Cindy McCain

We pondered sub-prime teen sex comedy Sex Drive with the cast of Gossip Girl. 

At a Pratt Institute benefit at Chelsea Piers, the prince of the Palazzo Chupi, Julian Schnabel, told us exactly what he thinks about John McCain.

We waved goodbye to George W. Bush and Cindy McCain at the premiere of W. 

Blythe Danner gave us some useful recession style tips at the launch for Key to the Cure (plus: Ronsons, Real Housewives, and Lindsay Lohan). 

Maxim editor Chris Wilson explained how he got dumped by Oprah.

The sexual assault lawsuit filed against Jeffrey Epstein was dismissed.

MIAMI—After several long introductions here in a gym at Florida International University, the hall went dark.

Spotlights roved around the stage. Inspiring trumpet music played on the loudspeaker. The lights came back on and an announcer on the loudspeaker introduced Senator Joe Lieberman, Cindy McCain and “the next president of the United States” John McCain.

The crowd went crazy. They waved their pompoms and held up all their “Mac Is Back” and "We Heart Cindy” and “In John We Trust” signs.

Lieberman, speaking first, said the welcome meant something indescribable to the McCains. “What that says to me,” he said, is that McCain will win Florida.  read more »

As the Daily Transom walked up 54th Street towards the Ziegfeld Theater Tuesday evening, we silently congratulated the PR firm handling the premiere of Oliver Stone's W. on the little spectacle they'd created for our benefit--the rows of black SUVs lining the sidewalk, the suited "Secret Service" officers, the "snipers" installed on the roof of the neighboring building. Taking our place among the waiting press, we noticed an enterprising television anchor showing off something he had captured on his digital camera. "Bristol Palin," he was saying. "I got her on tape--she was just walking around!"

In a coincidence--one that will surely get someone fired and someone promoted--the McCain and Palin families were in New York for a fundraiser and the final debate and had been installed at the Hilton directly across the street from the entrance to the theater. Their motorcades took off right as the actors began to arrive. From her car, the reliably well-programmed Cindy McCain smiled broadly and waved goodbye to the assembled press--not to mention massive posters of Josh Brolin posing as George W. Bush that lined the red carpet.   read more »

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 »

Judging from the cornucopia of all things debate-related here in the center of Oxford, Mississippi (at the Bottletree Bakery in the center of town, this rendering of John and Cindy McCain was for sale for $8000), McCain's absence would not have gone over well at all. Besides the contemporary art, storefronts painted with elephants and donkeys sold debate-themed t-shirts and bunting hung from the brick facades of local bars. Venders sold Obama shirts and BBQ under a sign that said "Obamaland," and McCain signs were draped from the windows of charming Ole Miss frat houses. On a temporary stage, musicians played bluegrass music for a few hundred college kids wearing candidate buttons was called "Rock the Debate.  read more »

“I understand the Republicans are excited by her,” said 23-year-old Niki Castle the other day. “It’s why all my South Carolina friends have ‘I want to be Sarah Palin when I grow up’ as their Facebook status updates! She’s a mother of five and she’s making a run for the biggest house in the world.”

Ms. Castle, who grew up in Greenville, S.C., works in Manhattan as an assistant at a literary agency. “For all the faulting that Obama gets for being such a charismatic speaker, she’s got that same charismatic ability,” she said. “My conservative friends, who think abortion should be illegal, think Sarah Palin is on the forefront of standing by that policy in her own family, with her pregnancy and her daughter’s. The part where I sort of shake my head is that she doesn’t agree with birth control, but she does agree with forcing her daughter to get married?”  read more »

On Monday evening, Cindy McCain and Laura Bush solicited hurricane donations at the Republican National Convention wearing vastly different footwear. Mrs. Bush opted for comfortable, unexciting slingbacks (at left) while Mrs. McCain went with considerably higher, coquettish black peep-toe pumps—hot!—and an imposing mustard-yellow dress that Salon called a "rain slicker."

Verdict: Cindy's been keeping up her tan better.

Republican footwear became an issue when Sarah Palin wore snappy red heels bearing uncanny resemblance to Dorothy's ruby red slippers to the announcement of her vice-presidential candidacy (lucky for the GOP, shoe bloggers unearthed them for  read more »

ST. PAUL—With much fanfare, this evening’s session of the Republican National Convention was turned into a fundraiser for hurricane relief. Laura Bush and Cindy McCain appeared onstage beneath a video screen that projected a web address, www.causegreater.com, which was set up by the McCain campaign. Visitors to the web site, as well as delegates in the hall and viewers on television, were redirected a charity called The Aidmatrix Foundation, along with several statewide organizations, some of which were likewise affiliated with Aidmatrix.

What is the Aidmatrix Foundation? On Fox News, correspondent Bret Baier referred to it as “eBay for charitable contributions.  read more »

ST. PAUL—The latest word is that Hurricane Gustav has been downgraded to a Category 1 storm and that water levels in New Orleans are receding – strong and encouraging signs that the Crescent City and the rest of the Gulf Coast will be spared tragedy and destruction on the scale of Hurricane Katrina.

And now, at the Republican National Convention, the effort is underway to portray this good news as a triumph of Republican leadership.

Just before 5:00 p.m. (E.S.T.), with the scoreboards in the Xcel Energy Center prominently displaying the words “Country First,” First Lady Laura Bush was called to the stage, where she spoke of the human toll that the storm threatened to exact and the need for support from all Americans for any recovery effort.  read more »

Speaking now at the Republican National Convention, Laura Bush explained why President George Bush couldn’t make it.

“Our first priority now today is to ensure the security of those living today in the Gulf Coast region,” said Bush, who added, “When such events occur we are reminded that first we are all Americans.”

Dressed in white, she introduced the governors of the Gulf states, who, she noted, are all Republicans.

Governor Rick Perry of Texas appeared in front of a revving Air Force plane.

“We’re taking care of the citizens. That’s what we do,” he said.

Bob Riley, governor of Alabama, said he wanted to personally “thank President Bush for his leadership.  read more »

On a conference call just now, McCain campaign manager Rick Davis said that Laura Bush and Cindy McCain will make brief remarks during the Republican National Convention this afternoon and that Governor Sarah Palin had arrived in St. Paul.

“Governor Palin is in town, she got in last night,” said Davis, who also said that she had no public schedule. “She is working on her speech.”

Davis said that the first lady would introduce Cindy McCain after the official business of the delegates had taken place, at around 4:50 p.m., and that both their remarks would conclude about 20 minutes later.

“In keeping with the nonpolitical” nature of the day’s events, Davis said, there would be no dramatic music or videos between the two speeches.

The first lady gave an unofficially political speech at a delegate breakfast this morning.

In addition to thinking that Cindy McCain's hairstyle makes her look like she's gotten a face lift, Tim Gunn now also thinks that her clothes look "duct-taped." [The Cut]

Mark Ronson will return as the DJ for his sister Charlotte Ronson's Spring 2009 show at Bryant Park in September, after Ronson sibling Samantha took over the turntables for the past few seasons. [FWD]  read more »

In a creepy new ad called "Voices," from bipartisan anti-poverty group ONE, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Michelle Obama, Cindy McCain and others speak through Matt Damon's face.

Mr. Damon opens up the ad with his own voice, saying, "Thanks to everyday Americans who chose to make a difference, millions of lives have been saved in the world's poorest countries." But the rest of the message is relayed through the voices of politicians and other Americans coming out of the actor's lips, Exorcist-style.

The ad is meant to encourage people to vote for a president who promises to commit to fighting world poverty. The organization, while not endorsing any candidate, believes that more can be done for an issue that hasn't gotten much airtime yet this election cycle.

[via HuffPo]

Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson bailed on the birthday celebration that Ms. Ronson celebrates every year with her twin sister Charlotte because of the lurking paparazzi at the Bowery Hotel. [P6]

Meanwhile, Ms. Lohan's reported ex and daughter of Yahoo CEO Terry Semel, Courtenay Semel, got arrested in Las Vegas on Tuesday for having an altercation with a security guard at Pure nightclub; she had been asked to leave because she was rather intoxicated. [P6]

John Edwards' lawyer pals reportedly helped Rielle Hunter escape to the Virgin Islands a day before his public confession on August 8.  read more »

The former North Phoenix home of John and Cindy McCain has been listed for $12 million, according to The Wall Street Journal. The seller, Jane Popple, hopes to capitalize on the prospective first family's cachet: She's listing it for nearly four times what she paid Cindy McCain in 2006.

"If Mr. McCain does get elected," said Ms. Popple's broker, "obviously there will be a lot more value in a potential buyer's mind."

The house, on two acres, was Ms. McCain's childhood home and Senator McCain's family residence for 20 years.

Michelle Obama or Cindy McCain?

That's what Tim Gunn was asked as part of Time 's 10 Questions feature, and to which it seemed he gave a fairly benign answer:

Michelle Obama. Absolutely. She looks so comfortable and relaxed in her style, in her fashion, and she exudes that. She has a presence that gives you confidence in her.

But New York Magazine's The Cut fashion blog discovered that in the videotaped version of the Q&A, the Project Runway host gave a rather more severe answer. After giving praise to Mrs. Obama, he compares her to Mrs. McCain, whom he says "looks like someone has twisted her ponytail into a knot and tried to give her a face-lift." Zing!

Also, of note: Mr. Gunn refers to himself in third person, beginning the interview by saying: "Tim Gunn is absolutely, completely floored, and exhilarated and thrilled to be here!" O.K., wow.

In April, Cindy McCain posted a few recipes, including one for a Passion Fruit Mousse and another for an Ahi Tuna with a Napa Cabbage Salad, in a section of John McCain's Web site titled Cindy's Recipes.

Unfortunately, these were not her recipes. They were lifted word-for-word from recipes on the Food Network website, one of which was penned by Rachael Ray. The McCains claimed that it was all an intern's fault and called it a "low-level unpaid staff debacle."

Mrs. McCain may have to find another intern to blame because somehow she's managed to do it again!  read more »

Double standards are endemic in American journalism. But Cindy McCain, wife of the Republican presidential candidate, displayed poor taste in flaunting her family’s special immunity from press scrutiny. Declaring on NBC’s Today that she would “never” release her income tax returns even if she becomes first lady, the Arizona beer heiress showed no concern that she and her husband will have to meet the same tests as other would-be White House occupants—ever.

Unfortunately, the arrogance of Mrs. McCain is probably well founded.  read more »

First Lady hopeful Cindy McCain sat down with the ladies of The View yesterday--perhaps in an attempt to redeem her alleged recipe theft.  read more »

A spokesperson for the McCains said that the intern that was supposedly responsible for recipes lifted off of the Food Network site, has been "dealt with swiftly," which we find scary. [AP]  read more »

The McCain campaign has admitted that Cindy McCain stole recipes!  read more »

With all her years of experience in front of the camera, one would think Katie Couric might stash the snark when preparing to go live. Not so.

In this clip, after complaining about her crappy microphone, Ms. Couric, 51, goes on to joke that “Giuliani’s dead,” pretending to decapitate herself. After a few more moments of idle chitchat, the CBS Evening News anchor compares John McCain’s wife, Cindy, to a Husky (as in the breed of dog). “Look at those eyes, she’s freakin’ me out a little,” she wisecracks of the politico’s spouse.

Jibes aside, Ms. Couric comes off as kind of hysterical—the life of the party, in fact. Even still, after she jokes about suffering a heart attack, the set crew cheers excitedly off-camera.