Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

"A day after Kim Jong Un received mourners and military salutes at a mausoleum housing his father's body, there are signs that Kim Jong Il's son is taking additional steps to secure his leadership of North Korea. The younger Kim has reportedly put the North Korean military on high alert, ordered troops back to their barracks, and tightened security in cities across the country. The Korean Central News Agency is driving the message home, noting that North Koreans 'now pledge themselves" to Kim Jong Un, the 'eternally immovable mental mainstay of the Korean people.'
But Kim Jong Un, who is in his 20s, may not be leading the country alone. Reuters is reporting that North Korea will shift to collective rule, with Kim Jong Un at the head of a governing group that will include his uncle Jang Song Thaek and military leaders. Sources tell Reuters that Kim Jong Il established the coterie before he died and that a military coup is unlikely." (ForeignPolicy)

"Kim Jong-il’s funeral was nothing if not thematically consistent: the dearly departed Dear Leader was encased in a glass trapezoid surrounded by bouquets of Kimjongilia, the chubby fascist’s signature flower. It is sort of like a begonia but immortal, omnipotent, a great athlete, and not too shabby with the ladies either. Jong-il’s son and heir apparent, Kim Jong-un, was also in attendance—his first outing since his father’s passing. Chinese president Hu Jintao tipped his hat to the new guard during a visit to Beijing’s North Korean Embassy. And the young Jong-un has already been praised by the North Korean press as 'the spiritual pillar and the lighthouse of hope', a 'great person born of heaven,' and “another leader sent from the heaven.' His flower, when it finally arrives from heaven, sounds like it’s going to be great." (VanityFair)

"Now is the time for the Holiday cards. They started arriving a couple of weeks ago. Mood or mode, they are always fun to look at, to poke the memory, to serve as reminders of so many things new and old. Way back when JH and I started the NYSD, we accidentally began the tradition of publishing those cards that contained photographs of the senders, or their families, or their pets, simply because they are fun to look at. In some cases, we’ve had the pleasure of seeing children grow from babyhood into young people. All miracles to behold. For this reporter it’s interesting to see the children of friends and acquaintances whom I rarely if ever see ..." (NYSocialDiary)

"The Top 5 WTF Parties and Shows of 2011 ... 1. Barneys' Carine's World Party during September Fashion Week. The likes of Carine Roitfeld, Valentino, Margherita Missoni, Simon Doonan and Karolina Kurkova (to name a few) singing karaoke in a small, crowded room as people like Bruce Weber and the Brant boys cheer them on? ...(#2) 2. SSION's weekend at MoMA PS1 The wildly creative Cody Critcheloe crafted an extravaganza with crazy, colorful projections and costumes for his three-night stand at PS1. The live act featured a long list of musicians, dancers and special guests, including Casey Spooner, Sky Ferreira and Jamie Warren. It's hard to say which was more stimulating, the music or the visuals .." (Papermag)

"After quitting Twitter to 'lessen the distractions in his life,' author and “Bored to Death' creator Jonathan Ames rejoined it yesterday to ease the heartache of fans mourning HBO’s cancellation of the series. 'I went back on Twitter so that I could invite ‘Bored to Death’ fans for a drink at the Brooklyn Inn, my treat, to say goodbye to the show,' he explained to The Post’s Mandy Stadtmiller of tonight's impromptu final toast in Boerum Hill, adding, 'Maybe some people will show up. John Hodgman is going to be there. I plan to buy everyone a drink if they’re a fan.' Ames said of the series starring Zach Galifianakis, Jason Schwartzman and Ted Danson, 'It’s been a loony and nutty three-year run, which I’m very grateful for. In the same way that ‘Casablanca’ ended with Humphrey Bogart and Claude Rains walking off, I hope that people will think of these three characters still alive . . . These were three very unique friends.'" (PageSix)

Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

"Kim Jong Il reportedly owned a collection of over 20,000 videotapes and authored a number of books on film theory. The James Bond films were reportedly among his favorites, though given his penchant for underground lairs and gray jumpsuits, it's tempting to wonder whether he considered Ernst Stavro Blofeld the misunderstood tragic hero of the series. His cinephilia went as far as kidnapping a famed South Korean director and his actress wife in order to make the infamous 1985 socialist Godzilla knockoff Pulgasari ...The Lilliputian strongman was a huge hoops fan. He reportedly owned a video library of every game Michael Jordan ever played, as well as a basketball autographed by the Bulls legend, which was presented to him by U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright during a rare period of détente with the United States ... As his pudgy appearance attested, Kim was a legendary gourmand. As always, it's hard to separate fact from fiction in Pyongyang, but the leader reportedly liked to have his sashimi carved from live fish and preferred having his rice cooked 'over wood that has been cut down from Mount Paektu, Korea's sacred mountain,' according to the Telegraph. He sent couriers around the world to fetch him Danish bacon, Iranian caviar, and Thai mangos.  Kim had an odd affection for Austrian cuisine and once sent a delegation of his chefs to train and collect recipes in the land of Linzer torte. In the 1990s, he hired Italian pizza chefs to teach his cooks the proper art of olive placement . .Kim also had a taste for Hennessy cognac that would put Tupac to shame. He was the company's largest single customer for over a decade, spending between $650,000 and $720,000 on cognac annually." (ForeignPolicy)

"Emerging as a real Republican contender in Iowa, Representative Ron Paul of Texas is receiving new focus for decades-old unbylined columns in his political newsletters that included racist, anti-gay and anti-Israel passages that he has since disavowed. The latest issue of The Weekly Standard, a leading conservative publication, reprised reports of incendiary language in Mr. Paul’s newsletters that were published about 20 years ago.   A 1992 passage from the Ron Paul Political Report about the Los Angeles riots read, 'Order was only restored in L.A. when it came time for the blacks to pick up their welfare checks.' A passage in another newsletter asserted that people with AIDS should not be allowed to eat in restaurants because 'AIDS can be transmitted by saliva'; in 1990 one of his publications criticized Ronald Reagan for having gone along with the creation of the federal holiday honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which it called 'Hate Whitey Day.' The magazine article largely matched a similar report in The New Republic in 2008, and it was written by the same author, James Kirchick. The passages were plucked from a variety of newsletters that Mr. Paul’s consulting business published during his years out of Congress, all of them featuring his name: Ron Paul Political Report, Ron Paul’s Freedom Report, Ron Paul Survival Report and Ron Paul Investment Letter." (NYTimes)   

"Newt Gingrich is scrambling to regain his footing after several polls released on Monday showed him in a freefall and his rivals have moved in for the kill. Polls from Insider Advantage and Public Policy Polling found the former Speaker in third place in the early caucus state of Iowa, trailing both Mitt Romney and newly minted front-runner Ron Paul. A similar trend has emerged in the national polls, with Gingrich — who had posted a double-digit leads as recently as a week ago — falling into a deadlock with Romney at 28 percent in a CNN/ORC poll ... It’s a position other GOP presidential contenders have found themselves in: rising to the top of the polls only to find increased expectations and the glare of the spotlight result in a resounding crash as indecisive Republican primary voters switch from candidate to candidate. Gingrich hasn’t reached rock bottom yet, but political watchers in Iowa say the former Speaker has done little to take advantage of his boomlet, avoiding the hard work necessary to convert popularity into success at the notoriously difficult caucuses." (TheHill)

"The city seemed quieter. Making my way down to Michael’s by cab, traffic seemed lighter ... I went to lunch with Maria Cooper Janis who has a new book out, done in collaboration with G. Bruce Boyer, and a brief introduction by Ralph Lauren, about her father. It’s called Gary Cooper: Enduring Style. It’s a perfect gift for anyone you know who likes movies or fashion; a keeper, beautifully published (by PowerHouse Books) boxed in a beautiful sleeve. Maria and I have known each other for quite a few years in the way people often know each other in New York -- brought together at cocktail parties or dinners, in the company of mutual friends ... Enduring Style is a book mainly of family photos – including a few by some of the great photographers of the age – of the man, from his beginnings growing up in the early 20th century on a ranch in Montana, where his father and mother, emigres from England, owned a cattle ranch. Born Frank James Cooper, the youngest of two boys, when he was 13, his parents sent him and his older brother back to their native land for an 'education.' The boy who grew up on the land of the West with children of Indian tribes as playmates, acquired some sophistication during his English schooldays that clearly enhanced what became his famous style." (NYSocialDiary)

"Reports from the holiday-party front indicate that 2011 was another long and lonely year for the fiction writers and memoirists of New York, who were kept company at home all day long mainly by various "internet friends" and related applications, as well as their favorite songs/albums/radio shows. Below is a totally non-scientific list of 2011's Top 10 pieces of music for writing, as supplied by the authors of recent books ... 6. Emily Gould (And The Heart Says Whatever): 'The reissue of Gish. I know that's really pushing it for 'came out this year,' but it's so perfect when you want to create a fortress of sound around your ideas.'" (VillageVoice)

A Tale of Two Kims

via Mother Jones

Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

"North Korean leader Kim Jong Il died the morning of Dec. 17, according to an official North Korean News broadcast at noon Dec. 19. Initial reports say Kim died of a heart attack brought on by fatigue while on board a train. Kim is believed to have suffered a stroke in 2008, and his health has been in question since. Kim’s death comes as North Korea was preparing for a live leadership transition in 2012, the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kim’s father and North Korea’s founding leader, Kim Il Sung, a transition that had been intended to avoid the three years of internal chaos the younger Kim faced after his father’s death in 1994. Kim Jong Il had delayed choosing a successor from among his sons to avoid allowing any one to build up their own support base independent of their father. His expected successor, son Kim Jong Un, was only designated as the heir apparent in 2010 after widespread rumors in 2009 and thus has had little experience and training to run North Korea and little time to solidify his own support base within the various North Korean leadership elements. Now, it is likely that Kim Jong Un’s uncle, Jang Song Thaek, will rule behind the scenes as Kim Jong Un trains on the job. Like the transition from Kim Il Sung to Kim Jong Il, it is likely that North Korea will focus internally over the next few years as the country’s elite adjust to a new balance of power." (STRATFOR)

"My friend Michael Thomas sent me a news article yesterday morning about the growing generosity seen in certain parts of the retail industry, of “anonymous donors” suddenly paying off lay-away plans for others, for strangers, to make it possible for them to share some of that cheer with their loved ones, especially the children. Here’s the link to it. Reading that, it occurred to me that that was probably how my mother managed to get this young writer his first typewriter – a lay-away, paying off little by little. Ironically, in all my life, she never expressed interest in my work and initially couldn’t comprehend my wanting to make a living at it. Nevertheless her instincts were to follow the boy's request and give. The day she picked out that typewriter, I was blessed: she gave me a life. Give is the mantra for this time, for all of us. Giving means many things. It may mean donating to City Harvest or New York City Rescue Mission, or CityMeals on Wheels or Stanley Isaacs, or God's Love. It may mean volunteering to serve meals on Christmas Day. It may mean even making an effort with just a 'hello' or a 'thank you,' or a 'pardon me.' Or the dollar you drop in that cup someone on the street is holding, or buying a sandwich for the guy on the corner who’s got his hand out for help." (NYSocialDiary)

"When it comes to cracking the digital media code, 2011 involved more testing than learning. Media companies seem to be locked in a feverish search mode. Their sense of urgency is reinforced by the continuous depletion of worldwide fundamentals: digital advertising’s encephalogram remains flat (at best); and when audiences grow, revenues do not necessarily correlate. As for legacy media such as large quality newspapers which still draw 70-80% of their revenue from print, they are still caught in a double jeopardy: losing circulation plus looming downward price pressure on ads. We see an unforgiving mechanism at work: on mature markets such as Europe or North America, print media currently absorbs about 25% of ad spending while time spent on newspapers falls well below 10%. On digital media the balance is just the opposite: the web takes roughly 20% of ad investments for 25% of time spent; as for mobile devices, there is almost no ad money spent (<1%), but people spend about 10% of their time on their smartphones — and the growth is exponential.
Last year, we saw many efforts in the 'right' direction—'right' being a rapidly redefined. Below is a subjective list of moves, trends, innovations, attempts that burgeoned in 2011 and are likely to become more sharply defined with this coming year." (MondayNote)

"When Howard Stern finally made a deal to join Howie Mandel and Sharon Osbourne as a judge on America’s Got Talent, the radio icon was immediately criticized by morality groups like the Parents Television Council. Stern in the past brought up the fact that original judge David Hasselhoff had bouts with the bottle — remember that widely circulated cheeseburger video –and nobody raised an eyebrow when he judged talent on the show. Off the air, Stern has led a squeaky clean life. I think the only critics he should answer to are the subscribers of Sirius XM Radio who pay monthly dues to hear his show and watched him cut back to three days per week and add to what was already a liberal vacation schedule. We understood it was either that or watch Stern retire, but it’s still a surprise to see him adding a side job." (Deadline)

"Three big Hollywood sequels led the North American box office pumping in some badly needed new content but that didn't stop the overall marketplace from suffering double digit losses over last year and the year before. Studios are hoping that audiences are just busy right now with holiday shopping and end-of-year activities and that their films will be well-positioned to take advantage of the extra free time people will soon have in the days ahead. Doing what its predecessor couldn't, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows debuted at number one with an estimated $40M from 3,703 theaters for a solid $10,807 average. The $145M-budgeted Warner Bros. sequel debuted 36% below the $62.3M of the first Holmes which launched in second place behind Avatar on the Christmas frame two years ago over what was the largest weekend in box office history. Since audiences are historically less available in mid-December, the follow-up was never expected to open at the same heights ... Opening in second place was Fox's kidpic threequel Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked which took in an estimated $23.5M from 3,723 locations for a $6,312 average. It was well below the debuts of its two predecessors as the first Alvin ... Paramount found itself in third place with a unique limited release of its action tentpole Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol which grossed an estimated $13M from only 425 locations which included about 300 IMAX venues plus other large-format sites ...The tactic was needed for three reasons. First, the franchise is old having been around for over 15 years with the last installment underperforming in 2006. This helps to eventize the film adding to the excitement. Second, Cruise has suffered from serious popularity issues over the last several years with many moviegoers being repelled just by his name alone. He is not the box office draw that he used to be and this special IMAX release allows action fans to focus on the high-octane entertainment and thrills they get and shifts attention away from the star." (BoxOfficGuru)

"Roman Polanski's 'Carnage' was the top debut at the specialty box office this weekend, according to estimates provided by Rentrak earlier today. The film, based on the play by Yasmina Reza, stars Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly and Christoph Waltz as two sets of parents who meet up to talk after their children have been in a fight that day in the park. Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, it opened on 5 screens this weekend to a $85,696 gross, averaging $17,139. Considering the crowded marketplace, that's a respectable gross. Though it fails in comparison to Polanski's last effort, 'The Ghost Writer,' which debuted to a $45,752 average (from 4 screens) last February. That film went on to gross $15,541,549.   Also debuting was Alex Stapleton's doc 'Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel' Distributed by Anchor Bay, the film grossed $7,000 from 2 screens for a $3,500 average. The biggest story of the specialty box office this weekend, though, remained Focus Features' 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.' In its second weekend, Tomas Alfredson's UK spy thriller went from 4 to 16 screens and saw a 46% rise in grosses. It took in $452,278, averaging $28,267." (IndieWIRE)

Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

"Well, he should have. The parliamentary elections in Egypt, which, despite widespread expectations, have been almost perfectly peaceful, have put that country's military rulers on the defensive in a way that the demonstrations in Tahrir Square have not. And, even more remarkably, the elections in Russia, which the ruling party managed to win through transparent fraud, have galvanized the public against their cynical and contemptuous rulers in a way no one could have predicted. Elections matter quite independently of who wins them. Elections don't make a democracy, but they can make a democratic citizenry.Why did tens of thousands of people flood the streets of Moscow in the aftermath of Sunday's election? Because, as Foreign Policy's Julia Ioffe has written, they were insulted. The primary insult, as Ioffe notes, may not have been the brazen ballot-stuffing, but the nonchalant announcement six weeks earlier that Vladimir Putin and Dmitri Medvedev would be switching jobs, with the former becoming president once again and the latter, prime minister. That announcement provoked disgust, but it was the election -- by offering vivid and dramatic proof that Russia's leaders consider their own people irrelevant -- that brought people into the streets." (James Traub/ForeignPolicy)

"Tens of millions of dollars in diamond profits — perhaps more — are being secretly extracted from state-owned mines in eastern Zimbabwe, bypassing the nation’s treasury and raising fears that President Robert Mugabe is amassing wealth to help extend his 31-year reign, according to monitoring groups, diplomats, lawmakers and analysts.  Even if Mr. Mugabe’s allies in the mining ministry are telling the truth about the number of diamonds produced, the treasury was still shortchanged by at least $60 million last year, according to a budget report by the finance minister, one of the president’s chief opponents. But the amount of money being withheld from the nation’s coffers may be much larger than that. Experts, and even some members of Mr. Mugabe’s own party, say the president’s allies are lowballing the nation’s diamond figures by millions of dollars, hoping to hide the fact that profits are being diverted for personal and political ends." (NYTimes)     
      

"We are meeting at Caffè Caldesi, a bar-restaurant just off the High Street that offers an efficient, metropolitan take on Italian regional fare. I arrive 15 minutes early, so I am led upstairs and seated at a window beside an illustrated map of Italy’s regional specialities. Daunt walks in moments later – he seems slightly surprised, a man used to arriving first – and we begin our conversation in an empty room, the waiting staff rolling on the balls of their feet as they wait for the lunchtime rush to begin.(James) Daunt, 48, is tall and professorial, smart but unaffectedly so in his white check shirt, blue check tie and well-worn dark jacket. I ask what he can recommend on the menu, assuming that he is a regular, but it turns out he has been here just a few times before and has little recollection of what he ate. The restaurant’s significance lies rather in the fact that it was the one place in the area he could think of. Marylebone does not seem short of restaurants to me; Terence Conran’s Orrery is just up the road, for a start. But Daunt seems to be a man whose mind is on higher things. 'Maybe I should have chosen somewhere really outrageous,' he reflects." (FT)

"Getting fired for making drunken anti-Semitic remarks in February may have been the best thing that could have happened to fashion designer John Galliano. The 51-year-old, who lost his own couture line as well as control over the Christian Dior brand, went into rehab in Arizona and emerged a new man. 'He’s been spotted around Paris a lot lately — at a nail bar getting a manicure, and cafés in his neighborhood in the Marais,' one Parisian told Flash. 'Friends report that he is in fine form and relieved and thankful to be sober.' During his 15 years as Dior’s designer, Galliano lived in a cocoon, surrounded by assistants and cut off from the real word. Said our source, 'He told one friend, ‘Why was I driven around Paris in a black-window car for 15 years? I missed so much.’ Not simply due to the black windows either.' If Galliano needs encouragement to abstain, he can always watch the video taken 10 months ago by a tourist at La Perle café, Galliano’s favorite watering hole, in which he calls a woman 'a dirty Jew' and adds, 'I love Hitler.' The rant was especially bizarre because, when he was sober, Galliano often spoke of his own Jewish ancestry. After rehab, Galliano continued his recovery by gardening at his country home in central France." (TheDaily)

"Candace Bushnell turned on the glamour at George Farias, Jay McInerney and Anne Hearst’s annual Christmas party at ‘21’ on Thursday night. The author, in a shimmering gold dress, stepped out for the first time at a big social event after filing for divorce from her ballet-star husband of nine years, Charles Askegard, alleging in court papers he had an affair with a ballerina. Bushnell assured fellow guests, 'I am doing really well,' before dashing out for a meeting with writers turning her novel 'The Carrie Diaries' into a CW series. Other guests included Amanda Hearst, Nicole Miller, Jean Shafiroff, Douglas Hannant, Robert Zimmerman, Donna Tartt, Hunt Slonem, David Koch, Janna Bullock, Frances Hayward, R. Couri Hay and Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia. After drama at the hosts’ party last year when a guest’s fur caught fire from a candle in the centerpiece, they opted instead for a safer gingerbread house with candy Christmas lights for the table." (PageSix)

"Is it possible that the Chinese love affair with first growth Bordeaux and Chateau Lafite in particular, is on the rocks? Recent auction results suggest that this may be the case, and that the Lafite phenom was something of a speculative bubble. Not as extreme a bubble as, say Dublin real estate in the oughts or Dot.com stocks in the nineties. But, the market is definitely cooling. At an Acker Merrall &Condit auction in Hong Kong this past weekend, more than 50 lots of Lafite went unsold, including prime vintages such as 1986, 1996 and 2005. Many lots of Mouton Rothschild also went unsold. A year ago this would have been inconceivable." (WSJ)

"For more than 10 years, Japan has had a robust reggae industry with its own dedicated clubs, festivals, magazines, and television shows. Today, there are more than 300 sound systems (or 'sounds' for short) active in Japan—higher than the number in reggae's home turf of Jamaica. And Japanese groups have dominated at international soundclashes, or DJ battles, since 1999, when the Mighty Crown, Japan's undisputed number one crew, became the first non-Jamaican sound to win a World Clash, the predecessor to Global Clash. For the Japanese sounds, a stay in New York doubles as a rite of passage ... 'When I get back to Japan, I want to play every place. I want to bust down the place. That's why me dere in Brooklyn,' says Macky Jam, the sound's MC. For the past year, Macky has been living in East Flatbush and making ends meet by busing tables at a West Indian restaurant. He struggles to communicate in English, but when a local crowd starts rolling in around 2 a.m., he easily rattles off greetings in Jamaican patois. Shortly after, it's his turn to get on the mic. He lets the record play just long enough to get heads bopping before stopping it to fire off some hype lines in the deep baritone of a Caribbean radio jockey. 'Big up all a di Jamaican inna di building! Everybody gwan enjoy themselves tonight!'" (VillageVoice)

Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

"We were friends for more than thirty years, which is a long time but, now that he is gone, seems not nearly long enough. I was rather nervous when I first met him, one night in London in 1977, along with his great friend Martin Amis. I had read his journalism and was already in awe of his brilliance and wit and couldn’t think what on earth I could bring to his table. I don’t know if he sensed the diffidence on my part—no, of course he did; he never missed anything—but he set me instantly at ease, and so began one of the great friendships and benisons of my life. It occurs to me that 'benison' is a word I first learned from Christopher, along with so much else. A few years later, we found ourselves living in the same city, Washington. I had come to work in an Administration; he had come to undo that Administration. Thirty years later, I was voting for Obama and Christopher had become one of the most forceful, and persuasive, advocates for George W. Bush’s war in Iraq. How did that happen?" (Christopher Buckley)

"Republicans in Congress are headed for the same kind of cataclysmic washout that the Democrats faced in the 2010 election, according to Democracy Corps co-founder Stan Greenberg, who presented findings from the group’s latest polls at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast on Friday morning.The liberal think tank surveyed the most competitive Republican House battleground districts for 2012, and said that even in districts where President Obama is 'dead,' that the numbers for Congressional Republicans shows 'weakening support' and 'vulnerability to attack.' In 2008, Obama carried 48 of the 60 districts the group polled, which then went to Republicans in the landslide 2010 midterm elections.However, according to Greenberg, the Republicans face 'numbers virtually identical to those of Democratic incumbents leading into the 2010 disaster.'" (TheHill)

"(I)n case Russians hadn't been offended by years of brazen maneuvers and bland television tailor-made for the lobotomized; in case they hadn't been insulted by the glib switcheroo of Sept.24, when Putin and his handpicked successor as president, Dmitri Medvedev, announced they would simply swap positions; in case the crudely falsified elections and the baton-happy police hadn't angered enough people; Putin compared their symbol of peaceful protest, those white ribbons neatly pinned on lapels, to an unwrapped and doubled-up condom. On live TV.The Russian Internet, not surprisingly, was quick to fire back. First to circulate was a diaphanous condom in the shape of a folded ribbon; then came Putin standing stuffily in front of a Kremlin nightscape, an unraveled condom photoshopped onto his coat. ('Happy holidays, friends!' the postcard said.) Another web parody offered a prediction: a deficit of condoms in the city on the eve of Dec. 24, the day of the next scheduled protest. Sergei Parkhomenko, a journalist and one of the organizers of the upcoming demonstration, even proposed a new slogan for the rally: 'You're the gondon.' In Russian, gondonis slang for condom -- or asshole. Putin hardly stopped with his condom remark. Over nearly five hours in a TV studio taking questions from his public as part of an annual ritual, he often returned to his favorite theme: Western conspiracies to weaken Russia, to 'push it to the side,' or, as he characterized the wave of protests now unfolding around him, 'a well-tuned scheme to destabilize societies' that 'doesn't come out of nowhere' -- like Ukraine's Orange Revolution. As for the protesters, Russia's once and would-be future president pointed out that "there are, of course, people who have the passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation, but act in the interests of a foreign government using foreign money." (ForeignPolicy)

"It’s a holiday miracle considering how badly domestic box office has been slumping for the past five months. But now pent-up moviegoer demand for the big Christmas blockbusters — even though this weekend’s are three sequels — is looking to send grosses soaring. I’m told that, playing on just 425 screens in 425 locations from Thursday evening through midnight shows, the new Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol opened with a huge $1.1 million. As reference, M:I3 did $1.1M of midnight business on over 2,000 screens. 'This is a great start,' a Paramount exec gushed. Of course, Paramount’s M:I4 grosses were goosed by none other than Warner Bros’ The Dark Knight Rises preview footage in IMAX theaters alongside the Tom Cruise-Jeremy Renner starrer. 'It’s a pretty compelling package,' Paramount tells me." (Nikki Finke)

"Last Thursday night, a week, Child Mind Institute held its second annual Child Advocacy Award Dinner and raised $5.3 million for providing children’s mental health care, as well as supporting scientific breakthroughs, and expanding education and outreach efforts. Matt Lauer was host for the evening. Jane and Jimmy Buffett were honored with the 2011 Child Advocacy Award. Actress Amy Poehler (star of NBC’s Parks & Recreation) and actor Will Arnett (star of NBC’s Up All Night) offered a video roast of the honorees, and Brooke Garber Neidich, co-founder and board chair of the Child Mind Institute, presented the award. Afterwards Jimmy Buffett surprised attendees by performing 'Song for the Little Children' and 'Volcano' to the delight of all – including 'Parrothead' Lauer ... Among those attending: Robert De Niro and Grace Hightower, Chuck Close, New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, John McEnroe, Desiree Gruber and Kyle MacLachlan, Nicole Miller, Arthur Altschul, Jr., Laura Blankfein, Linda and Arthur Carter, Ron Delsener, Vanessa Cornell, Paul Goldberger, Erica Jong, Molly Jong-Fast" (NYSocialDiary)

"Lovecat's founders Prince Chenoa and Jacob Dekat had a holiday party last nigh at Pulqueria in collaboration with Kanon Organic Vodka. Heide Lindgren and Nicole Trunfio hosted the party that also celebrated the launch of Lovecat's third issue ." (Papermag)

Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

"The ongoing unrest, violence and security crackdowns in Syria have been the subject of major international attention since February. Our current assessment is that the government and opposition forces have reached a stalemate in which the government cannot quell the unrest and the opposition cannot bring down the regime without outside intervention. In the Dec. 8 Security Weekly, we discussed the covert intelligence war being waged by the United States, Israel and other U.S. allies against Iran. Their efforts are directed not only against Tehran’s nuclear program but also against Iran’s ability to establish an arc of influence that stretches through Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. To that end, the United States and its allies are trying to limit Iran’s influence in Iraq and to constrain Hezbollah in Lebanon. But apparently they are also exploring ways to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al Assad, a longtime ally of Iran whose position is in danger due to the current unrest in the country. In fact, a U.S. State Department official recently characterized the al Assad regime as a 'dead man walking.' We therefore would like to examine more closely the potential external efforts required to topple the Syrian regime. In doing so, we will examine the types of tools that are available to external forces seeking to overthrow governments and where those tools fit within the force continuum, an array of activities ranging from clandestine, deniable activities to all-out invasion. We will also discuss some of the indicators that can be used by outside observers seeking to understand any efforts taken against the Syrian regime." (STRATFOR)

"Wednesday at Michael’s which was looking extra splendid in the holiday spirit with it pine swags, ribbons and poinsettia blossoms. Big crowd; a thorough cross-section of NewYorkNewYork (if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere) from society to Wall Street, to film and television, to press and publishing; diplomats, bankers, philanthropists, PR mavens, writers, editors, politicos and bling-masters. The social/philanthropy/arts ladies – Muffie Potter Aston, CeCe Cord, Becca Thrash at one table. Kim (Mrs. Michael) McCarty at Table One in the bay throwing a holiday lunch for Amy Fine Collins, Pat Shea, Desiree Gruber, Janet Goldsmith, Pamela Hansen. Right next door: Emily Smith, Ms. Page Six. Nearby, Blackstone co-founder Pete Peterson. Next door, Glamour Magazine’s Cindi Leive. Next door to me: Charles Stevenson with his eldest daughter Josie who runs the marketing department of a major hedge fund. Next to them: Paige Peterson (former daughter-in-law of the aforementioned Pete) with her son Peter Cary Peterson. Moving around the room MediaBistro’s own Brenda Starr Diane Clehane with uber-television producer Joan Gelman; Steve Rattner; Harold Ford Jr.; Robert Verdi with Cindy Lewis, Judy Licht, Nancy Hodin; Tony Hoyt; Star Jones and Donny Deutsch and Nancy Snyderman with Marc Victor of the Today Show ..." (NYSocialDiary)

"And now we get to prematurely place behind us another quite troubling incident in our recent history. Secret prisons? Eh, let's forget about those. Torture? Let's just move on. A incredible transformation of huge chunks of the military into a privately contracted mercenary army? La la la la la! Years and years of National Guard reservists being unexpectedly called up for active duty in Iraq? Oh well! Thousands of soldiers having had their service contracts forcibly extended, creating a stop-lossed conscription army, under a policy that somehow no judge would find illegal? Sorry guys and gals! (And sorry families of dead guys and gals.) Operation New Dawn: the war we had after the war? Deadly. A decade of a wildly, wildly, crushingly expensive invasion, that involved more than a million Americans in combat, and the occupation of a country under false pretenses? Let's just agree to not talk about it anymore. The CNN crawl says 'Ceremony Ends Nine Years of Conflict,' which isn't actually what happened either: we actually didn't have a 'conflict.'" (Choire Sicha)

"Jay-Z is Ron Burkle’s new flavor of the month. Sources say the billionaire investor is interested in producing “massive music festivals” similar to Coachella, but internationally, and has been courting the rapper/mogul, who could be one of his biggest acts. We hear Burkle’s also talking to him about tech ventures and the Web business, which Jay-Z has shown interest in since he launched the site 'Life + Times' in April. Burkle hosted a bash for Jay-Z after his 'Watch the Throne' show at the Staples Center in LA Tuesday night. The party was glittered with models and boldfaces including Beyoncé, Drake and Lukas Haas. The Democratic donor and estranged friend of Bill Clinton has been known to invest in his celebrity pals including Diddy, whom he reportedly gave $100 million for his Sean John line. Burkle’s rep said, 'I can’t deny we’re looking into that type of business. It isn’t necessarily producing [festivals] but you’re close. We’re making an investment that hasn’t really closed yet. He hasn’t talked to Jay about it. He’s just friends with these guys.'" (PageSix)

"'One-percenters,' collectors, dealers, artists, rappers, socialites, hangers-on, would-bes, princesses, archduchesses, moguls, editors, reporters, photographers, bloggers, fashionistas, athletes, rock stars, drag queens, museum directors, museum board members, designers, architects, former Warhol superstars, people holding O.B.E.’s, and celebrity look-alikes—it takes all kinds to complete the complex web of art that makes up the insane five-day bacchanalia called Art Basel Miami Beach. Commemorating A.B.M.B.’s 10th year of existence, all of the above (and those who can’t be categorized quite so neatly) were there to celebrate. And celebrate they did. It might well be renamed: 'F.B.A.B.M.B.: Free Beverages Art Basel Miami Beach,' as there was little shortage of art-free institutions that gave parties, such as Dior (which got Anselm Reyle to design a purse), Pringle of Scotland (which engaged Liam Gillick to do a line of accessories), and even Ferrari (who engaged video artist Marco Brambilla to make a 3-D film entitled 'RPM'). Corporate art-grifting was the order of the day in Miami Beach. All those and more made desperate, heavy overtures to graft onto anything and anyone remotely connected to those flocking to Miami for A.B.M.B." (VanityFair)

Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

"Arianna Huffington and the liberal online juggernaut bearing her name have been tough on a lot of Republican presidential candidates, but when it comes to Newt Gingrich, the knife has cut a little deeper. Since the former House speaker emerged as the front-runner for the GOP nomination, Huffington has used her media megaphone — including the 37 million-visitor-a-month Huffington Post — to excoriate him as an insincere, self-serving flip-flopper, sometimes in biting personal terms. In a recent HuffPo column, for instance, she compared Gingrich to 'the crazy uncle' who tries to persuade you to bet your retirement savings on an Alpaca farm. Since the former House speaker emerged as the front-runner for the GOP nomination, Huffington has used her media megaphone — including the 37 million-visitor-a-month Huffington Post — to excoriate him as an insincere, self-serving flip-flopper, sometimes in biting personal terms. In a recent HuffPo column, for instance, she compared Gingrich to 'the crazy uncle' who tries to persuade you to bet your retirement savings on an Alpaca farm. And in a Sunday show interview this month, which was quickly posted on the site, she compared him to Microsoft, in that 'the more he iterates, the worse he gets.' But it wasn’t always this way. Back in the 1990s, when Gingrich helped the GOP recapture the House and took on the Clinton administration as speaker, Huffington was one of his strongest supporters. 'She was a big champion of the Newt Revolution,' Tony Blankley, Gingrich’s press secretary at the time, told POLITICO. 'She was a friend and an ally.'" (Politico)

"From the Americas Society, I traveled ten blocks south on Park Avenue to the apartment of Jill Spalding who was hosting her annual holiday cocktail party. Jill, who is a writer and very active in New York social life always has a large but cozy crowd in her art filled apartment. I made it just inside the door, signed the guestbook and was immediately in conversation with several people including Jeanne Lawrence (who writes our Shanghai Diary) and Sharon Bush whose daughter Lauren recently married David Lauren at his parents’ ranch in Colorado. Crowded cocktail parties are often easy for conversation and Jill Spalding’s guest list always includes a lot of interesting people. Everywhere I looked people were engaged in conversation. I remained in that same spot for the entire time as people passed by on their way out such as Suzette Smith, Betsy Perry, Judy and Archie Cox, and Beth DeWoody and Firooz Zahedi, by a little after 8 when I had to leave to go on to dinner, it looked as though few others were ready to leave – always a sign of a good party." (NYSocialDiary)

"ABC 'This Week' anchor Christiane Amanpour is expected to leave the program in the coming weeks, a source familiar with the decision confirms to TVNewser. Update: It is official, Amanpour will become 'global affairs anchor' for ABC, host occasional primetime specials and will host a program on CNN International. Her statement, and a statement from CNN Worldwide president Jim Walton, after the jump. Amanpour joined ABC as the anchor of the network’s flagship Sunday public affairs program last March, after more than 25 years as a correspondent at CNN. 'This Week' has struggled in the ratings over the last year, and currently finds itself a regular third behind NBC’s 'Meet the Press' and CBS’ 'Face the Nation.'" (TVNewser)

"If publishers could collage a portrait of their ideal consumer of novelty gift books, it would probably look something like this: begin with a hapless urban 20-something whose life is 'out of control' (Fuck! I’m in My 20s). She has an iPhone and sends a lot of text messages (Damn You, Autocorrect!). She continues to find the idea of the hipster amusing (Stuff Hipsters Hate, Look at this Fucking Hipster, Hipster Hitler, Hipster Puppies). This imagined reader thinks her parents are darling, whimsical creatures (Dads Are the Original Hipsters; My Mom, Style Icon), worthy of affection on the basis of their ineptitude, outdated tastes and bluntness (When Parents Text, Crap at My Parents’ House, Sh*t My Dad Says). Her sexual desire is infantilized (Hot Guys and Baby Animals, Bangable Dudes in History) but it might be because her male counterparts (Fuck Yeah Menswear, Bike Snob, Total Frat Move) fail to inspire lust, perhaps since they favor lunch food to libidinous interactions (Scanwiches, Insanewiches). She has a knowing love for old-timey things like thank you notes (ThxThxThx) and used books (Forgotten Bookmarks). She cares about grammar enough to make fun of people who don’t (The Book of 'Unnecessary' Quotation Marks) and has a well-developed sense of irony (Awkward Family Photos, White Girl Problems, Rock Your Ugly Christmas Sweater) and sarcasm (Dear Blank Please Blank, Passive Aggressive Notes, Humble Brags). Most important, she shops at Urban Outfitters. Welcome to the world of the memeoir." (Emily Witt/Observer)

"'This is the event of the holiday season,' Alina Cho told Style.com at Friday night's annual Winter Wonderland Ball at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. 'I always wear something light-colored with sparkles or feathers. Or both—it's a princess sort of night.' Cho wasn't the only one in plumage. As guests such as Chris Benz and Charlotte Ronson glided in through the entryway of the Victorian-style crystal palace, they couldn't help but notice one dress in particular. Bill Cunningham quickly made his way over to the wearer of the feathered white ball gown, Susan Krysiewicz, for a photo. As he went to adjust the hem of her skirt, she said, 'Careful, Bill, that's about $10,000 worth of feathers right there.'" (Style)

Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

"One of the most seductive deceptions of the Bush years was that once he was gone, America would regain its global reputation and place of leadership and all would be well. But the world was changing in many ways that would have held true even if there had not been a George W. Bush—and even with a Barack Obama. For all the efforts to articulate these and related changes in the classic international relations parlance of unipolar, bipolar, and multipolar worlds, they are better captured as the transformation from a 'Ptolemaic' to a 'Copernican' world. Back in the second century A.D., Ptolemy developed a conception of the universe that held the Earth to be at the center, with all the other planets revolving around it. So was the United States seen by many, especially within the United States itself, as being at the center of the Cold War world—the wielder of power, the economic engine, the bastion of free-world ideology. International institutions were designed largely in America’s image, the terms of cooperation largely set by Washington. When the Cold War finally ended with the defeat of the Soviet Union, the world seemed even more Ptolemaic—the United States the sole surviving superpower, the U.S. economy driving globalization, democracy sweeping the world. Not anymore. The twenty-first-century world is a Copernican one. The United States is not at the center. We have our own orbit. But other countries do too, and they all have their own interests, their own national identities, their own domestic politics. While we still have some gravitational pull, it’s not so strong that others orbit around us." (Bruce Gentleson/Democracy)

"Last night at Le Cirque, Jim Dunning gave a cocktail reception for more than a hundred friends to celebrate the birthday of his wife Susan Magrino, the uber public relations executive. The place was packed when two of the Le Cirque staff wheeled out the birthday girl’s cake with her portrait on the top.  Susan started her business with her sister Allyn in 1992 after a nine year stint in marketing at Crown Publishing. It was there, 27 years ago that she started working with Martha Stewart, in a business relationship that continues to this day. Since she went out on her own with sister Allyn nineteen years ago, Susan has been instrumental in publicizing and building some of the world’s most prestigious brands besides Martha -- such as Macy’s, The Rocco Forte Collection, Dom Perignon, Alain DuCasse, Le Cirque, Gordon Ramsey, Dillards, Kmart, the Plaza Hotel, Sandals, Mauboussin, the Four Seasons restaurant’s 50th anniversary, Remy Martin’s Louis XIII cognac." (NYSocialDiary)

"This weekend, the trendsetting techies at marketing and creative agency the Barbarian Group threw a party chocked full of digital players and industry up-and-comers to celebrate their 10-year anniversary. DJ Japanster provided a soundtrack for the revelry, which took place at the fancy pants Bowery Hotel, and there was free food, which makes this the greatest event to ever happen! In between trips to the buffet, we managed to ask some of the Internet's favorite folks which memes they just couldn't live without in 2011 ..." (Papermag)

"The New York Daily News launched a blog about literature and publishing today called Page Views. So far it has three posts: one introductory post from each editor and also a nude photo of Truman Capote lounging in a towel. As if a tabloid with a lit blog wasn't novel enough! Co-editor Alexander Nazaryan writes, 'You may not think of the tabloid as a particularly literary format, but we are going to challenge your assumptions of what constitutes literary/cultural reporting in this town.' And: 'We will post old Daily News photographs of Truman Capote, all-but-naked, and Norman Mailer, just sprung from jail.'" (VillageVoice)

"Tectonic shifts in international affairs and in political and economic conditions within the United States call for reconsideration of the first principles of American grand strategy—the fundamental tenets guiding the nation’s statecraft. The global landscape is fast changing due to the ongoing diffusion of wealth from the West to the rest and the social awakenings taking place in the Middle East and beyond. At home, Democrats and Republicans are locking horns on most foreign policy issues and on how to control debt and stimulate growth; the resulting political stalemate risks compromising the purposeful exercise of U.S. power and eroding the economic foundations of national strength. Meanwhile, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and a shrinking defense budget have diminished the political appetite for sustaining the full portfolio of America’s global commitments. American grand strategy needs to adjust to these potent international and domestic constraints. The alternative is an erratic statecraft that switches direction as power changes hands in Washington. Worse still, partisan paralysis, especially when coupled with economic duress, has the potential to stoke isolationist sentiment, just as it did during the 1930s." (Charles Kupchan/Democracy)

"Tensions between the United States and Russia have risen in the past month over several long-standing problems, including ballistic missile defense (BMD) and supply lines into Afghanistan. Moscow and Washington also appear to be nearing another crisis involving Russian accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The crises come as Washington struggles over its many commitments in the world and over whether to focus on present events in Afghanistan or future events in Central Europe. Russia has exploited the U.S. dilemma, using its leverage in both arenas. However, if Moscow takes its aggressive moves too far, it could spark a backlash from the United States and Central Europe." (STRATFOR)

Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

"The last decade has been marked by the rise of the Shiites in the Middle East. Through the bullet and the ballot box, Shiite parties have risen to power from Baghdad to Beirut -- thereby extending Iran's reach into the heart of the Arab world. Sunni rulers have viewed with much anxiety the new "Shiite crescent" that extends from Iran all the way to Lebanon. But as a popular -- and now military -- uprising in Syria becomes more powerful, the Shiite ascendancy is coming to an end. With every day that passes, President Bashar al-Assad's grip on power seems to weaken: The United Nations assessedon Nov. 1 that Syria had entered a state of civil war and the country's economy is projected to contract by a disastrous 12 percent to 20 percent this year. And now, the regional Sunni powers are hoping to exploit the turmoil to launch a counteroffensive that could reverse their losses. Shiite empowerment in the Middle East began with the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, which had the perfectly predictable effect of strengthening Iran -- not only its ruling theocracy as such, but also its hegemony over "Twelver" Shiites across the Arab world. In Iraq, most importantly, the Shiites have long outnumbered the Sunnis, but were marginalized and persecuted by the Ottoman Empire and then by all subsequent Arab regimes, down to the initially secular Saddam Hussein, who became a Sunni paladin after launching his war against Iran in 1980. Today by contrast, the U.S.-imposed democratic system virtually guarantees a Shiite-dominated government, with a natural affinity for the fellow Shiites of Iran." (Ed Luttwak/ForeignPolicy)

"This week begins the extraordinary auction of the Elizabeth Taylor Collection at Christie’s. NYSD readers may have seen my diary last week about lunching with Ward Landrigan of Verdura and talking about Miss Taylor’s jewels. Ward began his career working for Sotheby’s in the jewelry department in the late 1960s. He personally dealt with the star on the purchase of three major pieces in her collection – including the Krupp Diamond that she acquired in 1968 for a then record price of $305,000, as well as the 68 carat diamond ring that’s she acquired indirectly at auction in 1972. The third important piece that Ward was associated with and which is going up for auction this week at Christie’s was the La Peregrina Pearl which the Burtons purchased in 1969 at auction at Sotheby’s for $37,000. The pearl itself, which is the 15th largest saltwater pearl in the world, and whose name is translated as 'the Pilgrim' or 'the Wanderer,' was discovered by an African slave sometime in the early to mid-16th century off the small island of Santa Margarita, one of the pearl islands in the Gulf of Panama." (NYSocialDiary)

"A major editorial expansion is in the works at BuzzFeed, the viral content aggregator best known for its panda slideshows, and it will be led by an unlikely figure. Ben Smith, Politico senior writer and longtime New York politics reporter, has been named editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed, the company announced today. According to the release, Mr. Smith will help the site get into the business of original editorial content, hiring new reporters and launching new content sections. BuzzFeed’s content sections are currently limited to 'lol', 'cute', 'win', 'fail', 'omg', 'geeky', 'trashy', and 'wtf?'. The site recently snagged two writers from Gawker Media, Jezebel’s Whitney Jefferson and Gawker’s Matt Cherette. There are whispers of a redesign early next year. 'Social media is what moves a story,' Mr. Smith said in the announcement." (Observer)

"If two's a trend, then holy cow. Ben Smith is leaving Politico for Buzzfeed and Don Van Natta is leaving the Times for ESPN (after 16 years!). (Bonus: from just the other day, here is a Ben Smith blog post about Don Van Natta.) This means a thing, and it's different from recent hires like 'Tina Brown offering people oodles of money' or 'Bloomberg View offering people oodles of money,' but I can't put my finger on just what. In part, it's that there's no longer what was once so clearly a' pyramid' of desirable media jobs, with the Times right on top like the eye on the pyramid. (Ben could have gone to work for the Times years and years ago, if he'd wanted to; Don found it not necessary to carry on there.) " (Choire Sicha)

"Tod's boutique on Madison Avenue was bustling with a flurry of femmes Tuesday for a petite luncheon feting Julianne Moore's third kiddie tome, Freckleface Strawberry: Best Friends Forever. While the flame-haired actress, garbed in head-to-toe Derek Lam, manned the signing table front and center, hosts Cristina Cuomo, Melanie Charlton Fascitelli, Celerie Kemble, Lauren Santo Domingo, and Tod's creative director Derek Lam sipped steaming cinnamon apple cider and mingled with an haute crowd, including Sally Singer, Robbie Myers, Adelina Wong Ettelson, Olivia Chantecaille, Mia Moretti, Carey Lowell, Lucy Sykes, and Jamie Tisch. On the menu? Tiny potato with caviar and crème fraiche, chilled lobster with tomato basil ‘cocktail’ sauce on brioche toast, beef carpaccio on fennel flatbread crisps with truffle oil, strawberry buttercream macarons, cheesecake brownies, and bite-size lemon squares." (Fashionweekaily)