Harvey Weinstein Wants Asian!Many of the items in gossip columns we suspect are exaggerated if not totally made up, but there are some that sound wholly true. Try to guess which is which in today’s New York gossip roundup!
Gwyneth Paltrow And Chris Martin Had Lunch With Guy RitchieGwyneth, Chris Martin, and Guy Ritchie had lunch at Fresno in East Hampton sans Madonna. What could they have been talking about? Plus, Jill Zarin decided she hates “eye lockers,” Peter Cook got a too shiny manicure, and more you missed if you weren’t in the Hamptons this past weekend.
The Rodriguez Divorce PapersCynthia’s lawyers file for her divorce from A-Rod. The papers are short and sweet, but they promise big battles ahead.
in other news
C-Rod to A-Rod: Give Me a D-RodThe Yankee slugger’s wife decides that tales of his relationship with Madonna are the last straw and files for a divorce today in Miami.
in other news
Lenny Kravitz: Cynthia Rodriguez’s Grand Slam?The best gossip story of the summer just got even better. The ‘Post’ reports that A-Rod’s ex is shacking up with the rocker stud muffin, who’s Madonna’s ex!
Chace Crawford Is Awesome at Being SinglePlus, a Puerto Rican party for Carlos Beltran’s birthday and who the gayest man in the world is in our daily gossip roundup.
Lindsay Lohan Is Getting a New Parent Figure!He’s getting married, and so, too, might John Mayer and Jennifer Aniston, if he continues to not dance with other ladies at clubs. Read all about it in our daily gossip roundup.
white men with money
Should Bear CEO Alan Schwartz Join the Other Team?Bear Stearns CEO Alan Schwartz, recently relieved of his duties, faces a conundrum. Should he stick with his scrappy team of ragtag bankers? Or join an established “cheerocracy”?
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Madonna Still Loves New York! Really!The singer explains that she didn’t really mean that New York was not exciting; it was just that she’s no longer excited. Or something.
Put Your Hands All Over Madonna’s GlobeHow big of a Madonna freak are you? Big enough that you would be thrilled to have the chance to wager your hard-earned, depreciating American paycheck on a four-foot, 80-pound globe made of plaster, marble dust, and recyclable polystyrene because Madge rubbed her 50-year-old butt against it?
Graydon Goes on the Model DietAlso, Julia Roberts makes out at the Waverly Inn, Chuck from the Greatest Show of Our Time gets crunk, and Katie Couric is a plagiarist — all in today’s roundup of the dish from the city’s gossip columns.
in other news
Madonna No Longer Loves New YorkIn the upcoming “Green Issue” of Vanity Fair, Madonna tells us that she is so over New York, contrary to recent reports.
company town
Katie Couric Goes There With Larry KingThe CBS anchor unleashes her inner adolescent boy, JPMorgan wins again, and a big-time lawyer heads to the pokey in our daily roundup of news from the fields of media, finance, and law.
gossipmonger
Les and Julie Get His-And-Hers HaircutsThe nude photos of Kristin Davis that surfaced earlier this week were reportedly taken by a chef ex-boyfriend back in the early nineties. CBS’s Les Moonves and wife Julie Chen both got their hair cut together at the Frederick Fekkai salon in Soho. Anderson Cooper joked that he admitted to getting minor skin-cancer surgery under his eye so that people wouldn’t think he got into a fistfight with Charlie Rose.
gossipmonger
Adam Duritz Probably Should Have Married Jennifer Aniston When He Had the ChanceCounting Crows lead singer Adam Durtiz laments the fact that he’s 43, single, and sits home a lot. Alan Greenspan is worried about the economy, but he can’t be that worried: He celebrated his 82nd birthday the other night with a pricey dinner at Le Perigord. Jimmy Kimmel says he bought his ex-wife an engagement ring from Costco. Bill Clinton says his favorite movie of the year was Michael Clayton, but that he hasn’t seen There Will Be Blood. Defense attorney Mickey Sherman says he uses Otter’s “It’s the system’s fault!” speech from Animal House to justify defending shady clients. Tina Fey thinks she’s funnier than Jon Stewart.
gossipmonger
Crikey! Are We Getting Madonna Back?
Madonna and Guy Richie may or may not be breaking up because Madonna “lost respect” for Richie when she found out he embellished his working-class roots. The upside: She may be moving to NYC! Matt Lauer has foolishly agreed to be roasted by the Friar’s Club. Donatella Versace is appearing at Barneys today to tout her menswear line. Foxy Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin and Representative Anthony Weiner totally acted like a couple during David Paterson’s swearing-in ceremony in Albany yesterday. Mary-Louise Parker is bad at giving directions to people in the West Village, even though she lives there. Cindy Adams thinks both Andrew Cuomo and Michael Bloomberg will make runs for governor.
it just happened
Paul McCartney Is Still Rich; Heather Mills Is Still Crazy
A U.K. judge has just awarded Heather Mills around $50 million of Paul McCartney’s money, enough to keep her in golden legs for a lifetime. You think she’d be pleased about this, right? But no! Immediately after the proceedings, Mills stalked down the steps of the London court and complained to the press that the judge said that McCartney was worth £400 million when “everyone knows he’s worth £800 over the last fifteen years.” Then she announced she would contest the decision to make the settlement figures public, which she said Paul had insisted on doing. “He has always wanted it public because he wants to make it look like he is … generous,” she ranted, because apparently nothing will make her happy and she will never go away ever.
UPDATE: From CNN: “The judgment included 35,000 pounds ($70,000) a year for the couple’s 4-year-old daughter, Beatrice. Mills said she was unhappy with that amount because it isn’t enough for school tuition, private security, or first-class airfare. ‘He likes her to fly five times a year on holiday,” Mills said of McCartney. “It’s 17,000 (pounds) for two people return (round-trip) first class, so that’s obviously not meant to happen for her anymore. It’s very sad.’” Because obviously that can’t come out of the $50 million.
Judge Awards Heather Mills £24.3 Million in Divorce Ruling [Times UK]
Related: Intel’s Weird Obsession With Crazy Heather Mills
gossipmonger
Predictably, ‘Lipstick Jungle’ Star Used to Lust After Andrew McCarthyLipstick Jungle’s Lindsay Price had a childhood crush on her co-star Andrew McCarthy. Tom Hanks walked past Eliot Spitzer’s apartment building on 79th and Fifth, but no one recognized him. A Madonna look-alike ran across the second-floor balcony at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction at the Waldorf-Astoria, providing some levity to an otherwise boring event. Fashion Week will relocate to the Tenth Avenue rail yards after 2010. The Queens livery driver who faked the baby rescue weirdly will appear on an upcoming episode of The Real Housewives of New York City. A documentary about storied Tribeca nightclub the Wetlands opens Friday. Marc Jacobs’s boy toy, Jason Preston, got punched in the face outside Hiro after trying to get a guy who had thrown a drink at a girl to apologize.
party lines
Justin Timberlake’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Speech: Written by Beavis?He is one of America’s top-selling artists, but Justin Timberlake wasn’t exactly an audience favorite when he introduced Madonna at last night’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. We have always loved JT, but our esteem for him plummeted during every minute of his speech, and that’s saying a lot, since the speech was more than ten minutes long. “A strange thing happens when you’re asked to induct Madonna into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” he began. “You become aware that every single word you can possibly imagine saying about Madonna suddenly sounds much hotter, much dirtier, and a whole hell of a lot more fun. Induct her. Induct her … Why yes, I’d love to. Enter the hall. [Deep voice] Every chance I get.” Thanks, Beavis. He went on, despite the groans of the audience. “Madonna has changed the way our world sounded, she’s changed the way our world looks, and somehow she still found time to publicly kiss at least someone who I may or may not have kissed myself,” he paused. “Of course, you all know I’m talking about Sean Penn.” Assorted peevish sounds rippled across the crowd. “They’re jokes!” he said, because no one knew. “They’re jokes!”
gossipmonger
Why Wouldn’t Sharon Bush Be Involved With Roger Clemens’s Steroid Scandal?Roger Clemens’s friendship with the black sheep of the Bush family, Sharon Bush, may cost him a pardon from George W. if he is convicted of perjury. Both HarperCollins and Random House are set to come out with books about George Steinbrenner. A “Page Six” spy thinks Howard Stern’s fiancée, Beth Ostrosky, wants to have a baby because she, uh, stopped to say hello to one. Will Ferrell and Tom Brokaw did an onstage bit together at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday for Ferrell’s Funny or Die tour. The New Yorker reveals that the late Bishop Paul Moore was a closeted homosexual. Tracy Westmoreland, owner of erstwhile dive bar Siberia, may play a bouncer in a movie called The Bouncer.
gossipmonger
Eric Nederlander Just Can’t WinBroadway scion Eric Nederlander is divorcing his second wife just seven weeks after having a daughter with her. Theodora Richards is now vice-president of creative direction at some jeans company. Maxim gave Nas’s new album two and a half stars despite the fact that it’s not even done yet. (They did the same thing to the new Black Crowes record.) Grey’s Anatomy star Sara Ramirez flipped out at a midtown bar after a female fan chatted up her boyfriend. Lorne Michaels is in talks with a major Vegas casino to create a live SNL revue starring former popular cast members.
gossipmonger
Chace Crawford Must Really Love ‘NSyncFormer ‘NSync member J.C. Chasez and Gossip Girl’s Chace Crawford hung out with a bunch of cute boys at Elton John’s Oscar party. Javier Bardem lip-synched to “You Shook Me All Night Long” at the No Country for Old Men after-party at Bar Marmont. Ben Affleck and Jimmy Kimmel needed ten takes to film the “almost kiss” scene in “I’m Fucking Ben Affleck,” because they couldn’t stop laughing. Diablo Cody refused to wear Stuart Weiztman’s $1 million diamond-encrusted heels at the Oscars when she figured out it was a publicity stunt. Donald Rumsfeld and Mayor Bloomberg both ate dinner at Café des Artistes, but didn’t say hello to each other.
in other news
Ashton, Bruce, Gwyneth, Madonna, and Demi Are the New Faces of HepatitisWell. The Hepatitis Awareness Council is probably happy about this one. Last week, as you know, Ashton Kutcher celebrated his 30th birthday at Socialista with a crowd that included Roberto Cavalli, Rebecca Gayheart, Molly Sims, Liv Tyler, Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna, and, of course, his wife Demi Moore and her ex-husband/BFF Bruce Willis. As it happens, the bartender serving them all caiparinhas had just gotten back from Honduras, where he or she apparently contacted a wee case of Hepatitis A. Hep A is spread “primarily through food or water contaminated by stool from an infected person,” the Health Department said, which means that the bartender would have to had crap on his or her hands when she touched Madonna’s ice, but the Health Department isn’t taking any chances. They’ve gotten the press to spread the news as far as Thailand, in hopes of getting people who went to Socialista on the days the bartender worked to go and get a vaccination this weekend. Socialista must be thrilled. But hey, at least they’ve got an answer for people who say the place isn’t authentic.
Hepatitis A Crashes Ashton Kutcher’s Birthday Party[WSJ via Grub Street]
Earlier: Ashton Kutcher Borrows Madonna’s Guest List for His 30th
party lines
Madonna Explains Why She Schnubbed the ChupiBecause Daily Intel’s pursuit of all things Schnabel is not bound by geography or actually, gravity, we asked Berlin-based reporter Lawrence Ferber to corner Madonna at the Berlin Film Festival this week, where she was promoting the film she directed, Filth and Wisdom, and ask her why she had rejected the Chupi of our dreams. Here is his report:
“What a strange question!” Madonna laughed when we asked her about the Palazzo Chupi. So we laughed too, like “Ha-ha-ha-ha, we’re not psycho.” “How did you know that?” she asked. Er, we have our ways. Madge confirmed she had looked at the Chupi and decided not to move in. But not, it turned out, for fear of seeing a Schnaked Schnabel slipping into the swimming pool. “I love the house,” she explained. “But it’s not child-friendly, which is why I didn’t end up moving there.” Also, she was able to iron out the issues she was having with her co-op board at Harperly Hall. I bought the apartment upstairs, so now everything’s A-OK,” she said. She and Schnabel will continue to be friends. “I love [Julian],” she gushed. “He’s awesome.” We think so too! Maybe we can all be friends! Madge? —Lawrence Ferber
gossipmonger
Eli Manning’s Little Town Blues Have Melted AwayEli Manning and Yogi Berra sang “New York, New York” together at Rao’s. Male madam David Forest says Marc Jacobs used to employ his services. Mariah Carey shot a video on the rooftop of Lenny Kravitz’s Crosby Street apartment. Mayor Bloomberg celebrated his 65th birthday with Steven Ratner and others at Michael’s. R.E.M. front man Michel Stipe got into a go-cart accident two weeks ago but is fine now. Blackstone Group co-founder Pete Peterson sold his River House digs to financier Jeffrey Leeds for $10 million.
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Ashton Kutcher Borrows Madonna’s Guest List for His 30thHa-ha, Los Angeles! You see what happens when you threaten to take the Oscars away from the pretty people? They come here to New York to party! Okay, so maybe it’s more that Madonna just invited them all to come to New York, and you can’t say no to Her Madgesty (she clearly knows how to do that Famke Janssen kill move from Goldeneye, and she likes it). But still, her Gucci/Malawi party was on Wednesday, and according to PageSix.com and Us Weekly, many celebs stuck around last night to attend Ashton Kutcher’s birthday party at Gemma. Kutcher claims it was his 30th birthday, and to celebrate, Salma Hayek, François-Henri Pinault, Lucy Liu, Bruce Willis, and Kate Hudson all showed up. Madonna even sang “Happy Birthday” (okay, for all our bitterness, we must admit that’s pretty effing cool)! Later in the evening they went to Socialista, where they were joined by Roberto Cavalli, Rebecca Gayheart, Molly Sims, Liv Tyler, and Gwyneth Paltrow. Nice job, Ashton! Way to party like it’s still 1999!
Demi Moore’s A-List Birthday Bash for Ashton Kutcher [Us Weekly]
Ashton’s A-List B-Day [PageSix.com]
company town
Martha Stewart Gets Starstruck When It Comes to MadonnaFASHION
• Martha Stewart used her digital camera to snap pictures of celebrities at the Gucci event at the U.N. the other night. “It’s for my blog,” she explained. [WWD]
• Anna Wintour and Suzy Menkes are getting kind of tired of Fashion Week. [The Cut]
• A twelve-page photo spread in the March issue of Harper’s Bazaar reenacts the two-hour delay of the Marc Jacobs show last fall, starring Helena Christensen, Allison Sarofim, Genevieve Jones, Cindy Sherman, Kim Gordon, and members of Jacobs’s own PR team, all looking visibly annoyed. Weird, and also kind of awesome? [Fashion Week Daily]