Inside the Financial Collapse of Annie Leibovitz
How did Annie Leibovitz end up $24 million in the hole? New York magazine's Andrew Goldman has cataloged her wildly ill-advised spending flourishes. Oh, and the money behind her glorified pawnshop loan came from none other than Goldman Sachs. Goldman's write-around profile of an artist in crisis goes a long way toward explaining exactly how the world's most celebrated celebrity photographer wound up hocking her photographic legacy to keep up with her mounting bills. Mostly it's that she never cared about how much anything cost, was an obsessive perfectionist, and trusted the wrong accountant. Here's Annie the spendthrift: Leibovitz had also built a life that had become extraordinarily expensive to maintain. It wasn't just the mortgages on the homes. It was the Range Rover, the trips to Paris, the chef and housekeeper, the handyman, the personal yoga instructor, the terrace gardener, and the live-in nanny. There was only one man Leibovitz deemed qualified to work on anything involving air-conditioning or ductwork at either residence, and he lived in Vermont. "She wanted her life to be like a magazine spread," Kellum says. "Everything beautiful, nothing out of place. She wanted everything to be perfect." Along the same lines, Goldman reports, she flew in kid-song star Dan Zanes and Rosanne Cash to perform at her daughter's first birthday party. As for Annie the perfectionist, in 2007, former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown asked Leibovitz to take the author jacket photo for her book about Princess Diana. Leibovitz showed up with two cars bearing a stylist, an assistant, a wardrobe, and a wind machine, and tried to extend the shoot to a second day after she was unsatisfied with the first days' results. Leibovitz was bearing the cost of the shoot herself. That sort of behavior tends to pile up the debts, and in 2007 Leibovitz—who had an extremely hard time doing simple things like signing her own prints in order to make a lot of money selling them—fired her accountant Rick Kantor and manager Jimmy Moffat, who told Goldman that they had done what they could to rein in Leibovitz's spending. She replaced them with an accountant named Kenneth Starr (no relation), who had worked with Wesley Snipes (!). It was Starr who introduced Leibovitz to Art Capital Group. Goldman says Leibovitz didn't run the loan by her family or agent, and had no idea what she was getting into. She was shocked by a New York Times article reporting that she'd put her photos up as collateral: "Trust me," says her sister Paula. "She thought it was a pure loan. That New York Times article was as much news to her as it was to anybody else." Interestingly, the loan was financed by Goldman Sachs, which seems to be behind every epic collapse these days, and Goldman is now distancing itself from Art Capital: "We are deeply troubled by recent developments concerning Annie Leibovitz and Art Capital," Goldman (the firm) told Goldman (the writer). "Goldman Sachs owns a portion... MORE >>
The Gawker Guide to Racial Profiling Outrage
Superfamous Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan was racially profiled in the USA! For Indians, it's big news. But for Americans, it's unsettling—where do Indians fall on the "Racial Profile Outrage" scale? A complete cross-racial guide for you! Click to enlarge it, why don't you? Big shout out to non-racist Gawker image wizard Steven Dressler for the chart. MORE >>
The Glenn Beck Ad Boycott List
Today, GMAC Financial Services confirmed that it's no longer advertising on Glenn Beck's show. How many advertisers have deserted him now? Let's tally them up: GMAC Financial Services ConAgra Geico Procter & Gamble Progressive Insurance Roche Sanofi-Aventis Radio Shack Men's Wearhouse Lawyers.com Sargento [Miss any? Email us. Pic via. Info via NYT, Politico, Previously] MORE >>
We Still Don't Know Whether Inglourious Basterds is Going to Suck or Not
We're Tarantino fans for sure, but a WWII movie about Nazi-killing Jews? We're a little skeptical, and the critics aren't helping our confusion. The reviews are starting to come in and evidence is contradictory. On the positive side, Lisa Schwarzbaum from Entertainment Weekly gives it a B and says it's, "cinematically dazzling, to be sure, enhanced by an meticulously chosen retro soundtrack." In New York David Edelstein gushes. Even more than his other genre mash-ups, this is a switchback journey through Tarantino's twisted inner landscape, where cinema and history, misogyny and feminism, sadism and romanticism collide and split and re-bond in bizarre new hybrids. The movie is an ungainly pastiche, yet on some wacked-out Jungian level it's all of a piece. Oh, but his fellow Gothamite David Denby couldn't disagree more, and rails against it. Like all the director's work after Jackie Brown, the movie is pure sensation. It's disconnected from feeling, and an eerie blankness-it's too shallow to be called nihilism-undermines even the best scenes. Even the trades are split. Variety comes out in favor: By turns surprising, nutty, windy, audacious and a bit caught up in its own cleverness, the picture is a completely distinctive piece of American pop art with a strong Euro flavor that's new for the director. And The Hollywood Reporter against: Otherwise the film lacks not only tension but those juicy sequences where actors deliver lines loaded with subtext and characters drip menace with icy wit. Tarantino never finds a way to introduce his vivid sense of pulp fiction within the context of a war movie. He is not kidding B movies as he was with Grindhouse nor riffing on cinema as with Pulp Fiction and the Kill Bill films. The only people who can come to a consensus are the British where both the Guardian and the Daily Telegraph hated it. Damn, now it looks like we're going to have to save Harvey Weinstein from bankruptcy and pay our $12.50 to try to figure out for ourselves whether or not it's good. God, critics are even worse than Nazis. MORE >>
UPDATE: Salon Lays Off Six In Pursuit of Becoming a 'True Web Publication'
Salon has laid off eight six editorial staffers—or 20% of its editorial staff—so that, in the words of CEO Richard Gingras, it can become "more of a true Web publication." Welcome to the internet, Salon! In a statement to Gawker, Gingras confirmed that three editors, one writer, one photo editor, and one producer were laid off last week. The only name we've heard thus far is culture editor Joy Press; let us know if you have any other intelligence. UPDATE: Here's the complete list: Jeanne Carstensen, managing editor Kevin Berger, features editor Katharine Mieszkowski, senior writer Joy Press, culture editor Caitlin Shamberg, multimedia editor Julie Coburn, photo editor Gingras says the firings are pegged to an upcoming redesign and streamlining of the site's publishing system that will put Salon in a "good position to not just weather the economic storm but emerge much stronger than ever." Salon was launched in 1995, and has, to our knowledge, been an online publication for its entire life, which makes Gingras' determination to finally become a web site somewhat disconcerting: All these years, apparently, it's been a false web publication. But Salon is the cockroach of the web, and has managed to survive all sorts of trials and tribulations and leadership changes to remain a valuable player—their publication of previously unseen photos of torture at Abu Ghraib and editor Joan Walsh's motherly smackdown of Bill O'Reilly were both public services—so we're confident that they'll manage. We just wish they didn't have to fire a bunch of people in order to become a web site. Here's Gingras' full statement, which corrected our earlier reporting that eight people had been let go: For several months we have been working on a redesign of our product, that we will launch this fall, and also a redesign of our underlying systems. We are moving away from a very traditional magazine production model and becoming more of a true Web publication, with a more direct publishing system. Moving forward, we are investing most in the writers and creative participants who can help us continue to attract the smart, discerning readers attracted to Salon. We think this direction makes us a stronger company, and puts us in a good position to not just weather the economic storm but emerge much stronger than ever. Economic times are difficult and that necessitates change. But change is also healthy and you'll be seeing many new developments from Salon over the coming months. The financial changes emphasize what we do best — publish sharp, fast takes on the important events in the world, as well as the in-depth stories, reviews and blogs that readers come to us for — and will also allow us room to grow. Salon has always been about great writing from great writers. That will continue. Let me also clarify the facts on reductions in edit staff. There were only six positions cut out of 29 in editorial: 3 editors, 1 writer, a photo editor and a... MORE >>
Five Plot Points the Mad Men Premiere Left Hanging
If you still have last night's third season premiere of Mad Men sitting on your DVR, move on to something else. Or maybe you're not planning to watch. Either way, here are the plot points Matt Weiner put into play. 1. Pete and Ken are both named head of accounts: This is the biggest (and most obvious) setup of the evening. When they fire the old head of accounts, the new Brits in town divide his job between Pete and Ken, dropping the hint that they expect one of them to out perform the other. Narcissist Pete is pissed, of course, and whines to his wife (who wears a killer hat to the office). Ken is cooler about it and thinks that it's a good opportunity for competition. What's coming: It's war. And Ken is toast. Also, more hats! 2. Sal gets caught with a dude: Well, it was bound to happen eventually, because he's not a very convincing heterosexual. When he and Don go to Baltimore to save their London Fog account, Ken calls the front to get his air conditioning fixed, and the bellhop who shows up to fix it is only interested in using one tool, and it's Sal's. Before they can go all the way, the fire alarm goes off, and Don sees the two men together. Sal is relieved that Don don't mention it. What's coming: Something like this is bound to come out (har har) eventually. Either Sal is going to get outed or he'll confide in Don, but maybe the closet door is cracking open a bit. 3. Peggy can't get her secretary to do any work: We didn't get to see much of the firm's only female copywriter and this episode she only interacted with the show's other females—both secretaries who weren't having any of Peggy's nonsense. First, her secretary has a hard time getting any work done because she's flirting with one of the Brits who is now employed at taken-over Sterling Cooper. Then Joan gives her the brush off at the elevator, asserting her authority as the babe with the biggest balls. What's coming: How is Peggy going to overcome the chauvinism of the office when not even the ladies have her back? It's going to be another lonely year. 4. Don says he'll "always come home": We find out that Don wasn't raised by his prostitute mother, who died in child birth. His working-girl mom told Don's dad "If you knock me up, I'll cut your dick off." After she dies, the midwife names the baby Dick. Ha! Later, DonDick tells his upset daughter that "he'll always come home," but then has a hard time staying focused when telling her about the night she was born. What's coming: More sadness and ennui for the Drapers, of course. However, his "I'll always come home," can either be a promise that he's going to break or a threat that he's going to keep. But these two won't break up. Who else is going to torture them? 5. Joan and Moneypenny have it out: Joan is one fierce bitch, and that is why she totally hands a new British "secretary" his ass without ever raising her voice. When he starts to think that he's better than the girls in the pool, she assigns him a vacant office.... MORE >>
Levi Johnston's Fledgling Gay Porn Career
After saying he'd pose naked for the right price, Unzipped magazine (the gay answer to Playboy) has offered to pay America's babydady Levi Johnston to show off what's in his Levis. And he just might do it. While they don't state how much money is on the table, Unzipped sent out a press release saying that they sent an offer to Johnston's manager/bodyguard, Tank Jones (was this guy named by a Palin or something?), offering his client the cover of the mag. This isn't the first time Unzipped has tried to capitalize on a political scandal involving a hot dude. Earlier this year, they shot a cover with Beau Breedlove, the 18-year-old intern who played hide the cigar with Portland Mayor Sam Adams. The pictures were cute, got Breedlove some exposure, and he didn't even show the whole megillah. So, why wouldn't Johnston do it? He already posed shirtless for GQ for free, and he seems like the type who doesn't have the instincts (or the guidance) to turn this kind of thing down. This stud has showed his ass to plenty of guys on the hockey team in the locker room, why not make some cash and show it to a bunch of gay dudes? After all, he went with Kathy Griffin to the Teen Choice Awards. What won't this kid do to please his gay fans? MORE >>
Did the Mad Men Season 3 Premiere Live Up to the Hype?
Well the first episode of the new season of Mad Men just ended. Let's scan the internet to get the immediate reactions of a few folks, shall we? Needless to say, if you haven't watched the episode yet and don't want to have anything spoiled for you, you might want to skip scrolling down on this post. Tracie Egan at Jezebel live-blogged the episode and came away less than impressed: 10:24 Am I the only one who is disappointed by this episode so far? It's really oddly paced and not getting to any of the shit that interests me (Peggy, Joan, Betty, etc.). 10:55 That was it!? Vulture's Logan Hill loved it: If you had never seen Mad Men before, this premiere would have utterly baffled you. But we don't care about you! We loved it: Take these two moments that wouldn't mean anything to a newbie: The brand London Fog? Pryce explains that there never was any fog there - just the coal dust from the industrial era. This is the most direct metaphor we've seen yet for this unsentimental show. Believe in the romantic mist, or Mad Men's cool, smoky style, if you want: Underneath, it's all carcinogenic. Those cigarettes aren't toasted, they're lethal. The Sterling Cooper men (and this show) willfully perpetuate the lie: "I don't care what they say," says Cooper. "London Fog is a great name." Another moment: "You look like Ty Power," says the stewardess to Don. "Remember him?" Like Don, Power was a former Marine typecast as the romantic lead. But Power died in 1958, years after his prime. Don, who needs reading glasses, is a relic of an older era in 1963, which is why his advice to the London Fog guys is so last-decade. That season-three poster of Don calmly holding a cocktail as the water rises in his office? Don's too cocky to notice the water rising. He's the oblivious frog who doesn't know the sixties are about to boil him up. Alan Sepinwall, the TV critic at The Star-Ledger, loved the show and the new London Fog client storyline. Yes, "Mad Men" is back, and "Out of Town" was an incredibly satisfying way for the show to return from the long hiatus. Heck, even if the rest of the episode had been a drag, it would have been worth it for the running gag about London Fog itself, which served as a metaphor for the whole show. On Twitter, Jake Tapper felt inspired to light up and booze: Defamer founding editor Mark Lisanti was enthused over the continuation of Don Draper adulterous ways: Our new Defamer guy Richard Rushfield had issues with a certain Sterling Cooper in-house promotion: Mediaite's Anthony De Rosa know's it's still all about the booze: Yahoo Sports blogger Eamonn Brennan fondly recalled a time when few people cared so much about an episode of the show. Pop culture enthusiast Max Valliquette was obviously impressed and then immediately saddened by the mindless tripe he watched afterwards: I'll add more reactions as we find them as they begin rolling in from the West Coast later tonight. And tomorrow our Brian Moylan... MORE >>
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