The Fix

Bush bashing in London, Clinton wooing in China, and tennis playing by grandma Navratilova! Plus: How many pairs of shoes does Mariah Carey need?

Published November 18, 2003 2:55PM (EST)

Not love, actually ... The mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, on President George W. Bush: "I actually think that Bush is the greatest threat to life on this planet that we've most probably ever seen. The policies he is initiating will doom us to extinction." Don't sugarcoat it, Kenny. (Independent)

Babelicious celeb chef Nigella Lawson made lunch for Tony Blair and the Bushes today and the menu was kept top secret. Ken Livingstone wasn't invited, I presume. (Sky News)

Is Martina Navratilova bionic? One would think so, since she's 47 and will be playing doubles tennis for the USA Wednesday at the Fed Cup in Moscow. How does she do it? It's not milk. Martina refused to be in an ad sponsored by the milk industry because she doesn't drink the stuff. (USA Today)

Mariah Carey is showing the Chinese how to do it the American pop-star way! She arrived in Shanghai last week for a concert and brought with her eight vehicles containing 60 pieces of luggage (most of which must have been for the 350 pairs of shoes she dragged along). Maybe she's going to hike the Great Wall and is afraid she'll break a heel or two. (MSNBC)

Speaking of China, reports are that a men's clothing brand in eastern China is wooing Bill Clinton to be a model for its suits, shirts, ties and shoes. Seems Bill has been busy voguing it up over there. He was previously paid $400,000 to pose (à la Bill Murray in "Lost in Translation," one supposes) for an alcoholic drink made from rice. (Ananova)

Money Quotes
Paris is burning with shame: Paris Hilton on the release of her now-infamous sex video: "I feel embarrassed and humiliated, especially because my parents and the people who love me have been hurt. I was in an intimate relationship and never, ever thought that these things would become public." (The Associated Press)

Oh, and she's also accused him of swindling her and surreptitiously swiping her money: Liza Minnelli's latest allegations in a lawsuit filed against her ex-husband and agent, David Gest: "Gest constantly berated Minnelli in public and began holding himself out as the 'star.' He was abusive and demanding of third parties with whom he was dealing. His conduct became so offensive that people in the entertainment industry began refusing to work with Minnelli or participate in projects in which Minnelli was involved if Gest was involved." (The Smoking Gun)

Best of the Rest
Page Six: Rosie said to risk $20 million loss by letting "Taboo" run; more news about Ben and Jen at the Clark fundraiser: "Clark introduced the Eagles to the crowd of like 200. Ben really got into it -- he was clapping, bobbing his head, singing along and enjoying it. Jennifer sat in her chair with a ramrod straight back"; Sharon Bush demands that the ex-husband of her ex-husband's current girlfriend take a DNA test to prove paternity of his son; Columbia J-school student accuses N.Y. Times of ripping off his story about Bill Clinton spending little time in Harlem; Billy Joel on Sting, who bought his NYC apartment back in the '80s: "He's still using my old phone number. I said, are you ever going to change your damn number and he says, 'Why should I? Nobody bothers me.' "

Rush and Molloy: Kid Rock said to have battered a "hapless paparazzo" who tried to snap his (and Pam Anderson's) pic in incident captured on videotape and set to air on "Entertainment Tonight" tonight; Christina Aguilera rips into Madonna and Britney Spears for MTV kiss: "These people aren't artists, they're just performers -- fake and superficial, like the entire event"; Al Pacino forgets his ZIP code in court; Ben Affleck playing coy with his very important political endorsement. Says "pal" of Affleck and J.Lo's appearance at a Wesley Clark fundraiser, "Ben thinks very highly of Clark. He's not ready to endorse anyone, but he's leaning toward him."

Lloyd Grove's Lowdown: PETA backs off ad featuring Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and allegations that "American Idol" also-ran Clay Aiken has been neutered; "Stuck on You" co-director Peter Farrelly ticks off Fox News chairman Roger Ailes at luncheon by telling crowd that Ailes "is getting his lips surgically removed from Karl Rove's a-"; N.Y. Times gossip Joyce Wadler said to be trying to leave Boldface Names column after just one year on the job because she misses "having long conversations with people."

Boldface Names: Tommy Lee refuses to comment on the Paris Hilton video, but will say this to a room full of people: "I'm so BLEEP horny! Horny, horny, horny, horny, horny!"

--Amy Reiter

Bookmark the Fix here. To send a hot tip to the Fix, click here.


By Karen Croft

Karen Croft is the editor of Salon Sex.

MORE FROM Karen Croft


Related Topics ------------------------------------------