Monday, November 06, 2006

Toronto Star demonstrates the correct method for calling a woman a bitch

From Jennifer Wells' quickie review of the new biography of Lord and Lady Black by British author Tom Bower:

Barbara Amiel: Lady Black or Cruella De Vil?

Bower argues the latter while slathering on salacious details of what he claims are Amiel’s many sexual conquests.

Yes, there is a laundry list of leg-overs printed here.

And Bower casts her as frequently, and nastily, ill-tempered, screaming, he writes, at her senior butler: “Andrew! The towels are in the wrong place!”

This recalls Leona Helmsley foaming over water droplets on the lettuce, Martha Stewart excoriating her husband for failing to stack firewood with precision and Joan Crawford’s murderous anger should anyone make the mistake of placing a wire hanger in her closet.

It is, writes Bower, Andrew the butler who would take new household staff up to the roof of the home at Cottesmore Gardens in London. “Make sure the landing lights are on at all times,” the butler would instruct, “because Madame takes off from here on her broomstick looking for cats. She needs the lights to guide her return.”

So that's how it's done, kids. And take note, Norman Spector! But then I guess it also helps if the woman in question is already reviled in media circles.

Lord Black’s response to published excerpts of the book is here. (h/t Adam Daifallah.) Full disclosure: When I ran for OPCCA president in 1987 (yikes) one of Lord Black's companies donated to my campaign.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lord Black,
"Man of the Year" what a grand destruction, his eloquent defence vs. the yellow attempts to profit from the apparent fall of an international personality was, and God help us a Canadian at that! (I know I know the grand chretin' fromage tried to take it away) - it can't be done, he was born and is one of ours. So all the best my Lord and Lady, or as the Aussies say, "good on ye".

Anonymous said...

Lord Black,
"Man of the Year" what a grand destruction, his eloquent defence vs. the yellow attempts to profit from the apparent fall of an international personality was, and God help us a Canadian at that! (I know I know the grand chretin' fromage tried to take it away) - it can't be done, he was born and is one of ours. So all the best my Lord and Lady, or as the Aussies say, "good on ye".