Ruth Reichl
Who: Formerly the chief food critic for the Times, Reichl was the editor-in-chief of Gourmet until the magazine's closure in 2009. She's now an editor-at-large at Random House.
Happy Birthday
Rachel Roy, the fashion designer and ex-wife of Damon Dash, turns 36 today. Actor Chad Lowe is turning 42. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is 50. Eddie Cahill of CSI: NY turns 32. Mario Van Peeples is turning 53. Shane McMahon, the wrestler and son of WWE chairman Vince McMahon, is 40. And singer Charo turns 59 today. A…
• Tom Colicchio says he has a new restaurant planned for 2010. [Eater]
• Todd English is creating a "food hall" in the basement of the Plaza. [NYT]
• Monkey Bar is getting a bit more democratic. The restaurant now has a phone number commoners can call for reservations. For lunch only, though. [TONY]
• Bouley and Allen…
Foodies Get Smug, Then Porn
Ruth Riechl got smug over her soul-food meal on a train and Michael Bauer's readers got porn from his tweets. The Twitterati learned to watch what they ate.
• A roundup of restaurants that just opened, or will open soon. [Eater, NYM]
• Sirio Maccioni's Le Cirque celebrated its 35th birthday last night. [NYT]
• Citrine in Chelsea was shut down by the city over the weekend. [Eater]
• Ex-Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl answered a few questions about the mag's demise (and avoided…
Ruth Reichl Does Not Read The Internet
Former Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl does not read this blog or Craigslist, which is causing her all sorts of trouble, in the media.
• Rupert Murdoch and John Malone are "interested" in a deal with NBC Universal, but have yet to pick up the phone and do anything about it. [THR]
• Condé Nast cut sales staff at W and Vanity Fair today and proved that no one is safe by dismissing the wife of a Newhouse family member. Some good news: magazines are…
Comcast's Plans For NBC; Blagojevich's New Gig
• Comcast is "leaning toward" keeping Jeff Zucker as NBC Universal's CEO if it goes ahead with a deal to buy take control of the company. [Bloomberg]
• The Fine Living Network will be rebranded as the Cooking Channel—and positioned as a Food Network competitor—in the second half of 2010. [AdAge]
• Some laid-off…
Madonna, Guy Ritchie in Fierce "Retard" Battle
Divorces are ugly business. That's what we can learn from today's gossip roundup, which includes Madonna and Guy Ritchie acting like children, Peter Brant taking on Stephanie Seymour's fashion habit and, on another note, the return of Tina Fey's Palin.
Another Bad Day For Magazines
The magazine bloodbath continues today. Condé Nast laid off staffers at Brides this morning, two days after shutting down Modern Bride and Elegant Bride. And rumor has it a big round of layoffs at Forbes is imminent. The good news? At least one former Condé employee got a free lunch today:
The Fallout at Condé Nast, David Letterman's Big Night
• The Condé Nast shake-up continues: A day after the company shuttered four titles, it's ousted the publisher of Details. And rumor has it the Condé cuts may now "inspire" similar such moves at Hearst and Time Inc. [AdAge, NYT, NYP]
• Ruth Reichl says she was completely surprised by the news Gourmet was closing. (She…
He Can Haz Gourmet?
A LOLcat mogul made a perhaps jokey offer to become Ruth Reichl's boss; Diablo Cody's baby craving became overpowering and Joy Behar made a David Letterman zinger. The Twitterati were all about wanting what you can't have.
The Friday Party Report
The Four Seasons celebrated its 50th anniversary last night and a predictably large crowd of media personalities, politicos, and powerbrokers turned out for the occasion. Just a few of the people on hand to celebrate the event with co-owners Julian Niccolini and Alex von Bidder (left, Erin Fetherston): Barry Diller, …
The Twitterati Feel Awkward, Innocuous, and Sad
Did you know Arianna Huffington's godson is so afraid of Gawker, he can't say its name aloud on Twitter? Or that Ruth Reichl can be bought? The things one learns from the media's Twitter addicts:
Saucy Twitterati Dream of Puppies Dressed as Gene Simmons
What did I learn from Twitter today? Diablo Cody thinks dicks are dicks, Ruth Reichl makes a mean Gene Simmons, and Michelle Obama has her own big-media stalkerblog. Excellent! More Twitterings from the media elite:
Did Bruce Willis Audition Mates?
Mid-week, everyone needs to freshen up. Barbara Walters craves a clean break from ABC, reportedly; Robert Pattinson needs a shower and Bruce Willis might never be able to wash off the slime.
Matt Bounces Back, Retirement Rumors for Babs
• Matt Lauer's "deer incident" won't keep him down for long. He's reportedly in "good spirits" after undergoing surgery yesterday to repair a separated shoulder and will be back to work in a few days. [Star]
• How did Bruce Willis meet his new wife, Emma Heming? He picked her out during a casting call, just like any…
Happy Birthday
Kate Moss turns 35 today. Page Six's Richard Johnson is turning 55. Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl is celebrating her 61st. Republican fundraiser (and cosmetics company founder) Georgette Mosbacher is 62. Strokes guitarist Nick Valensi is turning 28. Dr. Laura Schlessinger is 62. And the singer Sade is 50. Weekend…
Anne Hathaway Has A New Unsavory Boyfriend
