• Prince Harry likes it when his girlfriend calls him “Big Ginger.” Kinky!
• Guests of Eva Longoria and Tony Parker’s wedding have an extra swag-ger in their step.
• There’s nothing sleazy billionaire Ron Perelman likes more than pining away for his 7th grade crush sailing on his yacht with platonic friend Gina Gershon.
• Steven Spielberg is living in constant fear of his grandmother’s chaise lounge.
• ???I love big boobs on a woman,??? admits a totally heterosexual John Travolta. ???So I wanted [my character] Edna [Turnblad] to have them. My boobs and butt got a lot of attention on the set. The whole crew kept coming over and groping me. The scary thing is, I liked it.???
• Brandy takes a backseat to her porn star brother while waiting for that whole vehicular manslaughter thing to pan out.
The thing about eccentric billionaires is, they weren’t always eccentric. In fact, at one point, they were just nerdy high school freshmen, harboring delusional one-sided crushes on pretty, popular types who barely even knew they existed.
Which explains why Ronald Perelman’s entire billionaire playboy persona can, apparently, be traced back to a single episode of unrequited love and abject humiliation, dating back to the ninth grade.
CONTINUED »
• For banking $21 million in her jewelry auction, Ellen Barkin could’ve at least afforded a martini to throw in ex-husband Ron Perelman’s face.
• Madonna’s children’s book effort began with 350,000 copies sold of her first book. Post-African adoption scandal, her latest in the series has yet to move even five-figures worth.
• Paris Hilton’s wonky eye and Nicole Richie’s wrists hit the Victoria’s Secret fashion show.
• Sacha Baron Cohen faces another lawsuit from a movie subject who claims she was lied to. This, from a woman who won’t wipe Borat’s ass for him.
• That Jann Wenner has a son should put to rest the notion that gays in media can’t have kids.
• Lady models aren’t the only ones with drug problems.
Since the female side of the Ron Perelman–Ellen Barkin divorce is running her mouth all over town, you wouldn’t think the supermarket magnate half would keep quiet, would you? Certainly not. He’s in October’s Details magazine Q&A-ing with Jeff Gordinier.
Q: Do you have a favorite of your ex-wives?
A: I wouldn’t tell you if I did.Q: But do you?
A: Next question.
Obvious unasked question, especially on the heels of today’s news: Do you have a favorite of your ex-CEOs?
The local news channels – and, oh look, MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News, too – are all over the 3-story townhouse collapse on the Upper East Side. A gas leak is temporarily being blamed by some reports for the residential building’s destruction on 62nd Street between Park and Madison. Fox News, of course, is already covering its bases: “[During a situation like this] the Pentagon and White House take notice … there is no indication this is a terrorist strike.” There is also no indication this should be a national news story that all three cable networks should be focusing on. Except it’s New York. And something went boom. And rich people like Ron Perelman live nearby. And because this is not Homedale, Idaho.
• Robert Downey Jr. is speaking about his wedding weekend feud with Ron Perelman and Ellen Barkin, but he says his location switch had less to do with their photo policy on the estate and more to do with their wishes for unhappiness.
• Lindsay Lohan tried reaching out to foe Hilary Duff, only to have the starlet’s sister hang up on her. Hmm, perhaps she’s trying to reconcile in time for their Bad Girls shoot?
• Today show laugh track Al Roker hasn’t been seen in two weeks, even with the country’s biggest meteorological event taking place. Rumor had it he was just sick, but publicist Howard Rubenstein now says he’s going in for “minor back surgery.”
• Jennifer Lopez and Bordertown co-star Antonia Banderas are said to be elevating their professional on-set relationship to something a little more flirtatious, naturally pissing off Melanie Griffith’s lips and Marc Anthony’s skeleton.
• If Naomi Campbell can’t slap you in person, she’ll do it on a T-shirt. But the joke landed fashionisto Mal Sirrah on her blacklist with his shirt “Naomi slapped me… (on the front) and I slapped that bitch back! (on the back),” though Naomi’s camp says it’s more PR stunt than fact.
• Andre 3000 may not eat meat but he’s got no problem killing animals for the sake of fashion. He’s cutting off the tails of the endangered gray wolf to push his latest fashion must-have.
• It turns out Suge Knight shot himself at Kanye West’s MTV VMA party, which makes us less keen on feeling sympathetic.
• Not only did Robert Downey Jr. move his nuptials with Susan Levin from Ron Perelman and Ellen Barkin’s Georgica Pond estate to an undisclosed Amagansett locale, but he didn’t even invite his almost-hosts to the Saturday wedding! Downey arranged to sell pics of the wedding to Richard Desmond’s OK! magazine, but Perelman refused to let any snaps of his Creeks spread to be circulated.
• Jennifer Aniston’s home invader David Hesterbey faces six years in prison if convicted, though right now he’s pleading innocent. Meanwhile, Vinnie Vaughn’s girl secured a restraining order against him.
• Mad magazine is looking at a surprising rise in readership (must be that Jon Stewart) and is riding its success with the launch of two new titles: MadKids and Mad Classics.
• Jon Stewart’s new set loses the couch and, supposedly, turned the Daily Show host more ornery with his questions growing more “probing and incisive.” Just like a real fake journalist.
• Was Simon Dumenco on to something? It seems boring advertising isn’t just hitting September magazines, but major papers as well.