Mega-Designer John Galliano has been suspended by Christian Dior following allegations of a drunken racist rant in a Paris boite. Several YouTube videos document the extraordinary ugliness. Meanwhile, the US govt. just froze $30 billion of pugnacious Libyan despot Muammar al-Gaddafi‘s assets. Who knew he’s also been dictating fashion trends since the 1970s?

but it apparently didn’t stop a 3-star Army general from planning to perpetrate psychological mind bending (psy-ops) on U.S. Senators, including John McCain and Al Franken, in an attempt to keep them compliant in funding the war in Afghanistan. The same Rolling Stone writer, Michael Hastings, who broke the story that got the head of the Afghan campaign, General Stanley McChrystal, fired several months ago, has now revealed this devious plot.

This may sound surreal — but unfortunately no dirty tricks surprise me…anywhere.

The terrific, newly reformatted weekly version of the venerable trade, The Hollywood Reporter, has an interesting piece about historic former star properties that unfortunately cease to exist (in several cases the original, supremely gaudy mansions have been replaced by even larger McMansions):

Jayne Mansfield's Pink Palace in Holmby Hills

During the recent revolution in Egypt, a team of thieves damaged ancient  artifacts at the Egyptian Museum which is located directly off Tahrir Square. They were looking for cash, gold and a mysterious elixir called Red Mercury believed to be hidden in the necks of mummies and have the power to control the spirit world! Watch this:

Peacefully (except when it comes to telegenic American journalists like Lara Logan, first arrested by the government, then brutally sexually assaulted by a mob after the regime’s fall, Anderson Cooper, etc.) in the streets for 18 days the masses in the square prevailed today–but martial law is now the order. Best wishes to the 80,000,000 Egyptians (like the rest of the Mideast, the majority of the population is under 30) who have lived, in most cases, their entire lives under profound suppression and corruption. It may be a long and winding road, but I hope the people of Egypt achieve the basic freedoms they desire and deserve!

Demonstrations are spreading like wildfire throughout the region.