Celebrities

Charm makes the world seem a more enticing place—but it is going the way of chivalry, good manners, and unmotivated kindness.

Robin Leach, 1941-2018.

John Podhoretz explains how The Rock's poorly chosen star vehicles risk squandering fans’ affections.

Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker were a husband-and-wife televangelist team who rose to prominence in the 1970s and ’80s before their ministry was brought down by scandal, trickery, and bankruptcy. They lived extravagant lives in front of the camera, inviting viewers into their beautiful homes for…

The occasion of Murray Kempton’s centenary​—​he was born December 16, 1917—​has attracted little attention. As a columnist for the New York Post and later Newsday he wrote more about New York than Washington or national politics, but one had a right to expect a biography or maybe a few essays or a…

On March 20, 1974, a new French restaurant opened on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. It was called Le Cirque (The Circus), and it soon became the hottest ticket in town. It was partly known for its lavish meals—where Daniel Boulud and David Bouley, among others, earned their fame as chefs. But Le…

Poor David Copperfield, to add to the other humiliations of his boyhood, at school is forced, for reasons too elaborate to go into here, to wear a sign that reads, “Take Care of Him. He Bites.” I have been thinking of that sign in connection with a sign I should like to make for myself that reads:…

My first contact with Leon Wieseltier was by letter. The year was 1977. Written on Balliol College, Oxford, letterhead stationery, the letter informed me that I was a force for superior culture in America, one of the few contemporary intellectuals worthy of respect, and through my writing the all…

A few years ago, some friends of mine, weekend musicians, started jamming together and formed a cover band called the Porch Lights. To be honest, their big world tour is a bit slow in developing. Conquering the globe one backyard at a time, they haven’t quite made it outside of our neighborhood,…

A few years ago, some friends of mine, weekend musicians, started jamming together and formed a cover band called the Porch Lights. To be honest, their big world tour is a bit slow in developing. Conquering the globe one backyard at a time, they haven’t quite made it outside of our neighborhood,…

A friend sent me an article, accompanied by several photographs, from the July 5 Daily Mail about the celebration of the playwright Tom Stoppard’s 80th birthday. The photographs, chiefly of English actors whom I’ve watched with much admiration on PBS and in the movies over the years, confirmed my…

A friend sent me an article, accompanied by several photographs, from the July 5 Daily Mail about the celebration of the playwright Tom Stoppard’s 80th birthday. The photographs, chiefly of English actors whom I’ve watched with much admiration on PBS and in the movies over the years, confirmed my…

"[The British monarchy's] mystery is its life. We must not let in daylight upon magic." —Walter Bagehot To a certain degree, Bagehot's law was adopted as well by American presidents, whose status was upheld by a tradition of decorum and whose prestige was accentuated by a certain—well, mystery.…

"[The British monarchy's] mystery is its life. We must not let in daylight upon magic." —Walter Bagehot To a certain degree, Bagehot's law was adopted as well by American presidents, whose status was upheld by a tradition of decorum and whose prestige was accentuated by a certain—well, mystery.…

A recent New York Times story by Jonathan Mahler and Matt Flegenheimer on Donald Trump's relationship with Roy Cohn, the former aide to Joe McCarthy and high-powered New York lawyer, includes this amusing anecdote:

I’m a sophisticated guy. A deep thinker, even. Shallowness’s scourge, you might say. 

Martin Short, who starred in the 1986 film ¡Three Amigos!, praised President Obama for executive amnesty at last night's Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C.

Open enrollment for health insurance plans under Obamacare is currently underway, and some of the biggest celebrities in Hollywood and elsewhere are out there promoting it on Twitter. Furthermore, it appears there could be some coordination with the White House, with top Obama aide Valerie Jarrett…

A new video by the Environmental Policy Alliance mocks Hollywood celebrity Leonardo DiCaprio for being "just another celebrity hypocrite" when it comes to the topic of climate change:

The host gushed at the sight of President Obama. The setting was a Democratic fundraiser at the home of Hollywood star Gwyneth Paltrow.

The mothers of celebrities Jonah Hill, Adam Levine, Jennifer Lopez, and Alicia Keys star in a new web ad to promote Obamacare:

When President Obama, and (before that) candidate Obama, was on top, they loved him.  All the tinsel talents, that is, who judge people by their ratings.  Now, as Jonathan Easley and Elise Viebeck of The Hill write:

Roberta Rampton of Reuters reports:

On Barack and Michelle Obama's schedule for today, this event is listed:

To the list of perennial press stories—the schoolgirl who refuses to pledge allegiance to the flag but is off to Harvard this fall, the old Vermont farmer who voted for Dewey but doesn’t much care for today’s Republican party—may be added the importunate celebrity invitation. 

Celebrity gossip magazine Us Weekly will be interviewing President Barack Obama. The conversation, which the magazine promises will touch on a variety of topics, will be published on October 26.

Thank goodness the everyday Americans of Main Street, U.S.A. have someone to run on their behalf against the out-of-touch rich guy.  As the Hollywood Reporter writes, the candidate of the exceptionally rich and famous is arriving in town tonight for a $25,000-a-plate fundraising dinner (nearly half…

First Lady Michelle Obama is at pop star Gwen Stefani's Beverly Hills home to take part in "Sunday of Fun," according to the report. The event is a fundraiser for President Obama's reelection effort.

Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein last night hosted a fundraiser for President Barack Obama at his Westport, Conn. home. He had nothing but praise for Obama.

At a fundraiser last night in Oakland, California, President Obama had to remind supporters that he's "term-limited." Via the pool report: 

Matt Continetti, writing for the Washington Free Beacon: 

Bloomberg reporter Julianna Goldman tweets: 

Barack Obama was asked to grade his performance on the View this morning, but shied away from giving himself a letter grade. "You know, I won't give us a letter grade," Obama said. "I think it's still incomplete."

American Crossroads has a new ad riffing off the John McCain campaign's popular "Celebrity" ad from the 2008 election. The Crossroads spot juxtaposes President Obama's celebrity status--singing Al Green, calling Kanye West a "jacka--," and appearing on Jimmy Fallon's late-night talk show--with some…

President Obama is in Florida to tout his economic policy of raising taxes on the wealthy. But first he's holding a fundraiser. And it seems that many in the Palm Beach Gardens gated community, where the fundraiser is being held, are excited to see the president.

This week’s (October 31) issue of Parade offers the same garden of earthly delights—“Who Are You Calling a Cougar? Betty White Goes Wild,” “Peanuts at 60: Why We Still Love the Great Pumpkin,” Marilyn vos Savant, the world’s smartest woman—that have made it America’s most beloved Sunday supplement…