Report: Bowie, Iman eyeing Leibovitz's Rhinebeck House

The Daily News is reporting that part-time Woodstock residents David Bowie and Iman toured the Rhinebeck house of Vanity Fair photographer Annie Leibovitz, whose financial troubles have been widely reported.

From the News:

"A spy says David Bowie and wife, Iman, didn't blink at the $11 million price when they toured the place."

Sweet victory

The Culinary Institute of America's monthly recipe video series, "CIA Culinary Intelligence," (get it?) won the 2010 Tasty Award in the Best Food Program – Web category, the Hyde Park college announced this morning.

The nominated episode features CIA Chef Scott Swartz providing a step-by-step demo on the preparation of Eggs Benedict.

Yum.

The CIA received the award at a Red Carpet Awards Show in San Francisco on Jan. 14.

For more information, visit TastyAwards.com.

And just in time for the Super Bowl, this month's episode is about dips.



Yum.

Hudson Valley winners

Congratulations are in order to Levon Helm and Steve Earle of Woodstock for their Grammy wins tonight.

Congratulations also to Leon Gast of Woodstock, below, for his Sundance Award, which he won on Saturday.




And to Steve Heller, below, right — owner of Fabulous Furniture in almost Woodstock — who won first place in his class at the grand national roadster show in Pomona, Calif.

Augmented reality

The Thursday issue of USA Today included a map of the upcoming Harry Potter theme park in Florida. By holding the map in front of a webcam, the paper comes to life onscreen.

Here's yours truly doing just that.



Worth mentioning is that the trick only works with print. But if you don't have the newspaper because it is SOOO expensive, you can print the PDF map file.

And don't use your phone with the image in front of the camera. It doesn't work. I tried.

Alert readers might have noticed that Esquire has used augmented reality as well.



Augmented reality has, of course, many more useful properties. There are a number of iPhone apps, for instance, that use the technology to turn the phone into a theodolite:



And there are more useful apps, of course, like the one that lets you shoot at your friends with lasers.



Very important technology, indeed.

Chris Mathews on Obama: "I forgot he was black tonight for an hour"

Post-Racial Person Chris Matthews Makes Important Dumb Statement:

State of the Union — Word Cloud

Also, Important Person Karl Rove makes an Important Twitter Statement:

Apple unveils worst-kept industry secret

Now, try walking and using this puppy.


Context below:

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs has unveiled the iPad, a tablet-style computer that resembles the iPhone, but larger.

"It's so much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smart phone," Jobs said Wednesday at the device's highly anticipated debut in San Francisco.

Apple had kept its "latest creation" tightly under wraps, though many analysts had correctly speculated that it would be a one-piece tablet computer with a big touch screen, larger than an iPhone but smaller than a laptop.

The iPad has a 9.7-inch (24.6-centimeter) touch screen. It is a half-inch (1.25 centimeters) thick, weighs 1.5 pounds (680 grams) and comes with 16, 32 or 64 gigabytes of flash memory storage. The device comes with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless technology, but no mention was immediately made of a data connection through a wireless carrier.

Also, the (Max)iPad joke got old two hours ago.

Correction: The joke got old in 2005.

How's this for distraction

Truckers Insist on Keeping Computers in the Cab, New York Times, Sept. 27, 2009.

Walk at your own risk

There's a Gibbs for that

Melissa Leo at Sundance

From left, actress Kristen Stewart, director Jake Scott and actress Melissa Leo attend the premiere of "Welcome To The Rileys" during the 2010 Sundance Film Festival on Saturday in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer)


Hudson Valley goes to Sundance

NASA : 2009 Tied For Second Hottest Year Ever Recorded

Conan's farewell speech

And about those "crazy expensive" characters:



Farewell Coco. See you in September.

Context below:

O'Brien ends run on 'Tonight' show after 7 months

NEW YORK (AP) — Conan O'Brien ended his brief tenure on the "Tonight" show with a wide smile and a guitar in his arms.

The red-haired comic joined a band led by blond-wigged comic Will Ferrell with Beck and ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons for a raucous rendition of "Free Bird." O'Brien is free to move on now himself, after accepting a $45 million buyout from NBC to leave the late night TV talk show he long dreamed of hosting after only seven months.

Despite the rancor that marked his final two weeks, O'Brien emotionally urged his fans not to be cynical and said their support made a sad situation "joyous and inspirational." He even thanked NBC for more than 20 years of employment but mixed in a few final jabs during the show.

Walking away instead of accepting a demotion is the hardest thing he's ever had to do, O'Brien said.

"This is the best job in the world," he said.

Satisfaction

Conan O'Brien's one-minute, $1.5 million comedy bit.

Conan explains: "Until NBC yanks us of the air, we can pretty much do whatever we wan't. ... And they have to pay for it."



Note that the clip doesn't come from Hulu or NBC. Somehow, the network didn't want to post this online.

UPDATE: Mediaite reports that the car was borrowed, and that licensing for Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" cost up to $50,000.

No matter. O'Brien followed up Thursday with new character Mine That Bird, the Kentucky Derby winner last year. The horse was said to be wearing a Snuggie made of mink and also was watching restricted NFL footage. (Alleged) price tag: $4.8 million.

No comment.

Because, you know, no comment.

Martha Stewart, Pole Dancer

Posted to New York Magazine by Gallagher on January 19, 2010

Click to Play | View Details

Seen at the Globes

The AP's Sandy Cohen reports:

"Up in the Air" co-stars and supporting actress nominees Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick were heading to the ladies' room together when Farmiga, an Ulster County resident, suddenly realized she had to stay behind to present the next award. She wasn't the only one who had to tough it out. In accepting his Golden Globe for best motion picture director, James Cameron said he would make his speech quick so he could get to the bathroom.

Farmiga was nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category for "Up in the Air." Mo'Nique won the award for her role in "Precious."

Another feature, another house in Kingston

The town of Kingston, that is.

"Roosting in a Cozy Chicken Coop (but Eggs Come From the Store)," by New York Times.

'Devil' writes a letter to Pat Robertson

As published in the The Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

Dear Pat Robertson, I know that you know that all press is good press, so I appreciate the shout-out. And you make God look like a big mean bully who kicks people when they are down, so I'm all over that action. But when you say that Haiti has made a pact with me, it is totally humiliating. I may be evil incarnate, but I'm no welcher. The way you put it, making a deal with me leaves folks desperate and impoverished. Sure, in the afterlife, but when I strike bargains with people, they first get something here on earth -- glamour, beauty, talent, wealth, fame, glory, a golden fiddle. Those Haitians have nothing, and I mean nothing. And that was before the earthquake. Haven't you seen "Crossroads"? Or "Damn Yankees"? If I had a thing going with Haiti, there'd be lots of banks, skyscrapers, SUVs, exclusive night clubs, Botox -- that kind of thing. An 80 percent poverty rate is so not my style. Nothing against it -- I'm just saying: Not how I roll. You're doing great work, Pat, and I don't want to clip your wings -- just, come on, you're making me look bad. And not the good kind of bad. Keep blaming God. That's working. But leave me out of it, please. Or we may need to renegotiate your own contract. Best, Satan

LILY COYLE, MINNEAPOLIS

Late Night wars

"Neil Young" sings "Pants on the Ground"

That's right. "Pants on the Ground."



The AP updates:

ATLANTA (AP) - He won't be the next American Idol, but the show's hardly over for "General" Larry Platt.

The 63-year-old civil rights veteran has become an Internet sensation after performing his original song, "Pants On The Ground" at an audition for the ninth season of "American Idol." It wasn't really singing or rapping but it was performed with some gusto and even included a little break dancing for good measure.

Platt's fan base exploded after his Wednesday night debut, as his audition hit YouTube and Twitter. Within hours, he had been clicked and tweeted into one of the Internet's most popular topics. Jimmy Fallon reprised a version of the song on his show Thursday night, and Platt is scheduled for an appearance on ABC's daytime talk show "The View" next week.

Clips of Platt's "Idol" performance continued to get Web hits Friday on Twitter and YouTube.

"I have a horrible feeling that song could be a hit," skeptical "Idol" judge Simon Cowell reluctantly predicted on the show.

Surrounded by plaques recognizing his work in civil rights and photographs of Platt with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Congressman John Lewis and others from that era at his home in East Atlanta this week, the e-celebrity seemed dazed by the attention. Platt - given the nickname "General" for his work during the civil rights era - said he hoped his message of personal responsibility doesn't get lost in his popularity.

His message is simple and the lyrics of the song came to him one day after he spotted a young man holding a child, his pants hanging below his waist.

"After all this work I did with Dr. King ... walking around with your pants on the ground?" Platt said. "They're going to have to get them up. I'm sorry."

His show-stealing performance was the last of a round of auditions taped
in Atlanta last August. He was allowed to perform even though the age cutoff for contestants was 28.

The spotlight on him, Contestant 103519 began belting out the now infamous verse: "Pants on the ground! Pants on the ground! Looking like a fool with your pants on the ground!"

Shaking his head at the end of Platt's song, Cowell offered: "I don't think this is gonna be the last we hear about you. I have a feeling about you, Larry."

For Platt, the song was just another one of his causes. He said Thursday
that he and his civil rights colleagues sacrificed too much for today's youth to walk around with sagging pants.

Platt - his black jeans securely fastened - proudly showed off black and
white photographs that show him alongside civil rights icons documenting
his social justice work as a dedicated foot soldier with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

Platt is still an activist, and can frequently be seen in downtown Atlanta holding signs protesting foreclosures, war, violence, racism and "any wicked things that take place."

Bolstered by his newfound fame, Platt doesn't plan to stop singing his "Idol" anthem anytime soon and is grateful for the opportunity for his song to reach a broader audience.

"People around the world are calling about me because they like what I'm
doing," Platt said. "Some people tried to steal my song but they can't sing like me. I'm going to go around the world singing my song."

Platt said he's hoping for the same fate as fellow wacky Idol contestant William Hung, whose rendition of Latin crooner Ricky Martin's "She Bangs" gained him a cult following and a record deal, even though he didn't make the Idol cut.

"He still made it, ain't that right?" Platt said, smiling. "That's what I'm going to do."