Sex and the City – Who’s Really Big?
The Sex and the City gals may have looked like the best of friends on the Golden Globes broadcast, but behind the scenes things haven’t been so warm and fuzzy between Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall. According to an insider at the HBO series, when Cattrall’s character, Samantha, became a small-screen sensation, major tension arose. “Sarah felt that she should be the star,” says the source. “At one party, it was really problematic because they didn’t even want to be in the same room together.” But reps for both divas deny the rift. “Kim loves Sarah,” insists Cattrall’s rep, while Parker’s spokesperson says, “Sarah’s a businesswoman. She’s a producer of the show – she wouldn’t eat her young. Kim is part of a successful formula – who would screw with that?” Well, you know those girls – they’ll screw with anything.
Charlize’s Third Eye Must Be Blind
Do movie stars get dumped like real people? Just ask Charlize Theron. According to a music-industry insider, the 25-year-old actress and former farmhand decided it was high time to tie the knot with boyfriend Stephan Jenkins, lead singer of Third Eye Blind, whom she had met three years ago. So, according to our source, the natural blonde slapped her hunk with an ultimatum: Marry me or it’s all over. But the rock star called her bluff. Instead of skipping down the aisle, the 36-year-old skipped town. “He said he’s just not ready to get married,” says our source. “He went off to Sundance and left her to attend the Golden Globes with her mother.” The starlet’s rep confirms the couple’s split, but would not comment further on Theron’s personal life. Jenkins’s rep declined to comment, but the rocker seems to have had no problem recovering his composure: Shortly after the breakup, he was spotted at a hip L.A. club having drinks with one of the dancers from a Third Eye Blind video.
The Wide World of Linda Evangelista
Apparently even $10,000 isn’t enough to get Linda Evangelista to work these days. The supermodel, who once declared she required at least that much money just to get out of bed, has moved back to New York after breaking up with French soccer player Fabien Barthez – and she’s gotten seriously out of fighting shape. “You wouldn’t see her and say, ‘There’s a fat person,’ ” says one fashion-world insider, “but she’s virtually unrecognizable.” Another model-watcher says the diva has taken to sashaying around town in baggy sweaters and reports that “she looks really chubby – like she has double chins.” A rep at Evangelista’s agency, Wilhelmina, denies the leggy mannequin has expanded outward, explaining instead that her low profile is just a matter of her taking a “well-deserved break.” We hope she’s living large.
Survivor Votes a Nose Off the Island
Richard Hatch isn’t the only Survivor cast member who’s fascinated by plastic surgery. It seems that million-dollar loser Kelly Wiglesworth likes to talk about going under the knife now that she’s landed a spot as host of the E! channel’s Celebrity Adventures. The former white-water-rafting guide was recently spotted at Lucky Cheng’s discussing the prospect of remodeling a honker. “She ran her fingers down her nose and said, ‘Thin it out,’ ” says a witness, who watched the reality-show oddity down a drink named a Pink Pussy while chatting with her mother. As the evening wore on, the quasi celeb reported to fellow diners that she’d be providing commentary for the cable channel after each episode of Survivor II, as well as her predictions about who will last. Our prediction? Your fifteen minutes are just about up.
Bill Clinton’s Gotham Crash Pad
Perhaps not content with the prospect of settling into wholesome suburban life, Bill Clinton, we hear, is looking for a pied-à-terre in the city. Real-estate insiders tell us the ex-prez was spotted solo at 515 Park Avenue, where fellow Democrat Jon Corzine’s wife happens to own an apartment. As the residence is uninhabited by the New Jersey senator, sources speculate that Bubba wasn’t stopping by for a visit, but checking out a possible home of his own. Corzine had no comment, and Clinton’s rep denied the rumor. If a deal does go through, pity the doorman on the night shift.
Jon Stewart: No Smoke Is No Joke
Forget secondhand smoke – the side effects of a television star kicking the habit are worse. An inside source at Comedy Central’s The Daily Show tells us that host Jon Stewart has quit smoking, and now fellow employees are keeping their distance. Apparently nicotine withdrawal is making Stewart more fidgety and short-tempered than usual, but, luckily for co-workers, he has been seeking new outlets to release his pent-up frustration. “Jon was always in his office, but now he’s constantly in the green room playing video games, trying to keep his mind off cigarettes,” says the source. Stewart’s rep declined to comment. We hope the talk-show host lightens up.
City Commish to Nab Six-Figure Pension
Standing by your employer still has its advantages, even if your boss is New York City. According to a City Hall insider, Parks Commissioner Henry Stern will be retiring this year with one of the largest pensions New York has ever offered. Working nearly continuously for the city since 1958 – he was notably absent during the mayoralty of David Dinkins – Stern will capitalize on a pension formula that rewards either faithfulness or endurance, depending on how you look at it. The commissioner’s salary currently stands at $150,500, and, using the city’s formula, he’s likely to continue receiving about three-fourths of that after he retires. A Parks Commission spokeswoman maintains that Stern, who has held his current post from 1983 to 1990 and again from 1994 to the present, may stay on, depending on who Rudy’s successor is. But according to our source, that’s highly unlikely. With the six figures he’ll probably receive each year – a number that will put the recent average city pension of $16,130 to shame – he can head to far greener pastures.
The Golden Globes’ Makeup War
Tensions ran high at this year’s Golden Globes – and the competition wasn’t just among the nominees. While Hollywood’s finest were dishing out statues before the cameras, the Globes’ security was dishing out an ultimatum to Estée Lauder’s on-site makeup team. The intrepid face-painters had upset the applecart by installing an unauthorized touch-up stand in an interview room. According to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Estée Lauder had been repeatedly told its presence at the awards would be limited to providing a Manolo Blahnik-inspired nail polish for the presentation boxes. But when the powers that be got wind of Estée Lauder’s presence, they sent in the big guns. “They had ten minutes to pack up or we were going to do it for them,” says our mole at the HFPA. Globe insiders pondered whether the fact that Estée Lauder’s arch-rival L’Oréal was sponsoring the Golden Globes had anything to do with the debacle – a suggestion that L’Oréal claims is entirely without, er, foundation. Estée Lauder, meanwhile, was happy to kiss and make up: “We shut down as soon as they asked us to,” reports a blushing rep.
Sigourney’s Jewelry Confusion
Awards season may be in full swing, but the fashion post-mortems have already begun. With designers clamoring to have their names attached to the most-talked-about celebrity looks, it’s hard to keep track of just who’s outfitting whom. Take the Golden Globes, for example. Jewelry designer Gurhan took credit for Sigourney Weaver’s baubles by listing her on its Website as one of its celebrity mannequins at the event. In fact, Yossi Harari was the designer behind Weaver’s 24-karat ornaments, which prompted the actress to write a letter to Harari to “clear up any confusion surrounding my jewelry choices for the evening.” Gurhan’s rep did not return calls for comment, but a haughty Harari said, “My jewelry speaks for itself. Anyone who knows it recognizes it. Just look at all the fabulous people wearing it.” Not to mention the people claiming credit for it.
Overstuffed Furniture
All is not well at that Upper East Side temple of design, the Cooper-Hewitt museum, home to Wedgwood tea sets and Eames chairs. Despite the fact that the paint has barely dried on a recent $20 million expansion, it appears the old Carnegie mansion is already bursting at the seams. A spokeswoman for the museum explains that “every museum could use more space.” However, one spatially challenged staff member reveals that employees are piled on top of one another, and storage space for the 250,000-object collection is running woefully low. Part of the problem appears to be the neighbors: The museum’s expansion into two adjacent townhouses has been hampered by a sitting tenant, whose apartment the museum plans to snatch up when the lease runs out in a year or two. We’re just happy to learn that we’re not the only people in town hoping our neighbors will disappear.
Additional reporting by Aric Chen, Paige Herman, and Daniel Keeler.
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