Live Santa Monica '72

David Bowie
Virgin Records
Out now
$26.99

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—Kat Thomsen

Photo: Courtesy of Lisa Curran

"I do really enjoy Krizia with Valentino thrown in and Gaultier and Rykiel and a Barneys spree," she said, adding that she recently dropped close to $8,000 at Alexander McQueen. "I just can't walk three blocks without spending serious money."

Does she feel like a sellout? Hardly. "I really feel very successful to be able to live up there and shop that street," said Johnson. "It keeps me much more informed about fashion, and supportive. The uptown stores I like to go to really are a designer's life and dream of what they love."

We kind of wanted her to miss downtown more, but who are we kidding? If we could afford to live out our Gossip Girl fantasies, we'd love it, too.

Magic Johnson [WWD]

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 22 Jul 2008 | 9:05 pm

'When the Guillotine Fell': A grisly history Yes, despite all attempts to avoid it, we have heard this song. Truthfully, we should've written about it when we were weighing the contenders for this year's "Umbrella," but we just couldn't bring ourselves to listen to it again. Also, since it's awful, we really didn't think it had much of a chance anyway. But now, blog-tracking site Buzzfeed has declared it the odds-on favorite to be America's official Song of the Summer 2008, based on its massive (unfortunate) popularity and the fact that, in spite of everything, it's actually kind of catchy. Since we've never really hated a SOTS before, this would actually be sort of devastating.

If this limp, cynically sapphic, colossally annoying, hugely successful single (performed by a failed Christian singer!) truly does end up being this year's "Umbrella," Vulture will move to Canada. Lane will relocate to Alberta (which he understands is beautiful), and Dan will blog exclusively from his neighborhood café, which, while not technically located in Canada, is so far uptown that the CN tower can be seen from its window on clear days. Readers, we beg you, do not let this happen. Crank up Estelle, or Leona Lewis, or even Shaq — but please not "I Kissed a Girl." This is a matter of national pride.

I Kissed A Girl [Buzzfeed]

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 22 Jul 2008 | 9:00 pm

Waffle House brawl costs Kid Rock $1,000

Read full story for latest details.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 22 Jul 2008 | 8:58 pm

Statement: Bale denies assault allegations

'Dark Knight' star Christian Bale has denied allegations by his mother and sister that he assaulted them and he is cooperating with police, Bale's publicists said in a statement Tuesday.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 22 Jul 2008 | 8:44 pm

Joba Chamberlain Breaks XBox Guitars

Last week, when the Mets and Yankees were both off, SportsNet New York killed some time on their SportsNite highlight show by airing a segment in which Joba Chamberlain played Guitar Hero for a few minutes. As you might assume, it was less than captivating stuff, but something struck us about the boyish Yankees pitcher: He seemed to be having every bit as much fun horsing around playing video games as he would, say, striking out the side in a big-league game. So when we caught up with Joba today at the Engine Co. 16 firehouse in Murray Hill — where he presented firefighter Chris DiBiase with tickets to the last regular-season game at Yankee Stadium and a year of free iced coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts — we were curious if he really was so passionate about his gaming.

“I get pretty happy doing about anything,” he told us. “I’m a kid, and I don’t think I’m gonna grow up for a while.” But when we asked his favorite song to play in the game, he got unnecessarily diplomatic. “You know you can’t really pick one,” he said. “All of them are good. Sometimes you can’t like one too much because it gets to be too hard when you start playing on Hard or Expert, so I usually break the guitar.”

Weirdly, this is almost the same answer he gave us when we asked whether he was looking forward to playing at Fenway this weekend and facing Red Sox first-baseman Kevin Youkilis. Last season he was suspended for throwing at Youkilis, and the most recent time they faced off at Yankee Stadium, Joba threw behind him. “You know what? I’m looking forward to facing all those guys,” he said. “It’s a great lineup, and it’s a great challenge.” So if Joba really is as passionate about his Guitar Hero as he is his pitching, consider this your warning, Youk: Joba’s going to break your … something! —Joe DeLessio

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 22 Jul 2008 | 8:35 pm

denim gets the issa treatment

Marie Antoinette, Elizabeth I, the Empress Josephine: Issa's Fall/Winter collection sourced its inspiration from some of history's most legendary clotheshorses. But that's not to say designer Danielle Helayel doesn't have a soft spot for the modern shop tart. "I really wanted to have some clothes in the line that were both stylish and machine-washable," Helayel explains of her capsule denim collection, which launches next month. It's true: Most of us don't have ladies-in-waiting just hanging around, hoping to launder our precious garments, which makes Issa's couture-tailored denim dresses, trousers, jackets, and waistcoats a welcome addition to the wardrobe of any girl slack about getting to the dry cleaner. The new pieces are debuting in antique blue, cream, and forest green washes; the silhouette is seventies va-va-voom: i.e., not the kind of stuff you want to risk shrinking. Air-dry, in other words.

Source: The Style File | 22 Jul 2008 | 8:34 pm

Sacha Cohen

Sacha Baron Cohen, better known as "Borat," seen here in 2007, has sold Fox film studios a comedy, "Accidentes," about an ambulance-chaser-turned-hero, which he will produce and possibly star in, Variety...
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 22 Jul 2008 | 8:22 pm

'Golden Girls' actress Estelle Getty dies

Estelle Getty, the actress who played the sarcastic octogenarian Sophia on TV's "The Golden Girls," has died at the age of 84. "The only comfort at this moment is that although Estelle has moved on, Sophia will always be with us," co-star Betty White said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 22 Jul 2008 | 8:22 pm

Wearable Art Takes On a Whole New Meaning at the Guggenheim

New Yorkers have been known to flaunt their cultural affinities in any number of wearable ways: See studded cuffs on St. Marks Place, Rasta beanies in Washington Square Park, ironic mustaches on Ludlow Street, and guys in too-skinny jeans on Bedford Avenue. But it seems uptown art fanatics weren't content with the free canvas totes that help distinguish them as museum patrons — they'll soon be wearing actual pieces of the Guggenheim instead. Frank Lloyd Wright's most recognizable masterpiece has just undergone a little nip and tuck (it officially reopens with a cocktail reception tomorrow night), and the resulting fragments have become a line of jewelry called "Restoration Rocks."

West Coast artist Cara Tilker ensconced pieces from the museum's exterior in acrylic and set them in sterling silver in the form of rings, bracelets, cuff links, earrings, and necklaces. "Frank Lloyd Wright's people actually came to me and asked me to embed their debris," Tilker says. Sounds like an impossible-to-resist offer to us. "Each piece tells a story of American history — it allows everyone to become a part of it, have a piece of it," she says. We can only hope discarded-crack-vial pendants, commemorative souvenirs of once-gritty Avenue C, are up next. See more artsy baubles after the jump. —Tracey Lomrantz

$175–$4,350 at GuggenheimStore.org.

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 22 Jul 2008 | 8:15 pm

For Artist Bettina Sellmann, the Woods Are Lovely, Dark and Deep

As you're venturing through one of the more densely wooded patches of Central Park — say, in the West Seventies — you come to a clearing and are confronted by an apparition: two beautiful women in exotic finery (very little of it in one case) kneel before a floating spirit. Transfixed, you watch the séance, trying your best to stay hidden — until … So goes only one of the countless possible fairy tales that can unspool after looking at the watercolor-on-canvas paintings of Brooklyn-based Bettina Sellmann. See this particular reverie-inducer at Derek Eller Gallery through August 15. —Andrew M. Goldstein

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 22 Jul 2008 | 8:15 pm

Symphony director's kidney cancer removed

Read full story for latest details.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 22 Jul 2008 | 8:07 pm

OMFG: Jay McInerney to Appear on ‘Gossip Girl’

Last night at an after-party for Step Brothers Matthew Settle RUFUS, as he is best known to fans of Gossip Girl, casually told the Observer that Jay McInerney was going to appear on an upcoming episode of the show as Dan's mentor. Now either Rufus is extremely clever and knows just exactly how to yank the Observer's chain or our fall just got a whole lot awesomer. Is there a human being alive better suited to this role? Will Tama Janowitz also make a cameo? We can't even take it. Someone, please, fetch us our smelling salts.

Jay McInerney to Make an Appearance On Gossip Girl [NYO]

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 22 Jul 2008 | 7:50 pm

‘Weeds’: Return of the MILF

Weeds has recently proceeded with such scattershot abandon — Celia in custody, then not; Nancy training to smuggle, then being deployed in a front; Albert Brooks nailing the absurd pathos his castmates all aspire to, then disappearing — that we hardly believe the unfolding allegory that dominated this episode was even planned by the writers. But it couldn’t possibly be an accident that Nancy’s maternity store obscures a tunnel that birthed so much trouble this last half-hour, could it? And that Celia decides to fold her yappy daughter back into her cold embrace? And that Nancy herself is watching her own children slip slowly away — particularly Silas, now wooed by none other than the neighborhood MILF? Sweet Mary: Maybe we should start calling it Moms.

Entitled Nancy, speaker of Spanglish, leveler of crushing, shrugging gazes: If Mary Louise-Parker wins this Emmy, it will be for perfecting the White Lady Who Gets Away With Everything. What’s driving Ms. Daisy, and where will it all lead? Spankings, apparently: She stupidly (of course) follows the tunnel, pushes through a door, and catches the eye of some Mexican suits, one of whom — the mayor of Tijuana — later has her stuffed in a trunk and brought to him, tousle-haired, so he can offer her the punishment we know, as a Bad Mother, she so hotly desires. But they’re interrupted. So we have to wait until next week for that.

Doug and Andy, meanwhile, indulge their own fantasies, spiraling down, dizzily, from harassing big-titted Asians on the boardwalk to Doug exposing himself to Celia to Doug promising a pretty illegal, as she’s wrestled off, that he’ll rescue her from Immigration. Andy, for his part, suggests the two employ themselves as coyotes — people (as opposed to drug, but what’s the difference?) smugglers. And that pretty illegal, by the way? She emerges with her people not from the tunnel — but the ocean. You’re born alone … —Nick Catucci

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 22 Jul 2008 | 7:45 pm

'Batman' a Bad Man? Bale Denies Charges

Actor Christian Bale reportedly arrested on suspicion of assaulting his family.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 22 Jul 2008 | 7:33 pm

One Million Pairs of FitFlops, Say It Ain’t So

If you've taken the subway recently, we're sure you've seen FitFlops, the thick-soled thongs that destabilize your foot, so wearers use lower-body muscles with each step. Today, the Sun reports sales are on the rise, claiming more than a million pairs have been sold, many of which we've spotted on the feet of women in this city hoping to burn calories on their commutes.

We realize buyers are drawn to these for the "fit factor." But really, as any fad dieter knows all too well, there is no quick fix for fitness. One tester told the paper the FitFlops tightened her calves and replaced the gym for her. But how can a pair of shoes replace an entire workout? Answer: It can't. In fact, the podiatric surgeon they interviewed said: "You're going against a little more resistance, so you're going to get a little something extra, but these are not shoes that are going to make your thighs look like they did when you were 21." Brilliant revelation.

And minus the thigh muscles we may or may not get, we're not the biggest flip-flop fans. On the beach they're great, but on a dirty train or city sidewalk, we opt for something a bit more … stylish. Even the pair made exclusively for Kirna Zabête (above center) couldn't pull off the flip-flop-as-fashion look, and instead came out looking like something more appropriate for Equinox than Kirna.

But we're willing to open up the discussion. What do you think of FitFlops? Would you wear them? Have you seen them on the legs of city gals? Let us know what you think in the comments. —Sharon Clott

Stride Right [NYS]

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 22 Jul 2008 | 7:25 pm

In Tough Times, Wall Streeters Forced to Make Humiliating Lifestyle Changes

Grim news for Merrill Lynch in the FT today: Executives have been informed that there will be no more private-jet travel, unless they really, really need to do it. That's right! No more attentive service and wet bar and those delicious crunchy things that Marquis serves every time they go anywhere. Turns out writing down $9 billion has a terrible price. Says the FT:

The restrictions on flying by private jet are also meant to demonstrate that the firm’s top brass must set an example to the rank and file in tightening belts. Other changes include requiring bankers to travel by taxi rather than limousine and reduced allowances for dinner on the job.

Oh, the horror. And it's not just them. Employees at other banks are being made to suffer in unimaginable ways.

For instance, UBS bankers can only fly business class now if a flight is three hours or more. Even Goldman Sachs is cutting back!

At Goldman, staff have to contribute to repairs to their BlackBerrys if the damage is deemed to be their own fault.

Great, so a guy gets wasted and drops his BlackBerry — on company time, mind you — and he needs to fork over the $29.99 to get it fixed at T-Mobile? That is an OUTRAGE. Next thing they'll say executives are going to pay for their own Town Cars to the Hamptons. Or that they can't expense bottles of wine $400 or more. Or that Lloyd Blankfein will have to fire his personal head-polisher as an example! God, this economic plight we're in is so much worse than we thought.

Private Jets Grounded For Merrill Executives [FT]

Related: It Was Bad Enough That Bear Stearns Employees Were Stripped of Their Dignity

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 22 Jul 2008 | 7:15 pm

Great Comics Artists Draw ‘Sandman’ Characters for Special-Edition Poster

In honor of the upcoming twentieth anniversary of Neil Gaiman's Sandman, DC Comics is releasing a special-edition poster at San Diego Comic-Con. Vulture's proud to be the first to show the poster, which features artwork of characters from the Sandman universe as drawn by Jill Thompson, Tony Harris, Steve Leialoha, Mike Allred, Bryan Talbot, and more than 25 other great comics artists.

And don't miss our Sandman Q&A with Gaiman, in which he discusses how he convinced DC Comics to let an unknown writer launch, and then kill, one of the most successful comics series of the past 20 years.

Thanks to DC Comics for the exclusive images.

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 22 Jul 2008 | 7:15 pm

`At the Movies' gets news hosts Lyons, Mankiewicz (AP)

AP - Over the years, TV's best-known movie review show has gone from hosts Siskel and Ebert to Ebert and Roeper to Roeper and guest critics — and now it's Lyons and Mankiewicz.

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 22 Jul 2008 | 7:11 pm

Obama’s Staff Seen Smoking Hookahs Late at Night in Amman

We couldn't help but dig this small detail from Mike Allan's Political Playbook today on Politico:

With Senator Obama still in Iraq, his staff and press could be seen smoking flavored tobacco in hookahs in their Amman hotel bar, well past midnight local time.

Ahem, they call them nargilas in Jordan, thanks. Why Fox News isn't running pictures of this illicit, blatantly Middle Eastern activity, we'll never know. But if somebody finds a shot of Reggie Love (or Andrea Mitchell!) passing the hose to David Axelrod (who, let's hope, will be twirling his mustache), send it to us. That's going to be gold by the time October rolls around.

Obama Lands in Jordan [Politico]

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 22 Jul 2008 | 6:50 pm

kai kuhne's berlin diary

Thursday, July 17
I arrive in Berlin in the morning. Immediately upon checking into the hotel, we begin über-prepping the show. The conference room swiftly becomes our Berlin home and headquarters. As fittings begin, the run of show starts to take shape. In the evening, we go to my friend Jasmin's bar, Anberg's Bar du Jour in Mitte, and have sparkling Pimms Royale. Here we meet more friends, Ines from Bless and Gabriel, a member of the art collective Gelatine.

Friday, July 18

I rush off to my first engagement in Berlin, the Vanity Fair brunch held to celebrate Germany's Best Dressed (for which I was a judge). To my excitement, I'm seated next to the winners, Iris Berben and actor hunk Clemens Schick. Iris is one of Germany's most influential actresses. We talked about her work as ambassador to the Raum der Namen, the Room of Names. This is the room inside Berlin's Holocaust monument that contains the names and numbers of the European Jews who died in Hitler's Germany. The monument itself is one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture I have ever seen, designed by Daniel Libeskind (incidentally, I'm referencing his work in my upcoming collection). In the early evening I meet up with fellow New York designer Phillip Lim, at his Vogue reception at The Corner on Französische Strasse, which happens to be the city's chicest shopping district.

Saturday, July 19

After a long, hyper-busy day preparing for the show, I dash to my suite to grab the golden ticket and seat assignment for "Fashion Star: Celebrating 20 Years of German Elle." I get a photo with my fellow countryman Karl Lagerfeld, who won the Platinum award for lifetime achievement in fashion, presented to him by Claudia Schiffer. The charming and humble Raf Simons received an award for his current Jil Sander collection, touted as the best of the year. Other highlights of the night were the boys of 6267 and a performance by Texas and Annie Lennox.

Sunday, July 20

The always animated team Kühne manages to be all business the day of the show, which takes place at the Bebelplatz tent. An electric green Kai Kühne signature is projected on the stage, and a Radboy remix of the new Portishead machine gun provides the soundtrack. We choreographed the models so that two girls come out at a time, shadowing each other as they walk down the runway—this was to emphasize the complexity of my designs. The day was perfect and I was humbled to see all the people that came to support me.



After the show, we head to Luiza, where a friend is hosting a party for me. I'm covered with white gladiolas from IMG, which are eventually stolen by the gender-bending hostesses and all the cute girls who walked in the show. Then it's on to Weekend, Berlin's destination for pumping music and major dancing. I love Berlin!

Source: The Style File | 22 Jul 2008 | 6:49 pm

Neil Gaiman on the Twentieth Anniversary of ‘Sandman’

Neil Gaiman may not be a household name (except in his own, we suppose), but chances are good that somebody in your household has read one of his books (Good Omens, American Gods), or seen something written by him for screens both large (Beowulf, Stardust) and small (Neverwhere, Babylon 5). Among those comics and fantasy fans who do know (and revere) his name, his masterwork might still be the early 75-issue comic series Sandman. While initially presented as a horror comic, the complex stories defied easy categorization, and earned a devoted fan base that included Norman Mailer, Tori Amos, and most of the American goth population. As the pop-culture world braces for Comic-Con, Vulture spoke to Gaiman over the phone about the final volume of the Absolute Sandman collection, released just in time for Sandman's twentieth anniversary.

And don't miss Vulture's exclusive sneak preview of the twentieth-anniversary Sandman poster, with art by Jill Thompson, Tony Harris, Steve Leialoha, Mike Allred, Bryan Talbot, and more!

Twenty years later, do you remember what you were doing immediately before you pitched DC on Sandman? How were you able to get almost complete control on a character without having done much comics work before?
I think the main reason that I did it was that nobody really had a clue what I was doing, and that was a very good place to be. I was writing as a journalist. I had just written the first one and a half episodes of my very first American comic, which was this prestige comic-series thing called Black Orchid. And then I got a phone call from [DC comics editor] Karen Berger, and Karen said, "Uh, look, we've had a meeting and we're getting a bit worried. We're looking at this title, and we've got a guy that nobody's ever heard of, doing a comic that nobody's ever heard of, about a female character, and female characters don't sell. We're going to give you a monthly comic, and the whole idea is to raise your profile a bit."

And you suggested Sandman?
I phoned her up a few days later, and I said "What about the Phantom Stranger?" And she said, "No, we don't think he's heroic enough." "What about…" and I listed off characters, and every one somebody owned. And she's saying, "No, no, no." And then she said, "What about that Sandman thing you were talking about? Last time we had dinner, you were talking about a Sandman graphic novel of some kind. So I wrote the outline, sent if off to Karen … they didn't like it. And it sat on her desk, and apparently a week later the forces above asked if they could see the outline and they did like it. And Karen said, "Well, I wasn't really happy with it, but they liked it upstairs, so we're going to go with it."

And that was more or less the outline that became the comic that we know?
That was the outline. My theory on Sandman was that I was doing a comic that would be a minor critical success. Now you have to understand we're talking about a world in which "a minor critical success" for a monthly comic had for as long as I could remember been absolutely and utterly synonymous with "a major commercial failure." So time passed. Sandman comes out. I'm pretty proud of myself — what I've done is that I've plotted it for the first year. These days, in a severe market, if a comic isn't making any money, and you're at issue four, it's canceled. It's as easy and it's as simple and it's as straightforward as that. But back then, DC didn't like losing face. So they tended to give it a year. So I plotted Sandman for twelve issues.

But of course quite the opposite happened.
By issue eight we were selling more than anybody had ever done in the horror-comics context. And I had a free hand in that nobody was quite sure what this thing was and who was buying it. But everybody was very happy about it, and Karen — an editor of genius — decided that far and away the smartest thing they could do was just leave me alone and see what happened, which they did.

You were telling one long story over 75 issues. How did you convince DC to let you cancel a successful comic when you were finished?
Let's say, you know, a writer on Superman leaves, you get another writer. That's how you do it. That's how it's always been, because the ongoing monthly title is more important. This was something I was most worried about. And I began a sort of very lazy dialogue. I'd watched friends of mine fall afoul of DC Comics, and it seemed to me that every friend I ever had that had tried to go head-to-head with DC had failed. In cases of confrontation, DC always won. But maybe it would be possible to persuade them.

How?
When I was asked in interviews if Sandman would continue after I left the title, I would answer, "The truth is, I would not want it to continue after I was done, and if it did, I would end my relationship with DC Comics, with no real hard feelings, and if it didn't, then I will continue my relationship with DC." As we got closer and closer to reaching the end, there came a point where Karen turned around to me and said, "It's probably better to end it when you're done," and I said, "Yeah, probably better."
—Ehren Gresehover

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 22 Jul 2008 | 6:45 pm

The New Guess? Campaign Is Sadly Inspired by Amy Winehouse

Designers like Karl Lagerfeld, Roberto Cavalli, and Giorgio Armani have fawned over Amy Winehouse, and now Guess? is jumping on the bandwagon. The New York Post reports the rep of its new campaign star, Nicole Trunfio, says the model's look was inspired by Winehouse. It "mimics the singer's iconic thick black eyeliner and infamous beehive, adding a little rock and roll to their pinup image," the rep told the paper.

Winehouse has been absent from fashion news and many designers' lips lately — appropriately so considering her poor health. The fun world of fashion doesn't quite thrive on celebrities so troubled they've put themselves in the hospital. And maybe it's just us, but we're guessing most women don't look at her these days and think, Gosh, I want to be her! Maybe Guess? should take a cue from Lagerfeld, Cavalli, and Armani and seek inspiration outside of Winehouse and offer women another view of chic. After all, Winehouse will probably still rock the hive and eyeliner when she recovers, at which point we can resume obsessing over them non-eerily.

JUNKIE CHIC [NYP]

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 22 Jul 2008 | 6:35 pm

Local College Hopes to Attract ‘Unsophisticated’ Students Through Fun Audition Process

Mercy College is trying out a new thing, wherein applicants to the college can find out whether they're accepted overnight. It's called Immediate Decision Week! Catchy, right? Doesn't it sound fun? Like a game show or a reality show where Paula Abdul or some other such luminary pops out to judge you? That's what Mercy is hoping. To promote the program, admissions officers will canvass for students by trawling beaches and malls in the five boroughs in search of "instant applicants." "Contrary to what may be suspected," the Sun writes awesomely, "Immediate Decision Week does not appear to be an act of desperation." Rather, it's an act of capitalism!

"For the sophisticated middle class, the dignified and genteel ways of higher education do not constitute a barrier," Barmak Nassirian, of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, tells the Sun.

"Now imagine the unsophisticated, low-income student who doesn't have a cooperative adult in their life, for whom the very knowledge that you have to get admitted to go to college is news. What's wrong with their running into a desk at a mall, where somebody grabs their best instincts and makes them act on it?"

Chill out, Barmak, no one said there was anything wrong with it. Barbizon has been recruiting "models" the same way for years. One thing, though: If college applications are a surprise, what's going to happen when these prospective "students" find out about tuition?

Sun, Surf, and College Admissions Officers [NYS]

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 22 Jul 2008 | 6:30 pm

Rock & Roll Refugees: 10 People Who Escaped the Music Industry

Layoffs and the business' decline have scattered thousands of employees ? so where are they now? The major record labels have laid off more than 5,000 employees since CD sales began plunging in 2000 — and that's not counting all the people who ran screaming from the music business on their own. All asked themselves the same question: Now what? "When you've spent 20 years in the music business, you don't have that many real-life skills," says Debbie Southwood-Smith, a laid-off Interscope Records A&R executive. The answer: teacher, nurse, financial consultant, door captain,...

Source: Rolling Stone: Features | 22 Jul 2008 | 6:13 pm

Quote Machine: Teri Garr Edition

"If there's ever a woman who's smart, funny, or witty, people are afraid of that, so they don't write that. They only write parts for women where they let everything be steamrolled over them, where they let people wipe their feet all over them." —Teri Garr [A.V. Club]

"I think what Dustin says is, I realize now how important it is for a woman to be pretty. And I wasn't pretty. God! That's all you realized? Jesus Christ. Oh well. Don't quote me. Actually, quote me." —Teri Garr on the message of Tootsie [A.V. Club]

"I thought that [Sandy] was caught between trying to have a career and trying to be a sexual woman, and it just doesn't work. At least it didn't in that movie, because it was made by sexist men. I can say that now, because Sydney [Pollack] isn't with us anymore. [Laughs.] But he was a fine director." —Teri Garr on her role in Tootsie [A.V. Club]

"He just wanted the beautiful, blond, cute, shiksa girls to be nice and shut the fuck up! [Laughs.] God, I'm bad. But that's what he wanted." —Teri Garr on Sydney Pollack [A.V. Club]

"She's actually a nice girl. She's got her own problems, being married to that playwright." —Teri Garr on Jessica Lange [A.V. Club]

"No. It's a bomb!" —Teri Garr on whether One From the Heart should be rediscovered [A.V. Club]

"Francis wanted it to be a woman's point of view. This was an Italian guy — a humorless Italian guy. Oh, I shouldn't say that. He's got humor. Anyway, he wanted a woman's point of view, but I don't think he had a clue. But he's a smart guy." —Teri Garr on Francis Ford Coppola [A.V. Club]

"I think it was actually very derivative of this artist at the time who was making underground films, Bruce Conner. He would make these films with cartoons, atom bombs, and stuff that were really quite interesting and metaphorical, about orgasms and stuff. So they copied that. I wouldn't say 'copied.' That's a bad word. Plagiarized? No, that's a worse word." —Teri Garr on Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson's Head [A.V. Club]

"I remember when we did our first read-through, Sonny [Bono] looks at the script and he goes, 'Okay, I'll see you guys later. Chai-ay-oh!' And I said, 'It's ciao! Aren't you Italian? C-i-a-o doesn't spell chai-ay-oh.' [Laughs.] Sonny's dead, so he won't be embarrassed if I tell that story." —Teri Garr [A.V. Club]

"I did a string of about six or seven Elvis movies, all in a row. He made all of those movies in two years' time. All of them bad. Don't quote me." [Interviewer: "Really?"] "No, quote me. It's not a secret that they were bad." —Teri Garr [A.V. Club]

Previously in special-edition Quote Machines: Quote Machine: Will.I.Am Edition

Source: Vulture -- Entertainment, Music, Culture, Theater, Movies, Art -- New York Magazine Blog | 22 Jul 2008 | 6:00 pm

Rami Kashou and Christian Siriano’s Boyfriend Injured in Separate Fights

Two separate violent incidents left Rami Kashou and Christian Siriano's boyfriend, Brad Walsh, injured last week. Kashou reportedly got in a fight at West Hollywood gay bar Abbey Thursday night. According to BlackBook, an onlooker saw another clubgoer hit Kashou in the head with a martini glass, "leaving him bleeding from head to toe." The witness said Kashou was taken away in an ambulance. Yesterday, Bravo reported Kashou is shaken up but okay.

Walsh is still recovering from injuries suffered at the hands of a Yuengling-beer-truck driver last week. After the truck almost hit him and another pedestrian at Spring Street and Sixth Avenue, the driver got out and followed Walsh down the street. Walsh said, "The driver … called me a 'faggot' several times, punched me really hard in the jaw, knocked my stuff onto the sidewalk, and went back to his truck." He's suffering from a sore neck and other physical and emotional distress.

‘Project Runway’ Contestant Bleeds in LA Bar [BlackBook]
Rami is OK! [Dish/Bravo]
Yuengling Driver Assaults Gay Man on Spring & 6th [Gothamist]

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 22 Jul 2008 | 5:45 pm

Katie Couric: ‘America Is Giving Me the Hillary Clinton Treatment’

• Governor Paterson says Wall Street bonuses might be axed by 20 percent this year. Ouch. [Reuters]
• Goldman Sachs banker Kendrick Wilson, one of Wall Street's most powerful moneymen, is taking a leave of absence to advise U.S. Treasure Secretary Henry Paulson. Meanwhile, Paulson thinks Congress will pass a Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bill this week that will help boost confidence in the two mortgage companies. [DealBook/NYT, Bloomberg]
• Leon Black's Apollo Management diverged from the private-equity crowd in the buyout boom and reaped the benefits: Its $3.7 billion fund boasted a 54 percent return last year, and its $10.1 billion pool was up 42 percent. But the Apollo isn't without problems. [Deal]

REAL ESTATE
• The Weinstein Company is moving into 99 Hudson Street — the same building where Harvey and Bob Weinstein built their Miramax empire before they left the studio three years ago. They paid just under $45 per square foot for their new digs. [NYP]
• The Park Avenue doorman who won $5 million in the lottery was scolded for spending too much time outside the building and wearing short-sleeved shirts. "Further incidents of this kind will lead to suspension and or termination of employment," his boss told him. "I want to kick back, drink and relax," the doorman said when a reporter found him at the blackjack table in Atlantic City. "I'm hoping to get a nice massage." [NYP]
• Why has the Vermont Market and Pharmacy in Carroll Gardens been elusively vacant for a dozen years while the surrounding area has been heavily developed? [NYT]

LAW
• DIY divorces are just another consequence of the faltering economy. [Law.com]
• Labaton Sucharow might need to rein it in: For the second time in less than a week, the class-action law firm has been reprimanded for overreaching. This time, it's for a "calculated attempt at judge shopping" in a securities-fraud action. [Law.com]
• Who is the anonymous blogger behinds the new Hiring Partner Office blog? [Hiring Partner Office]

Source: Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine | 22 Jul 2008 | 5:45 pm

Lagerfeld Discusses His Childhood in a New Documentary

Another Karl Lagerfeld documentary is in the works! Surely you haven't forgotten last year's Lagerfeld Confidential, which gave us an intimate look at Lagerfeld's jewelry, iPods, and design process. The film's other delights included shots of the Kaiser padding about the airplane in his kimono/traveling pajamas. Rarely has cinema felt so real or Lagerfeld so candid. (If you don't know what we're talking about, get thee to your nearest rental store stat.)

But while Lagerfeld Confidential focused on the designer's present, the new film will also explore his past, including his childhood in Germany. Yes, Karl has roots:

Sharing memories of his mother, Lagerfeld recounts: "When I asked her to tell me stories, she would say, 'Learn to read.' And when I wanted to tell her one, she would come back with: 'You may be four years old, but I am not.'"

Lagerfeld as a 4 year-old? There's a mental image we can't conjure. The new 52-minute documentary will play on French TV in October. So, French friends, if one of you could rustle up a DVR and an Internet connection and be so kind as to upload a copy of this the moment it ends, we'd be much obliged.

Fashion Scoops: KARL CHRONICLES [WWD]

Related: The Fug Girls: Taking a Peek Inside Karl Lagerfeld's Mind of Steel
Video: Karl Lagerfeld Talks Politics

Source: The Cut - New York Magazine's Fashion Blog | 22 Jul 2008 | 4:35 pm

jennifer behr's celestial seasonings

"You know, more than shoes, people look at your face and hair first," says accessories designer Jennifer Behr. She has a point—even when you're wearing Balenciaga knee-high gladiators, most of the time, they're not exactly in the average civilian's line of sight (fashion people are another story). So let's turn our attention away from footwear for a moment and consider Behr's feminine but sophisticated array of hair adornments, like this moon and star bobby pin set. Whether used to accent a formal do or to sweep back a too-long fringe, they're an eye-catcher in the best sense of the word. And, as the designer points out, they fit right in with the season's celestial trend (see Chanel, et al.). For more of Jennifer Behr's accessories (and to order), go to www.jenniferbehr.com.

Source: The Style File | 22 Jul 2008 | 4:34 pm

want to age like madge? read on

You've got to respect a beauty doyenne who plays her client list close to the vest and lets her services do the talking. To wit, Joanna Vargas (above), about whose fanatical Hollywood following nothing will ever be said other than that every time Vargas and her team decamp to L.A., appointments for her signature Triple Crown Facial go about as fast as the daily reservations at Momofuku. (The especially addicted, meanwhile, have been known to fly to New York just to visit Vargas in her studiously private salon in Midtown.) Everything about Vargas is quiet, in fact—this is a facialist who can make the Triple Crown's series of diamond peel, microcurrent, and oxygen treatments go down like a lullaby—but when it comes to the latest weapon in her arsenal of instant fixes, she's finally naming names.

Vargas is currently the exclusive U.S. supplier of Il ā, England's all-organic cult skincare line, and she's willing to admit that she got turned on to the brand by Madonna. Sort of. "A client of mine goes to Madonna's gym in London," Vargas explains, "and one day, she saw some products sticking out of her bag...." Naturally, said client did a little snooping, and once she had the Il ā name in hand, called Vargas so that she could investigate further. "They're the most amazingly potent antiaging products I've ever worked with," Vargas says. "Madonna definitely knows what she's doing." For more information, see www.joannavargas.com.

Source: The Style File | 22 Jul 2008 | 4:18 pm

From Smith to Depp: H'wood's Best Paid

Will Smith, Johnny Depp, Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers earned the most through films.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 22 Jul 2008 | 4:08 pm

Anna Kournikova Spotted With Black Band on Left Ring Finger

Former tennis star Anna Kournikova was spotted wearing a black band on her left index finger this weekend while attending a fashion show in Miami, setting off speculation that she is married, the New York Daily News reports.
Source: FOXNews.com | 22 Jul 2008 | 4:07 pm

Leno's Last 'Tonight' Will Be May 29

The "Tonight" host ends his run and gives way to Conan O'Brien May 29.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 22 Jul 2008 | 3:50 pm

Can Miley 'Breakout' of Disney character?

Read full story for latest details.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 22 Jul 2008 | 3:42 pm

Review: On new CD, she's just being Miley

Miley Cyrus promised her new album would be more grown-up -- it's the kind of talk that sets off alarm bells when you're a 15-year-old tween idol coming off a controversial, bare-backed Vanity Fair photo shoot.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 22 Jul 2008 | 3:40 pm

money talks: it says domenico and stefano heart alber

What do Domenico and Stefano wear when they're not in something self-designed? Lanvin, of course. The Dolce & Gabbana designers dropped an estimated $50,000 on Alber Elbaz originals while in Paris. Will this mean drapey D&G goddess dresses come September? If so, we called it first.

Balthazar Getty confirmed his separation from his wife and mother of their four children, Rosetta. We take it that means things will be proceeding apace with Sienna.

Court to Janet Jackson: Take it off! Four years after Ms. Jackson's nipple slip at the Super Bowl, a U.S. federal appeals court ruled that her mammary was not in the wrong and dropped all fines. We're already looking forward to next year's halftime show.

Source: The Style File | 22 Jul 2008 | 2:59 pm

laird loves ebay: arabia

I panicked when CandyCast revealed that Anna Sui collects Arabia. Was the designer the formidable bidder driving up the prices of my favorite Finnish housewares? No, it turns out that Sui's obsession is with the company's Paratiisi line, whereas I can't resist the heart-rimmed enamel bowls (I have one at home and another in the office) and the children's sets, like this one, with a nomad herder and his strange menagerie.

Source: The Style File | 22 Jul 2008 | 1:53 pm

tom ford and erykah badu = sweet smell of success

Given that it's coming from one of the fashion industry's visionaries, it's not that surprising that the launch of Tom Ford's newest fragrance is as much about the advertising image as it is about perfume itself. White Patchouli, which is a modern twist on the classic bohemian (read: dirty hippie) ingredient, will be available in September, along with a series of black-and-white photo ads—produced by Ford, shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, and starring… Erykah Badu. The Grammy Award-winning singer, known for her neo-soul musical stylings and eccentric fashion sense, credits the collaboration to a "mutual respect and admiration" between herself and the former Gucci group designer. "I trusted him to pair my image with a fragrance that was exquisite, and he did that and more," she says. "I look forward to working with him again." In the studio, perhaps? Ford seems like he'd have a great contralto.

Source: The Style File | 22 Jul 2008 | 1:47 pm

Rihanna's style busts all the rules

From barefoot tomboy to fashion supernova, fearless pop renegade Rihanna lives to bust all the rules.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 22 Jul 2008 | 1:33 pm

Music Review: Just what we needed — more Sabbath (AP)

AP - Black Sabbath, "The Rules of Hell" (Rhino)

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 22 Jul 2008 | 12:38 pm

Is 'Dark Knight' Too Dark for Kids?

The movie's PG-13 rating is upsetting parents who say it's too scary for kids.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 22 Jul 2008 | 11:53 am

Kid Rock Receives Probation, Anger Management for Fight

Kid Rock has been sentenced to a year's probation and fined $1,000 for his role in a fight at a suburban Atlanta Waffle House last fall.
Source: FOXNews.com | 22 Jul 2008 | 11:42 am