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A look from the Comme des Garçons fall ’08 line.Photo: Getty images
You and we are not the only ones excited about this — Marc Jacobs is, too! "It is impossible to overstate Rei Kawakubo's influence on modern fashion," he said in a statement. "I find it wonderful to think that 30 years ago, this immense talent, someone who has inspired so many others, was inspired by Louis Vuitton." If you can't afford both the trip to Tokyo and a new bag, at least make sure you hustle over to H&M when Comme des Garçons' line launches there in November. See? There's truly some Comme for all.
Comme Together [British Vogue]
Comme des Garcons partners with Louis Vuitton [IHT]
Photo-illustration: Getty Images
• Paul Krugman thinks that Obama resembles Bill Clinton. He could "do a lot worse than a rerun of the Clinton years," but "Mr. Obama’s most fervent supporters expect much more." Progressives "convinced themselves that he was a transformational figure behind a centrist facade," but Obama has begun to look "even more centrist now than he did before wrapping up the nomination." His defenders argue that Obama needs to be pragmatic in order to win, "so that he has the power to effect major change." [NYT]
• Jason Linkins doesn't believe the "center" is worth moving toward if it simply means staking out the safest positions possible. Obama shouldn't tack to the far left, but "if there's a position worth having, it's worth taking." On the issue of telecom immunity, Obama would alienate some "Democratic allies" no matter what his stated opinion, but "trying to get through the matter without having to stick his neck out" is worse because it's "fundamentally at odds with the guiding principles of his campaign." [HuffPo]
• Victor Davis Hanson claims the Obama strategy is "framed along ten or so key directives that can allow the election of the most leftward candidate in American political history." The first is moving to the center on "as many problematic issues as possible" and defending charges of flip-flopping by "talking about McCain’s changes of heart." This also includes talking more about his white grandparents and less about his African father. Step number two: Take a "sorta" position on "any current hot-button issues." [National Review]
• Jennifer Rubin thinks that Obama himself has revealed to us that "there is no there, there." In Audacity of Hope Obama wrote, "I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views." Perhaps Obama has simply "seized upon a clever formulation (Agent of Change) to attract young and idealistic people longing for meaning." [Contentions/Commentary]
• Nate Silver contends that Obama's "shift to the center" may not be as preplanned as it seems. While he was expected to move on certain issues for some time, "others are more a matter of timing and circumstance." The Supreme Court's decisions on guns and the death penalty, for example, just happened to come down around the time he took his pragmatic positions on NAFTA and public financing. Consequently, "what might have been four or five isolated incidents stretched out over the course of the summer instead were compressed into a period of a week or two" and created the current meme. What his moves tell us is that Obama "has a pretty keen sensibility for risk management, and tends to come down on the risk-averse side." [Five Thirty Eight]
• Carol Marin sees the same pattern as others, as Obama takes politically useful positions on warrantless wiretaps, NAFTA, campaign finance, and especially on guns, which the community activist in Obama should know are killing kids a "stone's throw" from his Hyde Park home. Obama is a "different kind of candidate … but with every carefully calibrated statement he makes, the less moved we may be, and the less different he may become." [Chicago Sun-Times]
• Evan Thomas contends that since he won the nomination, "Obama has become a fairly traditional presidential candidate, shoring up the party base by telling interest groups what they want to hear." McCain has also become "an uncharacteristically cautious pol of late," and so despite our hope for a different kind of election, both candidates are playing "the role of political hack." Voters, however, can detect when a politician is being a phony, as in the case of John Kerry. [Newsweek]
• Michael Shear writes that the lessons of Kerry haven't escaped the McCain campaign and its Republican allies, who believe that the election "will be won or lost based on voters' view of Obama's character," which they are now actively portraying as "opportunistic and self-obsessed." Of course, this strategy may be difficult for McCain, "who has also shifted his positions in the course of the campaign." [WP] —Dan Amira
Related: Liberals Sniffing Around a Swift-Boat Strategy Against McCain?
Heilemann on Obama’s V.P. Conundrum
For a complete and regularly updated guide to presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain — from First Love to Most Embarrassing Gaffe — read the 2008 Electopedia.
Courtesy of Disney/Pixar and AMPAS
Over on Hollywood Elsewhere, blogger Jeffrey Wells argues that our call for a Best Picture nomination for future Best Picture nominee Wall-E is a bad idea. While acknowledging the high-quality work being done in the world of animated film, he argues that animation is so fundamentally different from the world of "simply aiming a camera at real people and real locations" that animated movies should be kept on their side of the "electric segregation fence." But several of his assertions about why Wall-E should be happy with its Best Animated Feature Oscar don't hold water.
Wells's first argument is that Best Animated Feature is a perfectly prestigious award, and that animators should feel perfectly honored by it. But if Animated Feature isn't measurably less prestigious than Best Picture, then why, as one commenter on Wells's post points out, is it given out in the middle of the ceremony, stuck between Best Animated Short and Best Sound Effects Editing? Like Best Documentary or Best Foreign Language Film, Best Animated Feature is a lesser award than Best Picture, and to argue that it isn't is obviously disingenuous.
"The animated realm means an emphasis on digital as opposed to organic raw-grain realism, and the Best Picture realm still means more or less the opposite," Wells says. But seriously, says who? The Academy has no rule that the Best Picture nominees must be "organic raw-grain realism," no rule that animated features are ineligible for Best Picture. In fact, two of the most high-profile Best Picture winners of the past ten years — Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King — employed digital imagery extensively in creating their fantastic worlds. Peter Jackson's thrice-nominated trilogy, in fact, is about as far from "organic raw-grain realism" as you can get; there wasn't a single shot in that movie that wasn't digitally manipulated.
Wells seems to be arguing that Pixar's movies, because they're for a specialized audience — "families, kids, X-factor moviegoers and film critics" — are made by rarefied artistes rather than real blue-collar moviemakers. Is he kidding? Pixar's audience — as proven this weekend — is broader and more inclusive than any of, say, last year's Best Picture nominees. And what's a more bourgeois exercise: Pixar's teams of animators creating a populist masterpiece, or Paul Thomas Anderson and his crew in the desert, making a hermetic, arid, historical epic meant to appeal only to hard-core aesthetes?
Animation isn't a genre — it's a medium, just another way of telling stories. Of course Wall-E is "an exception to the animation realm"; in animation, as in live-action, most movies are crappy and don't deserve Best Picture nominations. But when a movie comes out that is great, one of the best of the year, it ought to be considered for Best Picture regardless of the medium it's created in. And if the Oscars want to become relevant to the average moviegoer again, they could do worse than to nominate a movie like Wall-E — a movie the average moviegoer loves.
Two Sides of the Fence [Hollywood Elsewhere]
Earlier: Start the Campaign: ‘Wall-E’ for Best Picture!
Photo: Getty Images
• Nick Knight will have his superstar fashion friends D.J. on his Website, ShowStudio.com, starting July 9. Guest D.J.'s include Alexander McQueen, Naomi Campbell, and Stella McCartney. [WWD]
• Christopher Kane won the Scottish Designer of the Year Award at the Scottish Fashion Awards. [British Vogue]
• Online shopping continues to grow in popularity since it's so darn convenient. E-tail can expect double-digit growth until 2013. At least something can! [WWD]
• Steven Klein was photographing Karl Lagerfeld for a Vogue feature in Paris when the designer was recognized and pandemonium erupted. Klein said, "It's worse than Madonna." [WWD]
• Karl Lagerfeld was so swarmed he could barely make it to his front-row seat at the Dior Homme show in Paris, while Kanye West walked in without anyone even asking for an autograph. [Guardian]
• Kanye West and Carine Roitfeld were spotted hanging out together on the front row of the Dior Homme show. [Fashionologie]
• The Style network is casting for a Stylista-esque reality show in which three interns compete for a position at a top fashion magazine. [Fashionista]
• The company that makes upscale ribbons, bows, rosebuds, and tassels for bras for companies like Victoria's Secret bought Pascale Madonna Paris, a twenty-year-old lingerie brand they'll introduce to the U.S. market in August. [WWD]
AP - Steven Tyler sought the "safe environment" of rehab last month to recover from more than just surgery the Aerosmith frontman now says was fighting a dependency on pain and sleep medication.
Developer (and original leaseholder) Larry Silverstein's three office towers may also be delayed until after their 2013 deadline — which brings us to the silver lining. By then, the economy might have stopped crashing, and people will want office space again!
Trade Center Rebuilding Faces Big Setback [WSJ]
Earlier: Pixar vs. Fat People
Related: ‘Wall-E’ Is a Masterpiece for the Ages [Projectionist]
Reuters - British record companies saw revenues
from non-music sales rise sharply in 2007, partly compensating
(AP)
AP - It's official: Uma Thurman will marry financier Arpad "Arki" Busson.
KorshunovaPhoto: Getty Images
"She gave up on herself," said Artem Perchenok, 24. "Everybody here can barely breathe."
Dark. And also, maybe, uncomfortably resonant?
Earlier: 20-Year-Old Model Commits Suicide [Cut]
Related: The Mysteries of the Suicide Tourist [NYM]
Tagline: "Chihuahua!"
Translation: "Chihuahua!"
The verdict: It's all well and good that Wall-E had a $62.5 million jackpot at the box office, but the American moviegoer paid a stiff price for his rare good taste this weekend. No sooner had we taken our seats on Saturday night than we were assaulted by the trailer for Beverly Hills Chihuahua, which immediately became the most hideous trailer ever to accompany a future Best Picture winner. Though the trailer's been online for several months — it's even engendered a smattering of “2 Girls 1 Cup”–style reaction videos — it still took us by surprise. We sort of knew in the back of our mind that Beverly Hills Chihuahua existed, but in the same way that you know your spouse probably picks her nose but hope not to be proven right, we never expected to be faced with an army of singing Chihuahuas marching down the steps of an Aztec pyramid. Sure Wall-E was great, America … but was it worth it?
AP - He was the comedian who actually said the seven words you can never say on television, but close friends and family members remembered George Carlin as a man who, when he was off stage, had only a kind word for everyone he met.
Peter CookPhoto: Getty Images
Port Authority Commissioner Bruce Blakeman is out of a job, and his estranged wife is dating Paul McCartney. Larry King's wife, Shawn-Southwick King, is in rehab for an addiction to painkillers, but she denies she's suffering from depression. Adrian Grenier is trying to get a club in the Hamptons to pay him $50,000 to host his birthday party. Quentin Tarantino is considering casting porn star Tera Patrick for his remake of Faster, Pussycat, Kill! Kill! A nonprofit group is protesting NBC's new reality show, Baby Borrowers because it's apparently a bad idea to leave babies alone with strangers. The Wackness director Jonathan Levine had to teach Ben Kingsley how to properly smoke weed for his role. Christina Aguilera says she and her husband "make sure we have Mommy and Daddy nights out." Madonna's brother Christopher Ciccone is shopping a reality show based on the fact that he's Madonna's brother. Ousted Mets manager Willie Randolph bought some CDs and DVDs at J&R Music World. Cindy Adams reports that the boys of Gossip Girl are "engendering big gossip."
LVMH Moet Hennessey Louis Vuitton won a big victory over eBay today in French court: The auction site must pay LVMH 40 million euros, or $63.2 million, WWD reports, for selling both fake and real LVMH goods outside their "desired retail channel."
Louis Vuitton received the lion’s share and was awarded 19.3 million euros, or $30.5 million; Christian Dior Couture received 17.4 million euros, or $27.5 million, and Parfums Christian Dior, Parfums Kenzo, Guerlain and Parfums Givenchy, were awarded around 3 million euros, or $4.7 million.EBay was ordered to stop selling fragrances and cosmetics from those brands immediately, or face a fine of 50,000 euros, or $79,000, a day.
Earlier this month eBay had to pay Hermès $30,000 for selling counterfeit Hermès handbags. Chump change, comparatively speaking.
Vuitton Wins Ebay Ruling [WWD]
Related: French Judge: eBay Responsible for Counterfeit Sales of Hermès
IRS to Mini-Me: Where's That Short Form? TMZ.com - Sex tape star Verne Troyer might want to call his accountant -- he owes almost $300k in back taxes. The state of California has filed a $$26812 lien against the diminutive actor in April for unpaid taxes from 2004-05. Judge orders TMZ to remove sex tape of actor Verne Troyer Judge Enrobes Troyer Sex Tape |
'WALL-E' Outshines 'Wanted' For Box-Office #1 Debut MTV.com - By Larry Carroll Little boys like Pixar; big boys like Angelina Jolie. This weekend, both segments of the male population made their voices heard, and their mothers, wives and girlfriends seemed to have no qualms about going along for the ride. Pixar's 'Wall-E' robot rolls into first place Audiences Wanted WALL-E, Jolie |
Fashion Wire Daily - If any fashion house in Europe set a new agenda on how men should dress in the future, it was Lanvin, which presented an exhilaratingly great collection Sunday morning in Paris.
Fashion Wire Daily - If any fashion house in Europe set a new agenda on how men should dress in the future, it was Lanvin, which presented an exhilaratingly great collection Sunday morning in Paris.
Ruslana KorshunovaPhoto: WireImage
Cops said there were no signs of a struggle in the one-bedroom apartment, where she lived for only two months. And the balcony from which she plunged had construction netting around it that appeared to have been deliberately ripped.Korshunova, a green-eyed beauty, known as "The Russian Rapunzel" for her long, flowing chestnut locks, worked with the elite modeling agency IMG, which boasts top models Heidi Klum and Kate Moss.
"Our hearts are with her family," said IMG's representative, Zach Eichman.
Hailing from Kazakhstan, Korshunova had appeared on the covers of French Elle and Russian Vogue and in ads for Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang, and Christian Dior. British Vogue called Korshunova "a face to be excited about" in 2005. She was discovered when modeling agent Debbie Jones saw her in an in-flight magazine article about her hometown of Almaty. "She looked like something out of a fairy tale!" Jones told British Vogue. "We had to find her and we searched high and low until we did!"
Friends say in the days before her death, Korshunova felt confused about the direction of her life, lost several pounds, and seemed to suffer from an undefined stomach problem. She left no note; yesterday friends gathered around the spot where she died to mourn.
GLAMOUR & TORMENT [NYP]
Supermodel's death ruled a suicide [CNN]
Photo: Newscom
If there was ever any doubt that gay people form one of Gov. David A. Paterson’s most loyal and enthusiastic constituencies, that doubt was erased on Sunday by the howl of a drag queen on Fifth Avenue.
The drag queen, standing at the foot of the steps to the New York Public Library dressed in a green Afro wig, a red miniskirt and candy-cane-striped stockings, had the duty of announcing the notables marching down Fifth Avenue in the gay pride march.
She introduced Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, and the onlookers who had gathered along the parade route politely applauded.
But when she bellowed, “Let’s hear it for the governor of New York, David Paterson!” the crowd roared.
Paterson said he'd been walking in the march since 1976, back when for a politician, the "howl of a drag queen" was the kind of endorsement that could kill a political career. Back then, he said, people didn't really notice him walking with his gay friends. On Sunday morning, he observed, “I don’t think I’ll be anonymous today.”
Celebrating Gay Pride and Its Albany Friend [NYT]
Earlier: David Paterson Sneaks Gay Marriage in Through the Back Door
Video: Jay-Z - American Boy Rmx (Good Quality) [Nah Right]
Jay-Z Live at Glastonbury 2008 (DOWNLOAD) [Hip Hop Is Read via Idolator]
Earlier: ‘Umbrella’ Watch 2008: Is Estelle’s ‘American Boy’ the Song of the Summer?
Remember me?Photo: Patrick McMullan
Teen Sex Billionaire To Give Up [NYP]
Bear Bites Billionaire [NYP]
Related: The Fantasist [NYM]
For Greece! For glory! For ripped guys in skimpy armor!
Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. are looking for a plot to hang a follow-up to 300 on, as they try to repeat the surprise...
Photo: AFP
Hopkins Is Learing: Sometimes it takes news a while to travel across the pond, and last week the Guardian confirmed that Anthony Hopkins will play the title role in a movie version of King Lear. Gwyneth Paltrow, Naomi Watts, and Keira Knightley are set to play his three daughters. Only in England could director Joshua Michael Stern land this gig after previously directing comedy shorts including Queer Eye for the Homeless Guy and Jewz N The Hood. [Guardian]
Call to Arms: Legendary Pictures is developing a 300 follow-up for Warner Bros., with Frank Miller writing and Zack Snyder basically committed to direct after he signs off on Miller's script. Will it be a sequel? A spinoff? Will it be called 301? Answer: Who cares. Actors, start your crunches. [Variety]
Four Whip It Good: Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Juliette Lewis, and Zoe Bell have joined Drew Barrymore's roller-derby extravaganza, Whip It. Although excited now, they might be less so when they start the two-week skating boot camp à la Saving Private Ryan. [HR]
WB, Fox Up in Smoke: Warner Bros. has acquired Billy Smoke, a forthcoming comic from Oni Press, about a hit man who survives a botched job only to find a new calling: ridding the world of all assassins. Matthew Fox is in negotiations to star, although a sticking point on his deal might be paragraph seven: "No one on-set is allowed to mention Speed Racer, ever." [HR]
McGowan Wants Red Revenge: Robert Rodriguez is producing a remake of 1985's absurdly ridiculous Red Sonja for his Grindhouse muse, Rose McGowan, to star in. Of course with Rodriguez-style filmmaking, ridiculous premises often yield awesome execution, so take a look at the old preview and start praying that newbie director Douglas Aarniokoski will get the joke. [Variety]
Politico.com's Ben Smith observes that the McCain campaign responded immediately and aggressively to these comments:
"The American people know that John McCain's record of service and sacrifice is not a matter of debate. He has written about and discussed his service as a POW extensively—often in excruciating and painful detail," said McCain spokesman Brian Rogers. "The American people will judge harshly anyone who demeans or attacks that service."
Neither comment even brushes the level of questioning (or, certainly, accusation of cowardice) that was devoted to John Kerry's Vietnam record by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth during the 2004 election. But Smith points out that they're part of a fringe trend toward deflating McCain's seemingly unimpeachable war record. Like Bush in 2004, Obama does not support the attacks and has always praised McCain's war record. But unlike Kerry in 2004, it looks like McCain is ready to go immediately on the counterattack.
Some on left target McCain's war record [Politico]
STARTING TODAY
• Phillip Bloch, a stylist who has worked with Halle Berry and Jennifer Lopez, is hosting an eBay auction for charity: water. Along with his own clothes and accessories, Bloch will also be selling personal items from Beyoncé Knowles and Fran Drescher. Through 7/8. eBay.com; user name is phillipblochcharityauction.
• The gray racer-back tank Scarlett Johansson designed for the third annual "VH1 Rock Honors" is now available for preorder on Intermix’s Website for $65.
ENDING TODAY
• The vintage-inspired apparel and home furnishings already on sale at Urban Outfitters online outpost are an extra 20 percent off. No special code needed at checkout: The discount will be automatically applied. Through 6/30 at midnight.
• Sandals, heels, and more from Hollywould’s cruise collection are up to 80 percent off. Through 6/30. 198 Elizabeth St., nr. Prince St. (212-219-1905); Thurs.–Sat. (11:30–7); Sun. (noon–5).
• Check out Opening Ceremony’s sale for up to 75 percent off their stock of Hussein Chalayan, Proenza Schouler, Wayne, and more. Through 6/30. 35 Howard St., nr. Broadway (212-219-2688); Mon.–Sat. (11–8), Sun. (noon–7).
• After fifteen years in business, Stardust Antiques & Jewelry is shutting down and unloading select items for up to 50 percent off. Through 6/30. 38 Gramercy Park, nr. 21st St. (212-677-2590); Mon.–Fri. (noon–7); Sat. (noon–6).
• DEX New York, a new makeup and hair salon and photography studio, is offering complimentary partial highlights (up to two colors) with their top colorists. Through 6/30. 224 W. 30th St., nr. Seventh Ave. (212-643-3188); Tues. (11–6); Wed.–Fri. (11–7); Sat. (10–6).
• Spring looks from Derek Lam, 3.1 phillip lim, Just Cavalli, and more are up to 40 percent off at eLuxury.com. Through 6/30.
STARTING TOMORROW
• Eberjey's summer camis, briefs, baby dolls, and bathing suits are 50 to 75 percent off. A chemise is $25 (originally $70), swimsuits are $40 (originally $120), and thongs are 3 for $25 (originally $18 each). Through 7/2. 183 Madison Ave., at 34th St., Ste. 610 (212-696-5393); Tues. (9–7), Wed. (9–5).
ENDING TOMORROW
• Temperley London is knocking off 60 percent on their spring and cruise collections. Through 7/1. 453 Broome St., nr. Mercer St., second fl. (212-219-2929); 11–7.
 ChattahBox | Spencer Pratt: 'Famous Troll' Mary-Kate Olsen the 'Less Cute Twin' FOXNews - AP Reality star Spencer Pratt of "The Hills" dissed Mary-Kate Olsen as a "famous troll" and the "less cute twin" after she bashed his temper on "Letterman. Spencer Pratt Bashes Mary-Kate Olsen Spencer Pratt Puts Mary-Kate Olsen On Blast |
Fashion Wire Daily - We got a large dose of pop futurism at Dior Homme on Sunday afternoon, in a markedly improved performance by its designer Kris Van Assche.
Photo: Vincent Laforet / Polaris
The facts and figures behind Olafur Eliasson’s The New York City Waterfalls are impressive. Located at four points along the East River in lower Manhattan, the falls cost $15.5 million to build and involved an American-based crew of almost 200 engineers, designers, consultants, permitting specialists, and electricians. There were also scores of architects, engineers, craftsmen, and assistants employed by Eliasson’s own Berlin-based “laboratory for spatial research,” not to mention the gargantuan effort of the Public Art Fund. Things were so specialized that on a boat ride the night of the opening a man told me his job was to coordinate the little red lights atop each fall to protect low-flying aircraft. The fact sheet on the falls says the tallest one is higher than the Statue of Liberty; the other three are as tall as nine- to twelve-story buildings. That’s big.
Yet the waterfalls seem dinkier than you’d think. And they’re not spectacular. From the South Street Seaport, where you can supposedly see all four, the one near the Manhattan Bridge is almost hidden. Some viewers may have trouble finding the one by Governors Island. You can’t hear any of them so you’re never really overwhelmed by the sound of pouring water. In addition, it’s obvious that these aren’t waterfalls at all; they’re just plumbing, tall metal scaffoldings with pipes pumping cascades of water off the top. So don’t go to The New York City Waterfalls wanting to be wowed.
But you may be wooed. I was. For all the effort that went into making them, Eliasson’s falls aren’t about spectacle. They’re like still centers that put you in touch with the physical world around you. They magically stretch the space of lower Manhattan, making the city seem as grand and amazing as it really is. Concentrating on the falls, you begin to glean the different geographic, economic, and industrial environments along the riverfront, how light plays between buildings and water, the way this setting is in constant motion but also oddly still. The waterfall under the Brooklyn Bridge is especially captivating and seems to appear out of nowhere like a portal from another dimension. The Governors Island cascade almost rises up from the surface of water. The one near the Brooklyn Navy Yards is like a primordial water spout. Lit at night, the falls turn ghostly. Coming upon each in a boat is like visiting an alien life form.
Unlike Christo's gates, which came on in a whoosh, then faded fast, Eliasson’s works dawn on you slowly, then produce a stirring calm. I’d take them any day over a glitzy Murakami Buddha or a huge Damien Hirst pregnant woman. By zeroing in on something as temporal as running water — the falls flow at 35,000 gallons per minute — Eliasson lifts you out of the moment and places you in a continuum. Whether you like the falls or not, you can't help but smile at the clever twist Eliasson's put on Beatrice Wood's 1917 defense of another piece of abstract plumbing, Marcel Duchamp's Fountain, a found sculpture of a urinal. "The only works of art America has given," wrote Wood, "are her plumbing and her bridges." —Jerry Saltz
Related: The Falls Guy [NYM]
Photo: Getty Images
Compared to the frenetic activity of Giacchetto and Rocancourt, Follieri comes off as calm and deliberate. Giacchetto networked like a fiend, made himself the New York money manager to Hollywood (Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Ovitz, Courteney Cox), and was eventually busted for stealing from his clients’ portfolios to finance his partying. Rocancourt was more drifter-chic: Adopting dozens of aliases, he curried favor with illustrious B-listers such as Mickey Rourke and Jean-Claude Van Damme in Los Angeles, and in the Hamptons, pretended to be Christopher Rockefeller, the “French Rockefeller.” (Almost as absurd as keeping Catholic robes on hand to give the impression that you’re tight with the Pope, which Follieri did.) Giacchetto was a starfucker; Rocancourt was playing a grab-and-run game — get the money, then disappear. Follieri, however, was more focused: He went straight to Clinton aide Doug Band and paid him a $400,000 “consulting fee” for an introduction to Burkle.
You can almost imagine Follieri outlining his con in his Franklin planner. He arrived in New York pushing the Follieri Group, a real-estate-development company interested in the aforementioned church properties. But he needed investors, so he went straight to the top — Burkle and his bestie, Bill Clinton. His purported Vatican ties made the deal all the more appealing, especially since he hinted that he could secure the Catholic vote for Hillary. How convenient! Burkle’s Yucaipa Cos. pledged up to $105 million; at that time, Bill Clinton was an adviser to the company.
Then Follieri allegedly used much of that money to finance his masters-of-the-universe lifestyle, hence the federal indictment for misappropriation of funds. But when the accusations first started in April 2007, after Burkle filed a civil suit for the same reasons in Delaware, Follieri didn’t try to hide a thing, and he wasn’t trying to distract anyone — except, perhaps, poor Anne Hathaway. Nevertheless, for more than the past year the Journal-reading public has been marginally aware that this Follieri fellow might be involved with some very dicey business dealings (and the Post-reading public was at least aware that Anne Hathaway’s boyfriend was sketchy). But the guy just kept on doing his thing, even in the face of defeat: Follieri lost the civil suit against Burkle, and he was sued in October 2007 for breach of contract for failing to pay a D.C. public-relations firm $250,000. In April of this year, a day after a judge ruled that he pony up, cops hunted down Follieri for a bounced check written for $215,000. He had $39.08 in his bank account. And then, three weeks ago, State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced that Follieri's charitable foundation was under investigation.
So why’d it take Follieri so long to actually get cuffed? If it was Burkle’s lawsuit in 2007 — which closely mirrors the federal indictment that has been Follieri’s final straw — that kicked off the slow unraveling, then it’s also Burkle’s stratosphere that kept Follieri in the clear. It took almost five years for someone to catch on to Follieri because he was able to tell the Big Lie. The audacity of his scheme, the swagger and self-confidence it takes to con the billionaire boys’ club for years, the ability to carry on for another year while you’re slowly getting busted, and to keep your movie-star girlfriend from dumping you until the very last minute — it was actually kind of exceptional. —Jessica Coen
More: Read all of Daily Intel's Raffaello Follieri coverage
 CanMag | Gary Oldman People Magazine - Heath Ledger's maniacal twist on the Joker in The Dark Knight in no way resembled his true character off set - that of a proud father to his 2-year-old daughter, Matilda, his costars say. 'Dark Knight' cast remembers Heath Ledger The Dark Knight Review |
 Wilkes Barre Times-Leader | The TV Watch Meet the New ‘Press,’ Without Wriggling Guests New York Times - By ALESSANDRA STANLEY From left, Gov. Bill Ritter Jr. of Colorado and Gov. Dave Freudenthal of Wyoming were guests of Tom Brokaw on Sunday. “Meet the Press” Done the Tom Brokaw Way Tim Russert will be sorely missed |
 New York Daily News | Christie Brinkley Still Friends With Billy Joel FOXNews - By Roger Friedman AP Don’t believe the stories being planted in the tabloids about Christie Brinkley and Billy Joel being on the outs, or Christie talking Billy down to her kids. Christie Brinkley's lawyers will put Diana Bianchi on stand Day 1 BRINKLEY-SPLIT SIREN SPOTTED |
AP - Phil Griffin, the NBC News executive who oversees MSNBC, is a coiled mass of energy who needs little provocation to do battle. Now he's got something to fight for.
AP - The head of the Screen Actors Guild doesn't want to hear the s-word as a deadline for contract expiration looms.
Reuters - When is a big studio
picture not a big studio picture? When we're talking
Universal's "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" and the filmmaker
happens to be Guillermo del Toro.
Reuters - No matter how many
blockbusters there are, Universal's screen version of the
global hit stage musical "Mamma Mia!" is the most fun to be had
at the movies this or any other recent summer.
Photo illustration: Everett Bogue; Photos: Getty Images
Governor Charlie Crist (Florida)
Google Meter: 90,300
Age: 51
Religion: Methodist
Education: B.A., Florida State; J.D., Cumberland School of Law
Pros: Popular, tax-cutting governor of the biggest swing state; gave McCain a huge boost in the critical Florida primary; probably will have strong loyalty among 800,000 non-violent felons whose voting rights Crist has restored; in sync with McCain on the need to address climate change; extremely charming; only 51 and perpetually tanned, but silver hair reduces how different he and McCain appear in age.
Cons: His changing stance on abortion (from pro-choice to pro-life) and aversion to picking fights on social issues make some conservatives suspicious; has denied an allegation that he fathered a daughter in a one-night stand in 1988 and rumors that he is gay.
Bottom Line: If he’s not at the top of list, he should be.
Governor Tim Pawlenty (Minnesota)
Google Meter: 58,300
Age: 47
Religion: Baptist
Education: B.A., University of Minnesota; J.D., University of Minnesota Law School
Pros: One of very few Republicans to win in a blue state in 2006; has built a record of holding the line on taxes and strongly opposing illegal immigration.
Cons: Unknown nationally; Minnesota may already be out of reach for McCain.
Bottom Line: Not hugely compelling, but he has a serious chance because he would satisfy social conservatives on a number of fronts without offending other blocs.
Governor Sarah Palin (Alaska)
Google meter: 25,000
Age: 44
Religion: Protestant
Education: B.A. (Journalism), University of Idaho
Pros: Shares with McCain a hatred for the corruption personified by Senator Ted Stevens, the longtime king of Alaska politics and Senate pork; has a son in the Army; former Miss Alaska contestant; lifetime member of the NRA; eats moose burgers; rides snowmobiles.
Cons: Just 44 years old; has just two years of experience as governor of one of the nation’s least populous states.
Bottom Line: A dark horse for the moment, but keep an eye on this coming superstar. She could help in the Mountain West, and she’s someone around whom right-wingers may soon realize they would be happy to coalesce around.
Senator Lindsey Graham (South Carolina)
Google Meter: 83,300
Age: 52
Religion: Southern Baptist
Education: B.A. (Psychology), University of South Carolina; J.D., University of South Carolina
Pros: From endorsing McCain in 2000 to joining the anti-filibuster “Gang of 14” senators to supporting the immigration-reform bill sponsored by McCain and Ted Kennedy, he is a definitive McCain Republican; former military prosecutor in the Air Force JAG Corps.
Cons: Right-wingers dislike his occasional independence; lifelong bachelorhood has triggered gay-baiting rumors.
Bottom Line: He would have made a great running mate for McCain eight years ago; this time around, the ticket will need a broader boost to McCain’s appeal than a white southern male can provide.
Governor Bobby Jindal (Louisiana)
Google Meter: 124,000
Age: 37
Religion: Roman Catholic
Education: B.A. (Biology and Public Policy), Brown; M.A. (Political Science), Oxford
Pros: Wunderkind who turned Louisiana’s Medicaid program from bankruptcy to surpluses in the nineties; right-wing darling; Indian-American son of Punjabi immigrants; winning smile and personality; actual name is “Piyush,” but he took the nickname “Bobby” after watching The Brady Bunch as a 4-year-old.
Cons: Only 37; uncomfortably extreme social conservative; wrote an article in 1994 detailing his participation in an exorcism.
Bottom Line: He’s a collection of Heritage Foundation policy papers with a human face, which would put meat on McCain’s policy bones, and he’s a great story, but he’s probably too young to put on the ticket in a year when the Republicans want to blast Obama as inexperienced. Expect, however, an Obama-like shot at introducing himself to the nation at the GOP convention.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (Washington, D.C.)
Google Meter: 315,000
Age: 53
Religion: Presbyterian
Education: B.A. (Political Science), University of Denver; M.A. (Political Science), Notre Dame; Ph.D. (Political Science), University of Denver
Pros: Megawattage celebrity stardom; as an African-American woman, would radically balance the ticket.
Cons: Has presided over one of the most disastrous foreign policies in American history; has never run for public office; unknown views on domestic issues.
Bottom Line: A wild card; McCain is running as fast as he can away from everyone associated with the Bush administration, but if he needs a home run by convention time, who knows?
Former Governor Mitt Romney (Massachusetts)
Google Meter: 225,000
Age: 61
Religion: Mormon
Education: B.A., Brigham Young University; J.D./M.B.A., Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School
Pros: Still a favorite among the socially conservative chattering classes who populate Websites like the Corner; could help carry states in the Mountain West.
Cons: McCain loathes him and has openly laughed at his vice-presidential pretensions; many Evangelicals distrust his Mormonism; lengthy record of flip-flops; ran astoundingly poor presidential campaign.
Bottom Line: It’s hard to imagine McCain spending the next five months in close quarters with someone for whom he has so little respect, much less putting him a heartbeat away from the presidency.
Former Representative Rob Portman (Ohio)
Google Meter: 20,500
Age: 52
Religion: Methodist
Education: B.A. (Anthropology), Dartmouth; J.D., University of Michigan Law School
Pros: A rare Bush-administration policy wonk, has displayed sanity and smarts as U.S. trade representative and OMB chief, as he did as Bush 41’s director of legislative affairs.
Cons: A consummate insider in a year of change; endorsed by David Brooks.
Bottom Line: The kind of guy McCain will need to help run the government if he wins, but not likely to win him many votes before November.
Senator Joe Lieberman (Connecticut)
Google Meter: 293,000
Age: 66
Religion: Orthodox Judaism
Education: B.A. (Politics and Economics), Yale; L.L.B., Yale Law School
Pros: War hawk; gets along well with McCain; has already assumed, and seems to relish, traditional veep role of attack dog; status as turncoat Democrat would generate dramatic sizzle.
Cons: Has a decades-long voting record supporting Democratic positions on non-Iraq issues, from abortion to tax cuts; could actually hurt McCain in Connecticut, where Lieberman’s approval rating among Independents is under 50 percent; sanctimoniousness wears awfully thin.
Bottom Line: As an echo where McCain is already loud and a lifelong Democrat where McCain is already having problems with the GOP base, he is more likely to end up secretary of Defense than vice-president.
Former Governor Mike Huckabee (Arkansas)
Google Meter: 610,000
Age: 52
Religion: Southern Baptist
Education: B.A. (Religion), Quachita Baptist University
Pros: Could help McCain among Evangelicals; terrific retail campaigner; he and McCain remained friendly even while campaigning against each other in the spring; populist in a year of economic turmoil; knows how to fry squirrel.
Cons: Economic conservatives don’t like his anti-corporate shtick; mixing Baptist theology and politics as thoroughly as he does doesn’t play well outside the Republican primary electorate; while speaking at an NRA meeting in May, cracked a joke about someone aiming a gun at Barack Obama.
Bottom Line: Won’t happen. Many Evangelicals are wary of McCain, but Republican fund-raisers don’t take Huckabee seriously. And McCain isn’t planning on aiming his campaign at the Bible Belt, anyway.
Former Governor Tom Ridge (Pennsylvania)
Google Meter: 48,300
Age: 62
Religion: Roman Catholic
Education: B.A., Harvard; J.D., Dickinson School of Law
Pros: Was a popular governor of a state McCain would love to compete in; decorated Vietnam veteran.
Cons: Difficult tenure as secretary of Homeland Security; somnolent public speaker; pro-choice.
Bottom Line: Anyone who thinks McCain is ambivalent about abortion is in for a rude awakening — he’s already said that “respect and cherishing of the right of the unborn” essentially eliminates Ridge’s chance to be on the ticket.
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani (New York)
Who?
Related: Obama's Potential Running Mates: A Who's Who [NYM]
Related: Heilemann on Obama's VP Conundrum [NYM]
For a complete and regularly updated guide to presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain — from First Love to Most Embarrassing Gaffe — read the 2008 Electopedia.
Photo-illustration: Everett Bogue; Photos: Getty Images
Governor Kathleen Sebelius (Kansas)
Google Meter: 84,000
Age: 60
Religion: Roman Catholic
Education: B.A., Trinity Washington University; M.P.A. (Public Administration), University of Kansas
Pros: Effective governor who has masterfully exploited the split between moderates and right-wingers among Kansas Republicans; so popular that the former chairman of the state GOP switched parties and ran as her lieutenant governor in 2006; attacked by Robert Novak as a “pro-choice poster girl,” though abortions in Kansas have declined 8.5 percent since she took office.
Cons: Lack of foreign-policy experience; response to Bush’s 2008 State of the Union address was a rather severe dud.
Bottom Line: Obama-Sebelius would have great heartland appeal. The big question is whether Hillary supporters who don’t want any other woman on the ticket before Clinton will try to torpedo her chances.
Former Senator John Edwards (North Carolina)
Google Meter: 317,000
Age: 55
Religion: Methodist
Education: B.A. (Textile Technology), North Carolina State; J.D., University of North Carolina Law School
Pros: Boosts the Democratic ticket far more than any other vice-presidential nominee in early polls; his advocacy of the downtrodden is admired by Obamafans and Clintonistas alike.
Cons: His long wait before endorsing Obama has led to suspicion that Elizabeth Edwards is not fully onboard; didn’t help John Kerry much in 2004, particularly when it came to fending off slimy attacks.
Bottom Line: A.G. is more likely than V.P.
Governor Bill Richardson (New Mexico)
Google Meter: 465,000
Age: 60
Religion: Roman Catholic
Education: B.A. (French and Political Science), Tufts; M.A. (International Affairs), Tufts
Pros: Popular governor of a swing state that George W. Bush carried in 2004; Hispanic; crossed the Clintons to endorse Obama at a key moment of the campaign; international negotiator who has won the release of prisoners in hot spots from Cuba to North Korea; immensely charming.
Cons: Fairly terrible on TV; never caught fire with voters in 2008; uncertain influence among Hispanics outside New Mexico; Diane Denish, his lieutenant governor, said in 2005 that she tried not to stand or sit next to him because he touched her too much, including on the hip, thigh and “sort of the side of my leg.”
Bottom Line: Obama, who's partial to Lincolnesque touches, has signaled he will adopt a team-of-rivals approach to his former foes. As with Edwards, expect Obama to offer Richardson, Senator Joe Biden (Delaware), and possibly Senator Chris Dodd (Connecticut) Cabinet posts — not the vice-presidency.
Senator Jim Webb (Virginia)
Google Meter: 234,000
Age: 62
Religion: U.S. Naval Academy; J.D., Georgetown.
Education: Protestant
Pros: Former Navy Secretary and Marine who has blasted the Iraq war; upset victory over George “Macaca” Allen in 2006 gave Democrats control of the Senate and made him a national celebrity; secured final approval last week of his GI bill, giving free tuition at public universities to veterans; genuine thinker about military and economic issues whose Born Fighting chronicles the Scotch-Irish in America; his son, also a Marine, has served in Iraq; a 2006 conversation with Bush, who asked him twice how his “boy” was, left him wanting to “slug” the president; decorated Vietnam veteran.
Cons: Has only been a Democrat since 2006; despite his battling persona, is actually more popular among Obama-style liberals than red-county moderates and conservatives; the half-dozen novels he has written contain a smattering of lurid scenes; wrote an article called “Women Can’t Fight” in 1979, stridently opposing allowing females to serve in combat.
Bottom Line: Favorite of the moment: Intrade puts his veep chances at 21.9 percent, higher than any other candidate. But his independence, ambition, and love of his Senate platform make it more likely that he’ll follow former Governor Mark Warner (Virginia) and Governor Ted Strickland and take himself out of the running than subordinate himself to another man’s agenda.
Governor Tim Kaine (Virginia)
Google Meter: 70,600
Age: 50
Religion: Roman Catholic
Education: B.A. (Economics), University of Missouri; J.D., Harvard Law School
Pros: Early and enthusiastic Obama supporter, in a state Obama won big in February and wants to compete in come November; underdog who won statewide in 2005 by running strongly in Republican exurbs as well as heavily African-American cities; as mayor of Richmond, helped create Project Exile, getting guns off streets by prosecuting firearms-related crimes in federal court; took a year off from Harvard Law School to work in Honduras as a Catholic missionary.
Cons: Pro-life; just three years of experience as governor.
Bottom Line: Sleeper pick whose selection would indicate Obama is going for broke and aiming for a realigning election.
Governor. Phil Bredesen (Tennessee)
Google Meter: 15,200
Age: 64
Religion: Presbyterian
Education: B.S. (Physics), Harvard
Pros: Popular border-state governor with a centrist reputation; has expanded health care, hiked teacher pay, and improved job training while balancing budgets; advocate of open government who has enacted strict ethics reforms; founding member of Nashville’s Table, which collects food for the homeless from restaurants; ran a successful health-care management company in the eighties; college degree in physics from Harvard.
Cons: Hospitalized in 2006 with a 104-degree fever for a condition that was never diagnosed.
Bottom Line: He has the substance to be the next Al Gore, but hardly anybody on the national scene has noticed yet, apparently including Obama.
Retired General Wesley Clark (Arkansas)
Google Meter: 134,000
Age: 63
Religion: “I’m Catholic, but I go to a Presbyterian church.”
Education: U.S. Military Academy; B.A. (Philosophy, Politics and Economics), Oxford University
Pros: Clinton surrogate, but didn’t campaign intemperately against Obama; is the only military choice who has already been through a national campaign; was an early favorite of many Netroots Democrats; former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO; led Western forces in the Kosovo War; decorated Vietnam veteran; Rhodes Scholar; valedictorian of his class at West Point.
Cons: Rocky 2004 presidential run not only failed to connect with Democratic primary voters, it left many members of the media scorning him as an amateur.
Bottom Line: Looked great as recently as April, but it’s starting to seem as though Obama feels he can tap the political and financial support of major Clinton backers without having to put them on the ticket. The smart bet now: Obama doesn’t need Clark or Governor Ed Rendell (Pennsylvania), or Senator Evan Bayh (Indiana), or Governor Tom Vilsack (Iowa).
Former Senator Sam Nunn (Georgia)
Google Meter: 48,100
Age: 69
Religion: Protestant
Education: B.A., Emory University; J.D., Emory University School of Law
Pros: Former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee with serious national-security cred; co-author of the law that provides aid to Russia and other former Soviet Republics for getting rid of their nuclear weapons; endorsed by Jimmy Carter.
Cons: Raging homophobe who undermined the Clinton administration as soon as it took office in 1993 by holding hearings, including televised field visits to military barracks and toilets, to denounce lifting the ban on gays in the military.
Bottom Line: Embodies the conventional wisdom of what a vice-president should be — giving him almost zero chance in this anti-Establishmentarian year.
Senator Hillary Clinton (New York)
Google Meter: 411,000
Age: 60
Religion: Methodist
Education: B.A. (Political Science), Wellesley; J.D., Yale Law School
Pros: Got 18 million votes in the primaries — maybe you heard that somewhere? — demonstrating electoral strength where Obama is weak; superhuman tenacity.
Cons: The most divisive politician in the country not named George W. Bush; husband’s postpresidential business record is a ticking time bomb; though she and Obama seem to get along well enough personally, their staffs and followers deeply want to avoid further engagement.
Bottom Line: If, in the wake of Hillary’s concession, you have lost track of all the racially tinged mud she and her supporters threw during the fight for the nomination, rest assured Michelle Obama has not.
Senator Chuck Hagel (Nebraska)
Google Meter: 177,000
Age: 61
Religion: Episcopalian
Education: Brown Institute for Radio and Television; B.A., University of Nebraska
Pros: Republican who would make for a dramatic unity ticket, the first since 1864; fierce critic of the Bush White House; voted in 2007 to support withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq; could help Obama pick off an electoral vote or two in Nebraska, which splits EVs by congressional district; decorated Vietnam veteran who once pulled his brother, who was serving in the same unit, out of an exploding vehicle; once showed up at a Halloween meeting of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee wearing a Joe Biden mask.
Cons: Despite his rhetoric, has actually voted as a down-the-line conservative on nearly all non-war issues.
Bottom Line: Attractive and sensible enough to make many Democrats want to believe in him, and his willingness to cross party lines will keep him in the limelight. But it will be hard to put a guy with a 12 percent rating from the American Public Health Association, not to mention a zero from NARAL, on the ticket.
Governor Brian Schweitzer (Montana)
Google Meter: 22,500
Age: 52
Religion: Roman Catholic
Education: B.S. (International Agronomy), Colorado State; M.S. (Soil Science), Montana State
Pros: Among the most popular governors in the country, and of a state that used to be deep red; creative booster of alternative energy sources such as bio-diesel and wind turbines; affable, unpretentious rancher who wears blue jeans, cowboy boots, and bolo ties and takes his border collie to work at the state capitol; soil engineer who has worked on international irrigation projects; speaks Arabic.
Cons: Montana has fewer voters than Queens, and he’s been running it for just four years.
Bottom Line: Archetype of a new generation of fighting Democrats, and may make his own bid for national office someday, but no real chance; even Obama can offer the country only so much in-your-face newness.
Retired General James Jones (Missouri)
Google Meter: 26,000
Age: 64
Religion: Unknown
Education: B.S., Georgetown University School of Foreign Service
Pros: Former Supreme Allied Commander, Europe and Commandant of the Marine Corps; criticized inadequate troop levels in Afghanistan; has investigated the Iraqi military and police; has served as Middle East peace envoy; decorated Vietnam veteran; played basketball at Georgetown.
Cons: Unknown views on domestic issues; on board of directors at Chevron, one of the worst corporate citizens on the planet.
Bottom Line: Impressive military record, but so unknown nationally that his name was probably leaked to make Obama’s list look intriguing rather than as a serious possibility.
Related: McCain's Potential Running Mates: A Who's Who [NYM]
Related: Heilemann on Obama's VP Conundrum [NYM]
For a complete and regularly updated guide to presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain — from First Love to Most Embarrassing Gaffe — read the 2008 Electopedia.
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