Photo: Getty Images

Milla JovovichPhoto: Getty Images

Yves Saint Laurent's fall palette.Photo: Courtesy of YSL Beauty

He's an Australian named Tommii Cosgrove, and the screeds he posted all across our site back in May have apparently resulted in the financier Steve Rattner losing his job. (No, it's not the Steven Rattner from yesterday.) Maybe you saw one of his comments before they were deleted — he's a D.J., he was happily married to a wife who was apparently an escort, until Rattner allegedly hired her services in London and became infatuated, etc. (Cosgrove's complete set of accusations can be read here.)

Anyway, the Times describes Cosgrove as having "at a minimum, a vivid imagination," a characterization with which Gawker takes issue today. Having spent the best part of a month engaged in battle with Cosgrove to keep his comments off our site — they had nothing to do with our editorial, and he spammed us hundreds of times — we'll take the Times' side there.

Over the course of May, Cosgrove returned to nymag.com to repeatedly — and creatively — post his rant. He used express registration to create more than twenty different identities (a selection of his aliases: "UPSET08, CRAZY10, d1ckhead2, assw1pe, ahmp1ssed0ff"), up to five simultaneously. And he figured out that posting late at night or early in the morning, when moderators were less likely to be watching, meant that his comments were more likely to stay on the site longer before being deleted. At times Cosgrove was posting every five seconds while we were deleting him. Ultimately he posted hundreds of times.

And then, somehow, he won. Today's Times reports that Rattner — who admits to the affair but not the more lurid of Cosgrove's accusations — was asked to step down from his position at Credit Suisse. "During the time of the affair and its aftermath, no one at Credit Suisse complained about his job performance — nor have they since," reports Andrew Ross Sorkin. "He was a rising star."

As we deleted Cosgrove's comments, he repeatedly complained that Rattner was keeping his story off the Internet, as if the financier had nymag.com on speed dial. (He doesn't.) Cosgrove framed his battle as one between a powerless small guy versus the unassailable establishment. It turns out this wasn't the case: Apparently spamming a Website with comments can get someone fired.

Today, according to Cosgrove's MySpace page, his mood is "Triumphant."

On Wall St., Reputation Is Fragile [NYT]

'View's' Whoopi Heads Back to Broadway

Morgan Freeman On the Mend After Surgery

it pays to be NICE

Scandinavian fashion is generally described as being well-designed at a good price, but it's aiming to be NICE, thanks to a collaborative initiative by the Nordic Fashion Association (comprised of the Swedish Fashion Council, the Icelandic Fashion Council, Oslo Fashion Week, Helsinki Design Week, and the Danish Fashion Institute), which will be formally inaugurated tomorrow. The NFA are behind the Nordic Initiative Clean and Ethical (NICE), which aims to promote sustainability and responsibility in fashion production. Their first plan of action is to formulate a Base Code of Conduct to be launched and signed at the United Nations Global Climate Summit in Copenhagen next year. Isn't that, well, nice?

Christian Bale arrives at the European premiere of "The Dark Knight"

The poster for "The Dark Knight" at the Landmark Theater lounge in Los Angeles, California

Artists Walter Martin and Paloma Munoz’s Snow Globes…OF HORROR!

Walter Martin and Paloma Munoz’s Traveler CLXXXI (2007).Courtesy of George Adams Gallery

High school or the movies? 1 dad makes a deal (AP)

AP - David Gilmour's 15-year-old son did not just hate school. He seemed to have a psychological allergy to it.

Daisy Lowe Likes to Wear Pink Tutus

Photo: Andrew Woffenden

How would you describe your look?
It changes daily and mainly revolves around whatever makes me happy. One morning I wake up envisioning myself as part of a fairy tale and put on a pink tutu and the next day I go all gothic vamp with ultrablack nail varnish. It’s all about the mix.

What should every woman have in her wardrobe?
Summer staples for me include a pair of faded denim cutoff shorts, as beaten as possible, a boxy blazer, and a good waist belt, like the stretch ones from Miu Miu to add structure to the look.

Do you have a fashion mentor?
Vivienne Westwood. She is the most stylish woman in the world. She doesn’t look to anyone else for direction, and she doesn't take fashion too seriously.

Who are your favorite designers?
Bar Vivienne Westwood, I am never let down by the consistently beautiful shapes of Alexander McQueen. For quirky kitsch, I am an obsessive fan of Marc by Marc Jacobs. I love the details, such as the cute little bows. I also like Miu Miu for the color and its impact.

What designers or labels do you actually wear the most?
One of the best lessons my mother ever taught me was not to always rely on designers. Fashion at its best is when it is mixed up. If I had to name a favorite piece, it would probably be an all-in-one sailor striped jumpsuit by Marc by Marc – completely off-key!

Photo: Andrew Woffenden

Where do you shop?
I am a huge fan of Geminola in the West Village for the long, beautiful dresses and the unusual accessories, such as the ribbon headpieces.

What are you lusting after right now?
The new Jimmy Choo sandals with the zip up the middle, which were used in the campaign. They are surprisingly rock and roll!

What's up next?
I just finished the Converse and Agent Provocateur shoots, which should be out in September. I am now just going where the wind takes me. Ultimately I just want to have enough money to ensure I can look after my family. Admittedly not that cool!

What's the one thing you can't live without?
My four-month-old white Maltese puppy called Uncle Monty. He always maintains a cheery outlook! —Davina Catt

'Dark Knight' sets another record

Morgan Freeman recovering after surgery

Did ‘Breaking Dawn’ Ruin the Twilight Series?

Vampires purchasing the book at midnight.Photo: WireImage

By now you may have heard that Breaking Dawn, the fourth and final book in Stephenie Meyer's teenage-vampire-in-love series Twilight, sold 1.3 million copies in its first day in bookstores this weekend. But some of those copies just may be headed back: A Twilight fan who was disappointed by the twists and turns of the 764-page novel has launched a "Return Breaking Dawn" campaign on Amazon's message boards, urging fans who hated the book to return it to the store they bought it from. A Borders employee claims on her blog that she's already seen returns, and one commenter on Amazon says that the local Borders has had fifteen copies returned already.

All these posts have plenty of commenters debating the book's merits; some love it, while some feel it completely ruined the series. The L.A. Times' Denise Martin didn't like it and says that unlike J.K. Rowling in her series finale, "Meyers bunted." But based on all the totally crazy shit that happens in the book, it doesn't seem that way to us.

Thanks to the hugely entertaining live blogs of Breaking Dawn by LiveJournal blogger Cleolinda Jones — well worth a read even if you don't know the books — we now know that the following insane things occur in the final volume of the Twilight series (spoilers ahoy!):

• Bella, the human, and Edward, the vampire, get married.

• Then they have rough sex that leaves her bruised and battered. (Also, he bites a pillow and covers her with feathers.)

• Then she gets totally pregnant with some kind of demon death baby who grows at a superhuman rate, can read thoughts in the womb, drinks blood in utero, and breaks Bella's ribs, pelvis, and spine from the inside.

• Some werewolf stuff happens.

• The baby is delivered via Cesarean section, which is a polite way of saying that other characters rip Bella's stomach open with their teeth. ("Seriously, they cannot make this into a movie. I cannot imagine for one second how they could make this into a movie appropriate for teenage girls and keep this part in it.")

• Bella becomes a vampire and develops superpowers and has sex with Edward a lot of times.

• Everybody lives happily forever after.

Cleolinda's No. 1 unanswered question is a good one, though: What's it like doing it with the undead? "Was it like fucking a popsicle?" Alas, we'll never know. Cleolinda's review, though, really makes us want to buy the book, not return it:

I have to say, y'all, that what follows is possibly the most awesome crackfic of any of the series so far. I love it and kind of want to snuggle it a little. Seriously, I keep hearing about all the True Fans freaking out, and honestly? I don't see anything in the new book that wasn't in the previous three. As in, I don't get why you're offended now. I mean, yes, there's sex (yes, sex) and gore, and the previous section made me want to curl up and die, but I have no problems with Breaking Dawn that I didn't already have with the other three (frequently, vehemently, and at top volume), and Breaking Dawn is far better written on a purely stylistic level to boot. So.

Unhappy with Breaking Dawn? Don't burn it--RETURN it! [Amazon]
'Twilight': A snap judgment on 'Breaking Dawn' [LAT]
Cleolinda's Breaking Dawn reviews [Occupation: Girl]

Chupi Bathed in Celestial Light

Can you hear the angels singing?Photo: Paul O'Reilly

Somewhere Over the Schnabel Window [Gothamist]
Intel's Coverage of the Palazzo Chupi

vogue brazil's high five

The August issue of Vogue Brazil recently hit newsstands, and the cover features five hot new faces. Some we already know: 15-year-old Daniela Borges was at the Marc Jacobs and Narciso Rodriguez shows in February, while Claudia Seiler caught our eye at the Prada Spring 2008 show and in editorials she's shot for i-D and Dazed & #38; Confused. Among the new-—to us—girls are Luca Gadjus lookalike Luana Teifke, 18-year-old Luiza Windberg (who says her idol is Alessandra Ambrosio), and Nathalie Edenburg, who you can also spot in this month's Teen Vogue.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney(L) in 1968

So Why Is the MLB Network Moving to Harlem?

Harold ReynoldsPhoto: Getty Images

SBJ’s John Ourand writes that he understands why baseball would want their studios at 125th and Park, “given the issues baseball has had in attracting African-American fans.” Not only is this latter part true, but baseball seems to have a problem attracting black players: Just 8 percent of major leaguers are black, less than half the number from only ten years ago. But this seems like a mighty inefficient (and mighty expensive) way to remedy the issue. Would an African-American kid decide to follow baseball because its broadcast operations are based in Harlem? As opposed to watching football — whose studios are in (12 percent black) Culver City, California? Would anyone even know where the studios are, anyway? It’s no secret that baseball should do something to better appeal to the African-American community, but heaven help them if they think this is it. —Joe DeLessio

MLB Network’s Harlem plans an unnecessary distraction [SportsBusiness Journal]

Wherefore Art Thou This Fashion Week, P. Diddy?

P. DiddyPhoto: Getty Images

Diddy's New Pres [Fashion Week Daily]

Lars Ulrich (L) and James Hetfield of Metallica perform

‘Weeds’: Mayor Unleashes the Beast on Nancy

Photo courtesy of Showtime

Nancy, often the most lethargic of quippers this season, does what she does best this week: showing impeccable irony in the face of absurd crisis. Sincerity, too. On a spontaneous date with the Mexican mayor, Nancy retires to the restroom just as a shoot-up goes down in the restaurant. When they decide to wait for their lunch, Nancy's maternal wisdom melds with her valley-girl nonchalance as they discuss their greatest fears: heights for him; not being able to breathe after being shot at for Nancy. “I guess we all have our things,” Nancy reflects, melting the politician (and us, too).
 
While the mayor introduces Nancy to his lion, the rest of her family deals with their inner beasts. Uncle Andy and Doug pat themselves on the back for helping the economy by smuggling a crew of sweet, unpaying Mexicans into the country. Celia cleans out the maternity-store register for a sniff of some sort of Mexican upper. Silas and his irritating MILF lover come up with a plan to grow in the back of her overly quaint cheese store. And Shane wallops a friendly surfer dude in the face with a lunch tray on his first day at school. “Don't fuck with me,” he taunts as Dan, king of the school, writhes on the ground. Isabelle gawks at the scene with sweet regard. “Another school, another first day, another sweaty glass of social stigma,” she coos. “If only life were a Judd Apatow film.” This, we think, is better. —Emma Pearse

Scarlett and Penelope and Javier, Oh My! Living Large at the "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" Premiere (Fashion Wire Daily)

Fashion Wire Daily - Scarlett and Penelope and Javier, Oh My! Living Large at the "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" Premiere By Jenny Peters August 5, 2008 – Los Angeles, CA

Scarlett and Penelope and Javier, Oh My! Living Large at the "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" Premiere (Fashion Wire Daily)

Fashion Wire Daily - Scarlett and Penelope and Javier, Oh My! Living Large at the "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" Premiere By Jenny Peters August 5, 2008 – Los Angeles, CA

Sex, nudity and big laughs

Life is a Cabaret at Lingerie Americas' Spring Spectacular (Fashion Wire Daily)

Fashion Wire Daily - Few trade shows can boast a lingerie runway show as part of their program of events - except, of course, Lingerie Americas, the semi-annual gathering of the intimate apparel industry in the U.S.

Mark Walberg’s Career Could’ve Been Marginally Different If He’d Hosted ‘The Littlest Groom’

The right Mark Walberg.Photo: Getty Images

"When I heard about it, I honestly thought to myself, 'Some of them correction officers are some of the most crooked individuals.'" —Ludacris has Rick Ross's back, kind of. [MTV]

"When I tour, I'm neither homosexual or heterosexual — I'm hobo-sexual. So that basically opens yourself up to anything at all — you could have sex with a piece of cheese and it would be totally natural." —King Khan [Pitchfork]

"They showed me some footage, but I don't have a feel for the movie. I didn't see enough. I wasn't sure who the Terminator was. I don't know if there is one or if he's the star or the hero." —Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't sure if there's a Terminator in the upcoming Terminator Salvation [LAT]

"We call those jokes one-percenters, because they only play for one percent of the audience. we are proud to put them in every episode, but if you're not a real regular viewer of the show, you don't realize how often lupus is the wrong diagnosis." —David Shore, creator of House [Newark Star Ledger]

sandwiches not a turn on, says scarlett

Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz say the passionate kiss they share in the new Woody Allen flick "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" was anything but. "There were like 60 crewman sitting around eating salami sandwiches," explains Johansson of the scene. Is she made of stone? How can a posse of teamsters mowing down hoagies not get your motor running?

127 employees at UCLA Medical Center have been accused of peeking at the hospital records of celebs like Farah Fawcett and Britney Spears. As the saying goes, "Beware of those bearing bedpans."

Entertainment Weekly caught up with ten reality-TV stars to see where they are now. Answer: Loserville (or its suburbs). Apparently, a stint on "Married by America" isn't the resume-enhancer one hopes it will be.

`Pineapple Express' tastes familiar (AP)

AP - The formula is pretty familiar by now in these Judd Apatow-produced comedies. A couple of buddies get into trouble, and as they try to bumble their way out of it, their friendship only grows stronger.

Madonna Will Wear Boatloads of Designer Goods for the Sticky and Sweet Tour

Madge performing live in the U.K. on May 10. Her
costumes for the tour will be so much better than this!Photo: Getty Images

The show is divided into four sections. The first, dominatrix-inspired, section features Givenchy. The second is based on Madge in New York when she first got here and features Jeremy Scott. The third is also heavy on Givenchy with a gypsy theme. And the fourth — get this — is "a futuristic rave section with lots of Japanese influences." Excuse us while we splash some cold water on our faces. These visuals are giving us hot flashes.

Madonna's Costumes for her Sticky and Sweet Tour [WWD]

Rupert Goes to Bollywood!

Photo-illustration: Getty Images

Aishwarya and Abhishek are Bachch-an!
Cops Get Criminal to SINGH
Just Delhi With It!

Whatever. Trust us, those jokes kill in Colaba.

News Corp. Plans TV Channels in India [WSJ]

Model agency Wilhelmina to IPO this year: report (Reuters)

The National Accidentally Play ‘Unplugged’

Berninger, clearly blacking out.Photo: Rebecca Smeyne

Morgan Freeman Recovering From Surgery Following Accident

Punk progeny launches "Terrorist" clothing line (Reuters)

Reuters - Joe Corre was born to rail against the establishment and now has the store to power the movement.

Rachel Zoe’s Reality Show Reveals She Might Not Be Half-Bad

Looking at this makes us dizzy.Photo: Courtesy of Bravo

Last night Bravo aired a half-hour sneak preview of the series. And after watching the last half of it (we deferred to that little thing called "life" for the first half — so sue us), we decided if our ears can tolerate the shrill, piercing voices of the cast, we might fit it in to our busy fall-TV-watching schedule that already includes Gossip Girl, America's Next Top Model, and Project Runway (because really, who needs "lives" in the fall?).

So far in Rachel land, she's just hired a new assistant named Brad. He's flamboyant and sensitive, so of course Zoe is quite fond of him. Her other assistant, Taylor, is not. Cue reality-show friction! Taylor is so mean to Brad, he starts bawling while Zoe tries to comfort him. This just makes Taylor angrier and scream more. “I don’t know if I’m Brad and Taylor’s boss or if I’m their referee,” Zoe says. Neither, honey! You're Brad's best friend and Taylor's freneboss.

When the Earth does that freak thing called "rain" in sunny L.A., Rachel's closet full of designer gowns gets flooded. Yes, the clothes get all wet. Taylor finds the damage so horrifying she lets out the most piercingly awful sound we've ever heard come out of a human being and holds the pitch for an astounding 20 or 30 seconds. She orders Brad to rush to hang the wet clothes to dry in a non-flooded room while she continues to rant and rave. Brad starts bawling. Zoe, wearing a flouncy red blouse with a short-sleeved fur jacket on top that calls to mind something a Shakespeare character might wear, says, "It’s not that bad. It’s clothes — it’s not saving lives.” Hey, she might be more sensible than we thought!

The preview of the coming season offered more of the same. Taylor rants and raves. Brad cries. Zoe utters platitudes like "Glamour is your state of mind. Glamour is fulfilling your dreams." Zoe attends Fashion Week. Zoe has to get "Kate" eight outfits for a press tour and there's no time! And, being a reality star now, Zoe reads about herself online. Guess what her blog of choice is? You're looking at it! That's right, she gets her daily dose of Cut, too (although we assume when you look at posts like this one you don't start screaming "OH MY GOD. OH. MY. GOD."). We told you she might not be so bad.

The Obamas All Over the Glossy Newsstand, Once Again

FINANCE
• It's not shocking that Freddie Mac chief Richard Syron might be out the door after he ignored warnings about shaky loans. What is surprising: Former Bear Stearns chief Alan Schwartz is a candidate for the top spot at the mortgage company. [DealBook/NYT]
• Meanwhile, Schwartz says he won't go anywhere without his number two, Richard Metrick, a trusted confidante who was formerly a senior managing director at Bear Stearns. [NYP]
• Merrill Lynch kingpin John Thain, who was brought in to fix the mistakes of his predecessor, has no bones about selling billions of dollars of mortgage investments on the cheap. "We have over 60,000 people working every day," he said. "All the efforts of these people were overwhelmed by the write-downs in the mortgage-related assets." [NYT]

REAL ESTATE
• Barbara Corcoran, one of the best known real-estate tycoons in the city, just snapped up a $4 million condo for herself at 163 East 71st Street. [Real Deal]
• Upper East Side residents are fuming about the $235 million construction project that the Hospital for Special Surgery is planning for on top of the FDR. [NYT]
• A former Tishman Construction worker faces time behind bars after he stole $2.8 million from the company by depositing more than 100 fake checks. [NYS]

LAW
• A former Cohen Pontani Lieberman & Pavane associate, who was fired two days after she complained that female lawyers were being "relegated to non-partnership-track support roles," is suing the firm for sex discrimination. [Law.com]
• O'Melveny & Meyers is opening an office in Singapore. [Law.com]
• UBS' general counsel for the firm's investment-banking arm officially resigned. [WSJ]

Why Is Nigel Lythgoe Leaving ‘American Idol’?

Photo: Getty Images

Sure, the ratings are down a bit, but it's still by far the highest-rated thing on TV. And given the fact that nobody really seems to be watching any television anymore, much less any new shows, isn't this a weird time to be wading into untested waters? Other Idol producers are currently considering ways in which to tweak Idol for next year — was he not pleased with the creative direction? Exhausted from battling Jeff Archuleta? Terrified by the prospect of having to listen to a bunch of David Cook wannabes at upcoming auditions? Whatever his motive, this probably doesn't bode well for a non-crappy eighth season.

Nigel Lythgoe leaving 'American Idol' [Variety]

Mary-Kate Olsen Denies Involvement in Ledger's Death

Terrorist Goats Take Verrazano Bridge

Photo-illustration: Getty Images, istockphoto

"The goats were taken into custody and turned over to the Army once it was determined not to be illegal aliens or agents of terror," said a source.

But we know better. There is a goat reckoning upon us, people. We'll be speaking about this more tonight on The O'Reilly Factor, God willing. We've got calls into him now. We somehow think he's the only one who will listen.

Goats Penetrate Fence At Heavily Guarded Base of Verrazano Bridge [NYDN]

hot child in the city

We scoured the streets of Midtown Manhattan (OK, mainly just the sidewalk outside the American Girl store) to find out what the summer's cutest cutie-pies are wearing. Same as the big girls, it turns out: sundresses and flip-flops. Of course, there were a few looks—a peace-sign choker, sneakers sprouting pig ears—that definitely fall into the don't-try-this-if-you're-a-minute-past-puberty category. Which is not to say we weren't tempted to ask a few of the youngsters we snapped if their dress came in "grown-up" sizes—but our last shred of fashion dignity prevailed.

Anne Hathaway's Nude Photos Expected in Web Leak

Spectators sit in the Piazza Grande and watch a movie

Dior Couture’s Profits Are Up; Posh Is Karl Marx’s Descendent

Dior Couture designer John Galliano.Photo: Getty Images

• Agnes B on her ignorance-is-bliss approach to fashion design: “I never go to a fashion show. I never walk into a boutique. I almost never look at fashion magazines, except maybe if there's one on the train. I'm innocent of what others do, and that's how I got ahead." [British Vogue]

• Victoria Beckham, a.k.a. Posh Spice, is a descendant of German father of communism Karl Marx. [Reuters]

• Kelly Rutherford, who plays Serena's mom on Gossip Girl, named her baby Hermès Gustaf Daniel Giersch because she loves Hermès so much. [NYP]

• Alek Wek on her career: "I was told, 'You can't make it — you're this, you're that, your nose is too wide etc.' I used to have psoriasis until about 12 years ago, which has always kept me humble … I said I'm not going to hide behind the curtain. We are beautiful because of our shapes. How boring it would be to be like a Cindy or a Naomi?" [British Vogue]

• Urban Outfitters has two new collaborations for fall: one with Grey Ant, which will release a “Grey Antics” line exclusive to the store, and another with Spring and Clifton, whose capsule collection will include zip-up jackets and gym-inspired suspender tops. [Nylon]

• Rachel Zoe will host a party during Fashion Week to kick off her new reality show on Bravo, the Rachel Zoe Project. [Fashion Week Daily]

• Some woman on Vanity Fair's best-dressed list is having an affair with some man on Vanity Fair's best-dressed list. [NYP]

• Paris Hilton is expected to attend a few shows during Copenhagen's Fashion Week, which starts tomorrow. In the meantime, she's doing a photo shoot for her accessories line. [WWD]

FOX 411: Sting, Trudie: Beard Good for Sex Life

Thieves Steal Rocker Iggy Pop's Gear, Instruments in Truck Heist

give gilles a break

As a pleasant breeze wafted through the Upper East Side fur and ball-gown emporium J. Mendel on Monday evening, talk fell on a typically August subject: summer holidays. So and so was off to Ibiza, another already tanned, tight face was heading to Croatia, etc. In the middle of the vacation conversation was the brand's designer, Gilles Mendel, who was hoping he'd be able to leave Manhattan for a mere weekend. "Don't tell me, don't tell me," Mendel, who spent much of the night with his biggest—in height and wattage—customer Brooke Shields, said after he'd asked a friend about their summer plans. "I don't want to know. I'm not getting away at all." The designer is putting the finishing touches on his Spring 2009 collection and restructuring some of the New York production. "I always say I'll take August in October, but it never happens." Toward the end of the party, as guests like Ann Dexter-Jones tried on some of the Sevan jewelry on display ("I like this one with the black diamonds," Jones sneaked. "Think they'd notice if I nicked it?"), the designer returned to the topic of his plight.

"Actually, you know what, maybe I should I find someone to help in the office," Mendel said, adding that he'd love an additional set of eyes, perhaps the way Christopher Kane revitalized Versace. "So put the word out, and send 'em my way." Until then, though, he has to stay focused.

On her way out, Tinsley Mortimer, who was getting on a flight to the Mediterranean the next evening for two weeks of yachting, found a few pieces she thought would be ideal to add to her summer packing. "This stuff is perfect," she said. "Keep up the good work!"

Lauren Conrad to Present at Emmys, Dress Trophy Models

Lauren Conrad and one of "her" ruche-tastic designs. Photo: Getty Images, Courtesy of Lauren Conrad

But Conrad's frocks won't grace all the models. E! reports some will wear dresses from Beyoncé's House of Dereon line. Now, we don't know when Conrad got public-relations people as good as Beyoncé's. But if the playing field is really that even, we're very scared.

Emmy Scoop: Lauren Conrad and Oprah Winfrey! [E!]

Mother of five wins 'Nashville Star'

christian blanken cleans up for fall

If the name Christian Blanken rings a few bells, then there's probably no need to convince you to get excited about the designer's relaunch of his label after an almost nine-year hiatus. "My obsessions are still my obsessions," says Blanken of his clean, slyly androgynous clothes. "I still don't like ruffles or bows. And I still like a tight palette. Clarity of line. Those are my calling cards." That said, Blanken's recent experiences designing for Harvey Nichols' private label and for MaxMara have educated him in the luxury of details. "There has been a huge shift in the marketplace since I last did my own collection, and maybe the main thing is that all these lower-priced stores have come to prominence. You can't do a super-basic shirt any more, because they'll have the same thing at Zara for $40. Or less. What I've enjoyed about working on the new collection is finding ways to create a sense of specialness about clean, timeless pieces. My sensibility hasn't changed, but the world around me, that's changed for sure."

chai at target; fashion editors get on the bus

Fashion editors were treated to a Target field trip on Monday afternoon, complete with bull's-eye-emblazoned box lunches. The occasion? A sneak peek at the new Richard Chai collection. The verdict? A strong effort with several wearable pieces done up in a jewel-toned palette, with hints of Chai's signature seaming detail. We came home with a striped chiffon skirt, a navy rose-print blouse, a color-block dress with a tie waist, and a bargain-priced ($44.99) plaid cotton trench. Coming on the heels of Chai's well-received Fall '08 collection, his Target range confirms our opinion that the designer is one to keep an eye on.

Seats Taken: Fighting Words or Acceptable?

Pop Tarts: Selena Gomez Says She's No Miley

Study: Network TV Likes Sex, But Not Marriage

Mary-Kate: No Idea Where Heath Got Drugs

'American Idol' producer leaves show

'Sisterhood' actresses have secrets

'Exodus' hitmaker dies at 83

Judge Rules Wesley Snipes Must Reimburse Government

Tyra Banks Poses as Michelle Obama in Fashion Mag