Where Candace Bushnell AteThe Sex and the City writer talks Da Silvano, the Royalton, and other iconic New York restaurants, including where the original Mr. Big liked to dine.
ByZoe Papelis and Gaby Grossman
fashion
There’s Still Style In the CityCandace Bushnell chose five looks by five New York designers for her one-woman show at Café Carlyle. She gave us an exclusive look.
Mayor Bloomberg Is a Lady Gaga FanThe mayor drops knowledge on MTV, John Mayer and Mischa Barton have dinner in the same room, Kanye West goes spinning, and more gossip as celebrities descend on New York Fashion Week.
The Top Ten Most Abusively Blurbed AuthorsThe press on Sloane Crosley’s new book deal made us realize there are some names that are just tossed around too frequently in publishing.
Most of Today’s Gossip Items Involve Sarah PalinAre you surprised? But the scenes from Larry Flynt’s porn satire of her actually sound really stupidly funny. Plus a pinch of Palin-free news in our gossip roundup.
ByTim Murphy
sex and the city
Carrie Bradshaw Goes to High SchoolSo many questions! When did she lose her V-card? Did she wear stonewashed jeans with pleats? And who taught her how to WRITE?
‘Cashmere Mafia’ Tries On the Cement StilettosUnlike the Greatest Show of Our Time, it looks like Cashmere Mafia isn’t going to make it to a sophomore season. When we read last week on Fashionista.com (that venerable expert in network reporting) that the show was on the chopping block, we didn’t pay it much heed. Sure, the show had dropped from something like 10 million viewers at its debut for 5.7 million now, but at least it’s a good scripted series with a following. But then on Thursday Bloomberg reported that Cashmere writers still weren’t sure what was going on, a few weeks after the strike ended. And now today Ben Widdicombe’s “Gatecrasher,” which is a reliable source for TV gossip (particularly the type that involves divas and failure), says it’s probably true: The show is on its way out. This is too bad; we kind of like the show, which wasn’t particularly smart or realistic, but at least involved main characters who smiled every once in a while, unlike the ones on rival series Lipstick Jungle. Who knew the only enduring show about happy, well-sexed fortysomethings in funny clothes this year would be Rock of Love?
‘Cashmere Mafia’ Might Be Taken For a Ride [NYDN]
in other news
Blaine Blogs!This has been a big week so far: a huge Super Bowl surprise and today there will certainly be a lot of excitement, if not surprises, as much of the nation votes. Much of the day tomorrow will be spent examining and analyzing today’s results. But what happens Thursday, when the country comes down from its dizzying highs? What will keep us going? Lipstick Jungle, that’s what. In case you weren’t thinking of taking Candace Bushnell’s Sex and the City 2.0 very seriously, actor Andrew McCarthy has taken to the keyboard to explain just what a weighty enterprise the new series is. McCarthy, who plays “Joe Bennett — the billionaire who has the world by the tail” (though, duh, you know him better as Blaine from Pretty in Pink and various other Brat Pack roles), has a new blogweek-long diary on Slate.com. (Best moment: During the first reading, Candace Bushnell looks McCarthy over and says, “I wouldn’t fuck you in those shoes.”) Below, we’ve selected some of his words of wisdom about his difficult craft.
• “The vanities of film and television acting — and more specifically, my inability to let them go, to get past them — I continue to find very disquieting. But there is not an actor I know, male or female, who is not at the mirror’s mercy.”
• “When we shot the pilot, [Lipstick love interest and former 90210 star Lindsay Price] and I discovered that we had an easy, workable chemistry, which is something you have no idea of until you’re on the spot.”
intel
‘Cashmere Mafia’ vs. ‘Lipstick Jungle’: The Official Obsessed MatchupOkay, like every fight between tough bitches, the battle royale between Cashmere Mafia and Lipstick Jungle could only remain buried underneath rumor, speculation, and outfit comparison for so long. Next week, Jungle debuts on NBC. Its stars, Brooke Shields, Kim Raver, and Lindsay Price, as well as its creator, Candace Bushnell, have been gearing up for a showdown against the similarly themed Mafia since the announcements of both shows last year. Now, it’s no secret that the two series are trying to inherit the viewership gold mine that was Bushnell’s Sex and the City. One has four sexy, powerful New York women who have fabulous lives and wardrobes, and one has three. But how do they really compare to one another? Short answer: Cashmere sucks, and Lipstick merely gives you an over-the-pants hand job. But how do they handle the legacy of their grand, Jimmy Choo–clad matriarch? Only time will tell. Or, you know, us. Because we got our hands on the first couple of episodes of Jungle, and we thought you’d like to know how each of them fare against one another when dealing with the subjects that Sex and the City held so dear. Which show will truly inherit the Dolce & Gabbana sequined underpants that Carrie was wearing on the runway when she fell, in the best episode of any television show, ever?? Below, a tale of the tape.
ink-stained wretches
Meet Your ‘Six in the City’ Columnist, Faran KrentcilWe’ve been following the action behind the search for a writer of Page Six the Magazine’s “Six in the City” column for a couple of months, and were interested to see their final choice of scribe was Faran Krentcil, writer of the Fashionista.com blog. Faran has been running around fashion parties for years now, ever since she started working at Fashion Week Daily, and we’ve always suspected she had a little something of a Carrie Bradshaw complex. And lo and behold, witness her introductory column:
The problem with clichés is they’re usually true. Case in point: Me, the blonde, curly-haired girl writing tales of my “fabulous” life. You know what to expect – I breakfast at Tiffany’s sans carbs, I meet devils in Prada, and then I report back to you. Except, of course, it’s not that easy. Celebrities aren’t just like us. And socialites are sometimes just girls who get high in high heels. But there’s some gorgeousness, too, the kind that makes you live in NYC in the first place. It’s my job to find it and serve it up to you.
Oh dear. You can just hear Sarah Jessica Parker’s voice slowly reading that out loud, straining to make it sound wise, or at least world-weary. (Disclosure, Krentcil has contributed to nymag.com’s Best Bets feature.) Since the column isn’t available online, we’ve reproduced the rest of it for you after the jump. It only gets punnier.
new york fugging city
Candace Bushnell Looks Fugging ExhaustedCynthia Rowley’s press kit listed an “Arden halo” as one of her models’ accessories, so we were surprised to see self-proclaimed reluctant socialite Arden Wohl in the front row of Rowley’s show wearing her signature headband up on her hair instead of resting on her forehead. We presume she finally realized that in hot weather, you can get some wicked zits when your signature look suffocates your T-zone.
gossipmonger
Nobody Knows in America, Puerto Rico’s in AmericaJohn McCain has RSVP’d for the Puerto Rican Day Parade, but Rudy Giuliani has not. Lorraine Bracco will be a onetime co-host of The View. Baird Jones will celebrate Dr. Kevorkian’s release from prison tonight by exhibiting his paintings at Webster Hall. Kevin Costner ate at Michael’s. John Travolta may be in denial about his son’s autism because of Scientology. Paris Hilton plans to keep a diary when she’s in prison, which she can later sell. Sharon Stone is set to star in mock political ads to be unveiled at the upcoming Venice Biennale. Charlie Palmer’s Kitchen 22, on West 22nd Street, closed.
Breakups and the CityFormer Sex and the City partners Candace Bushnell and Darren Star are no longer speaking after Star sold a show similar to the one Bushnell was working on to a different network. Matt Lauer once had an awkward bathroom experience with Tom Brokaw. Kate Moss will launch her clothing line at Barneys on May 8. Alt Coffee on Avenue A is being turned into a stroller shop. Britney Spears may give Allure a tell-all regarding her family infighting. Lesley Stahl denies being the source of anti-Katie Couric rumors. On her way back to New York City, real-estate queen Barbara Corcoran boarded the wrong flight and ended up in Syracuse. Tyra Banks ate with Clay Aiken at Jean Georges. Andy Dick accosted two employees at a Chelsea club.
gossipmonger
Oh, Rats!Suge Knight on Snoop Dogg (who was arrested again Tuesday, this time with drugs and a gun in his possession): “He’s a rat. I don’t like rats.” Al Gore on Britney Spears’s refusal to wear underwear: “No comment.” Kelis on why gay men love her: “I’m like a gay man’s purse.” Candace Bushnell says Jay McInerney is very serious about sex. 50 Cent thinks Oprah caters to middle-aged white American women because “she’s become one herself.” Gambling-minded investors want to take over New York’s racetracks; horse purists aren’t happy. Lindsay Lohan has been attending AA meetings in Los Angeles. For exhaustion, of course. Andrew Cuomo forced two of his campaign operatives to pull out of a panel on politics. Naomi Campbell was going to be in a movie, but she made too many demands. Fabian Basabe avoided Amy Sacco recently because he’s suing her. Danny Meyer to open a Union Square Cafe in Tokyo. Sean Connery stood to make almost half a billion dollars from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but he declined to play Gandalf. A month ago, Kid Rock went to a strip club, drank a lot. Matt Lauer held a door open for a woman with a stroller. Julianne Moore is so nervous about the opening of her new play she can’t eat. Michael Jackson watched the new Bond flick in his hotel room.
gossipmonger
Stalkers, Anchors, and a Show Tune–Lovin’ GeneralStalkers are threatening Audioslave front man Chris Cornell’s children, prompting him to install a high-end security system. Diane Sawyer skipped a GMA party, either because she was sick or because she’s leaving the show. General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, went to see Hairspray. Christie Brinkley makes wake-up calls at Hyatt hotels. Ellen Barkin didn’t want to work when she was married. Quentin Tarantino has a new girlfriend, who sucked his fingers. Barbra Streisand didn’t like her suite at the Carlyle. Neither Robin Williams nor Jon Stewart is running for president. Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett went to a Titanic exhibit in San Francisco. Cheeta, Tarzan’s retired, now-74-year-old chimp sidekick, wouldn’t sit for an interview, drank Diet Coke instead. Candace Bushnell’s Sirius radio show launches today. Hillary Swank went on vacation at Donatella Versace’s house. Diddy bought an eight-foot teddy bear. Bobby Kennedy’s family likes Bobby. Three West 27th Street club owners also have roles in movies. Jimmy Buffet takes vitamins, not Ecstasy.
