kelly-killoren-bensimon

Kelly Bensimon: 'Infamous, But Not Famous'

cityfile · 05/26/09 11:19AM

The Real Housewives of New York City concluded its season a couple of weeks ago, but if you're thirsting for more of Kelly Bensimon, Obsessed TV has you covered. Kelly rambles on for close to 30 minutes with host Samantha Ettus and explains, among other things, how she's really responsible for making her ex-husband, Gilles Bensimon, the famed photographer he is today; attributes the demise of her marriage to "political infighting" at Elle and the "success" of her 2004 book American Style (which, she says, changed the fashion industry forever); and explains that her ex-boyfriend—the one that she allegedly assaulted—is just "a boy that needs a lot of love." At least her doing a decent job in the parenting department: When one of her kids tells her that she's famous, she explains that she's "infamous for my antics, but not famous." [ObsessedTV.com]

Cynthia Nixon Engaged, Kelly Bensimon Full of Regret

cityfile · 05/18/09 06:05AM

Cynthia Nixon and longtime girlfriend Christine Marinoni have gotten engaged. The couple announced the news at the Love, Peace and Marriage Equality rally over the weekend. [OK!, ET]
Mariah Carey reportedly threw a fit in Cannes on Friday evening when the director of her new movie had the audacity to show up late to the premiere, thus denying her precious time on the red carpet. [NYDN]
• Also in Cannes: Giuseppe Cipriani was seen making out with Tara Reid; and Kirsten Dunst missed the party she was supposed to be hosting because she missed her flight. [NYDN, Mirror]
• Kelly Bensimon is telling friends she regrets joining the Real Housewives cast since appearing on the show has "ruined her socially." [P6]
• Brooke Shields says her mother was checked out of her nursing home last week by a National Enquirer reporter looking for a scoop. [People]

Olivia New Gig, Jay's Modest Demands

cityfile · 05/14/09 06:13AM

Olivia Palermo's imaginary career is on fire. The City star is reportedly leaving her "job" at DVF to "work" in the publicity department at Elle. So if you see anything in Elle that seems to have been ripped from another magazine, now you know who to blame. [P6]
Jay-Z demanded a Maybach, champagne, "good quality" peanut butter and jelly, 12 shot glasses, and a pack of Marlboros—along with $750,000—before agreeing to perform at the University of Arizona last month. [SG, P6]
• Jesus Luz's dad says his son and Madonna "definitely" plan to tie the knot in a Kabbalah ceremony shortly. But Jesus won't have to bother signing a prenup since the marriage won't be legally binding. [NYDN]
• The good news for Amy Winehouse: She's reportedly no longer addicted to drugs. The bad: She's supposedly traded the drugs for booze. [OK!]
• Man of the people: Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein was spotted flying coach on a flight from New York to DC. [P6]

Spotted

cityfile · 05/12/09 09:01AM

Uma Thurman on a school field trip with son Levon and his classmates ... Brooke Shields getting out of a cab with her mom and daughter ... Justin Timberlake going to lunch at Bubby's ... Hugh Jackman jogging to a playground with daughter Ava ... Regis Philbin walking into ABC studios ... Jerry Seinfeld filming a commercial on Long Island ... David Schwimmer and girlfriend Zoe Buckman holding hands in the West Village ... Kelly Bensimon getting in a taxi outside a screening ... Geoffrey Rush walking around in Midtown ... Jennifer Aniston getting out of an SUV ... director Phillip Noyce leaving lunch with his wife and baby ... and Kieifer Sutherland walking in the West Village.

The Real Kelly Bensimon

cityfile · 05/12/09 08:03AM

Kelly Bensimon hasn't signed up to do another season of the Real Housewives of New York yet. But she'd like to! (The cash, we imagine, might come in handy, especially since she's having a bit of trouble unloading her house in the Hamptons.) "It was a really, really fun process," she tells People today before explaining that joining the cast this year was a bit like "diving" into a "shark tank." (Shark tanks are "fun" in Kelly's world, apparently.) As for what you can expect to see if Kelly returns to the show next year, she tells the mag that she wants people "to see the real Kelly." The real Kelly? Does this mean actual physical violence will be involved? Here's hoping! [People]

Seymour and Brant Face Off

cityfile · 05/11/09 06:27AM

Stephanie Seymour and Peter Brant will meet in Greenwich divorce court for the first time today. Expect some fireworks: Brant has already filed a motion demanding Seymour "undergo drug and alcohol testing"; for her part, Seymour is accusing Brant of "hostile, threatening and intimidating behavior." [NYP]
• Now that he's split from his wife, Sean Penn is supposedly dating Natalie Portman (again), since she "stimulates him in ways no other person has." [Star]
• Rumor has it Madonna and Jesus Luz are planning some sort of commitment ceremony at the Kabbalah Center sometime soon. [NYDN]
• Luke Russert was either the "It" boy at the White House Correspondents' dinner on Saturday night, or has been a major disappointment for MSNBC, depending on who you talk to. [NYDN, P6]
• Speaking of nepotism, Meghan McCain reportedly "lost it" and acted like an "insolent child" when a guard told her she couldn't bring two friends into the Correspondents dinner on Saturday. [NYDN]

Kelly Bensimon: Renter Wanted

cityfile · 05/07/09 07:21AM

Kelly Killoren Bensimon isn't having much luck unloading her 2,800-square-foot home in East Hampton, which she put on the market for $14.5 million two years ago and was most recently offering for $10.9 million. The Further Lane estate has now been taken off the market, although Bensimon hasn't given up hope on finding someone willing to pay $295,000 to rent it for the summer season. [NYP, DM]
• Raef LaFrentz, a power forward for the Portland Trail Blazers, has picked up a New York pad. LaFrentz paid $1.7 million for a two-bedroom condo in the Liberty Lofts building on West 64th Street. [Cityfile]

Costume Institute Drama, Chelsea Wedding Rumors

cityfile · 05/04/09 06:23AM

• It wouldn't be fashion's biggest night without a bit of drama thrown in to spice things up. Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington are reportedly skipping the Costume Institute gala this evening, possibly because Kate Moss was chosen to co-chair the event; meanwhile, Karl Lagerfeld, Azzedine Alaia, and Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana are all staying home, perhaps because Marc Jacobs has "commandeered the event" by buying two tables and dressing Moss, Madonna, and Kerry Washington. [P6]
• The Chelsea Clinton wedding rumors continue: The Boston Globe reports the former first daughter and Marc Mezvinsky may get hitched at Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen's home on Martha's Vineyard in August, which is when the Obamas will be in town, too. [BG, NYDN]
• Kelly Killoren Bensimon says picking on her has become "the new recession vocation." Sounds about right. [R&M]

Happy Birthday

cityfile · 05/01/09 06:38AM

Filmmaker Wes Anderson turns 40 today. Country singer Tim McGraw is turning 42. Jewelry designer Elsa Peretti is 69. Former Random House CEO Peter Olson is 59. Folk signer Judy Collins is 70. Director John Woo is 63. People's Court judge Marilyn Milian is 48. And Kelly Bensimon is 41. Weekend birthdays below.

Kelly's Lies, Kelis Files For Divorce

cityfile · 05/01/09 06:13AM

• "Real Housewife" Kelly Killoren Bensimon has deceived us all once again. All the talk about her Ivy League education? Turns out she took classes at Columbia's extension school and anyone can do that. In related news, Jill Zarin supposedly tried to return a dress at Intermix with a big stain on it. [P6]
Kelis—who is seven months pregnant—has filed for divorce from Nas. [NYDN, People]
Marc Jacobs admits Madonna did ask him to help Jesus Luz get a work visa, but says it's "no big deal" since he'd "do anything to help a friend." [NYDN]
• An Austrian radio station now says it was responsible for hiring a Beyonce lookalike to fool a Vienna museum. [Us]
• Rachel Zoe flew first-class from LA to NYC. Her husband, however, was forced to fly coach. The indignity! [NYDN]

The Friday Party Report

cityfile · 04/24/09 12:50PM

Chanel hosted a dinner to celebrate the Tribeca Film Festival at Odeon last night, where the guests included Adrien Brody, Robert De Niro and Grace Hightower, Craig Hatkoff and Jane Rosenthal (with daughter Juliana), Moby, Debra Messing, Fabiola Beracasa, Julia Restoin Roitfeld, Mary-Kate Olsen, Diane Kruger, Celerie Kemble, Kerry Washington, Viola Davis, Matthew Modine, Angela Lindvall, Heidi Mount, Poppy Delevigne, Alexis Bledel, Danielle Steele (with daughters Victoria and Vanessa Traina), Dree Hemingway, Drena De Niro and Carlos Rodriguez, Henry Cavill, Melissa Leo, Molly Shannon, and Grace, Mamie, and Louisa Gummer. [PMc, Wireimage, Getty, FWD]

The Housewives Always Have Each Other

cityfile · 04/23/09 08:52AM

We've heard rumors that the "Real Housewives" of New York have been blacklisted at various high-profile social events around town. That certainly makes sense: Would you want Jill Zarin or Alex McCord lapping up attention on your red carpet? Sadly, the same seems to apply to events hosted by the ladies from the Bravo show.

Brangelina Goes Shopping, LiLo Plans to Go Topless

cityfile · 04/21/09 06:19AM

• Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie went to the Stop & Shop in Oyster Bay with two of their kids on Saturday and were "very friendly" to employees of the store. Please try to contain your amazement. [Us]
• Lindsay Lohan must be hard up for cash, since she's reportedly in discussions to star in a topless show in Las Vegas. Even worse: She seems to think it will "really revitalize her career and give her some serious theater cred." [Fox]
Early Show anchor Julie Chen and her boss/husband, CBS chief exec Les Moonves, are expecting their first child this October. [P6]
• Speaking of kids, Amy Winehouse's rep says that the rumors the singer is adopting a child from the Caribbean are untrue. Be thankful for that! [DE]

Kelly Bensimon Accused of Owl Theft

Richard Lawson · 04/20/09 09:01AM

More bad news for Kelly Bensimon. A socialite gets engaged, and an actress turns 30. Plus the requisite Jennifer Aniston sadness news and word of Madonna's continued disgraces.

Madonna Takes a Fall, Blames Someone Else

cityfile · 04/20/09 06:07AM

• Madonna fell off a horse while riding at photographer Steven Klein's house in Bridgehampton on Saturday. She wasn't seriously injured, but don't think for a minute she's taking any blame for the spill. Her flack blamed the accident on a rogue paparazzo who jumped out of the bushes and startled the horse, although both the photographer in question and the police don't share that account. [NYDN, NYP, E!]
Uma Thurman and Arpad Busson were rumored to be getting hitched in the Bahamas on Saturday, although there's still no word on whether any ceremony actually took place. [People, UPI]
• Has Lindsay Lohan gone straight? She was spotted "flirting relentlessly" with a group of guys including Leonardo DiCaprio at a club last week. [Sun]
• Rumor has it Naomi Campbell is thinking of moving to Moscow so she can be closer to boyfriend Vladislav Doronin. Say it isn't so! [DS]

Stewart's Tax Troubles, Greenfield's Baby

cityfile · 04/10/09 05:50AM

• It looks like mischief runs in the family. Martha's daughter Alexis has been forced to pay $990,000 in back taxes and a $110,000 fine to the IRS, although she's blaming her accountant for the "mix-up." [NYP]
• Casey Greenfield gave birth to a baby boy the other day, but she still isn't saying who the father might be. [P6]
• Lindsay Lohan got a "post-breakup makeover" consisting of a new hair color and a new tattoo, in case you're keeping track. [People, NYP]
Jennifer Lopez has so many wigs, she has an entire room devoted to them. Or so says Star magazine. [Star]

Kelly Bensimon's Life Continues to Unravel

Richard Lawson · 04/03/09 08:42AM

Poor old Kelly Bensimon. The newest and worst Real Housewife of New York hasn't had much luck with fame. First she was arrested for twink assault, and now her modeling contract's been dropped by Saks.

No Mercy for Madonna

cityfile · 04/03/09 06:00AM

• Madonna won't be leaving Malawi with a baby after all: A judge listed a residency requirement as the reason why he rejected her adoption petition, although there's still a possibility Madonna will appeal the ruling. [People, E!]
• These are tough times for Kelly Killoren Bensimon. The "Real Housewife," who was arrested a couple of weeks ago for allegedly beating up her boyfriend, now just lost her Saks modeling gig. [P6]
Andre Balazs appears to have a new special someone in his life. He was spotted making out with beer heiress Daphne Guinness the other night. [P6]

The Housewives Are Crumbling Before Our Very Eyes

cityfile · 04/01/09 06:29AM

• It's been a bumpy stretch for the cast of the Real Housewives of NYC, hasn't it? In today's dose of bad news, it seems Ramona Singer's TV antics have made her "persona non grata" at her daughter's UES school (nor is she making any friends in Palm Beach); and it appears both Kelly Killoren Bensimon and Luann de Lesseps are now being forced to sell their Hamptons houses. [P6, Page2Live]
Taye Diggs and Idina Menzel are expecting their first baby. [Insider]
• Whitney Port says she breaks down "a couple of times a week" due to the stress of reality TV fame. She also says she and Olivia Palermo "never hang out off-screen," which you could have probably guessed. [P6]
• It looks like Luke and Julie Janklow have reconciled. Following their breakup —and brief flings with Jessica Joffe and Scott Murphy—they appear to be back together, and were spotted kissing at Sweetiepie over the weekend. [P6]