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World Entertainment News on Saturday, November 22, 2008BWE SOUNDTRACK: The Spinto Band I love the Spinto Band. I could go on writing about why they're great, and toss out buzzwords like "warbly vocals" and "[ADJECTIVE]-pop" and "catchy catchiness catch catch" but I see no reason to analyze the happiness this band brings me with any sort of joy-diminishing detail. They're a really fun band, they're great live, and if you haven't heard them before, then, well, do.
Their first full-length was undoubtedly my favorite record of 2005 (check out my old-ass Blogspot blog if you don't believe me), and their new album, Moonwink, has been dominating my morning commutes the past two weeks. The tunes "Later On," "Pumpkins & Paisley," and the single "Summer Grof" are definite mix-worthy  keepers, and the rest of the album plays at a breakneck, no-time-to-dwell-on-unhappiness pace that ensures your money's worth for anyone who loves retardedly catchy, upbeat pop as much as I do. Which should be all of you.
You can purchase Moonwink here (and if you don't own Nice and Nicely Done, do yourself a favor and grab that one too, for serious.)
After the jump, check out the video for "Summer Grof" (not to be confused with the song about the guy who played Tackleberry in Police Academy, "Summer Graf"):
Source: Best Week Ever | 22 Nov 2008 | 4:30 am Best Of The BWE: We Liked It, So Naturally, We Put A Ring On It I'm pretty sure after this week, we're never going to be the same. Actually, after tonight's Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins at 11 PM, then, we will truly be reborn. Don't miss it. And in case you missed everything:
Source: Best Week Ever | 22 Nov 2008 | 12:00 am The Bestweekever.tv Emo Baby Name Generator! Earlier today, we talked about how awesome Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson's new baby's name is: Bronx Mowgli Wentz. Many of you chimed in on how you'd never give your kid such a name. But maybe you just haven't had an open mind about it? You don't know how you're going to feel when that little bun starts growing in the oven. To help you out, our everything-guru Phaedra Riley created The Bestweekever.tv Emo Baby Name Generator. Now you too can name your kid something really original - but most importantly, meaningful!
Source: Best Week Ever | 21 Nov 2008 | 10:30 pm One Missing Letter Makes Church Billboards Way More GangstaFor the briefest of moments last night, I thought I had stumbled by Lil Wayne's church: Source: Best Week Ever | 21 Nov 2008 | 9:30 pm THEORY: Reese Witherspoon Has Never Looked Better Source: Best Week Ever | 21 Nov 2008 | 9:21 pm The Do’s and Don’ts of Selling Things on QVC My pal Jesus over at DrunkenStepfather has alerted me to perhaps the best job on the planet: Being an on-air sales host for QVC, "The Classier Shopping Network for the Wealthy Elderly." According to the casting announcement, QVC insists on the following requirements:
Host must be energetic, upbeat, intelligent and enthusiastic with a natural curiosity. You must have a passion and drive for sales as well as be a quick thinker and good listener. Hosts should be friendly, credible, entertaining sincere and sophisticated with a sense of style and fashion.Well, that's not asking for too much. So to help any (and all) of you interested in getting hired, we'd like to offer you the following tips: The Do's and Don'ts of Selling Things on QVC. (Print this out and take with you to audition, trust us.) Let's get started: DO: Bleach your teeth.   DO: Invite celebrity guests.  DON'T: Be Paula Abdul. DO: Be cordial to your customers on air. DON'T: "Go long." DO: Dress up for the camera.  DON'T: Come to work looking like this:  DO: Make the product the star of the show. DON'T: Show off on a ladder. DO: Drink plenty of water under the warm lights.  DON'T: Faint. DO: Demonstrate the product with ease.  DO NOT: Put down the Jews. DO: Realize that even hosting a show called DIRTY JOBS is a better gig than shilling lava lamps, Mike Rowe: DON'T: Seriously, STAY AWAY FROM LADDERS. Source: Best Week Ever | 21 Nov 2008 | 8:14 pm BWE SNEAK PEEK: PFT Sneaks Elisabeth Moss Onto The SetElisabeth Moss of Mad Men and West Wing fame stopped by the BWE set this week (all new episode tonight at 11!) to talk about her new Broadway play... for a couple seconds, at least. As long as Paul's mom, Mrs. F. Tompkins, would allow:Source: Best Week Ever | 21 Nov 2008 | 8:00 pm Sorry Ladies, Robert Pattinson Is Kind Of A Dud In PersonTwilight violence-amongst-teen-women-inducing star, Robert Pattinson, is probably overwhelmed with everything that's happening to him. He's probably exhausted from all those Hot Topic riots. He probably doesn't even realize what's happening to him. Literally. Because I think he may have brain damage. Here he is answering some fan questions on the set of Ellen. Hate to break it to you, but I'm not sure he's as dazzling (sober?) as he appears in the photos:Source: Best Week Ever | 21 Nov 2008 | 7:45 pm Beyonce’s I Am…Sasha Fierce: There Are No Words To Describe How Much I Love This Album. Only Stock Photos.Beyonce's new two-disc album, I Am...Sasha Fierce, takes us on a journey into the soul of the real Beyonce (on disc 1) and her fiercer, even sexier alter ego, Sasha Fierce (disc 2). I am totally in love with this album. I can't even begin to describe the songs to you...that's why I turned to our trusty Getty Images account - because we all know that sometimes, stock photos speak louder than words. DISC 1                Source: Best Week Ever | 21 Nov 2008 | 7:10 pm 5 Movie Remakes With Younger Casts We Don’t Need To SeeOff the heels of the new younger-cast Star Trek movie, Josh Schwartz of "Gossip Girl" fame is now in line to pen a new installment of X-Men with its own younger, revamped cast. Now that remaking old titles with younger, hotter casts is all the rage, here are five youth-anized movie remakes we don't need to see: 
 Source: Best Week Ever | 21 Nov 2008 | 6:30 pm Red Eye Hates Belgium Far More Than You [Foreigners]
Source: Gawker | 22 Nov 2008 | 12:30 am The Week We Went to San Francisco [Week In Review]
Illustration: Shamoononon Source: Gawker | 21 Nov 2008 | 11:37 pm Sharks Circling, the Weinstein Co. Starts to Shrink [Deathwatch]
The reason cited today was, of course, "the economy." But all of the bright spots the Weinsteins once pointed to at their company are dimming. The biggest potential break-out movie on this year's slate was Zack and Miri Make a Porno starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks. As a Kevin Smith film, it's done fine since opening over Halloween weekend, with just over $27 million at the box office. But that's nowhere near the kind of return they'll need to convince tight-fisted investors to pump more money into TWC. Their cash-generating Project Runway is tied up in a nasty law suit that will keep it from returning to the air any time soon. And the boring side of the business, the 70% stake in straight-to-video distribution arm Genius Products, is now literally a penny stock, closing on Friday at 4 cents per share, valuing the whole operation, which they once touted as a potential billion-dollar enterprise, at less than $3 million. The Weinsteins are running out of lifelines. But they still provide colorful stories. On Wednesday, some people at the Weinstein Co. were told to clean out their offices because a "special guest" would be coming through on Friday. Those same people learned this afternoon that it was just a ruse to speed their exit when they were told they were getting the ax. Source: Gawker | 21 Nov 2008 | 11:10 pm Births, Deaths, and Marriages [Births, Deaths, And Marriages]
Of course, you already heard about "singers" Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz's oddly-named baby, Bronx Mowgli Wentz. Source: Gawker | 21 Nov 2008 | 11:00 pm [Sponsored]Source: Gawker | 21 Nov 2008 | 11:00 pm Kreepie Kats in "We've All Been Named Special Assistants to the Undersecretary of the Department of Fucking Your Mom" [Kreepie Kats]
Source: Gawker | 21 Nov 2008 | 10:54 pm Reports: HuffPo Maybe, Coulda Raised $15 Million [Media]
The truth will come out shortly. If these reports are accurate, we're impressed. Source: Gawker | 21 Nov 2008 | 10:48 pm Obama Selects Money-Fixer [Hooray]
Source: Gawker | 21 Nov 2008 | 10:46 pm CodePink's Iron Curtain Call [The Commies]
And many, many more. Congrats Pinkie! Source: Gawker | 21 Nov 2008 | 10:45 pm Poster Boy, Live In Action [Artists]
Source: Gawker | 21 Nov 2008 | 10:16 pm Hillary Clinton Debuts a New Hairstyle The big political news this week is not that Hillary Clinton might be our next secretary of State. It's that she unveiled a new hairstyle for the first time since her bid for the Democratic nomination. The Telegraph spoke to Laura and Barbara Bush's hairstylist, who says Hillary shouldn't have matched her headband to her hair, and that she looks like she's about to wash her face (we kind of agree — she could go straight from the gala to a table at Bliss for an extraction with that thing). The Telegraph also postures that she's channeling Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko with her yellow braided milkmaid-esque headband. "[I]t could be bad timing to imitate the distinctive look when Tymoshenko's political future is uncertain — elections are next month — and her reign is marred by a bitter rift with Ukrainian President Yushchenko," the paper adds. Oh, why make it so complicated? She's obviously just been watching a little too much Gossip Girl. Stop press: Hillary Clinton has a new hairstyle [Telegraph] Read more posts by Amy Odell Filed Under: hair, hairy situations, hillary clinton Source: The Cut | 21 Nov 2008 | 11:23 pm Tom Ford Chats With Shirtless Dudes on his Movie Set Tom Ford has begun shooting his directorial debut, A Single Man, and photos from the set are coming out. And things are just as we expected: Tom looks stunning even when hard at work, and as though he knows a thing or two about a thing or two (because he does). Naturally he's chatting up the shirtless extras. Tom Ford Is Not A Single Man, But That Doesn't Mean He Can't Have Fun with the Extras [Fashionologie] Read more posts by Amy Odell Filed Under: movies, photo op, tom ford Source: The Cut | 21 Nov 2008 | 10:56 pm Hayden Panettiere Designs Bag for Dooney & Bourke Hayden clutches her Hayden Clutch. If you need any further evidence that celebrity fashion lines will never die, here it is: Heroes actress Hayden Panettiere designed a clutch for Dooney & Bourke, which will debut in stores on December 1 for $295. The press release calls this is "the bag of her dreams." Hayden's dream bag is made of Italian calfskin and available in five colors, which makes it versatile. But we got distracted by the blinding, oversize 24-karat gold-plated lion's-head closure. It's certainly eye-catching. The actress was "inspired by her astrological sign, Leo." A solid attempt, Hayden, but we can't picture this becoming the "It" bag of the season. Read more posts by Sharon Clott Filed Under: celebrity fashion designers, celebrity fashion lines, dooney & bourke Source: The Cut | 21 Nov 2008 | 10:30 pm Bloomingdale’s New Holiday Windows Are ‘Swingin’ Bennett's pooch. Why hello there, naughty and nice readers. Jaunted into the holiday spirit yet? We're getting there, inching closer with every holiday window display unveiled. Last night, it was Bloomingdale's turn, displaying a ten-piece set meant to pull at your holiday heartstrings, inspired by Tony Bennett's new holiday album, A Swingin' Christmas. He also performed at the unveiling. Shall we point out that there are absolutely no clothes in the windows? Instead it's a Christmas winter-wonderland extravaganza. And heads up, Jews, there's no menorah in here. Seriously, don't try to look for one — that's twenty wasted minutes we'll never get back. Click ahead to see who's on the naughty and nice lists. Read more posts by Sharon Clott Filed Under: bloomingdales, holiday hippies, holiday windows 2008, slideshow Source: The Cut | 21 Nov 2008 | 9:49 pm Prada Opens an Unexpectedly Rural Nightclub in London Yellow. Patio. Furniture. Tonight the Prada Foundation's first nightclub, the Double Club, opens in London. Tagline: "A bar, restaurant and dance club where the Congo meets the west; A bar, restaurant and dance club where the west meets the Congo." German artist Carsten Höller conceived the space, which, the press release tells us (in bold as if we couldn't tell from the tagline) is divided into three spaces — a bar, restaurant, and (wait for it) dance club — each equally divided into Western and Congolese areas. The space also showcases artwork. More details: In the dance club, the DJ plays alternately Congolese and Western music on a circular dance floor which slowly revolves at about one turn per hour. When the DJ is in the Western part of the room, ‘Western’ music is played, while as coming into the Congolese part it will switch into Congolese Rumba, Wenge or Ndombolo.
It Takes Two [British Vogue] Read more posts by Amy Odell Filed Under: london, nightclubs, prada, we're nightclubbing Source: The Cut | 21 Nov 2008 | 9:07 pm M.A.C Confirms Hello Kitty Collaboration; Chace Crawford Likes the Smell of Grass This is what we've waited for ... MAKEUP • L'Oréal will have its own store-within-a-store in Walgreens's new 1,500-square-foot flagship in Times Square. This ought to compete with the new Beauty 360 store-within-a-store at CVS drugstore, which offers luxury products. [Cosmetic News] • Mollie Winerock (killer last name) of Lancôme said that eleven tubes of the Juicy Tube lip glosses are sold globally every minute. [BellaSugar] FRAGRANCE SKIN Read more posts by Sharon Clott Filed Under: beauty marks, chace crawford, chris meloni, fragrance, makeup, michael phelps, rihanna, skin, taye diggs Source: The Cut | 21 Nov 2008 | 8:25 pm Gwyneth Paltrow Defends Herself for Wearing Fur in Those Tod’s Ads Gwyneth Paltrow is reportedly trying to smooth things over with PETA after she was photographed in fur for her Tod's ad. "It was a daylong photo shoot on a boat near Capri, and there were all sorts of poses with all kinds of clothes — none with fur," she reportedly told PETA vice-president Dan Mathews at a party. "During one set-up, a stylist came up from behind and draped a stole around my shoulder. I didn't pay much attention to it, and when I noticed it was fur, I assumed it was fake fur, but did not ask, so it's my fault. I know it's not a great excuse, but I hope you and your members understand." Sigh. [British Vogue] Read more posts by Amy Odell Filed Under: fur, fur files, gwyneth paltrow, peta, tods Source: The Cut | 21 Nov 2008 | 7:43 pm Thakoon Puts Michelle Obama’s Democratic National Convention Dress on Hiatus Thakoon has stopped producing the $1,250 "reverse kimono" dress Michelle Obama wore to the Democratic National Convention. The dress is part of Thakoon's resort collection, which only began arriving in stores this month. Thakoon has made the "reverse kimono" style for more than one season, and it even sold out in 2007 after debuting at Bergdorf Goodman. After Michelle wore it to the DNC, shoppers swiftly dialed boutiques to reserve their own. Designer Thakoon Panichgul said he'd likely bring the style back but not every season. Michelle purchased her dress in late July — just about a month after the resort-collection shows — from Chicago's Ikram boutique. The Wall Street Journal reports the store requested it early for a "special client." So one assumes Michelle picked the dress straight from the runway, just like she did with her Election Night Narciso Rodriguez frock. Does this mean she unwinds by clicking through runway slideshows at the end of a long, hard day? Maybe she really is just like us! Except for that whole part about calling stores, special-ordering things early, and actually being able to purchase them. Michelle Obama’s Thakoon Dress [WSJ] Read more posts by Amy Odell Filed Under: michelle obama, political style, thakoon Source: The Cut | 21 Nov 2008 | 7:00 pm In Which We Offend Anna Wintour and She Shoos Us Away We've seen Anna Wintour in her best and worst of moods. When we bumped into her at LeBron James's party during Fashion Week she kindly fielded our questions for a whole two minutes, even peppering her replies with smiles, as if taking us in like an adorable lost puppy. But at the National Book Awards this week, she treated us like a malaria-carrying mosquito. The Cut: There have been some rumors, and we were wondering if you had plans for retirement. But! She didn't deny it. Read more posts by Charlotte Cowles Filed Under: anna wintour, party lines Source: The Cut | 21 Nov 2008 | 6:16 pm Fall in Love With Gareth Pugh All Over Again Dazed & Confused's October cover. Dazed & Confused showcased Gareth Pugh's fall '08 collection on its October cover, shot by Nick Knight. Knight made a short film of the shoot with filmmaker Ruth Hogben. Titled Insensate, it's entrancing, dark, awe-inspiring, and sure to erase that awkward image of Beyoncé's Pugh moment from your memory: "Set to a thundering, atmospheric soundtrack specially devised by artist Matthew Stone and utlising Pugh's twin cinematic inspirations of Predator and The Wizard of Oz as an aesthetic starting-point, this film takes us on a mesmerizing, monochrome whirlwind ride, creating a chilling yet compelling world of complex reflection, refraction and glittering incandescence melting in and out of inky black." [SHOWstudio via Dazed Digital] Read more posts by Amy Odell Filed Under: dazed and confused, fashion porn, gareth pugh, nick knight Source: The Cut | 21 Nov 2008 | 5:34 pm Headhunting Citigroup’s 52,000 soon-to-be-laid-off employees weren’t the only ones looking for new jobs last week. Whispers that Hillary Clinton would become secretary of State in the next administration grew to a roar, though many wondered if husband Bill could pass the vetting process set up by Barack Obama’s human-resources team. The president-elect tapped Bronx native Eric Holder as his attorney-general nominee; the only blot on his résumé was also Bill Clinton (Holder was involved with the dubious Marc Rich pardon). Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman groveled enough to keep his gavel at the Homeland Security Committee. The Dow closed below 8,000, its lowest point in five years. Consumer prices took the biggest monthly dip ever recorded, raising the possibility of deflation. Governor Paterson convened an emergency budget-cutting session in Albany at which legislators decided not to do anything. Mayor Bloomberg wrestled with the City Council over whether to issue $400 property-tax-rebate checks, then ordered city thermostats lowered. The MTA pondered paring bus and train service alongside massive fare hikes. Pole dancers sued Scores managers for skimming tips; deliverymen picketed Union Square noodle barn Republic. Some Goldman Sachs executives declined their 2008 bonuses. Opera-mad investor Alberto Vilar was convicted of defrauding clients. Marc Jacobs paid a seven-figure fine for bribing his collection’s way into the 26th Street Armory. France’s First Lady, Carla Bruni, sat down with Matt Lauer and David Letterman to promote her new album. Former escort Ashley Alexandra Dupré chatted with Diane Sawyer and sympathized with Eliot Spitzer’s wife, Silda. Brainy Yankees right-hander Mike Mussina hung up his spikes. And the Triborough Bridge was officially renamed for the late Senator Robert Kennedy, just in time for 1010 wins to report bumper-to-bumper holiday traffic inching eastward across the RFK. Read more posts by Mark Adams Filed Under: It Happened This Week Source: Daily Intel | 22 Nov 2008 | 12:20 am Which ‘Working Journalists’ COULD Work for Dan Abrams? This week, Dan Abrams unveiled his new company, Abrams Research, which puts working and ex-journalists in touch with companies so that they can, among other things, provide "advice" on things such as PR strategies, for a fee. For instance if, as his Website puts it, "a Fortune 500 business believes the financial media has focused unfairly on a small change in accounting practices rather than significant increases in revenues," Abrams will bring together "top financial journalists to advise that business on how to best convey its message." We and others thought this was maybe a little bit totally unethical. So we asked Abrams and his quasi-partner-in-crime to explain it. They tried. But we're not convinced. And we thought we'd check with a couple of news organizations to see if they would allow their "top" journalists to moonlight for Abrams Research.
Catherine Mathis, spokeswoman, New York Times: "Times journalists would not be allowed to participate in this venture." This answer seemed kind of austere, so we also asked Randy Cohen, New York Times Ethicist to beef it up: "I don't think any paper would let a journalist participate in an event she covers. And I'm sure the Times would not allow one of its financial reporters to work as a paid consultant to a financial firm she covered. The Times code is even more fastidious in that it does what you suggest: It forbids journalists from entering potentially compromising relationships with companies they do not currently cover but may in the future." If any other editors want to chime in, you know where we are: intel@nymag.com. Read more posts by Jessica Pressler Filed Under: dan abrams, Ink-Stained Wretches, rachel sklar Source: Daily Intel | 22 Nov 2008 | 12:15 am ‘Gossip Girl’ Goes Deep Many of you noticed, in your comments on this week's Gossip Girl recap, the strange ways that time works in the world of Gossip Girl; a letter from Manhattan to Brooklyn can take weeks! But cross-borough travel? Meh, mere minutes in a cab. You also took issue with the free reign these kids have to meander about between different families' Thanksgiving parties or booze-stocked limos. And a bevy of comments pointed out our minor miscommunication with S., whom we thought poetically uttered that you couldn’t get the prize if you didn’t go deep, when all she really said was “compete.” Ha! Um, oops. Awkward. But really, it’s Serena. So, either way. After the jump, our favorite comments, and the final tally.
• Plus 5 for Chuck telling Nate and Vanessa he is going to give them some space to talk then moving exactly 2 FEET AWAY. Better yet, he doesn't even try to look away or pretend to text message. — BAMII • Plus 5 for Dorota, who we now know is SECRETLY HOT, getting to step out in that sassy red coat. — SAKADE [She actually is!] • I, too, had an Aaron Rose. I don't even want to talk about it, but, yeah, I understand. And Aaron going "sober" for his art is such a perfect fit. Mine went through a sober fad because he was "really into reality right now." WTF DOES THAT MEAN? — AFARERKIND [Plus 1.] • Plus 4 for Dan's comment "Are we talking about the same Serena? Long flowing blonde hair, towers over both of us?" Thank you, writers, for finally acknowledging the fact that Serena is a giantess that only hooks up with tiny tiny men. — BLAIRBASS1 • Eric seems to have a good head on his shoulders but he seems to always pick the wrong men (Uber closeted Asher, Cheating Jonathan)....PLUS ONE MILLION...all too true. — DISPLACEDNYER [Okay, we will give a Plus 1] Total: Plus 16 Faker Than Any Aspect of Nate’s Dad’s Story Line, If Possible • did anyone else notice when Nate got his house back that he just jumped right into Chuck's limo leaving his mother ALONE, signing papers IN THE DARK!?!? on thanksgiving! after her husband was just arrested!!...way to be the man of the house Nate. Minus 25. — XOCHUCKXO • Minus 5 because I highly doubt the FBI casually consults with seventeen-year-olds before trying to nab a criminal that they've been chasing for months. — THECHEESE • the unrealistic constant running that the characters did from Brooklyn to the UES was too much to handle. Does anyone realize HOW FAR Brooklyn is from everything else?? Especially since you know the UESiders aren't jumping on the subway, they're traveling via chaffeured limo. At least an hour. Minus 10 — ELIZABETH87 [Echoed by others] • Minus 10 because seriously, how long does it take for a letter to get to Brooklyn from Manhattan? — WONKETTELOVER [Echoed] • Minus 2 for the arm pat [V.] gives Chuck when he leaves her to talk to Nate in private. Why are they best friends?! Did Chuck not use her a few episodes back?? — LITTLEJ [Echoed] • Minus 5 for trying to make us believe that vanessa would actually eat meat. please - brooklyn, artist, high school age.... she'd so be a vegan. — BEDPAN • Why is Serena always surprised to see Aaron in her apartment? What is the doorman doing exactly that he's not calling up to say there's a guest? Minus 1. — MARTELL • Maybe this has been mentioned, but I'm saying it again: Why don't these kids have IPHONES, the new Blackberry or something more current than the 2001 Motorola flip phones they're using?? Apple needs to get with the product placement and fast. (Anything to help the stock!) - Minus 100. — SCHMUSAN32 • Minus 3 because i love how Lily just thinks she can show up anywhere at anytime and should be welcomed. Like what if Rufus had a girlfriend over for thanksgiving? and Minus 2 for Lily commenting on how the Humphrey apartment just 'felt like home'. Lily, you spent one Thanksgiving there, get over it. — BLIZ7734 Total: Minus 155 Total Total: Combined with our points (164 plus, 64 minus), this episode comes in on the fake side, even with the subtly revolting machinations of Aaron. You guys are tough. Read more posts by Mike Vilensky Filed Under: gossip girl, The Greatest Show of Our Time Source: Daily Intel | 21 Nov 2008 | 11:50 pm Hedge-Fund Manager Disgusted by Her Own KindSandra Manzke, a manager of Darien-based hedge fund MAXAM Capital Management, sent out a mass e-mail decrying the sins committed by her contemporaries in the marketplace. She's no Andrew Ladhe, but it's pretty impassioned. "I am appalled and disgusted by the activities of a number of hedge-fund managers," she wrote. "Every day, I get a notice from another manager who is side-pocketing investments or suspending redemptions … We have managers who have received millions of dollars in incentive fees, walking away and leaving investors with nothing. Further, management fees have crept up to outrageous levels and hedge-fund organizations are paying employees lucrative wages, while investors are bearing these costs, unjustified by mounting losses.” [Bloomberg] Read more posts by Jessica Pressler Filed Under: andrew lahde, hedge funds, sandra manzke, The Greatest Depression Source: Daily Intel | 21 Nov 2008 | 11:16 pm It’s ‘Nastie’ Out There: The Day in Media LayoffsIn today’s media-layoff world, automobile mags are feeling the burn, Condé jobs are getting less cushy, and niche magazines are bowing out. If you still have a job today, media men and women, we salute you. Here are some people who don’t: • Online magazine Salon has laid off political writer Walter Shapiro, along with nine of his colleagues. The site’s dwindling staff now has only two writers in its D.C. bureau, and 57 staffers in total. [Politico] • Condé Nast is cutting back its Town Car use and requiring staffers to pay for their own working lunches and magazine subscriptions. That prestigious-looking accent on the "e" is whimpering. [NYP] • Eleven former writers at DNR, the 110-year-old Condé title that folded yesterday, have been laid off. [NYP] • Source Interlink, father to ailing auto mags like Motor Trend and Hot Rod, has fired 150 staffers. [Gawker] • Outside’s Go, a spinoff of Outside magazine aimed at “affluent men who have a taste for adventurous travel and the means to experience it” has, obviously, folded. [FishbowlNY/Mediabistro] See you Monday. We hope!
Read more posts by Mike Vilensky Filed Under: conde nast, Ink-Stained Wretches, media, sports illustrated Source: Daily Intel | 21 Nov 2008 | 10:49 pm MoveOn Up to the Upper West Side At some 1,200 locations around the country last night, members of MoveOn.org gathered to celebrate Barack Obama’s presidential victory and plan their new political strategy as part of a celebration called “Fired Up and Ready to Go!” Our man Tim Murphy attended a meeting on the Upper West Side populated by veteran activists and the younger types inspired by Obama to join the process. So can these two generations agree on an agenda? Not so much! “It was like a co-op tenants’ meeting,” said one attendee. “Everybody wants to hear themselves talk.” Watch the video and get fired up. Read more posts by Tim Murphy Filed Under: election hangover, moveon, upper west side Source: Daily Intel | 21 Nov 2008 | 10:38 pm Sarah Lawrence Students Protest FDA Gay Blood Donation Ban What’s left to protest now that we’re entering the sure-to-be halcyon Obama era? At Sarah Lawrence College, in Bronxville, the new enemy is blood donation, or at least the FDA's policy regarding it. FDA regulations bar blood donations from gay men, and four years ago Sarah Lawrence quietly banned bloodmobiles from the campus, arguing the policy violates the school’s nondiscrimination policy. A committee revisited the policy this year when a professor raised concern about dwindling blood supplies, and many students for the first time learned of the underlying issue. The ban will stay in place, but the school will offer shuttle vans to donation centers. "I envision this van not as a donation van, but as an anti-current-policy van," says Bobby Phillips, a sophomore on the committee, who says students can use the van to donate or to protest. "We can advertise it in a way that people will get angry," he says. A Blood Center spokeswoman doesn’t foresee a mass uprising. "We do not have record of any other colleges that have done this," she says. Read more posts by Mary Bridges Filed Under: blood, college, gays, kids these days, sarah lawrence Source: Daily Intel | 21 Nov 2008 | 10:10 pm Tim Gunn Is Cool With Hank Paulson Bogarting His Catchphrase Two men, one mind. Until this week, we'd never even dared to imagine Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson loosening the tie and kicking up the old wingtips for a little Project Runway viewage. But the image came alive in an interview Paulson gave to the Washington Post Wednesday, wherein he used Runway mentor Tim Gunn's signature directive, "Make it work," twice, once when lecturing his former Wall Street comrades about regulation — "You should not be thinking about how to fight it but how to make it work" — and later, when recalling a conversation he'd had with Barclays on purchasing Lehman: "I said, let me try to figure out how to make it work.'" We checked in with Gunn to see how he felt about his mantra being co-opted by The Man. "I love it," he said. "'Make it work' is the perfect phrase for him to use in his situation. It says 'you're not getting any extra resources. You're not getting any special treatment, you're not getting any more funds. Be creative with what you have and make it work.'" Alas, Treasury spokeswoman Brooke Li had someone on the trail with Paulson check in with him about the phrase, and reported to Daily Intel that it was not Runway-inspired. "He's not watching a lot of TV these days," she said. Riiight. Brooke is officially awesome for discussing this with us, but we're not buying it. For instance: If he wasn't a fan of Gunn's, then why did he buy the same glasses? But look, we get it. It's cool, Mr. Paulson. There are some things a man just needs to keep sacred. Read more posts by Jessica Pressler Filed Under: hank paulson, tim gunn, Yes We Did Call the Department of the Treasury to Ask About Project Runway Source: Daily Intel | 21 Nov 2008 | 9:51 pm Tim Geithner Likely Treasury Pick, Say Reports Andrea Mitchell at NBC is reporting that Obama is going to roll out his economic team on Monday, and his pick for Treasury secretary will be Tim Geithner, the president of the New York Federal Reserve and the protégé of Former Treasury secretary Larry Summers, who was also in line for the job. Which, if it's true, we guess means the famously self-deprecating Geithner didn't demur, as some suspected he might. There are a few reasons why Geithner might be a better pick than Summers: He's more popular, for one, since a lot of people can't quite seem to forget that whole women-can't-do-math imbroglio; he's been a key player in the current economic crisis; and at 47, he's a fresher face than, you know, some people in a Cabinet that's starting to look a little Clinton-era. Also, and obviously doesn't matter (but it doesn't hurt either) — he is kind of easy on the eyes. GEITHNER LIKELY TO BE TREASURY SECRETARY [MSNBC] Read more posts by Jessica Pressler Filed Under: barack obama, Election Hangover, politics, tim geithner, treasury secretary Source: Daily Intel | 21 Nov 2008 | 8:56 pm The Night We Almost Got Into a Catfight With Blake Lively Blake Lively and Penn Badgley were about an hour and 45 minutes late to the Gucci/UNICEF dinner honoring Rihanna at the Plaza the other night, but Lively had a good excuse, she swears! "She's filming," a publicist murmured. "She always says that!" shrieked one cold, cranky photographer. In fact, Lively had suffered a tragic wardrobe malfunction: Her shirt kept popping open and she was getting her outfit altered upstairs. "I don't usually get emotional, but velvet was everywhere!" Lively pouted later as a handler applied her lip gloss and pulled down her skirt. Then she refused to talk to us. Seriously? Does our devotion mean nothing to her? We thought we could hug it out when we were seated next to her and Badgley — our shoulders were thisclose! — but we were barely able to take a bite of our appetizer before the same handler told us to move. But our Dan-chasing wasn't over yet. When Lively slipped off to the bathroom, we slid next to Badgley and batted our eyelashes. So, remember when Dan wrote that exposé for New York a few weeks ago — that was like a secret love note he passed to us, right? "Well, you know, honestly we're not involved much in the writing of the story lines," he said, maybe a little uncomfortably. "Obviously you guys are very supportive of us," he said. "So I suppose that was probably an incentive in continuing relations." Relations. Sexy! But our faces fell when he told us that he doesn't read press about the show. "I stay away from that shit now," he shrugged. Worried that Lively would come back and grab us by the hair, we scampered away and left him sipping a cup of coffee all by his lonesome. At the after-party, while Timbaland D.J.'d, we kept making deep, meaningful eye contact with Badgley from across the room — in between his smooches with Lively. Watch your back, S. Get Thanksgiving recipes from Madonna, Rihanna, and Adrian Grenier by viewing our Party Lines slideshow. Read more posts by Maridel Reyes Filed Under: Party Lines, penn badgely Source: Daily Intel | 21 Nov 2008 | 8:34 pm Week in Review: Sexiest Blog Posts Alive This week People magazine honored cattle-whip expert Hugh Jackman by naming him the Sexiest Man Alive, basically killing his Oscar chances. What else was superlatively sexy this week? We look back: • Sexiest movie that improved on already-sexy source material: Twilight • Sexiest album that took thirteen years to make: Chinese Democracy • Sexiest target of Gene Siskel's insult humor: Roger Ebert • Sexiest Broadway closing: American Buffalo • Sexiest editorial plan: Vulture's • Sexiest vampire-erotica slideshow: this one • Sexiest 2008 National Book Award winner for fiction: Peter Matthiessen • Sexiest upcoming United Artists film about a one-eyed Nazi: Valkyrie • Sexiest up-and-coming monsters: werewolves • Sexiest bad singers: rappers • Sexiest layoffs: Days of Our Lives' • Sexiest Twilight star afraid of being stabbed by fans: Robert Pattinson • Sexiest televised discussion of cat pee: Ben Silverman's • Sexiest Hollywood quitter: Everybody (tie) • Sexiest crotch: Paul Rudd's Read more posts by Lane Brown Filed Under: roll credits Source: Vulture | 21 Nov 2008 | 10:30 pm Layoffs Hit the Weinstein Company The Post reports that the Weinstein Company today laid off 24 people (11 percent of its workforce), citing the economy. "If this was a real financial emergency for the studio, I imagine the layoffs would be greater than 24 people," says a source who presumably got to keep his job on the sole condition that he spin these layoffs as a positive to the Post. [NYP] Read more posts by Lane Brown Filed Under: harvey weinstein, sadness, the weinstein company Source: Vulture | 21 Nov 2008 | 10:15 pm How Could ‘Chinese Democracy’ Have Been Improved? |
What did Belgium do to Red Eye's Andrew Levy? We've never really given the country much thought, to be honest. But apparently someone at Fox News' second funniest late-night offering has been deeply offended by the nation and wants revenge. Did you know the Belgians murdered Paddington Bear and are so stupid they fish for cows? We're guessing that Greg Gutfeld (or one of his writers) was either stabbed or dumped in Belgium. Or he's still not over his Chimay hangover. (Thanks go to 
Whenever he's had a glaring problem in his business, Harvey Weinstein — legendary manipulator of the press — has always been a master at deflecting attention away: No Oscars recently? Just look at how much money the lowbrow genre films his brother Bob have been raking in! No big genre successes? Well, look at our home video business! The home video business is struggling? Well, we've got an Oscar film coming up! The cycle can be repeated over and over, but financial facts always trump spin. And today, the Weinstein Co. laid off 24 of its employees, 11% of its total staff, 
Births, Deaths, and Marriages is a column about what's happening to persons of interest in Gawker society. Send us your tips about breakups, hookups, knock-ups, and everything else that completes the circle of media-life. Today: one oddly-named celeb infant, one knockup, one breakup, and rabid right-wingers in luv:
[Jim Behrle's Kartoon Kats have been reading The Economist lately, and it has made them sad. Luckily: there are pirates!! Everyone loves pirates!! Klick thru for high seas adventure!]
According to some reports, the Huffington Post has raised $15 million in a new round of investment. But nobody really knows for sure whether that's true, yet! Let us say right up front that if it is true—and the Times UK 
Barack Obama's Treasury Secretary pick made the stocks jump! 
Every so often one commenter serves the public body in singularly superb fashion. These comrades deserve recognition individually—a chance to come forward and take a bow. Today we honor commenter 
Anonymous subway-based ad remix artist and minor