Logo announced today that it picked up the "gay housewives" show Kept, to launch in October, but they're still looking for one more cast member. Maybe that's because some gay-listers have already turned it down. Like who?
This has been the Decade of the Douchebag. There's no denying it. Though we've retired the term, we're bringing it back to identify the douche who was the douchiest. You get the chance to pick our winner.
Tom Cruise bought a special car to ward off anti-Scientology protesters and other agents of Xenu; Britney Spears can ward off the blues with the sari from her new boyfriend.
Oh, hey, look who got a blog or column or whatever on the Huffington Post — Joe Dolce! How convenient that is for the thoroughly obnoxious former Star editor, because it turns out his new PR business, shepherded into existence by patron and fellow sometime slimeball James Frey, is promising clients it can "guide you through the new media landscape — ensuring that the attention you receive is the attention you want." The HuffPo slot will surely prove useful in that regard! Or at least it will once Dolce and business partner Davidson Goldin scare up some clients. For now, Dolce appears to be using his column to do some ambitious prospecting. He suggests a "summit" between celebrities and paparazzi, which will never work, especially given who Dolce suggests might host it:
Fabricating memoirist James Frey earned a $1.5 million advance for his novel Bright Shiny Morning, and sales are strong. Now Frey is paying forward his riches from the book, and the money seems to be making a circle back toward the people who staged his comeback in the first place. Frey, the Post reported today, hired his wife's friend Davidson Goldin, former editorial director at MSNBC, to help with publicity on Bright Shiny Morning. Now flush, it would seem, with surplus cash, Goldin is starting a "media-strategy and branding consulting firm." And who did Frey steer to Goldin as a partner in this endeavor? Joe Dolce, the former Star magazine editor-in-chief famous for his poor management and communication skills. But there's a very relevant detail about Dolce and his relationship to Frey the Post omitted:
It turns out obnoxious former Star editor Joe Dolce and lying author James Frey, who became Facebook buddies on Valentine's Day, share more than just slimy backgrounds. Dolce's boyfriend and reported husband John Burnham was the "idiot" at HarperCollins who paid Frey more than $1 million for his forthcoming novel Bright Shiny Morning, one source reminded us. Should make for some fascinating Wall postings.
When he was editor in chief of Star magazine, Joe Dolce would let nothing, not even a wedding, or journalistic ethics, keep him from telling a tawdry story. At least that was the idea, until Dolce found himself looking for a new job. A year later, Dolce has dusted himself off and taken the first critical step toward rehabilitating his image: becoming Facebook friends and, no doubt, lifetime soulmates with writer James Frey, another fallen purveyor of overaggressive, ethically-challenged "nonfiction." Dolce added the lying author of a Million Little Pieces to his friends list on Valentine's Day, which is just really sweet. Maybe he can convince Frey to accompany him on one of his travel-writing assignments — it's ethically challenged and everything, James! — and then learn the secret to profiting fabulously from infamy, as Frey did with the $2 million advance on his forthcoming novel.
Former Star editor and Jessica Coen enemy Joe Dolce is apparently knee-deep in some freelance Journalismism, writing a piece in Culture & Travel about a trip to Myanmar. There's not even any dead celebrities there! But there are some dead citizens once in a while, which has Joe "contemplating the ethics of traveling to a country with an oppressive regime." We can think of no one better to judge. [WWD]
At the cocktail party preceding the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses spelling bee last night, former Star editor Joe Dolce was rubbing up against cheetah-sheathed Page Six editor Paula Froelich. Was he here to spell, like Paula? "God no." He was here to cheer on his boy, HarperCollins VP Jonathan Burnham. Joe has been mostly occupied by cheering Jonathan on lately, though he hasn't been completely at loose ends during his year of unemployment: "I was working on a web-based project about design, but I had to pull back from it recently," he said, as a very tall, beautiful woman in a houndstooth skirt and enormous diamond earrings came up behind him and mischievously grinned at everyone. It was Alex Kuczynski, who has been described by this website as a "pervert," a "body modification expert," "somewhat plastically-reconstructed," a "facially-reconfigured semiotician," and most often, "Times rich lady beat reporter." "Hi Bunny!," she said. "I looove your bangs! You look like a person on the 'Brady Bunch'!" Did she mean Cousin Oliver? Whatever, totally charmed! Nikola Tamindzic documented this.
At the Time 100 gala a few months ago, I approached Joel Stein ("humorist," LA Times and Time columnist), whose relationship with this website has been, shall we say, tense, and introduced myself. Almost immediately, he asked why Gawker hates him. He said he "really wanted to know." He also said that his wife gets really upset when she reads Gawker and sees all the mean things people say about her DH. As we parted, I offered to send Joel and his wife a Gawker commenter invite. In the grand tradition of people leaving this place with a fuck-you to the people who, despite being total hacks, have managed to wrangle themselves a lucrative, high-profile job in journalism, I've decided to post our correspondence. Joel Stein, congratulations. You're my Joe Dolce.
What's that unfamiliar face peering out at all us trashy housewives from the masthead of Star? Why, it's former Globe editor Candace Trunzo, who took over the reins from our beloved punching bag Joe Dolce on April 1st. How will Star be different under Candace's leadership? "I'm on a mission," she declares in her first editor's letter, promising "more celebrity news stories, more revealing must-see photos, more fun, more pop!" Oh boy! Unfortunately, when Candace says "more," she seems to mean "less" — her first Star contained only three Normal/Not Normals (there are usually at least five!) and only three "Worst of the Week" fashion violations! Even a particularly gruesome shot of Courtney Love's fresh lipo couldn't compensate. Bring us the trash we crave, Candy! You're veering dangerously close to In Touch territory here.
The Nigella Lawson episode of the Food Network's Chefography series was a joy from start to finish. Did you know that Saatchi-wife Nigella basically only pals around with hilarious homos? Here, soon to be ex-Star editor in chief Joe Dolce (identified only as 'Nigella's friend') talks about the long words that Nigella has taught people, and gets in a dig at Martha Stewart.
We're turning over a new leaf with poor soon-to-be unemployed Star editor Joe Dolce. True, the old regime here didn't get along with him, but we wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. So we called to ask him to confirm or deny the fake rumor (uh, that we started) about him getting into business with Judy Regan.
So far this is only true in our minds. But with Judith Regan emerging from Remi on 53rd Street this afternoon, her highlights all ablaze, there's no way we couldn't think that some deal like this is in the works:
Huffington Post/Radarite Peter Hyman takes a look at how the Joe Dolce-out-at-Star story played out:
