Sunday, February 15, 2009

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Ashley Dupre's Presence Gets Fashion Publicist Fired Top
Ashley Dupre may be a hooker with a heart of gold, but designer Yigal Azrouël didn't want her at his show. Azrouël was so upset with Eliot Spitzer's infamous call girl perching in his Fall/Winter 2009 front row seats, that he fired front-of-house PR company People's Revolution. A no-nonsense, late night press release announced the news: "Following the showing of his Fall Winter 2009 Collection, Yigal Azrouël has decided to fire front-of-house PR Company, People's Revolution, for mismanagement." More on Eliot Spitzer
 
North Korea offers possible olive branch to US Top
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea is ready to improve relations with "friendly" countries, the communist country's No. 2 leader said Sunday ahead of a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to Asia. The remark by Kim Yong Nam, North Korea's ceremonial head of state, could be an olive branch to Washington before Clinton's trip _ even though it came amid reports the North is gearing up to test-fire a long-range missile in an apparent attempt to grab President Barack Obama's attention. Clinton was scheduled to depart Sunday on a trip to Japan, Indonesia, South Korea and China. "We will develop relations with countries that are friendly toward us," Kim told a national meeting held as part of celebrations on the eve of the 67th birthday of leader Kim Jong Il, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency. North Korea has also been escalating tensions with the South, declaring all peace pacts with Seoul dead in anger over the hard-line stance South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has taken toward it. In Seoul, outgoing U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill met with his South Korean counterpart to discuss Clinton's trip and heightened tension on the Korean peninsula. "We agreed that the current South-North relations are not desirable at all and the North should accept our dialogue proposal and should not aggravate the situation," said Kim Sook, Seoul's chief nuclear envoy. Hill declined to comment on the North's reported missile moves, saying only that he talked about the "concerns we have about (North Korea's) behavior of late." But the American envoy urged the North to honor its commitment to give up nuclear weapons. "We've had too many interruptions and the interruptions have slowed us down too much," Hill said, referring to stalled international talks on North Korea's nuclear programs. The negotiations are deadlocked over the North's refusal to fully verify its past nuclear activities. North Korea has reportedly moved a long-range Taepodong-2 missile to a launch site on the country's northeastern coast. The missile is the country's most advanced, and is believed capable of reaching U.S. territory. South Korean media have said a launch could come this month. Analysts say North Korea's saber rattling appears to be an attempt to grab Obama's attention so as to start negotiations where it can extract concessions, since the new U.S. administration seemed more interested in other issues such as Afghanistan and Iraq. Seoul and Washington have issued repeated warnings to North Korea over a possible missile launch. On Friday, Clinton urged North Korea not to take any provocative actions, saying Washington is willing to normalize ties with it in return for nuclear disarmament. Relations between the two Koreas have been frayed since Lee took office a year ago with pledges to take a harder line on the North. The two Koreas remain technically in a state of conflict because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with a truce, not a peace treaty. More on South Korea
 
Jay-Z On Rihanna: Imagine She's Your Sister Or Mom Top
Jay-Z struck a serious note Saturday when asked for his words of support for Rihanna. "This is a real situation," he said in Phoenix at the Sprite Green presents the Third Annual Two Kings dinner with Jay-Z and Lebron James, as part of the NBA All-Star Weekend. "You have to have compassion for others. Just imagine it being your sister or mom and then think about how we should talk about that," the hip-hop mogul, 39, continued.
 
NTSB: Plane didn't dive, but landed flat on house Top
CLARENCE, N.Y. — An investigator says the plane that crashed on a house in New York state landed flat on it and was pointed away from the airport where it was supposed to land. Steve Chealander (CHEE-lan-duhr) said Saturday that Continental Connection Flight 3407 did not dive into the house, as initially thought. Chealander says the New Jersey-to-Buffalo flight was cleared to land on a runway pointing to the southwest. But the plane crashed with its nose pointed to the northeast. He also says the catastrophic nature of the crash means it could take three or four days to remove human remains. Forty-nine people on the plane and one person in the house died in the fiery crash late Thursday. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. CLARENCE, N.Y. (AP) _ Crash investigators picked through incinerated wreckage Saturday, gathering evidence to determine what brought down a commuter plane that plunged into a home and exploded. It could take days to recover all human remains from the plot of land where a single-family home stood before Continental Connection Flight 3407 nose-dived into it late Thursday, National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Steve Chealander said. Experts were analyzing data from the black boxes, including statements by crew members about a buildup of ice on the wings and windshield of the plane, Chealander said. But authorities have yet to pin that as the cause of the crash, which occurred during a light snow and mist, killing 49 people on the flight and one man in the home. Ice on wings can cripple an aircraft and has been blamed for several previous plane crashes. Other aircraft in the area Thursday night told air traffic controllers it also experienced icing around the time that Flight 3407 from Newark, N.J., to Buffalo went down. Icing is one of several elements being examined by investigators, who plan to remain in Buffalo for another week before shipping plane parts to locations around the country for study, Chealander said. A full report will likely take a year, he said. "We're in the very early stages of the investigation," he said. "The icing and other things are just preliminary focuses." One aspect of the investigation will focus on the crew, how they were trained and whether they had enough time to rest between flights. Other investigators focused on the weather, the mechanics of the plane and whether the engine, wings and various mechanics of the plane operated as they were designed to. But recovery of the bodies will take priority over the investigation, Chealander said. The remains-recovery effort was being led by Dennis Dirkmaat, a forensic anthropologist from Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa., and a nationally renowned expert who led the recovery effort after United Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Pa., on Sept. 11, 2001. The crash site remained off limits Saturday, with police barring reporters and photographers from the neighborhood. Authorities still haven't released a list of the victims of the nation's first deadly air crash in 2 1/2 years, but reminders of the disaster were visible all around the Buffalo area. Flags flew at half-staff outside Buffalo Niagara International Airport and at Clarence Town Hall, the site of a command center set up by police. Family members of the victims were sequestered in a hotel Saturday where they were scheduled to meet with representatives of Continental Airlines. Police turned away reporters. The 74-seat Q400 Bombardier aircraft was operated by Colgan Air, based in Manassas, Va. Colgan's parent company is Pinnacle Airlines of Memphis, Tenn. ____ Associated Press writers Carolyn Thompson, William Kates and Larry Neumeister contributed to this report.
 
Noah Wyle's Thursday "ER" Return To Be One Of Many Vets Top
Wyle left "ER" after 11 seasons. This Thursday, he returns to Chicago's County General for a story arc originally intended to be three episodes until NBC extended the show's run by an additional three episodes. Several original cast members have paid a final visit to the show so far, with George Clooney and Julianna Margulies scheduled to drop in. Anthony Edwards, who played Dr. Mark Greene, appeared in a flashback. Eriq LaSalle, who played Dr. Peter Benton, directed an episode. Some of the actors who came on in later seasons, including Laura Innes, who played Dr. Kerry Weaver, and Alex Kingston, who played Dr. Elizabeth Corday, made their presence known behind and in front of the camera, respectively.
 
Cory Silverberg: Sexual Hope With A Happy Ending Top
Cory Silverberg will join Esther Perel, Amy Sohn, Leonore Tiefer and Ian Kerner for a conversation called "Sex in America: Can The Conversation Change?" The symposium is co-sponsored by the Huffington Post and Open Center and will take place in New York City on Friday, February 20th. Click here to register. Inspired in no small part by the inauguration of President Obama, the upcoming panel, Sex in America: Can the Conversation Change? is predicated on the idea that we're entering a time when greater change may be possible, and people are more hopeful for the future. What I like about the Obama school of hope is that it evokes change without denying the things that keep us down. But since Obama is unlikely to ever give a sexuality speech in the spirit of, say, his instantaneously famous speech on race , it's left to us to think about how this applies to sexuality. When I think of articulating a new sexual hope, what I imagine is us working together not just for healthier personal sexual expression. I imagine us as a society taking care of each other, sexually speaking. The truth is we don't all have the same rights to sexual expression. Nor do we all have the same freedom to experiment sexually without fear of physical harm or social marginalization. While the rights to privacy and to liberty might be as fundamentally American as the right to justice free of discrimination, those rights look very different to the middle class Virginia couple who are into BDSM than they do for a young woman living with Down syndrome in a group home. Both may feel threatened at times, but to ignore the differences isn't just to ignore privilege, it's to miss out on the amazing diversity of experience and expression. After all, regardless of what TV talk show ratings and self-help book sales suggest, not all of us aspire to be sexually normal. So perhaps the lesson the Obama school of hope has to offer the arena of sexuality is that we can see strength in an empathetic recognition of sexual diversity and that addressing structural inequalities--in access to resources material and ethereal alike--is not a source of shame, but a path to a more perfect sexual union. It's like the political equivalent of a happy ending. More on Sex
 
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Climate Change Models Predicted Devastating Australian Wildfires Top
AUSTRALIA may have just had a horrifying preview of what climate change has in store for its people. Even early warning couldn't stop last weekend's bush fires in Victoria claiming 170 lives and over 700 homes. Climate models based on figures from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predict more frequent - and more extreme - fires for southern Australia over the next few decades. Yet the role of climate change in recent fires has been downplayed, suggests John Handmer of the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre at RMIT University in Melbourne. More on Climate change
 
SNL: Jonas Brothers, Alec Baldwin, Jack McBrayer, Cameron Diaz & More (VIDEO) Top
Alec Baldwin hosted SNL this week with musical guest The Jonas Brothers, who also joined Baldwin for a skit and starred in the Digital Short. The show opening was a deluded Republican strategy session, seen here . During his monologue, Baldwin took a moment for a message. "I want to say, thank you Christian Bale, who has replaced me as the person most synonymous with recorded celebrity meltdown. Thank you Christian." He then called on fellow "30 Rock" cast member Kenneth the Page player Jack McBrayer, sitting in the audience, who proved to be more popular than Baldwin. WATCH: Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas were featured in the first skit, about the fourth Jonas Brother, played by a sax-toting, scarf-wearing Alec Baldwin, who's getting voted out. The skit poked fun at the Brothers, as Baldwin says of Joe, "He's not one of us, he has straight hair and his eyebrows look like they were drawn on with a Sharpie," and highlights their purity rings WATCH: Alec Baldwin and special guest Cameron Diaz stopped by the Cougar Den to prowl for young men: At Sir Mix-A-Lot Photo Shop, people can give the gift of huge butts to photos. "Who can see her wrinkles with an ass like that?" WATCH: The Nintendo Wii as masturbation: The Digital Short also featured the Jonas Brothers: More on Video On HuffPost
 
SNL Republican Meeting Mocked In Opening Skit, Dan Akroyd Guest Stars (VIDEO) Top
Dan Akroyd returned to Saturday Night Live last night to guest star in the show's opening skit, which pokes fun at Republicans for being the party of opposition and literally nothing else. They argue over whether Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh are smarter and decide the best line of attack is against the Obama kids. Also on the show, Alec Baldwin hosted, the Jonas Brothers were the musical guest, and Cameron Diaz made a surprise guest appearance. See those skits here . Watch the show opening: More on Video On HuffPost
 
TV SoundOff: Sunday Talking Heads Top
Good morning, Huffington Post people and welcome to your Sunday morning liveblog. You know, one of the great things about passing an economic stimulus package near Valentine's Day is that every wonk in town had at least one good pickup line this weekend. For other good ones , you need to follow Ana Marie on Twitter . DO THIS NOW! But now it's Sunday morning, and whatever national pride that's swollen in our pants over the economic stimulus package must be put to the ritual bonerkilling of Sunday Morning and its conventional wisdom merchants. Hmmm. I think maybe we're going to hear about how Obama's dream of bipartiparadise won't be as easily achieved as we thought? And also: blah blah. So sit back and enjoy and send emails and leave comments and pray for the sweet release of Stimpy, the lovable economic stimulator that will save our economy for a few days. FOX NEWS SUNDAY Chris Wallace is willing to call Stimpy a "victory" and the banking roll-out a mess and Judd Gregg a stumble and David Axelrod a "close confidant." Let's see what Ax has got to say. Apparently, we have a "vested interest" in an auto industry, and the auto industry must be willing to "look forward and not back" - which I guess means the auto industry will not be prosecuting people for war crimes. Who will do it, then? Starbucks? The professional bowler's tour? Meanwhile, Austan Goolsbee, and i have no idea if I'm spelling that right, says that Stimpy will yield some statistical bounce within six months. Axelrod says that he "doesn't expect the arrow to bend down," but soon enough, shovels will be in the ground, and firefighters will not be laid off. Bottom line: it will take time. What did Axelrod learn about the difficulties of bipartisanship? So much for those 80 votes, right? Ax says that you learn that "old habits die hard" but that Obama doesn't feel he's "wasted his time." In general, the Obama Way is being cast (recast?) as a long-term plan to build relationships with the opposition party that will lessen the rancor, if not win votes. I think that's in line with the way the campaign talked about "reaching out" on the campaign trail, but you can't help but feel that the White House sort of thought that the stimulus package might be important enough to move the needle far in the direction of "bipartisanship." Meanwhile, ugh, Tim Geithner. I'm still waiting for Geithner to give the sort of presentation that makes me stand up and cheer: "YES! YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY THE TAXES!" But not this week, right? Ax says that it's a "complex problem" that's "hard to penetrate," no matter how tumescent and stimulated we are. Wallace and Axelrod can't agree if Geithner had a goal or a plan or a strategy or an "overarching strategy" or a notion or a dream or a brainstorm. Wallace sticks up for the extraordinary Men Of Wall Street. Won't the cap on compensation result in a "brain drain?" Doesn't there have to be a "brain" there, to drain? Finally! Judd Gregg. You know, it's sad that a guy can't make fun of the Department of Commerce without getting a whole lot of earnest emails defending the organization. It was Friday, nerds! Don't care! Wallace runs down the whole litany of people who have bounced from the Cabinet. He's making a big deal out of the Chief Performance Officer. WHAT ABOUT THE CHIEF PERFORMANCE OFFICER? Jeez, Chris, between the two of us, I doubt we could explain what that person even does! Anyway, Gregg, a total mess. Axelrod says that Obama is considering what to do with all the stem cells, which could be rubbed on Toxic Assets, maybe. He says that he and Rahm are not the experts on the census, though, I get the feeling that many of you ladies would love to have Rahm come to your door and, uhm...count you, real good. Obama will continue to visit the American people as long as the poll numbers at his back remain crazily high. What do Eric Schmidt and Mark Zandi say about Stimpy? Zandi says it's "meaningful" but America is in need of a bigger package. He thinks that the White House is overestimating the number of jobs that Stimpy will create. Why? The jobs will be created slower than projected, the AMT Patch is counterproductive, and some people will probably behave like the tax cuts in the package are permanent. Schmidt thinks that Geithner is "about where he expects [him] to be." "The numbers are so large, I'd rather they get it right." Wallace wants to tag Geithner with something, so he asks Zandi about whether it was "disheartening" for the market. Zandi says it was, but Schmidt counters by saying that these short-term measures are, really, irrelevant. Schmidt says wait long-term, and see if banks start lending again. Job creation and confidence will steady the economy. Zandi thinks in housing, you start by keeping people out of foreclosure, but the heavy lifting comes in reducing overall homeowner debt. He also believes that we are not following the Japanese "Lost Decade" scenario: we are acting more quickly, our strategy is more varied, the stimulus is must shorter term. He explains that we'll be "stress-testing" the banks and determining whether we we put them into receivership, or hand them over to the Cylons. Schmidt's a big fan of the efforts being put forward to make the spending transparent, and thinks that it will be provide a number of good lessons that the government can use and grow more efficient and responses. Zandi thinks that the economy is in as bad a shape as he can remember, but the aggressive action from the government should make people feel confident. That was actually one of the better economic panels I've seen on Sunday, in terms of people taking these complicated issues and making them clear. Meanwhile, PANEL TIME. Bill Kristol hates reading big long bills! And he thinks the GOP will be in good shape, opposing the bill! And he thinks spending taxpayer monies in Athens, Georgia is bad, somehow. Williams says that Obama won in the eyes of the public, and the polling numbers reflect that overwhelmingly. But, in fairness, Kristol thinks the GOP's advantages will be all long term. Bill Sammon says that if Stimpy works, the Democrats will get credit, if not, they'll get blamed. He thinks, incorrectly, that the result is a "public relations disaster" and he spits the debunked "OMG! THIS BILL FUNDS PELOSI'S FAVORITE MOUSE." Sad that grown-ups pay Sammon to spit that sort of cliched goulash. MAKES YOU MISS SAD GNOME BRIT HUME. Kristol thinks that if Obama had put more stuff the GOP didn't want in the bill, that it somehow would have "split" the GOP. Or something! Sammon says that Geithner bombed and was vague, and I don't know, dude. When you are on a panel, you are supposed to provide insight, not exposition! Sammon is like the "Previously...on LOST" guy of politics. At least Mara Liasson has learned to take the painfully obvious and make it seem like cutting edge insight by raising her eyebrows and acting flabbergasted. Juan Williams says that Geithner's performance, being bad, was "an insult to geniuses." He's right, but Williams wouldn't know much about how geniuses are insulted. When I need insight into the minds of terminally unimpressive people, I look to Williams. Agh, the census. Williams wants statistical sampling and Sammon wants a hard count. Sammon says that the phrase "minor catalyzing issue" is the "classic oxymoron." I guess he thinks that's a good line, or something! He also says that Rahm is the equivalent of Karl Rove, though, in fairness, Rove never had to live in someone's basement and Rahm doesn't run around penning idiotic op-eds filled with leaden, thudding lies. THE CHRIS MATTHEWS SHOW I am IMing with Ana Marie today: Jason: What have I missed? Katty Kay is wearing a tracksuit, I think. Ana Marie: nothing Ana Marie: savannah Ana Marie: she's sweet btw Ana Marie: but white suit and black stockings not a good call Jason: Right, this is Savannah Guthrie, I think that this is her first time on the show. Ana Marie: dressed like an evil nurse Jason: She needs to take lessons from Norah O'Donnell. Who sent me an email this week and we are now boyfriend and girlfriend. Ana Marie: she is very sweet too Jason: Chris Matthews says that by opposing the stimulus bill, Republicans are "taking an unusual position." Naturally, this question goes to Andrew Sullivan. He says that the GOP are "insane" for picking the biggest crisis the nation is facing to start acting all principled. I guess because typically, their "principles" are more like "hobbies," as Jon Stewart says. Jason: Savannah Guthrie does look like she's about to treat a World War I infantryman for trenchmouth, or something. Ana Marie: and i'm sure she'd be cradle his head lovingly. Meanwhile, Chris Matthews gets meetings with Nancy Pelosi and stuff. Will the Democrats stick together on the "big ticket items?" Sullivan says yes. He says that the early defeats in the arena of "bipartisanship" are the lumps Obama has to take to make future legislation work. So he's not "making enemies." Everyone agrees that Obama will continue to reach out. It's difficult to determine if that's driven by Beltway klatchism or sincerity. Matthews shows highlights from the Obama press conference, but no mention of our Sam Stein? Shame. He actually asked a good question! And angered Mara Liasson, which is hilarious. Hey, Mara, here's my email . You let me know the next time you "break" some sort of "story," dear. Really, please do. Jason: Katty Kay is straight up freaking out at how big some of these CEO bonuses are! "I could buy so many tracksuits!" I am probably unfairly portraying Katty Kay as some sort of Lily Allen-style chav, today. Not true at all. Ana Marie: i love the tracksuit. Also she is sporting a gold tooth Jason: I am also glad that Howard Fineman's hair is back under control! He was on Hardball this week and I was like, "HOLY CRAP! Chris Matthews is interviewing a Mardi Gras float!" Jason: Chris Matthews says Savannah Guthrie is "too young to know about layaway." Sullivan does his "J'accuse" of modern life act, pointing out that we all bought our high standard of living on credit. I think that cannot be applied to me, unless buying New Pornographers tickets constitute a "high standard of living." Tell Chris something he doesn't know? Katty Kay says we've got a ways to spend before we become Swedish, or Japanese. Fineman says that the census is going to be a big issue. Savannah Guthrie says that Chris alreasy "knows everything," because she's young and wants to be back on the show. She says that the first movie the Obamas watched at the White House was The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button.
 
Frank Rich: Obama Wins Again Top
AM I crazy, or wasn't the Obama presidency pronounced dead just days ago? Obama had "all but lost control of the agenda in Washington," declared Newsweek on Feb. 4 as it wondered whether he might even get a stimulus package through Congress. "Obama Losing Stimulus Message War" was the headline at Politico a day later. At the mostly liberal MSNBC, the morning host, Joe Scarborough, started preparing the final rites. Obama couldn't possibly eke out a victory because the stimulus package was "a steaming pile of garbage." More on President Obama
 

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