Posts for May 8, 2008 -- Daily Intel -- New York News Blog -- New York Magazine

May 8, 2008

In Other News

5/ 8/08

6:30 PM

Liv Tyler, Royston Langdon Split on Grounds of ‘Leeching’

Photo: Getty Images

Days after Liv Tyler showed up sans wedding ring at the Met Costume Institute gala, our worst suspicions are confirmed. Liv Tyler has split from husband Royston Langdon. The actress, 30, married the 36-year-old rocker (formerly of Spacehog, currently of something called Arckid) in 2003, and they have a 3-year-old son named Milo.

"Liv Tyler and Royston Langdon have confirmed their separation," says the actress’ rep. "They remain good friends and devoted parents to their son, Milo, and are requesting that their family's privacy be respected at this time.”

A source tells usmagazine.com that the actress was recently overheard seeking advice from a lawyer on the phone. "In the conversation, she complained about her husband being a 'leech' on her assets, and she said she got married too young," the source tells Us.

Tyler was quoted in 2004 as saying, "I don't believe in divorce.” Us also offers a counterintuitive slideshow featuring spring splits, if you're interested. —Noelle Hancock

Liv Tyler Splits from Husband [Us]

More: In Other News »breakup, liv tyler, royston langdon

Cultural Capital

5/ 8/08

6:00 PM

Wasps Are Back, According to the Wasps

Photo: Patrick McMullan

Jamie Johnson made his career by luring his friends into participating in his documentary Born Rich and then capturing them on film sounding like total idiots. But now he has reached a new low. He is blogging. Sacre bleu blood! But wait! It’s for Vanity Fair, so that kind of makes it okay. In his latest blog post, the pretty Johnson & Johnson heir writes about what he calls "the rising cachet of the declining Wasp establishment."

[E]ven though the Wasp establishment is losing much of the influence it once held over our society’s major institutions, the imagery, the manners, and the general style associated with Wasps seem to have increasing appeal.

He spends the rest of the post kind of flitting around and contradicting his original thesis and plugging fancy friends like jewelry designer Waris Ahluwalia and banking heir Marian Moore. Then he cites the success of Ralph Lauren and Wes Anderson movies as proof of the growing popularity of the blue-blood Americana image. He blogs:

Why do [Ralph] Lauren and millions of other non-Wasps find Wasp culture so appealing? “It’s just so many generations of being elite,” says Marian Moore. “It means something to people.”

Maybe this was true ten years ago, when Anderson’s films truly peaked and Abercrombie was the shit, but it’s not really the case anymore.

We have a theory of our own! »

More: Cultural Capital »blogging, jamie johnson, money, vanity fair, WASPs

Intel

5/ 8/08

5:30 PM

The Top Ten Reasons NY1 Will Crush NBC's Planned 24-Hour New York News Channel

We Daily Intel bloggers often work at home … alone, isolated, no flesh-and-blood colleagues to mutter annoyances aloud to or smoke your brains out with in front of the building. We crave human faces and voices. Which is why, from virtually the moment we rise from our humble Murphy bed (seriously!) until the moment we leave the house in the evening to drink off the LED stupor, we are cosseted and amused by the warm, burbling tones of NY1. [Ed. note: Tim Murphy, our beloved contributor watches NY1 exclusively. We other Daily Intellers obviously take time out to watch The View, and Live anytime Anderson is subbing in for Regis.] Hence the sharp, contemptuous "Ha!" we emitted this morning upon learning that NBC plans to launch in November a competitor channel to NY1. Brashly titled "New York's Newschannel," it'll go 24 hours a day and cover not only the five B's but the greater region, including New Jersey and Connecticut (areas that NY1, in its own commercials, rightly congratulates itself for ignoring). We predict it will fail, leaving NY1 the undisputed chronicler of midday drive-by shootings in Morrisania and senior-citizen découpage summits in Sheepshead Bay. At the risk of drawing attention to NY1's secret weapons in this moment of challenge, we will enumerate the ten reasons NBC will topple before the Mighty Queen of the Lower-Left-Corner Time and Weather Logo…

After the jump, a list that true die-hard NY1 fans will understand. And the rest of you, well, don't judge us, okay? »

More: Intel »media, nbc, nbc news, ny1, pat kiernan

Intel

5/ 8/08

4:25 PM

Let’s Never Hear About Austrian Incest Dad Ever Again

Photo: Getty Images

If you’re like us and you prefer not to vomit all over your keyboard whenever you log on to a news Website, you’ve probably had about enough of this ongoing story revolving around a deranged Austrian dad who (spoiler alert: if you have a pretty decent opinion of the human race, it will be spoiled by reading further) locked his daughter in a secret underground lair and raped her, to the tune of seven children (one of which died, three of which never saw the world outside the incest dungeon), over the course of 24 years. We could probably understand the justification for making this news when it first came out: The pure shock, plus the feat of finding the newest most despicable person in the world — these are the two major components of most cable-news stories. But this has gone on way past its expiration date. CNN has featured the story so often that they need only to refer to “Incest Dad” in the headlines. (Needless to say, they don’t give you the T-shirt option on that one.) Look, CNN, MSNBC, whoever: We get it. This dude is terrible. But we seriously doubt there is anybody clamoring for this trickle of new, horrible details you’re supplying on a daily basis. Please never cover this again. —Dan Amira

Incest dad: I cared for my secret family [CNN]

More: Intel »austria, cnn, crime, incest, media, msnbc, rape

Neighborhood Watch

5/ 8/08

3:00 PM

Everybody's Sexy in Stuyvesant Town!

Greenpoint: Someone's getting artsy in the subway to protest the oil spills here. [Gothamist]
East Village: Just a day after we linked to a bitchy new blog satirizing the newly gentrified Stuy Town, there comes word that, to boost rentals, 3,800 units have been given "condo-style" makeovers. Meawhile, check out the hatefully young, hip, and pretty people on Stuy Town's glossy marketing site. Please say they're models and not the complex's next wave! [Curbed]
Park Slope: Is this cozy-chair bus station for real? Plus, the F stop at Fourth and 9th's getting a face-lift. [Gowanus Lounge via all.growns.up]

More: Neighborhood Watch »east village, greenpoint, park slope, real estate, red hook, tribeca, upper east side, woodside

Cultural Capital

5/ 8/08

2:35 PM

Matt Lauer Shows Us FDR’s Secret Train

If you’re like us and have always been obsessed with that secret subway stop beneath the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, today is your day! As part of the Today show’s “Access Granted” series, Matt Lauer visits the now-abandoned subway track that was used as a special VIP entrance for fancy-pants rich people with their own private subway cars.

The storied Track 61 was also used by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, so he could enter and leave the hotel without the public realizing he couldn’t walk unassisted because of his polio. Lauer shows us FDR’s private train car, still down on the tracks. The armored car features bulletproof glass and special suspension to support the president’s paralyzed lower body. The train was also a safety measure in case FDR needed to be spirited out of New York City in the event of a national catastrophe.

Watch the video and marvel that there was ever a time when presidents tried to hide their handicaps, as opposed to more current administrations, which like to parade them out in the open like a 2-year-old boy who’s just discovered his wee-wee. —Noelle Hancock

Matt Lauer Goes Underground for “Secret” Train Car [Gothamist]

More: Cultural Capital »franklin roosevelt, matt lauer, subways, today show, waldorf=astoria

Developing

5/ 8/08

2:00 PM

New Port Authority Chief Not So Sure About This Atlantic Yards

Rendering courtesy Atlantic Yards

Chris Ward, due to take over the Port Authority this month, suggests to us that he thinks Bruce Ratner should consider recruiting architects other than Frank Gehry for the Atlantic Yards. “Flatbush and Atlantic is a totally underused area and a major transportation hub, and I hope we don't lock ourselves into a design that does not allow other architecture or public space,” says Ward. That design is entirely Gehry's; even after Ratner admitted his multi-tower vision might not attract financing, public officials have kept the architect front and center. “Bruce, with his optimism, is probably feeling that he doesn't have to worry about those contingencies,” Ward continues. “But it would be worthwhile to pay attention to the real-estate risks there.” And, yes, he called him "Bruce": Ward worked under Ratner when the he ran Consumer Affairs in the Koch administration. Still, this warning should hearten the project's opponents: Ward will have a lot of influence over state spending if the developer needs a cash influx. —Alec Appelbaum

More: Developing »atlantic yards, bruce ratner, chris ward, port authority, real estate

In Other News

5/ 8/08

1:30 PM

Former ‘Idol’ Charged With Booty-Texting Little Boys

Just in case you needed any more proof that American Idol auditions are the gateway to the American prison system, we give you Colin Leahy. At the age of 19, he tried out for American Idol. He didn't make it, and now spends his time volunteering at a Brooklyn elementary school. Leahy, now 23, was arrested Wednesday for sending sexually provocative text messages to a 12-year-old male student and for propositioning a 10-year-old boy. According to the Brooklyn D.A.'s office, he’s been charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Leahy endangered the welfare of America’s ears on the third season of American Idol with his monotone rendition of (the now ominous-sounding) "One Step Closer."

"I like to make people happy and smile," he said during his audition. Leahy also compared himself to Clay Aiken, saying, “I’m also a camp counselor.” (Eek!)

Acerbic Idol judge Simon Cowell, naturally, hated him immediately and told him as much. "Well, Colin, that is just about as bad as it can possibly get.” Oh, honey, you don't even know. —Noelle Hancock

Fallen 'Idol' Sent Sex Text to Boys [NYP]

More: In Other News »american idol, arrests, colin leahy

It Just Happened

5/ 8/08

12:45 PM

Fossella Cops to Affair, Love Child

Photo: Getty Images

Well, color us incorrect! Earlier today we tut-tutted the tabloids for jumping to conclusions about the future of congressman Vito Fossella after his drunk-driving arrest last week. But, it turns out, they were totally right. Fosella did have a love child with the "mystery woman" he was recklessly racing to meet that night. From a statement released by his office earlier today:

“I have had a relationship with Laura Fay, with whom I have a three year old daughter. My personal failings and imperfections have caused enormous pain to the people I love and I am truly sorry. While I understand that there will be many questions, including those about my political future, making any political decisions right now are furthest from my mind. Over the coming weeks and months, I will to continue to do my job and I will work hard to heal the deep wounds I have caused.”

In addition to guessing at the love child and assuming that Fossella's marriage was over, the Post and the Daily News also projected that his political career was over. After this news, we're guessing they were right on that front, too.

Fossella Admits Affair and Love Child [NYO]
Related: High Noon for Vito Fossella?

More: It Just Happened »cops, politics, sex scandals, vito fossella

Early and Often

5/ 8/08

12:05 PM

Why Clinton Needs to Drop Out: Pundits Pile On

Photo: Getty Images

We're two days removed from Tuesday's primaries, and Hillary Clinton is soldiering on, despite Barack Obama's widespread coronation. Clinton's old friend George McGovern has told her to quit, and the undecided superdelegates just seem to be giving her a window in which to drop out. But is there really a good reason for her to stop, other than widespread impatience with the primary process? According to the pundits, there are a lot of good reasons!

Three weeks spent making a case that Obama can't win? Not good. »

More: Early and Often »barack obama, campaigns, elections, hillary clinton, primaries, superdelegates

Company Town

5/ 8/08

11:35 AM

‘Times’ Newsroom-Bloodbath Final Tally: Fifteen

MEDIA
• The New York Times laid off a total of fifteen journalists in the end. It was the paper's first mass-reporter bloodbath in the broadsheet's 157-year history. [NYP]
• It's a media showdown! NBC's local affiliate is challenging NY1's foothold on 24-hour New York news. [NYP]
• Is Ryan Seacrest really going to take over Larry King's time slot? Do we get a say in this? [MSNBC]

More: Company Town »art, cnn, condos, larry king, moody's, nbc, new york times, nobu, ny1, robert de niro, ryan seacrest, subprime crisis, wall street

In Other News

5/ 8/08

11:05 AM

David Lauren Not Invited to Jenna Bush's Wedding

Photo: Getty Images

Looks like Lauren Bush is going to be flying solo at cousin Jenna Bush’s wedding this weekend. The Daily News' "Rush & Molloy" reports that her boyfriend, David (son of Ralph) Lauren, has not been invited to the Saturday nups. But it's not his habit of wearing socks with Teva sandals that’s keeping him from being invited — though that’s certainly reason enough. No, apparently, there are concerns about his [speaking sotto voce] Jewishness. Lauren's mother, Sharon, is a devout Christian. "There are religious differences," a source tells the Daily News. "Would he expect her to convert to Judaism?" Oh, no!

Barbara and former president George H.W. Bush are also said to take issue with the coupling, mainly with the fact that he's 36 and Lauren's only 22. "Lauren's grandparents have concerns about the relationship," said one source close to the family. "They're very concerned about his age. They think he's a little old for her. Also, they've been going out for three years. Where's the ring, David?" No ring, no bring, Dave! —Noelle Hancock

Advice for David Lauren and Lauren Bush [Rush & Molloy]

More: In Other News »david lauren, jenna bush, lauren bush, president bush, weddings

Early and Often

5/ 8/08

10:30 AM

CBS: Top Clinton Adviser Already Telling Clinton It’s Over

You may have seen this video on Drudge, but the newsiest bit is at the very last moment. Above, CBS's Evening News summarizes all of the problems Clinton is now facing (not least of which is mass-media pressure to drop out of the race). But at the end, political correspondent Jeff Greenfield reveals that a tippy top Clinton advisor has told the candidate herself that she "can't win." And, according to the CBS reporting, it's only her closest circle of confidantes that will be able to influence her to drop out of the race. But by our estimation, her "closest circle" is actually just two people: her and Bill. When CBS gets Bubba on the record telling her to get out, then we'll know it's over. We won't hold our breath.

Clinton's Path to Victory Slipping Away [CBS via Towleroad]

More: Early and Often »bill clinton, campaigns, democrats, elections, hillary clinton, politics, primaries

Gossipmonger

5/ 8/08

10:00 AM

Bloomberg Knows No One Will Ask Him to Be VP

Photo: Getty Images

Michael Bloomberg told Cindy Adams that he's pretty sure no one is going to ask him to run for VP. Michael Lohan was not thrilled to hear that his ex-wife, Dina, was given a Top Mom award. Former New York Knick and all-around badass Charles Oakley wants to start his own cooking show. Friends of Marc Jacobs are worried that he parties too much in Paris and may end up getting AIDS. (We assume that's what they mean by "pulling a Halston." Yikes.) Leonardo DiCaprio biked to Max Brenner's chocolate shop in Union Square, but left after realizing the wait was more than an hour. The song "We Just Had Sex," from Broadway musical Passing Strange, was axed from the CBS pre–Tony Awards show because it was seemed too racy. Jay-Z and Beyoncé headed right from the Costume gala at the Met to Pop Burger.

More: Gossipmonger »anderson cooper, beyonce, charles oakley, cindy adams, craig ferguson, dina lohan, donatella versace, glenn close, halston, howard stern, jay-z, jeffrey epstein, knicks, leoonardo dicaprio, marc jacobs, mayor bloomberg, michael lohan, robin quivers, roman polanski

Party Lines

5/ 8/08

9:32 AM

Pete Wentz Runs With Gays

Photo: Getty Images

So last night we went to the bar Angels & Kings because ~~it is the hottest rock-and-roll bar in town~~ it is two blocks from our house. They were holding their new "Angels and _______" party, which caters to a gay/mixed, preppy young crowd (not their usual customers, apparently). We were surprised, then, to see bar owner Pete Wentz sitting in the corner, with some of his friends from Gym Class Heroes and Panic at the Disco. Wentz is straight, like so straight people can't stop talking about how he may have knocked up Ashlee Simpson! Naturally, we accosted him. "I heard it's gay night, right?" he asked us, after we complimented his pointy hair. Turns out Pete has "great 'dar," by which he means he has a highly tuned interior electromagnetic sensor which lets him know when there are moving or fixed homosexuals nearby. So naturally we asked, Do you like running with gays, Pete? "It seems sometimes like nobody knows how to have a good time anymore," he told us. "But the gays are always having a good time." It's true! We are! We didn't get our name for being grouchy, now did we?

Related: Pete Wentz Designs and Wears Women's Clothes [Cut]

More: Party Lines »bars, fall out boy, gays, pete wentz

Early and Often

5/ 8/08

9:00 AM

High Noon for Vito Fossella?

Photo: Getty Images

When Vito Fossella was pulled over for drunk driving in Virginia, we thought it would just be another bump in his slightly rocky career road. But we (and we imagine probably he as well) were not anticipating the rapid unraveling that it would spark in his political and personal life. What's falling apart? Well, according to the Post and the Daily News, everything! His wife may leave him if allegations that he has a love child (sparked after he told police he was driving to see his "sick daughter" when he was arrested) prove to be true, reports the Post. And his political career will probably be scuppered, GOP sources tell the News, especially if he has to serve time in jail. His life is basically over! Never mind the fact that first-time drunk-driving offenses only usually require paying a fine and relinquishing your license in Virginia, and there's no real evidence of a love child. It's all over, you hear? Over!

WIFE MAY VETO VITO AMID 'BABY' SHOCK [NYP] [Ed. note: You know they've been waiting YEARS to use that VETO VITO line]
Even Republicans ready to write off Vito Fossella in DWI, lady 'friend' scandal [NYDN]
Earlier: Vito Fossella Adds ‘Mystery Woman’ to His List of Problems

More: Early and Often »crime, drunk driving, love children, politics, republicans, vito fossella

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