October 22, 2010
The original porntrepreneur, Bob Guccione, died this week at age 79. He built the Penthouse business in the 1960s and it exploded into an empire with 4.7 million readers by 1980. Guccione’s fortune peaked in 1988 with $300 million but the nineties”and all that free porn on the Internet”took a hard toll. The blue-eyed, gold chain wearing publishing magnate always wanted more. He convinced Gore Vidal to write the script for Caligula and queued up Helen Mirren and Peter O”Toole to star. But after Guccione threw in six minutes of hardcore sex scenes, Gore Vidal took his name out of the title and gave up his share of the profits. Sex sells”and makes enemies.
Madonna long ago gave up Jesus (Luz, that is, her younger model boyfriend). She’s now stepping out with a new backup dancer, Brahim Zaibat, who doesn”t seem comfortable with his new level of attention. The couple left the London nightclub Aura earlier this week and young Brahim (who looks suspiciously like Madge’s son, David Banda) covered his face with a scarf. When will the young ones learn”the paparazzi are your friends.
Oh look, everyone thought Beyonce was pregnant again this week. Turns out she’s not (or so says her mother, who may just be protecting her daughter’s privacy). Maybe it’s all for the best. The early rumors said it was a “surprise” pregnancy, and Beyonce still has another few albums to go before she needs to worry about starting a family.
First, you separate. Next, file for divorce. And third, open up to Redbook about your painful split. That’s the 1-2-3 punch for Christina Aguilera, who split with husband Jordan Bratman and is now saying it sometimes “feels impossible to get out of bed” amid all the “tears and sadness.” She skimps on the details”one report said the couple became more like friends than husband and wife after their son was born”but when (if ever) will Jordan start talking to the public?
Poor Mel. He tried to make a comeback too soon and all he got was a hangover. The hotheaded star was given a cameo as a tattoo artist in the upcoming film The Hangover 2. All good, right? Until the cast and crew protested to director Todd Phillips and Mel was unceremoniously dropped. From a cameo. That’s gotta sting.
Also in the doghouse this week/forever: Randy Quaid and his wife Evi. The couple evaded a court hearing so now $50,000 arrest warrants are hanging over their heads. The former Hollywood star is accused of squatting in his old home and both are charged with felony vandalism.
One of the perks of being a fashion editor is rolling around in mountains and mountains of free clothes. For Vogue Japan editor Anna Dello Russo, however, her fashion collection has taken on a life of its own. She has two adjacent apartments for her massive horde, including 250 tuxedo jackets and 4,000 pairs of shoes. “I hate vintage clothes,” she said. “I love the smell of a new store, not an old dress.”
Like we said last month, Prince Harry and Chelsy Davy broke up after she moved back to South Africa, but the ginger-headed lad isn”t resting on his laurels. He supposedly has his sights set on rock star Camilla Romestrand, lead singer of the not-really-famous band Eddie the Gun. One source says Camilla dished about spending the night at the Palace”and that Harry served her breakfast in bed. If true, she might want to remain mum about any other details. The royals don”t take too kindly to big mouths.
Harry’s also probably grateful the fictional documentary about him getting kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan debuted to miserable reviews and even worse ratings.
Daphne Guinness is much more fun to watch from afar. The Guinness heiress and provocative fashion “idol” is a horrible neighbor, alleges a new lawsuit that claims she let her bathtub overflow three times in her Fifth Avenue apartment, damaging the residence below. The beleaguered hedge fund executive who has the honor of living below Ms. Guinness wants $1 million to fix his flooded apartment. One wonders if all that partying isn’t the cause of her distraction.
And finally, the squeaky clean cast of Glee made headlines this week with a racy GQ cover spread. The Parents Television Council is crying foul because the actors, who play high schoolers on the show, are engaged in a “near-pornographic display” shot by Terry Richardson. Lea Michele, Dianna Agron, and Cory Monteith are actually all in their twenties. Agron responded with an apology, and this: “If your eight-year-old has a copy of our GQ cover in hand, again I am sorry…But I would have to ask, how on earth did it get there?” Touché.
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