Getting Washed by the Sports-News Spin Cycle
When my editors and I were finishing up last week’s story about Alex Rodriguez’s (and agent Scott Boras’s) hold on Yankees Nation, our main concern was whether we spelled “vituperate” correctly (we had) and whether anyone had taken a photo of Yankees COO Lonn Trost in the last ten years (apparently not). The piece was meant to capture a unique snapshot in the history of a team that has owned this town for a decade, a once-dictatorial enterprise facing a pivotal moment and held hostage by the best baseball player on the planet and his evil-genius agent. I didn’t expect much fuss.
But when the Post printed an excerpt from the story in its Sunday editions about discussions Boras had with a group trying to buy the Chicago Cubs, saying Boras had talked about A-Rod potentially owning a piece of the team after his career ended, I was sucked into the all-too-familiar sports-news-cycle vortex.
party lines
Chloë Sevigny Doesn’t Need Your LoveNew York ran into Chloë Sevigny at Public last night, at the party for Sebaka Wines. We were like, “Chloë, how arrrrre you.” Then we went ahead and asked her how she feels about all the people who have been making fun of the fashion line she recently debuted at Opening Ceremony. Her reaction was totally hippie meets hip-hop, a little bit like the look she is rocking on the left. “There will always be haters,” she said. “I’m just living my life.” —Andrew Goldstein
in other news
Mystery Figure Set to Take Over City Tonight!Line of succession is not usually a big deal on the municipal level, but with a mayor who acts increasingly, shall we say, presidential, the question does arise: Who’s in charge when Bloomie’s out of town? Today’s Times notes a weirdly undemocratic wrinkle in the protocol. Normally, first deputy Patricia Harris picks up the reins. How about when she’s also out of town, though, as she will be tonight? Well, in those cases, the job of running the world’s capital goes to some dude. Or lady. Bloomberg won’t say who among his staffers is next in line to the throne. Moreover, he pretty much asks us not to worry our pretty little heads about it: He’s always in control. After all, his private jet probably has Bloomberg Terminals installed.
neighborhood watch
Domino Sugar Factory: Double Your Hipster, Double Your Fun?Greenpoint: Got a crack problem? Call the Crack Pros! [Newyorkshitty]
Highbridge: After it demolished Macombs Dam Park to make way for the new Yankee Stadium, the city put up a replacement — but it’s not easy to get to and pretty nasty once you get there. [VV via West Bronx Blog]
Murray Hill: Looks like the SUNY-Binghamton biz-major girls with the blowouts finally have their very own East Side bar(f) guide. [East Village Idiot]
South Slope: That Enrique Norten condo slated for Fourth Avenue and 6th Street won’t happen after all … but another Norten proceeds apace nearby on Carroll. [Brownstoner]
Upper East Side: Buttercream or vanilla-bean icing on that wedding cake? Roasted cod at Café D’Alsace? This poor UES gal faces hard choices that make Sophie’s look silly. [Sex and the Upper East Side]
West Village: Thanks to a new street plaza, you can lounge in the meatpacking district without spending $20 on a drink … if you don’t mind mainlining car-exhaust fumes. [Streetsblog]
Williamsburg: Redevelopment of the Domino Sugar plant could double the population within a quarter-mile radius. Twice the pseudo-hipsters, twice the fun! [Gowanus Lounge]
early and often
Hillary Clinton Is the UndeciderLast night we flipped on MSNBC, hoping to unwind with a little To Catch a Predator, but alas, the presidential debates were in full swing. We sure tuned in at the right time, though: Hillary Clinton, known for being the most well-rehearsed and cautious Democratic candidate, turned positively Rumsfeldian. She adamantly refused to answer “hypotheticals” — basically anything about what she would do as president. She dodged all difficult, potentially controversial questions through the rote repetition of universally agreed-upon generalizations (Hillary is for fiscal responsibility and fighting terrorism, in case you were wondering). But it was when she refused to answer a question about baseball that her reticence became truly absurd. When Clinton, a Chicago native, was pressed by host Tim Russert on who she would root for in a Yankees vs. Cubs World Series, she hedged her bets: “Well, I would probably have to alternate sides,” she said. Jeez, lady. At least Bill knew he preferred briefs. Bush’s “The Decider” persona may suck, but Hillary’s “Undecider” routine is getting just as tired. —Dan Amira
intel
The Invisible TouchSometimes, in New York, concert tickets are hard to get. So hard, in fact, that music fans are forced to go to great lengths to get them. As one Daily Intel reader noted, this seems to be the case for one die-hard Genesis fanatic who is desperate to gain access to tonight’s show at Giants Stadium. So desperate, in fact, that he put up a post on Craigslist, artfully titled: “I Will Blow You for Genesis Tickets.”
company town
Oracle of Omaha Screws With Everyone’s HeadFINANCE
• Buffett to the rescue: The Oracle of Omaha may take a 20 percent stake in crisis-ridden Bear Stearns. If the deal goes through, Bear CEO Jim Cayne will have another new bridge partner to brag about. [NYT]
• Goldman Sachs named Edward Forst as co-head of investment management, a troubled group with a mere $796 billion in assets. Forst takes the place of Eric Schwartz, who’s retiring after 23 years with the bank. [NYP]
• “The tears of Chuck Norris would supply enough liquidity to solve the credit crisis. Too bad he never cries.” [Bloomberg]
it just happened
Bloomberg’s Got Mommy IssuesThe federal government filed a lawsuit today against Mayor Michael
Bloomberg’s company, Bloomberg L.P., after receiving complaints from three senior-level executives at the company and finding “a pattern or practice of wrongful discrimination against females based on their sex and pregnancy by decreasing their pay, demoting them, diminishing their job duties and excluding them from other employment opportunities when they become pregnant and when they return from maternity leave.” According to a copy of the suit obtained by New York, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claims that after their pregnancies some of Bloomberg’s female employees were demoted, isolated from meetings and other employees without justification, and told, “You are not committed” and “You do not want to be here” by their superiors. When Bloomberg’s pregnant staffers complained, the lawsuit alleges, their complaints were dismissed. A Bloomberg spokeswoman could not be reached for immediate comment.—Geoffrey Gray
Related: Baby Bust at Bloomberg? [NYM]
Chairman Mike [NYM]
UPDATE: From Bloomberg spokeswoman Judith Czelusniak: “We believe strongly that this lawsuit is without merit and we will defend the case vigorously.”
(You can download a copy of the suit here)
intel
Nino Selimaj Fights for Right to Display Picture of RegisOsso Buco owner Nino Selimaj, who recently received a threatening letter from Douglas Band, Bill Clinton’s Fonzworth Bentley, that demanded he remove a photo of himself with Chelsea Clinton from the wall of his restaurant, has decided to stick it to the man. According to Selimaj, removing the photo would set a bad precedent. “We have Derek Jeter, we have Regis Philbin, we have Rudolph Giuliani, Danny Glover, Mariah Carey [and] Sopranos [castmates],” Selimaj told this morning’s Post. Crazy though he may be, Selimaj seems to be legally in the right.
gossipmonger
Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld Are a Little GrossAnderson Cooper talks to his young gay friends about AIDS. Jerry Seinfeld brags about the time Jessica Seinfeld touched a stick covered in urine to his bed pillow. Meanwhile, ex-Seinfeld producer Larry David couldn’t be happier he’s lost the ball and chain. Liz Smith finds Charlie Sheen more palatable than Denise Richards. Notorious PR pit bull Pat Kingsley has “FINALLY” resigned from PMK-HBH — or is she being “pushed out?” Donald Trump called both Mark Cuban and Dan Rather “losers” in the same day. That is, like, his
intel
‘Gossip Girl’ Goes Straight to the ‘O.C.’ PlaceIn case you forgot, on the second episode of Gossip Girl, otherwise known as Statutory Rape in the City, the anonymous narrator really drums it in that this show is based in Manhattan, more specifically Upper East Side.
in other news
Bill O’Reilly: The Backlash to the Blacklash Bill O’Reilly’s comments on his radio show about that time he dined at Sylvia’s with Al Sharpton, as noted by Media Matters, caused such a furor earlier this week that last night CNN was prompted to ask:”Is Bill O’Reilly Comment on Race an Imus Moment?” Today, the rage faded a little, not because of O’Reilly’s impassioned defense of himself but because it was so obvious from the tape that he was genuinely surprised by the fact that black people are just as civilized as white people. “Imus’ ‘nappy-headed hos’ remark was clear-cut, shocking racism with a hefty dash of sexism to chase,” wrote Rachel Sklar of Eat the Press. “O’Reilly’s comments were ignorant as hell and betrayed so preconceived notions, that’s for sure, but if you read his comments in full, they read like ‘clueless white guy’ rather than ‘deliberate racist.’” But is it something more than cluelessness?
in other news
Douglas Band Is Having the Worst Day Ever Douglas Band, former White House intern and Bill Clinton’s longtime personal assistant, is having one hell of a day. First there was the Wall Street Journal story this morning, which basically blamed him for getting the Clintons to sink a ton of cash into a questionable real-estate deal with Raffaello Follieri and took an incidental shot at him for how his job used to be carrying the president’s cell phone around. Now Band’s gotten the Clintons into trouble with another loopy Italian.
in other news
Dan Rather Is Considering Subpoena for Bushes 41 and 43Darth Rather choked back tears today during an emotional interview with “Q&A Café” host Carol Joynt, saying “You’ve never met anybody who had more respect for the presidency than I do.” But when Joynt asked him whether he’d like to subpoena George Bush as a witness in his lawsuit against CBS, he said he’d “like to not answer the question.” Joynt took his response, and his knowing look, to mean that he’s strongly considering the possibility. Rather also got teary when he talked about family members and close associates who said he shouldn’t file the suit. And, he insisted, the whole thing wasn’t born out of resentment. “I’m not angry,” he said. “I’m not bitter.” We’re betting, though, that he’s at least a little bit salty about the way Katie Couric last night called out his reporting in the National Guard story that got him in trouble. “There were things in there that were quite egregious in terms of how it was reported,” she told the National Press Club. “And sloppy work is sloppy work They did not dot their I’s and cross their T’s when it came to that story And our job is to get right.” Which probably comes as a surprise to Rather, who thought Couric’s job was to take the news and “dumb it down” and “tart it up.”
Couric Weighs in on Iraq, Rather [Yeas and Nays/San Francisco Examiner]
Rather Chokes Up, and Hunkers Down [Yeas and Nays/San Francisco Examiner]
it just happened
Brad Pitt: ‘I’ll Take the Ninth Ward for $10 Million’Guess that Jesse James money was burning a hole in the pocket of Brad Pitt’s hot little pants. The actor, a featured speaker at Clinton’s annual Global Initiative Conference up at the U.N., just pledged $10 million toward rebuilding the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, says the Huffington Post. “We’re prepared to break ground by the end of the year, but we need your help,” he told the audience, which included Afghan president Hamid Karzai, president of the Philippines Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Desmond Tutu, and World Bank honcho Robert B. Zoellick. Pitt’s Make It Right Project, which he’s been working on with Liz Hurley baby daddy Steven Bing, is aiming to construct 150 affordable and sustainable homes in areas affected by Katrina. “We will match dollar for dollar any and every single contribution up to $10 million.” We feel sure those in the crowd will pony up. How could Archbishop Tutu say no to such a pretty face?
Brad Pitt Heats Up Clinton Global Initiative Session on Climate Change [HuffPo]
Make It Right [Official site]
early and often
Giuliani Hires New Fund-raising ChairRudy Giuliani fired his chief campaign fund-raiser today, reports the Daily News. It’s probably an expression of dissatisfaction with how the fund-raising has gone this quarter, as Sunday is the filing deadline for presidential candidates, and all of the totals are being added up this week. But with his lead shortening in national polls, now is clearly not the time to have limitations on how much he can get his message out. Giuliani is replacing the (amicably) ousted Anne Dunsmore with Jim Lee, “a Texas moneyman and Bush ally” who is already on the Giuliani finance team. During the last quarter Dunsmore raised $17 million for Giuliani, which is a lot, but not nearly as much as the $27 million Hillary raised in the same period. As Hillary continues to try to define the race as a competition between only her and Giuliani, he’ll need all the money he can get to fight back and get Republican voters to start forgetting the other GOP candidates, too. Hillary is expected to announce that she raised about $20 million this quarter (she’s catching up with Obama; he’s expected to announce the same amount), so we’re betting Rudy’s falling short of that. Hmm. Forgot what it was like to be poor, didn’t we, Rudy?
Rudy Giuliani Fires Chief Fundraiser [NYDN]
party lines
Georgina Chapman Has a Secret Rocker PastRemember when Georgina Chapman was best-known for dating Harvey Weinstein, and people thought it was cute that she thought she could be a designer? And then it turned out that her Marchesa evening gowns were a big hit with Weinstein’s celebrity friends and even Anna Wintour has taken interest? Well, it seems all her whimsical career experiments weren’t as successful. While at high school in England, the onetime model-actress started a band, even though she admits to being “completely unmusical.” “It’s very embarrassing,” she told New York at the premiere of Control, Anton Corbijn’s film about late Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis. Chapman started her own band with a young gal pal. “We called ourselves Jesus and Mary Jane, and we sang in our school chapel at night in boarding school,” Chapman admitted. “We were 13, and we thought we were 20.” Too bad ol’ Harv wasn’t around back then to make some calls. Or, you know, thank God.—Amy Odell
in other news
The Kids at Stuyvesant Aren’t Gonna Take ItStudents at Stuyvesant have started rebelling against new rules put in place by the school’s administration, and they are organized. “They’ve just been slowly taking away our freedom,” 17-year-old Maorizio Martinelli, a member of the burgeoning kid insurgency there, told today’s Sun. “This is our fight for the student rights that we lost.” Which rights are those, you wonder? Were the children victimized and beaten?
party lines
Iraq Trips Hamper Anderson Cooper’s Gym ScheduleLast night we sent a reporter to Elton John’s AIDS Foundation benefit with a mission: Find Anderson Cooper and ask him about his bodacious new biceps. Bennett Marcus, our intrepid interviewer, took on the task and confronted Cooper about his ginormous guns. Below is what transpired:
Your biceps are really big lately. How are you working out?
“Wow. What is my workout routine — I’ve never been asked that question! Um, I don’t know [Ed. note: At this point, Cooper appeared to be dying of flustration.], I’ve just been working with a trainer and uh, I don’t know, lifting a little weight, and running a little. I don’t know.
Is that new? The trainer and the rest?
Uh, you know, I just turned 40, so yes, I’m trying to be a little bit healthier now and trying to eat a little bit more sensibly. And also, with traveling so much, you know, it’s tough when you’re in Iraq to do anything, so I try to work out when I’m here. [Ed. note: Best. Quote. Ever.] This is really I sound ridiculous.
video look book
Alex Kress Has a Twin, and a Baby
Alex Kress had a baby not so long ago. But unlike some people, she doesn’t walk around looking like a hot mess. She doesn’t have a whole lot of time for shopping these days, what with the kid and all, but her twin sister keeps her in cute outfits. Find out where that dress is from in this week’s Video Look Book.
Alex Kress’s Video Look Book, and Look Book archives