Lesson 1: Knowing the difference between someone you want to have a relationship with and someone you want to sleep with regularly.
Do: Have a relationship with someone if you have no desire to see anyone else and trust they feel the same. Thankfully, no cast member of The City is in this situation, without which we wouldn’t have a series!
Don’t: Have a relationship with someone you feel needs to be spied on. Allie can’t go to Miami with Jay, Adam, Jay’s bandmate Pottsy (the original "Apple"), Pottsy’s girlfriend Jess, Whitney, and Erin because she has a modeling job. She asks Erin to keep an eye on Adam. Why any girl wants to spend energy worrying about this stuff baffles us. There are so many better things to focus on — like finding hotter, better people to get it on with, or your next hairstyle.
Don’t: Have a relationship with someone if you’re likely to cheat on them. Jay notes there will be lots of temptation in Miami when the boys are frolicking in the pool, which means his wandering eye is at work. We’re amazed that Whitney is temporarily living with this fool and is blind to this. Hopefully she noticed he looks even grosser wet than he does dry, which is truly amazing, since being wet is supposed to make a person look sexier.
Lesson 2: Looking sexy in beachwear in Miami.
Do: Wear giant sunglasses and avoid thongs.
Don’t: Wear giant white or patterned sunglasses. Whitney’s white shades make her look like a bug and Erin’s green-patterned shades make her look like a batty old lady. They should have worn black bathing suits and black glasses so everyone knows they’re from New York, and therefore cooler than all.
Lesson 3: Vacationing without your girlfriend but with her friends.
Do: Win over said friends by conversing with them, especially if they think you’re a shit because they know you cheated. Adam couldn’t care less that Whitney and Erin are on the trip with him. In fact, we never even see them talk. For all we know, MTV sent the girls down separately from the boys to shoot their respective scenes.
Don’t: Rub up on other women and stare at every C-cup that walks by. When the crew goes clubbing in Miami, Adam is surrounded by girls. The gross kind who dance on banquettes in short skirts and tank tops with shelf bras instead of real bras. Now, the producers can easily lure a bunch of chicks over with Patrón and tell them to flirt. But if Adam had half a brain he’d realize he was on camera and that Erin and Whitney were judging him.
Lesson 4: Bumping into an ex when you’re with your girlfriend.
Do: Bring your girlfriend with you to say hi. Jay’s ex is for some reason at the giant STD-laden club they go to in Miami. Even though she’s wearing a T-shirt with an American-flag heart on it and the requisite “I roll with Jay” fedora, we can tell she’s quite pretty. Jay goes over to her to talk about the last time she was in New York and they went home together. This is a weird conversation (why wouldn’t he say, “the time we slept together” or “fooled around”?) so we’re assuming it was scripted and edited to make it seem as though they were talking about something important when in fact they weren’t at all.
Don’t: Have a sketchy secret conversation and not introduce the ex and the new girlfriend. In New York Erin and Whitney may have their pick of the litter, but in South Beach they are pale, not glittery, overdressed, and sadly devoid of surgical enhancement. Loitering at the bar with Erin, Whitney sees Jay go over to his ex-girlfriend. If we were in her $700 shoes, well, first, we’d be wearing something sparkly and backless, but also, we’d be in a somewhat alcohol-induced rage if he didn’t introduce us. We’d probably also find a hot guy to hit on in front of his face. Or just rub up on Adam, since we don’t need Allie now that we’re friends with Pottsy’s girlfriend, Jess.
Lesson 5: Being the other woman.
Do: Remain mysterious. Screwing people in relationships is horrible, which is why, if you do, you should feel ashamed and keep it to yourself and one or two close friends.
Don’t: Approach the lady whose boyfriend you screwed and only hint that you cheated. When Whitney’s standing by the bar being ignored, Jay’s ex approaches and tells her she was never supposed to hang out with Jay that one time and she’s sorry. What does that mean? Either come out and say you slept with Jay (ew) or say nothing at all. This is just cruel.
Lesson 6: Dealing with a cheating out-of-town boyfriend.
Do: Drink your troubles away with a hot man. Allie’s photo shoot involves letting a hot male model kiss her neck while a guy with a mustache takes their picture from a ladder — an inside look at how creepy and awkward modeling is! Erin calls Allie from the club to tell her Adam is surrounded by twenty women, prompting Allie to take the hot model up on his offer of a drink.
Do: Break up. Sadly, we think Allie goes out with the hot model more because she needs to get wasted and get back at Adam than from her desire to do the model. But the real punishment to Adam would be genuine lust. At least they made out and touched a lot in the photo shoot.
Lesson 7: Living with a boyfriend you’ve decided you can’t trust.
Do: Kick him out. Whitney is letting Jay stay with her for two weeks while he finds a new place. When they’re back from Miami, Whitney mentions that it was weird that Jay’s ex-girlfriend was there. Jay launches into an “I have nothing to hide” spiel, which people only do when they have something to hide. Whitney said she trusted him, but “sometimes when people overjustify, it means they’re trying to cover something up.” For once we agree with her — if not her choice of made-up words — and we're almost proud of her for telling Jay she won’t be played.
Don’t: Stay together. Whitney says the conversation with Jay is making her sick and nauseous. This is a perfect segue into the “We need to take a break; get the hell out of my clean, non-hipster house” conversation. But Whitney lets Jay sit there in his dirty T-shirt. What’s worse, Jess confirms Whitney’s suspicions when they go shopping at Opening Ceremony later. Ugh, he’s probably also the sort of houseguest that leaves glasses all over the house and doesn’t ever clean a dish.
Lesson 8: Having serious conversations about the state of your relationship.
Don’t: Bring flowers. Here we are again at a restaurant with Adam, Allie, and an double-wide seat for their best friend, Tension. Adam brought Allie flowers, which seems like a smart move, but is also a dead giveaway that he’s about to make her feel terrible about herself.
Do: Have them in private. Allie tells Adam that Erin told her about all the boobs he had rubbing in his face. Adam says Erin’s not one to talk, because she has three boyfriends, which is dumb logic because even if she does, she still has two eyes that work. Allie has tears streaming down her face throughout the conversation, which is such an embarrassing spectacle that it’s hard for us to watch. Ultimately Allie tells Adam she’s decided to get her own place and he leaves her sitting there all soggy-faced.
Next week: Olivia's back, with two episodes' worth of bitchiness crammed into one!
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: inner city life, mtv, reality tv, whitney port
On February 10, the Museum of Modern Art launched one of its most extensive and expensive advertising campaigns in history when it reproduced 57 works from its permanent collection and plastered the images around Brooklyn's Atlantic-Pacific subway station. Then, this past Saturday night, around 2 a.m., the installation was ambushed by two men. One was Poster Boy (or at least one of his disciples, we're pretty sure), the now-notorious street-art vandal, who was arrested earlier this month on criminal-mischief and misdemeanor charges. His accomplice was a less likely culprit: Doug Jaeger, the advertising executive who created the campaign for MoMA. Jaeger is CEO of the brand-management agency the Happy Corp and president of the prestigious Art Directors Club.
Wearing official MoMA jackets, the two convinced the MTA guards and station police that they were there on official business. Poster Boy and his crew then proceeded to mash up the reproductions in traditional PB-style, meaning Andy Warhol's Marilyn was made to look as though she had a nose job, and a cutout of a race car was positioned to dive into another painting. When they were done, Jaeger staged a fashion shoot in front of Poster Boy's reworked creations, using hired models and a professional photographer (the above model's face is pixelated — says Jaeger, who hopes to sell the images at some point — because he doesn't have permission to use his/her likeness without consent).
"Early on we saw Poster Boy's work, and we realized it was inevitable that if we did this project, his crew would likely see it as an opportunity. Whenever you create something, you want to make sure you're prepared for that," Jaeger says. "What I would hope is that it would cause debate and generate some argument, at a minimum."
MoMA is probably less than pleased with the vandalism of its ambitious advertising campaign by the individual they paid to create it. The museum had purchased all of the advertising space in the station, in what the MTA calls a "station domination." The campaign was scheduled to last six weeks. Yesterday afternoon, though, CBS Outdoor, the billboard-advertising company that installed the works, removed two of the works: "I can confirm for you that the vandalized ads were taken down [Monday] by CBS Outdoor and will be replaced by Wednesday," said Kim Mitchel, the head of MOMA's communications department. "Beyond that, MoMA will have no comment."
Jaeger says he's nervous about the museum's response, but stands by his actions. "I don't know if they like for me to be saluting it," he says of Poster Boy's work. "But if someone who is getting acclaim as an artist does something to your campaign, does it make it less valuable or more valuable?"
Photo: Doug Jaeger
Photo: Doug Jaeger
Photo: Doug Jaeger
Photo: Doug Jaeger
Read more posts by Erica Orden
Filed Under: art, moma, poster boy
So long as the government is going to give companies like Citigroup and Bank of America and AIG billion-dollar infusions every five minutes or so, they might as well just outright take ownership, a lot of people, including Nobel Prize–winning economist Paul Krugman, have said lately. That way we'd have control over how they were spending the money and could reap the benefits once they start making money again. It seems like a pretty simple plan, but the administration is hesitant, even as it seems ever likely.
"We absolutely believe that our private banking system is best off being in private hands and we are trying our best to keep it that way," one senior administration official told the Times today. Though: "Given our involvement at this particular stage, there is an element, a possibility over time, that we will end up with some ownership of these institutions." Why all the hemming and hawing, guy? Why not just swoop in there and clean stuff up? Well. Further down in the article, one economist puts things into stark perspective:
“They are desperate to not nationalize the banks,” said Robert J. Barbera, chief economist at ITG. “They know what happened when they took Iraq and they would just as soon not take over the banks, because if you own it, you gotta fix it.”
Read more posts by Jessica Pressler
Filed Under: aig, banks, business, citigroup, Scenes From a Meltdown, They'll Be Greeted As Liberators
AP - New York Post Chairman Rupert Murdoch apologized Tuesday for a cartoon that critics said likened a violent chimpanzee shot dead by police to President Barack Obama.
AP - When Sony announced the PlayStation 3 at the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo, its centerpiece was a breathtaking chunk of footage from a game called "Killzone 2." The clip, which showed a squad of troopers descending on a city and battling alien forces, was so dramatic that many viewers questioned whether the game itself could possibly live up to it.
 E! Online | Octuplets' Mom Faces Off Against Her Own Mother People Magazine By Stephen M. Silverman Nadya Suleman, the California woman who gave birth to octuplets last month, squared off against her own mother in a 30-minute face-to-face debate videotaped last week by the Web site RadarOnline. Octomom: 'Beaudoin Not Kids' Father,' Can Prove It Octomom fell fast from Miracle Mom to punch line |
 ABC News | Bow Wow on Rihanna: 'The Picture Speaks for Itself' Extra TV Rapper Bow Wow, who is a friend of Chris Brown, recently opened up about the controversy surrounding Brown and the alleged abuse of his girlfriend, Rihanna. Ne-Yo Spoke With Rihanna About Altercation, Wants To Talk To Chris ... Online Gamblers Placing Wagers On Chris Brown's Future |
Marvel quarterly profit beats Street view Reuters Feb 24 (Reuters) - Media company Marvel Entertainment Inc's (MVL.N) profit more than doubled, beating market estimates for the sixth straight quarter, as it benefited from the strong performance of its first self-produced films. Marvel Sets Revenue Record for 2008 Earnings: Marvel’s Results Boosted By Iron Man Franchise |
 ABC News | The story of 1 Oscar: No. 3453 Bollywood bound MSNBC AP LOS ANGELES - Once he was simply known as Oscar No. 3453 but now the little gold man has a new name, "Best Original Score," and he's Bollywood bound. Slumdog: Trailblazer or one off? Don't underestimate India's soft power: Chidambaram |
Last week the editors of the New York Post offered a slight, defiant apology over the Sean Delonas cartoon depicting cops shooting a chimp and remarking that someone else would now have to write the stimulus bill — a gag that many found racist. Today, another apology appeared, this time on page two of the tabloid. It was written by News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch himself, and it felt like he was actually sorry about the whole thing:
Last week, we made a mistake. We ran a cartoon that offended many people. Today I want to personally apologize to any reader who felt offended, and even insulted. Over the past couple of days, I have spoken to a number of people and I now better understand the hurt this cartoon has caused. At the same time, I have had conversations with Post editors about the situation and I can assure you — without a doubt — that the only intent of that cartoon was to mock a badly written piece of legislation. It was not meant to be racist, but unfortunately, it was interpreted by many as such.
We wonder who Rupe talked to that got him so rattled? It certainly wasn't Al Sharpton. Maybe someone with actual power? In Washington perhaps? Regardless — this second, broader apology is a pretty big step. It extends to people who were even just insulted by the cartoon!
STATEMENT FROM RUPERT MURDOCH [NYP]
Earlier: Al Sharpton Says Post Cartoon Might Be Kind of Racist
Post Apologizes for Cartoon, in Its Own Way
Read more posts by Chris Rovzar
Filed Under: ink-stained wretches, media, new york post, rupert murdoch, sean delonas
Moving Up: Freida Pinto’s first post-Slumdog project will be Woody Allen’s upcoming untitled film, featuring the previously announced Josh Brolin and Anthony Hopkins. Pinto expressed her joy in being cast, saying "It's been a lifelong dream of mine to work with that guy with the sweat headband from Goonies." Naomi Watts has just been added to the cast, too, but none of her movies won Best Picture on Sunday, so she gets pushed back to the last sentence in the paragraph. [Variety]
Hot Tub. Time Machine: John Cusack, Rob Corddry, and Craig Robinson have joined the cast of Hot Tub Time Machine, with Vulture buddy Clark Duke in negotiations to do the same. The movie revolves around a group of friends who return to a lodge where they partied in their youth, only to be shipped back to the year 1987 upon entering the titular hot-tub-time-machine hybrid. [HR]
Ejiofor Undercover: Chiwetel Ejiofor has joined the cast of Salt as Peabody, a CIA agent working for Liev Schrieber’s character and tasked with hunting down Angelina Jolie’s character, an alleged Russian sleeper spy. The report specifically describes Peabody as being in “hot pursuit,” which is the first time in the history of the written word that anyone named Peabody has been described as doing anything other than taking out a book at the library. [Variety]
Ambassador Penn: Sean Penn may join Fair Game — about outed spy Valerie Plame Wilson — as Ambassador Joseph Wilson. Based on the ex-CIA-agent’s memoir, the project has Naomi Watts onboard as Plame, with Doug Liman set to direct. [Variety]
Diablo Undead: Diablo Cody is producing Breathers: A Zombie’s Lament for Fox Searchlight; the movie, an adaptation of S.G. Browne’s upcoming novel, revolves around a recent zombie convert who finds help adjusting to his new life when he attends an Undead Anonymous meeting. Those fearful of zombies wielding slightly outdated vernacular, rest easy — the actual screenplay will be written by Geoff Latulippe. [Variety]
Inevitable: The Melrose Place remake has been officially green-lit for the CW; Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin, who wrote the new version, will also be the program’s executive producers and showrunners. Brian Gaskill, call your agent: Models Inc. is so next. [HR]
Read more posts by Amos Barshad
Filed Under: angelina jolie, anthony hopkins, breathers: a zombie's lament, brian gaskill, chiwetel ejiofor, clark duke, craig robinson, diablo cody, doug liman, freida pinto, hot tub time machine, john cusack, josh brolin, liev schrieber, melrose place, movies, naomi watts, peabody, rob corddry, salt, sean penn, slumdog millionaire, television, the industry, valerie plame, valerie plame wilson, woody allen
EVENTS
• Gucci's spring 2009 shoe collection debuts at Saks today. Through 2/25. 611 Fifth Ave., nr. 50th St. (212-753-4000); 10–8.
SALES
STARTING TODAY
• Get up to 85 percent off furs, gowns, cocktail dresses, sportswear, and accessories by J. Mendel at Patti Rose. Through 2/25. 124 E. 58th St., nr. Lexington Ave. (917-533-8251); T (9–7), W (9–6).
ENDING TODAY
• Jackets, tuxedos, outerwear, shirts, and ties are available at wholesale prices at Isaia. 730 Fifth Ave., nr. 57th St., Ste. 1004; (10–6).
• Usually access to the archives at What Comes Around Goes Around is private and by appointment only, but now the public can buy vintage boots, coats, and shirts for up to 90 percent off. Boots and coats start at $30, while accessories and shirts start at $10. 13-17 Laight St., nr. Sixth Ave., fifth fl., buzzer 28 (212-274-8340); (11–7).
STARTING TOMORROW
• The Nikka New York showroom is moving, and it's putting its clothes on sale for 80 percent off. Tops are $30 to $80, jackets are $90 (originally $350), and dresses are $40 to $125 (originally $150 to $300). Through 2/28. 214 W. 39th St., nr. Seventh Ave., Ste. 907 (212-302-4284); W–S (11–7).
Read more posts by Sharon Clott
Filed Under: fashion calendar, sales, shopping
 Just Jared | Jokin’ Joaquin: Phoenix Wanted To Be Insulted By The Academy FOXNews In 2005, Joaquin Phoenix was an awards season favorite following his portrayal of Johnny Cash in "Walk the Line," but fast-forward four years and he’s the newest object of unshaven mockery. Ben Stiller's Joaquin Phoenix skit: funniest or lamest Oscar moment? Ben Posing As Joaquin |
 Canoe.ca | Nicky Hilton to homeless guy: "I am placing you under citizen's ... Newsday Nicky Hilton, left, and Paris Hilton attend the Pamella Roland fall 2009 fashion show at Bryant Park, in New York, on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2009. Nicky Hilton stacks up vs. attacker outside IHOP Nicky Hilton makes citizen's arrest at IHOP |
AP - Sweden's future queen will marry her boyfriend next year, the royal court announced Tuesday, ending years of speculation on whether the couple would tie the knot.
 Seattle Post Intelligencer | Economy doesn't dampen Mardi Gras festivities The Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Partiers in New Orleans are taking one last chance to eat, drink and be merry before Lent. Tourism officials don't believe the economic downturn has dampened the mood at this year's Mardi Gras celebrations, and say that big crowds ... Video: New Orleans Ready for Final Mardi Gras Fling You Thought You Knew Mardi Gras Foods? |
AP - Partiers in New Orleans are taking one last chance to eat, drink and be merry before Lent.
 Just Jared | Oscar's Next Host: Billy Crystal? FOXNews By Roger Friedman Now that Hugh Jackman’s turn as host of the Academy Awards has been cemented as a success, the multi talented movie star/song and dance man can go into the rotation with all the other available hosts for future shows. Slumdog children arrive late at post Oscar party, miss Madonna After Midnight: Post-Oscar Parties All Over Town |
E! Online - And we're back...
Not that Sean Penn hasn't been writing his own ticket for years, but it's nice to see winning his second Best Actor Oscar hasn't made him lazy.
The Milk star is in talks to...
Oh Lost, you're awesome.
Not only do you drop Locke (Terry O'Quinn) on what appears to be the Tunisian desert, i.e. the exact same spot Ben landed when he moved the Island, but...
Has anyone's Oscar been stolen on Oscar night? Or lost?
—Miss Keli, via Twitter
Probably. But more often they go missing years later.
Angelina Jolie...
Nothing like finding out in prime time that all your roommates hated you. Or having your first reunion with the one that got away on national television.
Such was the purpose of The...
AP - Britney Spears' father testified for nearly 90 minutes Monday about why he felt a long-term restraining order should be issued against three people, including the singer's former manager and an ex-boyfriend.
Victoria wasn't the only one with a secret.
Adriana Lima eloped with her basketball-playing boyfriend, Marko Jaric, on Valentine's Day, People reports.
"We are so...
Were you totally surprised to see Kate Winslet take the Oscar for Best Actress?
Yeah, we weren't either. (Not that we don't love her, we do!)
But it got us thinking:...
Oh, Grey's Anatomy.
You always keep us guessing, especially when it comes to the fate of one Dr. Isobel Stevens, aka Katherine Heigl—aka the AWOL actress who is, according to...
Last night was all about the revelry. Today, it was back to the drama.
Attorneys for Jamie and Britney Spears, as well as ex-Spears second banana Sam Lutfi, congregated in a Los...
AP - That "green-eyed monster," jealousy, lurks beneath the action and finally explodes in a stunning off-Broadway production of Shakespeare's "Othello."
AP - A dweebish-looking sex offender plays chess with a crudely assembled mannequin in the shadowy basement of his grandmother's house. Right from the opening scene of "Zombie" Bill Connington's chilling adaptation of the Joyce Carol Oates novel based on serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer the creepiness is unnerving.
Six hours in a hot, sweaty room with Andrew Cuomo last week, and former Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain still wouldn't give up the goods on who got the $3.6 billion in bonuses the company paid out at the end of the year. He did say this, though: “Bonuses were determined based upon the performance and the retention of the people, and there is nothing that happened in the world or economy that would make you say that those were not the right thing to do for the retention and the reward of the people who were performing.” We'll be the judge of that. A judge has ordered Thain back to the attorney general's office tomorrow to provide further details. [NYT]
Read more posts by Jessica Pressler
Filed Under: andrew cuomo, bonus buster, bonuses, business, john thain, White Men WIth Rugs
Running in Heels premieres March 1 on the Style network. It's the reality show about Marie Claire that focuses on three interns who live together in a loft in Soho. But it's not just a Stylista knockoff — the point isn't to kick people off, and, aside from the whole living in a fancy loft in Soho bit, Marie Claire editor Joanna Coles said the series strives for a documentary-like feel. You know, like the Style network's unrivaled Life in the Fab Lane, starring Kimora Lee Simmons.
According to the Wall Street Journal's Heard on the Runway blog, Running in Heels is chock-full of celebrity appearances by people like Molly Sims and Heidi Klum. In the first episode, the magazine throws a party to celebrate the arrival of Nina Garcia as fashion director. Joanna freaks out when Lindsay Lohan refuses to get out of her car because there's no blown-up poster of her magazine cover from that month. Her life is tough.
And then there's the bitchiness! The interns are told not to speak unless spoken to, which sounds like something someone would just say for TV but nonetheless greatly amuses viewers like us. Joanna says she was surprised by the amount of crying in the office. “People say extraordinary things to interns … things that I had no idea people said and sound to me completely ridiculous. I’ve talked to people and said, ‘You know, that’s really not appropriate, I’m surprised that you would say that and I’d expected more of you,’” she adds.
Now all this show needs to really take off is some sort of love triangle. Hopefully the interns get drunk at a party and make out with each other's boyfriends. Or each other. Any sort of Real World- or City-esque debauchery.
Style Network’s ‘Running in Heels’ Aims For Documentary Look at Fashion [Heard on the Runway/WSJ]
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: joanna coles, marie claire, reality bandwagon, reality tv, running with heels, style network
The Bad News: The Dow closed today down 250.89 points at 7114.78, its lowest close since 1997.
The Good News: Wait, what was so bad about 1997? We had the Spice Girls, the "Yo Quiero Taco Bell" Chihuahua, and Titanic. 1997 ruled!
The Bad News: New York has a budget deficit of $15 billion, and Governor Paterson has proposed $9 billion of harsh cuts in education, health care, and social services, plus $5 billion in new taxes that, according to the Nation, would hit the struggling poor and middle class the hardest.
The Good News: If we had more citizens like Nicki Hilton, we might need less cops! This weekend, according to Us Weekly, when Nicki was dining at IHOP (she's a recessionista!), a 50-year-old homeless person "came up behind Ms. Hilton and pushed her. She's OK, but she was desirous of prosecution. She said, 'I am placing you under citizen's arrest!'" Let that be an inspiration to us all.
Read more posts by Jessica Pressler
Filed Under: business, nicki hilton, taco bell, the 90s, the dow, The Greatest Depression, the nineties
Bad news for Lost junkies! Even though early reports suggested that the current season would air without interruption, it now looks like there will be a skip week on March 11, between episodes eight and nine. Though a one-week gap is nothing compared to the three-month gulf between episodes six and seven in season three, die-hard fans will likely feel the sting, if just because the episode after the brief break is rumored to be focused on one mysterious Benjamin Linus. [Dark UFO]
Read more posts by Matthew Perpetua
Filed Under: abc, bummers, lost
Though Hugh Jackman's recession-special opening may have saved the future of the Academy Awards, the media is finding it more difficult to find salvation in recycled paper and ink. In today's news, local papers file for bankruptcy, CNBC.com resorts to YouTubing its own TV personalities, and other anchors begin tweeting news exclusives.
• News Corp. president Peter Chernin, who toiled as Rupert Murdoch's second-in-command for twelve years, is stepping down into a lucrative semi-retirement. It's expected that Murdoch himself will pick up some of Chernin's duties. [LAT]
• Gawker is absorbing its Hollywood gossip site, Defamer. Though the three Defamer bloggers are effectively canned, Gawker is looking to — gasp! — hire a new Hollywood gossip writer. [NickDenton.org]
• Still, Nick Denton must be doing something right — his flagship blog was named most valuable by finance blog 24/7. [247WallSt]
• The owners of the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News were not as lucky: both filed for bankruptcy late Sunday night. [NYT]
• Trend alert! The Journal Register Company, publisher of the New Haven Register in Connecticut and other newspapers, also filed for Chapter 11 protection on Saturday. [NYT]
• Meredith-owned ReadyMade magazine is being moved from its Berkeley, California, office to Des Moines, Iowa — sans staffers who refuse to leave their vegan Bay Area homes. Cue fans mourning the projected demise of the do-it-yourself mag that was considered sooooo West Coast. [SF Gate]
• CNBC.com seems to have finally discovered YouTube. To maximize publicity and web traffic, the news site is now posting cringe-worthy rants by its own TV personalities on the web after they air, like they did with Rick Santelli's outburst about Obama's plans to address the housing crisis. [NYT]
• Though some anchors prefer self-promotion, thank you very much. David Gregory, Terry Moran, Rick Sanchez, Julie Banderas, and Rachel Maddow have begun to overshare on Twitter. [WP]
Read more posts by Yelena Shuster
Filed Under: defamer, gawker, julie banderas, keith olbermann, media, media deathwatch, news corp, nick denton, peter chernin, philadelphia daily news, philadelphia inquirer, rachel maddow, rupert murdoch, twitter
In case you didn't feel depressed all day: On the last day of Fashion Week, 2,000 job seekers attended the Women's Wear Daily Fashion Career Expo. Only 20 companies were hiring, including Tommy Hilfiger, Abercrombie and Fitch, and Burlington Coat Factory. Last year 1,000 people showed up and 60 companies were hiring. [NYP]
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: economy, eff the recession
Earlier today, French popsters Phoenix announced their new album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, via a note on their website — and, even more important, unveiled the album's first single, "1901." Our B.A. in history is hanging its head in shame, since we can't even guess at the significance of the date, but that doesn't mean we're enjoying this massive track any less: Front man Thomas Mars's playful vocals are expertly framed by giant synths, big, shiny guitar sounds, and the occasional sonar noise, all to great effect. If the rest of the album sounds anything like this, all silly titles are forgiven.
Download the MP3 here.
Read more posts by Amos Barshad
Filed Under: 1901, music, phoenix, right-click, wolfgang amadeus phoenix
This morning the Post's Frederic U. Dicker suggested that our new senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, is nervous that she has no shot in a reelection bid in two years, during which she could face fellow Democrat Representative Carolyn McCarthy. The Observer's Azi Paybarah spent the rest of the day trying to figure out whether Gillibrand, in fact, has reason to worry. First he asked Senator Chuck Schumer if he would support his new colleague — and Schumer's response sounded like an endorsement, but wasn't. "I don't endorse two years before a primary. Never have," he said. "I have every expectation that I will, because she'll do a good job." That sounds silly — why bother explicitly not endorsing her, then?
Gillibrand probably breathed a bit easier when the invitations to her first fund-raiser went out later in the day, though. Turns out she'll have Bill Clinton working on her team, raising money for her campaign war chest and appearing at the event. Bill is always a gamble to have on the stump for you, but generally, if you're not his wife, your luck is a lot better.
Gillibrand Gets (Bill) Clinton for Fund-Raiser [NYO]
Schumer Expects to Endorse Gillibrand, But Doesn't Yet [NYO]
Related: 150 Minutes With Carolyn McCarthy [NYM]
Read more posts by Chris Rovzar
Filed Under: bill clinton, chuck schumer, early and often, kirsten gillibrand, politics
In this week's New York, our very own Adam Platt interviews his younger brother Oliver Platt, currently on Broadway in Guys and Dolls. Mary Kaye Schilling talks to Jane Fonda upon her first Broadway performance in 46 years. Boris Kachka talks to Universal Robots playwright Mac Rogers about building a better robot. Justin Davidson opines on East New York's Nehemiah Spring Creek Homes. David Edelstein reviews An American Affair and Crossing Over. Karen Shoemer reviews M. Ward's Hold Time. Scott Brown and Kachka review The Story of My Life and Mourning Becomes Electra. Martin Johnson raps with pianist Jason Moran about re-creating Thelonious Monk's 1959 Town Hall concert. Also, Rebecca Milzoff gets David Byrne to start making sense of his new tour.
Read more posts by Lane Brown
Filed Under: in the magazine, oliver platt
At 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, the seminal auction of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé's art collection began in Paris, the likes of which only comes along once a century. Amassed by the couple over five decades, the gigantic collection includes works by Picasso, Mondrian, and Matisse, Art Deco furniture, bronzes and antiques, including two Chinese figureheads. Pieces date from the first century to the twentieth century. The collection is so huge that the only place in Paris it could fit was the Grand Palais, and Christie's will spend three days auctioning off the 731 lots. The collection is so special that all 7,000 of the five-volume catalogues have sold out and are expected to become collectors' items, and 30,000 people came by the Grand Palais over two days just to look at it.
But what also makes this event so special, aside from the staggering collection, is that it's given rich people and people who buy things for them a reason to come together in Paris in the recession to spend massive amounts of cash. A small Italian landscape by Degas was the first item sold, to an anonymous telephone bidder for $485,000. A painting by James Ensor estimated to go for $3 million went for $5.6 million. A Cézanne landscape hoped to fetch $2.5 million to $3.8 million only fetched $2.3 million. In total, the auction is expected to fetch $392 million, which is probably almost, if not quite, enough to buy Barneys. But proceeds will go to much worthier causes, split between medical research and the fight against AIDS, and Bergé and Saint Laurent's foundation.
Saint Laurent 'sale of the century' begins [AFP]
The unique sell of YSL: Fashion king’s art auction [Independent UK]
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: art, auctions, pierre berge, rich people, yves saint laurent
Today, it seems, is Sympathy for Theater Actors Day on Vulture. First we felt bad for Will Chase, whose latest show, The Story of My Life was canned over the weekend. Now our hearts go out to Lili Taylor and Jena Malone, as their just-opened Mourning Becomes Electra will end its run on Sunday, a tad earlier than its scheduled April 18 closing. This news would be sad for them anyway, but the play — scratch that, epic — is more than four hours long! All that studying for this? [Arts Beat/NYT]
Read more posts by Lori Fradkin
Filed Under: broadwaypocalypse, jena malone, mourning becomes electra
Bloggers quickly dubbed Rick Santelli's denunciation of Obama's housing bill on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange last Thursday the "Rant of the Year," and we won't quibble with that distinction. As egomaniacal, grandstanding, televised acts of running off the rails go, his performance was highly entertaining, and had all the hallmarks of its genre: Distortion of features, raised voice, visibly freaked-out colleagues, a lapse into the nonsensical. But so long as we're giving out awards, we think it's only fair to recognize some of the other fab freak-outs we've had the good fortune to witness since the financial crisis began. From our own James Cramer, who kicked them all off with a now-legendary rant against Ben Bernanke way back in August 2007, through the mayhem at this month's Madoff hearings, here are six classic meltdowns.
Read more posts by Jessica Pressler
Filed Under: business, harry markopolos, james cramer, neel kashkari, rick santelli, the greatest depression
"American Insurance Group, the insurance giant that is 80-percent owned by the US government, is in discussions with the government to secure additional funds so it can keep operating after next Monday, when it will report the largest loss in U.S. corporate history." We didn't read any more because we had to close our eyes. [CNBC]
Read more posts by Jessica Pressler
Filed Under: aig, business, Scenes From a Meltdown, the greatest depression
Dustin Lance Black did not write this episode, but he has created many of them, and last night he gave the cutest Oscar acceptance speech for Best Original Screenplay, so: Cheers to him. We hope he had a chance to exchange a long, meaningful look with Zac Efron after the ceremony. Now, onto the National Lampoon's Vacation installment of Big Love, where the entire family road trips to important LDS sites, and a very Russ-like Ben hornily announces his boner for Margene.
The echoes don't end there: In Vacation, the Griswolds bring their deceased grandmother along on the roof of the car; in “Come, Ye Saints,” Margene's mother, Ginger, is brought along in her urn, and Nicki's children, clearly descended from evil, smear the ashes all over their little faces. Even the Henricksons' inexplicably archaic red station wagon resembles the clunker driven by the Griswolds. The traveling sideshow conceit, crude as it is, finally sets a few rarely connected characters in each other's paths. Ben, of course, longs to touch Margene's hair, but into this long-simmering bit of intrigue comes ... what's her name? ... T, the red-haired daughter of Bill and Barb, who finds Ben's love note, and who also, we must add, seems to be the latest Henrickson female of child-bearing age. What will come of that?
Older sis Sarah loses her baby, which prompts some tenderness in Nicki, her latent nemesis, owing to her severe Mormon sister-wife status. There's also some hullabaloo over Barb's discovery of Nicki's birth-control pills (by the way, we believe Nicki when she says that she's been having cramps for the past four years; do you hear the things she says to Margene?), which Barb believes belong to Sarah, even though what they really hint at is the potential bareback sex with the icky lawyer, who calls Nicki again. Dude, at some point you'll have to tell her about the VD that you've obviously picked up. But the balls go several shades bluer when, Bill having accidentally washed his pills down the drain, Margene (in strumpety swim gear) struts in on him and Nicki (in a sheer gown) and mouth-humps Bill to help him get it up — then leaves before we've even finished typing “We never thought we'd be writing to Penthouse ... ” Margene, far too clever for her character: “Am I being a pill?”
So what does Bill do? He totes around a silvery phallus, the “time capsule” that's to be buried along with his youth, virility, and purpose. But first, one of those children that he has apparently fathered wants his cowboy back. Son, Bill intones, don't you know that this paragon of manhood was never alive in the first place? Reaching over his shoulder for an arrow, Bill finds his sack deflated. (Projectile dysfunction.) Ana's gone, maybe for good. Every man Bill encounters challenges him, and he more or less responds with a “Good day to you, sir.” For a minute there, it looked like Ben might get road head from the one wife who still turns Bill on. And for chrissakes, Nicki put him in a cardigan (like the lawyer's) to get hot. That angel at the end the only thing rising around here? We're not sure Dustin would have gone with such an obvious metaphor.
Read more posts by Nick Catucci
Filed Under: big love, overnights, tv
It seems Aaron Bruns, the Fox News political producer who was busted for possessing and distributing child pornography, had a side gig. Our friend Kenneth in the 212 found Bruns posing for some perfectly legal, adult (and even educational!) soft-core pornography. It was for The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Supercharged Kama Sutra, which is too bad, because this is a guy who should not be helping teach other people how to have sex. [Kenneth in the 212]
Read more posts by Chris Rovzar
Filed Under: aaron bruns, fox news, grossness, porn
FRAGRANCE
• Celine Dion is coming out with her sixth fragrance in April, called Chic. The campaign features her boarding a plane in a feathered cocktail dress. Because chic people take private planes instead of cars to cocktail parties? [StyleWatch/People.com]
• Kate Moss is launching a limited-edition fragrance called Summer Time, in April. She nose what's hot, after all. [Now Smell This]
MAKEUP
• Sam Bryant of Lancôme says the makeup at PPQ is inspired by “dirty, slutty, goth, rock chicks.” Aside from The City's Erin, how many girls really want to look like that? [WWD]
HAIR
• It looked like the wig Alicia Keys wore to the Oscars was slipping down her forehead. [E-Beauty Daily]
NAILS
• Seal painted his nails black for the Oscars. Apparently he hasn't heard brown is the new black as far as nails go. [Spoiled Pretty]
Read more posts by Sharon Clott
Filed Under: alicia keys, beauty, beauty marks, celine dion, fragrance, hair, kate moss, makeup, nails, ppq, seal
A pissing personality, an increasingly interesting hubby, appallingly jerkish in-laws, the botched boob job of the asshole sister: finally some compelling elements in this heretofore predictable show. Despite its many “hip” and “edgy” references (courtesy, one assumes, of its former-stripper-current-hipster executive producer, Diablo Cody), United States of Tara had thus far rarely succeeded in stifling our yawn. Now it’s actually starting to justify the Showtime subscription.
Let’s start with shockingly spiteful husband Max.
Another Alternate Reality
We had written him off as the most one-dimensional of U.S. of T. characters, but we’re beginning to think Max is more than just the straight man in the house. For starters, why would an otherwise normal, decent fellow engage a — apologies to the dissociative-identity disordered — freak like Tara? Surely he’s got either a kinky side, or ... something. That “something” is on full display when Max brutally stands up to his in-laws, who rolled up in their R.V. with the ostensible intention of celebrating the 34th birthday of the asshole sister, Charmaine. Actual intention: They want to “save the children” from their monster of a mother.
Milquetoast Max says he “almost became Buck” to kick the ass of his meddling mother-in-law. He also becomes wildly animated when Tara is on the verge of “transitioning” into one of her alters, abruptly shuttling her into their backyard, gleefully circling her around in his a makeshift merry-go-round as if they were two kids on recess.
Even better is the “Oh no he didn't moment” of the episode when Max drags the father-in-law out to his R.V. to say to him: “My kids are safe. Maybe you should’ve spent more time looking after yours.”
Maybe that gherkin-jerkin’ husband has more going on than we thought.
The Unaltered Tara
After considering a Xanax option to help her deal with her problem parents, Tara says “nope to dope” and somehow manages to fend off a transition — that is, until the witching hour, when Max finds “her” escaped from their bed, outfitted in a red poncho and pissing on her dad, who is slumbering deeply on the sleeper sofa. (The night before he and his wife had woken in a wet bed; they wrote it off as old-man incontinence.)
Add to that the budding relationship between daughter Kate and her Styx-loving, T.G.I Friday’s–knockoff boss, Charmaine’s insecurity about her off-kilter nipples, and the new, little red pissing hood alter, and we’ve got ourselves a pretty intriguing show.
Read more posts by Courtney Reimer
Filed Under: overnights, tv, united states of tara
The Downturnaround is no blithe optimist. We are not prepared to say that the semi-nationalization of Citigroup, if this indeed is what is in the offing, means that the worst is behind us. All we're really looking for is reasons not to panic, and recently, we've read many things that recommend turning the anxiety level down a notch or two.
• One of the sharpest purveyors of pessimism porn takes a break from online "chatter about how it's the end of the world as we know it," and when he comes back to it, finds himself not so "perturbed." See! Economic news and data = terrifying. Real world = a lot less bad. [Infectious Greed]
• The American consumer gets a very bad rap these days, but here's something we love about ourselves: We want what we want, goddamn it, and you better give it to us. And this man wants his Jimmy Dean sausage. [YouTube]
• We here at the Downturnaround consider bad news for Cerberus, the buyout firm staffed with Bush-era flunkies including former Treasury Secretary John Snow and yes, Dan Quayle (amazing he's employed, isn't it?), to be good news for the U.S. economy and Americans generally. Actually, include the whole world in that. [FT]
• They like her. They really like her. Hillary charms the Chinese: After a face-to-face meeting in which our new secretary of State begged the Chinese to keep buying U.S. Treasuries, a Chinese official told Clinton that she looked "younger and more beautiful" than she appears on television." We're taking that as a yes. [Bloomberg]
• You know what happens after you declare personal bankruptcy? You get to keep living. [Bob is Bankrupt via Market Movers/Portfolio]
• Hey now. There are jobs for us in India. And they still think they need to pay us more! (Shh, no one tell them.) [WSJ]
• Okay, so newspapers are dead. But someone with a lot of money has a new idea of how to cover local news. [Business Insider]
• Think the U.S. economy has devolved to a bunch of Ponzi-scheming bankers on the one hand and overworked baristas on the other? Well, no. We are also the world's leading manufacturer, measured in output. "For every $1 of value produced in China factories, the United States generates $2.50." [Big Picture]
• Occasionally, the financial blogosphere spits out an idea of how to improve the world, rather than just predict the various spectacular forms of its demise. Imagine if the government, rather than subsidize hedge funds to take the toxic assets off the banks' books, chopped the assets up into small enough pieces that small investors could play ball on an even playing field with the big boys. Wouldn't be something? [Interfluidity] Hint: Skip to the end.
• Like many of you, no doubt, the Downturnaround was curious to discover, in yesterday's front-page Times story about Japan, what the travails of the world's second-largest economy might portend for ours, and we will admit this much: We do not look forward to a steady diet of cabbage stew or of drinking our own bathwater. However, we would like to call B.S. on some of what the Times apparently considered extreme deprivation:
1. Let's start with the fact that "some 48 percent of workers age 24 or younger are temps" and "tend to shun conspicuous consumption." Well, what should we expect? That kids in their early twenties lock themselves into soul-crushing office jobs and start driving Ferraris?
2. Relatedly, the report that Louis Vuitton sales were down 10 percent in Japan in 2008 — was that supposed to seem shocking? Ten fekkin' percent? We know more than a few firms that would be thrilled if business had slowed that little, and we expect Louis Vuitton will be okay.
That said, we were a little moved by the plight of the middle-class family that hadn't been on vacation in two years and survives without a flat-panel television. Sometimes you just have to sit back and marvel at how the human spirit endures. [NYT]
Read more posts by Hugo Lindgren
Filed Under: business, india, japan, louis vuitton, The Downturnaround
AFP - Bids for couturier Yves Saint Laurent's private art collection hit 206 million euros (261 million dollars) on Monday, making it the most expensive ever auctioned with two days still left to run.
After 43 years, New Yorker Films announced today that the company is going out of business. Dan Talbot founded the theater at the height of his successful run at the old New Yorker Theater on Broadway and 88th. The company made its name — and, in turn, made the act of New York filmgoing — synonymous with the boundary-pushing cinema of international auteurs, including Bertolucci, Bresson, Chabrol, Fellini, Godard, Herzog, Malle, and Schlondorff. Most recently, the distributor championed the excellent filmmakers Hong Sang-Soo (Woman is the Future of Man) and Jia Zhang-Ke (Still Life), among many others. [IndieWire]
Read more posts by Logan Hill
Filed Under: movies, new yorker films, obits
Hayden Christensen and former O.C. star Rachel Bilson recently got engaged. Fortunately, George Lucas and his crew of special effecticians have gone back and digitally inserted Hayden into the original episodes of The O.C. to make sure no kids who end up watching old O.C. episodes are confused by images of Bilson dating Adam Brody.
We can all just relax -- continuity has been restored:
Now that Bill Murray is onboard and two writers from The Office have penned a script, is Ghostbusters 3 actually going to happen anytime soon? Yes, according to Dan Akroyd, who told fans in a Boston Globe online chat that he and his collaborators "hope to be in production by late fall 2009." Obviously, this is not a sure thing, but it certainly gives us a thrill, because the last time Aykroyd dropped some info about the movie in public, it was about the Office guys writing the script, which turned out to be totally true! Anyway, we're crossing our fingers. [/Film]
Read more posts by Matthew Perpetua
Filed Under: dan akroyd, ghostbusters 3, movies
AP - A French judge Monday refused to halt the sale of disputed Chinese bronze fountainheads heading for Christie's auction block as part of fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent's estate.
New York Fashion Week bore a new class of power stompers, nipping at the heels of Aggy, Raquel, and Caroline. We analyzed the model lineups of the biggest shows, paying careful attention to who opened and who closed, to (somewhat) mathematically determine to the top ten models of New York Fashion Week. They include runway veterans like Natasha Poly and Sasha Pivovarova, and Tao Okamoto, who made her New York Fashion Week comeback this season. And then there was Sigrid Agren, who opened Diane Von Furstenberg and Marc by Marc Jacobs, walking a total of over sixteen shows and beating out Calvin Klein opener Monika Jagaciak and newcomer Sessilee Lopez. That said, it was a close race. See the top ten models of New York Fashion Week in the slideshow.
Read more posts by James Lim
Filed Under: anna jagodzinska, fall 2009, fashion week fall 2009, jourdan dunn, model tracker, Model Tracker, models, monika jagaciak, natasha poly, sasha pivovarova, sessilee lopez, sigrid agren, slideshow, tao okamoto, toni garrn, yulia kharlapanova
Poor Mickey Rourke. Not only did he not take home a Golden Statuette for his incredible work in The Wrestler at last night's Oscars, but to top it all off, he had to take his gold tooth out while walking through the metal detectors.
We liked Rourke's look last night, but only because almost all of our best friends look like their faces have been doused with hydrochloric acid. His look was a mix between "Hollywood comeback" and "Dr. Teeth", Jim Henson's only Muppet pimp. It works on him!
(Ed. Note: A massive Oscars For Your Consideration is in the works. Be patient.)
Thanks to the dreaded "r" word that has everyone stuffing money under mattresses, we were afraid this Fashion Week wouldn't bring much in the way of celebrity cameos. But not only did we score big with the generally beautiful weather, we got a bunch of atypical faces in the crowd alongside stalwarts like Sophia Bush and Michelle Trachtenberg. We'd never seen Rose Byrne's thick, shiny hair before; Jessica Stroup, January Jones, Elijah Wood, Ian Thorpe, and Common were all firsts for us, too. And then there was Kanye. We have to hand it to him: If all these shows are just research for his own line, then the dude is nothing if not thorough. So in all, it was a totally successful week, with lots to like and even plenty to love. Here is our semi-annual list of bests, worsts, mosts, leasts, and other random designations we came up with while trying to return regular blood flow to our tired feet.
For more of the Fug Girls, check out Go Fug Yourself.
Read more posts by The Fug Girls
Filed Under: anna wintour, baby phat, barbie, christian siriano, coco rocha, fall 2009, ice-t, isaac mizrahi, jessica biel, jessica stam, joy bryant, kanye west, kim kardashian, lily collins, lucy liu, narciso rodriguez, new york fashion week, new york fugging city, nigel barker, olivia palermo, rag & bone, ruffian, tori spelling, victoria beckham, vogue
In September, model Erin Wasson got a lot of flack when she told Nylon TV that she thought homeless people on Venice Beach had the best style. Five months later, Erin still feels misunderstood. “I was not meaning to demean homeless people whatsoever!” she insisted when we called her at home yesterday as she packed for London Fashion Week. “I have actually talked to these homeless people. I’ve had conversations with them. It’s a choice that they’ve made. They don’t want to have a job. They enjoy being completely free. I’ll see people on the beach and aesthetically, they look awesome, and because it’s so uncontrived and uninhibited. I got a lot of heat for that. It wasn’t that I was like ‘Oh yeah, homeless people are so cool; it’s so cool to see people that are homeless looking cool.’ It’s the lack of complexity in the way that they dress and the fact that there’s no thought behind it whatsoever that’s so righteous. You know?”
Read more posts by Suzanne Zuckerman
Filed Under: erin wasson, models, silly hipsters
Fashion Wire Daily - Christopher Kane headed back to his pedigree - both Scottish and aesthetic - in a rather grown-up, maybe too much so, fall 2009 collection staged Sunday, Feb. 22, in London.
Grazia is hearing Gareth Pugh will replace Kris Van Assche as head designer of Dior Homme. LVMH hasn't confirmed the report, but an announcement is expected any day, according to chatter at London Fashion Week. Speculation that Pugh might take the reins from Van Assche reached a fever pitch when LVMH chief Bernard Arnault's daughter Delphine Arnault sat front-row at his very first menswear show at Paris Men's Fashion week and called the collection "beautiful" and "amazing." Critics, too, called it flawless. This is exciting news in the world of menswear. Van Assche never quite lived up to Hedi Slimane, who left Dior Homme almost two years ago. If anyone can reinvigorate a label, it's Pugh, and we can't wait to see more from him.
Gareth Pugh IS going to Dior Homme [Grazia]
Related: Will LVMH Scoop Up Gareth Pugh?
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: delphine arnault, designers, dior homme, gareth pugh, kris van aasche, lvmh, mantasies
AP - The big guns Angelina Jolie, Kate Winslet and Sean Penn among them went with black at Sunday's Academy Awards, but light colors and asymmetrical gowns topped the broader fashion trends.
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