Enquiring Minds Want CashThe wife and son of deceased National Enquirer founder Generoso Pope Jr. are suing each other for the remainder of his $418 million fortune. Barbaro was the focus groups’ choice for August’s Vanity Fair cover, but Graydon Carter nixed him for Shia LaBeouf. CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo will soon have her own show titled Money Honey. The Giulianis like golf, bargains, The Tudors. Chris Noth tried to poach talent for his club from Hawaiian Tropic Zone but failed. Tinsley Mortimer and Lydia Hearst are attending a dinner thrown by Pete Wentz in the Hamptons. Jon Anderson of Yes canceled a benefit show for a bunch of kids because his spiritual adviser told him to.
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Happily Eva AfterOK! magazine paid more than $2 million for the rights to Eva Longoria’s wedding photos, much to the chagrin of People. Lily Allen was so drunk during a performance she referred to hostess Tinsley Mortimer as “Ashley Winksdale,” which, actually, is kind of awesome. Courtney Love has been licensing Kurt Cobain’s likeness for a bunch of lame products. (Certainly Al Pacino wouldn’t approve.) The Queen of England uses e-mail and has an iPod. Rachel Roy and Damon Dash got into a public spat at Dash’s club Socialista. Ryan Cabrera and Riley Keough — she’s Elvis’s granddaughter — are on the outs. Renée Zellweger might be dating an agent at CAA.
party lines
Tinsley Mortimer Loves Danity Kane, Gets No Love From DiddyRelatively few boldfacers showed up for Diddy’s CFDA awards after-party at Marquee last night — do Top Model winner Caridee and Danity Kane singer Aubrey O’Day count as celebs? — but Tinsley Mortimer was one of them, arriving long before Diddy showed up. Tinsley occupied her time getting cozy with new BFFs Richie Rich and Trevor Raines, engaging in some groping with the former and hoisting up her white sequined dress to do a lap dance for the latter. But then she abandoned the Heatherette duo for — huh? — that chick from Danity Kane. Presumably this was a move to get closer to Diddy, who was holding court at a table nearby. Mortimer and the Danity Kane chick danced and flirted with random passersby, perhaps angling for Diddy’s attention. It didn’t seem to work. Once it became clear that Diddy either (a) had no idea who she was or (b) didn’t care, Mortimer, who was perpetually perched on a banquette, fiddled with her cell phone for a while before sneaking out inconspicuously. Top Model’s Caridee, meantime, stuck around on the unacknowledged outskirts of Diddy’s bevy of friends and bodyguards. —Rachel Wolff
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Sharpton Comes AliveAl Sharpton is planning on speaking out against rap music at this week’s National Action Network convention, but Russell Simmons and other hip-hop execs are skeptical. The wife of Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun invited three of his alleged mistresses to today’s funeral. Beyoncé is slated to make a lot of money after her current deal with Sony is up. Britney Spears may have fired manager Larry Rudolph, whom she blames for her recent career woes. Madonna went back to Malawi but insists she’s not adopting another child. Bruce Willis is now seeing Courtney Love.
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He Can’t Get No SatisfactionHas Jann Wenner been seeing Men’s Fitness editor-in-chief Neal Boulton? (And what about poor Matt Nye? And what about Jann and Matt’s new kid?) Tinsley, Fabiola, et al, are heading down to Turks and Caicos for a charity event. Speaking of Tinsley, she’s been intentionally wearing the same dresses as movie stars in an effort to make the “Who Wore It Better?” feature of gossip mags. Noho sushi joint Bond St. reopens tonight. An ad for The Year of Magical Thinking running in both the Times and the Post implies the Times gave the show a favorable review. It didn’t. Harvey Weinstein is looking to cast every actress and actor you’ve ever heard of for the film adaptation of musical Nine.
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He Blew His Nose, and Then He Blew His MindKeith Richards snorted his father’s ashes. Ed Koch still hates Rudy Giuliani, now via e-mail. Paula Zahn and Richard Cohen have filed for divorce. Insiders blame the “Pale Male and Lola incident.” Cynthia Nixon rooted through a trash can in Riverside Park last week. Felix Rohatyn had an enthusiastic love life in his office at Lazard Freres, says a new tell-all about the firm. Julia Child didn’t care for the gays, according to a new biography. Kate Moss probably won’t make FHM’s sexiest-women list, but Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller are expected to rank high. Don’t forget, Jane Pratt had sex with Drew Barrymore.
new york fugging city
Socialites and Starlets Face Off in a Coast-to-Coast Battle Royale!
New York socialites and Hollywood starlets have traditionally inhabited two separate celebrity worlds. Never mind the continent between them; they also do different things. Society girls bring attention to disfiguring diseases by wearing designer dresses to galas, while their Hollywood counterparts spend evenings talking their way into free drinks at the latest hot bars, usually not wearing any underwear. And, for years, each group has seemed content to remain within its own orbit. Until now.
The Great New York Socialite Invasion of 2007 hit Los Angeles when Tinsley Mortimer and Fabiola Beracasa descended for some Oscar post-parties. It was the first sign of cross-pollination between the two PR-grubbing groups, and we fear it will not go smoothly. Will the L.A. girls tolerate the New Yorkers moving in on their turf? Will the East Coasters give the locals the respect they demand? A battle royale could be in the works. Here’s who we see poised for face-offs — and who we predict will be left standing at the end, triumphantly clutching a bloodied hair extension.
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Spitzer Feels Good (Just Like He Knew That He Would, Yeah)Eliot Spitzer’s New Year’s Day inauguration will feature James Brown and Natalie Merchant but not Alan Hevesi. Yes, Beyoncé threw Jay-Z a big birthday party in St. Barts. No, they’re not getting married, at least according to Rush & Molloy. John Kerry threw a dinner party for Democratic donors at his Georgetown home, at which he may or may not have shilled for his party’s 2008 nomination. Paris Hilton may be engaged to “student” Stavros Niarchos. Tinsley Mortimer’s sister-in-law is getting married to the director of Syriana. The reigning Miss Universe, also Miss Puerto Rico, is dating a fellow Puerto Rican. Mandy Moore had dinner with former flame Wilmer Valderrama. The director of scary when-scuba-goes-bad flick Open Water is set to direct another movie about sharks. A lot of people went to go see Annie at Madison Square Garden, and not everyone got in on time. Celebs donate time, company to an auction run by Martin Luther King Jr.’s eldest son. Colin Firth is a picky eater. Lindsay Lohan’s former assistant, now Jessica Biel’s assistant, was the subject of much of Lohan’s vitriol in the rambling e-mail she wrote two days ago. Eddie Murphy and his ex–Spice Girl ex-girlfriend continue to disagree over whether Eddie is the father of her baby, according to “Page Six.” (The News has this Murphy-Spice “exclusive,” too, worded the exact same way.) Britney Spears bought expensive lingerie, Dakota Fanning bought a dog, and Courtney Love is moving to London. Liz Smith claims John Stamos will be on an upcoming season of Dancing With the Stars, based on his affinity for tango. Molly Sims got stung by a bee in Hawaii.
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It’s Not Easy Being a PatakiBreaking: Tinsley Mortimer shops for her own groceries! Kevin Federline is broke, steals food and booze from a restaurant. Emily Pataki failed the bar exam. How Kennedyesque. Former Tom Cruise sparring partner Brooke Shields is going to his wedding, perhaps as a publicity stunt. Nicole Kidman probably isn’t pregnant, Ivanka Trump maybe had a boob job, but Tom DeLay definitely nominated about-to-be House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as Time’s Person of the Year. Dave Chappelle bowed out of a gig for HBO, and HBO isn’t happy. Axl Rose brought some strippers to Soho House. Borat’s cultural learnings may soon be available in a Barnes & Noble near you. (Meantime, he’d do well to avoid getting into a fight with fellow Kazakh Wladimir Klitschko.) Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance at a London concert; the crowd liked him. George Gershwin and Ed Bradley were honored at Lincoln Center, where it is discovered that Mr. Gershwin used to be quite the ladies’ man. Liza Minnelli played a $1 million bat mitzvah pro bono. A former America’s Next Top Model winner ditched Tyra Banks as her manager, changed her last name. Angelina Jolie was going to adopt an Indian kid, but Madonna scared her off.