|
|
|
|
For the first time, David Cook wasn't able to rock steady.
The American Idol contestant was reportedly rushed to a Los Angeles hospital following Tuesday night's performance show...Mark Anthony Neal, who is black and teaches black popular culture at Duke University, said: "There is suddenly a demand for smart Negroes. You’re seeing a lot less of the Jesse Jacksons and the Al Sharptons and more academics and thought-leaders. This is expressly in response to Barack Obama, less so Hillary. Because of the combination of Hillary and Barack, you’re seeing more black women."
What sorts of "smart negroes" are in demand? Young ones! That way, they sort of march Obama, or something. The "breakout stars" of this election, one journalism professor said, are all under 40: radio host Roland S. Martin, former Republican speechwriter Amy Holmes, and Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons.
"They bring such a fresh perspective that we are unaccustomed to hearing in the mainstream media,” said [the professor, Pamela Newkirk at New York University]. "Hopefully, the value of having different perspectives will be appreciated beyond this historic campaign."
The Times story is very thin on examples of the sort of fresh perspectives brought by minority and female cable news pundits, but it does offer this admittedly convincing example of a case where having a black commentator would be crucial:
"In the past week we have seen a distinct difference in commentary on Rev. Wright from people who have spent time in black churches and those who have not," said Gwen Ifill, a senior correspondent for "The Newshour With Jim Lehrer" on PBS and moderator of "Washington Week."
Times: Like the Candidates, TV’s Political Pundits Show Signs of Diversity
For a fuller sense of Weinstein's connections, check out copious coverage of the guest list at his December wedding, which in addition to Murdoch, Wintour and Zuckerman drew network chiefs Les Moonves and Jeff Zucker and Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels.
The mogul also makes his power felt further down the media food chain, where he can wow reporters with Hollywood glitz. David Carr said in the opening of a 2001 New York profile of Weinstein that the celebrities surrounding the mogul made Carr feel like "I'm in — kind of, temporarily, a member of the downtown tribe of Miramax."
At Fortune, Tim Arango opened a June 2007 Weinstein profile by recreating his trip with the mogul down the French Riviera in the back of "a midnight-blue Peugot." The pair drove past movie fans in Cannes, France, apparently on their way to a movie screening.
Arango went on to detail less glamorous — and less flattering — anecdotes, starting with how Weinstein's investors had just stepped up their oversight of his new company and were worried about management misfires. Weinstein's media influence, whatever he imagines it to be, has its limits.
To anyone tracking delegates, it’s been clear for more than a month that Hillary Clinton’s candidacy is in mortal danger. But as long as she was battling Barack Obama at the polls every week, she could hope to control the narrative of the Democratic race, even if she was losing individual contests. And so her campaign kept sprouting new raisons d’être: the wisdom of superdelegates, the enfranchisement of Florida and Michigan, her supposed ability to carry big states.
No more. We’re now halfway through the six weeks between Mississippi and Pennsylvania, and this long interlude has washed away Clinton’s spin. Now her campaign is not only over. It’s obviously over.
For all the drama of the Democratic campaign, both candidates bobbed around in a very narrow range of support for most of February and March. But that’s changing right now. In four of the past five days, Obama has gone over 50 percent in Gallup’s tracking poll and has opened a lead over Clinton averaging seven points. This is the first time either candidate has moved significantly beyond the fluctuations inherent in daily surveys, and it’s the longest stretch one of them has spent as the leader since late February. Obama is breaking out in a meaningful way.
Maybe Democrats liked what they heard in Obama’s speech about Jeremiah Wright. Perhaps all the talk about Hillary's (not) quitting is cementing his status as front-runner. Bill Richardson and other superdelegates lining up for Obama could be having an impact. But one thing is clear: Clinton’s strategy of exploiting racial polarization among Democrats has failed miserably.
Wright cost Obama. From the first week in March (when the Wright controversy first broke) to the third, his positive rating held steady at a rather incredible 82 percent among black voters, but dropped from 47 percent to 42 percent among whites, according to NBC/Wall Street Journal polls. But Wright’s wake cut Clinton even worse: During that same period, she fell twelve points among African-Americans, from 63 percent to 51 percent, and dropped five points among white voters, too, from 39 percent to a Bush-like 34 percent. Clinton now performs particularly horribly across the upper Midwest and Pacific Northwest, where white Democrats trend progressive and like Obama. In Iowa, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin, she now trails John McCain while Obama leads him, and she is doing markedly poorer in Connecticut and Virginia, too.
As Clinton surrogates pop up once every few days to reinject race into the campaign, they’ve been trying to corral the last bloc where Hillary might run up her popular-vote totals, even more than ethnic Democrats in Pennsylvania: Scotch-Irish Appalachians in North Carolina, West Virginia, and Kentucky. The campaign thinks of this demographic as Fox News Democrats — which is why Hillary supporters such as Ed Rendell keep showing up on, and sucking up to, Fox — while social scientists would call them “low-information.” (Twenty-three percent of white Democrats who hold unfavorable views of Obama believe he is a Muslim.) It must have been tempting for the Clintons, formerly of Arkansas, to believe Hillary could win over these voters fairly painlessly. Instead, Clinton had farther to fall among blacks than she realized and is also cratering with whites nationwide.
Now look at the money. Clinton said she raised more than $35 million in February, and at the start of last month, she had $33 million in cash on hand. But it turns out that only $11 million of that was money she could spend during the remainder of the primary season; the rest was general-election contributions. Which means Hillary never really got beyond her base of wealthy donors, many of whom maxed out on contributions to the nominating race. Obama, in contrast, had $31 million to spend during the rest of the primaries.
Clinton also had a staggering $8.7 million in debts, not even including the $5 million she loaned her own campaign. Indeed, the Hillary machine has taken to stiffing various small vendors. One New Hampshire doctor rented a building he owns to Clinton; it took so long for the campaign to pay him that he decided to forward its $500 check to Obama. That kind of cash-stretching reeks of desperation: Not paying your bills on time is a signal you might not be able to pay them at all. It’s also the sort of thing that reporters find out about when they have downtime to go digging — like videos of 8-year-old girls on tarmacs in Bosnia.
Overall, Clinton was able to spend just $400,000 on TV ads last week, all in Pennsylvania. Obama spent $2 million, in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Indiana. And those proportions aren’t changing anytime soon.
Fifty-one percent negatives among white voters, no cash — and now a lead in Pennsylvania that has dwindled to five points: They don’t come any more stalwart than Hillary Clinton, but the next three weeks are going to be one long death march. —Peter Keating
SAG wants this in the bag as soon as possible.
Looking to avoid a repeat of the horror show Hollywood had to sit through during the writers' strike, the Screen Actors Guild and the...
[Stuff Jewish Young Adults Like]
Incidentally, "dickbutt" is 4chan's latest meme. That's all the meme is: writing "DICK BUTT." I hope it gets as popular as LOLcats and Rickrolls.
Either Jay-Z's love has gotten the best of Beyoncé, or the crazy-in-lovebirds are playing one heck of an April Fools' joke on the world.
The longtime couple obtained a...
Earrings and a tiara by Dean HarrisPhoto: Courtesy of Deanharris.net
He has been fusing wire into organic shapes since 1999 when he discovered his hidden talent through a philosophical quest of inquiring why people adorn themselves. The answer to this question was simple: People inherently need to relate to an undiscerning world in a positive way. This is accomplished through the self-expression of what we wear.
Whatever that means, it sure produced some good-looking jewelry. You'll find his Target range in stores August 17 through December 26.
Photo: Getty Images
Earlier: Bloomberg Wins Major Battle in Congestion Pricing War
Jay Leno's used to riffing on the headlines, not making them. But after days of being battered for a comedy routine gone awry, the late-night kingpin has issued a mea culpa.
The Tonight Show...
Photo: Courtesy of Curbed
So earlier we discussed how Woody Allen is suing American Apparel founder Dov Charney in the Jewishest lawsuit New York has ever seen. But since then, we found out a few things. For one, we feel so gullible for thinking that Allen was suing because Charney used his image without permission and Woody "doesn't promote products in America." ( Ever since he slept with his stepdaughter, he is officially European.) The truth is, Woody is suing for the most American of reasons: He thinks he looks ugly in the picture. It was a long time ago, and he has a horrible pimple that you can see if you look close, and it really just embarrasses him. Furthermore, Woody had actually agreed to shoot an ad for American Apparel, one that he fully approved of but then at the eleventh hour Dov didn't want to use, probably because he is such a fickle bitch. Intel has gotten ahold of that ad, which we present to you after the jump.*
Photo: Courtesy of CNBC
He thought he looked thinner in this one.
Earlier: Woody Allen vs. Dov Charney? Jew Have Got to Be Kidding!
*This is all a pack of lies.
Photos: Getty Images
Photo: WireImage
Earlier: Disney Unleashes the Jonas Brothers Upon a Terrified Populace
Photo: Getty Images
Tar: New Mag From Blackbook Founder [FishbowlNY/Mediabistro via Jossip]
Earlier: Alexandra Kerry Weighs In on Hillary's Tears
Photo: AFP/Getty Images
2. Just Jazzin, "Just Jazzin Live"
For an April Fools' prank, Ben Gibbard recorded himself playing a vibraphone solo, then posted it on MySpace. Truthfully, it's not bad. [MySpace]
3. G-Unit, "I Like the Way She Do It"
Here's the purported first single from 50 Cent & Co.'s forthcoming album, likely recorded back when he was a Hillary supporter. [Nah Right]
4. Yelle, "ACDG" (Riot in Belgium remix)
Yelle is currently being hailed around the blogosphere as France's answer to M.I.A., except with more songs about dildos. [Beats]
5. Rick Astley, "Never Gonna Give You Up"
As you've probably been wondering where to download this hot jam, we figured we'd do a little public service. You're welcome. [Fuck Yeah! Go Team!]
Gooooooo vegans!Photo: Getty Images, Te Casan
Related: Natalie Portman's Designer Vegan Shoes Look More Vegan Than Designer
Photo: Getty Images
Tonight, Simon's Won't Be the Only Cleavage: In a few short hours, the remaining American Idol finalists will interpret songs made famous by Dolly Parton, who'll also appear as a guest judge. [EW]
Movie Critics an Endangered Species: In this morning's Times, David Carr investigates the thinned ranks of newspaper movie critics. Soon, American moviegoers wishing to avoid stinkers will be forced to adapt Vulture's math-based Judd Apatow formula to predict the quality of all films. (Rule to live by: If it stars McLovin, it's probably worth your $10.) [NYT]
Shore Scores: Howard Shore will reprise his Lord of the Rings role as the guy who writes the orchestral score for the upcoming Hobbit movies. [Ain't It Cool]
April Fools: Google did this, ABC News did this, /Film did this, Jezebel did this, and Rick Astley is popular as ever. [April Fools' Day On the Web]
Rihanna: "We'll never be world apart / Maybe in magazines / But you'll still be my star…" Photo: Courtesy of Def Jam
Photo: Courtesy of CNBC
"I know because it's in here." She brings her index finger to her chest.
She can feel it in her heart, you see? That's so beautiful. And, you know, it makes total sense because we hear that whenever something good happens to Rupert Murdoch, he only really feels it in his loins.
CNBC Feels Your Pain [Fortune]
One less star will be dancing tonight.
E! News has learned that pro hoofer Derek Hough, paired with Shannon Elizabeth on this season's Dancing with the Stars, was taken away from the...Off Broadway's gotten a little boozy lately. First, Caryl Churchill's Drunk Enough to Say I Love You? opened mid-March at the Public Theater; then last week, Playwrights Horizon introduced Adam Bock's Drunken City. No, you're not seeing double … but what if you'd like to? Which of these two drunken dramas most reward drunken attendance? —Lori Fradkin
 The Drunken City |
 Drunk Enough to Say I Love You? |
|
| Familiar story line? | Pretty much — it's about a bachelorette party gone astray. | Based strictly on the title, yes. (Sigh.) |
| Potential for a "I feel like I know you" scenario? | Low. Cassie Beck, who plays the bride, is making her New York debut. | High. You totally know (and love!) Scott Cohen from Gilmore Girls, Kissing Jessica Stein, and more. |
| Characters serve as metaphors for other, more complicated things? | Not really. | Yes — one character represents America, and one character represents England. Some concentration may be required. |
| Representative dialogue? | Funny and realistic: "I got so nervous I went into my room and I took my bottle of Windex and I cleaned my sneakers." | Fractured and impressionistic, i.e. difficult to parse: "GUY: not that I don't still love my wife and children but SAM: who doesn't want to be loved? but GUY: first time I saw you SAM: the bar and the guy with" |
| Vertigo-inducing staging? | Yes. Stage tips sideways like a teeter-totter, potentially inducing audience vomiting. | Yes. Couch rises far above the stage, potentially inducing audience fainting. |
| Short enough that you might not fall asleep? | 80 minutes. | 45 minutes. Cheers! |
Related: The Drunken City [NYM]
Drunk Enough to Say I Love You? [NYM]
Photos by Joan Marcus.
Bay Ridge: Residents here may be entitled to a discount on units in the forthcoming Trump Bay Ridge, where condos will go for $2.5 to $17.5 mil. Oh, and, uh, check today's date. [Bay Ridge Blog]
Bushwick: If you're Googling the 'shwick just to find out if it's safe enough for you to move here, why don't you get off your bougie ass and come out here for a day and see if you get mugged or not? [BushwickBK]
Murray Hill: Setting up a possible ideal scenario for a horror film, the city is trying to turn the old Bellevue psych hospital on First Avenue into a luxury hotel. Did we just hear tortured screams coming from the spa? [NYS]
Ozone Park: Should landmark status be sought for the apartment here where Jack Kerouac planned his cross-country jaunt that led to On the Road, not to mention for the Richmond Hill home where he worked on the book? [NYDN]
Tribeca: Staff at Robert De Niro's sort-of-open-for-business Greenwich Hotel are greeting nosy locals with warmly open arms. April Fools'! Actually, we hear, they'll try to block you from taking pictures...even from outside! [Curbed]
It's okay, Miu. We get greasy, too, sometimes.Photo: Getty Images
FRAGRANCE
• Paris Hilton is going to face a little competition from mom at the perfume counter. The My Secret by Kathy Hilton fragrance is now available at Macy’s. [Off The Rack/People]
MAKEUP
• Sally Hansen will launch a makeup line next month inspired by Carmindy, What Not to Wear's makeup artist. You remember — that makeover show on TV Guide? Er — TLC? Right? Ugh, it's been so long since we watched that drivel. [Cosmetic News]
SKIN
• Last week on Letterman, Demi Moore revealed she uses "leech therapy" as a detox treatment. Way to be bold, Demi! Now here are some less creepy options for the rest of us. [She Finds]
• Darphin released a new range of products for skin prone to redness. Its serums and creams contain chamomile, lavender, vitamin E, and aloe vera. [British Vogue]
• Tired of green-tea products? Well, red tea is good for you too. Goldfaden offers eighteen skin-care products with red tea, which supposedly has two times the antioxidant benefits as its green counterpart. [Cosmetic and Toiletries News]
Just as there are essential kids' books, like Goodnight Moon, there are today essential kids' DVDs—like this phenomenal new collection. We called David Attenborough’s Planet Earth box set one of 2007’s best—but this adds even more lions and tigers and bears, with Blue Planet, Life of Mammals, and Life of Birds making for a 33-hour world safari. Here’s how to see under the weirdest rocks and into the strangest caves on Earth.
Lisa Dahl’s Robin’s Blue Egg (2005)Courtesy of BAC Gallery.
The Hills doubles your pleasure/disgust.Photo: Courtesy MTV
Whitney’s in New York for Fashion Week and Kelly Cutrone is a bitch to her, which is awesome. (Not awesome? Cutrone’s potato sack of a dress.) Whitney’s assigned to run the Sass & Bide fitting, and she has to stay at work until 2:30 a.m. Ha-ha, Whitney! She gives the Sass & Bide chicks some bad advice about showing tight-ass pants, and they take it. For the record, the clothes kind of suck.
Audrina tells Lauren that “it’s really, really random” that she-Pratt’s in her class. Um, no? Audrina just got home from work and is wearing quite a revealing top. We wonder if her boss approves? We’re pretty sure that Sean Kingston does.
Back in computer class, Stephanie and Lauren reconcile. This can only lead to bad things, but we’re looking forward to getting to know Stephanie’s manipulative ways.
Back in New York, Whitney kind of messes up the fashion show, but then it’s saved! Somehow, we don’t care about Whitney’s new job. At all. Cutrone tells Whitney that they’re expecting a lot from her in L.A., and off in the distance we hear an ominous thunder clap of foreshadowing.
So both Heidi and Spencer are pissed that Lauren and Stephanie are "friends," and Audrina and Lo tell Lauren to watch out for her. We love that this forbidden friendship is turning into an L.A. West Side Story. The final scene is of an idyllic lunch break in which the Capulet and Montague frolic in the campus cafeteria, reveling in their new-found love. Deny thy brother and refuse thy name, Stephanie! She is looking Arden Wohl–ish with her headband. “[Spencer] can’t hate you for being a nice person,” Lauren says to her. Oh, but he can. And he will.
And now, our Unequivocal Hills Reality Index, wherein we evaluate the most real and staged moments of the show.
As Real As Lauren Is Awkward
• Heidi’s head cold in the above episode.
• Kelly Cutrone’s face. That woman and the bags beneath her eyes are all real!
• Heidi’s lame, lame anecdote about Spencer during breakfast with Stephanie. “Spencer was like, ‘I’ll have the muscle breakfast,’ and I was like, ‘Why, because you have no muscles,’ and he was like, ‘Shut up!’” This is so the way Heidi speaks when she’s not being directed to purse her big ol’ lips.
More Fake Than Audrina's Boobs
• It's obvious but has to be said: MTV must have sent FIDM's registrar's office some pretty cool shit in order to have gotten Stephanie and Lauren into the same computer class.
• The idea that Whitney got her new job based on actual merit. We’re not sure why Kelly Cutrone wants to be on The Hills, but she obviously does.
• Heidi’s job. “Here are the files,” she robotically tells Kimberly as she hands her what we assume are papers filled with scribblings like “Heidi loves Spencer. Heidi Pratt. Heidi is a rock star!” —Emma Rosenblum
Earlier: ‘The Hills’: Just One Week, and the Gang’s Skinnier and Less Hairy!
Skating With the Stars [NYM Video]
Related: Here's Johnny [NYM]
Picasso Nude Found in a Bedroom Trove [NYT]
Earlier: Pablo Picasso's Wang Goes on Trial This Week in Georgia
Yes. There is a foam finger somewhere behind him.Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Courtesy of MTV
Cut to Whitney quitting Teen Vogue, and Lisa Love telling Whit that she has her blessing and recommendation. We think this shows a more reasonable side of Love, but our boyfriend points out that it’s probably because Whitney sucked at her job and they’re happy to see her go.
Over at Heidi’s fake job at Bolthouse, she chats with her new friend Kimberly about how Spencer’s about to move out of their apartment. “I gave up everything for him!” Heidi whines. When he moves out, “it’s going to be such, like, a heart-wrenching thing.” Ah, young love. Spencer and evil twin Stephanie have a heart-to-heart about how Spencer’s going to date other girls now that he and Heidi are having troubles. He is “beyond annoyed” that he had to move out of his apartment, and there are no more jokes to be made about what an asshole this guy is. He has taken all the fun out of making fun of him, so we’ll move on … to Stephanie! She’s definitely more ambiguously conniving than he, and there’s something about her mouth that gives us the creeps. Perhaps it’s the weirdly spaced side tooth? The snarllike smile she displays when people are in pain?
Back at the Teen Vogue ranch, Lauren is SOOOOO jealous that Whitney has a new job. She gives the lamest congratulations we’ve ever heard, and it’s a good thing that Whitney is too dense to pick up on it. But she’s not too dense to realize she totally embarrassed herself at her job interview with Kelly Cutrone of People’s Revolution! Or maybe she is. Cutrone looks strung-out when she asks Whitney what she could bring to People’s Revolution, a fashion PR and styling company. “I could be helpful?” Whitney haltingly replies. Of course, Whitney gets the job anyway, and Cutrone tells her she’s making a deal with the devil. Whitney trembles a little in her black dress.
Stephanie tells Heidi that Spencer’s moving in with her and that he’s probably going to date other people. Heidi does that thing where she purses her plumped lips; this seems to be her only possible facial expression since the surgery, which is convenient given Heidi’s sad recent lot in life.
Audrina and Lauren go out to Les Deux and see Brody and Frankie, and Lauren gets into a huge screaming fight with Frankie after she won’t hug Brody hello and teases him about his “new girlfriend.” Or something. Everyone’s drunk. “He loves you, you love him. That’s real,” counsels Frankie. Wise words from the Valderrama look-alike.
Over lunch the next day, Lo tells Lauren that she’s good enough for Brody. Lo is looking prettier than we remember. Did she also have work done?
Spencer packs up his stuff while Heidi looks on. And again, she purses her new lips at him. “Enjoy your space!” Spencer yells at her as he walks out the door. We close with a montage of Whitney leaving Teen Vogue and Spencer leaving his apartment. And there’s some sad music playing, but strangely, we don’t feel the least bit sad for these horrible, horrible people. —Emma Rosenblum
Coming soon: Our recap of last night's second episode, and the Unequivocal Hills Reality Index!
Into the great wide open…Photo: Kelly Marages
Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston have been living separate lives. Now they're finally moving on to separate (production) houses.
After their split three years ago, the ex-golden couple continued...
Somebody hit on him!Photo: Patrick McMullan
On to more pressing matters: Is the world of male modeling at all like Zoolander? (Come on, you were thinking it too.) And the answer is yes! "It’s kind of like that, but a lot different too.” There are no funny faces and screwing around on set. “You have to be serious and take the picture.” Sounds hard. But lest you think life is all glam and hot women and Benjamins all over the place, White doesn't even have a place to live. Yup, he was crashing at a friend's pad before he left for Paris recently. Adding to this sad picture, he doesn't get hit on often! (We've heard that one before.) “People think I’m going to be like snobby or something, but then if you talk to me, you see I’ve got this big ol’ smile.” So people, help a poor model out: Hit on him, buy him a drink, and maybe let him crash on your couch. If you're lucky, he might even teach you how to win a walk-off. —Kendall Herbst
Courtesy of Matador Records
But all we get on this "deluxe reissue" is a DVD of Liz interviewing her friends and four additional tracks? Seems pretty crappy to us! How about a pricey three-disc set, with the album, alternate studio tracks, and a disc of Girlysound's greatest hits? If Liz Phair has half the commercial ambition we thought she did, she'd jump on this idea tout de suite.
Liz Phair Reissues Exile in Guyville, Signs to ATO [Pitchfork]
Photo: Getty Images
According to the Post, investigators may suspect that there's a connection between the noose and plagiarism scandals, and they cite "sources" who suggested "a friend" might have put the rope on Dr. Constantine's door, thinking it could "stir up support" for her. Today both the Post and the Times follow up, but Constantine's lawyers didn't return their calls. Both stories bear little news but seem to be holding their breath a little, like they know or suspect that maybe, just maybe, this story is going to become something bigger but they can't say it yet. Like maybe —and we don't know anything; we're just letting our imaginations run wild here — they think this could become the story of a professor who was worried about getting fired for plagiarism and thus concocted a massive racial incident to make herself seem important and invaluable and untouchable, and of a very famous and respected university that suspected — knew?— that her story was false and covered it up to save face. Now that would be a big story. Especially right now when the topic of Americans attitude toward race is really au courant and fraught. But! Again! We don't know anything! We're just, um, coming up with ideas for Joyce Carol Oates's next book. Come on, lady, it's been six months, isn't it about time you turned in a first draft already?
'Noose' Prof: Not My Pals [NYP]
Grand Jury Is Investigating Noose at Columbia University [NYT]
Noose Ties Eyed [NYP]
Photo: WireImage
"I don't want to say it happened at a good time in his career, because there's never a good time to go to prison, but he has established himself with that mystique of his problems in the past, and it's part of who he is." —Chaz Williams, CEO of Black Hand Entertainment, on T.I.'s possible prison sentence [MTV]
"We've been desperately trying to hide her pregnancy on the show. You can't tell. She's behind a copier machine, behind a pile of papers. It's kind of funny." —Kate Flannery on how The Office is trying to hide Angela Kinsey's baby bump [People]
"Mike and I have always had success writing what we know. What we know now is that we're middle-aged, neurotic and fat." —Ray Romano on his relationship with his writing partner, Mike Royce, on Everybody Loves Raymond and the upcoming Men of a Certain Age [HR via Yahoo]
"There's a scene where I literally fight myself, another version of me, which is something I did on the original Kung Fu. That's a moment my die-hard fans should instantly pick up on." —David Carradine on Son of the Dragon [AP via Yahoo]
FINANCE
• Some Wall Streeters hope that Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's plan for overhauling the U.S. financial system is an April Fools' joke. [NYP]
• Lehman Brothers raised $3 billion in an effort to quiet whispers that the firm was going under. [DealBook/NYT]
• UBS's chairman, Marcel Ospel, is stepping down as the bank writes down another $19 billion owing to, go figure, real-estate and credit issues. [Bloomberg]
MEDIA
• People are paying attention to politics: CNN viewership is up 90 percent in the 25- to 54-year-old demographic. [NYT]
• Al Gore's "We" campaign will spend $300 million on a public-relations effort to put global-warming news front and center. [VF]
• MAD magazine creator Al Jaffee still has his finger on the pulse. [NYT]
LAW
• If the Legislature doesn’t include raises for judges in the new budget, the judges may sue. [Law Journal]
• The Supreme Court granted certiorari in CBC Distribution v. Major League Baseball Advanced Media, otherwise known as the "Fantasy Baseball" suit that Justices Stevens, Alito, and Breyer recused themselves owing to their participation in a league. [NY Personal Injury Attorney Blog]
• Related: Happy birthday, Samuel Alito! The justice turns 58 today. [SCOTUSblog]
REAL ESTATE
• Laura Blankfein, the wife of Goldman Sachs head honcho Lloyd, decided to add on a $701,000 maid's apartment to their spread at 15 Central Park West. [NYO]
• World Trade Center redevelopment continues with the opening of the new PATH station downtown. [Curbed]
• Meanwhile, the Freedom Tower's glass is getting tested to see if it can weather the weather. [NYP]
Update: It's not April Fool's Day if you're not taken in by a bad trick. AbovetheLaw.com blogger David Lat tells us that the Fantasy Baseball Supreme Court item was a ruse. Blast!
Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto RimondiPhoto: Getty Images
Ferré is today expected to tap 6267 duo Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi as creative directors of the brand, according to sources.… The 6267 duo has quickly garnered media and commercial recognition with their line, launched in 2005, and have been pivotal in the relaunch of the Malo brand, owned by IT Holding Group, which also controls Ferré.
Taking over an established label and doing something new with it while maintaining the old aesthetic is always difficult, but we have faith in these boys. After all, Cathy Horyn recently wrote a glowing profile of the duo praising them for their fine craftsmanship. Besides, Ferré would be hard-pressed to send something riskier down the runway than the designerless collection that walked last Fashion Week.
Ferré to Name 6267 Designers as Creative Directors [WWD]
Earlier: Breaking: Ferré Dumps Nilsson
Ferré Eyes 6267 Designers
Hissies and the CityPhoto: Courtesy of New Line
Fashionista Sarah Jessica Parker has been inundated with more offers of designer gear than you can throw a Manolo Blahnik shoe at.One unnamed fashion house tried to bribe her to wear their label at next month's bash — in return for dressing her son for life.
Another has offered around £2million [about $4 million] worth of designer gear. Bvlgari and de Beers are also vying for her attention to wear their bling down the red carpet.
So you can imagine her co-stars Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon are feeling major dress envy.
Oh, their lives sound so difficult, don't they? The paper claims SATC costume designer Patricia Field is caught in the middle of the catfight because all the actresses keep asking what the others are wearing. And they want to hit the premiere individually so SJP doesn't get all the attention. We can't wait to see how this pans out. If they carpool, we hope they emerge in a sea of shredded chiffon. And Kristin, Cynthia, and Sarah Jessica better watch out for Kim — you know she fights dirty.
Sex And The City stars' rift over designer outfits [Mirror]
Photo: Imaxtree
Britney Spears is relying on an old friend to give her a new lease on her professional life.
The pop star is bringing erstwhile manager Larry Rudolph back into her inner circle.
The duo,...| 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 | |
