The Annals of Socialite Upstarts: Out With Olivia Palermo, in With Emily Brill?So January was cold, and February was short, but now it’s finally March. And you know what that means? It’s party time! No, not for you. For people who matter. We know since SocialiteRank.com shut down nearly a year ago, you haven’t been as able to keep track of what’s been going on with Tinsley and Zani and Margherita, but, trust us, they’re still out every night, flawlessly executing that arm move that Ellen Page has been trying to imitate! See, March is when the events for young socialites really begin in earnest. Last night saw the Riverkeeper benefit at the Hearst Tower, hosted by the ecocharity’s junior council. Scheduled next week is the American Museum of Natural History’s Winter Dance and the Frick’s Young Fellows’ Ball. A quick peek down the list of all the host committees show that, this year, all the fun is dominated by one set of friends. Claire Bernard, Maggie Betts, and Jamie Johnson are on the committees of all three of the above events, and they are joined here and there by Amanda Hearst, Hudson Morgan, Annie Churchill, Andrew Black, Derek Blasberg, and Byrdie Bell. This is a little bit of a shift away from the Tinsley-Dabney-Lydia axis, but it’s essentially the same gang. Which isn’t surprising, only…where’s Olivia Palermo?
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Jamie Johnson Loves It When You Hate the RichToday’s the big day for Jamie Johnson, when his documentary The One Percent premieres on Cinemax tonight at 6:30. In the past couple of weeks, he’s been doing interviews about it, and, we have to say, we’ve been continually amused by his painstakingly cultivated stubble and “It’s freshman year, and I just took off my white baseball hat” hairstyle. But now it’s crunch time, and the twice-Emmy-nominated documentarian is having to face critics and fans who have been waiting to see how he follows up on his debut work, Born Rich. The sophomore effort focuses on the wealth gap in America and tries to get across that, Hello, it’s really, really big. “I see it as we have a legitimate problem out there and most people in my position aren’t willing to recognize it,” he explained to Forbes. “I don’t see it as rich boy’s guilt.” Today’s “Rush & Molloy” column points out that, awkwardly, much of the film is an attack on the Fanjul family, members of Johnson’s social cohort. (The filmmaker assures the Palm Beach Post that he “doesn’t hate” them.) The Times took a croquet swing at the film today, and we can tell they sort of liked it in spite of themselves, though they call it “immature” and complain that “Mr. Johnson thinks he is telling us something we don’t already know.”
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Jamie Johnson: The Superrich Are Totally Psyched About RecessionsYou’ve gotta love Jamie Johnson. The prettiest boy heir of the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical fortune has a real knack for uncovering the most confusing and loathsome aspects of wealth. First we heard about all of his tragic but forgivably young and naïve friends in Born Rich, his debut documentary. Now, with his sophomore effort, The One Percent, we’re apparently going to hear about the older versions of these subjects — the ones whose offensiveness we can’t shrug off as due to youth or stupidity. “Contrary to common assumption, many of the wealthiest Americans aren’t worried about the weakening economy at all,” Johnson wrote on the Huffington Post last night. “They are actually excited about it.” Wait, wha? But they’re the ones who are going to lose the most money! (Oh, wait. They’re still going to have tons of it while we have less of the little we had originally.) Johnson explains the so-called glee of the ultrarich:
To them, the crisis in the housing market, the recent slide in stock prices, and the general loss in purchasing power for millions of Americans have resulted in the thinning of the aristocratic ranks, or in other words, have decreased demand for the highest level of luxury living. Ironically, for the mega-rich, recession brings with it the ability to live well at a lower cost and with less of a hassle.
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Celine Dion Is F—ing With the Cast of ‘Spring Awakening’The cast of Spring Awakening likes watching the parody video “Celine Dion Is Fucking Amazing” before taking the stage. Jamie Johnson’s The One Percent, the second movie he’s made about rich Upper East Siders, premieres tonight. Alice + Olive designer Stacey Bendet got engaged to Eric Eisner, son of former Disney chief Michael Eisner. Entertainment Weekly canceled its annual Oscar-night viewing party at Elaine’s. Mary-Kate Olsen hung out with pals at old standby the Bowery Hotel on Friday.
