William Kristol Has the Gray Lady’s Knickers in a TwistMEDIA
• Both Times public editor Clark Hoyt and former Times conservative standby William Safire have panned Arthur “Pinch” Sulzberger’s decision to foist William Kristol on the editorial page. Among the other conservatives considered and passed over: Charles Krauthammer, Ross Douthat, Max Boot, and a bunch of other Weekly Standard stalwarts. But at least Judith Miller approves: “[I]t’s an appointment that’s a long time coming. The page needed balance.… [But] an unabashed neocon without remorse is unacceptable to Times people.… He’s not kosher in that sense.” [New Republic]
• New York Observer president Robert Sommer nailed his MSNBC interview: “We like to view our readers as some of the smartest, most insensitive — most… Some of the most brightest readers in the country and especially New York.” [NYO]
• David Blum goes through his fifth sex columnist in little more than a year, firing his latest hire at the New York Press after she stole questions from Dan Savage. Some might call that slutty! [NYO]
User’s Guide
Got $25,000? A Learjet and a Table at Mozza Await
How can a Batali completist visit the chef’s new place in L.A. and get back in time to pay the babysitter? Here’s one option: Dial-A-Dinner, the concierge service that dispatches tuxedoed drivers to deliver grub from upscale eateries, runs a side business called Jet Dining. Founder David Blum says George Hamilton, Paris and Nicky Hilton, and Atlantic Records CEO Craig Kallman are among the clients who’ve requested, on as little as four hours’ notice, private jets to take them to far-flung restaurants. We dialed what Blum confusingly calls the “unlisted listed number” (212-643-1222) to find out how much it would set us back to check out some recently opened NYC-restaurant sister eateries around the country. (Blum says you can request an onboard meal from your favorite local eatery, but we discovered that you might have to settle for substitutions.)