A piece from the Sass & Bide for Topshop.Photo: Courtesy of Topshop

We thought we recognized the patrician voice of a silver-haired party patron getting shaken down by Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight, and yes, it's six-term Vermont senator Patrick Leahy, in one of the more bizarre cameos of the summer. Clearly, Leahy saw what that Wedding Crashers cameo did for fellow Senate maverick John McCain, and is now out to get his own Cheddar. Though shot mostly from behind and in profile at a fund-raising party thrown by Bruce Wayne, Leahy does get a line — and he even gets to represent for Democrats and talk tough on terror, barking, "We won't be intimidated by thugs!" (He has experience in withstanding tense standoffs, having famously been told "Go fuck yourself" by Dick Cheney on the Senate floor.)

Other than the fact that Leahy's apparently a comic-book fan (having previously done an episode of voice work for the mid-nineties Batman animated series), Warner Bros. publicity representatives had no knowledge of any special connections between director Christopher Nolan and the current chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, though maybe they're just playing their cards close to the vest. After all, given that this is the summer of cross-pollinated comic-book spinoffs and foreshadowing, with Nick Fury popping up in Iron Man and Tony Stark in The Incredible Hulk, clearly the Vermont politician is being set up for his own superhero franchise. May we suggest Dairy-Devil? —Brent Simon

Fleet Foxes Nearly Ignite Hippie-on-Hipster War

Photo: Everett Bogue

When Pecknold compared the venue to an underground Communist lair, and some in attendance unleashed anarchist battle cries (“Let’s burn it down!”), drummer Josh Tillman responded with a little snark. “Except here it would be ‘let’s carry our tote bags,’” he piped up. “This is Brooklyn.” After a volley of boos (and someone’s threat to “open a tote bag full of ‘whoop ass’”), Tillman claimed he was just good-naturedly pointing out the similarities between his hippie hometown and Park Slope. People didn’t seem to buy it. “Oh well,” said Tillman, entirely obscured behind his woolly bandleader. “Thank God none of you can see what I look like.” —Sarah Maslin Nir

What Kind of Teen Would List ‘Dad’ As His Hero on MySpace?

KylePhoto:

Rome Film Festival

Michael Caine

Retailers Shun Men’s Jeans Designed by Victoria Beckham

Poor thing.Photo: Getty Images

The former Spice Girl was set to launch the new dVb line at Kitson boutique in Los Angeles but it has now been pushed back until next year.

The delay comes just months after the denim range was relegated to the bargain basement bins of several US boutiques while many announced they would no longer carry it because of poor sales.

So shoppers are going for, like, Rock & Republics over dVbs? Shocking. Maybe she should have stepped up her game in the promotional department and actually made an appearance at Kitson. You'll recall that back in March Kitson's owner, Fraser Ross, told WWD, "I'm fighting right now with Victoria Beckham's people because she lives here in L.A., we sell her line and she won't come in here to do an appearance. We have customers asking if she will come in and what am I supposed to tell them?" If she's having trouble drumming up interest in her ladies' pants, how is she going to get the guys onboard? At this point she should probably just head straight for a tabletop in a gay bar with her dancing shoes on. That would probably drum up some male interest.

Posh's fashion career takes another blow as men's line is pushed back [This is London]

Related: Celebrity Designers Proliferate, But Mrs. Beckham Is a Difficult One

"Meet Dave" Doesn't Meet Expectations

Artist Cai Jin Has Good Taste in Bathroom Fixtures

Cai Jin’s Banana Plant 293 (2008).Courtesy 798 Avant Gallery

Ron Perelman Sues Family of Ex-Wife Claudia Cohen

Cohen and Perelman in 1999.Photo: Getty Images

Cohen, who was a gossip columnist and TV personality, died in 2007 after a battle with ovarian cancer. Perelman was most recently defending her earlier this month when some University of Pennsylvania students complained about a building bearing her name. Perelman, also a trustee of the school, had donated $20 million in exchange for the naming rights — and he passed the honor along to Claudia this year because she, too, was a Penn alum and the first female editor-in-chief of the Daily Pennsylvanian.

Perelman is the executor of Cohen's estate, and he claims that half of her father's estate was promised to her. But he says brother James Cohen has taken advantage of the infirm retail magnate (he is a part owner of the Hudson News chain but is in poor health) for his own benefit.

James Cohen's lawyers contest all the charges. And don't forget, Perelman is also wrapped up in an ugly legal battle with another ex-wife over the care of their daughter, Caleigh. That's the brilliance of being a billionaire — you can destroy people in multiple courtrooms at once!

RON PERELMAN FILES SUIT AGAIN LATE WIFE'S FAMILY [NYP]

Music fans at the the 'T in the Park' music festival

Newton Faulkner performing at the 'T in the Park' music festival

Foodies Lament Tribeca’s New Men’s-Only J.Crew

Sigh.Photo: Daniel Maurer

J.Crew Lords It Over Late, Great Liquor Store Bar [Grub Street]

Related: Men's-Only J.Crew to Open in Tribeca

Diverse Iraqi Authors United in Melancholy

We’re not deeply knowledgeable about the contemporary Iraqi writing scene, but we’re willing, even eager, to learn about it, and this anthology is a fine primer. Its selections are various, including work by Christians, Jews, Muslims, and women, some currently abroad, and all introduced with helpful biographical sketches. But a hollowed-out sadness unites the stories—especially vis-à-vis the ravaged environments the characters tend to inhabit—that puts us in mind of the haunting, depopulated portraits of Giorgio de Chirico.

Brendan Fraser's Back for More Action

Will Leitch on the ‘Office’ Webisodes Launch

Kevin in "Kevin's Loan."Courtesy of NBC.com

During last year’s writers’ strike — remember that? It was when TV was full of the same junk it is now, only it was colder outside — the main writers of The Office (known best to you as Kelly, Toby, Ryan, and Mose Schrute) took to the picket line to mock networks for calling their Webisodes “promotions.” Michael Schur (Mose) pointed out that NBC wouldn’t even pony up the $28 for the Daytime Emmy they won for “The Accountants,” which featured ten short episodes about $30,000 missing from the company fund. They were funny, we suppose, but the plot pretty much consisted of “Look, it’s Kevin! Look, it’s Phyllis! Online!” And no: Steve Carell was too busy.

Well, now that the strike is “settled,” the Webisodes have returned, with episode one of “Kevin’s Loan” debuting on NBC.com last night. It has potential; it appears Kevin’s ongoing gambling debts (“If anyone gives you 10,000 to 1 odds on anything, you take that bet. If John Mellencamp ever wins an Oscar, I will be one rich dude”) have finally overtaken his life, to the point that he’s taking out bank loans to pay off bookies.

As always, Brian Baumgartner nails that perfect balance — satirized so well in last year’s final episode — between dull, sinister naïveté and blatant developmental disablement. And we’re promised more goodness down the line, with a substantial role for Darryl, without question the most underutilized character on the show. (The Webisodes probably should have been set in the warehouse, actually; we mean, the guy’s in Pineapple Express! He’s a breakout star waiting to happen!)

The first Webisode was written by new staff addition Anthony Q. Farrell, a name with whom we’re unfamiliar and whose most notable credit seems to be a role as a preacher in Pool Party: The Movie. (“From the producers who SAW American Pie.” Ho, ho!) We’ll assume, for now, he didn’t mind doing some “promotion,” gratis. —Will Leitch

New ‘Sex and the City’ Movie a ‘Likely Possibility,’ Says HBO

Which one of these stars has already signed on?Photo: Courtesy of New Line Cinema

Jennifer Hudson, for one, is ready to reprise her role.

A sequel is "not out of the question," she told People Thursday night at London's Keep a Child Alive fund-raiser hosted by Alicia Keys. "I would love to be a part of that."

Really? It's "not out of the question"? How will she find time when she's so busy fending off other offers?

Plans for Another 'Sex and the City' Movie? [People]

Heidi Klum Doesn’t Starve Herself, But Loses Weight, Anyway

This is what not starving yourself looks like.Photo: Getty Images

Fashion shows have never been my thing. I don't look thin enough for the runway. The other girls were always much taller and skinnier. But I've never starved myself or done crazy things just to be thin like a rail.

We're genuinely glad to hear her say that, but we have to wonder what her secret to staying thin is. Remember when she hit the Victoria's Secret runway just two months after giving birth, in 2005? And she sure did look quite slim on the last season of Project Runway, after she lost her most recent baby weight. Maybe all the competition stress keeps the pounds off? Or her metabolism is just magical.

Fashion Shows Are Not My Thing [Parade]

Obama’s Plan for a Big Win — and His Greatest Weakness

He might not even need God on his side.Photo: Getty

But the places John Kerry carried in 2004 are Obama’s base this time around, not his ceiling. And Obama has decided to invest that money in contesting a wide swath of territories. His first national TV ad, “The Country I Love,” launched on June 19 in eighteen states, from Nevada to Wisconsin to North Carolina. In the past two weeks, Obama has talked about patriotism in Independence, Missouri, faith-based programs in Zanesville, Ohio, national service in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and black teenagers and education in Powder Springs, Georgia, generating not only national headlines about his supposed shift to the center, but also local news.

Obama is particularly confident about appealing to independents in the heartland, who are deeply sick of George W. Bush and who aren’t particularly racially polarized. In Iowa, Obama has maintained the operation that delivered him a game-changing win in the Democratic caucuses. And he has poured resources into Indiana, a normally deep-red state where Obama and McCain are even in recent polls. Win Iowa, campaign manager David Plouffe rather baldly told the Indianapolis Star last month, and “we'd only be eleven away from 270.” Yes, Indiana has eleven electoral votes.

Obama’s team also believes it can out-organize McCain in sparsely populated Big Sky states, just as it beat Clinton in the Democratic caucuses. Last week, Obama became the first presidential candidate to visit Fargo, North Dakota, since 1964. He spent the Fourth of July in Butte, Montana. He may even be planning a trip to Alaska. Polls show he is actually competitive in all three states.

So where is Obama looking to go over the top? Ohio? Florida? Iowa and Indiana? Virginia and Colorado, which have drifted Democratic while the GOP has played to its base over the past eight years? Southern states with large black populations where Obama is within single digits of McCain, such as North Carolina and Georgia? Until money gets tight, the answer is “all of the above.” Obama is on the air in all of those states. And right now, he’s north of 300 electoral votes.

In response, the McCain campaign has been spending heavily in the border-but-oughta-be-red states of Missouri and Virginia, and has even gone on the air in Mississippi, where polls put him far ahead. But until recently, the campaign was just driven by the candidate’s own impulses, not deep strategy. Some are now arguing that McCain’s best chance for 270 electoral votes is to hope certain events benefit the GOP while focusing on a few states where Obama is vulnerable. Last Monday, for example, the Next Right’s Patrick Ruffini wrote: “The key to victory may lie in targeting Ohio-Michigan as a megastate and trying to shift both states 1-2 points in his direction by brute force.” And McCain seems to agree, having dumped campaign manager Rick Davis for Karl Rove acolyte Steve Schmidt and launching a tour of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. You can just smell a slash-and-burn campaign across the Rust Belt.

Of course, the national media, following the campaign as a personality-driven duel, views the race as a tie. (July 1, CNN reported a 50-45 Obama lead in a poll with a 3.5-point margin of error as a “statistical dead heat.”) And McCain knows just how many drops of blood will trigger frenzies over subjects like Wesley Clark’s remarks and Obama’s “flip-flops.” Obama, in contrast, is often knocked off stride by such unreasonableness, whether it’s debate questions about his patriotism or endless parsing of his intent to “refine” his Iraq policy.

Obama seems reactive partly because some of his key initiatives — registering massive numbers of new voters, reaching out to young Evangelicals — are happening off the press’ radar. But on some big issues, McCain has just made better pitches. He has framed the war as a question of whether the surge has brought added stability to Iraq, and Obama, unable to deny that it has, is stuck defending troop withdrawals. McCain has argued for offshore drilling as a way to use American resources for relief at the pump, and Obama’s responses have sounded retro and hackneyed. Meanwhile, Obama bungled the symbolism of rejecting public financing by letting McCain off the hook for agreeing to use public funds, then rejecting the system himself. And while Obama’s calls for faith-based programs and community service may prove resonant, his economic program has yet to viscerally connect with voters.

The key question: After Obama reintroduces himself as a non-radical, can he take control of the campaign narrative? During the last three months of the Democratic race, he simply ran out the clock against Clinton. Against a more unpredictable opponent and facing a possible October surprise, Obama will need better punches for a knockout.

Intrade currently puts Obama’s chances of winning at 64.9 percent and McCain’s at 31.2 percent. The funny thing about that is that between the overconfidence of some and the anxiety of others, Obama’s supporters are probably less comfortable than McCain’s with those odds. —Peter Keating

Meet the New Girl: Jill Bauwens

Photo: Imaxtree

Model profile: Jill Bauwens

For more pretty ladies (and guys too!), surf around our comprehensive Model Manual.

Vivienne Westwood Liked the Clothes in ‘Sex and the City’ After All!

Vivienne WestwoodPhoto: Getty Images

"I stayed throughout the film, and was overjoyed to see Sarah Jessica in her beautiful wedding dress; furthermore, I have been delighted to notice recently how well young girls are dressing, and that they have clearly been inspired by the film."

Ah, we just regained our state of Zen.

Westwood's Real Opinion [British Vogue]
Related: Vivienne Westwood Couldn’t Sit Through ‘Sex and the City’

Hey, iPhone 3G Owners: It’s Not Quite Time to Be Smug

This guy is about to be disappointed.Photo: Getty Images

We tried to contact our own IT guy, who was first in line at the Soho store, to see what his experience with the new phone has been. But we couldn't reach him. Uh-oh.

iTunes activation servers go down, iPhone 3G customers being sent home unactivated [Engadget]

Earlier: Our IT Guy Is First In Line For the iPhone

Elvis Cole returns in 11th novel (AP)

AP - "Chasing Darkness" (Simon & Schuster. 273 pages. $25.95), by Robert Crais: Little in life is as satisfying as a new Elvis Cole novel. Each installment of Robert Crais' 20-year-old series is like meeting a good friend for lunch who you haven't seen in a long time.

Thriller master Ridley Pearson strikes again (AP)

AP - "Killer View" (G.P. Putnam's Sons. 340 pages. $24.95), by Ridley Pearson: Only Ridley Pearson could take a timeless children's tale and deftly turn it into a series of engaging thrillers.

Tim Gunn: Cindy McCain’s Updos Are Far Too Taut

Michelle Obama and Cindy McCainPhoto: Getty Images

"Michelle Obama. Absolutely. She looks so comfortable and relaxed in her style, in her fashion, and she exudes that. She has a presence that gives you confidence in her."

But that's not Gunn's entire answer. Thanks to the magical Internet, you can watch Gunn deliver his full answer on video. It seems Time edited this little gem out of the printed article:

Cindy McCain looks like someone has twisted her ponytail into a knot and tried to give her a face-lift.

Don't you love how Tim Gunn puts into words what you never knew you always wanted to say? Click through for the full video.

10 Questions for Tim Gunn [Time]
Related: Everyone Wants to Dress Michelle Obama
When It Comes to Style, Michelle Obama Holds Her Own

anja rubik, our baby love

That Anja Rubik is beautiful is undisputable. That she is adorable is proven by the baby photos that run in the July issue of Deutsch Vogue (she's the cover girl). See 1,000-plus images of the grown-up Anja in her exclusive Style.com portfolio, or check out her Web site at www.anjarubik.com.

Jerry Springer, Melanie Brown to Host Miss Universe

graffiti on fifth avenue? thank lord & taylor

Back when they were spray-painting subway cars in the eighties, the five members of Tats Cru never could have guessed that one day, they'd be commissioned to redecorate Fifth Avenue. But that day has come: As part of its Art in Action program, Lord & Taylor has given Tats Cru the run of the windows at the department store's flagship in midtown, and in related news, if Rudy Giuliani weren't still alive, he'd be rolling in his grave. "Initially, Lord & Taylor wanted us to paint live, in the windows," says Tats Cru tagger Nicer Nazario. "But then we saw how big the backdrops are, and we were like, uh, you have no idea what a mess we'd make." Clearly, Nazario and confrères How and Nosm Perre, BG183 Ortiz, and Bio Feliciano have gotten a mite more polite since they shook up their first cans of Krylon 26 years ago. "Man, we're dinosaurs," Nazario recalls with a laugh. "We've been doing this since forever. We've done murals for the Smithsonian. But Fifth Avenue? That's crazy. Any artist would kill for that exposure. I guess we've come a long way."

Brooke Hogan: 'I Feel Like I'm 40'

A visitor of the Frankfurt Book Fair looks at a book by author V.S. Naipaul

V.S. Naipaul (L), flanked by his wife Nadira, displays his medal

V.S. Naipaul

vocabulary lesson: hooray/hooray u.s.a.

Kevin Kollenda, a photography agent at CLM, celebrated his birthday at the home of Camilla Lowther in London last night. Although the California native is now based in New York, he lived in London for nearly 17 years, during which he spent much of his time translating British English to American English. His birthday, which was attended by fash friends like Saffron Aldridge, Stephen Webster, Katie Grand, Phil Poynter, and Jacquetta Wheeler, was no different. While gossiping about some mutual friends—shocking that fashion professionals would gossip at dinner party, isn't it?—Kollenda not only explained what a "hooray" is to an American attendant (fine, it was me), he invented a new phrase that just might just catch on. A hooray is a wealthy, rather dim English tart. For example, one might say, "That young woman wanted to go to Glastonbury and bought tickets and a tepee, and even rented a helicopter for her arrival, but when she heard it might get wet she decided to stay at home in Mayfair. The hooray forgot that she lives in London, where it rains once in a while." Things got interesting when Kollenda applied the term to Manhattan's penchant for silly rich girls who become famous for nothing. "We'll call them Hooray U.S.A.s," Kollenda deduced. Good news, 'cause the word "socialite" is getting a tad routine.

the richie report: from the printed word to the small screen

The incontestable success of Nicole Richie's literary debut (What? You haven't read "The Truth About Diamonds"? Get thee to a discount table!) has spawned a TV show. Finally, an inside look at the hardships of America's very rich and unfortunately famous. Our breath is bated.

Angelina and Brad's twins will have to wait until after Bastille Day to meet the adoring hordes of paparazzi swarming to meet them. This is what you get for birthing in France, Brangie. The good ol' U.S.A. is sounding pretty tempting right about now, n'est-ce pas?

And in other baby news, despite rumors to the contrary, Tom and Katie didn't send new mom Nicole Kidman a bunch of useless flowers. Instead, they showered her with a basket of baby gifts. Very sweet, TomKat, just as long as there weren't any Suri hand-me-downs in there.

Board Yet? Has H'wood Run Out of Ideas?

Reality Check: 'So You Think You Can Dance' Picks Top 10

Series portrays terror, boredom of war

Schwarzenegger: Films Shouldn't 'Erase' Smoking

The sights and sounds of 'Mamma Mia!'

sunset marquis upgrades to the presidential class

It's good to be president. President of the United States, for example: Check out those perks! Mansion, jet, your own army. Granted, nabbing that gig looks like a total hassle, so while Barack Obama and John McCain battle it out, why not enjoy the presidential life in more chillaxing style? The legendary Sunset Marquis in Los Angeles is wrapping up a hotel-wide renovation to the tune of $20 million, and the jewel in the expanded property's crown is its Presidential Villa. Boasting two stories, three fireplaces, one screening room, a ten-person dining area, several pieces of museum-caliber art, a bathroom big enough to host both you and your Secret Service contingent, and a Bentley, the Presidential Villa has already been broken in by noted plebe George Clooney, who decamped there to hide from the paps following his breakup with what's-her-name. The downside? It goes for the presidential budget price of $7K a night.

happy feet at giuseppe zanotti

English brewery heiress/model/toy shop owner Jasmine Guinness was late to Thursday night's Giuseppe Zanotti store opening on Sloane Street in London. But she had a good reason: She didn't know which pair of Zanotti heels to wear to the fête and labored endlessly over her options. "Oh, goodness, I know I'm late," she said as she pranced in wearing her final pick, a pair of red satin peep-toes adorned with purple flowers. "But I've made it!" Inside, Guinness joined the likes of Natalia Vodianova, Kelly Rowland, Leah Wood, Bianca Jagger, and Astrid Muñoz, all of who dutifully wore the shoes of honor (and presumably were quicker decision makers). Zanotti himself seemed more than pleased with his well-heeled crowd and jovially posed for pictures. At one point, he even asked a photographer for a shot with an (alleged) gentleman called Kabil, an (alleged) stylist who wore his favorite pink tights, purple fur muumuu, and lilac lipstick to the event. Following the store party the VIP guests headed to Cipriani for dinner, where word has that it the queens of the London social set were gifted two pairs of their favorite heels. "I'd do a lot more than this for just one pair," one of the ladies grinned.

Pop Tarts: Anna Faris Named Hugh Hefner's Honorary Gal

John Lennon's 'Give Peace a Chance' Lyrics Sell for $833,654

lacroix thinks pests are pretty

Leave it to Christian Lacroix to find elegance fit for the glitz and glamour of couture makeup buried in the dirt, as it were. "The inspiration for the Lacroix Couture show was powerful beetles and the praying mantis," makeup artist Stéphane Marais divulges. Honing in on the pure beauty of the insects' colors, Marais relied on metallic greens to offset what he describes as a "big, black theatrical eye." "For the strong touch, I applied a turquoise green eyeliner liquid in the inner corner of the eyes…to get the power of fascinating predators." Fascinating predators, eh? Now that's fierce. To get the look, try MAC Liquidlast liner in Aqualine, $16.50, www.maccosmetics.com.

think kate moss is naughty? meet uschi obermaier

Kate Moss gets a bad rap. Sure, she may set the bar for wild-child style in these staid times, but Moss has got a lot of nada on Uschi Obermaier. The sexually adventurous German supermodel came to fame while living at the Berlin commune that seeded the Baader-Meinhof gang, spent the better part of the sevenites hopping between Mick's bed and Keith's as a member of the Rolling Stones groupie scene, and then turned down a star-making movie contract with Carlo Ponti in order to travel the third world in a customized bus with the self-promoting, brothel-owning, semi-unhinged love of her life. Now Obermaier is the subject of "Eight Miles High," a bullet-point biopic that goes into limited release today. Suitably stunning newcomer Natalia Avelon plays Obermaier, often in the nude, and you can see why she gave Pallenberg a run for the money. Better yet, when Avelon is dressed, you can see why brands such as Gucci and Chloé decided to resuscitate radical rock 'n' roll chic for Fall: Uschi Obermaier may have been a bad, bad girl, but she looked damn good.

Review: Hooray for 'Hellboy II'

Five murders and the movies they inspired

Olivia Newton-John ties the knot