The winner of next year’s Emmy for Best Actress in a Miniseries was all but announced today, as HBO confirmed (after months of rumors) that it has picked up the five-hour miniseries Mildred Pierce starring Kate Winslet. Pierce is an adaptation of James M. Cain’s 1941 novel, in which a despondent single mother (Winslet) tries to win the love of her daughter in Great Depression-era Los Angeles. The miniseries will be directed by Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven), with production to begin in April.

HBO picks up Kate Winslet miniseries [HR]

Read more posts by Josh Duboff

Filed Under: awards bait, hbo, kate winslet, mildred pierce

Source: Vulture | 11 Feb 2010 | 6:18 pm

Tonchi on McQueen: A ‘Little Cog That Got Squeezed’

As the fashion world grieved for Alexander McQueen, at least one member was already trying to point fingers. Stefano Tonchi, editor of T, the New York Times style magazine, knew McQueen professionally and had attended “probably twenty of his shows through the years,” suggested that the fashion industry itself might be as responsible for the tragedy as any of McQueen’s personal travails.

“I think it is just the tip of the iceberg,” he said this afternoon at a lunch for Inglourious Basterds’ Quentin Tarantino and Christoph Waltz. “We all know that this is a very critical moment in fashion, and that basically he is the first victim of what is a conflict between creativity and business. Today to be a fashion designer, you have to be a superman or superwoman. You have to have nerves of steel. You have to be so strong. And if you are a little bit weak, if you have psychological problems or weakness, you end up like him.” When McQueen began in fashion, designers worked on two or three collections a year, said Tonchi. “Now you have to be a business manager, a marketer. It’s, what? Eight, ten, fifteen collections a year. Men’s, women’s, couture, diffusion. Then they want accessories. Then they want watches. Then they want jewelry. It’s a machine, and I think that killed him.”

Still, Tonchi didn’t discount McQueen’s personal issues. “Probably he has always been a creative person with a very, very kind of … always I think he has been psychologically kind of imbalanced, and I think he went through a lot of drug abuse and personal tragedies,” he said. “If you think about his relationship with Isabella Blow and how she died alone, and how maybe he felt guilty about that, and the relationship with the mother, the relationship with the father — it is very complex.” But add to that McQueen’s move from working on his own to working for LVMH as designer of Givenchy and then working for Gucci Group. “He is really someone who has been chewed by the system,” said Tonchi. “I think all these different bosses are part of the pressure that we are putting on our designers. And also the pressure on creators of topping what they have done before. But not once a year: Every three months, every six months you have to be better than what you have been. You always must feel like you’re running behind.”

Fashion’s transformation into a big business, Tonchi said, reminds him of the end of the Hollywood studio system in the forties and fifties. “Do you remember how many people were getting killed by the job?” he asked. “The Marilyn Monroes, the James Deans. It was the same kind of self-destruction complex that brings you to kill yourself or do something so stupid as suicide.”

Anger at suicide is a common reaction, but Tonchi said he was coming more from a place of concern about what the industry is doing to the people who work in it. “We cannot look at the poor Alexander McQueen, abused child or abuser of substance,” he said. “I think you have to put it in a larger context in terms of the fashion system. He’s just one of the little cogs that got squeezed.”

Earlier: Retrospective: A Decade of McQueen’s Work

Read more posts by Jada Yuan

Filed Under: r.i.p. mcqueen, alexander mcqueen, fall 2010, fashion week, new york fashion week fall 2010, stefano tonchi

Source: The Cut | 11 Feb 2010 | 6:15 pm

[Roundup: Media & Entertainment]

• More layoffs at the New York Times may be on the way. Uh oh. [Wrap]
• NBC was planning to lose $250 mil. on the Olympics before the games even started. Now it's worried about low ratings/injured athletes, too. [LAT, NYP]
• More bad news for NBC: A poll finds that 69 percent of the people who used to watch Jay Leno have no plans to follow him back to The Tonight Show. [TVG]
• Two-in-one magazine/catalog Lucky has a new publisher. [WWD]
• Movies: The next Twilight installment will consist of two separate movies (everyone gets to pay twice!); Brittany Murphy's final film will hit theaters this summer; and Valentine's Day is expected to top the weekend box office.
• Related: Julia Roberts makes a six-minute appearance in Valentine's Day. That means she was paid about $500,000/minute for her services. [NYM]
• MySpace has clearly seen better times. (Like 2005.) [NYT, LAT, ATD]
• TV: The Ellen DeGeneres Show is staying on NBC, not going to ABC; evil empire Wal-Mart is planning to produce "family-friendly" television programming; and Sarah Palin's fave show, American Chopper, has been canceled, gosh darnit.

Source: Cityfile.com - Dailyfile | 11 Feb 2010 | 6:03 pm

Video: Danilo Does Hair at L.A.M.B.

Add a titanium hair iron to your arsenal, and prepare for the center part. New York's Aja Mangum was backstage at L.A.M.B. today and got some hair ideas from Danilo. Watch the video and find your own "dramatic thing" for fall.

Read more posts by Aja Mangum

Filed Under: beauty, danilo, fall 2010, fashion week, hair, lamb, new york fashion week fall 2010, video

Source: The Cut | 11 Feb 2010 | 6:00 pm

Link Party: Kara DioGuardi's in a Bikini Again

• American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi seriously wants all bikini attention on her right now! First that weird strip show thing on Idol and now a Maxim spread. Everyone, tell her how...

Source: E! Online (US) - Top Stories | 11 Feb 2010 | 5:46 pm

The Formula You Didn't Learn in Math Class [Stupid Science]

What's that mathematical formula above? Some professor in Australia claims he's "discovered" the "perfect" age to fall in love and get married.

How does it work? It's easy!

1) Choose the oldest age by which you want to get married. This is n; 2) Pick the earliest age at which you'd start to consider a potential spouse. This is p; 3) Subtract p from n, then multiply the result by 0.368; 4) Add this to your minimum age.

Did we mention the "equation" has a 37 percent success rate? Yea, you can probably go ahead and put down your calculator now.

There really is a formula for love [Reuters]
Follow this formula for true love [News.com.au]

Source: Cityfile.com - Dailyfile | 11 Feb 2010 | 5:38 pm

Help the City Pick Its New Condom Wrapper

Good-bye, current condom design.

Judges have selected five finalists out of the nearly 600 designs submitted to the city's condom-wrapper contest — and they need your help to pick the winner! So if you care about such things, head over to the website and let your voice be heard. Personally, we prefer the one with the most blatant sexual innuendo. You'll know it when you see it. [NYC Condom via HuffPo]

Read more posts by Dan Amira

Filed Under: sex in the city, condoms

Source: Daily Intel | 11 Feb 2010 | 5:35 pm

Tasteless Thoughts [Mailbag]

A reader writes in: "Did Andrea Peyser foreshadow Clinton's trip to the hospital today? Sure seems like it." [NYP]

Source: Cityfile.com - Dailyfile | 11 Feb 2010 | 5:31 pm

Jewel's Hubby: Yes to Love, No to Dancing!

Jewel's bull riding husband Ty Murray is so totally done with dancing. Even if he learned some impressive fancy footwork while competing on the ABC show, Jewel says the hubby has...

Source: E! Online (US) - Top Stories | 11 Feb 2010 | 5:30 pm

Shia LaBeouf to Huff and Puff for a Good Cause

Shia LaBeouf does understand that a pack a day doesn't contribute to the pulmonary stamina required to run 26.2 miles, right? Either way, we wish the Transformers star luck with his...

Source: E! Online (US) - Top Stories | 11 Feb 2010 | 5:26 pm

The Fashion Industry’s Disturbing View of Gemma Ward’s Weight Gain

The new Page Six Magazine contains roughly 2,500 words on Gemma Ward's fallout from the fashion industry. You see, something terrible happened to her: She gained weight. The piece is a disturbing chronicle of Ward's transition from teenager to adult and how the industry views it. Now 22, Ward was discovered in Perth, Australia, at the age of 14. She appeared on more than twenty Vogue covers, landing her first American Vogue cover at just 16. She was rail thin, and looked like a beautiful angelic alien creature to the fashion industry. But then in 2007, she walked the Chanel show in a denim bikini shocking one anonymous editor in particular:

"I almost didn't recognize her," says the editor, who confesses she was aghast. Compared to the other ultraskinny models, Ward looked as if she had gained 10 to 15 pounds, "big, almost bloated."

Coco Rocha has said that when she weighed 108 pounds, at 5'10", clients told her to lose weight. So how much can Ward have weighed at that show? 120 pounds? And that is, according to the industry, "big, almost bloated." A photo agent who worked with Ward said that for every model with staying power, there are twenty who don't make it past age 18 — that time when girls become women, and grow breasts and hips, and gain the weight that is a natural part of growing up.

"It's an image-driven industry that doesn't take kindly to the girl who bucks the trend. Clients start saying, 'She's fat now, don't book her!' If you want to be cynical about it, looking that way was her job. She doesn't want to do what it takes, she's not going to get work. That's just the way it is."

Except doing what it takes to not gain the natural weight most of us gain is starving oneself, or resorting to dangerous weight-loss methods like diuretics or drugs. But Ward could not grow up and gain the curves nature intended. There had to be a reason:

In the aftermath of Ledger's death, Ward retreated further from the fashion world. The supermodel put on a more noticeable amount of weight and gossips began to surmise that his death had been the trigger for her so-called "emotional eating."

Another anonymous source offered:

"Gemma's torn. In the last few years [her weight gain] was very much her f--k you to the industry. She's rebelling by putting on 30 or 40 pounds, so now going back isn't a straightforward option."

Yes, any model's weight gain past the old, old age of 18 must be emotional eating or rebellion. For many women, natural adult weight gain is hard enough to accept without doing it in the public eye. We can't help but think of what casting agent James Scully said this week about Karlie Kloss: "We all love her today, but when she grows breasts and she turns 18, are we all going to turn on her?"

Gemma Ward, A Supermodel Betrayed [Page Six Magazine]

Read more posts by Amy Odell

Filed Under: body issues, chanel, coco rocha, gemma ward, model tracker, models

Source: The Cut | 11 Feb 2010 | 5:25 pm

Fashion world mourns McQueen

The death of British fashion designer Alexander McQueen has drawn a veil of sadness over the first day of New York City Fashion Week.
Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 11 Feb 2010 | 5:21 pm

BCBG Max Azria: Layer Love (Fashion Wire Daily)

Fashion Wire Daily - The tragic news of designer Alexander McQueen's death was not the opening bell to New York Fashion Week that anyone in the fashion industry could have ever imagined.

Source: Yahoo! News: Fashion News | 11 Feb 2010 | 5:14 pm

This Just In: Ugly Betty's Bride Reveals Herself

• Ugly Betty: Hooray for happy endings! Our favorite Ugly Betty gal, Ana Ortiz, has outed herself as the character who will be getting married at season's end. When Disney's D23...

Source: E! Online (US) - Top Stories | 11 Feb 2010 | 5:07 pm

Marc and Lorenzo’s ‘Engagement Party’ Was Kind of a Wedding, After All

Last month photos emerged on the Internet of Lorenzo Martone and Marc Jacobs posing with a wedding cake at a party on St. Barts that was reported to be their wedding. Jacobs's rep was quick to deny that a wedding had actually occurred, and instead passed off the event as an engagement party. With a wedding cake. A source close to Martone told us the real wedding was scheduled for March. Putting two and two together, March makes perfect sense — Jacobs will have his New York Fashion Week show and Louis Vuitton show in Paris behind him; Martone's events for his new PR agency will be done with, as well. But in a new interview with Butt magazine, Martone reveals the "engagement party" in St. Barts was their wedding. Or as much of a wedding as it could be:

In the end, we just had an intimate ceremony at a friend’s house with people who were already on the island. Although the official wedding documents won’t be signed till later this year, so legally we’re not married yet.

Really! So we contacted Martone over e-mail, and he wrote to us: "Hopefully after all the Fashion Week craziness is over, we can organize paperwork etc." Referring to weddings as an "intriguing concept," he added: "For me, it is about the commitment and more a state of mind. To some I guess the bureaucracy counts more?" He did not reveal whether another celebration with a wedding cake would occur in, say, New York, where paparazzi and us fashion people could stalk them. But who cares? They are married! In theory! Congrats to the happy couple!

Read more posts by Amy Odell

Filed Under: put a ring on it, designers, lorenzo martone, marc jacobs, weddings

Source: The Cut | 11 Feb 2010 | 5:05 pm

Makeshift Memorial for McQueen Outside MePa Store [Photo]

Fans Pay Tribute to Alexander McQueen Outside MePa Store [Racked]
Alexander McQueen, Designer, Is Dead at 40 [NYT]

Source: Cityfile.com - Dailyfile | 11 Feb 2010 | 5:03 pm

Madonna, SJP, Klum, Campbell, Kardashian, Beckham, Wintour: Celeb Fans Salute Alexander McQueen

When a legend is lost, it doesn't take long for the tributes to start pouring in. Anna Wintour, Sarah Jessica Parker, Madonna, Katy Perry, Heidi Klum, Kim Kardashian, Victoria...

Source: E! Online (US) - Top Stories | 11 Feb 2010 | 5:00 pm

Video: Fashion Week vs. the Blizzard

You've spent weeks selecting your Fashion Week outfits. Bet you didn't factor in snow! We took to the tents today to see how the inclement weather affected your wardrobe choices. (Open-toed shoes were out.) The sidewalks were clear at Bryant Park, but no one was immune to the salty, gritty slush. Watch our video to get some fashionable footwear advice from professionals.

Read more posts by Jonah Green

Filed Under: uh-snoh!, bryant part, fall 2010, fashion week, new york fashion week fall 2010, snow, video

Source: The Cut | 11 Feb 2010 | 4:50 pm

Can You Come Up With a New Name for Jennifer Aniston’s Insemination Comedy, The Baster?

Vulture hears that as a result of focus-group testing, Disney is changing the title of The Baster, the upcoming Jennifer Aniston–Jason Bateman artificial-insemination comedy. The film (based on Jeffrey Eugenides's 1996 short story) is about a woman who gets pregnant via a sperm bank and a turkey baster, and seven years later finds out that her best pal secretly swapped in his own sperm. The studio hasn't yet decided on an alternate title. Might we suggest Seed Ya Later? No? Fine, then you do better below. (And please, no Loads of Trouble. We already thought of it and dismissed it as beneath us.)

Read more posts by Claude Brodesser-Akner

Filed Under: the industry, jason bateman, jennifer aniston, the baster

Source: Vulture | 11 Feb 2010 | 4:50 pm

Vernon Davis: Football Player, Fashion Intern, Sweater-Ripper

Davis at the Duckie Brown show.

This morning we caught up with Vernon Davis, the San Francisco 49ers tight end who has been interning for the label Organic by John Patrick, while he was hard at work at the designer’s Fashion Week presentation. We know Rangers star Sean Avery had it rough went he interned at Vogue , so we were curious to know if Davis was doing any menial labor: “Well, not yet. I’m sure they will, you know, [say] ‘Vernon go get coffee.’ But, I’m pretty much just following him, seeing how everything is done, just riding his coattail.”

The football star was just named by Vanity Fair as one of “Fashion’s Game Changers” because of his determination to make his way onto the fashion scene, but he's adamant that other athletes’ interest in fashion didn’t influence him. “You know, it was just me, my whole idea. It’s always been like this and always will ... I’ve been into fashion ever since I was a little kid and it just grew on me.” And like any good intern, he has some clear-cut goals: “Um, maybe working with John Patrick later, you never know … Maybe designing … pretty much designing.” One thing he is sure of was &mdash the fashion gig helps him with the ladies: “Yeah it does! It does, it really does.”

As for his own style? “I like William Rast. I’m into Gucci, Louis Vuitton, all the high-end stuff, I’m all about it … You know, I like my stuff nice and fitted. Always want to be fitted, I don’t like baggy clothes.” His intern duties may be ending as early as tonight, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t experienced his share of Fashion Week disasters: “I ripped my sweater yesterday — all the way up to the elbow.” Evidently, though, he has already developed a designer’s mind: “Yeah, you know I almost started to cut this side to make it look like it was made like that.”

Read more posts by Sally Holmes

Filed Under: tight ends, fall 2010, fashion week, john patrick, new york fashion week, new york fashion week fall 2010, organic by john patrick, vernon davis

Source: The Cut | 11 Feb 2010 | 4:30 pm

Clocktower Penthouse Provides the Best Views in Town

In all our years of ogling real-estate porn, no single property has excited us quite as much as the penthouse at One Main, nestled within Dumbo's iconic clock tower. With tons of natural light streaming in from four fifteen-foot clock-face windows and unobstructed views of the Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Williamsburg bridges, the $25 million property has unsurprisingly attracted interest from the likes Jay-Z, Ralph Lauren, and Ron Burkle. And don't even get us started on the view from the shower. Watch, and be consumed with property lust.

Read more posts by S. Jhoanna Robledo

Filed Under: vu, dumbo, one main, places that haunt our dreams, real estate, video

Source: Daily Intel | 11 Feb 2010 | 4:20 pm

The Millionaire Matchmaker Sizes Me Up Tonight on HLN

Yesterday, my phone rings. It’s a producer over at The Joy Behar Show, HLN’s latest talk show (airing on weekdays at 9 PM ET) that takes the best thing about The View — Joy Behar – and gives this comedic legend an hour of uninterrupted chatty bliss. I’ve had the privilege of doing a few episodes of the show these past few months, and am always happy to be asked back. This time, the producer sounded serious:

“We have a segment we’d love you for,” she began, “but let me tell you what it is first.” These sorts of tip-toey pitches never turn out the way you want them to. If you get a warning before the actual pitch, it usually ends up being the last thing you’d want to be on TV for. Like speaking about halitosis, or the age old game “What’s in Nick Nolte’s Garbage?” I hesitated: “Go on.”

Turns out none other than Patti Stanger, The Millionaire Matchmaker herself, was appearing on Joy to promote her latest book, “Become Your Own Matchmaker: 8 Easy Steps for Attracting Your Perfect Mate.” (And no, she did not ask me to promote it, though a friend did read it and said it actually made a lot of sense. Reviews!) Would I be interested in appearing alongside Patti in a segment where she would give me tips on how to find a man? That was the question.

And the Jew gears, oh how they turned. On the one hand, I love Patti. I watch Milly Matchy every week, and marvel at her brassiness with some of the wealthy idiots and the ladies who may or may not love them throughout the hour. On the other hand, it is basically my nightmare to go through the Stanger Wringer: Patti can size a person up and down in 2 seconds flat before DJ Jazzy Jeffing them out onto their sad, curly-haired asses. The funny thing about me is I could tell you what’s wrong with me on my own… help in that dept. is not necessare. So.. I thought about it.

And, of course, said yes. This is Patti Stanger, people. How could I turn this once in a lifetime opportunity down? And who knows… maybe she really could help my love life and not make me break down into tears on national television?

I spent the morning Pattifying myself, flat ironing every hair on my head/body, glossing and my lips to a blinding shine, deciding on which outfit would be the least likely to be blamed for my singlehood. I felt as if I was about to meet Moses at the pearly gates (even though Jews don’t believe in heaven, roll with me on this), and all my past dating sins were to be brought about on national television.

Once at HLN, and once the professionals shpritzed and teased their way through my Hungarian hair quilt, I was led to the set where Patti and Joy were wrapping up their opening segment. The always radiant Joy greeted me with her usual sassy kindness, and then, it was time. Patti Stanger’s assessment began…

“Oh, you’re beautiful!”

Uhhhhhhwhat? No, no, no this wasn’t supposed to happen… Patti was supposed to tell me to drop 40 pounds, throw all the frozen burritos in my fridge out, find a trainer, and preferably one I could date. She was supposed to ask my age and then say “28?! You’re done, finished. You’re too old! Get yourself a cattress and call it a life.” Not… nice things? (For the record, her reaction to my age was calling me a “baby.” Tears of gratitude, P.)

Well, America, breaking f**king news: Patti Stanger is nice. Seriously. Is she a firecracker? Sure, but slightly to much less terrifying in person, and seemingly a genuine gal. (To be fair, I was at my most subdued personality-wise, in the hopes of remaining 100 percent ladylike.) I even met Andy the Fiance! Lovely guy.

Patti gave me her card and told me to email her, which obbbbviously I’m going to do because the only thing I have to lose is a future spent blogging. But the real point that I’d like to make is that Patti Stanger was a treat, and hence, I am asking you to buy her book. (See people promoting things? It’s just that simple.)

You can check out our segment on The Joy Behar Show, tonight at 9 PM on HLN. I won’t give away any hints, other than that I will be dining alone at steakhouses for the next 10 or so years probably.

Here is a less flattering screencap, courtesy of my pal Katie Welch:

Source: Best Week Ever | 11 Feb 2010 | 4:17 pm

Unfilmable Fourth Twilight Book to Be Two Movies

Even though Stephenie Meyer's first two Twilight books have been adapted into hunk-starring movies that have pretty much given Summit Entertainment a license to print money, some still wondered how Breaking Dawn, the series' fourth entry, might plausibly be converted into a watchable film. Breaking from the tame, abstinence-filled first three novels, it contains (spoiler!) tons of sex; a grisly pregnancy complicated when a fast-growing demon baby cracks a character's ribs and spine from the inside; and an even-grislier C-section scene in which a vampire rips open the girl's stomach with his teeth. Also, post-delivery, Taylor Lautner's character falls in love with the demon baby. Well, tonight Nikki Finke reports that Summit will, naturally, extend Dawn into two movies. Awesome!

EXCLUSIVE: 'Twilight' Saga's Final Book 'Breaking Dawn' Will Be Made Into 2 Movies [DHD]

Read more posts by Lane Brown

Filed Under: vampires, breaking dawn, movies, summit entertainment, twilight

Source: Vulture | 11 Feb 2010 | 4:15 pm

Only America-Haters Hate Valentine's Day [Holidays]

Americans plan to spend a lot less on presents this Valentine's Day, according to a survey. In fact, one-quarter of respondents said they planned to spend nothing at all! If you find yourself in this situation and the love of your life bails on you, try reminding him/her that not only are pets getting presents for Valentine's Day nowadays, but some people will be risking life and limb to pick up candy and flowers on Sunday. Fail to pick up a heart-shaped box of chocolates and the terrorists have won!

Source: Cityfile.com - Dailyfile | 11 Feb 2010 | 4:02 pm

The Montage of Bear Grylls Eating Raw Animal Flesh Will Actually Make You Sick

We turned it off after 0:22 to go throw up. BRB!

[WarmingGlow]

Read more posts by Edith Zimmerman

Filed Under: tv, bear grylls, clickables, eating raw animals, man vs. wild, video, video montage

Source: Vulture | 11 Feb 2010 | 4:00 pm

Hear Janelle Monae and Big Boi’s Terrific New Track, ‘Tightrope’

It's the first single off Monae's upcoming album, Metropolis Suites II & III: The ArchAndroid, out May 18, and it is HOT. Hot! Please enjoy.
[PrettyMuchAmazing]

Read more posts by Edith Zimmerman

Filed Under: music, big boi, clickables, janelle monae

Source: Vulture | 11 Feb 2010 | 3:50 pm

Leonardo DiCaprio Promotes Shutter Island in New Interview, Sort Of

Spoiler alert! Anyone who lived through the post—Sixth Sense era — when, for years, no movie could get greenlit unless it had a surprise ending — can probably guess Shutter Island's twist from just its log line. Which, as you can imagine, slightly complicates the process of profiling Leonardo DiCaprio for a Shutter Island—pegged cover story. The intro to Cal Fussman's five-page as-told-to interview with the actor in the new Esquire (organized into sections in which DiCaprio explains the important lessons he learned on films) describes the movie only as "Martin Scorsese's new thriller." And Leo's only mention of it in the main text would fit into two tweets (and it's not even in the part Esquire has excerpted online).

Says DiCaprio:

"I have to say, I'm pretty proud of Shutter Island. I'd love to tell you a particular story about it, but I can't. I'm not going to talk about it in any detail because I don't want to ruin it for anyone who's going to watch it."

Now, if moviegoers can simply avoid Shutter Island's trailer and poster, and try not to read any of the Amazon reviews of the Dennis Lehane novel on which it's based — yet still, somehow, find out that the movie exists and will be released next Friday! — it should be wildly successful.

Lessons From an Essential Actor (excerpts) [Esquire]

Read more posts by Lane Brown

Filed Under: spoilers, cal fussman, esquire, leonardo dicaprio, martin scorsese, movies, shutter island

Source: Vulture | 11 Feb 2010 | 3:45 pm

Chris Smith: What We’ve Learned From the Paterson Circus

Albany needs a new novelist. William Kennedy's books are brilliant, but his ghosts and gangsters roam a state capitol that's been gone at least six decades. Capturing the absurdity that has reigned since Eliot Spitzer arrived as governor, and that reached new nonsensical heights this week, calls for a Hudson Valley version of Carl Hiaasen.

I did promise you weirdness when I profiled Governor David Paterson two weeks ago. But the series of events that began with an item on a business-news blog on Super Bowl Sunday were even more bizarre than I'd expected. The Times will eventually run whatever is left of its story about Paterson, and it may even turn out to be damning. Or not. The furor surrounding the work-in-progress is already instructive.

After days of being buried in speculation that he was involved in everything short of bestiality, the governor went on the offensive, attacking the Times and scoring easy sympathy points because the paper's reporters were determined to do old-fashioned reporting, and because the Times won’t fight back in kind. The Post does, however. That's why Paterson — even though he briefly, belatedly, disputed the "Page Six" tale of him "snuggling" with a woman in a utility closet — isn't more indignant about the tabloid's rough treatment of him. Paterson, like nearly everyone else in Albany, is scared of Fred Dicker, the Post's legendary state editor, who has great sources and sharp teeth. One Dicker column last week was especially genius: It passed along unattributed allegations of Paterson misbehavior ... and then blamed the Times for stirring hysteria by taking the time to verify information before printing it. (The News, as ever, is somewhere in the middle: Attentive to actual facts but willing to hype the juicy bits.)

Paterson may have seized a rare moment of tactical advantage, but he has no coherent strategy — although he does seem perversely determined to back up his campaign claims of being an "outsider" by alienating even his few remaining allies. After his righteous Times-bashing press conference, Paterson went on "Imus" and fragged Kirsten Gillibrand, the woman he'd appointed to the U.S. Senate, by praising her nemesis, Harold Ford Jr., while also keeping the larger nuttiness alive by claiming the Times’s phantom story had “hypersexualized” him. Of greater significance is that the whole tawdry episode has deepened Paterson's resolve to stay in the governor's race no matter what — and that his camp, more than ever, suspects that agents of Andrew Cuomo are stoking the attempts to push Paterson out before the Democratic primary.

The governor’s visit to this weekend’s conference of black and Puerto Rican legislators promises to supply even more melodrama. It's tempting to treat the past two weeks in New York government and media as pure farce and to be grateful for the ability of Albany to deliver entertainment value if nothing else. But that nothing else stuff is kind of important. The state is broke. A city hospital with a $700 million deficit and 4,800 HIV outpatients is being propped up week to week with taxpayer loans. The drinking-water supply is at risk of being polluted by the "fracking" of the Marcellus Shale. Whether or not it turns out to be criminal, the awarding of an Aqueduct "racino" contract that could be worth billions is emblematic of the governor's sloppiness: An issue drifts along for months, then a decision is made in haste and confusingly unveiled, making Paterson's motives appear as dubious as his management skills and allowing his enemies in the legislature to shift their share of the blame. Not to mention Paterson's terrible judgment in talking politics with one of the contract's winners, the Reverend Floyd Flake, three days after making the deal. (By the way, when has a politician’s involvement with gambling and racetracks ever turned out well?)

Some of the issues confronting the state are intractable; others, like the budget, are realistically subject to only incremental improvement. Yet the governor and the legislature, consumed by infighting, have done a lousy job of tackling the serious subjects at all. There are, to be sure, people with powerful political and financial incentives to foment distraction that help keep the ruinous status quo in place. I enjoy salacious gossip as much as the next guy, but the expanding vortex of silliness diminishes everyone and ensures that only crazy people will run for office. And while we laugh at the sideshow, things could get worse: A wealthy Buffalo developer is considering creating a statewide Tea Party so he can run for governor.

Read more posts by Chris Smith

Filed Under: oh albany!, david paterson, early and often, fredric u. dicker, media, new york post, new york times, politics, rumors

Source: Daily Intel | 11 Feb 2010 | 3:30 pm

Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains: How Far Will Russell Go? His Costars Slip Us Some Scoop!

He's ba-a-ack...tonight! Jeff Probst promises the contestants in tonight's "fantastic" premiere of Heroes vs. Villains are "20 of the best ever," but we're...

Source: E! Online (US) - Top Stories | 11 Feb 2010 | 3:30 pm

Judge Widens Hole in Courtney Love's Motherly Duties

Valentine's Day is right around the corner—what better time to indulge in a little Love news? A judge has extended the restraining order filed by Frances Bean Cobain against...

Source: E! Online (US) - Top Stories | 11 Feb 2010 | 3:28 pm

The Wall Street Lawyer-Turned-Psychotherapist [Therapy]

Harvard grad Will Meyerhofer used to be a lawyer at Sullivan & Cromwell, the white shoe firm that represents the likes of AIG and Goldman Sachs. After doing his "part in destroying the nation's economy," he had a change of heart, went back to school, and became a psychotherapist. Now sees clients on a sliding scale, ranging from $10/hour for people who couldn't otherwise afford therapy to $200/hour for his former colleagues, who, we imagine, have a lot to get off their chests considering how much work they continue to do for both AIG and Goldman. [Above the Law]

Source: Cityfile.com - Dailyfile | 11 Feb 2010 | 3:28 pm

Bill Clinton Is in the Hospital

Former president Bill Clinton was hospitalized at Columbia Presbyterian in Manhattan earlier today after experiencing chest pains, and later had two stents placed in a coronary artery. Clinton, who also had emergency quadruple-heart-bypass surgery in 2004, "is in good spirits," according to an aide. Also, ABC News reports, somewhat oddly, that "Hillary Clinton was seen leaving the Oval Office a short time ago and did not seem 'too concerned' or 'in a rush.' " [44/WP, ABC News]

Read more posts by Dan Amira

Filed Under: get well get well soon we want you to get well, bill clinton

Source: Daily Intel | 11 Feb 2010 | 3:14 pm

Breaking: Maggie Rizer Did Not Dye Her Hair for Anna Wintour

After learning that when Anna Wintour told the The September Issue cameraman to lose weight he promptly did, we weren’t the least bit surprised to read in "Page Six" that Maggie Rizer dyed her hair at La Wintour’s behest. But when we asked the model about it at last night’s amfAR Gala, she corrected us, in between fits of laughter: "It wasn’t because of that! It was sooo strange when I opened the paper this morning and it said that. No, I’ve been planning on going red. I’ve been going back and forth from red to blonde since I was 17 years old, and this is just one more go-back.” She went on: “I know a lot of editors prefer me with red hair. Many.” Including Anna? “Yes, she’s one of them. But I think she likes me blonde, too. Hopefully.”

Read more posts by Tali Yahalom

Filed Under: party report, anna wintour, fall 2010, fashion week, maggie rizer, models, new york fashion week, new york fashion week fall 2010

Source: The Cut | 11 Feb 2010 | 3:10 pm

Bill Clinton Hospitalized [Medical Emergencies]

Bill Clinton was rushed to the hospital earlier today after complaining of chest pains. He's at Columbia-Presbyterian, which is where he had a quadruple bypass operation in 2004. [Fox News, related]

Source: Cityfile.com - Dailyfile | 11 Feb 2010 | 3:03 pm

Another Reason Japan Is Better

They have this little guy to clean up their snow and package it into neat little bricks. Meanwhile, we have gigantic disgusting slush moats. [Inventor Spots]

Read more posts by Jessica Pressler

Filed Under: we have a yen for japan, japan! everything about japan is adorable, well maybe not the economy

Source: Daily Intel | 11 Feb 2010 | 3:00 pm

Fashion Week Comes to Queens [Fashion]

Fashion Week isn't just taking place in Manhattan. It's Queens Fashion Week, too. Or at least it was until yesterday when the snowstorm hit and organizers decided to push it back to next week instead. Which is actually not such a bad thing since you really can't expect Anna Wintour to be in Bryant Park and at the Holiday Inn in Long Island City at the same time, can you? [NYDN, NYP]

Source: Cityfile.com - Dailyfile | 11 Feb 2010 | 2:42 pm

Retrospective: A Decade of McQueen’s Work

As news spread of Alexander McQueen's death, the fashion industry reeled. McQueen's creativity, his blend of couture and perfect tailoring, his ability to go beyond the average fashion show and put on a real spectacle — all made him one of a kind. His creations were pure whimsy; they may not have always been wearable, but they were beautiful. He was a fashion dreamer, and sadly, as of today, we don't have many of those left. He'll be missed by many and he's leaving a hole in many hearts today. We put together a look at some of our favorite pieces from his collections, dating back to 2001.

Earlier:Alexander McQueen, 1969-2010
Breaking: Alexander McQueen Commits Suicide

Read more posts by Harriet Mays Powell and Amina Akhtar

Filed Under: r.i.p. mcqueen, alexander mcqueen, designers, slideshow

Source: The Cut | 11 Feb 2010 | 2:30 pm

NY Fashion Week opens under shadow of McQueen death (AFP)

AFP - Autumn-Winter 2010 Fashion Week opened in New York on Thursday as the fashion world reeled from the apparent suicide of trailblazing British designer Alexander McQueen.

Source: Yahoo! News: Fashion News | 11 Feb 2010 | 2:29 pm

Pick a Condom [Competitions]

Remember that city-sponsored competition to design an official NYC condom? The folks at the Department of Health have picked five finalists and now it's up to you—the public—to pick the winner. Unless you have something better to do, of course. [NYT]

Source: Cityfile.com - Dailyfile | 11 Feb 2010 | 2:06 pm

Megan Fox Continues Almost-Naked Commercial Tour With Armani TV Spot

In one week, Megan Fox has now appeared naked in a bathtub for Motorola and now underwear-clad for Armani’s “Here’s Megan Fox Naked” campaign.

Her next ad? The Bill Hicks Coke commercial. Then five minutes of hardcore porn for Godaddy.

Source: Best Week Ever | 11 Feb 2010 | 2:02 pm

John Mayer's Playboy Interview Caps A History Of TMI - MTV.com

Sydney Morning Herald

John Mayer's Playboy Interview Caps A History Of TMI MTV.com John Mayer has a long-established reputation as a virtuoso guitar player and ladies' man. But it's one of Mayer's other prodigious talents, his tendency to say and tweet outrageous comments, that has landed the "Waiting on the World to ... John Mayer "Sorry" for "Using the 'N Word'"Us Magazine Tony Hicks: John Mayer needs to shut up and just play his guitarSan Jose Mercury News VIDEO: John Mayer Gets Emotional over Jessica Simpson Sex TalkPeople Magazine Straits Times -New York Daily News -Arizona Republic all 1,269 news articles »

Source: Entertainment - Google News | 11 Feb 2010 | 1:51 pm

Whitney Port Now Selling Acne-Removal Devices; Buy a Lock of Farrah Fawcett’s Hair

Whitney Port.

NAILS
• An Arizona student tested drugstore nail polishes to see which one resisted chips the best over the course of ten days. Surprisingly, the winner was Wet 'n' Wild. We're not normally into science, but this is definitely an experiment we would try ourselves. [BellaSugar]

• Canadian brand Sula launched a peelable nail polish, eliminating the need for nail-polish remover. The formula also includes nutrients to help strengthen nails and dries in ten minutes. However, it's not for long wear — the product only lasts three to five days. [Stylelist]

SKIN
• The City's Whitney Port is the new face of Hot Spot, an over-the-counter thermal acne-clearing device. Commercials featuring the reality star will start airing next month on MTV, VH1, and TeenNick. [WWD]

HAIR
• Drugstore hair-care brand Sunsilk hired editorial hairstylist Teddy Charles to help update their spring product line. They plan to revamp both formulas and packaging, with the latter featuring the stylist's head shot. [Beauty Counter/Style.com]

• Actresses have been embracing their natural curls on the red carpet more often. Not only do we love the look, but it's so much healthier for your hair. [Girls in the Beauty Department/Glamour]

• Someone is selling a lock of Farrah Fawcett's hair. It can be yours for just $1,000. [Pop Bitch]

FRAGRANCE
• Hanae Mori plans to launch a new scent this spring called Hanae Mori No. 1, the first in a new line called Eaux de Collection. The fragrance is reportedly made using "renewable energy resources," and 5 percent of proceeds from its sale will be donated to Clean Air Cool Planet. [Now Smell This]

Read more posts by Alexandra Martell

Filed Under: beauty marks, beauty, farrah fawcett, fragrance, hair, nails, skin, teddy charles, whitney port

Source: The Cut | 11 Feb 2010 | 1:50 pm

Von Furstenberg: 'Beauty is health'

Fashion legend Diane von Furstenberg says there should be no censorship of images in magazines and advertising -- despite calls in some countries for legislation to label fashion photographs that have been digitally retouched.
Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 11 Feb 2010 | 1:29 pm

Alexander McQueen Dead at 40 (Fashion Wire Daily)

Fashion Wire Daily - Alexander McQueen, one of fashion's great revolutionary designers, died Wednesday, Feb. 10, in his home in London. He was 40.

Source: Yahoo! News: Fashion News | 11 Feb 2010 | 12:55 pm

Leonardo DiCaprio Holds Drink, Cigar On Esquire Cover; Looks Only 2% Less Baby

Eyyyy, I’m holding a cigar! I’m drinkin’ some scotch! I don’t look eternally twelve years old no matter what I do at all!

Check out my bowl of Werther’s Originals and 10 cats covered in furniture plastic! I’m an ADULT, dammit!!

(ONTD)

Source: Best Week Ever | 11 Feb 2010 | 11:47 am

Dennis Hopper's divorce battle getting uglier - Reuters

Reuters

Dennis Hopper's divorce battle getting uglier Reuters Actor Dennis Hopper watches the Breeders' Cup World Championship thoroughbred horse racing at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California November 7, 2009. LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Civil war is raging at the house of cancer-stricken actor Dennis Hopper, ... Dennis Hopper Battles for Daughter, Calls Wife 'Malevolent'ABC News Dennis hopping madBoston Herald Judge grants Dennis Hopper restraining order against wife over claims she's ...New York Daily News Daily Beast -Seattle Post Intelligencer -E! Online (blog) all 310 news articles »

Source: Entertainment - Google News | 11 Feb 2010 | 11:42 am

Rehearsal of an opera at the Salzburg Festival

An overview of the stage for the opera "Armida" during a dress rehearsal at the Salzburg Festival in 2009. A British former recording company executive, Peter Alward, is taking over as head of Salzburg's...
Source: RSS feed - channel BNImagesEnter | 11 Feb 2010 | 11:34 am

'Grey's Anatomy' actress prayed to be engaged

After dating for just six months, film producer Geoff Clark proposed to Grey's Anatomy actress Leven Rambin while walking along a beach in the Bahamas over New Year's. But was Clark moving too fast?
Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 11 Feb 2010 | 11:33 am

WOLFDAD SHOWDOWN: Teen Wolf’s Dad vs. Anthony Hopkins

We’ve waiting 25 YEARS since the release of Teen Wolf (the movie, not an actual teen wolf) to be able to have the above showdown… Who Makes a Better Wolf Dad?

And leave it to Sir Anthony Hopkins, who is playing a Wolf Dad in the upcoming movie Wolfman, to make this showdown possible.

So, who is the better Wolf Dad? Well, on the one hand, Harold Howard on the left was an excellent Wolf Dad. He dressed like a good Wolf Dad would and even wore glasses! On the other hand, Sir Anthony Hopkins, i.e. Sir John Talbot, is both a sir in REAL LIFE and in THE MOVIE. That’s SIR Wolf Dad to you, world.

The winner? Teen Wolf’s Dad, clearly. That face.

Source: Best Week Ever | 11 Feb 2010 | 10:43 am

VIDEO HITS ONE: Rihanna’s “Rude Boy” Is A Wacky Internet Remix Of Itself

Here’s the video for Rihanna’s new single “Rude Boy”, a song about d*cks that takes place inside a graffitied wall in the 80s and directed by the SNL “Giraffes” people. Thumbs up.

Source: Best Week Ever | 11 Feb 2010 | 10:28 am

Boris Becker, wife welcome a son

Tennis ace Boris Becker is a daddy again.
Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 11 Feb 2010 | 10:01 am

VIDEO: Good Luck Getting This Ukulele Animal Cuteness Out Of Your Brain

It’s not that this video of two teeny knitted animal pals playing ukulele isn’t re-goshdarned-diculously adorable, it’s just that…it’s now gonna be stuck in my eyes and ears until the end of time. How shall I ever resume being sad again?

Source: Best Week Ever | 11 Feb 2010 | 9:49 am

Opera turns 'Rienzi' into fascist dictator (AP)

AP - Wagner's early opera "Rienzi" has a history of arousing strong emotions.
Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 11 Feb 2010 | 9:45 am

The Snack Which Likes A Cat Very Much!

Simple mistranslation? Or a terrifying B-movie world where the cat food gets its revenge???

This March…The BAG is out for the CATS……

Source: Best Week Ever | 11 Feb 2010 | 9:28 am

British fashion designer Alexander McQueen dead (AFP)

AFP - British fashion designer Alexander McQueen was on Thursday found dead at his London home, after apparently committing suicide, aged 40, police and reports said.

Source: Yahoo! News: Fashion News | 11 Feb 2010 | 9:01 am

British designer Alexander McQueen dead: publicist (AFP)

AFP - British fashion designer Alexander McQueen has died in London, his press office in Paris said Thursday, after media reports said he had apparently committed suicide aged 40.

Source: Yahoo! News: Fashion News | 11 Feb 2010 | 8:44 am

Is John Mayer Racist? Or Just The Unfunniest Comedian in America?

You know the saying “What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger?” Well, if this saying is true, then guitarist John Mayer is either immortal or the strongest f**king man on Earth. While Mayer often insists by way of Twitter that he “just wants to be a blues guitar player,” he keeps muckin’ it up by opening his mouth, which is sadly attached to his brain, which is clearly very diseased.

Let’s first say this: I don’t hate John Mayer. As far as people go, he’s pretty harmless. I even met the guy aboard a cruise, no less, and even though my hair and outfit were what I would loosely classify as “abysmal” (the jacket has been burned, thanks), and even though I sounded like Bea Arthur’s ghostballs, Mayer had it in his good graces to hug me. A real hug, too, which may or may not have done things for me personally. OK? Great.

Now, on to the controversy. Today, Mayer finds himself in his all too familiar habitat of a Looney-Tunes-style vat of boiling water, this time thanks to an interview given to Playboy Magazine. Besides revealing personal details about his relationships with Jennifer Aniston (“I think she’s still hoping it goes back to 1998“), and Jessica Simpson (“I want to quit my life and just f*ckin’ snort you?“), Mayer also did his part to delve into race relations. Specifically, with regard to his shvantz.

Let’s get specific. Mayer dropped the N bomb. Yes, the 9/11 of bad words. He said it. Then, Mayer — who no doubt has a fair share of black friends, including the Kanye West, also known as “The Black John Mayer” — begins discussing his penis’ aversion to black women. Blockquote Time!:

PLAYBOY: Do black women throw themselves at you?

MAYER: I don’t think I open myself to it. My d*ck is sort of like a white supremacist. I’ve got a Benetton heart and a f*ckin’ David Duke c*ck. I’m going to start dating separately from my d*ck.

PLAYBOY: Let’s put some names out there. Let’s get specific.

MAYER: I always thought Holly Robinson Peete was gorgeous. Every white dude loved Hilary from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. And Kerry Washington. She’s superhot, and she’s also white-girl crazy. Kerry Washington would break your heart like a white girl.

Hmm.

(deep nostril inhale.)

(breathing out slowly through the mouth.)

OK. Here’s the thing about John Mayer that people need to understand:

We’re pretty sure John Mayer thinks his calling in life is not playing the guitar. No. We think John Mayer actually wanted to be a stand-up comedian. No, really. The proof is in the Google pudding. Back when we filmed that cruise interview, Mayer kicked things off by performing about 20 minutes of stand-up for me and the crew, telling random, non-sensical jokes, which we then gladly laughed at because, hey, the John Mayer is performing for us!! (Ed. Note: I don’t remember too much about the stuff he was talking about, other than a bit regarding reading shampoo bottles on the toilet that I still think about when I’m… never mind.) (…reading shampoo bottles on the toilet.)

I fear, judging by this spectacle, and the fact that Mayer is often seen hopping up on comedy stages around New York unexpectedly and all the time, that Mayer has gotten it into his head that he is hilarious. Npw, the guy can be funny — take his reality show from 2004, “John Mayer Had a TV Show”, taped in his pre-tabloid-cover days, that actually had some hysterical moments (such as trying to make his fans cry). But we almost wonder if Mayer has forgotten that he is first and foremost a musician, not a comedian. And that he plays the guitar, and not, as we would hope, a giant tuba (officially the funniest musical instrument).

This isn’t the first time Mayer has come off as racist while trying to be “funny.” It was only a couple of months ago that he took to the stage at the downtown comedy show “Sweet,” grabbing the mic while comedian Kumail Nanjiani was on stage, calling him “Kabul,” and telling him he “he looked like a brown guy but sounded like a white guy.”

Seems his aims to be clever come back to haunt him even more in print… where it lasts… forever.

John Mayer is not an active racist. But here you have a guy — a wealthy, privileged, good looking musician — who can get anything or anyone he wants. But the ONLY thing this guy wants is for people to think he’s clever. And sadly, money can’t buy timing.

Seems like Mayer is finally catching on. His tweets today are the Jackie Joyner-Kersee of the backtrack. (See? We’re all capable of bad jokes.) A sampling:

Backtracking at its finest. All of a sudden, he’s just a guitarist — nothing more!! Mayer even issued a teary apology at one of his concerts last night:

You have to hand it to Mayer — while his music might not be everyone’s taste, his controversies are. And isn’t it… nice?… to have a celebrity be frank now and again? No? Well.

Listen, John Mayer, you’re cute, you write songs, you sing them, the masses swoon. But please, for everyone’s sake, stop trying to be funny. Maybe then, just maybe, you’ll also stop being an accidental racist.

Thank you for your time. (And John, if you’re reading this, click here, :49-:52)

Feel free to launch into an “Is John Mayer Funny?” debate in the comments.

What’s that? You’d like to follow me on twitter?

Follow me on Twitter. #Who’sTheRealA-HoleHere?

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Source: Best Week Ever | 11 Feb 2010 | 8:36 am

British Fashion Icon Alexander McQueen Found Dead

British fashion icon Alexander McQueen found dead at his London home.

Source: FOXNews.com | 11 Feb 2010 | 8:34 am

Jennifer Aniston No Longer Has Hollywood's 'Most Desired' Body

America's sweetheart has been bumped from the top of the "hottest looks" list.

Source: FOXNews.com | 11 Feb 2010 | 8:02 am

'X-Files' star uncovers Vancouver gems

You may best know her as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully on "The X-Files," but the hit television series transformed Gillian Anderson into something else: a Vancouverite.
Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 11 Feb 2010 | 7:22 am

Donald Trump: I have the genes for success

Real estate tycoon and multi-billionaire Donald Trump says that he was born with the right set of genes that enabled him to have fame and fortune.
Source: CNN.com - Entertainment | 11 Feb 2010 | 6:53 am

Review: EA does `Dante's Inferno' justice (AP)

AP - If ever there was a work of great literature tailor-made for adaptation into a video game, it would be Dante Alighieri's "Inferno" from "The Divine Comedy," a three-part poem. It has hell's signature foreboding and a litany of monstrous entities that any game developer needs for a good head start.

Source: Yahoo! News: Entertainment Reviews | 11 Feb 2010 | 6:45 am

Source: Alec Baldwin's Daughter Not in New York When 911 Call Was Made

A source familiar with the situation tells Fox411 that Baldwin's daughter Ireland did not find her father incoherent.

Source: FOXNews.com | 11 Feb 2010 | 6:36 am

Report: Alec Baldwin Rushed to Hospital

The actor's daughter reportedly called 911 after she found the actor unresponsive.

Source: FOXNews.com | 11 Feb 2010 | 6:36 am