America's preeminent curmudgeon, Andrew Aitken "Andy" Rooney, was an American writer and reporter who was best known for "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney," the last segment on 60 Minutes. Rooney was also recognized for his eyebrows: white, long, and totally unkempt.
Over the weekend, a correspondent came across a white BMW S.U.V. It was parked just off West End, around the corner from Zabar's, about four feet from a fire hydrant. Its user, 88-year-old Andy Rooney, was wearing a white short-sleeve shirt and tan pants with white sneakers. According to our spy, his belt was right under his armpits and his eyebrows needed trimming. Also? His press card, taped to the windshield, the presence of which presumably made him feel he could hydrant-park, was long-expired. (Shouldn't he have his press vehicle card on the car—isn't this his working press card, and doesn't it say "Not for parking purposes" on the back?) Good for you, grumpy old maybe-racist column man! In any event, you'll all be pleased to know his registration doesn't expire until 2009 and his emissions is good through '08. You may be alarmed to know he's on the road in a large car though.
Andy Rooney kinda realizes that there's something slightly off-putting about calling all ballplayers "Rodriguez," just because you're an old white guy who feels uncomfortable about the changing demographics of both sports and our nation. More important: What horrible invective is Andy whispering to Katie Couric in this picture to make her look so horrified? [NYT]
· Edie Falco and Stanley Tucci's romance in Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune wasn't great acting. They were having an affair. [Page Six]
· An NYU professor is suing Madame Tussaud's wax museum after running into the glass entrance and breaking his nose. [Page Six]
· Socialite import and Vogue writer Plum Sykes is returning to England to finish her novel, Bergdorf Blondes. [Page Six]
· Overheard on Wall Street: "I'll tell you how bad I'm running. The Dow Jones and my cholesterol are now the same number." [Cindy Adams]
· Actress Meg Ryan: "I used to feel like a phony if I was out there with colored nails and a lot of makeup...but now I see that you can go a long way on that stuffthe nails, the breasts, the high heels, the walk, the deep voice. Men don't realize how manipulated they can be. They are really sitting ducks a lot of the time." [Liz Smith]
· Andy Rooney to Webster Hall curator Baird Jones: "I'm not about to start caring about how long my eyebrows are. I find that kind of vanity in a man abhorrent." Ex-con Abe Hirschfield was distributing press kits about himself at the media bias lunch sponsored by The Week. [NY Daily News]
