People talk a lot these days about how rare it is to find proper, hard-hitting journalism and how everything you read in newspapers has been muddied by biases and agendas. Thank God, then, for work like Spencer Morgan's in-depth interview with "the beautiful people's walker" Derek Blasberg, which in inimitable Observer fashion leaves no stone unturned to reveal the man behind the rumors and misconceptions.
Bank of America's annual shareholders' meeting kicked off this morning in Charlotte and plenty of angry people turned up for the occasion, not surprisingly. With the bank's CEO, Ken Lewis, hanging on to his job by a thread, he did his best to try and justify Bank of America's numerous missteps in recent months. But he appeared to get a little testy, too. When one person asked him why BofA didn't disclose the extent of Merrill Lynch's problems when it acquired the bank, he refused to answer the question. "I can't because of litigation. You're probably one of them... So if you'd like to hear more, withdraw your lawsuit." Alas, no word yet on whether attendees were further outraged for having been denied free coffee. [Dealbook]
Today we have a celebrity's wife who is a secret, exclusive lesbian, an actor who avoided a DUI by pimping out his lady friend, and an actress with terrible taste in home decor.
Adrien Brody talking on his cell phone in the East Village ... Mark Ronson having lunch at Da Silvano with his sister Samantha and Q-Tip ... Ashlee Simpson carrying son Bronx outside their hotel in Midtown ... Kate Hudson getting out of a taxi on Mercer Street ... Brad Pitt leaving the Standard Hotel ... Chace Crawford and 50 Cent hanging out on the set of Twelve ... Michelle Williams and Spike Jonze playing with Matilda in Brooklyn ... Ryan Gosling getting out of a cab ... America Ferrera shooting scenes for Ugly Betty ... Kim Kardashian going into Butter ... and Madonna leaving dinner at Nobu 57.
The myriad horrors that keep young, beautiful socialites awake at night? Chief among them may be that Evite just isn't exclusive enough. Thankfully, and just in time for the utter collapse of the American economic system, two gorgeous children of privilege have gifted the world with Paperless Post, a new web-based service which offers a chic alternative to the vulgar, populist electronic invitations already available online. Even better? It's members only, in order that it "grow organically through people who actually know each other." Chic, and sustainable!
• Marisa Noel Brown, the daughter of disgraced Fairfield Greenwich Group founder Walter Noel, and her husband Matt, are officially putting their townhouse at 12 East 78th Street on the market. The Indiana limestone–faced manse, which the couple bought for $13.5 million in 2008 and then spent millions renovating, will be listed with Stribling's Patricia Farman-Farmaian for a mere $11.5 million. Quick cash buyers, please. [NYO]
• Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon have reportedly paid "around $7 million" for a 11,750-square-foot mansion in Bel Air, Calif. [Real Estalker]
Uma Thurman is turning 39 today. Jerry Seinfeld is turning 55. Michelle Pfeiffer is 51. Daniel Day-Lewis is 52. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer turns 49 today. Defense attorney Bruce Cutler turns 61. Fox5 anchor Rosanna Scotto is 51. Provocateur Lucianne Goldberg is turning 74. ABT artistic director Kevin McKenzie is 55. Conductor Zubin Mehta is 73. Carnie Wilson is turning 41. Mets sportscaster Gary Cohen is 51. NFL quarterback Jay Cutler turns 26. Tennis great Andre Agassi is 39. And the rapper Master P turns 42 today.
Moby took a pathetic fall while boxing and Susan Boyle was dissed by snotty book publishers. But Matthew Broderick can take pride in impregnating a woman other than his wife. Just this once.
• Did Beyoncé really send a look-alike to stand in for her at an art museum in Vienna so she could go shopping instead? That's what many Austrians seem to think, and the museum now says it plans to issue a protest. And here we were thinking decoy body doubles were just for presidents and mafia kingpins. [AFP]
• James Gandolfini erupted at a group of paparazzi outside the Waverly Inn the other night. Fortunately—for the drama-loving masses, at least—they kept their cameras on during the episode and it was all caught on tape. [TMZ]
• Real-life roommates Chace Crawford and Ed Westwick might be splitting up, since Chace is reportedly looking for a loft of his own downtown. [P6]
• Mel Gibson and Russian singer Oksana Grigorieva made their first public appearance together last night at an X-Men screening in LA. [People]
• Strippers at Sapphire East's opening were supposedly told not to take their clothes off until after Samantha Ronson finished her set, since she's "so girl-crazy, she can't concentrate." [P6]
• At least six of the 19 largest U.S. banks will require additional capital, according to the results of the stress tests conducted by regulators. [BN]
• The U.S. economy took a tumble in the first quarter, with gross domestic product dropping at a 6.1 percent annual rate. [BN, WSJ]
• Citigroup has asked the Treasury department for permission to pay bonuses to a number of key employees. No word on how much or to whom. [WSJ]
• Meanwhile, Citi is looking to raise additional capital now that the bank came up short on its recent stress test. [DB]
• Daniel Bouton, the chairman of Societe General, is stepping down. [WSJ]
• Lazard posted a first quarter loss, and says it plans to cut jobs. [Reuters]
• Neel Kashkari's last day at work is Friday. Don't forget to send a gift! [DB]
