Liz Smith
At Liz Smith Fete, Deborah Norville Gets Punchy About Sarah Palin
Last night, gossip columnist Liz Smith was toasted at the Pierre Hotel by the New York Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children for her work with children's causes. When the Daily Transom caught up with the octogenarian columnist, who was wearing a light yellow pantsuit, she was chatting with a deeply tanned Deborah Norville, who was emceeing the event. The Inside Edition host said she was going to urge Sarah Palin to donate her outfits to charity. "That's a really good idea," Ms. Smith drawled.
Ms. Norville, who met Ms. Smith during her first stint at CBS, said there was no record of the Vice Presidential candidate ever giving something to charity. "It's just one of the many things we don't know about her," she said. "Actually, her tax papers revealed her and her husband gave a small amount to charity, and their income-" she looked around the room-"is probably different from anyone else's in this room, so it would be much smaller. But it could be significant for her family." read more »
Sarah Palin and Cindy McCain's Secret Style Adviser Revealed
In September, Page Six reported that there might be a secret team of stylists behind vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin's sartorial selections. But today Liz Smith reports that there's just one woman, named Gahl Hodges Burt, responsible for those well-fitted skirt suits.
Ms. Bart served as the "social secretary"—aka glorified party planner—to First Lady Nancy Reagan from 1983 to 1985. Richard Burt, Ms. Burt's husband, was the U.S. ambassador to Germany from 1985 to 1989 and continues to be a senior adviser at Kissinger McLarty Associates. Sometimes referred to as a Republican socialite (or "one of the chicest women in Washington," as Ms. Smith described her), Ms. Burt is also giving style tips to first lady hopeful Cindy McCain.
Unlike Michelle Obama--who has worn designers ranging from Thakoon Panichgul to H&M--Ms. Palin and Mrs. McCain have shied away from discussing their wardrobes. And in the case of Ms. Palin in particular, a $2500 Valentino jacket she wore to the convention received the kind of attention that undermined her all-American, hockey mom image. read more »
Notes From Under the Tent at the Fete de Swifty
Yesterday evening was Liz Smith's socialite-studded Fete de Swifty—a silent-auction-based benefit held in a tent on 73rd street.
Under the tent, wait staff wandered between partygoers with plates of maple bacon. Wax likenesses of Bono and Tina Turner were donated by Madame Tussauds and positioned for Poloroids. There was an ice cream stand, a photo booth, a caricature guy and an extensive seafood table with a large dripping seahorse ice sculpture.
I met Ms. Smith by the front opening of the tent (near the ice cream stand). She was wearing a white and blue polka-dotted jacket and slipper shoes with tiny etched devils in them. read more »
Stung by Bruni Slam, Regulars Defend Midtown Media Hangout Michael's
Last week, Times food critic Frank Bruni panned perennial Midtown media hangout Michael’s: “California cuisine?” he sneered. “More like gloppy, affected pub grub.” Though Mr. Bruni did acknowledge that “food is no longer the point of Michael’s," it shouldn't be resting on its laurels as a go-to power lunch and breakfast spot: “Michael’s presents itself as a serious restaurant and charges like a serious restaurant…It should perform at the level of a serious restaurant. These days, it usually doesn’t.”
All this displeasure is fine for Mr. Bruni, whose myriad dining options will soon flush the taste of “arid ricotta cannelloni” and “repellently chalky hamachi” from his palatte, but what about the legion boldfaced name regulars of the cultish restaurant? How did it play with those who, for professional or personal reasons (the lines blur with this crowd), simply can’t stay away?
Liz Smith: Sarah Palin Is an "Unleashed Force of Nature"
On Wednesday afternoon, gossip columnist Liz Smith hosted a luncheon for around 25 people in honor of the new film The Women (which will be released on Friday) over several back tables at Michaels. (No one seemed too concerned with Frank Bruni's goose-egg review of the restaurant in The Times that morning.)
The television media world was well represented, with Jodi Applegate (Good Day New York), Hoda Kotb (Dateline NBC, Today Show), Deborah Roberts (ABC news correspondent), and Kathie Lee Gifford (Today Show) all in attendance. Pre-lunch chatter focused on the mostly female crowd's thoughts on Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
The Daily Transom wondered what Ms. read more »
A Virtual Get-Well Card for Dominick Dunne
In her New York Post column today, Liz Smith points us toward a new Web site. (How's that for a phrase we never thought we would type?)
Dominick's Diary is a site devoted to sending good wishes to Vanity Fair's special correspondent Dominick Dunne. The site, which Ms. Smith says was co-created by TMZ's Harvey Levin (who should really get someone to fix its header tag), consists of some intro copy that reads:
Dominick Dunne, the iconic writer and world's most charming yet democratic dinner companion is having a serious operation. He’s been generous with words that have entertained and educated us. read more »
