Notorious Beau Upsets Lopez’s Mom
Puff Daddy’s trouble with the law is backfiring on his Notorious magazine – and may be adversely affecting lady love Jennifer Lopez’s career as well. Industry sources say that following Puffy’s indictment, those on the publishing end of the mag have been complaining that skittish companies are holding off buying ad pages. “Ever since the December shooting incident, advertisers are concerned that the magazine might not be right for their image,” one publishing insider reports. Notorious CEO and editor-in-chief David Anthony denies a drop in advertising – but takes a step back from the impresario himself. “Notorious is not Puffy,” he declares. Meanwhile, music-industry sources say that Lopez’s family is deeply concerned that her romance with Puffy will torpedo her hot career. Lopez’s mother is upset that along with dodging bullets, Jennifer has been ducking recent high-profile events, including last week’s internationally televised American Music Awards, to stand by her bad boy. Lopez’s publicist, Alan Neirob, strongly denies that his client is passing up work or public appearances and bristles at reports that he and others are worried about a progressive Puffy problem. “Professionally, nothing has changed,” he insists. “I don’t think her career could be damaged.” Maybe he should call her mom.
Pollock’s Ex May Drip With Cash
Attention, art lovers: Jackson Pollock’s final painting may soon be up for sale. Ruth Kligman, Pollock’s last girlfriend, has in her possession an oval-shaped “drip” painting she says the legendary artist painted “in front of me as a token of love” only one month before he died in the 1956 car crash that injured Kligman and killed her friend Edith Metzger. Kligman, whose 1974 book Love Affair: A Memoir of Jackson Pollock was finally released in paperback last November, claims she has been given permission by the Pollock estate to sell the painting, titled Red, Silver and Black, and would love to see the canvas hang in the Whitney Museum – “not in a private home where no one will ever see it and appreciate its historic significance.” But Kligman’s public-mindedness comes with a hefty price tag: $4 million to $5 million. “It should go for top market value,” explains Kligman. “It’s a very important piece of art.”
Is It Sayonara For Segarra?
Ninfa Segarra, Rudy Giuliani’s deputy mayor and appointee to the Board of Education, is ready to trade in her City Hall job to become president of cuny’s La Guardia Community College in Queens, political sources say. As Giuliani’s education point person for six years, Segarra has been in the conservative majority on votes to oust Rudy Crew as public-schools chancellor and has always voted as the proxy of her patron, the mayor. But “Ninfa’s never been a member of the mayor’s inner circle,” explains one political observer. Therefore, sources say, Segarra’s transition to La Guardia is getting a behind-the-scenes boost from a couple of Giuliani operatives: cuny chairman Herman Badillo, the mayor’s education adviser, and cuny board member Randy Mastro. Segarra didn’t return calls, and cuny vice-chancellor for university relations Jay Hershenson said only, “We don’t comment on presidential searches.” But Segarra might not be the last to parachute from City Hall, says another insider: “The administration is over in a year, and those closest to the mayor will stay through the election. The others will jump at any job opportunity.” Note to City Hall job seekers: Hillary Clinton’s hiring.
It’s a Three Dog Fight
You’d think the New York State Supreme Court would have better issues to debate than where dog treats stand on the food chain. But Z-Spot: A Three Dog Bakery – the month-old Madison Avenue boutique for silver-spooned canines that’s already a favorite with Mary Tyler Moore and her uptown hound – is now in a tussle with its management company over the sale of pricey treats like “Pupcakes” and “Pooch Pretzels.” The co-op board claims the emporium is in default on the lease, pointing to a clause that forbids “the sale, preparation, storage or consumption of any food products whatsoever.” Z-Spot owners Howard and Sharon Sternheim object, bringing up a clause in the sublease identifying Z-Spot’s intention to sell “pet supplies and treats.” “They are saying that they didn’t understand that pet treats implied something edible,” barks Howard. So the two parties will head to the New York State Supreme Court on January 24. Fortunately, the shop will remain open, allowing those upper-crust pups to get a trendy cashmere sweater to fight winter’s chill.
Additional reporting by David Amsden and Suny Sehgal.