ERYKAH BADU FOR TOM FORD-HOTTT!

Vogue UK hears that Tom Ford is working with politically-outspoken singer Erykah Badu. The American soulstress will be the face of Ford's new fragrance, the name of which has not yet been released. Badu shot to fame in the Nineties with hits such On & On, which earned her a Grammy, and was known early in her career for her colourful African headwraps; she also changed the spelling of her name, which was originally 'Erica', to 'Erykah', which she believed to be her original 'slave' name.

HORYN NEEDS TO FALL BACK

Cathy Horyn is back in the penalty box at Giorgio Armani. The New York Times scribe was informed by a letter from the Italian designer she would not be invited to his signature show on Monday because of what she had written about his couture show last January. Specifically, Armani charged that Horyn "belittled" his family and friends in her description of the preshow scene. At Jil Sander Monday night, Horyn declined all comment, but detailed the banning in her blog, writing, "I don't really buy any of it, though — not the delay and certainly not the old-fashioned practice of restricting journalists [in a digital age] from shows." A year ago, Armani and the fashion critic had a spat over Horyn's description of a trouser style.*

*won't be the first great designer she's pissed off.

LOVE LAPO CHEAP&CHIC

Moschino turned to Lapo Elkann to get its message across about Love Moschino, formerly the Moschino Jeans line. "Lapo's advertising agency, Independent Ideas, is made up of a group of young, creative minds, more in line, I believe, with our final consumer, than more established agencies," said Moschino creative director Rossella Jardini.Elkann said he appreciates Moschino's irony and set about working on a message centered on love. To wit: He set up a lovemoschino.com site, and created a 2008 Love Calendar, with unique messages each month, plus a new advertising campaign. A new Web magazine, "Love News," will display "only good news from around the world," said Elkann.

WEDDING TO KICK OF THE SOCIAL CALENDAR

Lauren Davis is getting married early next month into one of the richest Colombian families(sí), ton's of socialites will be there, Vogue people and fashionistas will be there(cierto). She might be wearing an Olivier Theyskens creation(has made her love for nina ricci known) but what we want to know is WHich wedding coverage will get better Vogue coverage(yo no sé sobre eso). She is a contributing editor of the magazine but Georgina Chapman just had her wedding to Harvey Weinstein and we seem to remeber that it was a certain Harvey that got her the Anna Wintour meeting, allegedly

PLEASE END WRITERS STRIKE,PLEASE

Ok so this writer's strike really needs to stop, f-ing now, for obvious selfish reasons. One will have to endure numerous re-runs in the weeks to come not that there's anything spectacular(Arrested Development) on the tube. 24 has been pushed back indefinately and now there is this sh!teous show on the peacock called clash of the choirs. At first I thought they were kidding and then they kept showing silly commercials for it. I mean not to knock on Nick lachey or anything but really, he is that great of a singer to lead a choir?

While on the network rant, I can't believe the letter station cancelled BigShots, i mean that show was good granted it wasn't doing well in the ratings dept., but at least give it a chance suits. What other shows are you anxious to see return/sad to see go.

WHAT ARE YOU TAKLING ABOUT?

Village People cowboy Randy Jones told us last week at Beige in the East Village...In 1977, he found himself sharing a table at Studio 54 with two people he recalls as being Paris' parents, Rick and Kathy Hilton.
"There was one rock of cocaine left, and it rolled off the table," he said. "They just didn't even bother bringing it back up to a hard surface - they just crushed it into the carpet and snorted it off that."
But the Hilton's suggest Jones might not have the clearest memory of the '70s. "Never happened," Rick said yesterday, adding that the couple didn't move to the city until 1979.

Camel ads coupled with illustrations promoting rock music in Rolling Stone magazine violate the tobacco industry's nine-year-old promise not to use cartoons to sell cigarettes, prosecutors in various states said Tuesday.

So Ohio is joining in the multi-state lawsuit against RJ Reynolds:

CARTOON TROUBLE: During the past year, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. has taken several hits in the media and on Capitol Hill over its print ads and now it's facing legal trouble. Eight states, from California to New York, are filing lawsuits regarding the Camel Farm advertisement that ran adjacent to an independent rock music section in the Nov. 15 issue of Rolling Stone. The section opened with a full-page ad illustration of a woman above a banner reading "Welcome to the Farm," advertising RJR's Camel cigarettes. After the section's cover, there is then a two-page ad featuring a camel in silhouette with the words, "The Farm: Free Range Music" and the headline, "Committed to Supporting and Promoting Independent Record Labels." The editorial in the section follows, made up of cartoon images and graphics.
In a statement Tuesday, Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann asked a judge to hold RJR in contempt, and issue a fine of more than $5 million for violating the Master Settlement Agreement, which prohibits the use of cartoons in ads to promote tobacco products. Similar language was used by other attorneys general in the case. A spokesman for RJR
reiterated the company would not have chosen to advertise in the Nov. 15 issue if it knew of cartoonlike graphics prepared by Rolling Stone.

DUM-DUM OF THE WEEK:

A DRIVERS education instructor is suing the makers of "Borat," claiming Sacha Baron Cohen and 20th Century Fox took him for a wild, life-threatening ride. Michael Psenicska was duped into participating in the film believing it was "a documentary about the integration of foreign people into the American way of life," according to a suit filed in Manhattan federal court seeking $400,000 in damages. Instead, Psenicska encountered Cohen's "kissie huggie" routine. Then, Cohen "attempted to engage the seatbelt on by wrapping it between his legs, and twisting it all different ways, and struggling like a child," the suit says. The comic, playing a phony Kazakh reporter, then took off down the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic. When Psenicska protested, the suit states, Cohen rolled down the window and offered a female pedestrian $10 for "sexy time" and hollered "Chocolate man!" to a black pedestrian. Psenicska says he told Cohen as he exited the car "that he needed a lot of practice, but not to call [him]." Psenicska claims he was paid just $500 and signed paperwork without reading it after he was told it was "standard."

MODERN DAY BONNIE AND CLYDE

They're out on bail and back in their theivery condo which is making their neighbors uneasy. Read whole story of the thieving couple here here and here and facebook group

1/2 of Google Larry page is getting married this week so stay away from Necker Islands {NYP}

IS THIS MRS SNOOP?

Snoop at preview party for new NYC club Touch

VICE PRESIDENT OF MAILROOM DISTRIBUTION

While watching NBC Nightly with Brian Williams yesterday, they touched on an interesting subject: The title of Vice President.



It seems more companies are apt to give the title away but without equal compensation. There was an Asian girl on there, only 22 and she was already VP of an American company and she can barely speak English. More companies give up and coming deserving workers the title but they don't receive a pay increase. Is this fair to those that bust their chops day in day out trying to climb the corporate ladder? As an employer, if an employee takes that title knowing that they deserve something better will that be viewed as settling? As an employee, would one take the title with the hopes and anticipation that one will someday be promoted to "Senior" VP?