Joe Dolce, the former Star editor-in-chief who was ushered out with Bonnie Fuller, is trying to generate an income from DolceGoldin, the media strategy firm he formed with former MSNBC editorial director Davidson Goldin. His new agency's biggest client is none other than Oprah foe James Frey — and Frey's ability to get the media to come around to him, even writing positive book reviews about his latest effort, whether their doing or not, is great marketing for their little firm. It's also a chance for Dolce to shed his bad boy tabloid past, where he was all too complicit in the paparazzi-celebrity-magazine exchange, where cash changed hands for stalkerazzi pics, and everybody excused their behavior with "this is what the public wants" excuses. The same line drug dealers use! CONTINUED »
Celebrities will definitely be hitting up the Democratic and Republican national conventions. But surely not in the numbers that lobbyists will. [CQ]
Stalking celebrities is perfectly legal. So long as you do it from a helicopter, use a long-range lense, and never land on their property. [WSJ]
Continuing its tradition of reporting on celebrities by reporting on some other aspect of culture that celebrities are involved in, the Times chronicles the tribulations involved in being famous while having a court date.
How to get inside without being accosted by a local news reporter? How to make your exit and slip into your waiting black window-tinted SUV when there's a scrum of paparazzi blocking your way?
When Rip Torn left the courthouse on a DUI matter, he found himself hiding under an 18-wheeler; Courtney Love had a different tactic, namely turning the courthouse sidewalk into a step-and-repeat.
There's a fun gallery where you can relive your favorite celebrity court moments, from Naomi Campbell to Boy George. Collect them all.
After many months and months in development, former Radar editor and up-and-coming new media titan Remy Stern today launches Cityfile, a database of who's who in Manhattan industry circles. Artists, media types, socialites, designers, and foodies are all on board, with Stern's crack team of writer-researches having already compiled 2,109 names. The site promises to add new profiles all the time — but also, more excitingly, to drop names, too, because sometimes important people are suddenly no longer important, and this distinction MUST BE MADE.
So what's a site like this good for? For blogs like ours, the answer is obvious: Free research tool! For others, however, Cityfile as a resource might be less clear. Allow us to help. CONTINUED »
Celebrity’s baby photos are fun to look at, and, if said celebrity has undergone extensive plastic surgery, incredibly illuminating. Here’s part one in a series of celebrity kids — see if you can guess who’s who.
Ed McMahon could lose his Beverly Hills mansion if he doesn't make good on $4.8 million in mortgage loans. Evander Holyfield's 54,000-square-foot home in Georgia could be repossessed if he doesn't meet his $10 million loan obligation. (He's not broke, he insists, just not liquid.) The housing market and the recession aren't just affecting normal people like non-New Yorkers; they're affecting celebrities too. But a quick trip down memory lane reveals that, uh, celebrities go broke all the time. Especially athletes! CONTINUED »
When staffers at UCLA's Medical Center were fired in March for snooping on Britney Spears' medical records, and then selling tidbits about the pop star, like details of her giving birth so Sean Preston in 2005, one teensy weensy other revelation floated to the surface: The practice was nothing new.
Plenty of other celebs had their privacy violated, including Maria Shriver, George Clooney, and Farah Fawcett.
Now, tapes of conversations between tabloid The Globe and a score of hospital employees, from 1992-93, show how editors there regularly paid off sources inside various hospitals' walls for dirt on Tom Cruise, Liz Taylor, Billy Crystal, Kelsey Grammer, Magic Johnson, Roseanne Barr, Al Pacino, Paula Abdul, Frank Zappa, and Vanna White. From plastic surgery procedures to eating disorder treatment, every tidbit was available for the right price. CONTINUED »
You know how it can be fun to call a bunch of top restaurants around the city and see which pricey establishment actually has availability for a party of 2 at 8pm, making them officially "over"? No, well. How about if instead of calling eateries, you called publishing houses and tried to see if you could shop them a book deal for Madonna's daughter Lourdes? Yeah, much more interesting, we know. [Radar]
• Justin Timberlake is apparently "in love" with Jessica Biel. Probably because she has an inordinately large ass heart.
• Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich and his wife give birth to future douche, Bryce Thadeus Ulrich-Nielsen.
• A year ago in gossip, everything was…exactly the same.
• Lindsay Lohan has announced plans to start working on new urban crap pop album.
• Model Petra Nemcova has gone from surviving a tsunami to shagging singer James Blunt and accidentally exposing her left nipple.
With so much reporting on Web 2.0, it would've been easy for BusinessWeek editor John Byrne to forget that his magazine should get in what's arguably the future of his business model. Especially since, you know, BW isn't doing so well in the ad pages department.
So, good news: John is getting excited about the Internet! He's got a great idea to bring the brand online is an awesome new way. So awesome, in fact, that his idea is already an old one. CONTINUED »
Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony got furious when the National Enquirer accused them in being involved in a herion smuggling ring; they're now in the middle of filing a legal claim. Anthrax mailer suspect Steven Hatfill got back at Vanity Fair and Reader's Digest for printing claims about his alleged wrong-doings; he sued (and won in a settlement). Vince Vaughn threatened London's The Sun and Daily Mirror and the New York Post for alleging he cheated on Jennifer Aniston; he let that lawsuit fade away.
Those are three of the various stages a celebrity libel lawsuit might be in.
And then there's Keira Knightley, who just joined the ranks of Roman Polanskis. CONTINUED »
• Rose McGowan confuses "Cinema for AIDS" benefit with her "Slutty Mermaids Anonymous" meeting.
• Howard Stern admits to having twice contemplated suicide. Experts say his unequivocally annoying girlfriend, Beth Ostrosky, is to blame.
• Sarah Jessica Parker launches her new affordable clothing line, Bitten. Carrie Bradshaw would never have approved.
• Nicole Richie is surprisingly funny, surprisingly knowledgeable when it comes to the male erogenous zones.
• Matthew McConaughey shirtless, and rolling around in the sand. This time, it's for a movie!
So, the chubby girl with the solid voice won American Idol last night. Her name is Jordin Sparks (perhaps you heard?) and not only is she the next multi-platinum artist for 19 Entertainment, but she's also the next mannequin for fashion outlets looking to broaden their reach beyond the borders of the couture elite. CONTINUED »
• Only days after turning to the Bible for comfort, Paris Hilton does what any other future jailbird would do: she consoles herself with Happy Feet. Related: Rich heiresses shop at Blockbuster; eschew pricey Netflicks membership fee.
• Anna Nicole Smith's 40-something ugly duckling of a sister vows to keep the Smith tradition of giant fake boobies alive.
• George Clooney selflessly agrees to make out with a beautiful, impeccably dressed woman. For charity's sake!
• The Hills' Heidi Montag to marry some Pratt.
• Emma Thompson pisses off Waverly Inn devotees (and Scientologist Will Smith) by lighting up a ciggy at the center table.
• Remember Ari Emanuel (the real-life super agent/schmuck who inspired Ari Gold's character on Entourage)? Apparently, he's mellowed out somewhat, "since America found out he's a douche."
Editorial Director
