According to sources, Weinstein would independently strike product-placement deals without consulting Bravo, a move that angered network executives since an agreement to include L'Oreal on the show, for instance, would preclude the network from selling ad time to other cosmetic makers.
The situation came to a head after Season 3 when Macy's, which Bravo had lined up, dropped its show sponsorship after Weinstein insisted that a representative from Wal-Mart, where he had a DVD deal, appear on the finale, sources said.
Partnering with Wal-Mart on your fashion show so your movie division can get a slightly better deal on retail DVD sales? That's Murdoch-level evil media genius. Congratulations, I guess.
[Post]
The Big Lebowski:
There Will Be Blood:
Man, it's like those scenes at the ends of family movies I'd see as a kid where everything works out really well and I would get so thrilled that I'd be embarrassed for having such a pure uncynical emotion. God, I just realized where my lifelong unhappiness started.
Anyway read the mission recap, which explains how the improv group got NBC to help out.
The show, "Radio Perez," marks the debut offering from "C" Student Entertainment Corp., a radio and mobile-focused programming provider created by Steve Lehman, former chairman and chief executive of Premiere Radio Networks, and Andy Schuon, former head of programming at MTV, MTV2, VH1 and Infinity Broadcasting, now CBS Radio.
"We're going to prove that [the blogosphere] is a place where you can find talent," said Mr. Schuon.
[WSJ]
"Wow, you hate me! You really, really hate me! I have to say, I'm truly humbled by this honor. As everyone knows, achieving something like this is a group effort, so I want thank everyone over at Gawker and Valleywag, especially Emily Gould and Owen Thomas, you sexy bitches! I couldn't have done it without you! I want to thank my agent, who has been with me since I was just mildly annoying. I also want to send a special thank you to all the Gawker media commenters, especially those who incessantly referenced my sluttiness, STDs, propensity to gold-dig, show cleavage, and simultaneously say stupid shit! Of course I want to thank my self-promotional narcissism and my incessant desire for infamy at any costs. Thank you so, so much. Last but not least, I want to thank Nick Denton and God. That may or may not be redundant. THANK YOU! Goodnight!"
[Radar]
(Photo: Megan Asha)
Full scene: [Hollywood Reporter]
Inside the book, in small type, they placed a small, incomplete disclaimer that contradicted the labeling on the dust jacket. Free Press and William Morrow are shamelessly stripping the label "non-fiction" of all meaning, at least when they're the ones affixing it. That sort of institutionalized lying is far more pernicious than the freelance deception Frey and Seltzer engaged in.
Mezrich openly admitted that five of the six main characters from House are not real at all but amalgams of two decades worth of blackjack teams. And who knows whether to trust him even on that, given that he appears to have outright invented other book elements.
The one character in Mezrich's book who is not a composite, the team leader, is portrayed teaching at MIT, which he never did.
The best part of the Globe story is easily the weasely quotes from the author and his editors. Here's Mezrich:
"I took literary license to make it readable... The idea that the story is true is more important than being able to prove that it's true."
Mezrich's new publisher, William Morrow, is even more brazen. The company is marketing supposed nonfiction from Mezrich that includes, buried at the end of the author's note, a disclaimer "that warns readers about changed names, compressed time periods, and altered identities and backgrounds. Certain characters, it goes on, 'are not meant to portray particular people.'"
Mauro DiPreta, the book's editor at William Morrow, says the disclaimer was inserted simply "to let the reader know what to expect in the book." What Mezrich does, he argues, is clearly nonfiction. "Sometimes reality is messy," he says. "I think it can be fine to streamline a story for narrative purposes."
Not everyone is happy that the idea of true nonfiction is being destroyed before our very eyes. Narrative non-fiction pioneer Gay Talese and WW Norton editor Robert Weil are quoted rebuking the practice.
But everyone actually involved with producing and potentially profiting from Mezrich's projects seems quite comfortable labeling fiction as nonfiction. They get to potentially profit from deals for movies like 21, and all they have to do is define truth the way one of Mezrich's characters does at the end of the Globe story:
"It's 90 percent true if you count things that happened to anyone," he says. "It's only about half true if you define it as actual things happening to the actual people they happened to."
[Globe]
Patrick Swayze—and, even more importantly, his doctor—continues to look on the bright side.
In a statement released Tuesday, the actor and his wife thanked fans for their...
Considering the problems he allegedly had with one chef, perhaps Rob Lowe doesn't want too many cooks in the kitchen now.
Although he publicly accused one of his family's former...Yesterday, a bunch of fancy publishing types gathered at the Waverly Inn to celebrate a new book by Sheila Weller called Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon — And the Journey of a Generation. As interested as we are in the lives of those three women, at the moment we're more interested in what people wear to book parties at the Waverly. Apparently, it involves a lot of animal print. Let's commence judgment with Vanity Fair editor Amy Fine Collins (left) and Carly Simon.
The snakeskin kimono top just wasn't enough for you Collins, was it? You just had to throw the bag in there, and now our eyes hurt from the overload — we've been staring at this screen all day, and you just couldn't be gentle, could you? Meanwhile, Carly Simon just looks freaking cool. Love what she's doing with that belt. Photo: Patrick McMullan
Egads: More animal print on socialite publicist Annelise Peterson! We hate to say it, but that pink headband is just kind underage-tragic. On the right, we have Tory Burch, designer of the annoyingly ubiquitous gold-plated flats. She looks really skinny. Just because Lance Armstrong may have gone for an Olsen twin doesn't mean you need to be one, too.Photo: Patrick McMullan
From left: Glamour editor Cindi Leive, Anna Carter, author Sheila Weller, and Vanity Fair editor and Waverly Inn chief Graydon Carter. Graydon looks like he should be captaining a ship.Photo: Patrick McMullan
On the left, we kind of have a crush on Ballantine Publishing head Judith Curr's skinny red waist belt. It even matches her glasses in a really charming way. On the right, it's author Sheila Weller, again. Classy lady, but we're not really digging the silver.Photo: Patrick McMullan
Lastly, we have musician David Saw playing the
role of token hipster in a fedora.Photo: Patrick McMullan
Anakin Skywalker kicked some Hobbit heinie.
In a cable battle of the trilogies, the Star Wars prequels dominated the Lord of the Rings movies, averaging on the whole nearly 1 million more viewers,...
Photo illustration: Everett Bogue; Photos: Getty Images
To any theater fan, the logjam in the Tony play categories brings to mind nothing other than, of course, the current standings of the NBA's Western Conference, where the top nine teams have spent the season jostling for position, and even now, only three and a half games separate first place from sixth. But which NBA team corresponds with which dramatic masterpiece? Vulture sorts it out, after the jump.
Warning: Tony recommendations not to be used for gambling purposes! For amusement only!
Photo: Joan Marcus
ROCK 'N' ROLL
NBA counterpart: San Antonio Spurs
Class. Trophies in the cabinet. A pedigree. That describes the Spurs this year, and it describes Tom Stoppard's Rock 'n' Roll, the play that — going into the season — was the one to beat. Stoppard! Brian Cox! Rufus Sewell! They were the Greg Pops, Tim Duncan, and Tony Parker of Broadway. Even now, it's hard not to argue that Rock 'n' Roll has a real shot at the title, but maybe … it was just … a little bit boring?
Photo: Manuel Harlan, Getty Images
TOP GIRLS
NBA counterpart: Houston Rockets
Tracy McGrady, as everyone knows, is the Caryl Churchill of the NBA. Both are Hall of Fame talents who've never had a real shot at the biggest prize. But now Churchill's best — and most topical — play is getting its long-overdue Broadway debut, and McGrady may have his best supporting cast ever. And both have overcome adversity! The Rockets lost Yao Ming for the season to injury, yet turned around and rattled off a 22-game win streak; and Top Girls saw the potentially disastrous reviews for Churchill's new play, Drunk Enough to Say I Love You?, turn into paeans to the production yet to come. A real Tony — and NBA title — dark horse.
THE SEAFARER
NBA counterpart: Los Angeles Lakers
Sure, Conor McPherson is a star, perhaps the most brilliant pure playwright working today. But seriously — a play about a bunch of drunk guys playing poker with the Devil? Maybe this wasn't Conor's year. But then The Seafarer was just so damn good that it finds itself with a real shot for a title at season's end. Kobe Bryant knows the feeling.
Photo: Carol Rosegg
Photo: Scott Landis
THE HOMECOMING
NBA counterpart: Golden State Warriors
Despite a star in Baron Davis, Golden State has never been able to truly catch on this year — with NBA fans, or in the tough Western Conference. Currently they find themselves just out of the playoff hunt — much as, we worry, the Raúl Esparza–led Homecoming will be, as audiences never seemed to fall in love with the chilly Pinter revival.
Photo: Joan Marcus, Getty Images
THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION
NBA counterpart: Los Angeles Clippers
Everything seemed like it was going to work out so well for Aaron Sorkin and the Clips, both beloved L.A. hard-luck stories. Turned out it didn't. Maybe next year!
Harvey's takin' Klum to Lifetime!Photo Illustration: Everett Bogue; Photos: Getty Images, Hulton Archive/Getty Images
The New York Times reports:
NBC Universal also contends that the Weinstein Company improperly bundled the renewal of “Project Runway” with a package of unsuccessful movies that company has produced and failed to sell elsewhere. (The titles include “I Could Never Be Your Woman,” “Death Defying Acts” and “The Girl in the Park.” )When NBC Universal declined to pay a high price for the deal, NBC Universal asserts, Weinstein made a deal with Lifetime, a network that needs a hit reality show — and one willing to buy the movies included in the deal.
So Lifetime is the only network that would accept a crap heap of movies from the Weinstein Co. We always kind of wondered where they got them. Now if we could only figure out who on earth enjoys watching them…
Bravo’s Parent Sues for ‘Runway’ Rights [NYT]
'Project Runway' Struts Over to Lifetime. Not So Fast, Says NBC. [WP]
Related: Breaking: ‘Project Runway’ Moves From Bravo to Lifetime
One meeeeelion dollars!Photo Illustration: Getty Images
Ostensibly, the stunt is supposed to create some positive media coverage right before Pennsylvanians head to the polls. Something like, "Barack Obama's momentum continues, and he’s now on pace to raise $50 billion in the next month." But while it would be an impressive show of grassroots force, you have to wonder whether the working-class, blue-collar voter — which we understand from story after story is every person in Pennsylvania — won’t simply be turned off by the Obama campaign’s fund-raising muscle-flexing. It’s not really inspiring to be reminded that Obama can raise more in one minute with his legs resting atop his desk than you’ll earn in 30 years at the steel mill. And it might be the only thing that makes the $109 million Clintons look poor. —Dan Amira
Laura Mercier Photo: Getty Images
• Liz Claiborne Cosmetics uses special technology to track counterfeit beauty products. In Europe 1.6 million were seized in 2006, and in the U.S. many are sold on sketchy eBay. [Cosmetic News]
• Dior's new palate of gold-hued eye shadows is really, really awesome, but a hint too frosty. We thought only cupcakes had that problem. [Temptalia]
NAILS
• The summer collection from Zoya launched today called Chit Chat. Beauty bloggers are really excited about it because the shades are named after them. "This is better than Christmas!" one writes. To each her own. [Makeup Bag]
SKIN
• Natura Bliss's oxygen therapy Finishing Mask was so successful the brand's launching another oxygen-saturated product for the body. You can get it at Neiman Marcus for $80. Or if you're on a budget just stand naked in the middle of a bunch of houseplants. [Beauty Snob]
2. 50 Cent, "Liar Liar"
50 helpfully translates all the nice things he's ever said to women. More often than not, he meant that he wanted to partake in sexual intercourse with them. [Nah Right]
3. Madonna vs. Britney Spears, "4 Minutes to Break the Ice"
If you'd have told us that mashing up Madonna's crappy new single with Britney's crappy old single would yield a song we'd actually want to hear a second time, we'd never have believed you — but you'd have been correct. We'll never doubt you again, hypothetical person. [Cold Cut]
4. Robyn feat. The Knife, "Who's That Girl?"
We haven't actually listened to this yet, but what are the chances it's not awesome? Zero. [Stereogum]
5. The National, "Mansion on the Hill" (Bruce Springsteen cover)
The Brooklyn quartet turns in an impressive version of Springsteen's greatest-ever song about precariously located real estate. [Fuel Friends]
Dare to dream.Photo Illustration: Getty Images, Courtesy of the New
York Knicks
Whitney + Kelly Cutrone = Match made in heavenPhoto: WireImage
As it turns out, Kelly Cutrone’s in L.A. to prepare for L.A. Fashion Week, and the bags under her eyes just keep getting bigger. Lady needs to get some rest, stat. But as we learn, that's just not her style. They’re having a company meeting, and Cutrone totally bitches out a woman named Jessica, who messed up "celebrity outreach." We have to feel bad for this chick — it wasn’t her idea to have cameras filming her job, yet now the entirety of America’s under-30 population gets to see her boss humiliate her. On the other hand, how hard is it to reach out to some B-list celebrities? Come on, Jessica! Whitney somehow makes her look even worse when she suggests contacting people with whom the designer performed. Wait — we dozed off for a second. Will someone please explain what’s going on and how Whitney saved the day?
Flash to Lauren, bored and alone in Teen Vogue’s intern closet. Whitney’s too busy at her new, "ideal" job to chat with her, so Lauren’s forced to get back to IMing and touching clothes, which are the only things we’ve ever seen her do at work.
And now we cut to Heidi and Stephanie having a girls’ night out! How cute. Heidi’s ecstatic, of course, since the only thing she does since Spencer left is sit at home alone and bang her head against her freshly painted wall. And look, there’s a familiar face at the end of the bar … why, it’s Audrina! What a co-ink-i-dink, we say! AND? She’s wearing a Justin Bobby hat. Why does Audrina always wear stupid-looking hats? A mystery for the ages. Heidi goes up to her, and they chat awkwardly for a few minutes about how alone Heidi feels, etc. We can’t tell if Audrina is falling for her sob story, since Audrina’s face has only one expression, and it is a remarkably blank one. Audrina advises Heidi to “learn how to keep your friends while you’re dating someone.” Burn! But it all ends amicably enough, and Heidi and Stephanie walk away and continue their super-fun girls' night out.
The next day, Heidi and Stephanie are in a home store looking for stuff for Heidi’s arcade-game-free apartment. Heidi "realizes" that she has some stuff in Lauren and Audrina’s apartment, and she decides to get it back from Audrina. Sneaky, Heidi! You’re reminding us of your ex-boyfriend more and more each episode.
Then Lauren and Whitney chat while stretching in the gym, and the only reason this scene exists is to reinforce the idea that Lauren is jealous of Whitney’s job. Don’t we know that already?
Anyway, back to actual plot developments: Lauren and Stephanie are in class together, and Stephanie lets it slip that they ran into Audrina the other night: “Heidi and Audrina spoke for a long time; it kind of seems like they’re cool now.” We couldn’t wait to see Stephanie’s dark side, and here it is! Goody! What an awesome liar she is. Lauren just looks confused. Per usual.
Back at home, Lauren confronts Audrina about hanging out with Heidi. Ever notice how much "confronting" happens in this show? There's a certainly a lot of it. Lauren tells Audrina to be wary of Heidi. “I think you’re a really nice person, and sometimes people take advantage of that,” Lauren says condescendingly. We think Audrina’s hurt, but again, we can’t tell. Blank, we tell you. The girl is blank.
Lauren visits Whitney at work and starts helping her with something, and magically, someone offers her a job for Fashion Week. Moving right along…
Heidi comes over to get her stuff from Audrina, who’s less than friendly. We think, anyhow (like we said, the face — blankety blank). Audrina offers some wise words to Heidi regarding her lot in life: “It’s weird how the world works.” Deep. Audrina is The Hills’ resident guru, apparently.
And now for the final confrontation: Audrina tells Lauren that Heidi came over! And sat down in their apartment! The girls both raise their eyebrows and we promptly fall asleep. Good night! Until next time!
And now, our Unequivocal Hills Reality Index!
As Real As Lauren Is Awkward
• Lo. Except for her hair, she’s a total treat. And compared to the other girls, as genuine as The Hills gets.
• Cutrone's nastiness. That woman and her venom tongue are no joke. Fashionistas, beware!
• Spencer's douche-baggery. We'll admit, we used to think that Spencer's insanely horrible ways were mostly a put-on for the camera. He knew what MTV wanted and gave it to them. But this week, his astonishing capacity for evil-doing (making his sister cry, telling Heidi he was looking to date other people) convinced us otherwise. He really is Satan. You've been warned, America.
Faker Than Audrina's Boobs
• Audrina just happened to be at the same bar as Heidi and Stephanie? We know these girls go out to the same places, but we have a hard time swallowing this run-in. And who were the weirdos Audrina was hanging with? We think they belong in the "real" category.
• We didn’t really get a good glimpse of them until this episode, so it must be said: Heidi’s ENORMOUS new boobs.
• Weirdly, we actually do think Lauren is a little in love with Stephanie. But MTV clearly made her invite the She-Pratt to her birthday party. No question about it.
—Emma Rosenblum
Toni Braxton is on the mend and in "good condition" following a health scare.
The 40-year-old "Un-Break My Heart" singer was admitted to Las Vegas' St. Rose...
Born to be prettyPhoto: Imaxtree
Coney Island: Some ruthlessly career-minded youngsters shelled out $600 to stick nails up their noses and coat hangers down their throats at Coney's venerable sideshow school. [NYDN via Gothamist]
Fort Greene: It's just one of many gentrified hoods around the country where latte-swilling locals resent the recent influx of bewigged, harpsichord-loving aristocrats. [The Onion]
Long Island City: An Amish market (though it won't be called that) and a Duane Reade are "manifesting" here. Manifesting? That sounds, like, spiritual or something. [LIQCity]
Prospect Heights: Now that the area's massive Atlantic Yards project is stalled and may never be completed, locals want the state to freeze the demolition of buildings that were slated to come down…including these adorable (and, uh, occupied!) little townhouses. [Brownstoner]
Rego Park: The hood's largest apartment building, Saxon Hall, just sold for $75 million. And, more importantly, it looks like a cross from the Crusades when viewed from above. [Queens Crap]
Washington Heights: Many little boats are shipwrecked along the Hudson up here, as evidenced by pics on this semiotically-captioned blog. [Gay Recluse]
West Village: Hudson Blue, that riverfront six-unit condo that Leo DiCaprio was supposed to buy into, is now on the market as a one-family, eleven-bedroom, nine-bathroom, $21 million building. Un-Blue-lievable! [Curbed]
This non-blockbuster biopic spoof was the first chink in the armor of the Judd Apatow Comedy-Industrial Complex — but see it anyhow! The movie’s pacing isn’t so hot and there are some clumsy running gags, but when it hits, like with its music-history homages/send–ups — Cox as Freewheelin' Bob Dylan: “Mailboxes drip like lampposts in the twisted birth canal of the coliseum”; Cox as Pet Sounds–era Brian Wilson: “I want 50,000 didgeridoos!” — it’s pure rental gold.
Marcel Dzama’s On the banks of the red river (2008)Courtesy David Zwirner, New York
From top, La Perla Vintage, $127, Gilligan and
O'Malley, $11, Victoria's Secret Ipex demi, $45.Photo: consumerreporters.com
Bra-vo! [The Gilligan & O'Malley padded demi] has better cup molding than the Victoria's Secret bra; the underwire is flexible and well padded, so it won't pinch or poke. This bra (sold at Target) also held up better after washing. All three panelists found it comfortable, with a good fit.
And you can spend the cash you saved on some stylin' new shoes. Everyone wins!
3 bras, 3 prices [Consumer Reports]
Photo: PhillyMag.com
Melanie Engle was trying to just pluck the stray hairs here and there. She was trying to deliver an age-appropriate eyebrow wax to her client. It was hard, though, because there was a foot tapping next to her, and a voice shouting in her ear: “No! Not like that — like a supermodel’s. I want them arched.”After years in the beauty biz, Engle had seen her share of crazy ladies demanding perfect, Glamour-cover-worthy brows. But this Crazy Lady wasn’t talking about her own brows. The brows in question belonged to Crazy Lady’s daughter. Who was eight.
After sweating through the kid’s eyebrow wax, Engle, today an aesthetician at the Adolf Biecker Salon/Spa outposts in the Rittenhouse Hotel and Strafford — and, it should be noted, one of the most sought-after eyebrow specialists in the region — was directed to give her pint-size client a … bikini wax.
We're disturbed by this in two ways: (1) This is obviously sick, these people should be condemned as lousy parents, and Social Services should get straight on their asses; and (2) New York can beat this, right? Surely everyone at Chapin started getting waxed when they were at least 7, right?
Pretty Babies [Philly Mag]
It used to be her playground, but Madonna wasn't always welcome.
Until now.
After vetoing several prior attempts to honor its most famous native, typically due to her provocative...
Photo: Gwendolen Cates / ITVS
Now that you're retired, is it strange to see all this footage from your career?
I first saw it in San Francisco at the gay and lesbian film festival there, and it was kind of shocking! I felt like I was watching somebody else. It was quite emotional.
There's a funny story in the film about your dad taking you to your first ballet class…
My dad, he didn't know what to do. My mother told him he had to buy me ballet slippers and tights, and I had a little T-shirt or something. I took them out of the little bag, I was changing in the backseat, and he had bought me blue fishnets! He sort of didn't look at the package. I was like, Oh, God, what am I going to do with these? But I had to wear something! I think I probably put shorts over them.
When you first came to the city, what were your first impressions?
We lived on a reservation outside of Phoenix, so we didn't have big buildings, and all that is here. It was such a bigger scale of everything, I was just in awe. You think back on a situation like that. It's like you walked into Alice in Wonderland. I just remember the doors at School of American Ballet were huge; the studios were huge. I’d been dancing in a strip mall outside Phoenix. I didn't know what I was getting myself into.
In the film, we see how you appeared on Sesame Street, in People … it seems like another era, in which dancers really were stars.
Well, I never considered myself a star, I was just someone who worked and worked and worked and did my job every day. And there were times we were slammed by the press too. I would think of Suzanne Farrell and Peter Martins, when I was sneaking into the theater, starting at the top fifth ring and sneaking down. By the time Chaconne was being performed and I saw those two, they were stars.
You're also one of the most choreographed-on dancers in the company's history. Did that make you feel like you were abandoning the company in any way when you retired?
You know, it was time for me to leave. I felt it was a good time. I was 40. Everything started to hurt in the last few years. I wanted to be able to leave the stage, put on a pair of shoes, and go out and have a nice dinner, you know? Without sitting there and having my knee hurting or my back throbbing. And of course it's a big loss. But it's not brain surgery; anyone can do it.
Well, you've mentioned a dream of having a cooking show. Any chance of that soon?
Still workin' on it. If anyone has any ideas, they can contact me! The dancing chef. I'll do anything.
–Rebecca Milzoff
Would you trust this man? What about his sister?Photo: Getty Images
Cut to Heidi’s apartment. Spencer is gathering up the rest of his stuff, and — OH MY GOD HEIDI’S BREASTS. They're just sitting there in the middle of the screen! We’re turning to salt! Noooooo… Must. Look. Away. Really, not to harp, but those things are huge and distract us from our dutiful recapping job. Whoa. Somehow Spencer manages to get past Heidi's rack and tactfully asks her if it’s okay if he dates other girls; she rightfully gets pissed at him. He smirks à la Jerry Seinfeld as Heidi tells him, “I’m about to punch you in the face.” Subtle.
Then we’re back with Lauren and Lo, who are bonding over how annoying Brody and Frankie are. We forgot that there was something between Lo and Frankie. Wait, was there? Anyway, all we have to say is this: Lo, it looks like you’re overprocessing your hair. Yikes.
Meanwhile, Spencer and Stephanie are fighting about how he needs to get his stuff out of her apartment — Stephanie has a right to be pissed, since Spencer did manage to lug over some large and awkward video-game consoles and place them in the middle of her living room. She threatens to call their dad to complain. We want to meet their dad! We envision him as half-human, half-fire-breathing dragon. Or Donald Trump. Spencer continues to be totally obnoxious to Stephanie. It’s truly an accomplishment that Spencer’s able to make his evil sister seem sympathetic. She decides that she's not going to speak to Spencer anymore and heads out for the night. So long as Spencer's stocked with some Baja Fresh and television for the night, he doesn't seem to care what the hell happens.
Before long we’re at Lauren’s birthday party, which is being held at S Bar — and here's a key bit of info, for those of you looking for plot developments: S Bar is run by Bolthouse (where Heidi is fake employed), and Heidi's co-worker Kimberly is running the door for Lauren's party. What are the odds of that happening? Now, back to the party: There are birthday hats! And cake! Thank God we don’t have to attend parties like this anymore. Stephanie comes to the shindig, and Lauren drunkenly tells her that she’s a good person. Aw … vodka-induced love! Lo and Audrina look at the giddy couple suspiciously, and Lo’s fake smile at Stephanie is hi-larious. Lauren’s red dress seems to be squeezing her breasts a bit uncomfortably but is cute regardless. How we suffer for fashion!
Back at Heidi’s fake job, Kimberly the co-worker rats out Stephanie for hanging out with Lauren. Bet you didn't see that coming. Sigh. Heidi’s upset that Stephanie would attend her sworn enemy’s party and calls Spencer to complain. See, that’s what happens when you have no friends, Heidi: You resort to calling your ex-boyfriend to gossip. Tragic.
We briefly return to Lauren's less interesting plotline: She has a lunch with Brody in which they talk about nothing, but they do both manage to wear really ugly sunglasses. Brody warns Lauren about Stephanie, which makes Lauren love her even more, probably.
The producers quickly relieve us of the Lauren-Brody nonsense and return us to the good stuff: Spencer confronts Stephanie about going to the party and makes her cry! Sad! She tells him that he has to stop making enemies, and he continues to give her the most annoying, sarcastic thumbs up in response. Then, in a masterful display of manipulation, Spencer tells Stephanie, “You’re making yourself cry thinking about what you did.” Wow, this guy is good.
There’s a brief scene of Lauren and Stephanie canoodling in class, which we're sure their teacher really appreciated. These girls bring in a camera to her lecture and then don’t even listen while she’s talking. Rude!
And we end with Heidi talking to Stephanie about Lauren’s party. We can’t really follow her logic, but clearly she’s mad because she’s pouting, once again. —Emma Rosenblum
Coming soon: Our recap of last night's second episode, and the Unequivocal Hills Reality Index!
Photo: Getty Images
Own Madonna's Globe [VF]
Earlier: Madonna No Longer Loves New York
It may have taken a while, but Pete Doherty has finally run out of get-out-of-jail-free cards.
The arrest-prone, addiction-plagued rocker was sentenced to 14 weeks in jail during a London court...
The priest accused of stalking Conan O'Brien has copped to unauthorized entry of the hallowed Cone Zone.
The Rev. David Ajemian pleaded guilty in New York Tuesday to disorderly conduct stemming...
Courtesy of Free Press
Among other, more minor alleged inventions, House — which carries a disclaimer explaining that names, locations, and other details have been changed, and that some characters are composites — includes scenes in which the film's heroes smuggle cash through airport security inside laptop computers, hollow crutches, and Velcro bags strapped to their bodies; the real people those characters were based on claim that never actually happened. Also, in the book, the students are trailed by a private detective with "narrow ice-blue eyes" who beats up one of them in a casino bathroom. According to the real-life inspiration for the beating victim, this never happened either.
For his part, Mezrich says "The idea that the story is true is more important than being able to prove that it’s true," but whatever — going forward, it's probably safest to assume everything you read anywhere is completely untrue. Unless you read it on Kanye West's blog, obviously.
House of Cards [Boston Globe]
Is “Bringing Down the House” a Fraud? [Paper Cuts/NYT]
Earlier: Breaking Down the Movie ‘21’ Should Have Been
Dancy and his non-beardPhoto: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Who's your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional?
Diana Vreeland. She was bonkers in a totally life-enhancing way.
What's the best meal you've eaten in New York?
I'm depressingly health foodie: I love the "wee dragon bowl" at Angelica Kitchen.
In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job?
I have many jobs. I'm a Jackie of all trades.
Would you still live here on a $35,000 salary?
I would get more jobs and make more shekels — but nothing illegal.
What's the last thing you saw on Broadway?
The Homecoming by Pinter — it was really sick. I loved it. It was also the only thing I've seen on Broadway since the eighties.
Do you give money to panhandlers?
I'm a soft touch.
What's your drink?
Green tea. I'm disgustingly healthy.
How often do you prepare your own meals?
Brekkie occasionally.
What's your favorite medication?
I try not to take anything. A Ricola is hard-core for me. I'm a delicate flower.
What's hanging above your sofa?
Which one? We have about 800 Jonathan Adler couches in our pad.
How much is too much to spend on a haircut?
Am more concerned about time than money. If it takes longer that fifteen minutes I'm ready to bolt.
When's bedtime?
11 p.m. As soon as Bill O'Reilly starts ranting, I'm ready to hit the hay.
Which do you prefer, the old Times Square or the new Times Square?
The new Times Square is more flashy and visually exciting. The old one was cooler but dreary.
What do you think of Donald Trump?
I love him. He's an icon. He's also totally unpretentious.
What do you hate most about living in New York?
The 5 billion–degree heat in the subway in the summer.
Who is your mortal enemy?
When you are in retail, you cannot have enemies. Everyone is a potential customer.
When's the last time you drove a car?
Every weekend, to escape to Long Island.
Who should be the next president?
Maureen Dowd.
Times, Post, or Daily News?
I'm a New York Post lover.
Where do you go to be alone?
I'm never alone. I love to be with Jonathan and our dog, Liberace.
What makes someone a New Yorker?
If you can endure the smell of a street fair and not pass out, then you qualify.
See Simon read this Thursday, April 10, at the Lincoln Center Barnes & Noble, 7:30 p.m.
Photo: Getty Images
"Wings was exactly what every actor hopes will happen when you have zero skill sets, zero experience, and you absolutely cannot find your ass with a fork and a knife. I just had no idea what I was getting myself into." —Thomas Haden Church [A.V. Club]
"She's kind of like Sandy gone really wrong. It was really a blast. You have to play against yourself, you know?" —Olivia Newton-John on playing a tattooed lesbian ex-con in Sordid Lives [EW]
"I'll wear a suit. I just went through a brutal divorce. I had a suit on for about a year, so I'm actually kind of comfortable in it." —Nikki Sixx on his new position as president of Eleven Seven Records [Billboard]
"Even now, I’ll watch some coverage on E! about a premiere I was at and I’ll think, 'Oh wow! That looks like so much fun!' and then I think, 'Oh yeah, I was there. I went home early and watched TV with my cat because I was bored.'" —Jenna Fischer [OfficeTally]
The pursed lips are a nice touch, but we're pretty
sure Karl wears bow ties now.Photo: wwd.com
On meeting the executives of Rockstar Games and inking the deal:
Lagerfeld … called the encounter a "friendship at first sight." He didn't hesitate about participating. "They are the games of our times," he said. "Those games in a way changed the world."
On killing hookers and bustin' caps:
"They had written a politically incorrect dialogue," the designer said. "I loved it, [particularly] in a time when everybody wants to be so politically correct when they talk."
On his qualifications for the role:
"Music is part of the life of fashion, too," he said. "Through the famous sound stylist Michel Gaubert, I'm very much 'au courant' and know what's going on."
On controller aversion and his future:
"I prefer to be in a video than to play with it," Lagerfeld said. "I would love to be a very nasty, politically incorrect character."
Karl Spins for Grand Theft Auto [WWD]
Related: Karl Lagerfeld's ‘iPod Nanny’
Photo: Getty Images
Were the Mets Rickrolled? [Newsday]
Photo: Getty images
Maybe it's the way that Leatherheads ended up being such a dog that the ostensible peg for the profile had to get shuffled off to a paragraph more than halfway through, with the final line, "The reviews, when they came, were unenthusiastic"?
Maybe it's the line, written by author Ian Parker about Clooney's predilection for elaborate practical jokes but sadly relevant for other reasons this week, "There's no doubt Clooney has a taste for directing comic dramas that have an audience of just one or two"?
Maybe it's the part where Clooney attempts, with middling success, to apply his laugh-it-off charm to an anonymous phone call telling him to "Dump the bitch"?
Maybe it's the impression of Clooney as a compulsive host, the line beautifully drawn between the guy who plays those practical jokes and the guy who organizes themed weeks for friends at his Lake Como villa?
Maybe it's the de rigueur moments of traditional New Yorker-profile oh-my-God-that's-exactly-right description? (Among the finest in this case: Parker noticing that thing Clooney does with his face — "a gyration in the lower jaw suggesting something being moved around under his tongue" — and a description of Clooney's persona as that of "a man on his way out to a party, feeling pretty good about his hair.")
No! We think the best part of the profile is the impression of a young George Clooney, just arrived in Los Angeles from Kentucky, delivered by his old friend Ben Weiss — an impression that expertly captures Clooney's combination, as Parker puts it, of "guy and man": "Driving, he'd be, 'Look at that girl, look at that girl, look at that girl. Wow, wow.'"
Somebody Has to Be in Control [NYer]
Now how often does this woman smile?Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
What concerns us, mostly, isn't the film's accuracy but how funny it is — and W sounds like a laugh riot! We're slightly worried about the casting, though; can Josh Brolin really handle pratfalls and physical comedy that his role as George W. Bush surely requires? Might Will Ferrell have been the better choice, even though that would've been painfully obvious? To what extent is Judd Apatow involved in W? Did Seth Rogen write the screenplay, or will he just appear as one of Bush's Cabinet members? (He would make a perfect John Ashcroft!) Are we finally getting a movie version of That's My Bush!? It sure looks like it!
Bush biographers mixed on script for Oliver Stone's 'W' [HR]
Stone Fills Out Cast for Bush Movie [ABC News]
REAL ESTATE
• After owning it for just a few months, Richard Gere has put his apartment in Julian Schnabel's Palazzo Chupi on the market, meaning that other than Schnabel, the development's only resident is noncelebrity Credit Suisse exec William J.B. Brady. But hark! Bono has coincidentally sold his apartment in the El Dorado. There's hope for the Schneighborhood yet. [Curbed, NYO]
• The Queens house that baseball legend Jackie Robinson lived in could get landmark status. [NYDN]
• Speaking of baseball, it's the beginning of the end over at Shea Stadium. [NYP]
FINANCE
• "Yes, the buyout kings have been reduced to playing in the same sandbox as the rest of us." [NYP]
• Morgan Stanley directors are expected to win reelection. [Bloomberg]
MEDIA
• Forget outsourcing to India. CBS might outsource labor to Columbus Circle, as the network talks to CNN about a sharing news-gathering operations. [NYT]
• "Sam Zell has no strategy other than sheer wackiness for getting Tribune Co. out of the hole he's dug." [Mixed Media/Portfolio]
• Newspaper buyout deals might not be such a bad thing after all. [Slate]
LAW
• NBC Universal head honcho Jeff Zucker and the Weinstein Co.'s Harvey Weinstein are getting catty over Project Runway. [WSJ]
• Criminals aren't just a threat for police officers. Suicide is, too. [NYT]
• The Clinton's tax guy is a Hogan & Hartson partner. [Law.com]
Photo: Getty Images
Related: Can Technocrat CEO Jeff Bewkes Save Time Warner?
Lindsay Lohan's brief legal respite has come to an end.
A man who says he once toiled guarding the star's body has launched the latest lawsuit against the actress, claiming he's owed...
Photo: Getty Images
His Legacy Tarnished, Greenspan Goes on Defensive [WSJ]
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