Kristen Is Rich
Last night, Ashley Alexandra Dupré, a.k.a. “Kristen,” told the New York Times she was worried about paying her rent in the fancy Flatiron district building in which she lives. But in fact, in the less than 24 hours since that interview took place, Dupre’s personal wealth has increased considerably. The two songs on her Amie Street profile, which each cost 98 cents, have reportedly been downloaded more than two million times, and according to that site’s business model, Dupré should receive 70 percent of the total profit. Plus! Playboy and Penthouse are both reportedly interested in setting up photo shoots. “We’ve already discussed some options,” Penthouse publisher Diane Silberstein tells Radar, adding that they’d pay in the “high six figures.” Book publishers, however, are dragging their feet. “I don’t think it’s worth anything,” HarperCollins publisher Jonathan Burnham tells Portfolio today, making us want to wrap our hands around his neck and administer a light throttle. “There’s no story there.” Seriously? Does no one remember for instance the best-selling Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl, soon to be an HBO series with Darren Star? Hookers are so hot right now.
it just happened
David Paterson: ‘The Only Whores I Know Are Lobbyists’
David Paterson just gave his first public address since Eliot Spitzer’s resignation yesterday. He made noises about “getting back to work” and the budget, talked about being black and blind, indicated he wasn’t planning any major changes to his predecessors more controversial policies, and became the first human being in government to express sympathy for Spitzer himself. “My heart goes out to Eliot Spitzer, his wife Silda, his daughters,” he said. “I know what he’s gone through this week. In my heart, I think he’s suffered enough.” Paterson also displayed a rather awesome sense of humor. “Just so we don’t have to go through this whole resignation thing again,” one ballsy reporter asked, “have you ever patronized a prostitute?” Patterson thought for a minute. “Only the lobbyists,” he said.
in other news
Spitzer’s Sex Scandal Sullies Superdelegate Status
This Spitzer business is just about the only thing that could have overshadowed coverage of the presidential race (there’s a primary today, remember? Anybody?), but it pertains to Clinton, too. Spitzer is a superdelegate pledged to Hillary Clinton — until he resigns, at least, which is widely expected. Once he does, Spitzer will lose his vote, and another superdelegate pledged to Clinton, Lieutenant Governor David Paterson, will take his seat. Paterson can’t vote twice, so in effect, that means the total superdelegate count goes down by one — and Clinton loses one of her precious votes. But there is a slim hope for the delegate-starved Clinton yet.
in other news
Reacting to Eliot’s Mess
Eliot Spitzer is still holed up in his apartment in New York, where he and his wife, Silda, have been conferring with advisers since last night. He’s weighing his options, and deciding whether to resign. Meanwhile, on the outside, the politicians and the media have descended into exactly the kind of feeding frenzy you would expect:
• The Post reports that State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno held back from reveling in his great rival’s fall: “I feel very badly for the governor’s wife, for his children,” he said. “The important thing for the people of New York State is that people in office do the right thing.”
• According to CNN, Republican state senators and assemblymen (and some Democrats) are aggressively calling for his resignation. So is the Republican Governors Association.
• If Spitzer doesn’t resign before a deadline set by state Republicans, they’ve vowed to begin impeachment proceedings, reports WCBS.
intel
Predict Which Pun the ‘Post’ Will Choose for Tomorrow’s Spitzer Cover!
Obviously, our wit will never match the staggering genius of the minds behind New York Post headlines. But, as we wait for some, any new information to emerge in the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal, we can’t help but fall into that age-old game: Guess What the Post Is Gonna Say Tomorrow! If the governor resigns tonight, there’s a chance the coverage will have moved on to something about the new African-American (and legally blind) governor, David Paterson. But in all likelihood, no matter what happens, there will be a completely spectacular and vicious pun on the cover, along with a terribly unflattering picture of Spitzer. Below, we’ve come up with our best guesses — and we admit, they’re not that good. In the comments, please help us out with your best pun stylings:
NAILED
SCREWED
SPENT
RING STING
HOOK, LINE & SPITZER
STEAMROLLED
BLOWING OFF STEAM
LOVE POTION #9
A NIGHT AT THE SPITZ
AN EL’ OF A GOOD TIME
SPITZER SWALLOWS
Update: Our friend Jeff over at Portfolio has a pretty good one: “LOVE GOV”
Update: And the Post went with… HO NO! We congratulate them for finding something that none of you come up with. Thanks for all your suggestions — we think our favorite was LOVE GUV DOESN’T LIKE TO WEAR “GLOVE” by “Creativeunderclass.”
intel
What We Know About Client 9From a redacted copy of the sealed complaint about the Emperor’s Club prostitution ring, we were able to extract the following details about Client 9’s dealings with the organization, and his Washington liaison. Client 9, according to the Times, is the one alleged to be Governor Eliot Spitzer. We have no official confirmation of this. But below are the things that we do know about this mysterious player from the legal papers:
• He refused to use a “traditional wire transfer” to pay the organization but arranged for an Emperor’s Club girl to take Amtrak down to Washington for a visit.
• Client 9 seems to have used the service before.
• He also thought the choice of his prostitute, “Kristen,” was “great” and “wonderful.”
• The agency charged him $4,100 for “Kristen“‘s visit.
• The tryst took place in room 871 of a Washington hotel. On a side note, the domain www.room871.com has already been purchased.
• Client 9 was willing to pay “extra” for “better” services. “Kristen” was a pretty brunette, petite, five-foot-five and 105 pounds.
• The fee ended up being $4,300, with the “extras.”
• “Kirsten” did not think Client 9 was difficult, but he might have asked her to do things (“basic things”) that “you might not think were safe.”
Earlier: Governor Spitzer Involved With ‘Prostitution Ring’
You Can Say This About The Girls Of The Emperor’s Club, They’re Not Morons
it just happened
Report: Governor Spitzer Involved With ‘Prostitution Ring’The Times is reporting that Governor Eliot Spitzer has just admitted to his senior staff that he has been involved in a “prostitution ring.” No more details have been released, but he is set to make an announcement momentarily. Stay tuned!
Spitzer is Linked to Prostitution Ring [NYT]
Related: You Can Say This About the Girls of the Emperor’s Club: They’re No Morons
Update: Just to catch you up, yes, this is the same Eliot Spitzer who as New York attorney general prosecuted at least two prostitution rings. And yup, he’s the one who has a wife and three children, too.
Update 2: The Times mentioned the recent bust-up of the Emperor’s Club prostitution ring. No word yet whether it is the group in question, but since they are being investigated right now, it’s a likely candidate. The Times connects Spitzer to an Emperor’s Club liaison the day before Valentine’s Day. The unnamed John in question, who may have been Spitzer, was Client #9.
Update 3: In what is probably an awkwardly coincidental typo, the New York State Website now lists David Paterson as governor. [Ed note: Though we can no longer log onto the state Website, we’re told by others that it’s now back to normal.]
Update 4: According to GoDaddy.com, the domain names www.clientnumber9.com and www.clientnumbernine.com have already been purchased today. Man, the Internet is fast.