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gossip
'Anderson Cooper's Big Fat Coming Out Party' (Updated)
What will Anderson Cooper be doing tonight? Unvogue Magazine says he'll be attending a party at the Sapphire Go-Go Lounge for their men's issue. It's been informally dubbed "Anderson Cooper's Big Fat Coming Out Party." [UPDATED: AC's denial below]:
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heroes
Billy Mays Hates Kids
The upcoming issue of Playboy has a profile of Billy Mays, in which the bearded, Bentley-driving cleaning product salesman reveals his ruthless desire to crush the dreams of children: More » -
tears of a clown
Exclusive: How GQ Made Glenn Beck Cry
Glenn Beck cries all the time because he's incapable of regulating his emotions. Also, it's a good image. Here's some deeply creepy and oddly transfixing behind-the-scenes video of Beck mugging and crying for the camera at his GQ photo shoot. More » -
private equity
Peter Thiel's Depressing May
Even as Wall Street rallied last month, Peter Thiel's hedge fund lost close to $25 million, according to leaked documents obtained by Valleywag. Maybe this is why the PayPal founder has been grumpily calling people "frauds." More » -
exclusive
ABC Internal Video Teaches Us How to Market The Smoking Clown
ABC's marketing department is so hardcore that they will get Mickey Mouse to hand out cigarettes to children if that's what it takes to get people to watch their crappy shows! More » -
vogue
The Utterances Of, And About, Anna Wintour
The 60 Minutes profile on Vogue editor Anna Wintour runs this Sunday. The publicity push is underway! We've learned who gets quoted in the upcoming segment—everyone else is screwed and unimportant: More » -
exclusive
Freddie Mac CFO Was Investigated by TARP after Suicide
The suicide last month of acting Freddie Mac chief financial officer David Kellerman apparently sparked an obstruction of justice investigation by the Troubled Asset Relief Program's special inspector general, Gawker has learned.
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exclusive
More On HBO's Grey Gardens: "The Hallmark Of Aristocracy Is Responsibility"
HBO's Grey Gardens — premiering April 18 — satisfies the hunger fans have for more on the Beale women better than pâté, ice cream and hotplate-boiled corn. We know, cause we got a copy. [Jezebel] -
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internal memos
Can Marc Ecko Pay His Rent? (Updated)
Last month it was widely reported that free-spending, once-cool designer Marc Ecko's empire was on the verge of bankruptcy. Today, we scored an internal memo from Ecko (kind of) reassuring his employees. And another rumor! More » -
exclusive
Perez Hilton's Birthday Party: The Sponsorship Pitch
Yesterday was Perez Hilton's 31st birthday! His star-studded birthday bash will be March 28th at LA's "iconic" Viper Room. And here's how his marketing firm is trying to sell people sponsorships of this once-in-Perez's-lifetime affair: More » -
exclusive
Teen Slay Suspect's Satanic MySpace Page
The 16-year-old who's confessed to killing radio newsman George Weber — identified as John Katehis by the New York Post — used MySpace to profess his love for sex, violence, knives and Satanism. More » -
exclusive
Meet Chris Dodd, the Senator from AIG
Two AIG executives fingered by the New York Post as recipients of blood-money bonuses donated to the presidential campaign of Sen. Chris Dodd, who is fighting off claims of coziness with the toxic insurer.
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exclusive
Another Exec Unfriends Facebook
Facebook is fun to use. But it's not a fun place to work — as confirmed by the defection of Net Jacobsson, a key executive in Facebook's effort to cash in on your life online.
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gossip
Memorial to Biggie Smalls Is Also a Paid Ad For Sweaters
Rappers have been dropping brand names in their lyrics for cash for years; it's tasteless, but widespread. But why would you turn a memorial track for your dead friend into a Coogi ad? More » -
exclusive
Obama's Chief Vetter Has His Own Tax Problem
White House general counsel Gregory Craig has seized control of Obama's vetting process after a series of nominees with unpaid taxes. But his wife's business may also have avoided taxes. Who vets the vetter? More » -
gossip
Daily News Gossip Girl Leaves For Greener(?) Pastures
Shallon Lester, the NY Daily News gossip girl who caused some hard feelings by trying to land her own reality show and posing for crazy magazine covers, quit today. To become a music flack! More » -
exclusive
Page Six Magazine Going Quarterly
Page Six Magazine, the glossy spinoff of the gossip column stuffed in your New York Post every weekend, is cutting back to just four issues a year. Because of money, yes. More » -
exclusive
Baltimore Examiner Folding
The Baltimore Examiner is closing 30 months after it launched because of low revenues. The Examiner chain of free papers will keep its San Francisco and Washington editions going. Memo below: More » -
Defamer Interviews
Defamer Corners Sundance Sophomore Bobcat Goldthwait
His manic persona may have ebbed, and his profile may have lowered since the 1980s. All the better for Bobcat Goldthwait, one of the unlikelier Sundance darlings we've run into this year in Park City. More » -
lapdance
Chaunce Hayden's Strip Club Movie Revealed!
If you're waiting anxiously for the Tucker Max movie release, you can look forward to this too: Jersey gossip Chaunce Hayden (pictured) has written a movie about stripper palace Scores. He sent us a summary! More » -
exclusive
Surviving 'Rosie Live' And Other 2008 Memories: A Kathy Griffin Fireside Chat
Kathy Griffin isn't just a frequent subject of our fair site—she's also a Defamer reader. And so, who better for us to interview to help make sense of the crazy Hollywood year that was 2008? -
angel at the fence
Exclusive: Excerpts of the Fake Holocaust Memoir
We got our hands on Angel At The Fence, Herman Rosenblat's fabricated book about a little girl who threw apples over a concentration camp fence. It's as hesitant as you might expect.
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public relations
This Year's Most Fashionable Holiday Party Accessories Are Black People
Now that Obama has been elected, a tipster inside a PR firm tells us, clients are demanding "an increased number of African Americans added to the guest list" at their holiday parties. In the spirit of hope! The email can't really be "verified," but appears genuine and is just too important not to share. This firm has even assembled an official internal "Diversified Holiday Guest List," in which they rank the top 10 acceptable black socialite attendees, in order of desirability. Uh... yes we can? After the jump, meet the fashion world's ten favorite African-Americans for Obama-era parties. Jesus christ:
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the reader
Director Stephen Daldry on Sex, Moguls and Surviving 'The Reader'
The culmination of our dedicated coverage of The Reader — from Rudin/Weinstein blow-ups to Oscar prognoses to its sexual audacity — arrived this weekend when director Stephen Daldry phoned Defamer HQ. "Sorry, I overslept," he said in his dignified brogue — a forgivable lapse under the circumstances, with his Kate Winslet film following his Billy Elliot stage adaptation by mere weeks on his late-'08 calendar. Nevertheless, we got him properly caffeinated and settled in for a rousing installment of Five Questions (plus one, just for appropriate awards-season breadth): -
gossip
Daily News Gossip Shakeup: Jo Piazza Out, Gatecrasher Returns
The New York Daily News has trailed the Post's Page Six in the New York gossip wars for a long time. Now the paper is blowing up its gossip columns and starting over. Two major changes went down today. First, husband and wife gossip team Rush & Molloy announced this morning that they'll be moving from a daily column to a Sunday-only schedule, after more than 13 years. Second—and more dramatic—we hear that Jo Piazza, who wrote the paper's Full Disclosure column, has resigned. More » -
john norris
John Norris A Victim Of MTV Layoffs?
The 850 layoffs at Viacom today—including hundreds at MTV—are claiming the livelihoods of tons of hardworking people who did their jobs well without ever receiving fame and fortune. And just like when a jumbo jet crashes with hundreds of souls aboard, the first question is: "Were any celebrities involved?" You know you were thinking that, you heartless swine. Well (according to an unconfirmed rumor from an inside tipster), your third-favorite MTV correspondent-for-life, John Norris, was laid off today. After the jump, we've got other reports from the Viacom scene. More » -
dan abrams
Dan Abrams Responds: 'We could not be taking ethics any more seriously.'
Former MSNBC host-turned PR employer of media people Dan Abrams has sent us a response to our coverage of his project, in which we pointed out that being a journalist and a corporate consultant at the same time is a conflict of interest. You can judge it for yourself, but we should note that, 1: If media reporters gave free passes to all friends and/ or former colleagues, media reporting would be even worse than it is now, and 2: Like we said, we're not allowed to sell out until after we've been laid off. Permanently. Here's his full note: More » -
advertising
The Infamous Ad Agency Sex Tape
If you have a romantic view of the ad industry from watching Mad Men, this may end it forever. Yesterday Agency Spy broke the news that the ad industry had ground to a halt (not just because of the recession) as everyone spent their time forwarding a video showing two ad agency people having sex in an office. We speculated that it would eventually come out. And, well, it did. The video is amateurish, and the sex isn't sexy at all. Think more Pete Campbell and less Don Draper. Use discretion, one and all. We've semi-censored it, but it's still probably NSFW. -
ap
AP: 10% Staff Cut In 2009?
We're hearing from a good source that Tom Curley, the head of the Associated Press, just held a town hall meeting to tell employees that the AP "will lose 10% of its staff next year." At a current headcount of over 4,000 employees, that would translate to at least 400 jobs lost, which could theoretically come through either layoffs or voluntary buyouts. Several cash-strapped newspapers—including the entire Tribune Co.—have recently announced plans to drop their AP subscriptions. Still, this would be a massive cut for what has always been one of the steadiest possible realms of journalism. AP employees with more details on this, email us. UPDATE: The AP has sent us a statement, which doesn't contain any numbers but acknowledges that cuts may be coming—though mostly through attrition, they hope: More » -
exits
Is Yahoo done with search?
Among the many windmills Jerry Yang tilted at in his brief career as Yahoo's CEO was his devotion to Web search. It veered on an obsession for him. It played into his decision to resist Microsoft's offers to shower him with cash, first for his whole company, then for just its search business. Is it a coincidence, then, that Yahoo's top search engineer has left a day after Yang stepped down? A tipster tells us Sean Suchter resigned yesterday, and speculates that he may be joining Microsoft. More » -
ashley alexandra dupre
ABC Lands First Interview With Spitzer Hooker?
Is everybody ready for some sweet prostitute interviewing? A tipster tells us "100% reliably" that Ashley Alexandra Dupre, the famous Eliot Spitzer hooker, sat down for her first-ever prime time interview yesterday. Our source says that Diane Sawyer filmed the interview for ABC at a midtown studio, in secret, and that the network is planning to air it next Friday. The network hasn't announced it yet, so you heard it here first, assuming it happens. The other, less solid part of this rumor involves how Ashley got paid for her time:
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american apparel
Employee Suing American Apparel Once Defended Them
Earlier today we told you how oft-sued American Apparel chief Dov Charney is being sued again—this time by Roberto Hernandez, an ex-AA employee who says he was fired from his IT job in 2006 after he refused Dov Charney's request to cook the books to make the company look more financially attractive. His complaint also includes descriptions of AA as a pervy workplace where Charney held staff meetings in the nude. But there's a new development: a source at AA has just sent us a statement that they say Hernandez himself wrote in August, 2006 defending Dov Charney from an earlier lawsuit, contradicting some of same allegations that Hernandez himself is now making:
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new york times
Fake New York Times Declares Iraq War Over! Here's Who Did It
The Iraq War is over, according to the fake New York Times! This morning a cadre of volunteers has fanned out across New York City to pass out a remarkably good, faux-copy of the Times dated July 4, 2009. They've even set up an entire website with all of the liberal fantasy headlines. Universities to be free! Bike paths to be expanded! Thomas Friedman to resign, praise the Unitarian Jesus! It's not funny like The Onion, but obviously a lot of work went into this. Now we play "Who did it?" We already know!:
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jordan carlos
Jordan Carlos Tackles The Obama Comedy Crisis!
Now that our nation has gone and elected a popular black man with no clear signs of dementia as president, it's obvious that our Crisis Of Comedy is a most vital public issue. Nerdy white comedians have no idea how to make fun of Obama! Never fear. We reached out to Jordan Carlos—professional comedian, Stephen Colbert's black friend, and a guy we once tried to assert (unsuccessfully) would be a better Saturday Night Live Obama impersonator than Fred Armisen—for his take on the future of Obama comedy. Exclusive Jordan Carlos Analytical Comedic Essay Below! More » -
viacom
Ominous Viacom Memo: Need To 'Dramatically' Reduce Spending
Rumors of pending layoffs at Viacom have been floating around for weeks now. The media conglomerate is in terrible debt, and just yesterday announced that it's canceling its holiday parties from coast to coast. Today, a tipster has sent us an internal memo from Bob Bakish, the head of MTV Networks, that grimly alludes to "unprecedented economic challenges" that have caused a hiring freeze, and will affect spending "dramatically" through the entire coming year. Will the company start off the new year with a round of layoffs? Eminently possible. Bakish's full internal email, after the jump: More » -
Neel Kashkari
Neel 'Ferrari' Kashkari: The US Bailout Chief's Epic High School Yearbook
Neel Kashkari is the intense young man tapped by the Treasury Department to lead our nation's financial bailout. The national media could paint only the most basic picture of him: a high-achieving Republican ski bum who rose quickly from Wharton to Goldman Sachs to, today, a position of national import. But guess what, friends: we have obtained Neel's 1991 senior high school yearbook page. Yes, the same page that a former teacher at Neel's school told us truly reveals his egocentric, douchebag nature. And it is epic. Rush quotes! Bush quotes! And the infamous Ferrari! Luxuriate in the awesomeness of our savior:
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Neel Kashkari
Neel Kashkari: Preppy High School Jerk?
After the young, bald, intense Neel Kashkari was named last week as the unfortunate bastard who will lead the government bailout of Wall Street, all the media was scrambling to find out anything about his background. Besides the fact that he's a Republican ski bum, they haven't really turned up a single iota of dirt on Neel. But we have, possibly! Fellow Americans: Was our new Head Of Money a Ferrari-posing, flag-waving, "egocentric jerk" in high school?
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maps
The Neighborhoods Of Post-Recession New York
If NYC residents could hope for anything good to come out of this economic crisis, it would be this: the rollback of gentrification. The Observer is already writing trend stories on it, whether it happens or not! Are you worried about whether your current neighborhood will remain safe for yuppies once the economy tanks? Click through for our citywide, neighborhood-specific map showing the fate of post-recession NYC; you may not be pleased, hipsters:
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hip hop weekly
Rage Of The Unpaid: Hip Hop Freelancers Revolt!
Hip Hop Weekly is an execrable, half-assed attempt at a hip hop version of Us Weekly. HHW was founded a couple of years ago by Dave Mays and Benzino, the guys who ran The Source into the ground through sheer selfishness before being forced out. Suffice it to say there's no reason to have a sympathetic view of the magazine's existence. Which makes this epic email fuckup on their part—reprinted below!—that much more enjoyable:
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Poster Boy
A Poster Boy Exclusive
After lots of slobbering positive reviews on our part, the anonymous subway ad vandal known as Poster Boy has finally made contact. And he sent us a present: an exclusive Photoshopped work (after the jump). Which is outside his usual methodology, but hey, since this kid is on his way to being a star, it just makes it that much more special. You can all say you knew him way back when. Suck it, New York magazine: More »













































