Mayor Bloomberg Is a Lady Gaga FanThe mayor drops knowledge on MTV, John Mayer and Mischa Barton have dinner in the same room, Kanye West goes spinning, and more gossip as celebrities descend on New York Fashion Week.
Jesus Luz Becomes Self-awareWatching Guy Ritchie with Madonnna’s family, her current boy toy realizes he has a lot of growing up to do.
ByKatie Goldsmith
gossipmonger
Scotland Yard Is After Lindsay LohanGreat Scot! Also, Dakota Fanning goes goth, topless photos of Megan Fox get “leaked,” and more events infinitely stranger than anything the mind of man could invent, in our daily gossip roundup.
ByKatie Goldsmith
gossipmonger
Jessica Szohr Reads Chick Lit Aloud to Her BoyfriendWhich is unfortunate, because we wanted that relationship to last. Plus, Jim Cramer threatens to open up a can of whoop-ass on Jon Stewart, and more in our daily gossip roundup.
Drew Barrymore’s Garden TroublesThe actress, whom we loved in the HBO movie last weekend, has to contend with co-star Jessica Lange’s competition. Plus, the rest of today’s gossip!
The Name ‘Kanye West’ Means Nothing to Vivienne WestwoodShe thinks he may be famous in America or something. Plus, Ruth Madoff was spotted faxing documents at a deli and Sharon Stone and Andre Balasz were seen canoodling. In the gossip roundup.
Daily News Goes All Underminer on Thriving Gwyneth!Gwynnie, are you really sure that opening gyms and not acting is the right move for you? And all that sort of fake-friend crap in Wee Wittle Wednesday’s gossip roundup.
ByTim Murphy
gossipmonger
Breaking Hanukkah Special: ScarJo Half Jewish!But she’s so icy and Scandinavian, right? Only half! Other dreidl spinners: Jennifer Connelly! Shia Labeouf! And Cindy is misbehaving in London. In the Judeo-Christian gossip roundup.
Kate Winslet’s Captivating Cleavage Takes Another VictimIt’s like the Bermuda Triangle of boobs — people just get lost in there. Plus, how Kim Kardashian maintains her butt and Mayor Bloomberg stays rich, in the gossip roundup.
ByTim Murphy
gossipmonger
Billy Joel Self-Pops Cherry for ObamaDid he REALLY have to put it that way? Plus, Tom and Gisele are probs getting married — awesome, you guys! In Monday’s gaggle o’ gossip.
Tabloids Will Reportedly Pay $12 Million for Pictures of Brangelina TwinsThat’s a whole $8 million more than the couple got for Shiloh! Is it because there’s two of them or because of inflation? Plus: Citigroup’s seven-point plan for saving itself, the Palazzo Chupi triplex goes on sale, and other things that make you go hmmm, in our daily roundup of media, finance, real-estate and law news.
Anne Hathaway Finally Gets Smart!Reports that Anne Hathaway broke up with boyfriend Raffaello Follieri go undenied by her reps, Ivanka Trump reveals a childhood trauma, André Leon Talley threatens to style again, and other celebrity reports in our daily digest.
Your Apartment Hunt: Now With Supermodels!Petra Nemcova is trying her hand at selling real estate, and Howard Stern and Jay-Z split over the Democratic presidential candidates. That and more in our daily gossip roundup.
early and often
The Long View: Bittergate’s Lasting EffectsOne would assume that insulting a large block of swing voters is not a good thing, but perhaps they’ve been too busy hunting, praying, and hating immigrants to really care.
gossipmonger
Is Tinsley Having Topper Trouble?Plus, transvestites in Times Square, Marc Jacobs and his new boyfriend, and Priscilla Presley’s Botox in our daily gossip roundup!
in other news
Mary-Kate Sets Her Sights on Chace?Okay, so we know everybody’s been skeptical of the much-touted love affair between Carrie Underwood and Chace Crawford (have they ever been seen together more than twice?). But now that there might be another girl in the picture, we’re a little bit worried. According to the blog Faded Youth (which must be reliable because it has pictures of Rumer Willis on it), Mary-Kate Olsen may have her eye on the sexy star of the Greatest Show of Our Time. She spent Wednesday evening chatting with him at the Waverly Inn and then met up with him later at Lit. It’s probably nothing, but it still doesn’t look good. Chace is all blue eyes and innocence and hairspray. If he starts dating M-K, suddenly he’s going to be unshaven and haggard, wandering the streets clutching grande latte in a paper cup and looking sweaty. And then he might do something awful like get stolen by Paris Hilton and move to L.A. to go to places like Hyde and start hanging out with Wilmer Valderamma. Or worse. Don’t do it, Chace! We promise we’ll start believing in your relationship with Carrie Underwood. Everyone, believe with us. Clap! For the love of God, start clapping!
Is MK Chasing Chace? [Faded Youth]
Earlier: The Fug Girls: Introducing the Good Boy
in other news
Mary-Kate and Ashley to Become Belles of Lettres
They say everyone has a book in them, and so it comes as no surprise that the Olsen twins have finally decided to put quill to paper and distill the full breadth of their life experience. Influence which will be edited by ‘mocialite Derek Blasberg and published by Penguin’s young-adult-oriented Razorbill imprint in the fall, will take a look at the artists and fashion designers who, according to People, have “inspired the savvy fashionistas over the past decade” — you know, since they were 11 — as well as a compendium of “exclusive” photographs of Ashley and Mary-Kate, along with other materials and interviews from the twins “personal collections.” We’re kind of expecting it will be something like Susan Sontag’s Against Interpretation meets Paris Hilton’s Confessions of an Heiress. We can’t wait for book club!
Olsen Twins Becoming Authors [People]
Related: Ashley Olsen Speaks and She’s a Savvy Fashion Designer [Cut]
in other news
Linda Stein Could Not Have Blown Pot Smoke in Natavia Lowery’s FaceAn autopsy on the body of real-estate broker Linda Stein, who was allegedly killed by her assistant Natavia Lowery at the end of October, has revealed that there was no marijuana in her system at the time of her death. This rips a hole in Lowery’s defense strategy, as she has claimed she was driven into a rage after Stein yelled at her and repeatedly blew marijuana smoke into her face. It was that incensed rage, Lowery said, that led her to shatter Stein’s skull with a yoga bar. But police sources told the Post that even a small amount of marijuana would have showed up in her system, and the toxicological tests on Stein’s body, completed last week, revealed nothing. (Lawyers for Lowery say that she “made things up to get out of the interrogation room,” including the marijuana-smoke story, and even the murder confession.) This is good news for prosecutors, who are trying to build up a narrative that Lowery had been using her boss’ credit cards and bank accounts and killed her when she was caught. But it raises the question: Why did it take over three months for toxicology reports to come in on her death and just ten days for Heath Ledger’s? Not that we’re surprised that his got rushed through after all the public scrutiny, but that’s an awfully big time difference. We fully expect an offensive Sean Delonas cartoon about this matter in “Page Six” tomorrow, most likely involving some bodyguards pushing around some wimpy gay forensic scientists, at the orders of a skeletal Mary-Kate Olsen.
SLAY EXCUSE BLOWN [NYP]
company town
‘Blender’ Gives Britney Spears a New BodyMEDIA
• Britney Spears looks great on the new cover of Blender — too bad it’s not her body. [Radar]
• Stephen Chao, the former News Corp. exec who lost his job after hiring a male stripper for a company party and almost drowning Rupert Murdoch’s dog, announced a new Website for how-to videos. First video: how to get fired in two easy steps. [NYT]
• Now that Judith Regan’s settled her suit with Murdoch, will she give her winnings — likely north of $6.5 million — to charity like she once promised? [Mixed Media/Portfolio]
in other news
The ‘Post’ Still in the Anger Stage of Dealing With Heath Ledger’s DeathWe are still several days away from finding out results of the toxicology reports being done on Heath Ledger’s body, but the New York Post is still having trouble with the fact that, as yet, there is no one to blame. Last week, we were surprised at all of the heat they brought on Mary-Kate Olsen. They put her face on the cover and claimed she was to be questioned by police (they stand by the story, but cops are now saying they won’t be speaking with the actress). Olsen is involved, as even your golden retriever must know by now, because the masseuse who found Ledger’s body mysteriously called her before calling 911. Olsen sent in her bodyguards rather than calling the police. After we and other Websites like Gawker.com pointed out the contradiction between the paper’s story and what police were saying, we were e-mailed with a blusterous comment from Post editor Col Allan, which implied that the police were “afraid” of Olsen and that’s why they wouldn’t question her. Then, they followed up on Saturday with a photo-free cover, which asked “WHY” the police weren’t questioning Olsen. There was an interior editorial that day explaining that the tabloid was receiving “dark communications” from Olsen’s lawyers, threatening them.
intel
Col Allan Is Not Afraid of Mary-Kate Olsen!Following our post this morning about how the Post’s story on Mary-Kate Olsen being questioned by police turned out to be wrong, we just received this statement from Post editor-in-chief Col Allan, via e-mail:
We confirmed this story last night with an impeccable source inside the NYPD and we stand by our reporting. Almost immediately after the tragic passing of Mr. Ledger, Ms. Olsen’s attorneys began emailing us threatening letters. As has been well reported, there were a number of calls to Ms. Olsen from the masseuse before the NYPD arrived on the scene. We would find it strange if Ms. Olsen were not questioned at all. The New York Post will not be pressured and we find it odd that the chiefs at the NYPD appear to be terrified of 4-foot-11 inch, 90-pound Mary Kate Olsen.
Classic.
Related: In Ledger Mystery, ‘Post’ Goes After Mary-Kate. Cops, Not as Much
in other news
In Ledger Mystery, ‘Post’ Goes After Mary-Kate. Cops, Not as MuchWe’ll admit it: When we saw the cover of the Post today, we felt a little bad for Mary-Kate Olsen. Sure, it was weird that she didn’t tell her masseuse to call 911 immediately after the employee found Heath Ledger’s dead body, but everything happened quickly, and she did try to help. Why was it suddenly her responsibility to take care of things? She’s only 13 years old for Pete’s sake. The “HEAT IS ON MARY KATE” headline, followed by the “Cops to grill her in death” kicker, seemed a little aggressive. And, we’ve just found out, it’s not even true. Both Us Weekly and TMZ.com are reporting that Mary-Kate will not be questioned. “We have absolutely no interest in talking to Mary-Kate,” a police source explained today. Now, if you look closely at the Post story, buried at the bottom, another cop source said the same thing. “Law enforcement sources last night said they did not think there was anything suspicious about either [the masseuse’s] or Olsen’s conduct,” their story said. So the heat, technically, was not on her at any time. Except, of course, from the Post.
Police Source: Mary-Kate Olsen Will Not Be Grilled Over Heath Ledger Calls [Us Weekly]
Mary-Kate Story Bogus [TMZ.com]
intel
New Year’s Resolutions for the Best New YorkersRecently, we were watching John Waters’s 1998 movie Pecker, which starred all kinds of great people like Martha Plimpton and Lily Taylor and Edward Furlong, before he got weird and started getting arrested and dating his manager. Anyway, as in all John Waters movies, there were about five really brilliantly funny parts in it, one of which was a game the characters played called “Shopping for Others,” in which they’d go to the supermarket and sneak things into the shopping carts of fellow shoppers when they weren’t looking. (Like a long phallic gourd in the cart of a mousy single woman or a stack of Depends for a smarmy dude in tight jeans, etc.) Anyway, we got to thinking: How about if, this year, we make New Year’s resolutions for others? We’ve never made New Year’s resolutions ourselves — it’s weird, every year New Year’s Eve rolls around, and we realize we’re still kind of perfect! — but we’ve always felt we were missing out on that great American tradition. Not to mention, frankly, there are people that could use our assistance. So. To celebrate the great New Yorkers who make this blog possible and to help them continue their gloriousness into 2008, we’ve generously ginned up some resolutions for their benefit.
