature" part of his brain, lies the moist, reptilian "So, you think you're man enough to take my place on the pillow next to hers, punk? Let's step outside and do-this-like-Brutus, bitch."(image via nysocialdiary)
After the exhausting launch of her new collection, Kate Moss entertains the limosine passengers by bringing her A-Game to a luscious "Kirsten Drunkst" impression. (image via thisilondon)
Next to Bishoping, male fashion model strikes us as the creepiest. Profession. Ever. (image via fashionweekdaily)
Deep down, past the whole "Distinguished-East-Meets-West-literature" part of his brain, lies the moist, reptilian "So, you think you're man enough to take my place on the pillow next to hers, punk? Let's step outside and do-this-like-Brutus, bitch."(image via nysocialdiary)
Moss Hysteria! Mayday! The Kate Moss Collection Debuts
Kudos to the gang at our old stomping grounds at PaperMag.com for calling it right on the debut of Kate Moss collections. The "Classes to the Masses" trend -- pioneered by Issac Mizrahi, who also felt up ScarJo -- continues, unabated. From IOL:
"Hundreds of fashionistas today queued outside high street store Top Shop in Dublin to be the first in the country to get their hands on the hotly-awaited Kate Moss collection.
"Some were disappointed the British super model didn’t turn up for the launch but most of the early morning shoppers agreed the clothes range was the undoubted star of the show.
"Gardaà were on hand in case traffic problems – that in the end never materialised – caused rush hour chaos around the busy St Stephen’s Green.
"'There was quite a rush when we opened the doors just after 8am,' said one of the managers.
"'We’ve already sold out of a number of items on the line less than two hours after they went on sale,' she added."
Silly little freaks!
Update: Fashionista reports that Barney's web site is down; the IT guys, apparently, don't know their Kate Moss from their Boba Fett.
Kudos to the gang at our old stomping grounds at PaperMag.com for calling it right on the debut of Kate Moss collections. The "Classes to the Masses" trend -- pioneered by Issac Mizrahi, who also felt up ScarJo -- continues, unabated. From IOL:
"Hundreds of fashionistas today queued outside high street store Top Shop in Dublin to be the first in the country to get their hands on the hotly-awaited Kate Moss collection.
"Some were disappointed the British super model didn’t turn up for the launch but most of the early morning shoppers agreed the clothes range was the undoubted star of the show.
"Gardaà were on hand in case traffic problems – that in the end never materialised – caused rush hour chaos around the busy St Stephen’s Green.
"'There was quite a rush when we opened the doors just after 8am,' said one of the managers.
"'We’ve already sold out of a number of items on the line less than two hours after they went on sale,' she added."
Silly little freaks!
Update: Fashionista reports that Barney's web site is down; the IT guys, apparently, don't know their Kate Moss from their Boba Fett.
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