“As a big job creator, I was greatly honored to have been mentioned twice tonight during the debate.”
Donald Trump Becomes Talking Point In Presidential Debate
Through no finagling of his own, Donald Trump garnered prominent mentions during the first presidential debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney at the University of Denver on October 3. During a rambling tit-for-tat over tax policy, President Obama said that, “under Governor Romney’s definition, Donald Trump is a small business. I know Donald Trump doesn’t like to think of himself as a small anything.” That was one of the only zingers Obama recorded during the evening, and HuffPo reported it was an accurate assessment. Trump’s claiming business income on his personal tax returns technically qualifies the real estate mogul and Romney cheerleader as a small business under the G.O.P. nominee’s plan.
Never one to shy away from the spotlight, Trump took to Twitter in response to the notable, albeit derogatory, namedrop: “As a big job creator, I was greatly honored to have been mentioned twice tonight during the debate.”
Anna Wintour Bears Brunt Of Local Fashion’s Night Out Criticism
Like an on-trend frock or model-courting nightclub, three years after surfacing Fashion’s Night Out is starting to look long in the tooth. At least according to SoHo residents, who have seen the democratic retail outing started by Anna Wintour devolve into “a zoo” since its inception in 2009.
On September 6, hordes of dolled up shoppers were put out on the streets when participating boutiques closed their doors. That the stores plied many of the revelers with unlimited free booze resulted in some rowdy behavior once FNO drew to a close. One mob stomped on the roof of a car at Bleecker Street and Broadway before smashing its window…while the terrified driver cowered inside. The SoHo Alliance and NoHo Neighborhood Association spoke up in an email to Gothamist: “This year it really turned ugly. Police were scarce. Violence and destruction erupted on Broadway. One victim says it took twenty minutes for the NYPD to arrive!”
Wintour was singled out for bringing the raucousness to the area. “”We think Anna Wintour, who lives in a townhouse on Sullivan Street, should be held responsible for creating this zoo in her neighborhood,” noted the email. “Perhaps a demonstration in front of her home would get her attention?”
Jay-Z Tells New Fans To Leave Concert Before Encore, New Fans Comply
At least one music critic in the sold out crowd at the Barclays Center on October 1 took fault with the fourth of eight Jay-Z concerts at the new Brooklyn arena, though his biggest gripes were with the audience, not the hip-hop king. HuffPo’s Kia Makarechi praised Jay’s showmanship and deep, decades-spanning setlist. If only audience members, particularly those in the good seats near the stage, had shown similar appreciation.
“There were some die-hards, to be sure,” Makarechi wrote. “But such was decidedly not the case in the lower section…where scores of people barely moved with the beat. We’re talking people sitting down during Heart of the City, hardly an unknown track from the catalogue. These same people, it’s worth noting, popped up to Instagram Jay’s rendition of Empire State of Mind. In the three times I’ve seen Jay live, I’ve never seen such behavior.” In defense of the crowd, Makarechi did take issue with murky, tooloud sound, a worrisome issue at a brand new major venue during a much- ballyhooed opening stand from a hometown hero.
Jay seemed to recognize the presence of faux fans too, and (somewhat) jokingly asked them to exit the arena before his encore. “If you just came in on The Black Album, you got some research to do,” said Jay. “If you came in on Blueprint 3, we love you but you got some research to do. This is for people who were there from the start.” About 20 people in Makarechi’s section followed instructions, though maybe they were just trying to beat Barclays-generated traffic.
Ralph Lauren Show Draws Fashion Week Interloper Ryan Lochte
Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte capped his hectic, unlikely Fashion Week with a trip to Ralph Lauren’s Spring 2013 show on September 13. (Lauren designed America’s 2012 Olympic ensembles, which Lochte modeled.) The handsome gold medalist and aspiring designer was a Fashion Week fixture, mingling with Anna Wintour and shimmying through the Jeremy Scott show beside Tyra Banks. Known for his unfortunate affinity for American flag grills during the London Olympics, Lochte has completed a striking style transformation and dazzled onlookers at the Lauren presentation in his immaculately tailored suit.
The Lauren runway also drew the designer’s family with the Laurens Dylan, David and Lauren Bush filling the front row.
Barry Diller Launches Bold New Publishing Platform With Scott Rudin
IAC chairman Barry Diller is teaming with top film and theater producer Scott Rudin to launch Brightline, a multi-platform publishing house. Atavist, a Brooklyn-based firm that releases multimedia nonfiction on the iPad, is an additional partner and Frances Coady, formerly of Vintage UK and Picador, will be president and publisher. Brightline hopes to get off the ground next year by publishing literary and nonfiction “e-shorts.” From there, according to Coady, the books will get longer and, in a somewhat surprising twist, the company will expand to old-fashioned hardcovers and paperbacks.
IAC will invest $20 million in Brightline, with additional money going to Atavist. Coady’s publishing bona fides are clear. And Rudin, a constant presence at the Academy Awards, has been the famously temperamental force behind movie adaptations of novels like No Country for Old Men, Notes on a Scandal and Wonder Boys.
News
October 26, 2012By Design: The Pratt Institute's Dr. Thomas F. Schutte
