Tuesday, October 20, 2009

A Little of The Old In And Out



In: Sarah Palin. Palin is, as you probably know, doing Oprah on November 16. I am not particularly happy about it. Do you think I like featuring this simplistic quitter prominently as "In"? But whether or not I like her or dislike her contributions to this democracy, it's the most anticipated interview on the pop-cultural radar at present.



Out: "Sadman" Rushdie. Clearly, we feel for the poor fool. If he won a Nobel Prize -- and he hasn't -- Salman could not do better than this. Worse, Padma is pregnant, and the babydaddy is quite possibly a billionaire who used to romance Princess Di. Take that, "Sadman".

Sorry, bruh. It cannot possibly be a positive experience to wake up in the morning, alone, and realize -- to a rising Magical Realist horror -- that you let Padma-fucking-Lakshmi slip through your chubby little fingers. D'Oh! It is almost worse than never having loved Padma at all (On second thought..). From PageSix:

"SALMAN Rushdie is still obsessed with his beautiful ex-wife, Padma Lakshmi, and talks about her day and night, his ex-girlfriend tells Page Six. Statuesque actress Pia Glenn said she fell in love with the 62-year-old novelist, who 'said he loved me.' She moved into his New York home in January. But she says she became frustrated with his obsession with Lakshmi, and she was heartbroken when he abruptly dumped her by e-mail in June. Glenn, a star in Broadway's 'Spamalot,' said: 'I told him I wanted children, and he was happy with that. He asked me to move in, and we talked about the future . . . Of course I had heard about his reputation as a womanizer, but I wanted to judge him for myself' ... But Glenn told us Rushdie was still hung-up over Lakshmi, his fourth wife: "He would talk about Padma day and night. He felt hurt and betrayed by her. He would talk about her so much I'd ask him to stop."


Although we love this story is it really news? Doesn't it just prove that Salman is, indeed, human. Are not artistic geniuses infamous for feeling emotions at a more feverish pitch than us mortals? I mean, I've never slept with Padma Lakshmi and I'm pretty damned obsessed with her.



In: Harold Ford Jr. The Sir Edmund Hillary of Social Climbing, Harold Ford Jr., a frequent Bill Maher guest, may finally land in a position consummate -- at least for now -- with his colossal, Brobdinangian ambitions. At the peak of the Hollywood-DC power nexus: the MPAA. From THR:

"Former Democratic Rep. Harold Ford Jr. has emerged as the early front-runner among studios to succeed Hollywood's top lobbyist Dan Glickman, who has made it official that he will depart as MPAA chairman and CEO when his contract expires in 10 months.

"With Glickman's contract expiring Sept. 1, he informed the MPAA board of his decision Monday after an interview with Politico published late Sunday.

"Although the formal search process has not began, Ford has started lobbying studios. But there are other names being bandied about, and additional contenders are sure to emerge during a complex recruitment process that requires a candidate to win the approval of all six major studios.

"As chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council, Ford, 39, has more than youth and a record of activity in the black community on his side. He also is well-liked and has a reputation for being a good speaker. His political career has been on the rise despite a narrow loss to Bob Corker in Tennessee's Senate election in 2006."


The job, to be sure, is not a foregone conclusion, but he would follow in the footsteps of perennial DC-Hollywood operators like Jack Valenti. The super-oily former Louisiana Congressman Billy Tauzin (Eew), then the chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, passed on the job at the last minute over higher salary and benefits demands. Tauzin opted, instead, to make beaucoup dollars at "Big Pharma." "Bennies" of the job include that sweet screening room at MPAA's Washington headquarters and the million dollar-plus salary. Starlets not included.

Nice work if you can get it.

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