NYT Styles Profiles Annie Leibovitz's Financial Problems And Enablers
You know the Times' Styles section was eventually going to pitch in on the fiscal trials and tribulations of Annie Leibovitz. They delivered, filing a quote-happy roundup on the matter, starring Tina Brown and Graydon Carter, defending their friend. The piece, written by Festivus chronicler Allen Salkin-the Seymour Hersh of the Times' Style section-doesn't bring any new information to the table, but it does a great job of highlighting some of the people who helped enable Leibovitz to get to the point in her life where she might have to divest herself of all fiscal interests, including the rights to her original photographs. For example, Graydon Carter - one of her standby employers - notes that she's, uh, not exactly great with money: "The mind that can take these extraordinary pictures is not necessarily the same mind that is a perfect money manager..." Revealing. How about former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown, defending Leibovitz's personal spending habits? "Annie is not an expensive liver herself," said Tina Brown, who edited Vanity Fair from 1984 to 1992, where Ms. Leibovitz began working after her early years at Rolling Stone magazine. "She hangs out with her kids. She doesn't hang out in the lights at the parties." There's more about Art Capital-who gave her a $24M loan-shopping around the rights to her work around, her relationship with Susan Sontag and speculation on Leibovitz's inheritance from Sontag (only personal artifacts, says Sontag's son), and in the end, a potential scenario of tragedy for Annie's life's work: On July 31, Justice Emily Jane Goodman denied Art Capital's request for a preliminary injunction against the contract between Ms. Leibovitz and Getty. The judge dismissed parts of the lawsuit, but ruled that other issues would be decided later. Until now, Ms. Leibovitz has closely guarded the right to reproduce her photographs. But should she lose control of her archive, her famous portraits of Whoopi Goldberg, Jack Nicholson and the like may one day be found on postcards in Times Square. Without being entire sure which Times Square tourists would be buying Leibovitz postcards of Whoopi Goldberg in Times Square, one thing is certain: Salkin's softball piece misses the elephant in the room: Leibovitz was (A) surrounded by enablers and (B) represents so much of the reason publications like Vanity Fair from media conglomerates like Conde Nast are facing financial issues now. Especially telling is this: Over the years at Vanity Fair, her shoots became more complex and expensive, often elaborate as movie shoots. "Month after month, it got a little bit more complicated with every shoot," Jane Sarkin, a Vanity Fair features editor, said in the documentary. "Her demands became bigger. Fire, rain, cars airplanes, circus animals - whatever she wanted she got." Emphasis mine. Leibovitz's photographs - while nothing to scoff at in terms of the talent they represent - are the type of overpriced commodities (like town-cars,... MORE >>
Hate Crime Shooting At Gay Club In Tel Aviv
This evening, a gunman opened fire on a Tel Aviv recreation center/cafe dedicated to supporting the area's gay community. Reports now list three dead, twelve injured, and most targets minors. And there's no question that this was a hate crime. The shooting took place at a community center located in the center of the city. The shooter was dressed in black, walked in, opened fire, and fled the scene. Police have ordered every gay club in the city closed, and are dispatching all available resources to find the shooter. A police spokesman characterized the crime as criminal, and not an act of nationalist terrorism: "most likely a criminal attack and not a terror attack" was the quote Reuters is running, along with this: Coastal, cosmopolitan Tel Aviv has a bustling gay scene, but open homosexuality is less welcome in conservative areas of the Jewish state. Annual gay pride parades in Jerusalem meet with often violent protests from ultra-Orthodox Jews. Almost every report is calling the scene of the crime a "bloodbath." June's pride week in Tel Aviv culminated with a story widely reported in the Israeli press: five gay couples marrying in a joint ceremony on the beach. There were hard-right protesters on the scene "holding up banners reading: 'God hates debauchery.'" The legislative branch of Israel's government, the Knesset, has only one openly gay member, Nitzan Horowitz, who spent the day attending a protest of the deportation of foriegn workers' children. Two dead in shooting at Tel Aviv gay club: report. [Reuters] Two killed in shooting at Tel Aviv gay club [Haaretz] MORE >>
Are Sarah and Todd Palin Getting A Divorce?
Rumors are spreading that former Alaska Governess and failed Vice-Presidental candidate Sarah Palin and husband Todd are getting a divorce. Is it true? And if it is, was this why Palin resigned from office? Updated: Palin's camp denies it. Blog Alaska Report, who's reporting on this, asserts the rumor as truth, in addition to noting that Sarah Palin has purchased land in Montana, and possibly plans to move her family there. AlaskaReport has learned this morning that Todd Palin and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin are to divorce. Multiple sources in Wasilla and Anchorage have confirmed the news. A National Enquirer story exposing previous affairs on both sides led to a deterioration of their marriage and the stress from that led to Palin's resignation as governor of Alaska. The Palins were noticeably not speaking to each other at last Sunday's resignation speech in Fairbanks. Sarah ditched Todd (MSNBC) right after the speech and left without him. Sarah removed her wedding ring a couple of weeks ago. Sarah has recently purchased land in Montana and is considering moving the family there. Sarah Palin is originally from Idaho. They're citing a Blogspot Blog, a National Enquirer story, and the tensions between Sarah and Todd at her final press conference as the basis for this report. Not exactly the most credible sources they've got there, but the Enquirer's certainly been right about some things, and Alaska Report also qualifies their story by writing that they were the first to announce Palin's candidacy for Governor and her status as the Vice Presidential nominee. So, there's that. If any of this turns out to be true, it would explain a great deal: Palin's book deal signing/cashing in, all the talk about tending to her family regarding her resignation, her The-Media's-Been-Mean media offensive, all of it. But most likely: the resignation. Which, in it of itself, is the revelation that she was telling the truth, and bearing down for what's likely to be the hard media rain/scrutiny that's about to be comin'. UPDATE: It looks like Meg Stapleton, Palin's spokeswoman, responded to these rumors on, uh, Facebook: Yet again, some so-called journalists have decided to make up a story. There is no truth to the recent "story" (and story is the correct term for this type of fiction) that the Palins are divorcing. The Palins remain married, committed to each other and their family, and have not purchased land in Montana (last week it was reported to be Long Island). Less than one week ago, Governor Palin asked the media to "quit making things up." We appreciate that the more professional journalists decided to question this story before repeating it. Meg Stapleton Todd and Sarah Palin To Divorce [Alaska Report] Sarah Palin: No Truth to Latest Rumors [Facebook] MORE >>
Dick Joke Involving Child-Rearing Expert Tom Cruise Gets Funnier
Michael Jackson's doctor is still just as sketchy as before. Tom Cruise will raise your kids for you. Jude Law's new baby's name, rappers, witches, Heroes, Gossip Girls, and Ashton Kutcher's fake life. Presenting an epic Saturday Morning Gossip Roundup: Tom Cruise tells the Beckhams how to raise their kids, supposedly. One of the sincerely funny parts of the just-released Funny People is a dick joke involving Tom Cruise, Will Smith, and David Beckham, and this makes that joke exponentially funnier! I'm sure someone will ruin it in the comments - probably me - but honestly, this justifies $7 of the $12 you'll have to pay to see Funny People (or whatever the proportional fraction is for being not being eye-gouged with ridiculous movies prices who live in places more reasonable than Gomorrah New York. [Showbiz Spy] Jude Law's Babeh Mama Of The Month has a name for their new lovemunchkin, and it's going to be "Sophia" as in "I'mma Sophia Ass In Court, Moneybags!" [People] Tyra Banks is going to be on Gossip Girl because she loves to ruin things you love. [US] Emma Watson is related to a real witch, swears People! I want to know what editor at People was like, go through centuries of lineage of obscure witches and Harry Potter cast members and see if you can dig some shit up. Gold star for both of you, srsly. [People] Beyonce wants you to stop taking pictures of her ass, which America is crazy in love with. But who's stupid enough to take a picture of Jay-Z's wife's ass? Also, I heard a great story this week that apparently, Beyonce fucking loves to go to bars in New York incognito with Jay-Z to play Buck Hunter. I hope this is true because if so that's just great, and not because it's oh, Beyonce loves Buck Hunter, that's cute. No, it's awesome because you know they could just buy a Buck Hunter machine but instead they insist on going to bars and secretly getting a thrill out of it. How this item hasn't been reported before is beyond me? [Showbiz Spy and Me] Katy Perry and Rihanna are friends, now, and they've been hanging out in places like Barbados! And...the Meatpacking District! Meanwhile, some internet dork quietly prepares the inevitable "I Kissed An Umbrella" mashup. [Page Six] Leighton Meester's boyfriend, Sebastian Stan - who seems like a legitimately awesome guy, and believe this, is a great actor! Ask anyone who saw him on Broadway in the revival of Eric Bogosian's Talk Radio! Seriously. - talks about what it's like to watch her make out with Ed Westwick on the set of Gossip Girl, which is relatively kinky for People. [People] Heroes star Zach Qunito was questioned by cops twice while filming a skit for Funny or Die. The cops were lucky he didn't slice their brains open and take what little powers they have. [E!] Did you know E! has someone cooking up celebrity conspiracy theories? That's kind of sincerely great and something I wish I'd thought of first, but then again, it's only great if someone at E! is doing it. This week:... MORE >>
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