Harry Potter and the Lean, Mean, Skorcher Butt MachineDaniel Radcliffe is spotted toning up his bum for ‘Equus,’ Mary J. Blige helps a stranger buy a dress, and Adam Duritz takes up with a new actress, all in our daily distillation of the city’s gossip columns.
Giants Player Has ‘Abandonment Issues’New York Giant Osi Umenyiora, who is dating Victoria’s Secret model Selita Ebanks, says he’s a difficult guy to love because he has “abandonment issues.” Andrew Giuliani, son of Rudy, was arrested for doing 39 mph in a 30 mph zone in Florida. An upcoming reality show on the Mojo Channel forces a handful of semi-prominent New Yorkers to survive without their cell phones and computers. Julia Stiles sat down and ordered a bunch of food at Indochine but requested that it all be doggy-bagged so she could take it home. CNN has been getting better daytime ratings than MSNBC over the past two months, though Fox News still does better than both. Georgina Chapman on fashion: “I’m like a magpie. I like anything that sparkles.”
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Ann Coulter Preys on Andrew SteinMiss Universe Riyo Mori was ushered through security at JFK by flashing her sash in lieu of a real form of I.D. Mick Jagger had lunch with his youngest kid, 8-year-old Lucas, at Nello’s. Rudy Giuliani said that he’d make Joe Torre a member of his cabinet if he’s fired by the Yankees (assuming Giuliani is elected, of course). Former city-council president and lifelong Democrat Andrew Stein made out with Ann Coulter at Soho House. Patricia Yeo left Monkey Bar, the second eatery she’s left in two months, after getting bad reviews. Cameron Diaz and Bradley Cooper ate at Cuba in the West Village. Kyra Sedgwick and Vanessa Redgrave, among others, will help Dems in Albany push for legalized gay marriage tomorrow on National Coming Out Day.
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‘In Touch’ Buys Angelina’s PregnancyBrad Pitt and Angelina Jolie laughed at a Best Western sign on 49th and Lex. Jennifer Aniston bought a condo in the financial-district building that used to house the Chase Manhattan Bank office. Secret Service agents protecting Jenna Bush while she taped an appearance on The Early Show mistakenly locked themselves out of their car. Russian billionaire heiress Anna Anisimova debuted her new breasts at Russell Simmons’s surprise birthday party. In Touch wanted to run the story, “Is Angelina Jolie Pregnant,” so they bought up a bunch of pictures of her with a flat stomach so no one else could use them. Production on Sex and the City the movie had to be stopped a few times because Evan Handler, a.k.a. Charlotte’s bald husband, had the chronic hiccups.
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Tony Bennett Marries Down … in AgeRenée Zellweger bought an employee at Saks Fifth Avenue in Southampton a pair of Manolos the two had been eyeing together. Top Chef gay-bashing victim Josie Smith-Malave spoke at a fund-raiser for potential mayoral candidate and current city comptroller William Thompson. Kaz Bayati, the owner of Persian eatery Persepolis, claims his quote in support of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in AM New York was taken out of context. Anna Anisimova finds it strange that people care how much money she spends on Hamptons rentals. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband has scheduled a meeting with Angelia Jolie to discuss “global diplomacy,” and he’ll write about it on his blog. Tony Bennett officially ended his marriage to Sandra Grant Bennett and married the younger Susan Crow, though Grant is still bitter she didn’t marry Joe DiMaggio instead.
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Leo DiCaprio Has Your BackAt Upstairs in Soho, Leonardo DiCaprio had the back of Danny A after the club promoter got into an altercation with a patron. New York Yankee Joba Chamberlain celebrated his 22nd birthday at the Plumm by drinking Red Bull with a bunch of teammates. Tom Touchet, who was a producer at the Today show until he was forced out by Katie Couric, may have to work with her again now that he’s at CBS. The Scores stripper who sold pictures of Oscar De La Hoya in drag regrets having done so for only $70,000. Derek Jeter sat near Hilary Duff at Megu Midtown. French soprano Natalie Dessay, star of the Met’s Lucia di Lammermoor, understands why a lot of people think opera is boring. George Clooney, girlfriend Sarah Larson, and a group of friends dined downstairs at La Esquina.
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Thy Neighbor’s Wife, and Thy OwnNan and Gay Talese are at work on his and her memoirs about their allegedly open marriage. Jon Bon Jovi is not pleased an energy drink named Mijovi is selling well near his New Jersey residence. Ted Koppel dropped the asking price for his Potomac, Maryland, residence from $4.1 million to $2.3 million. Hillary Clinton complained about the traffic in the Hamptons during her fund-raising stint out east. Stand-up comic Phil Stellar entertained an audience at the Ziegfeld after a movie projector broke during a showing of Hairspray. Meryl Streep says she was kicked out of Yale Drama School for not working hard enough. Gwyneth Paltrow uses face cream that contains snake venom.
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Guv Love?The “tall and attractive” 25-year-old aide whom Jon Corzine may have been sitting next to at the time of his car crash was reassigned last month because she and the governor were allegedly getting too close. Larry and Laurie David may have split because Laurie had an affair with a married man on Martha’s Vineyard. Some Columbia Records staffers are worried that producer Rick Rubin has been named co-head of the label, given that he has no executive experience. Richie Sambora dumped Denise Richards during a Hawaii vacation a few months ago; she’d been expecting him to propose. Michael Jackson placed a number of odd, ill-timed room-service orders at an inn in Maryland, but he did bless the manager. Oliver Platt is an ardent supporter of the business tactics of George Steinbrenner, whom he plays in The Bronx Is Burning. Lindsay Lohan is dropping booze for bottled water.