From left, Allegra Hicks, Vivienne Westwood Red Label, and Issa.Photo: Imaxtree
• Vivienne Westwood's Red Label announces her return to punk with some of the coolest star-spangled tights we've ever seen.
• Erdem showed lots of flowers, bright colors, and graffiti prints.
• Big printed scarves were worn around the neck at Issa and over the hair at Antoni & Alison.
• Gavin Douglas does some really cool things with big, pleated ruffles and gives us what we'll call "policewoman chic."
• Allegra Hicks has some pretty intense gold and black boots that have us thinking of Wonder Woman.
"[Vodianova and Banier] met and were excited to do this for me. I love the emotion of black and white photographs, but DVF is all about color … he would take the photos, write and paint on them. Then came Natalia, her beauty, inside and out … her strength, her dignity … she was flattered to be asked … the adventure began … In Paris, in NY … no make up, no hairstyling … just a beautiful strong woman and an artist…"
There's a really nice movie on the DVF Website that shows the process. If we were back in grade school and had the choice, we'd definitely opt to paint on pictures of Vodianova over plain white paper any day.
Francois Marie Banier Painting + Writing + Photography [DVF.com]
Related: Toni Garrn Replaces Natalia Vodianova as the Face of Calvin Klein
You could learn some valuable life lessons, just like these girls.Photo: Courtesy 20th Century Fox
[W]hen I arrived at the casting, one for fashionistas handpicked by the CW's casting crew, I was confronted with about 100 girls (and about twenty boys) who could have stepped out of a ShopBop catalog. I got the sense that these were hopeful kids who had never actually worked in the industry, but were cute enough for primetime TV (In fact, it should be noted that when I was approached, although I was assured that it would be more Apprentice than ANTM, I was never asked about any actual experience.)There was a blue screen, lights, and a camera set up in the middle of a converted hotel banquet room where CW staffers demanded, "Show me your personality! Show us crazy!"
So that's how those television geniuses do it! Part of the audition process is to answer a 21-page questionnaire. Now, it's likely none of us will ever make it on the show or to a casting, partly because we don't have the attention span to fill out a 21-page survey and partly because we're too old anyway. But because it's Fun Friday and girls can dream, we decided to tackle a few questions from the application. Feel free to use our answers; we're willing to bet any cute, young thing who does so will be on prime time in no time.
What character in the move The Devil Wears Prada do you most relate to and why?
That would have to be Serena. Remember her? Played by Gisele Bündchen? Like Serena, we're tall, thin, gorgeous, and only show up when it's time to go to lunch — at which we will not consume any carbs or fat.
What have you done to prepare yourself for a future as a fashionista/o?
We have not missed an episode of America's Next Top Model, Project Runway, The Tyra Banks Show, or Make Me a Supermodel. We have also seen the Marc Jacobs and Karl Lagerfield documentaries. So not only do we know everything, we also really need to get out of our apartment.
What celebrity do you hate? Why?
We'll go with Nicole Kidman because of her behavior in the Lagerfeld documentary: What, she thinks she's all hot because she's flawless and pale but not in an ugly way? And she clearly thought she was extra special because she and Lagerfeld were at a party together, but they simply had to steal away for a moment to some undisclosed locations so that the Kaiser might photograph her right then and there, because she was so darn porcelain perfect. Yawn.
What do you think is the hardest part of being an assistant?
The hardest part of being an assistant is taking orders from people, particularly when it involves getting people calorie-rich crap from Starbucks. Such a waste, such a shame.
How do you act when you get drunk?
We take our shoes off and refuse to go anywhere unless someone gives us a piggyback ride. Also, we cry a lot. Like, a lot.
When was the last time you hit, punched, kicked, or threw something in anger? Please provide details.
Easy! We were ten minutes late to our 2 p.m. Pilates class, and when the instructor said it was too late to join, we whacked our mat against the door frame, stomped away, and slammed the door on the way out.
Do you have a temper?
Only when that skinny bitch doesn't let us into Pilates.
What would irritate you about living with nine to eleven other people?
We consider ourselves people people, but we really hate it when roommates get mad at us for coming home drunk and crying late at night. And it'd probably bug us if the roomies got out of bed to calm us down but got offended when we gave them "constructive criticism" for their personality disorders. Also, if we want to get tipsy and hook up in the hot tub on the day we move in to our new pad, that's our prerogative, too.
My Foray into Tyra World [Fashionista]
Related: Coming Soon: ‘America's Next Top Assistant Editor’! [Daily Intel]
Chris McGrath/Getty Images
The Feds announced that six detainees held at Guantánamo, including alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, faced the death penalty; Representative Anthony Weiner asked why the trials could not be held in Manhattan instead of Cuba. Mayor Bloomberg called global warming a greater threat than terrorism. Aquatic-transport fans found a ferry godmother in City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who insisted that water taxis be explored further as alternatives to subways and buses. The projected price tag on the still-hypothetical Moynihan Station soared past the $3 billion mark, while Governor Spitzer warned that heavy budget cuts were on the horizon. A 500-pound man sued firefighters who he claimed dropped him down a flight of stairs.
Patty Hearst’s French bulldog bagged a ribbon at the Westminster dog show but lost the big prize to Uno the beagle. A Canadian tourist asphyxiating in a leather collar and high heels had to be rescued from an S&M club on 33rd Street. A BlackBerry service outage left itchy digits idle, while a lucky few ticket holders caught Patrick Stewart red-handed in his sold-out run as Macbeth at bam. I.M. Pei’s borderline brutalist Silver Towers at NYU are up for landmarking. Striking late-night writers returned to work in midtown (30 Rock’s Tina Fey signed on to host Saturday Night Live’s February 23 return engagement). And Roy Scheider, whose coolly intense performances in Klute, The French Connection, and Marathon Man helped define the New York noir era of the seventies, died at age 75. —Mark Adams
1. Lanvin: With the impressive trio of Alber Elbaz, Steven Meisel and Olga Sherer, it’s no wonder this tops our list. In the campaign's latest installment, Sherer’s pouty raspberry lips contrast nicely with a lemon cocktail dress. Dazzling, bold jewelry and clear glasses push the eye-catching image even further.
2. YSL: After loving Gisele’s spin under the label for fall, we were curious to see if Kate Moss could top it. She may not have, but the Inez & Vinoodh–shot photos definitely have their own appeal. Really, who hasn't drooled outside the YSL store in Paris?
3. Chanel: After being dropped by Karl Lagerfeld years ago in favor of the edgier Stella Tennant, Claudia Schiffer’s back. And this time around, she’s both clothed and photographed by the Kaiser. Rendered in elegant black-and-white (how appropriate for Chanel), the beach scene is a classic shot of a nineties icon.
4. Jil Sander: In keeping with Simon’s clean viewpoint, the campaign features minimal frills. On one side, a natural-looking Kasia Struss wears an airy frock; on the other, a man’s hand lies atop an animal’s skull. It’s puzzling, sure, but it's also beautiful and dynamic.
5. Hermès: It’s provocative to see the refined French brand reworked into an Eastern context. With the brightly painted elephant and striking model, you don’t even realize that handbags, the label’s calling card, are missing. —Kendall Herbst
Photo:Courtesy of CW
The Local: More Kids Dating SoHo, Marrying Upper East Side [NYO]
Related: 'Gossip Girl': Too Beautiful for This World
This was the week the strike finally ended and the writers went back to work, first Tina Fey and then everyone else (not that it helped Jay Leno). Sadly, this meant Fey could no longer be the official Vulture Strike Zone mascot. But no matter, we had more important things to worry about, like nursing ourselves back to health after watching history's lamest-ever awards show. Actually, the Grammys weren't all bad; Amy Winehouse was pretty great, and even though we disagreed with Herbie Hancock's win for Album of the Year, it all made sense once Kareem Abdul-Jabaar explained it. Anyway, who won the strike? Well, if you're a 24 fan, not you.
Also working hard this week: Michael Bay wrote Transformers 2, Patrick Stewart pleasured Lady Macbeth (even though Lou Reed could probably do it better), A.O. Scott finally found love, the American Idol judges made everyone cry, and the Deal or No Deal girls opened a few suitcases when they weren't bending spoons with their minds. Still, no one put in as many hours as we did, tirelessly mailing our hair to ABC to save Cavemen. Needless to say, we're exhausted. Have an awesome weekend.
1. Tapes 'N Tapes, "Hang Them All"
Minneapolis' finest come out in favor of capital punishment on this excellent new taste from their forthcoming second album. [My Old Kentucky Blog]
2. Team 9, "Sugar and Cheese"
In case you were wondering what Mary J Blige's "Just Fine" would sound like mashed up with Snow Patrol's "Open Your Eyes," here you go. [Pop Bytes]
3. We Are Scientists, "Be My Baby"
Adding feedback and strange, tinkly percussion isn't really going to improve on one of history's greatest-ever pop songs, but we guess you can't expect a band named We Are Scientists to resist experimenting. [JP's Blog]
4. Larry Tee, "I Love U"
Novelty track setting a cute kid's voice to music. Not quite as annoying as that sounds, though. [Missing Toof]
5. Beirut, "A Sunday Smile (Son Lux's 'Want' Remix)"
Son Lux takes Beirut's Eastern European sound farther east, making it sound like Zach Condon just got back from Bali. Let's hope he got a little sun while he was out there. [Missing Thumbs]
6. Kittens Ablaze, "This Machine Is Dying"
Hilarious name aside, even PETA members should enjoy these Brooklynites. [Salad Days Music]
—Ehren Gresehover
There, there. There, there.Photo: Getty Images
Rep. Lewis: Report of delegate switch to Obama 'not accurate' [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
Earlier: One Superdelegate Wavers, America Holds Its Breath
Urbinato is Masterson's longtime friend and inspired him to open the store. "I really like fashion, but I’m not a fashionista by any means," Masterson explained at the Foals show at Bowery Ballroom on Tuesday night. "I just thought why should she be making all these other people money when she could be making the money herself? Yes, it’s going to make me money, but I actually don’t need money … In movie terms, Ilaria’s the director, and I’m the producer." Urbinati cooked up some nifty changing quarters. “Our dressing rooms are vintage telephone booths, and inside there’s 1920s candlestick telephones," she said. "You dial front desk to ask for your size so you never have to leave your dressing room." If that means no more embarrassingly padding about in our socks looking for another size, then we're all for it. —Fiona Byrne
Tagline: "Based on the best-selling video game…"
Translation: Uwe Boll is back!
The Verdict: If you thought the box-office failure of Boll's In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale spelled the end of his career, you were probably correct. What you might not have known, however, is that by the time King (budgeted at $70 million) earned less than $3 million in its opening weekend, he already had seven more films in various stages of production, all financed before the closing of an obscure German tax loophole that's funded much of his oeuvre. Far Cry — the story of an evil scientist who creates genetically modified soldiers and the ass-kicking boat captain who must stop him — bears all the hallmarks of a true Boll classic: bad acting, terrible dialogue, and special effects that look even worse than the ones in the video game. So, sure, Boll will be washed up by 2011 or so, but by that time Germany's treasury will be empty and at least six more video games adapted for the screen (or, more likely, DVD).
Earlier: Uwe Boll's Movies to Look Even Cheaper
Uwe Boll's ‘In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale’ Is the Movie of the Year
Punk ain't what it used to be.Photo: Getty Images
Alas, it was all a disappointing game of operator. So disappointing, in fact, that we, along with the entire audience at Viv’s show, sat with bated breath long after the last model had disappeared. The Grande Dame of punk, we were sure, was about to hit us with a one-two-punch finale — Kate, Naomi, the Queen Mum? As we waited, our collective imaginations raced.
We’re still waiting.
Slowly, a smattering of applause broke out as it dawned on the crowd that their hopes of seeing anything interesting on the runway were dashed. The collection, her more affordable Red Label diffusion line, had been a bit of a snore, and the paltry celebrity attendance was mostly of the “daughters of” variety. Rod Stewart, Ozzy Osbourne, Bob Geldof, and Keith Allen’s girls were all there: Kimberly, Kelly, Peaches, Pixie, and Lily, respectively. (Lily seems to be recovering well from her miscarriage. Grief does a body good apparently, as she was looking mighty svelte and channeling a Penélope Cruz vibe.)
Actually, we suppose there was one truly bizarre moment: For whatever universe-bending reason, Cuba Gooding Jr. was in attendance. Even more appalling, a paparazzo actually demanded that the star “show him the money.” —Sarah Maslin Nir
Watch a slideshow of the Vivienne Westwood Red Label collection.
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Lisanti's Facebook
Today is editor Mark Lisanti's last day at Defamer, Gawker Media's L.A. gossip site, and we must confess we're very sad. In four years and about 10,000 posts, Lisanti proved himself to be tirelessly creative, funny, sharp, and perceptive. Though he was ostensibly our competitor, his writing was so great that we never got angry at him for constantly scooping us. He managed to break many of Paul Boutin's Rules for Gawker Media Writing every day — Lisanti rarely made just one joke, he happily quoted every stupid thing someone said, he never bailed early — and his posts were sublimely hilarious as a result.
Whenever we manage to scrape together enough time to reread one of our posts before we publish it, we always ask ourself one question: "Is this as funny as Lisanti would have written it?" Then we shrug and publish it anyway.
Apparently, the guy was so nice that his co-workers posted an unironic and heartfelt good-bye post just now, complete with an awesome video tribute. We can't do that, but we do have a going-away present for Mark, after the jump.
Pop the champagne supernova, Liam Gallagher has finally made it official.
The Oasis frontman tied the knot on Valentine's Day with his longtime gal-pal and former All Saints singer Nicole...
Photo: iStockphoto (cash)
NBC wunderkind Ben Silverman has sold his old production company, Reveille, for $125 million, most of which will go directly into Ben's pocket. Though Silverman has claimed there's no conflict of interest, the sale price could reach $200 million depending on the performance of Reveille shows already in production — some of which just happened to have ended up at NBC! Whaddya know! Anyway, this is definitely the feel-good story of the day; while NBC is cutting back on writer deals, pilots, and strike martyr Carson Daly's staff, Ben Silverman will be riding to work on the back of an enormous white tiger. But what else would you expect from a guy so driven, so focused, so unbelievably energetic that he can devote "190 percent of my energy" to his job at NBC? Let's see the D-girls at Fox and ABC beat that!
Company Behind Many TV Hits Is Sold [NYT]
Cobble Hill: Whether that house on Kane Street where the old lady lives is infested with rats or squirrels is now a moot point — the city's ordered her to vacate, and trusty NY1 is on the story! [Lost NYC]
Greenwich Village: The Department of Buildings is bitter because the developer of the units that went up over landmark Circle in the Square theater lied and said they'd be used for dorms. They're not, meaning no zoning breaks. Meaning pare down those hideous balconies! [Villager]
Lower Manhattan: Also bitter are Seaport locals, who laughed in the face of moguls last night who offered them community use of the Fulton Market floor where the "Bodies" exhibit is in exchange for development. Looks like they want waaaay more public space than that. [Downtown Express]
Park Slope: Uh-oh, Slope haters are getting creative … just check out this sign featuring a latte-swilling pram pusher and marking directions to the "gentrified playground" and the "doggy bakery." [Gothamist]
Red Hook: Forget the plans for condos, a marina, and a beer garden. Per a new deal, the piers here will remain the home of the stevedores for at least another decade. [NYDN]
Soho:Trump's lawyers take protesters of his condo-hotel to task for suggesting that an upcoming hearing about the project was set up because of the recent death on the construction site. In reality, it had been scheduled long before that. But at least the builders acknowledge that the fatality was an "incident." You know, kind of like a "mishap" or a "boo-boo." [Curbed]
South Slope: The city admits that, yeah, it kind of messed up when it didn't require all those new ugly condos going up on Fourth Avenue to have ground-floor retail instead of, you know, parking lots, blank walls, and industrial vents. Live and learn, Planning Department! [Streetsblog]
Graziella Vigo's Falstaff — Act I — Sir John Falstaff, Baritono,
Ambrogio Maestri (2001).Image courtesy of the New York Public Library for the Performing
Arts.
In a new photography show documenting productions of Verdi's greatest hits in Italy and Japan, Graziella Vigo captures all of the boisterous moments (not to mention bogus hairdos) that help make opera interesting. The exhibition is up at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center through February 29. —Rachel Wolff
• Ass-electrocutionist Anne Slowey responds! The Elle editor commented on yesterday's post about her quest to flatten her posterior and boldly admits to merely imagining a phone call to her psychic. Or perhaps we misread? Whatever, the woman still electrocuted her tush. [Cut]
• London Fashion Week ends tomorrow with its runways remaining very, er, white. Jourdan Dunn was the only model of color who frequently walked during the week. [Style.com]
• Despite the recent shuffle of creative directors, Mulberry showed a fashionable collection in London yesterday, including some killer purple shoes. [Style Bubble]
• French Vogue editor Carine Roitfield is still in town after New York Fashion Week. She went shopping at Ksubi in Nolita today. That's instead of going to London, just to clarify here. [Fashionista]
• The new Madewell store opens February 20; here's a sneak peak inside. [Racked]
• Do you know if "Siberian Heat" refers to a beauty product or an adult film? Take this quiz and answer nine more questions like that, testing your beauty mettle. [Bella Sugar]
Courtesy of ABC
Who knew an episode focused on Sayid could be so … meh? With those puppy-dog eyes and that timely torture angst, Sayid is a fan-fiction magnet! Lie detector! Icy strategist! Human nutcracker! So watching this seasoned survivor become a kind of emo James Bond (with Michael Jackson's hair, circa 1998) didn't work for us, even in flash-forward, even topless. C'mon, now, would a cynical expert on interrogation really fall for that old "I'm just a sweetly beaky personal shopper who reads Easy Sudoku" trick?
But that's the thing about a middling episode of Lost, no matter how many intriguing plot possibilities it opens up, no matter how many good quips it contains ("Oh great, the boat brought us a new Sawyer"): If the character stuff doesn't win you over, even the biggest enthusiast morphs into Comic Book Guy. Still, it was gratifying to see that Ben survives, tiny evil glasses intact. You'd think someone would have stomped on them by now.
The Future: The Spy Who Came In From the Oceanic Six
In a truly kickass opening sequence, Sayid wears his hair in a ponytail, plays golf and mind games, and assassinates a very nervous bigwig at an exclusive resort in the Seychelles. Then his hair turns lustrous, and he seduces a Euro gal. They fall in love — OR DO THEY? She's vulnerable — OR IS SHE? He confesses he's there to kill her boss, she shoots him because she's a double agent, he shoots her back, and then we get the big reveal: He's working for Ben, which is pretty amazing, and suggests some fascinating possibilities. Although the actual spy plot seemed totally telegraphed. And Ben (stitching Sayid up like Han Solo) reminds him of some mysterious incident — lodged in between the past and the future — when Sayid regrettably thought with "his heart instead of his gun." Heh-heh.
The Present: In Search of CharLOTT
To their credit, everyone on the island is peppering everyone else with questions. No one answers. Locke growls, "We're beyond compromise." Hurley, amazingly, acts as bait to ambush his own buddies — and after a bit of shuffling, Kate stays with the Locke-ites, Sayid trades Miles (a.k.a. the "angry Chinese guy") for Charlotte (a.k.a. CharLOTT, at least in Sayid's pronunciation), and in the final sequence, the helicopter heads back to the freighter with Sayid, Desmond, and Dead Naomi, as Sayid's enormous, sad bicep dangles before us, a symbol of his depth and moral conflict. Also, adorable head case Jeremy Davies discovers something wonky about the way the island processes time.
What We Know Now:
Being one of the Oceanic Six can get you laid in any coffee shop in Europe.
Ben has a hidden closet of suits and passports, one of them under the Kerouackian name Dean Moriarty.
In the future, Ben is the boss of everyone, and possibly a kindly veterinarian.
The Wha? Factor:
Why is Sayid mourning Naomi? (And when did he get so sentimental and easily suckered in general? And is this what Ben's referring to when he asks Sayid about thinking with his heart?)
Why is he killing these people? And who are these people? And why is Sayid a Ben-whipped assassin, while Jack and Hurley and Kate appear to be living normal(ish) lives?
Where did Jakob's cabin go?
What's with all those dogs in cages? And is Vincent involved? —Emily Nussbaum
Queen Noor couldn't find a way to drop $7 million on
Damien Hirst's Where There's a Will.Photo: Getty Images
It looks like a few more hard days' nights are in Paul McCartney's future.
Though his long-pending divorce trial was expected to wrap up, following a week of proceedings, in British...
Photo: Rahav Segev / Retna
Considering Greg Dulli made his name venting about failed relationships with the Afghan Whigs, you'd think only the most jilted singles would attend his new band's Valentine's Day show. Not so! Against all odds, many of the mid-nineties nostalgists who packed into Bowery Ballroom last night for the first stop on Dulli's tour with the Gutter Twins — his new collaboration with ex–Screaming Tree Mark Lanegan — brought actual dates.
At least Dulli and Lanegan had each other. For much of the set, Lanegan just stood stoically; Dulli, meanwhile, exhibited a bit more bravado, sneering through his cigarettes and buckling his knees under the weight of echoing guitar squall. The duo charged through the haunting slow-burners off upcoming debut Saturnalia and performed two covers: José González's "Down the Line" and Massive Attack's "Live With Me," which Dulli recorded for the Twilight Singers' covers album, She Loves You. Fans wanting to hear tunes from their earlier bands had to wait till the end. Dulli and Lanegan loaded the encore with sadomasochistic favorites like the Twilight Singers' "King Only," making it seem unlikely that either had a date lined up after the show. —Julia Simon
Schmile!Photo: realestate.nytimes.com; Intel editors: Patrick McMullan
Photo: realestate.nytimes.com
Photo: realestate.nytimes.com
Photo: realestate.nytimes.com
Photo: realestate.nytimes.com
Photo: realestate.nytimes.com
Palazzo Chupi [NYT via Curbed]
Earlier: Vanity Fair Goes to the Schneighborhood
Naughton in Hunting and Gathering.Photo: James Leynse
In some ways, actress Keira Naughton differs from Ruth, the couch-surfing, house-sitting, semi-happily lost soul she plays opposite Meryl Streep progeny Mamie Gummer in Hunting and Gathering, Brooke Berman's buzzy new dramedy playing at 59E59 Theaters. In her New York tenure, Ruth has lived in several dozen apartments; Naughton lived in only about three before she bought her own Hell's Kitchen one-bedroom six years ago. But Ruth is also freaked out over a bad breakup, and when Naughton settled down post-yoga with her cell phone in a Park Slope café to talk with us this morning, she found herself in just that scenario. So that's where we'll begin…
So you’re in Park Slope right now?
I spent the last two nights out here with my best friend, who's got a huge fantastic house right next to the park. She cooks nice meals for me and her little 4-year-old twins, who are my godchildren. I'm going through a horrible breakup so she's taking care of me.
Oh, we're sorry. When did the breakup happen?
It's hard to say. It sort of happened Wednesday. I'm on drugs right now. I called in and got some Klonopin. It's amazing, it's really helping me. I'm actually very wary of prescription drugs, but it's a crisis and I needed help. I also have the aid of the show. I can have my own little catharsis in moments of the play. I have to stop dating men who are completely insane. If I could just find someone who's slightly insane!
How much are you like your character, Ruth? We loved her, but she also drove us sort of crazy because she was so all over the place.
She drives me crazy, too. I'm personally more grounded, but I still have a lot in common with Ruth in that there is sort of the fun and the adventure and romance of being kind of a drifter, or wanting to explore and experience life and getting yourself in trouble. Not entirely taking care of yourself. Look at me right now!
Your dad, James Naughton, is a pretty well-known actor himself. Did you grow up thinking acting was special and magical or just your father's job?
It was a little bit of both. When I was 5, we moved back to Connecticut from L.A., so we could play outside. But one of my first memories was when my dad was doing the TV series Planet of the Apes, and being on the set. These apes would be waving at me and trying to cuddle me and I was freaked out. Then when I was 4, my dad took me to a shoot of a movie he was making with Lindsay Wagner called Second Wind, about runners. They were shooting the big race at the end of the movie. I'd go, "Did my dad win?" and they'd say, "Your dad won!" It was confusing.
Has Meryl come to the show?
Twice.
Were you nervous?
Not extra nervous. I get nervous if I know there are critics in the audience, and the night they were all there, it was very apparent. They were totally quiet and writing. It's hard to do a show if you feel like you're performing it for no other purpose than to be judged.
You and your friends also have a folk-rock band called The Petersons, and you have a song called "Ethan Hawke," which is basically about spotting Ethan Hawke making out with a guy in a gay bar in Chelsea.
[Band member] Adam [Stein] wrote that song. The point of the song, if you listen all the way through, is that Adam's just projecting. Ethan Hawke, he's not really gay. He's dated a lot of women friends of mine. It's a libelous song. Ethan and I had a very unfortunate introduction at a bar where a friend thought it would be a great opportunity for us to meet [and told Hawke about the song]. Ethan was not so thrilled. He told me in no uncertain terms to go do something obscene with myself. He did apologize to me profusely afterward and said it had nothing to do with the song, that he was just going through hell in his life and he didn't need to hear that somebody was talking about him in an unkind way. Personally, I wouldn't have written the song.
So, what’s next for you after this show?
Unemployment, destitution. I'm trying to get a life plan together. I'm planning to take more Klonopin. —Tim Murphy
Photo: WireImage
"I'm the type of dude who may be in a helicopter over the city having sex." —Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon on his Valentine's Day plans [NYDN]
"Really those prizes are for the parents." —Feist, who doesn't care so much that she was shut out at the Grammys [BBC]
"I'm just telling everyone to tape Eli Stone just in case Lost cuts off early on the TiVo." —Jorge Garcia, who apparently wants the American people to have "Faith" stuck in their heads for five more weeks [TV Guide]
"That's not movie snot, that's real snot. She'd go full on into that, and then they'd go 'Cut!' And she'd get up and start telling jokes. I remember my editor was there, and he was in shock: 'How can she do that? That's so weird! How can she go from crazy to telling jokes?'" —Stuart Townsend on directing girlfriend Charlize Theron [BlackBook]
"Although I'm impressed you learned my bass guitar part on 'More Than a Feeling,' I am an Obama supporter." —Tom Scholz of the band Boston, to Mike Huckabee [NYP]
First David Letterman, now Ellen DeGeneres. For Paris Hilton, talk-show appearances have a way of becoming much more trouble than they're worth.
What started out as a conversation between...
Narciso Rodriguez needs the long arm of the law.Photo: Getty Images
Rodriguez said he designs and puts together a 250-piece collection in one year over the course of six to 12 months for the fall and spring runway shows, which cost an average of $800,000 to stage. The fabric for samples costs another $800,000, pattern and design development costs $1.5 million, travel for design and fabric development reaches $350,000 and marketing rings up another $2.5 million.
That adds up to almost $6 million in the hole before sales. And if you don't feel bad for designers, you can't help but get misty when Rodriguez drops the Kennedy wedding: He designed Carolyn Bessette's famously simple wedding dress when she married John F. Kennedy Jr. in 1996. Yet he only sold 40 of those dresses, while copycat designs sold 7 to 8 million. This injustice can no longer stand. Pass the bill, Congress! Do it for John John!
If only we could afford the originals.
Designer vs. Vendor: Battle over Copyright Issue Hits Congress [WWD]
MEDIA
• Print organizations make like Survivor: The New York Times, Hearst, Tribune, and Gannet form an alliance to back a new online company called quadrantONE. [USAT]
• Star magazine makes no apologies for paying sources for scoops. In fact, "right underneath [Candace] Trunzo's editor's note in the current issue is an unbridled pitch with dollar signs around the edges." [NYP]
• Bad blood is brewing between Barron's and CNBC after the publication ran a critical story about Mad Money's Jim Cramer. [CJR]
FINANCE
•Note to investors: Long-term bonds don't always function like ATMs! Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, and Merrill Lynch tell clients that their auction-rate securities are frozen — along with their cash. [DealBook/NYT]
• Quite a week for Warren Buffett. After offering to save the market on Tuesday, the Oracle of Omaha now reveals that his Berkshire Hathaway is Kraft Food's biggest investor. [MarketWatch]
• As Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke delivers the glum news that economy is going to slow down if the credit crunch continues, Wall Street weathermen predict a 50 percent chance of a recession. [NYT]
LAW
• A developing criminal investigation is looking into last summer's collapse of internal Bear Sterns hedge funds. [Law Blog/WSJ]
• Law firms report record-breaking growth in 2007, including at Manhattan's Weil, Gotshal & Manges, whose revenue increased to $1.175 billion. [Law.com]
• New York Law School lectures can now be downloaded for free on iTunes U, giving students absolutely no reason to get out of bed in the morning. [NYLS]
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.
Ryan Reynolds, left, and Neil Patrick Harris, right. And if we had it our way, that skinny little white line sandwiched between them would be us.Photo: Getty Images
Harris: Romantic comedy. [Preparing himself.] What's it about?
Reynolds: It's about a guy whose explaining his impending divorce to his daughter, and she wants to know how I met her…[pauses, probably remembers he had practiced a different way of describing the plot] uh … mom.
Harris: How I Met Your Mother. [Gleefully] INTERESTING.
Harris let it go at that, but we consider it a small victory on behalf of the cast and fans of How I Met Your Mother everywhere.
How I Met Your Mother [Official site]
Imagine André Leon Talley (left with Jennifer Hudson) in the same graduation kimono, but with the print from the closing look of the Rodnick show (right). Photo: Getty Images, Imaxtree
Anyhow. You understand, of course, that at Fashion Week nothing says "I love you" more than giving up the best seat in the house for the awful, awful standing section, which is like a crowded subway from fashion hell (and way worse if you have heels on). And we found Talley's affinity for the label a bit surprising because, well, if Vogue were hot chocolate, we wouldn't exactly peg Rodnick for its marshmallows. Though we've seen Talley wear some inspired looks, we wouldn't necessarily pick Rodnick as the wardrobe yang to Talley's yin. That said, it's a pleasant surprise. We would love to see Talley in something resembling the closing look of the Rodnick collection. We thought the solid red robe he wore to the Fashion Group International's Night of Stars last year was a classic, but then we imagined it in a Rodnick print and we were almost moved to tears.
Rodnick Talley Up [British Vogue]
Related: Oscar Starts on Time; André Leon Talley Forced to STAND! [The Cut]
Photo: Courtesy Pop Art
A pop-up toy featuring a grinning Clinton, it plays "Hail to the Chief" and sports side panels featuring the candidate as the Statue of Liberty and as a national monument. And Hillary is the only candidate that Pop Art has put in a box. "We thought her to be the most well known of all the candidates, and that she could sell a lot of boxes with her history-making candidacy," Courtney says. "She was the front-runner when the idea surfaced. Being a small company, we knew we could only really afford to pick one candidate and give it all we had." Interesting! Well, candidates talk a lot about how they'll help the small-business owner, so how will recent developments along the campaign trail affect this young company in particular? Is there a Barack-in-the-Box in the works, you know, just in case? "For now, we're sticking with Hillary," says Courtney, acknowledging that she'd consider expanding the line. Anything's possible, she says, but at the moment, that's the extent of the planning. "We are not terribly interested in doing a McCain jack." —Lori Fradkin
Hillary-in-the-Box [Official site]
Girl power, by the looks of it, is a finite thing.
Geri Halliwell has crushed the hopes of tween girls worldwide, putting the kibosh on any future plans for a Spice Girls reunion redo.
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