Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Media-Whore D'Oeuvres (Princess Kemeria Abajobir Abajifar Edition)



(image via ethioplanet)

"COUNTESS LuAnn de Lesseps -- who split from husband Count Alex after the second season of Real Housewives of New York City -- might be reconciling soon. The count, who is not swimming in money, rented a St. Tropez villa for 100,000 euros for the summer to impress his girlfriend, Ethiopian Princess Kemeria Abajobir Abajifar (above), who brought her two kids to play with the Lesseps' spawn, Victoria, 14, and Noel, 12. 'Things did not work out,' reports our Riviera spy, who said the princess' behavior seemed less than noble, 'her manners leaving a lot to be desired. After one week Count Lesseps ordered everyone out of the house and is now trying to reconcile with, you guessed it, good old LuAnn from the good old US of A.' LuAnn's rep confirmed, 'It's true Alex got rid of the girlfriend,' but added that LuAnn was in the South of France separately and not cohabiting with her husband." (PageSix)



"Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday called for a radical rethinking of the global economy, criticizing a growing divide between rich and poor and urging the establishment of a 'world political authority' to oversee the economy and work for the 'common good.' He criticized the current economic system, 'where the pernicious effects of sin are evident,' and urged financiers in particular to 'rediscover the genuinely ethical foundation of their activity.' He also called for 'greater social responsibility' on the part of business. 'Once profit becomes the exclusive goal, if it is produced by improper means and without the common good as its ultimate end, it risks destroying wealth and creating poverty,' Benedict wrote in his new encyclical, which the Vatican released on Tuesday. More than two years in the making, 'Caritas et Veritate,' or 'Charity in Truth,' is Benedict’s third encyclical since he became pope in 2005. Filled with terms like 'globalization,' 'market economy,' 'outsourcing,' 'labor unions' and 'alternative energy,' it is not surprising that the Italian media reported that the Vatican was having difficulty translating the 144-page document into Latin." (NYTimes)



"The standard White House playbook has changed permanently, political watchers say, and that’s why four governors may prove prescient in the seemingly unusual choices they’re making about their political futures. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) has decided to run for Senate, abandoning the top spot in a state rich with political donors and prestige. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) announced she’ll resign later this month, stepping down from a job she has held for just two and a half years. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) said last month he would not seek a third term, meaning he will have been out of office for nearly two years by the time the 2012 election rolls around. And Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) has accepted President Obama’s offer to become ambassador to China. It’s not the traditional way to become the leader of the free world." (TheHill)



"Miami and Palm Beach began the 20th century with similar architectural and cultural aspects; today, they are light years and worlds apart. Palm Beach never wearies of recreating the past, its streets on display like an antique shop's imported fineries; Miami is always reinventing the past, its skyline anxious to show a dash of Dubai or Hong Kong." (NYSocialDiary)

"NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg hopes to create 8,000 jobs from a year-long project designed to prop up the city’s struggling media industry. The plan unveiled today involves encouraging partnerships among traditional and digital media, as well as academics, retaining talent in the media sector and attracting foreign media companies while helping NYC-based businesses expand abroad. It’s being spearheaded by the quasi-public/private Economic Development Corp., which launched the planning phase last November. The city claims its media industry employs more than 300,000 people, making up nearly 10 percent of NYC’s private workforce, and accounts for $30 billion in annual revenue." (David Kaplan/Paidcontent)



"By most accounts, the Armani Privé shows in Paris are less manageable affairs than the brand's superbly-orchestrated runway spectaculars churned out twice a season in Milan. After all, the VIP section in the Palais de Chaillot is more difficult to quarantine than Armani HQ's in-house theater designed with fashion shows in mind. At this morning's show, an unusually large crop of A-listers arrived in Paris to support Mr. Armani. Leading the charge? Megan Fox, who was immediately trounced on by the camera crews. In fact, the journalists were so preoccupied that Cate Blanchett arrived completely unnoticed from a backstage entrance, followed closely by Elsa Pataky." (FashionweekDaily)

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