Dita Von Teese, the only burlesque queen that your mom knows by name, is currently plugging her new beauty book. In an 2600 word interview with beauty site Into The Gloss, she runs through her makeup routine in heavy detail. She also briefly talks about how she and ex-husband Marilyn Manson used to dye their hair black together, which really just warms your little black heart.
Billionaire Richard Lugner—Austria's prince of nouveau riche—pays an estimated $150K each year for a celebrity escort to the Vienna Opera Ball. Lindsay Lohan landed this year's gig—but apparently bungled the details so badly, Lugner said das fuggedaboudit.
The King of Pop, in his infinite grace and wisdom, has returned to the mortal realm by making his face appear in an ultrasound of fetus inside a British lady's uterus.
Naomi Watts turns 41 today. Billionaire hedge fund founder Paul Tudor Jones is turning 55. Teen queen Hilary Duff is turning 22. Glenn Lowry, the director of the Museum of Modern Art, is 55. Mira Sorvino is 42. Janeane Garofalo is turning 45. Dita Von Teese is 37. Director John Sayles is 59. Bam Margera is turning 30. Artist David Salle is 57. And the legendary Brigitte Bardot turns 75 today.
• Did Beyoncé really send a look-alike to stand in for her at an art museum in Vienna so she could go shopping instead? That's what many Austrians seem to think, and the museum now says it plans to issue a protest. And here we were thinking decoy body doubles were just for presidents and mafia kingpins. [AFP]
• James Gandolfini erupted at a group of paparazzi outside the Waverly Inn the other night. Fortunately—for the drama-loving masses, at least—they kept their cameras on during the episode and it was all caught on tape. [TMZ]
• Real-life roommates Chace Crawford and Ed Westwick might be splitting up, since Chace is reportedly looking for a loft of his own downtown. [P6]
• Mel Gibson and Russian singer Oksana Grigorieva made their first public appearance together last night at an X-Men screening in LA. [People]
• Strippers at Sapphire East's opening were supposedly told not to take their clothes off until after Samantha Ronson finished her set, since she's "so girl-crazy, she can't concentrate." [P6]
• Is Madonna's relationship with Jesus Luz purely platonic? The two are "quite close and cuddly, but not exactly romantic," and Jesus was spotted at a Kabbalah service "playing around more with Rocco than paying attention to Madonna," which can't be a good sign. [E!]
• Did marrying Tom Cruise ruin Katie Holmes' chances of ever having a movie career? Is Tom's sister secretly handling his PR even though she pretends to just be his assistant? So many questions! [Fox 411, P6]
• Amy Winehouse's estranged husband Blake Fielder-Civil was released from jail yesterday. [The Sun]
• Martha Stewart's old friend Sam Waksal is now out of a halfway house and "ready to get back to work trying to find a cure for cancer." [NYDN]
Depending on your perspective, it's either a reassuring indication that the global recession can't be as bad as all that, or the kind of tasteless display of decadence that no longer has any place in the new economy: Couture fashion week in Paris is currently underway with shows as lavish as ever, even though you'd think that dresses costing a quarter of a million dollars might have a slightly shrinking client base. Dior designer John Galliano, who put on a show yesterday that cost around $3 million, points out that his job "is to make women dream. Of course I'm aware of the credit crunch, but it is not a creative crunch—not at the house of Dior, anyway."
Hollywood PrivacyWatch: 11/23 — Was at the Grove to have a bite at the Farmer's Market and to see a movie. At the Farmer's Market I saw a woman who looked like DITA VON TEESE all dressed up in a black dress, pale makeup and of course the very red lipstick. She was with 2 other women who were dressed almost exactly like her. If it wasn't her, it was a good carbon copy. Later, I saw JACK STEHLIN from Weeds in Starbucks with what looked like his family. Very unassuming and seemed friendly. On the way to my car I saw MIRA FURLAN (crazy French lady from Lost), rushing across the street. She was dressed in an outfit that could have been actual Lost wardrobe. She's very pretty. [Hollywood PrivacyWatch is written by and for Defamer readers; send your sightings to tips@defamer.com.]
♦ Milan Fashion Week's climax was yesterday's Dolce and Gabbana show attended by Jennifer Lopez, Dita Von Teese, Petra Nemcova, Eva Herzigova, Claudia Schiffer, and Naomi Campbell, who relapsed slightly from her recent all sweetness to yell at paparazzi: "Leave me alone!" [WWD]
♦ Norma Kamali has designed a collection for Wal-Mart: Nothing will be more than $20 and you can catch an early look at the T-shirts, dresses and skirts at Kamali's West 56th Street store. [NYDN]
♦ The CW has released contestants' bios in advance of the October debut of Stylista. One lucky winner will get an apartment, an editorial job at Elle, and a clothing allowance at H&M. A lifetime of therapy to get over the public humilation? Not provided. [The Cut]
Serena Williams is 27 today. Others celebrating: Music exec Andre Harrell is 48, Christina Milian is 27, former New Jersey governor Christine Todd Whitman is 62, Olivia Newton-John is 60, and Linda Hamilton turns 52. Two figures on the New York web scene will be blowing out candles this evening: Gothamist co-founder Jen Chung is 32. And Nerve.com founder Rufus Griscom is 41. Weekend birthdays after the jump!
♦ Pat Field's debuted her line for HSN today. The Carrie-like dresses cost $150 a pop and each order comes with a subscription to Vogue. "If only Anna Wintour would go on the air and shill along with Pat Field." [The Cut]
♦ Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen might be feuding, their neighbors might hate them, but their fashion empire keeps expanding: They've just signed a deal with Steve Madden to create a shoe line under their Elizabeth and James brand. [WWD]
♦ Model Coco Rocha has been filming a series for Style.com called the "Insider's Guide to Backstage." Her invaluable tips include how to steal shoes from runway shows and how to dodge cameras. [Fashionologie]
♦ Could Marc Jacobs be opening a store in the East Village? That's the rumor. [Fashionista]
♦ Norwegian designer Peter Dundas is taking over from Matthew Williamson as the artistic director for Pucci. [WWD]
♦ Vivienne Westwood's show was the event of London Fashion Week, with Dita Von Teese, Pamela Anderson, Emma Watson, Kate Moss, Mischa Barton, and Tilda Swinton front row. [Daily Mail]
♦ By the end of the night, however, Moss was snapped looking completely wrecked as she emerged from a nightclub with Allegra Versace, who isn't keeping the best company for a recovering anorexic. [Mirror]
Ethan Hawke taking his dog for a walk ... Ashley Olsen leaving her apartment in the Village ... Whitney Port going for a stroll downtown ... Calvin Klein crossing the street ... Michelle Williams carrying daughter Matilda and a cup of coffee ... Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa filming a segment outside ... Liv Tyler peeking out of the front door of her apartment ... Katie Lee Joel heading into the Hearst building for a luncheon ... Tyra Banks leaving the same luncheon a little while later ... Joshua Jackson shooting scenes for his new show Fringe in Queens ... Kiefer Sutherland walking with a friend through the West Village ... Dita Von Teese making her way into Marc Anthony's party at the Bowery Hotel, around the same time Kimora Lee Simmons and Djimon Hounson showed up ... Celine Dion performing at Madison Square Garden ... Mary-Kate Olsen covering her face while walking downtown late at night ... and Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson leaving a dinner downtown.
