Writer Elizabeth Wurtzel died yesterday at age 52 of leptomeningeal disease — a complication of metastatic breast cancer that had spread to the fluid around the brain and spinal cord. I met Elizabeth on Wednesday, May 27, 2009. I know the exact date because we were at a black-tie dinner at the Metropolitan Museum of…
books
Wednesday’s Video: Drinks With Author Syl Tang
To mix things up a bit on my YouTube channel, I decided to interview some of the cool people I know. To make sure the interviews are lively, my guest and I are going to do our interviews over drinks! Here’s the first video of the “Tipsy Talk” interview series, featuring futurist and author Syl…
The Empire’s Ghost by Isabelle Steiger
Congratulations to Isabelle Steiger — my stepdaughter — whose debut novel, The Empire’s Ghost, has been published by Thomas Dunne Books! The Empire’s Ghost is the first book in an epic-fantasy trilogy that’s set in a once-magical world, where the ruthless dictator Elgar schemes to seize control of an entire continent. He’s prepared to kill…
World AIDS Day: Recommended Reading
It’s World AIDS Day, and I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t get to mark the occasion by getting tested with Rihanna and Prince Harry. But, even though I didn’t get to have my blood drawn with the beautiful people, I’m happy that the event illustrates how attitudes about AIDS have changed since 1987 when…
Throwback Thursday: Who’s Got the Button?
In 2014, Marie Kondo wrote the book on decluttering. Literally. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing was a #1 New York Times bestseller. Fans are devoted to Kondo’s “KonMari” method for organizing their homes. You will not find Kondo’s book perched in my extensive bookshelves. If you look…
RIP, Pete Burns. Plus, Nothing Is New About Patient Zero.
The year 2016 must really hate us because another musical icon is gone. Pete Burns of Dead or Alive died of cardiac arrest this Sunday at age 57. Pete never achieved the lasting fame of David Bowie or Prince, but he was a big deal to me and a lot of other 1980s kids. The…
New York Times Review of “Hitler: Ascent, 1889-1939”
I don’t think I’ve ever read a book review quite like Michiko Kakutani’s take on Volker Ullrich’s Hitler: Ascent, 1889-1939 for the New York Times. The review generated headlines of its own. The Huffington Post said, “New York Times Brutally Subtweets Trump With Hitler Biography Review.” The Washington Post’s take was, “This New York Times…
Other Blogs … and Angelina Jolie
Thanks to Barbara Palumbo of Adornmentality for including my Screw You earrings in her highlarious holiday gift guide, “From Lovers to Your Landlord: Holiday Gifts For Every Man in Your Life.” (Last year’s guide was “From Mom to the Mistress: Christmas Jewels for Every Woman in Your Life.”) And Alyson Walsh of That’s Not My…
The Complete Taxi Wardrobe: Ring, Shoes and Purse
I’ve always thought my New York City taxi ring needed a few accessories. I finally found some! You can get these 1980s vintage Moschino shoes on 1stdibs. I also found a taxi purse at a store called The Wind in the Willows in Naples, Fla. I was a big fan of The Wind in the…
Recommended Reading From the Weekend Newspapers
Several newspaper articles this weekend struck a chord with me. In the New York Times magazine, David Amsden wrote about New Orleans-born John Cummings, a white 77-year-old “trial lawyer who has helped win more than $5 billion in class-action settlements and a real estate magnate whose holdings have multiplied his wealth many times over.” Cummings…