Hot Gossip!

It's hot here in New York and even hotter gossip this week!

Where to start? From Britney and Heidi having their babies to Renee and Kenny breaking up, Kate Moss snorting cocaine on the cover of the Daily Mirror, Bush taking somewhat responsiblity for the lack of help to New Orleans, to Russell Crowe claiming that he can't help being an asshole because he's Australian, celebrities having been running amok again.

But the biggest gossip here in New York was the cover of New York magazine. Not the cover story of Lachlan Murdoch leaving the family fold to start a new venture in Australia, leaving Rupert scrambling for who the new heir to the Newscorp throne is going to be (a television in the making. Perhaps starting Peter Bowman as the young Murdoch heir) but the cupcake wars.

Yes, you heard me, the cupcake wars. Apparently, cupcakes are big business here in New York, so much so, that Jennifer Appel, owner of Buttercup bakery, is suing a former employee claiming that he's stolen her ideas for his new bakery in Williamsburg in Brooklyn. She claims that she's just trying to protect her potential for franchising, he claims that having homey decor doesn't mean that he's stolen her ideas.

Is it just me, or have cupcakes been around forever? No one can copyright cupcakes! The whole cupcake wars started when Jennifer Appel and her former partner opened Magnolia Bakery in the village, made famous in Sex and the City. They split up as both friends and business partners and Jennifer opened Buttercup on the upper East Side. Now I've been to both bakeries, and they serve the same exact recipes. They both serve banana pudding with 'nilla wafers, chocolate trifle, brownies, red velvet cake, coconut cake etc.

Here's the kicker, when tourists who take the Sex and the City bus tour stop in front of Magnolia, they're eating cupcakes from Buttercup! Employees from both bakeries have now started their own bakeries, and they all make cupcakes. Only in New York could this be a huge story that it makes it into a national magazine.

This just got me thinking what a ripe (no pun intended) story this would be for a funny chick-lit romance. The old-time bakery across the street from the new fangled bakery that moves in on the family territory. Cupcake Wars!

It just goes to show you that you can find a plot pretty much anywhere for a novel.

Renee, Renee, I never thought you could be so flaky as to get married after a four month courtship and then get annulled five months later. Isn't 36 a little old to be having a starter marriage? I would expect this behavior from Brittany and Nicky Hilton but not you Renee. I mean if Danny Bonaduce and his wife can get married on the first date and still be married 15 years later (although I wouldn't claim them for the poster child for a happy marriage), surely you and Kenny can work this out? What happened to Kenny being 'your soul-mate', all that talk about how he understands your life etc. etc.?

Russell, I love you as an actor, but I would cross the street if I ever saw you cross my path. I don't know how this guy can claim that he doesn't have an anger management problem. Throwing a phone at someone, and all the bar fights this guy has been in, has more to do with his issues, then just 'being Australian' Since when does being Australian give someone the right to act like an ass. Then he blames Meg Ryan for not living a 'truthful life' for his problems when they were having a relationship. Oy!

And President Bush, ever heard the phrase 'the buck stops here?' You're the president of the United States. To say that you take responsibility to the extent that the federal government is responsible for not acting quickly enough to the disaster down in New Orleans, is not really taking responsibility no matter what Elisabeth Hasselbeck says.

It's only my opinion!