It’s one thing to tell the story of Fabian Basabe‘s racially-charged Hamptons debacle, but it’s so much more interesting to learn how the gossips got ahold of the story. Because really, without gossipists, Fabian would be another child of a semi-wealthy father with Paris Hilton aspirations. (And dont’ get us started on what Paris would be without this industry.)
So how did a rafter-swinging Basabe land double leading items?
Mr. Basabe???who flew to Bologna on Monday, according to Rush & Molloy???didn’t return The Transom’s e-mails.
But Jo Piazza, one of the sassy young reporters of the Rush & Molloy column, did. ???I wasn’t even in the Hamptons all weekend (I’m a truant gossip reporter), but by 3 p.m. on Sunday I had no fewer than six voicemail messages detailing dear Fabian’s late-night exploits at the Star Room,??? she wrote. ???The story had all the elements of a great gossip tale: drunken dancing, swinging from the rafters, ambiguous sexuality and racial tension.???
???I started getting texts about it on Sunday,??? said Page Six’s Paula Froelich by phone. (Yes, be paranoid! Everyone around you is a cell-phone-wielding informant???except, of course, Ms. Grubman.)
And how did Mr. Basabe happen to score the tabloid twofer? ???Every time we get an item,??? said Ms. Froelich, ???he calls up the Daily News and says, ???This is what Page Six has to say.’ That’s a plot to get more and more press ???. Fabian, like Paris [Hilton], has figured out how to get famous over nothing. And I give him credit: He’s done a great job. Hey???he taped an Oprah three weeks ago.???
It pains us to think the rumor masterminds behind Page Six and the Daily News bow to this kind of pressure. We mean, that’s more our level.