Source: Daily Intel | 17 Sep 2008 | 10:40 pm

AIG in 30, or More Like 45, Seconds

Yesterday we were pretty impressed with a breakdown of the demise of Lehman Brothers we happened upon on Google Finance. So we tracked down the guy who wrote it, using our hard-nosed reporting skills (his e-mail address was on it) and asked him if he could do the same thing with this whole AIG thing for us. Google Guy doesn't actually work in finance, it turns out (he has a super-secret job that we can't actually tell you about), but that's probably just as well, because if he did, we probably wouldn't be able to hear him through the sobs. Anyway, his name is Chris DesBarres, and his so-easy-to-read-it's-practically-Pat-the-Bunny explanation of what the hell happened with AIG is after the jump.

Chris DesBarres Explains It All

One year ago, most financial analysts would have laughed you out of their cubicles if you told them that AIG, one of the world’s largest insurers, would suffer a crisis forcing them to the edge of bankruptcy that only a government takeover could avert. This credit crisis, however, has affected the financial sector in ways that nobody dreamed of. In AIG’s case, it became the victim of what are known as credit default swaps, or CDS's.

CDS's are sort of like insurance against bad debts. You know that deadbeat cousin you have? Wouldn’t it be nice if you could purchase insurance against that $2,500 you gave him, just in case he ended up not being able to pay you back? That’s kind of what a CDS does.

In this case, a company making loans buys a CDS from an insurer like AIG. They pay AIG a premium, and in return AIG will cover most of the cost of the default just in case the loan does not get paid off. CDS's let companies extend more credit because they diminish their risk. This extension of credit, probably up until the beginning of this week, was generally regarded as a good thing for the economy because it enabled companies to invest, grow, and create jobs. CDS's were one of the tools that facilitated this credit expansion.

Unfortunately, as the housing market crumbled, the value of the contracts AIG issued went down, and AIG had to pay out on the insurance it had sold. As a result, the company took $18 billion in losses, its stock price dropped 94 percent, and it had to raise more capital to make good on its obligations.

Then on Monday the deathblow came: AIG had its credit rating downgraded by Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s. This obligated AIG to come up with $14.5 billion in collateral almost immediately. A thorough search of all of AIG’s couches, car seats, and pockets came up with far less than that amount.

Some private-equity firms tried to reach a deal with AIG to provide it with enough capital, but that fell through. At that point, the federal government decided that the consequences of an AIG failure would be too dire to stomach.

But why did the government save AIG and not Lehman Brothers, which they let die on the side of the road?

The financial structure of the U.S. has been compared to a house of cards, but I think of it more like the game Jenga. This game consists of a tower of blocks, and each player has to choose a block to remove without allowing the entire tower to come crashing down. Some of the blocks can be moved, some can’t. AIG could prove catastrophic.

The government feared that an AIG failure would allow the credit crisis to spill into “safe” investments like money-market accounts. Credit lending would become much riskier, and relatively healthy firms would be even more reluctant to lend money to struggling companies. Even though AIG’s subsidiaries that offer health, auto, property, and worker’s compensation insurance are by most accounts safe and solvent, the bad publicity would no doubt drive consumers away from AIG products, which could quickly make those subsidiaries insolvent.

While the AIG takeover has clearly not stopped the stock market’s slide, this move seems to be part of a broader government strategy to build firewalls around segments of the economy like mortgages, money-market accounts, and insurance, which are the true backbones of the debt-financed consumer economy.

The threat of financial catastrophe is by no means behind us: Two of the nation’s largest banks, Washington Mutual and Wachovia, are facing their own liquidity issues. Will the government save them? Stay tuned…

Source: Daily Intel | 17 Sep 2008 | 10:30 pm

Brooke Shields’s ‘Project Runway’ Dress Too Small

Brooke Shields
Photo: Getty Images

Brooke Shields hasn't worn Keith's winning dress from the Project Runway episode she guest-judged on her show Lipstick Jungle. But don't worry — it's in the queue! "They sent it to me and it was this big," she said this week at the season 2 premiere of Lipstick Jungle, making a tiny space between her fingers. "So I sent it to get fitted to be real-people size." The dress could undergo further modifications. "I may split it up and wear it as a top and a skirt," Shields said. We bet Keith hates that idea.

Source: The Cut | 17 Sep 2008 | 10:15 pm

New Cure Remix EP Nearly As Bad As Robert Smith Said It Was

Photo: Getty Images

1. The Cure, "Exploding Head Syndrome (65 Days of Static Remix)"
Robert Smith wrote an angry letter to his label about the band's newest EP, in which he said of the above megamix, "YOU ARE BEING ASKED TO PAY £4.83 FOR THE 65DOS REMIX…!!! WHO THE FUCK IS GOING TO PAY THIS AND NOT FEEL TOTALLY RIPPED OFF?" We're quoting him out of context, but we totally agree. [Pitchfork]

2. Lupe Fiasco, "Phat Joe"
In a display of either remarkable restraint or remarkable laziness, Lupe declined to write a third verse for this unreleased Food & Liquor–era track ("I feel it's very unnecessary"). It might've helped, though. [Pretty Much Amazing]

3. Little Joy, "No One's Better Sake"
The only thing preventing the Strokes from having more side projects (this one a reggae band featuring Fabrizio Moretti) than Broken Social Scene is the fact that they have half as many band members. [Cold Cut]

4. Nelly feat. T.I. and LL Cool J, "Hold Up"
Nelly gives some unusual investment advice on this new single: "I'm gonna buy me the fall." As financially unorthodox as buying an entire season is, it's probably smarter than keeping your money in the stock market these days. [Surviving the Golden Age]

5. Pussycat Dolls, "Don't Wanna Fall in Love" (Jane Child cover)
The new Pussycat Dolls album leaked this weekend, and amid a double-album's worth of passable 2008 pop is this not-bad cover of passable 1990 track. [Mixtape Maestro]

Source: Vulture | 17 Sep 2008 | 10:13 pm

Jodi Applegate Out, Rosanna Scotto in at ‘Good Day New York’

Photo: Getty Images

Popular 10 p.m. Fox 5 news anchor Rosanna Scotto is moving up to the morning hour. She'll be taking over the co-anchor spot on Fox's Good Day New York as early as next week. The Daily News reports that current morning co-host Jodi Applegate will be leaving, and Greg Kelly will remain. This is great news for Rosanna, but not so great for Jodi or the rest of us — now how will she join the rest of her insanely peppy family as they periodically teach the Today show audience how to cook eight Italian dishes in 75 seconds or less?

Rosanna Scotto's up for saying 'Good Day' [NYDN]

Source: Daily Intel | 17 Sep 2008 | 10:10 pm

Marisa Miller Shuns the Sun; Braids Rule at London Fashion Week

Marisa Miller
Photo: Getty Images

SKIN
• Even though model Marisa Miller sells bathing suits for a living and collaborated with Vans on a summer-inspired sneaker, she vows her good skin is a result of staying out of the sun for two years. Atta girl! [BellaSugar]

HAIR
• Braids are everywhere at London Fashion Week, from Eley Kishimoto's and Marios Schwab's catwalks to dos seen on attendees. [Teen Vogue]

• Agyness Deyn's growing out her peroxide-blonde pixie cut, and it looks like her personal assistant is copying her new do. [Fashionologie]

• Nicole Richie sported a "hippie headband" at Fashion Week designed by Jennifer Behr and encrusted in jewels and crystals. You know, People.com, we're not sure we'd call that "hippie." [Off the Rack/People]

MAKEUP
• Models in Giles Deacon's show wore thick liquid eyeliner and a double layer of false lashes. Sounds comfortable. [WWD]

Source: The Cut | 17 Sep 2008 | 9:50 pm

Sarah Palin Wasn’t Always a Buttoned-Up Church Lady in Her Campaign Ads

Wonkette and Fox News brilliantly uncovered Sarah Palin's first campaign ad — from her run for mayor of Wasilla in 1996. In it, you can not only catch a glimpse of hot hubby Todd (he looks exactly the same), but also Track, Bristol, and Willow Palin when they actually were children, instead of young adults birthing them. You can actually witness Palin's hair change from its sexy pageant look to its current schoolmarm bun. But our favorite part is her tagline: "POSITIVEly Sarah! Energetic … Determined … Positive." Little did Wasilla voters know exactly how energetic and determined she would turn out to be…

Watch Sarah Palin’s First Political Ad From Back In The Day [Wonkette]

Source: Daily Intel | 17 Sep 2008 | 9:45 pm

Lynn Spears' Book Is No Bombshell

Britney, Jamie Lynn don't seem bothered by revelations in mother's memoir.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 17 Sep 2008 | 9:37 pm

HBO Orders Second Season of ‘True Blood’ Because, Well, What the Hell Else Have They Got?

Photo: Courtesy of HBO

Looks like we may have more time to figure out what those vampires represent in HBO's True Blood. According to The Hollywood Reporter, HBO just ordered a second season of Alan Ball's New Orleans–based supernatural drama after only two episodes. Why? We have no idea! Only 1.44 million viewers tuned in for the premiere, and reviews were mixed. "We are absolutely thrilled that the critics and our viewers have embraced True Blood," said HBO's Michael Lombardo, using a hilariously flexible definition of the word embraced. "Alan Ball has done it again — made an addictive series that is unlike any other." We'll give him this much: It's certainly unlike The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, The Wire, and all the other shows we used to subscribe to HBO for. In other news, hasn't Mad Men been great lately?

HBO orders second season of 'True Blood' [HR]

Source: Vulture | 17 Sep 2008 | 9:32 pm

Carrie Bradshaw Goes to High School

Yes, yes, yes, we've heard that Candace Bushnell is going to write a series of young-adult novels starring Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw as a high-schooler. Many of you are dying to read about how she dressed, or who she had sex with. But we want to know: Who the hell were the writing teachers who taught her to use all those puns? [AP]

Source: Daily Intel | 17 Sep 2008 | 9:30 pm

Video: Harriet and Amy’s Spring 2009 Trend Report

It's time for Harriet Mays Powell and Amy Larocca to weigh in on the biggest trends from the spring 2009 runways. The color palate was mostly beige or "makeup colors," as Harriet says. Amy notes, "It wasn't New York's most exciting Fashion Week," but Marc Jacobs delivered a "mind-blowingly good" show. And you won't be able to escape the droopy-crotched harem pant. Watch the video and allow the experts to explain how to pull off the trends.

Source: The Cut | 17 Sep 2008 | 9:20 pm

Cox Stiffens Rules on Naked Short-Selling

Photo: Amazon

It's not as funny as it sounds. SEC chairman Christopher Cox banned naked short-selling effective tomorrow morning, in order to protect Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs from market manipulators who may or may not be murdering them right about now. Of course, he did the same thing back in July to try and help out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and that didn't work out super well. [Bloomberg]

Source: Daily Intel | 17 Sep 2008 | 9:20 pm

Childhood Secrets of the Rich and Famous

Photo: Phil Pinto

At the New Yorkers For Children gala last night, New York’s Jada Yuan extracted deep childhood secrets from some attendees, including Lazaro "Runaway" Hernandez and Tory "Tomboy" Burch. Watch the video for more confessions and performances by Jimmy Fallon and Lupe Fiasco.

Source: Daily Intel | 17 Sep 2008 | 9:15 pm

The ‘Infinite Jest’ Screenplay: Real, Sort Of!

Photo: Courtesy of Fandango Libri

Bonnie Nadell, David Foster Wallace's literary executor, has shed some light on the Infinite Jest screenplay rumors bouncing around yesterday. Apparently, Keith Bunin did write a screenplay for which Sam Jones was attached to direct, but, as we should have guessed, Wallace himself had nothing to do with it, not even reading the final version. A company called Open City purchased the rights to the book a few years ago and commissioned Bunin to write the script, but the option expired before the company ever began production. According to Spoutblog, "if it ever gets picked up again, [Nadell] hope's Bunin's screenplay is put back into play, as she was very impressed with it." We anxiously await this never actually happening.

Infinite Jest Screenplay Exists, But It’s Not DFW’s [Spoutblog]
Earlier: Is There an ‘Infinite Jest’ Movie in the Works?
Earlier: Did David Foster Wallace Leave Behind an Unfinished Novel?

Source: Vulture | 17 Sep 2008 | 9:02 pm

‘Baader Meinhof’ Selected As Germany’s Oscar Entry

Potential German blockbuster Der Baader Meinhof Komplex, which created a stir when reviewers privy to an early screening were threatened with a 100,000-euro fine if they divulged any information, has been officially submitted as Germany's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar category. The movie, about a terrorist gang who carried out political assassinations in the seventies and eighties, premiered in Munich yesterday and opens wide in Germany next week. Also, it sounds rad: According to Reuters, "filmmakers say they have paid close attention to detail, including the number of bullets used in each assassination." [BBC]

Source: Vulture | 17 Sep 2008 | 8:50 pm

Meet the New Guy: Simon Nessman

Simon Nessman
Photo: Imaxtree

From Daria Werbowy to Jessica Stam, Canada has produced some of fashion's favorite faces. You might not know him yet, but British Columbia native Simon Nessman is fast on his way to joining Stammy's ranks. After signing with Major Management last summer, the 18-year-old has already walked the runways for Narciso Rodriguez and Louis Vuitton. Plus, photographer Bruce Weber requested the curly-locked cutie for a French Vogue spread, and Mario Testino shot Nessman for D&G and Lord & Taylor's spring print ads. You can also see him in a spread shot by Carlotta Manaigo in the current issue of V Man.

Model Profile: Simon Nessman

For more on runway's best, check out our jam-packed Model Manual.

Source: The Cut | 17 Sep 2008 | 8:40 pm

'Grapevine,' 'War' hitmaker dies at 67

Read full story for latest details.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 17 Sep 2008 | 8:34 pm

What Wouldn’t John McCain Do on ‘Saturday Night Live’?

Photo: Courtesy of NBC

At a panel discussion on Monday, Lorne Michaels downplayed the political influence of Saturday Night Live, saying, “The first thing you think about is whether [the sketch] is going to work and that it’s funny. You can’t think about the fate of Western civilization.” But then, the panel — which was held to commemorate the launch of the Museum of the Moving Image’s presidential-campaign-commercials Website The Living Room Candidate, and also featured SNL’s Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers, and veteran political-sketch writer Jim Downey — proceeded to discuss specific instances in which the show has actually influenced politics and dished about how much it sucks when a politician comes on the show and wants to do something silly, like protect his or her image. After the jump, a few highlights.

• Downey said that when Jesse Jackson was running, "I wanted to do a piece where he said, 'Just because we’re the Rainbow Coalition doesn’t mean we take everybody,' and there was a list of all the groups that weren't welcome. I was insane to think he would do this. And I'm sitting there with his guys and he's crossing them off one by one. 'Won't do that, won't do that, won't do that.' Till there were three things left."

• In 2000, Bush and Gore did a split-screen sketch because both campaigns had adamantly insisted that the two men not run into each other. They nearly did. "And what I remember is that Gore was very much tougher to convince than Bush," said Downey. "Bush was like, 'Hey, I'll do it!' Gore needed a lot of hand-holding and Franken knew him very well, so we were able to talk him into doing stuff. But we didn't have a 'Live From New York' because Gore said, 'I wouldn't feel dignified.'" In the end, they had to get Jesse Ventura to pinch-hit.

• This past spring, Downey said he wrote a piece with McCain talking about how he's a big pork buster and naming off all the outrageous programs the government was spending money on. "I would have loved to see John McCain do this," said Downey. "He was supposed to say, 'What about this? One hundred fifty million dollars to the Department of Justice for a program that notifies convicted sex offenders when a child is in their neighborhood?!' I was thinking, 'Just please don't read the script until you get out there.' They were too smart for me."

• McCain was also supposed to be in a sketch about a high-school graduation where every name read off was a filthy name. "Lorne thought it would be fun to have John McCain in it as a faculty member," said Downey. "So I have great tape of McCain laughing at the crudest stuff, because he was hearing all the names for the first time. His people said he couldn't do it. But he told me later, 'You got me good.'"

• Campaign staffers often watch the sketches and call Michaels, so he knows Palin saw Saturday’s sketch and that Hillary Clinton’s staff watched a sketch about Obama getting cushy treatment in a debate, which Hillary then referenced in an actual debate by offering Obama a pillow. And Downey knows for sure that Al Gore saw the sketch of himself after the first debate with Bush, in which the show made fun of Al Gore’s sighing and eye-rolling. “I was at Al Franken's apartment,” said Downey, “and this guy that worked for the Gore campaign calls Al up and they’re talking about how they’d just shown Gore the tape; I know because I got on the extension and eavesdropped.” Downey went on, "So he was explaining, 'We made him watch it,' and then I watched him the next debate and he went from all the sighing and groaning and was just such a little wallflower."

• When a politician does seem game for anything, it means something’s up. Days after Al Gore hopped into a hot tub with Chris Parnell–as–Joe Lieberman, he announced he would not run for president. "He was very loose on the show," said Poehler. "He was ready to do anything. And that week we were saying, 'He’s not going to run,' because he was saying yes to so many pieces." Bob Dole even commented on TV that as soon as he saw the hot-tub sketch, he thought, Oh, Al's not running for president. Michaels, for his part, thinks we would have had a different presidency had America seen that hot-tub Al Gore.

• Michaels thinks the show can be a barometer for how well politicians will do in polls. “I think when politicians start to overthink things and become super cautious and eliminate things, they get farther and farther from who they are and the audience senses it," he said backstage. It also holds true for candidates that schedule an appearance and pull out at the last second for appearance’s sake. Hillary Clinton had been scheduled to appear on the first show of last season, in August, before Iowa. She pulled out last minute and the show went on with a sketch about her inevitability. “That encapsulated where the media was at the time,” Michaels said, “and I think if she were there, people would have gotten more of a sense of who she was as a person, instead of this sense of entitlement.” Similarly, Obama was supposed to show up on the season premiere. Friday morning, his camp leaked news of the appearance. Friday night, they canceled because of Hurricane Ike. Michaels said in person he found Obama smart: “There wasn’t anything he didn’t get. Very good sense of humor.” But Obama’s political persona, he said, “is cautious. There's no room for error. And the fact that it is as buttoned-down as it is makes it hard for people to find their way in. Comedy is one way to do it. We were very upset he didn’t come last week."

Related: Tina Fey’s Star Turn As Sarah Palin Almost Didn’t Happen [Daily Intel]

Source: Vulture | 17 Sep 2008 | 8:30 pm

Carla Bruni Poses for ‘T’ Magazine

Carla Bruni
Photo: Getty Images

Hot on the heels of her September Vanity Fair cover, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy just did a photo shoot for T magazine. Paolo Roversi shot the French First Lady in Paris for the women's winter fashion issue. She'll appear in a section called "New French Wave" featuring a number of artists, musicians, actors, and film directors all shot by Roversi. In fact, the whole issue is French-themed. It hits stands October 19. See you there. [WWD]

Source: The Cut | 17 Sep 2008 | 8:25 pm

Star Matriarchs Brighten Tyler Perry Film

Review: Alfre Woodard and Kathy Bates Are Best Thing about "Family That Preys."
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 17 Sep 2008 | 8:14 pm

Alice Dellal Is Alexander Wang’s New Erin Wasson

Erin Wasson used to be Alexander Wang's girl Friday. She styled his shows, served as his muse, kept him company in his studio — all those fun things most twentysomething girls who hate getting up early wish they could do all day. But some months ago, Wasson got busy doing her own line. We just knew any day dearest Alex would ring us up and tell us he really needed us to come try on his next collection and giggle with him over Starbucks in his studio all day every day for at least the next six months. We didn't know what was taking him so long to call, until we saw this video of Alice Dellal running around in Alexander Wang clothes shot by Dan Martensen. We'll assume she's just keeping them warm for us.

INSIDER WIRE [Fashionologie]

Source: The Cut | 17 Sep 2008 | 8:00 pm

Photographer Cornelia Hediger Extremely Careless With Her Crockery

Cornelia Hediger's 02.15.08 (2008)
Photo: Courtesy of Klompching Gallery

Cornelia Hediger's photographs are meticulously staged and impeccable: Her characters are stylishly prim; her lighting is soft but it pops. In her latest show, "Doppelganger," on view at Klompching Gallery in Dumbo through October 31, she exhibits her budding genius for alluring telenovelas, starring an eternally confused young chica and her eternally spooky doppelgänger. There are also several lewd scenarios, one of them involving an aroused fish.

Source: Vulture | 17 Sep 2008 | 8:00 pm

Can't Wait for New TV? Go Online

Many networks are premiering their fall shows online before they air on TV.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 17 Sep 2008 | 7:42 pm

‘Brokeback Mountain’ Author: Enough With the Pornographic Fan Fiction, Already!

Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features

If you, like many, were disappointed that the sex scenes in Brokeback Mountain weren't hotter, and then you, like some, set out to right this deplorable wrong by drafting your own graphic, boner-popping fan fiction, Brokeback author Annie Proulx has but one simple request: Please don't mail it to her. "There are countless people out there who think the story is open range to explore their fantasies and to correct what they see as an unbearably disappointing story," she tells The Wall Street Journal. "They constantly send ghastly manuscripts and pornish rewrites of the story to me, expecting me to reply with praise and applause for 'fixing' the story. They certainly don't get the message that if you can't fix it, you've got to stand it."

Return to the Range [WSJ via Guardian]

Source: Vulture | 17 Sep 2008 | 7:30 pm

Kidman to turn treasure hunter

Australian actress Nicole Kidman, seen here in April 2008, is to set off on a huge treasure hunt in her next film "The Eighth Wonder," the industry daily The Hollywood Reporter said Wednesday.
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 17 Sep 2008 | 7:17 pm

Mom thought Spears pregnancy was joke

Read full story for latest details.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 17 Sep 2008 | 6:52 pm

New stamp features 'Bette Davis eyes'

Read full story for latest details.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 17 Sep 2008 | 6:50 pm

Witness: O.J. Tape Could Have Been Altered, Maybe (E! Online)

E! Online - Did O.J. Simpson really say what he said?

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment News | 17 Sep 2008 | 6:49 pm

Shia LaBeouf Says People Were More Tolerant of Awfulness in the Eighties

Photo: Getty Images

"To suspend the disbelief — the swing through these vines and nuking of the fridge. It wasn't like they didn't do fantastical stuff in the first three. They did ridiculously fantastical things in the first three. But you could stomach it because you were a different viewer, and I think that the viewership has changed." —Shia LaBeouf on Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull [MTV]

"You know, as much as people talk about George [Lucas] not being able to write or whatever, I'm terrifically fucking pleased to be in Star Wars. C'mon! Star Wars is going to be studied forever by people going to film school." —Samuel L. Jackson [Ain't It Cool News]

"I would say I'm about 75 percent technique, and 25 percent Red Bull.'" —Neil Patrick Harris on his acting style [A.V. Club]

"Woody's a cool dude. He takes life real easy. If I smoked, he would have definitely shared his stash." —André 3000 on his Battle in Seattle co-star Woody Harrelson [Rock&RollDaily/Rolling Stone]

"I get up, look in the mirror and say, 'Oh, you fucking fat bastard.' I have to throw my clothes away every three months because I get too fat for them." —Ricky Gervais [WENN via Starpulse]

Source: Vulture | 17 Sep 2008 | 6:45 pm

Credit crunch no worry for Middle East fashionistas (Reuters)

Reuters - Some London-based designers may be seeing fewer U.S. and European customers because of the credit crunch, but demand from the Middle East remains strong.
Source: Yahoo! News: Fashion News | 17 Sep 2008 | 6:20 pm

Christopher Kane: Space Age Prehistoric (Fashion Wire Daily)

Fashion Wire Daily - The big buzz show of the London show of the season, at least in the past few years, is usually Christopher Kane, the Scottish wunderkind, who this season went for Reptilian Roll, a pre-historic romp that was thoroughly inventive, albeit stylistically taxing.

Source: Yahoo! News: Fashion News | 17 Sep 2008 | 6:11 pm

Did David Foster Wallace Leave Behind an Unfinished Novel?

Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images

Probably! The Observer checks in with Bonnie Nadell, the writer's first agent and literary executor, who confirms Wallace was working on a longer project — from which two recently published pieces, "Good People," in The New Yorker, and "The Compliance Branch," in Harper's, were supposedly taken — before he died. "Have I read the larger thing? No. And I don't think anyone's gonna read it … Certainly, his wife is too distraught, and I have not gone through any of his papers … I don't know what there is and what there isn't."

Offering further confirmation is Little, Brown publisher Michael Pietsch, who says, "When we put together the 10th anniversary for Infinite Jest two years ago, we had an event in New York and an event in Los Angeles, and I talked with him about whether he would like to come be part of them … I was not surprised to hear that he was wary of that idea. 'I'll do anything you want me to do,' he said, 'but please don't ask me to do this, please, please, please. I’m working on something long and it takes me a long time to get back into it after I'm pulled away from it.'" Whether we'll actually get to read it is, of course, another story.

David Foster Wallace Is Gone—Did He Leave Some 'Larger Thing'? [NYO]

Source: Vulture | 17 Sep 2008 | 6:00 pm

Retailers considering crunch by the London catwalks (Reuters)

Reuters - The catwalks are humming and buyers are still trawling the stands at London Fashion Week, but behind the scenes luxury clothing retailers are considering the knock-on effects of a global financial crisis.

Source: Yahoo! News: Fashion News | 17 Sep 2008 | 5:37 pm

Maria Menounos Once Packed on 40 Pounds

Pencil-slim "Access Hollywood" host Maria Menounos may look great now, but she once packed on an extra 40 pounds, she tells Fitness magazine.
Source: FOXNews.com | 17 Sep 2008 | 5:32 pm

Teen Novels Coming Out About Carrie Bradshaw

'Sex and the City' author Candace Bushnell is writing a pair of teen novels that takes readers back to protagonist Carrie Bradshaw's teen years.
Source: FOXNews.com | 17 Sep 2008 | 5:25 pm

Zits and the City? Teen Carrie Coming Soon

"Sex and the City" author Candace Bushnell to write about teen Carrie Bradshaw.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 17 Sep 2008 | 5:25 pm

Alec Baldwin Was Suicidal Over 'Little Pig' Tape

The release of a tape last year of Alec Baldwin calling his then 11-year-old daughter a 'rude, thoughtless little pig' caused the actor to have suicidal thoughts, he says in his new book 'A Promise to Ourselves.'
Source: FOXNews.com | 17 Sep 2008 | 4:49 pm

The smart side of Paris Hilton

Read full story for latest details.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 17 Sep 2008 | 4:18 pm

Oscars Seats Up For Grabs!

Movie fans can enter a lottery to win bleacher seats for 2009 Academy Awards.
Source: ABC News: Entertainment | 17 Sep 2008 | 2:34 pm

Italian fashion house Gucci denies ousting CEO (Reuters)

Reuters - Italian fashion house Gucci on Wednesday said the sudden departure of chief executive Mark Lee had nothing to do with lackluster first-half results.
Source: Yahoo! News: Fashion News | 17 Sep 2008 | 2:14 pm

Actors Zooey Deschanel and Martin Freeman starred in the "Hicthhikers Guide to the Galaxy" movie

Actors Zooey Deschanel and Martin Freeman pose for pictures before the premiere of the film "Hicthhikers Guide to the Galaxy" in which the play the parts of Trillian and Arthur Dent.
Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 17 Sep 2008 | 1:29 pm

Tom Jones goes retro for new album

Read full story for latest details.

Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 17 Sep 2008 | 1:20 pm

Ryan O'Neal, Son Arrested on Suspicion of Drug Possession

Authorities say they have arrested actor Ryan O'Neal and his son on suspicion of having drugs in their home.
Source: FOXNews.com | 17 Sep 2008 | 12:32 pm