Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Media-Whore D'Oevres



"An explosive weekend debut of $1.2 million from 28 locations made 'No Country for Old Men,' filmmaker sibs Joel and Ethan Coen's Western thriller for Miramax Films, the top release on the iWBOT. Joining 'No Country' in the iWBOT Top Five, which ranks films by per-screen average, were new releases 'Holly,' a drama about child prostitution from Priority Films and Slowhand Cinema Releasing, the holocaust documentary 'Steal a Pencil for Me' from Seventh Art Releasing and Argot Pictures' 'Note By Note,' about the making of a Steinway concert grand piano. Returning to the iWBOT Top Five was director Sidney Lumet's crime drama 'Before the Devil Knows You're Dead,' which ThinkFilm continues to expand slowly, a bold contrast to the more aggressive release strategy planned for 'No Country.'" (Indiewire)

"Kate Moss's constant all-hours partying is getting up the noses of her neighbours. They say since the 33-year-old supermodel moved in with pal Davinia Taylor their nights are an endless round of boozy bashes. One 61-year-old in London's St John's Wood said the whole street was fed up. She said: 'Since they've come it's been impossible. Everyone is angry. I've written to the MP and the police.'" (3AMGirls)

"Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s senior advisers laid out their path to victory Monday morning, downplaying the importance of winning early states where Giuliani is trailing and insisting that later contests in delegate-rich states will propel the mayor to the Republican nomination. New polls show former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney extending his lead over his nearest rivals in the traditional early states of Iowa and New Hampshire, but Giuliani’s advisers insist they can withstand early-state momentum and win the nomination in winner-take-all states like Florida, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware where there are more delegates awarded." (TheHill)

"I have no illusions about my celebrity wattage. I am in the moderate-to-low category. Reality TV star Danny Bonaduce has more sizzle. Singer Foxy Brown’s embattled Korean manicurist has a bit less. Actress Michelle Rodriguez’s police ankle bracelet shines about as brightly as I do, as opposed to Lindsay Lohan’s bracelet, which leaves me totally in the dust. C’est la vie, c’est la guerre. I’m not bitter. Having a lower profile has myriad benefits. For example: When seating a dinner, a hostess will have no compunction about plonking me down me at her B table, near a drafty window, with all the interns and assistants. Again, let me reiterate, I’m not bitter. In fact, I love a good B table. This is where you’ll find a totally unique genre of celebrity. Yes, I’m talking about the sons and daughters of the rich and famous. Celeb spawn! " (Observer)

"Indeed, in the space of a single week, the president of Georgia—Mikheil Saakashvili, or 'Misha' to his friends—probably did more genuine damage to American "democracy promotion" than a dozen Pervez Musharrafs ever could have done. After all, no one ever expected much in the way of democracy from Pakistan. But a surprising amount was expected of Georgia—a small, clannish, mountainous country wedged between Russia and Turkey—expectations that have now vanished in the crowds of riot police and clouds of tear gas that Saakashvili sent pouring out over the streets of Tbilisi, breaking up street demonstrations there last Wednesday. Bruce Jackson, president of the Project on Transitional Democracies, put it best: 'Even for those of us who work professionally with self-destructive countries, this was an exceptionally bad day.'" (Slate)

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