|
|
|
|
It's 7:32 a.m. — still 28 long and excruciating minutes until they throw open those doors and the shopping hyenas go wild. But we've got Cut operatives staked out on the premises, reporting from the madness as it happens. Early intel: "I got here just after 7 a.m., and there were around 35 people; in the past 20 minutes, maybe another 20 have shown up. Everyone's bitching about how cold it is, lots of people are wearing Uggs." Uggs? Uggs? Today is not for the faint of heart.
More from the scene: "A young woman named Nina, in her early-to-mid twenties, is at the front of the line. She's wearing a big furry hood and has been there since SIX IN THE MORNING. She loves labels, has been coming to the sale for years. Favorite past buy: $170 pair of strappy Manolos. Nina's tip for other shoppers: Come earlier." Like 5 a.m.? Hardcore, people.
IndieWire: Full clip
[23/6]
[TMZ]
Alexa stats must be taken with a grain of salt, but the trend is striking.
ASmallWorld.net, three years of pageviews:
Facebook.com, three years of pageviews:
Wallace refused to comment about how much of a dick he must think his neighbor is, but his agent cracked a joke about it. A joke we will steal:
The living situation sounds like the makings of a great sitcom.
Oenophile Row: Brooklyn Stoopmates Race to Produce Wine-Fraud Flick [NYO]
The lights are back on at "The Office," "Heroes" is coming out of mothballs, and "CSI" is ready to prod some corpses. TV Land is back in business.
With the writers'...
She's glowing! Or are they glowing?Photo: Getty Images
J.Lo Hospital on Alert to Thwart Babynapping [TMZ.com]
STP is saddling up again.
The Stone Temple Pilots have confirmed plans for its first concert since an acrimonious break up more than four years, headlining the second annual Rock on the Range...
Life & Style's Mark Pasetsky got auf-ed.Photo: Getty Images
Cover Awards Website [Cover Awards]
Ex-Life & Style Editor Launches Web Site [Folio]
Related: The Devil Wears Cowboy Hats
For the Fonz, the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth was comprised of nothing but fond memories.
Henry Winkler took the stand Wednesday in the $67 million wrongful death and...
Photo illustrations: AP
When we hastily named this category "Strike Zone" way back in November, we had no idea that 64 posts and three months later we'd still be using the rubric. But the joyous end of the writers' strike also means it's time to retire the Strike Zone category. We won't miss it; even though we are always desperate for something to write about, labor unrest never really stops being boring. May Vulture's least-beloved category be forever absent from our pages!
Ah, who are we kidding, we'll be writing about the SAG contract in a month. Luckily, Tina Fey's a member of that union too.
iStockphoto, Paramount
Inspired by the Carlyle hotel's Oscar-themed menu, our pals over at Grub Street have come up with companion drinks for every Best Picture nominee. There's the de rigueur There Will Be Blood milkshake, of course, but our favorite is the absinthe-based Staggerac, inspired by Keira Knightley's green dress in Atonement.
Publicity Gambit at Carlyle Inspires Our Oscar-Themed Beverage Menu [Grub Street]
Photo: Getty Images
1. Kate Nash, "7 Nation Army" (White Stripes cover)
We're not saying anyone could've matched the combustible energy of the Stripes' fiery original, but Nash's half-hearted delivery sucks out almost all the fun. What will her MySpace friends say? [My Old Kentucky Blog]
2. Idle Warship, "Tour Diary"
This song about the hardships of the music biz, by Talib Kweli's side project, is so good, it probably deserves a better music business. [Mixtape Maestro]
3. Talbot Tagora, "Connection" (Elastica cover)
A messy, lo-fi cover of the 1995 hit which was itself a messy ripoff of Wire's "3 Girl Rhumba." Someone should tell these guys about the law of diminishing returns. [Pinglewood]
4. Envelopes, "Put on Hold"
Envelopes must be expecting a lot of calls when they release their sophomore release next week, because they've put together the best on-hold music ever. [Sound Bites]
5. Goldfrapp, "It's Not Over Yet" (Klaxons cover)
Goldfrapp recorded this lovely and haunting cover for the BBC's Jo Whiley Show. [Zeon Music]
6. Your 33 Black Angels, "Psycho on Your Side"
Y33BA strum and knob-twiddle their way through this strange song about a high-spirited young man who tries to convince us that "it's good to have a psycho on your side." Mike Huckabee is probably hoping that McCain feels the same way. [My Old Kentucky Home]
Photo Illustration: Everett Bogue; Photos: Getty Images, iStockphoto
News Corp. Enters Yahoo Fray [WSJ]
Peter Greenaway’s newly released first two major films sum up the man’s classical composition and off-the-wall wit and symbolism. The Draughtsman’s Contract centers on, well, a draughtsman contracted in the seventeenth-century to produce a series of lifelike sketches of an impeccably manicured English estate — whereupon he uncovers a murder! In A Zed and Two Noughts, two recently widowed men use their wives’ bodies for scientific purposes, and what starts off as camp develops into a serious exploration of the “animal.”
Peter Greenaway
The Draughtsman’s Contract
A Zed & Two Noughts
Zeitgeist
$29.99 each
Out now
Photo Illustration: Everett Bogue; Photos: Getty Images
Classically Attractive Actress to Play Classically Attractive CIA Agent: Director Doug Liman has revealed that Nicole Kidman will star in his upcoming biopic on outed spy Valerie Plame. No word yet on who's playing Karl Rove, but we suspect it'll be some ugly dude. [Movies Blog/MTV]
Strike Two? The writers' strike may have ended last night, but fans of labor unrest will be excited to hear that the Screen Actors Guild may walk out soon! As their contract expires in June, stars like George Clooney are urging the guild to start talks with studios now before the possibility of his having to stand outside with a picket sign gets too real. [Variety]
Fey, Page to Host SNL: Saturday Night Live returns on February 23 with Tina Fey as the host. The following week, Juno's Ellen Page will appear. Nobody's lined up after that, though, so if you know anybody… [NYT]
Ever Wanted to See Kanye West Kidnapped, Then Beaten to Death With a Shovel? That's weird, but here you go anyway. [Nah Right]
Pacino in New Bond? Rumors are flying today that Al Pacino may have a cameo as a villain in the upcoming Bond movie Quantum of Solace. Awesome! [Ain't It Cool]
R.I.P. Steve Gerber: Publishers Weekly blogger Heidi MacDonald pens a heartfelt and well-written obit for Steve Gerber, legendary comic-book author and creator of Howard the Duck. [Beat/Publishers Weekly]
Tomorrow is the holiday for lovers who don't retch at the sight of all things pink, a.k.a. Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, Hallmark's big day leaves many singletons feeling less than lustrous. But! We assure you that sticking a fork in your throat is not only tired, it's the wrong choice. That's because Barneys Warehouse Sale starts tomorrow! Since they offer Christian Louboutins for $240 (regularly pushing $700) and Diane Von Furstenberg dresses for $129 (regularly $365), shoppers can get pretty aggressive, thus making it the perfect place for you to diffuse some V-Day angst. Or, if you've got a prix fixe reserved for 8 p.m., it's the perfect place to get that chic outfit you've yet to nail down for the affair. So quick — get a 24-hour cold! Practice your sick voice! Because tomorrow morning you want to be the first in the doors when they open at 8 a.m. A brave ambassador from the Cut will be right there with you to bring you the vicious blouse-snatching and belt-whipping live tomorrow morning. And just in case that sort of violence actually goes down, here are our tips for rocking the sale like you wish someone had at the Grammys:
1. Leave your manners on the sidewalk. A $75 Marc Jacobs dress is not like the last dinner roll. If you reach for it at the same time as someone else, you don't just let them have it. Ask yourself this: Do you want that Marc Jacobs dress? Or [switch to mental Tyra Banks voice] do you WANT that Marc Jacobs dress? That's what we thought.
2. Either go alone or with a friend who is a completely different size than you. Shopping is not a good reason to ruin friendships.
3. Keep your hands free. If you have one of those "trendy" fanny packs, wear it. We'd even excuse you for wearing a dorky, awful one, but tomorrow and only tomorrow. Or if you've got a bag that goes across the shoulder, sport that. You'll need your hands free for rapid digging through bins and racks.
4. Distract anyone who seems like a threat. Feel free to cry out, "Oh my God, Rachel Zoe is filming her reality series here?!" at will. Or, "Oh my God, that woman's face is having a bad reaction to her peel!" Or just, "Oh my God!" with any sort of aimless pointing should do the trick.
5. Smell unpleasant so people will stay away from you. We don't know how to do this since we always smell like caramel and sunflowers, but if you're that hard-core, we salute you.
6. Don't discount wearing heels. Yes, you'll want to dash from rack to rack, but it's not bad to have a weapon within reach, lest a thieving hand attempts to snatch those tank tops next to you on the floor that, like, you were totally trying on.
7. Speaking of try-ons, there are no changing rooms. But there are also no refunds, so you need to be sure of your purchases. There will be plenty of girls stripping down, so it won't be terribly awkward. But there will also be men shopping the sale, and we can't guarantee they'll all be gay. So if you're game for the change, we suggest tights or leggings (which we don't necessarily love but will excuse for tomorrow) to make the experience less humiliating. Also, wear a snug cami under your shirt. This is assuming you're not one of those bothersome exhibitionists whom we don't like, which obviously you're not because you're reading this.
8. If you do take things off to try stuff on, make sure they don't get mixed in with the Barneys merchandise. If you don't find anything to buy, you will have a very cold and embarrassing trip home. And on Valentine's Day, that's insult to injury.
Jon in 200 [Models.com]
Can you ever escape your fate? Attempting to save their son from a dark and dangerous future, parents Louis and Lise travel to the ends of the earth. Today on the Comics Page we're proud to present an excerpt from French comics artist Cyril Pedrosa's Three Shadows, a lyrically drawn fable about a parent's love and the dark specter that haunts it. Three Shadows comes out in April from First Second Books.
Three Shadows, by Cyril Pedrosa, translated by Edward Gauvin
Copyright © 2008 by Cyril Pedrosa. English translation copyright © 2008 by First Second. Reprinted by arrangement with First Second, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership. All rights reserved.
Bethenny Frankel at Gotham Magazine's Black &
White Ball last night. Photo: Getty Images
Related: The Ladies of ‘The Real Housewives of New York City’: A Social Examination
Marc's reading your blog.Photo: Getty Images
Dear Cathy…..I wish you could have been at my show. I think it was a really good one. I am happy with it on every level. I deliberately stated I was uninspired this season as I have felt that talking about inspiration is so not the point to making and showing a collection. Inspiration is a catalyst. one is left with an interpretation of those thoughts. In a show context they are meant to “say” something…..I felt it necessary to allow the audience to say what they want, to see what they saw. There was no wrong or right. everyone is entitled to their opinions. Big deal….My last few collections have been nothing but an expression of where I am at and what interests me and my team in terms of cut, shape, color and our individual interests in fashionable clothes. I find so many aspects of life today fascinating…I don’t work in a bubble. I am influenced by the world, and what of the world I know, remember, and hope for. I look forward to the chance to speak to you soon…I really felt a need for calm, and yes, each season is a reaction to the one that came before it. I am certain that what we chose to promote this season was the only, and perfect answer. and, for all those who think Spring Summer didn’t sell…..perhaps, they should check our figures before assuming such as fact. I hope you are feeling better…All my best, Marc.
New York: Random Thoughts [On the Runway/NYT via Fashionista]
Lou Reed at BAM last night.Photo: Getty Images
There are the times you go to the theater. And then there are the times you go to the theater and look over and discover you are sitting next to Lou Reed. Now, we are a celebrity journalist, and this was BAM's gala benefit for the opening of Macbeth, starring Patrick Stewart. But usually we're used to at least a few rows separating us from the famous ones, for their comfort but also, as it turns out, for ours, since it's really hard to concentrate on Shakespeare when you're simultaneously trying to concentrate on how Lou Reed is reacting to the show.
When the production — set in a Stalinist-like regime and filled with musical chanting from the witches, thundering, screeching sound effects, and great, vomit-inducing flashes of video on the wall — began, we were sure this would be Reed's bag. But by sometime in the middle of the first act, we looked over to find his eyes closed. Soon, he was out, his chin resting gently on his chest, until he woke with a start at the arrival of Banquo's ghost. He did not snore. After an intermission spent communing with Mikhail Baryshnikov, Reed gained a second wind. He sat upright and attentive for the entire second half and even gave a reluctant standing O at the end.
As he stood to leave, we finally worked up the courage to approach him. How did he like the play? "It was worth the price of admission just to hear him speak, 'Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,'" he said. "I'd been waiting to see how he would do it, and it was just magnificent." Then Lou Reed turned to us and grinned, and recited:
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death.
We had to grip the rail of the stairwell to stay standing. We attempted to maintain small talk. Did he have trouble getting there in the weather? "Everybody did." What did he like about Stewart's interpretation? "Please don't do this to me." And then he was gone. The last we saw of him, he was trekking through the slush with Laurie Anderson, wearing a brown, down floor-length hooded parka big enough to house him, a drum kit, a bassist, and perhaps a small cot, useful for spontaneous napping. —Jada Yuan
Coney Island: "Imagine getting on a ferry at Hunt's Point for a day trip" here! That's what Christine Quinn floated yesterday in her big speech. Could it really happen? [Kinetic Carnival]
East Village: McMansion mogul Robert Toll's 27-year-old NYU social-work-student son Jacob lives with two of his buds in a $2.2 million condo in his dad's glossy new One Ten 3rd building. How will he pay that mortgage on a social worker's salary? (Cue cynical chortles.) [NYO]
Midtown: Wouldn't it be cool if the retired math professor who nearly died of a bondage incident in a sex club here could get his wife in on his S&M thing instead of having to shamefully confess it to her in the Post? Now he's vowing to break his addiction. Why not just go safe, sane, and consensual? [Gothamist]
SoHo: Seventy percent of buyers into the Trump SoHo condo-hotel are foreign, including Swedish soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimovic. And among the U.S. buyers, a third are New Yorkers. Hmmm. [NYO]
South Bronx: Schoolkids' parents are outraged that the city won't pay for an analysis of a complex plan to clean up a toxic-waste site sitting under four new schools. Meanwhile, the kids have rashes and asthma! [NYDN]
Willets Point: A report based on input from countless community groups gives a big fat thumbs-down to the city's plans for a big megadevelopment in this stretch of Queens. [Queens Crap]
Williamsburg: A luxury condo went up on the river here, but if you're looking east down a cross street in the East Village, it looks like it went up amid the projects of Avenue D! Check out this fun socioeconomic optical illusion! [Curbed]
From left, Alli Smith wins last night's Best Dressed award;
Juliette Harford takes home the Worst Dressed trophy, and
perhaps some very cold feet.Photo: Patrick McMullan
So we browsed the Patrick McMullan photos to see what outfits the party set came up with, given the gauntlet thrown by Mother Nature. Ice powder aside, Alli Smith looked great. Pulling off white pants is never easy, but this pair is the perfect length and fits her terrifically. The belted jacket gives her a nice waist and looks warm, to boot. We also appreciate simple hair and makeup with bright lipstick. Minimal fuss makes for minimal mess with nasty conditions outside.
Meanwhile, we don't know who Juliette Harford is, but clearly she was one of the luckies who was able to change her shoes inside. So doesn't she have a pair without wooden planks attached? As for the coat, the Woodbury Commons Santa called: He wants his winter wonderland back.
Albrecht Fuchs’s Lawrence Weiner, New York (2005).Image courtesy of the artist and Mireille Mosler Ltd., New York.
In what's best described as an art-world version of Us Weekly's "Stars: They're Just Like Us!" feature, German photographer Albrecht Fuchs's "Portraits" gets cozy with contemporary greats. In this shot, though, famed conceptualist Lawrence Weiner isn't so much like us as he is like Old Man Marley from Home Alone. "Portraits" is at the uptown Mireille Mosler gallery through March 22. —Rachel Wolff
Toward the end of Fashion Week, Amy Larocca crossed paths with Mary Kate Steinmiller, an editor at Teen Vogue. A Fashion Week veteran, Steinmiller claims that “you don’t even realize you’re going from show to show because there’s so much adrenaline.” However, she did concede that wearing heels for days at a time was rough: “Tomorrow, it might be a flat day.” See whom Steinmiller spotted at Miss Sixty by watching the Video Look Book.
Photo: Getty Images
Ripley in Next to Normal.Photo: Joan Marcus
Alice Ripley earned a 1998 Tony nomination for her performance as a conjoined twin in Side Show, and since then she's taken on such classic roles as Janet in The Rocky Horror Show and Fantine in Les Miz. Having recently relocated to New York from L.A., she's now playing Diana Goodman, a suburban mother of two in Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey's new musical Next to Normal, which tells the story of one average family’s struggle to come to terms with a secret from the past, and premieres tonight at Second Stage Theatre. Ripley spoke with Vulture about channeling her mother, being sung to by Brian d'Arcy James, and writing a song about one of the most divisive figures in politics.
It becomes clear early on that your character is facing some really dark issues. How do you get into that mind-set?
Well, it's not been an easy process figuring out this part. Really, what it comes down to is I'm kind of channeling my mother in many parts of the first act — her vulnerability, her dog and pony show. By that I mean the way she has this kind of daily seduction of people and places and things. She's always the life of the party, but she's always kind of the most — how can I put this delicately? — emotionally vulnerable person in any given room. By the end, Diana becomes a little more sane, and hopefully there's a little more of me in that.
Had you worked with Brian d'Arcy James, who plays your husband, before?
We did a workshop together of a piece, and we've done concerts, and of course we know each other through the community, but we've never done an actual production together. I just think Brian d'Arcy James is a dream come true. I've known of him ever since I saw him in Titanic, and I fell crazy in love with him at that moment. I thought, I love my husband, but I can't wait for the moment that I get to work with Brian. And here we are, where I'm onstage with him and he's singing that song called "The Promise," and he doesn't take his eyes off me the whole time. My back's to the audience, and it feels like I'm the only person in the world.
I liked your clothes in the show too.
I love my clothes! I'm kind of a dork at being able to dress myself. I kind of wear the same thing every day — jeans and a sweater or a tank top — so I want Jeff [Mahshie], who did the costumes, to take me out after the show and do one of those What Not to Wear things and throw my stuff in the trash. The stuff he puts me in is very everyday, but it feels feminine, it feels sexy.
Your first solo album, Everything's Fine, also dealt with suburbia. Are you drawn to that theme in some way?
It's my homeland. I come from the Midwest, from the suburbs — growing up hanging out at the mall and looking at the corn fields across the street. I kind of was embarrassed by it for a long time. Then I decided, "Hey, if everyone else can embrace their homeland and where they're from, I can do the same!"
How did your song "President Hillary" come about?
I think I wrote that last summer. I don't really get political with my music, but that song had to be written. The chorus goes "All the world is upside down 'cause the man in charge let me down." And basically it's my personal view about how much this country needs a change of view in the White House. And although I would be really happy if Barack Obama won, I'm going to vote for Hillary because frankly I think there needs to be a woman in the White House. It's about gender for me. My husband and I no longer talk about the subject, actually.
So what's next?
You always kind of feel like you're rolling the dice as an actor. I moved here from L.A. You never really know what's coming next unless you're — let's see, who would it be? — Raúl Esparza.
—Lori Fradkin
Awwwwwwkward.Photo: Getty Images
• Et Tu, Andy Pettitte?: Representative Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland) drops the first bombshell: According to Andy Pettitte's affidavit, Pettitte talked about HGH with Clemens twice, conversations which Clemens said never happened. Pettitte also talked about the conversations with his wife and McNamee. Clemens's only explanation is that Pettitte misunderstood or was misremembering, which doesn't quite fly. Pettitte is Clemens's best friend; if he was a little unsure about the conversations, he would have said so. This new information about Pettitte is pretty damning, and it's easy to see why he didn't want to be in attendance today.
• "The Mysterious Case of Jose Canseco's BBQ": Tom Davis (R-Virginia) grills McNamee on Jose Canseco's barbecue, where McNamee claims Clemens first became interested in steroids. Apparently nobody else at the barbecue remembers Clemens being there, and television commentators specifically discussed that Clemens was not there. And yet McNamee vividly remembers seeing Clemens and talking with him. Was it a Clemens doppelgänger?
• Most People Remember Conversations Like These: John Tierney (D-Massachusetts) says Clemens can't reconcile the fact that in his deposition, he said he never talked with McNamee about HGH, while later claiming they had a heated discussion about McNamee injecting his wife with HGH. Clemens is grasping, just repeating the same dodgy nonanswer. Tierney is like Tim Russert right now: He wants a direct response.
• Republicans for Clemens?: Dan Burton (R-Indiana) is openly hostile to McNamee, and it's very entertaining. There seems to be a strange partisan divide here, with Republicans trying to discredit McNamee, and Democrats trying to discredit Clemens. Burton is barely containing his rage: "Gee whiz, are you kidding me? My goodness!" he yells at McNamee at one point, followed shortly after by, "You just lie when it's convenient for you," and finally exclaiming, "This is really disgusting."
• Let’s Talk About That Ass of Yours: Stephen Lynch (D-Massachusetts) focuses on an "abscess" on Clemens's ass, which Clemens claims were from B-12 injections. Lynch produces the opinion of an MRI expert, who says that the abscess was likely a result of Winstrol (steroids) and not B-12. Clemens's lawyer now wants to speak to the congressman personally, and he's shot down. Lynch is hell-bent on showing that Clemens's abscess was not from B-12. Representative Davis now interrupts and wants to counter Lynch's doctor with his own doctor who says it was from B-12. Again, what is with the Republicans and Democrats taking sides here?
• More Interest in Clemens’s Ass: Representative Tom Davis decides Lynch's medical evidence is "a new definition of lynching." He asks why Clemens's butt injury didn't set off alarms with other people. McNamee replies, with what seems like intentional hilarity, "Nobody else was injecting Clemens in the butt with illegal steroids at the time." Congress has now spent more time on Clemens's ass than a pair of stirrup pants.
• Oh, Yes, Charles Scheeler Is Testifying Too: Paul Kanjorski (D-Pennsylvania) offers the first questions to Charles Scheeler, who worked on the Mitchell Report. Kanjorski is asking Scheeler an impossible question, whether McNamee is lying about the Canseco barbecue. Isn't that his job to find out? If we knew who was lying, why would be here? Mitchell reports, you decide.
• Like Schilling’s Bloody Sock, But Creepier: John L. Mica (R-Florida) is trying to get to the bottom (ha-ha) of this bloody gauze. Is it legal-vitamin blood or dirty-illegal-steroid blood? Guess what: Clemens thinks the former.
• Some Sound Career Advice: Carolyn Maloney (D-New York) wants to know why Clemens didn't talk to the Mitchell Report investigators. Clemens says that everyone was ignoring Mitchell. Maloney wants to know if Clemens has fired his agents for not telling him to cooperate.
• The Never-Ending Investigation: Mark Souder (R-Indiana) wants to know more about a statement made about David Cone, former pitcher, and player union rep, that basically the owners were covering up steroid use in baseball. Souder says maybe we should have another investigation into that (yeah, that's just what we need). He says McNamee's behavior reminds him of a drug dealer … but possibly a credible drug dealer.
• Cue Irrelevant Inspirational Story: Some question from William Lacy Clay (D-Missouri) launches Roger into a Ragged Dick story of coming from humble beginnings and the hardships he’s overcome. "Somebody's trying to break my spirit in this room. They're not gonna break my spirit," he says. Finally, some baseball: Clay wants to know what uniform Clemens will wear into the Hall of Fame. And some humor: Clemens gamely pretends he didn't hear the question. Clay also wonders whether McNamee is getting a deal.
• But What About the NANNY?: Henry Waxman (D-California) returns to the now-legendary Canseco party. Since McNamee has said Clemens's nanny was there, Waxman says they tried to contact her but was given the cold shoulder. Finally, when they contacted her, the nanny says Clemens was at Canseco's house. Canseco's crib is starting to look like the Bermuda Triangle. Waxman is now kind of implying that Clemens had tried to intimidate the nanny. Clemens's lawyer, Rusty Hardin, bolts out of his seat. He's angry, but we know he and Waxman have some bad blood. Waxman is now trying to control Clemens's lawyers, who actually aren't supposed to speak. "This is nothing but innuendo," one claims.
• Channeling St. Peter: Hey, look, the Washington, D.C., delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) actually does stuff! She's up there just like a real congressman! Norton wants to know about Clemens's friendship with McNamee before all these shenanigans began. She ends by saying that, kind of strangely, she's sure Clemens is going to heaven. Now jail, that might be another story.
We'll update more as this thing drags on, if anything serious changed, but right now we're wondering two things: Who is lying? Whoever it is either somehow feels confident that there will never be enough evidence to prosecute him or he’s just stupid and hasn’t really thought this through. The other is, aren't there better ways for Congress to spend its time and taxpayer money? The economy is tanking, the ice caps are melting, and we still don't have health care. Get busy! —Dan Amira
Update: The questioning of McNamee’s credibility continues as Representative Davis tries to further discredit McNamee by bringing up his “doctorate” in behavioral sciences from a diploma mill. Representative Foxx asks whether he plans to write a book or otherwise make money from this. Representative Shays tries to get him to admit he’s a drug dealer. Representative Issa climbs aboard his high horse and concurs, and now the righteousness is really starting to flow. Um, didn’t Roger Clemens take the drugs? He’s not exactly an impressionable young child. If McNamee is a dirty drug dealer, then Clemens deserves as much scorn. Representative Waxman makes this point. Also, Clemens got tripped up because he’s never heard of a “vegan.” That's okay, it can be tricky.
Update 2: It’s finally over. In his closing statement, Representative Waxman had to slam the gavel and shout down Clemens after he interrupted him to defend himself. He also apologized to McNamee for what he perceived to be unfair insults against him by fellow congressmen. Waxman also commented how this is a bipartisan issue, but obviously it’s not. Republicans nearly fell uniformly in line behind Clemens, and Democrats behind McNamee, for the most part. Nothing was solved today, but experts are saying further investigation of Clemens is likely. We eagerly await the next chapter in this intriguing (and puzzlingly government-related) baseball saga.
For casual viewers of television's dumbest-ever (though still hugely entertaining) game show Deal or No Deal, the job of a suitcase girl may seem like an easy one. Really, all they do is carry a suitcase over to a podium, then try to open it without exposing themselves (see above). But would you believe that many of the girls are actually highly intelligent and vastly overqualified? It's true! On the front page of today's Times "Arts" section, we learn that one passed the California state bar exam, another is the spokesperson for the Sarcoma Foundation of America, and yet another belongs to Mensa and plays the harp. One was Playboy's Miss August 2004, but we suspect she only did it to pay her way through med school.
This is all probably just another sign of impending recession, but is our national job market truly so depressed that we can't offer more to some of America's brightest minds? Surely there are some suitcases at Google or NASA that need opening, right?
You Think It’s Easy to Schlep Those Cases in Four-Inch Heels? [NYT]
Apparently, it's a lot easier to be forced out of Britney Spears' life than to leave it voluntarily.
A hearing to determine whether the singer's child-custody attorneys will be...
No animals were harmed in the making of Natalie Portman's shoes.Photo: Getty Images
But the shoes, how do we say, looked more … vegan than anything else. They were all rather low-heeled, which we appreciate, but they also looked a bit lackluster and dated. Though we fondled "suede" on a pair of flats that was soft and convincing, the plain silver dress sandals looked like they came straight from a public-access dance tournament. The number of partygoers who were more interested in the non-vegan shoe options at Te Casan than Portman's wares made us realize that we were not alone. If we're going to spend the $185 to $325 on shoes not made of leather, maybe we'd be better off sticking to Stella McCartney.
Photo: WSJ.com
UBS Names Johansson Chief for Investments [WSJ]
Gary Coleman once vowed he'd never get married. Well, what do 13-year-olds know?
The 40-year-old former child star has revealed to "Inside Edition" that he's been married since...
Marisa Miller: weepy, well-fed cover girl.Photo: Getty Images
SI Group president Mark Ford put the company’s philosophy in a more, um, socially enlightened context. “We care about young women. I have two daughters, and, you know, beauty comes in a lot of forms, and you don’t have to be waiflike to be a beautiful woman. And certainly, we support that,” Ford told us. Ford also talked about the decision to again place a model on the issue’s cover after using Beyoncé last year. “We always want what’s best for our franchise, and what we think will sell,” he said.
So who's best for the franchise this year? Swimsuit-issue regular Marisa Miller. "I was completely shocked," she said. “I’m not really a big crier, but I turned into a big baby.” It was a bit emotional for the model, who had yet to land her first SI cover. "My agent said I had a meeting with this client I work with; we walk into the conference room, they open the doors, there’s a camera crew, the editor of Sports Illustrated, a big poster of the cover, Champagne, flowers. It was like, What? And I cried. And coughed!” And then, we presume, she ate a cheeseburger. —Bennett Marcus
Looks like there will be a new force to be reckoned with at the summer box office.
"Star Wars: The Clone Wars," a new computer-animated feature film centering on the intergalactic...MEDIA
• The Post violated a man's privacy by publishing his name after he was injured in an S&M sex tryst. They also, um, called his wife and published where he lived. While activists protest, a spokesman says, "The Post will happily name every adult caught in a dog collar." One day we need to really start "happily" naming every married Post editor caught at a strip joint. [Portfolio]
• Sam Zell's Tribune Co. will cut staff by two percent. Is it the same two percent that he's already cursed out? [LAT]
• New Jersey U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie Jr. is getting investigated for "awarding tens of millions of dollars in no-bid contracts to his friends and political allies." Friends and allies that include John Ashcroft. [NYT]
• Turns out a shifty lawyer might be at the center of a $7 million loan-fraud case involving Merrill Lynch. [Law.com]
• If any members of the House Oversight Committee (or their staff) ask Roger Clemens for an autograph today, they may be breaking federal law. [NYT]
FINANCE
• To some, February 14 is Valentine's Day. To Steve Schwarzman, it is a Day That Will Live in Infamy. This year, he's planning a quiet celebration at the compound. [NYP]
• Okay, Warren Buffett's bailout offer to bond insurers may not save us all. But if it works out, the billionaire will accrue some more coin. [Reuters]
• Does anyone really stay friends after a breakup? The termination notice Bear Stearns served former manager Ralph Cioffi after the collapse of their two hedge funds indicates that they wanted the breakup to be amicable. [Jake Zamansky]
FASHION
Sadly, we will no longer be running fashion links in Company Town. For your full fix of news, gossip, and pictures, hop on over to our newly permanent fashion blog, The Cut.
Photo: Getty Images
Kimora wants your daughter to play with her.Photo: Courtesy of Baby Phat
…the Kimora doll is dressed in a retro pink dress with a golden waist clasp bearing the Baby Phat logo. Adorning her toned legs are sleek hot pink thigh high boots, and completing the outfit is her pink zebra-striped handbag, big golden hoop earrings and big, black VIP sunglasses.
Hm. Let's be clear here: Even if you're concerned about the fashionability of your young daughter, there is nothing fashionable about hot-pink thigh-high boots. A better fashion-plate doll would be Anna Wintour Barbie, perhaps in some Christian Louboutins and an Yves Saint Laurent dress. Now that's a doll we could totally buy for our little one in good conscience. Come to think of it, if anyone ever decides to make one, please hook us up with an André Leon Talley Barbie, too. That sort of doll could be endlessly amusing and instructive.
Kimora Lee Simmons Barbie Doll [Baby Phat]
Fashionable Doll for Fashionable Kids [Style Talk]
Heidi Montag with new boobs; new designs to come.Photo: Getty Images
Teen Chain Anchor Blue Repositions With Help From Montag of 'The Hills' [WWD]
Related: Exclusive: ‘Hills’ Girls Lauren and Whitney Working for People's Revolution
| World : News Archives | Business | Entertainment | Sports | Technology | Science | Marketplace Audio |
| India : News | Business | Entertainment | Sports | Telugu | |
| Blogs : Humor pages | Norkay's Blog | Kids Stories | Indian Recipes | Database Tech Blog |
| Sundries : World Video Clips | Songs Clips | Indian Video Clips | |
