Would you like to hear Gloria Vanderbilt, 85-year-old mother of CNN silverfox Anderson Cooper, talk about "sucking cock"? Good, because you can! Vanderbilt's naughty book called Obession: An Erotic Tale has an audio version. Here's a sample via Newsweek.
We've received a bit more info on Ali Wise, the Dolce & Gabbana publicist and social fixture who was arrested this week for allegedly hacking into the voicemail account of interior designer Nina Freudenberger. And it looks like Freudenberger may not be quite as innocent as she's led on. As Page Six reported today, the man at the middle of this little squabble is Josh Deutsch, the founder of Downtown Records.
Mel Gibson announces his next big movie role, and it's a strange one. The Green Lantern movie narrows its potential leads down to three curious choices, and little beaver Jon Heder has landed a TV show on cable.
Blake Lively and Leighton Meester walking down Prince Street yesterday where they were filming scenes for Gossip Girl ... Hugh Jackman playing with daughter Ava at a playground in the West Village ... Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban leaving their downtown apartment separately ... Vanessa Williams walking in Midtown ... Daniel Radcliffe signing autographs for fans on his way into Regis and Kelly ... Naomi Watts carrying shopping bags in NoHo ... Kate Mara filming scenes for Happy Thank You More Please downtown ... Kat Von D arriving at MTV's studio in Times Square ... Penn Badgley standing on the sidewalk in Midtown ... and J.K. Rowling leaving Monkey Bar on East 54th.
If you were thinking you could save a little money by canceling your gym membership and lifting the September issue of Vogue over your head in sets of 10, well, you're probably going to need to come up with a new plan: "You won't need a forklift to pick up those typically thump-heavy September fashion magazines this year. As publishers approach their closing deadlines next week, most are resigned to the fact that the issues will be about a third lighter than in years past." [WWD]
Today we have an actor who's not very good at hitting on women, another actor who is not very good at getting movie work apparently, and a third actor who seems nice but is secretly a cheat.
• Michael Targoff, the Loral Space & Communications CEO who paid $10.25 million for a penthouse at 778 Park Avenue last year, has finally sold off his old spread—a 3,800-square-foot townhouse at 211 East 61st Street (left). The four-story manse sold for $6 million. [Cityfile]
• Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander has sliced $4 million off the price of his East Hampton estate. The six-bedroom mansion, which Alexander bought from Democratic lobbyist Liz Robbins for $15.45 million in early 2007, is now listed for $20.5 million. [Newsday, PDE]
• Miami real estate developer Tibor Hollo and his wife Sheila have paid $2.1 million for a 38th-floor apartment at the Trump Plaza on 61st Street. [Cityfile]
So the ridiculous standoff in Albany ended yesterday after the Democrats took back majority control of the New York Senate. So everyone can get back to work now, right? Right. Hope you enjoyed the show, though, because it didn't come cheap: "The Senate's monthlong descent into chaos wasted more than $5 million in state tax dollars and potentially robbed local governments of $150 million in expected revenue." [NYT, NYP]
Adrian Grenier turns 33 today. Jessica Simpson is turning 29. City comptroller (and mayoral wannabe) William Thompson is turning 56. Former mayor David Dinkins is turning 82. Times film critic A.O. Scott is 43. Showtime chief Matt Blank is turning 59. Author and marketing guru Seth Godin is 49. Writer Alice Munro is 78. Actress Sofia Vergara is 37. Eunice Kennedy Shriver is turning 88. The Office's Phyllis Smith is 58. Socialite Lisa Anastos is 41. Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan is turning 52. And Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys is 55. Weekend birthdays below!
• In news that will delight Jews the world over, it seems Britney Spears is thinking about converting to Judaism. She's been seen wearing a Star of David necklace and has found a rabbi to, like, teach her about stuff, so she's well on her way, clearly. [Sun]
• Lindsay Lohan hasn't been getting too many acting roles what with all her personal problems as of late. But she may have found a way around that: She's starting her own film/TV production company. [THR]
• Jerry Seinfeld's rep says he not facing money troubles. But he is doing commercials for "a bank in the boonies of Australia," which can't be a good sign. [P6]
• Mariska Hargitay is back on the set of Law & Order: SVU after a mishap earlier this week sent her to the hospital for 13 stitches. [NYDN]
• Publicist Ali Wise was arrested earlier this week for hacking into Nina Freudenberger's voicemail. But she may not be the only victim out there. [P6]
