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Identifications
World's Richest A$$hole
Jared Paul Stern, appropriately, identifies the World's Richest Asshole. It's not Ron Burkle. More » -
field guide
So You Want to Be a Fameball?
Too often, random people contact us, begging to be covered as fameballs. What they don't realize is that fameballdom is an organic process. This guide will help your effort to become ubiquitous and despicable:
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year in review
The Best (and Worst) Sex Scandals of 2008
Amid 2008's many sex scandals, it was a miracle there was any time left to monitor an epochal presidential election. There were many genuine, dirty affairs — and some duds inevitably got overhyped. More » -
jared paul stern
Jared Paul Stern, A Manhattan Media Tragedy
I never thought the day would come when I might feel sympathy for Jared Paul Stern. When he was busted for trying to extort hundreds of thousands of dollars from Ron "I'm a billionaire, baby" Burkle back in '06, I wrote a dismissive piece about how Stern was such a scumbag in a scumbag industry that nobody should really be surprised. I would sum up my appraisal of him at the time with this word: "Scumbag." But times change! Stern's dogged pursuit of doomed lawsuits against the chuckling billionaire and a painful sex scandal have softened my heart. I may have been too harsh on poor JPS, after all. More » -
second cities
How To Grow Microcelebrities In The Comfort Of Your Own Second-Tier City!
Do you live in one of those "second-tier" cities that seems woefully bereft of despicable and/or overprivileged and whatever the case self-promoting social climbing youngs? Ever find yourself reading, say, a blog…and feeling just a twinge or a pang or whatever of envy for New York's thriving industry of microcelebrity manufacture? [JUST SAY NO.] But Kate Carraway, a writer in Toronto reflecting on that lofty matter of Jessica Roy, actually claims she does. "We have no Julia Allison, the current Wired cover star, and centre of much debate on media celebrity; no Sloane Crossley…" [sic] she laments. Nor do they have a Keith Gessen nor an Emily Gould nor even much, like, blow! "The NY media circus is ordered and replenished by an anxious, aggressive, semi-twisted sense of value, but value nonetheless," she writes, calling for "a collective pursuit of something better and more worthwhile." Well, Kate Carraway, if this is what you deem "better and more worthwhile," allow me to get service-y with you for a minute and and share with you an abridged and hastily-told tale of a group of anxious, semi-twisted twentysomethings who tried to do exactly what you aspire to do in their own "lesser" city. More »
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the awful ruth
Is This Mrs. Jared Paul Stern?
Jossip put up their pictures of Jared Paul Stern's wife Ruth Gutman sleeping with Deane Benbenek! [NSFW, duh.] Or, uh, pictures of what looks like Gutman having sex with a chubby guy. Benbenek, who provided the photos, is a chubby guy (he's on the far right here), and JPS isn't, really. So there you go. We put some SFW headshots of maybe-Ruth right here in this post in case you are curious, and still at work. More » -
the awful ruth
Random Guy's Shocking Claim: "I Slept With Jared Paul Stern's Wife"
You know whose life sucks? Jared Paul Stern. The man will never work in this town again after Page Six threw him out on his ass for allegedly extorting creepy supermarket billionaire Ron Burkle, and now Stern just sits around his house watching his defamation suits against Burkle and the Clintons get thrown out. Well. Now things somehow got worse. Because a guy named Deane Benbenek is pimping what is allegedly a video of him fucking Stern's wife to Jossip. Also: warrants and restraining orders!
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lawsuits
Jared Paul Stern Will Sue Ron Burkle Forever
Former Page Sixer Jared Paul Stern's defamation suit against billionaire creep Ron Burkle was recently tossed out, as we all know. But his nutty lawyer Larry Klayman promised an appeal! Unfortunately, that appeal can't go forward in New York just now. Klayman, who is insane, is not allowed to practice law in New York, and Stern's New York attorney just quit, saying his "military service is complete." Yeesh. Still, they'll hire a new guy and fight on. Why? Why continue embarrassing himself further? Stern explained why in a terse statement: "I've got nothing better to do than bury the fucker if it takes 20 years." Enjoy your gadfly, Ron! -
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tragedy
Jared Paul Stern's Lawyer Needs an Editor
Former Page Six gossip Jared Paul Stern famously lost his job when he was accused of trying to extort zillionaire supermarket magnate Ron Burkle. No charges were ever filed. So Jared filed a defamation suit against Burkle—and Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Secret Service agent Frank Renzi, flack Mike Sitrick, and Daily News reporter William Sherman. Bad news, Stern fans: a judge has dismissed the suit. He dismissed it with great prejudice and even a little literary criticism. "A New York State Supreme Court justice trashed Jared Paul Stern's lawsuit in his decision, saying it read more like a 'Mickey Spillane novel' than a carefully argued statement of law." Ouch. James Cain—or even Jim Thompson!—would be one thing, but you really don't want your legal brief reading as ham-fisted as a Mike Hammer book. Is this the end of little Jared? No. No, it is not. More » -
ron burkle
Tossed
Bad news for former Page Six gossip columnist, Jared Paul Stern, in his jihad against the billionaire who had him fired from his job at the New York Post. The upstate dandy's defamation suit against Ron Burkle and the supermarket tycoon's buddy, Bill Clinton, has been thrown out. -
Tabloid Television
Jared Paul Stern Murdered! (On TV)
The story of former Page Six scribe Jared Paul Stern and creepy supermarket billionaire/attempted modelizer Ron Burkle is being ripped from the headlines of two years ago for an upcoming episode of Law & Order. Daily News gossiper Ben Widdicombe reports that The Daily Show's Mo Rocca will play Stern. In real life, Burkle (who secretly owns Radar magazine and is a constant embarrassment to his bestest bud Bill Clinton) never did back up his claim that Stern had extorted him for $100 grand in exchange for powder-puff coverage, ended up the subject of even more bad press, and is now a defendant in a defamation suit brought by Stern that may well add to his humiliations. On TV, Stern will be dispatched with extreme prejudice. More » -
request for information
Times Removes Jared Paul Stern Blog Post
What happened to Jared Paul Stern's blog post for the Times? Earlier this month, Stern got his byline back into the well-groomed paper for the first time since he was accused of trying to extort money from billionaire Ron Burkle while working as a Post gossip hound. His piece for style blog the Moment, on the old-money clothing of William F. Buckley, was linked from Gawker March 9 and gone from the Times servers by March 12. The piece was a bit substantive by the Moment's fluffy standards but not, to my memory, remotely offensive. Does anyone have the faintest clue why it was removed? Did the Times get cold feet about working with Stern? Stern said he has no idea what happened, and the Times did not respond to two requests for comment over the past five days. Tips to ryan@gawker.com would be greatly appreciated. After the jump, an excerpt from Stern's Moment post: More » -
new york times
William F. Buckley's Clothes Help Jared Paul Stern Look Respectable
William F. Buckley, the dead conservative hero and crypto-fascist, had an "authentic WASPy style" of "frayed Oxfords" and "unpressed Brooks Brothers suits" that helped him look especially aristocratic, like he could afford to abuse his expensive clothes, according to Times blog the Moment. The post is a fun compression of weightier fashion writing, but is at least as interesting for who wrote it as for what it says. The post marks the return to the Times of Jared Paul Stern, the former Page Six writer accused of trying to extort money from a subject of his writing, billionaire Ron Burkle. Prior to the extortion allegation, Stern had contributed to the Times as well as to the Wall Street Journal and other publications. After the fracas, Stern said he had been trying to get Burkle to invest in his fashion business. Stern then parted ways with Page Six, signed a book deal that was later canceled and lately has been trying to break back into the news media with lifestyle writing, including recently on Style.com. Landing on the Times website with a piece about a highfalutin' intellectual will no doubt help Stern distance himself from the seedier image of his Page Six days. Try to imagine the following on Page Six: More » -
fops
Jared Paul Stern Knows Manly Offices
Jared Paul Stern, the ex-Page Sixer who ALLEGEDLY tried to extort billionaire Clinton pal Ron Burkle out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for good coverage, is keeping busy—in style. If you want to know how to decorate your office in a way "that won't make you look like an emotionally retarded teenager with his first credit card and a Sharper Image catalog," who better to ask than a foppish, scheming pseudojournalist? I can't think of anyone! So what's the recipe for a powerful office environment? "Manly wrenches." You're a natural, JPS! [Men.Style.com] -
we've got to get out of this place
Laurel Touby's Inability To Use The Internet Creates Mayhem
Last night, Mediabistro founder Laurel Touby wonderfully displayed her utter inability to use email. (Once again, we question how this woman founded an internet company and sold it for $23 million.) Rebecca Fox, Mediabistro's managing editor, had sent out an email alert that News Corp. had bought Beliefnet.com. Rebecca did not bcc the email list—and so her boss Laurel replied to all. Which started a most unholy email chain!
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bernie baby bernie
Joe Tacopina To Testify About Bernie Kerik's Lies
Gravel-voiced bulldog Joe Tacopina was a lawyer for corrupt former police commissioner Bernard Kerik—one that Kerik actually paid for services rendered. Because while the other guys were defending Kerik from pending indictments the old-fashioned "legal" way, Tacopina was, according to the U.S. Attorneys, passing on false information and obstructing justice—and that's the way you defend Bernie Kerik, dammit. (Back in April, Tacopina was praised to the heavens Page Six—and also used to represent former Page Sixer Jared Paul Stern and Foxy Brown.) Now Kerik's other lawyer may be tossed off the case for possessing non-privileged information about Tacopina's actions—and Tacopina will testify about Kerik's misdeeds. America is so cruel to its heroes. -
busted
The New York Law Journal reports today that Larry Klayman—lawyer for embattled former Page Sixer Jared Paul Stern in his quest for vengeance against Ron Burkle and anyone else—may not appear before New York state courts. (Klayman is only admitted in Florida, Pennsylvania and D.C.) Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Walter Tolub wrote in the decision that Klayman's record "evinces a total disregard for the judicial process." What, like, suing the Clintons 9000 times?? -
launches
Will Former 'Jane' Eds Make New Weekly 'Page Six Mag' Cool?
Remember Page Six The Magazine? The first issue, helmed by Jared Paul Stern, was a glossy brand extension of Richard Johnson's fiefdom. The second issue, published months later, was another decent, if seemingly random, attempt to further monetize the paper's gossip sheet. It was also presumably to give the celebrity weeklies a run for their money—though coming out once every eight months or so isn't the best way to instill fear in your competitors. But multiple sources confirm that Page Six The Magazine is coming back on Sunday, Sept. 23 as a weekly, and it won't look very much like its predecessors. Instead, it'll be more like the New York Times money-minter T. But can a glossy lifestyles magazine make it attached to a gritty tabloid?
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amicable partings
Jared Paul Stern's Book Has Been Cancelled
Remember ousted Page Sixer Jared Paul Stern's book Stern Measures, the "ultimate, definitive, non-holds-barred-book on the business that is gossip" that was set to be published in Fall 2007? Well, unfortunately none of us will ever get to read Jared's insights into "the behind-the-scenes machinations of moguls, celebrities, politicians; publicists and secret sources; the inside dish on the sometimes dirty business"—Simon&Schuster imprint Touchstone Fireside has mutually agreed with Stern that everyone's better off without this book. "We just decided it was better this way," EVP and Publisher Mark Gompertz told us. "These things happen. He got busy with a lot of things, and so much time had elapsed since the events [that got him fired]. It was through no fault of anyone's." Also! "I'm sure at some point he'll have a really great book to write." Wow. Guess sometimes breaking up is pretty easy to do. More » -
bust a deal and face the wheel
Tracking Our Celebrity Bloggers
152 days ago, New Yorker writer Malcolm Gladwell gave up blogging. Five weeks and three days ago, Spy founder Kurt Andersen gave up blogging. But former Page Sixer and current Clinton litigant Jared Paul Stern is back on the horse! He wins blog thunderdome! A round of applause, everyone. More » -
gossip wars
Rush & Molloy: Nello's Bribes Everyone!
Page Six's crazy—like a fox, perhaps—item today that laid bare some alleged misdeeds of the New York Post has reverberated far and wide. Even New York Daily News' gossip queen Joanna Molloy has been touched by the scandal! We asked Ms. Molloy what she thought about the allegations, particularly those that had to do with Richard Johnson's admission that he accepted $1,000 from restaurateur Nello Balan, presumably in exchange for favorable treatment. Turns out this was sort of a habit of Nello's! More » -
public relations industrial complex
Howard Rubenstein: "The Allegations Are A Disgrace"
Page Six's public denunciation of former employees Jared Paul Stern and Ian Spiegelman today seemed like an interesting public relations strategy. Why give Spiegelman's accusations of Page Six misconduct an airing right in the paper? So we called up the paper's PR daddy, Howard Rubenstein, to ask him about the thinking behind the item. "They said what they wanted to say publicly—and it's said by the editor—that the allegations are a disgrace, and we have nothing more to say," Rubenstein said. "And they wanted to present it all to the public." Well. Mission accomplished! More » -
gossip wars
Jared Paul Stern Lawyer: "They've Libeled Him Again"
"Lies & Smears Aimed At Post," blares the headline in today's Page Six. The item lists a whole bunch of allegations against Page Six by a former employee, Ian Spiegelman, that he'd made in an affidavit to fellow former Postie Jared Paul Stern's lawyer. Things like Post honcho Col Allan was "said to have received sexual favors" from strippers at Scores, and that Nello Balan (the restaurant and club owner) had given Page Six's Richard Johnson a $3,000 bribe in 1997.
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media
Media Bubble: Stalkers, Belchers, Etc.
- Are Ron Burkle & Eli Broad back in the Tribune game? How will Sam Zell's bid work? When will this fucking story ever end? [LAT] More »
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jared paul stern
The Story According To Jared Paul Stern And Larry Klayman
We've finally had a chance to read former New York Post reporter Jared Paul Stern's lawsuit against shopping-market magnate Ron Burkle, filed today. One of Stern's lawyers for his new lawsuit, Larry Klayman, has already sued the Clintons endlessly—some say crazily!—so it's no surprise that there's tons of anti-Clinton stuff in JPS v. Burkle and everyone else. But what else is the truth, according to Jared Paul Stern's filing today? More » -
jared paul stern
Jared Paul Stern Files Suit Against Ron Burkle, NYDN, Everyone Else
As promised, former gossip Jared Paul Stern has filed a complaint in State Supreme Court. From the AP:While Stern's primary beef deals with Burkle and the Daily News, he spares no one in his lawsuit. The lawsuit names another Burkle spokesman, his head of security, even former President Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. The Clintons are friends with Burkle, and Stern says they were all part of a vast conspiracy against him and the paper.
More to come shortly. Also: OMG! Also: Crazy! It's Burklemas! -
new york daily news
'Post' to 'Daily News': 'Kettle, You Are So Totally Black'
This morning, Page Six took on the "hometown hypocrites" over at rival tab the Daily News. To wit:The sad tabloid, whose circulation is dropping faster than a prom dress, purposefully misleads its readers when it covers The Post. Red-faced editors at the News were avoiding questions yesterday after claiming their paper had "first disclosed" details of the meetings between former Page Six contributor Jared Paul Stern and supermarket billionaire Ron Burkle, which led to a federal investigation of Stern that's now been dropped. The Post actually broke the story on its Web site on April 6, 2006, the day before the News published it.
We just had a couple of questions about this: More » -
jared paul stern
More on Jared Paul Stern's "Sweet Relief"
As the Daily Transom reported yesterday, disgraced former Page Sixer Jared Paul Stern has been exonerated. Wait, is exonerated the right word? We think we're actually looking for something more along the lines of "not not exonerated" — the federal case against the accused Burkle-blackmailer is being dropped due to lack of evidence. Anyway, today the Observer has more on how Stern is planning to turn the tables on Burkle and sue him for defamation, libel, and slander, which means that we're going to need some more photos of Stern in funny hats and pink polo shirts, stat. So what does his former employer have to say about all this? More » -
jared paul stern
BREAKING: Jared Paul Stern Not Charged
From the Daily Transom:Jared Paul Stern has been notified that he will not be charged with a crime by the U.S. Attorney's office.
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new york daily news
'Daily News' Can't Even Get Credit For Things It Does Right
An article on Sunday about some of the more captivating events in the New York region in 2006 referred incorrectly to a federal investigation of Jared Paul Stern, a former contributor to the Page Six section of The New York Post whom Ronald W. Burkle, the supermarket magnate, has accused of an extortion attempt. The investigation came to light when it was reported by The Post; it was not announced by federal authorities. In addition, allegations that Mr. Stern had been caught on video demanding a $100,000 payment, as well as monthly stipends, for keeping negative accounts of Mr. Burkle from the press were made by Mr. Burkle, not by federal authorities.
Funny, we remember someone else breaking that particular story. Sure, the News is the world's most boring tabloid, but give 'em some credit: It's all they've got left. More » -
top
Gawker's Personalities of the Year
As 2006 huffs toward its inexorable end, we decided to take a moment to recognize those personalities that made our job that much more tolerable this year. These are the people who gave us endless fodder for our douchebag mill, who were attracted to the spotlight like moths to a flame, whose stated disdain for our coverage of them was contradicted by their almost pathetic attempts to court it. The adage that there's no such thing as bad publicity has never felt more apt.
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jared paul stern
Jared Paul Stern Poorest He's Ever Been After Six-Figure Book Advance
As predicted yesterday, today sees the official announcement of Simon & Schuster's purchase of former Page Sixer Jared Paul Stern's proposal for his gossip tell-all (or tell-most), Stern Measures. The book's actually a personal acquisition of Mark Gompertz, publisher of Simon & Schuster imprint Touchstone Fireside. The Observer plumbs the depths of reaction near and slightly farther than near. "He wore a perfect hat, as I thought he might," reminisces Gompertz about his first meeting with Stern. Even though the deal was reputedly quite comfortable, Stern is still poormouthing his post-Payola Six lifestyle, mentioning that his wife, Ruth "Snoodles" Gutman, has had to take a job. "She is working at a local company that makes, like, gourmet foods," says Stern. Fellow disgraced Page Six gossip and author Ian Spiegelman put it less delicately: "Ruth is working at a fucking factory." The Observer piece also has a few updates on Stern's lawsuit versus nemesis Ron Burkle, and perhaps versus other as-yet unnamed parties as well. Official book deal press release after the jump, for those inclined to read such. More » -
jared paul stern
Exclusive: Jared Paul Stern Sells Book
We have it on good authority that former Page Six muckraker and alleged downshaker Jared Paul Stern has in fact sold his book proposal to Simon & Schuster, reputedly for six figures. Same working title (Stern Measures), and despite rumors to the contrary, the book will indeed contain a heapin' helpin' of Ron Burkle. Attempts to reach Stern for further details were met with stony, but somehow smug, silence. Publication target is late 2007; expect an official announcement tomorrow.
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jared paul stern
Woe Unto You Who Wearest The Fedora
According to Radar, disgraced former Page Sixer Jared Paul Stern has been hired by BlackBook as books editor. EIC Steve Garbarino rationalizes it for you: More » -
legal
Earnest: The New Slick
"There are only two kinds of cases I won't take. I won't take a pedophile I believe to be guilty and I won't take a terrorist."
Women's Wear Daily talks to Joseph Tacopina, esteemed defense counsel to folks like alleged shakedowner Jared Paul Stern and beleaguered teen paramour Diana Bianchi, not to mention Michael Jackson's manager and Aruban murder suspect Joran van der Sloot. Tacopina is almost militantly bland in comparison to his flamboyant client base, and that's his specialty — adroit, aggressive, tabloid-friendly PR manipulation largely (and disappointingly) devoid of sleaze. He's "earnest," you see, as opposed to "slick." And as long as you're not a (guilty) pedophile or terrorist, he'll be more than happy to represent you, Mr. Epstein. More » -
gossip
Bad News for Jared Paul Stern
So just how well are those gossip-biz inspired memoirs and novels selling? For the most part, things look bleak — save for MSNBC quasi-gossip Jeanette Walls. The lesson learned: if you're willing to sell out your parents as dumpster divers, you're golden. More » -
top
Exclusive: Jared Paul Stern's Book Proposal, Ghostwritten by Sammy "the Bull" Gravano
Because the world simply cannot have enough gossip industry-inspired novels and memoirs and no one in their right mind could ever tire of a man who dresses like the seersuckered incarnation of Mr. Peanut, we happily present the proposal for former Page Sixer and accused extortionist Jared Paul Stern's memoir. Luckily, we've snorted enough adderall today to happily transcribe most of the godforsaken hard copy, just so that we might share its hilarity with the world. The working title is Stern Measures (of COURSE), and if Mickey Spillane hadn't died, surely this would've killed him:
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payola six
Payola Six: Johnson and the FBI to Enjoy Romantic, Candle-lit Questioning
In media years, it's been nearly two decades since former Page Sixer Jared Paul Stern allegedly attempted to extort billionaire Ron Burkle. The snails at the FBI, however, haven't forgotten. Last month, the investigation was referred to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales for final review; it would seem that he's approved further work on the case, as New York mag reports that Page Six editor Richard Johnson has been "contacted for questioning by a group that includes prosecutors from the Southern District and federal agents."
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deborah schoeneman
Ex-Gossip Deb Schoeneman
Apologies for yesterday's to-do list, in which we suggested that you head over to the Bubble Lounge for some free champagne and readings from a slew of gossip writers. As it turns out, everyone backed out of the event — former Postette Bridget Harrison, Dana Vachon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Deborah Schoeneman all cancelled, leaving only ex-Page Sixer Ian Spiegelman at the podium (assuming he showed up, if only for the booze). More »Dodges Jared Paul Stern, Ian Spiegelman, and 65% of NYC Media





























