Monday, January 25, 2010

Media-Whore D'Oeuvres



"It must be sweet having Sean 'Diddy' Combs as a dad. He bought his son Justin a $360,000 Maybach -- complete with driver -- for his 16th birthday. Combs also threw a red-carpet 'Super Sweet Sixteen' party for Justin and about 1,000 friends at trendy New York club M2 on Saturday night, where he surprised his son by parking his new car, which has a top speed of 155mph, outside. Guests included 'Jersey Shore' stars Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi and 'Pauly D' Delvecchio, who hung out near the deejay booth, and there were perfomances by Trey Songz, Fabolous, Lil' Kim and Juelz Santana." (NYPost)



"It was one rockin' night in Park City, Utah, on Saturday when Joan Jett & The Blackhearts hit the stage at the Harry O's Concert Series. In town lending her support to The Runaways, the biopic about Jett's '70s band The Runaways, the singer took the stage in a one-piece sequined leotard and sneakers. But it wasn't her fashion choice that got the crowd going – it was special guests Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning, who star in the movie premiering at the Sundance Film Festival. After thanking the film's director, Floria Sigismondi, and other folks who worked on the film, Jett gave a shout-out to Stewart and Fanning who'd come up onstage, and thanked them in front of the audience. Stewart, in ripped jeans and a dark hoodie, and Fanning, in sleek dark outfit and heels, waved and smiled as the crowd broke into thunderous applause." (People)



"If Mideast special envoy George Mitchell wants to end his career with his reputation intact, it is time for him to resign. He had a distinguished tenure in the U.S. Senate -- including a stint as majority leader -- and his post-Senate career has been equally accomplished. He was an effective mediator of the conflict in Northern Ireland, helped shepherd the Disney Corporation through a turbulent period, and led an effective investigation of the steroids scandal afflicting major league baseball. Nobody can expect to be universally admired in the United States, but Mitchell may have come as close as any politician in recent memory. Why should Mitchell step down now? Because he is wasting his time. The administration's early commitment to an Israeli-Palestinian peace was either a naïve bit of bravado or a cynical charade, and if Mitchell continues to pile up frequent-flyer miles in a fruitless effort, he will be remembered as one of a long series of U.S. 'mediators' who ended up complicit in Israel's self-destructive land grab on the West Bank. Mitchell will turn 77 in August, he has already undergone treatment for prostate cancer, and he's gotten exactly nowhere (or worse) since his mission began. However noble the goal of Israeli-Palestinian peace might be, surely he's got better things to do." (ForeignPolicy)



(image via Jill Krementz/NYSD)

"If the new Supreme Court ruling isn't depressing enough, you'll want to read this excellent book recently published by Simon and Schuster's Free Press. According to their employment agreements approved by boards, 96 percent of large company CEO's have guarantees that do not allow them to be fired 'for cause' (unsatisfactory performance), which means they can walk away with a huge payout. And 49 percent cannot be fired even for breaking the law by failing in their fiduciary duties to shareholders. If you own stock — and 57 million U.S. households do — every cent of these outrages comes out of your pocket, thanks to many boards of directors who are supposed to represent your interests. John Gillespie and David Zweig have written a timely exposé of these underworked, overpaid 'rubber stampers.' It's aptly titled Money for Nothing. The co-authors and their friends celebrated the book at a party co-hosted by Celia and Henry McGee, Patricia Marx and Paul Roossin, and Susan Orlean. Ms. Orlean is married to Mr. Gillespie." (NYSocialDiary)



"City, Utah, around 10:30 p.m. last night suggested that something as big as the second coming of Christ was happening inside the nightclub. Well, something nearly that huge was going down: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts reunited for a show in celebration of the Sundance film The Runaways, which immortalizes the life of legendary rocker Jett and her 1970s teenage band ... We left soon after Jett played crowd favorite 'I Love Rock and Roll,' and headed down the Bing’s Supper Club at Cicero’s restaurant on Main Street for the private John Legend and The Roots concert. The security around midnight was something akin to an F.B.I. operation, which we realized was due to the fact that Bill Gates’s personnel had taken over the guest list, as the Microsoft founder was stopping by the party. Who knew that Gates likes hip-hop? Another packed scene was taking place a few blocks down at the Sky Lodge, where Danny Masterson was on the turntables at the Kenneth Cole Vintage Black party, and D.J. Mia Moretti played a set at the Axe lounge. And further off of Main Street, at Village at the Yard, Joseph Gordon Levitt’s Hesher dinner party morphed into the Cornerstone party, where Rock of Ages performed." (VanityFair)

"(Bill) Gates couldn’t have been more conspicuous. Everyone noticed him. He was the subject of more photos than The Roots and John Legend combined. After seeing him dance, I can now vouch that Gates is both the world’s richest and whitest man." (AVClub)

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