The Political-Celebrity ComplexBarack Obama, Vladimir Putin, and Silvio Berlusconi are on the cutting edge of a new trend in political personality cults.
PETA Causes a Ruckus in the House of Donna KaranA PETA protester accosted designer Donna Karan inside her Central Park West apartment after an assistant mistakenly let her in. Kyle MacLachlan and his wife are expecting a child. Tom Cruise, Jennifer Lopez, Demi Moore, and a host of other stars all turned out for Madonna’s “Raising Malawi” (Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon did not, however, after learning that the event was sponsored by Gucci). Rachel Zoe came to Fashion Week with eight suitcases, two of which were for accessories. R.E.M. played a series of impromptu shows on the Lower East Side earlier this week.
gossipmonger
Diane Sawyer Forgets to Ask Katie Holmes About the HubbaspermDiane Sawyer interviewed Katie Holmes on Good Morning America yet neglected to ask her about the rumor that she was impregnated with L. Ron Hubbard’s sperm. New York Giants Plaxico Burress, Antonio Pierce, and Ruben Droughns went to Home nightclub in Manhattan after flying back from Dallas and ordered $1,000 of Bacardi, vodka, and Champagne, but forgot to tip their waitress. Waiters at Brasserie 44 in the Royalton Hotel thought they discovered Frank Bruni’s notebook, but it turned out to belong to someone else (and they slipped in some Bruni ass-kissing to boot!). Jil Scott picked up a male model at an Allure fashion shoot and took him to Nobu. Keith Olbermann’s quote to Playboy that “Fox News is worse than Al-Qaeda” did not go over well with many of the magazine’s readers.
gossipmonger
Mary Jo Buttafuoco Fires Back at Amy FisherMary Jo Buttafuoco, who is working a memoir about being shot by Amy Fisher, thinks the Long Island Lolita is trashy for cashing in on the fame she got from almost killing her. Patricia Clarkson and Gone Baby Gone actress Amy Ryan have seen each other “butt-ass naked.”
in other news
Naomi Campbell Picks Up the Microphone, Doesn’t Throw ItBarbara Walters. Christiane Amanpour. Andrea Mitchell. Katie Couric. Lesley Stahl. And, now, Naomi Campbell? The supermodel is trying to join the ranks of modern journalism’s most influential women interviewers. Campbell already had a sit-down with Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, and now she’s set her sights on infirm and possibly-retiring Cuban leader Fidel Castro. She’s on assignment from GQ magazine, and she’s “not going to be political.” She doesn’t have anything with Castro set up yet, but she’s not coming back from Cuba empty-handed. “She’ll spend Christmas out there if she has to,” reports Daily Telegraph “Spy” columnist Celia Walden. “She also said she’ll land [French president Nicolas] Sarkozy in the New Year.” Fascinating! This is bound to turn into a great story, of some sort. Wherever she conducts these interviews, let us all hope that there are plenty of witnesses, and lots and lots of cell phones.
Campbell in Cuba [Daily Telegraph via Fashionista]
gossipmonger
The Nine Media Lives of Tina BrownTina Brown signed a deal to develop story ideas and shows for HBO. Donny Deutsch celebrated his 50th-birthday party at the Jazz at Lincoln Center with lobster tail and foie gras. Harvey Weinstein and Georgina Chapman are having trouble yachting around on their Caribbean honeymoon because there’s a massive fuel strike on St. Barts. (Weinstein’s friends also sent him a lot of video congratulations on the day of his wedding.) Lydia Hearst is mad that her name is being attached to Darfur awareness events without her permission. Gay activist Allen Roskoff keeps George Bush toilet paper at his Jane Street apartment.
gossipmonger
Paris Likes ChineseParis Hilton’s first meal out of the clink was takeout from Mr. Chow. Former gossip columnist Charlotte Hays has written a book about attractive women and the rich men they marry. Rudy Giuliani wasn’t a fan of France until Nicolas Sarkoz — the “French Rudy” — was elected president. Brooke Astor may have cancer. Bill Clinton won’t be attending his personal trainer’s Chappaqua book signing. Laura Albert, better known as JT LeRoy, wants to pose for Playboy, though the magazine hasn’t made her an offer. Ashton, Demi, and their daughter went to the “Bodies” exhibit at South Street Seaport. A bunch of waiters are suing Sparks Steak House for allegedly using tip money to pay bartenders and others not entitled to it. Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman is throwing a party for Rhode Island congressman Patrick Kennedy.
party town
Movies and Galas• Venus premiere. Celeste Bartos Theater, MoMA, 4 W. 54th St., nr. Sixth Ave., 6:30 p.m. Expected attendees include Natasha Richardson, Corinne Bailey Rae, Dan Hedaya, Arianna Huffington, and Damian Loeb. Dan Hedaya isn’t in Venus. But he was in Swimfan. Once again, point Hedaya.
grub street
It’s a Beautiful Day in Gordon Ramsay’s Neighborhood
So let’s say a superstar British chef comes to New York, and let’s say he opens up a new restaurant right around the corner from your apartment. That’d be a good thing for you, right? Wrong, if you live behind Gordon Ramsay’s new restaurant at the London NYC. Residents of the building backing up against the hotel have been complaining about incessant noise and unpleasant odors from the restaurant’s exhaust fans. Today Grub Street investigated, and the results aren’t pretty. Some view, eh?
We Spot-Check Gordon Ramsay’s Stink [Grub Street]
neighborhood watch
Fake Beach Comes to Red HookChelsea: See NYC-themed gingerbread creations (CBGB, Empire State Building) at Chelsea Market. [NYC Stories]
Clinton Hill: No. 70 Lefferts Place was designated today by the Landmark Preservation Commission. Hooray! [Brownstoner]
Dumbo: Hey D.J.’s, there’s a holiday sale at Halcyon on Wednesday. For everyone else: free beer! [A Brooklyn Life]
Long Island City: Cops love it when artists put up unauthorized installations. No, really, they do. [SuckaPants via Razor Apple]
Park Slope: What’s with all the yellow signs that say “Sit Here”? More public art? [Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn]
Red Hook: No need to be jealous of Long Island City. You can have your own fake beach. [Curbed]
