“I built this channel from my life experience,” Mr. Ailes, 69, said. “My first qualification is I didn’t go to Columbia Journalism School. There are no parties in this town that I want to go to.”
No parties he wants to go to? Comments like that might get Ailes disinvited from socialite Georgette Mosbacher's next Christmas party:
RAY Kelly keeps one eye on crime and the other on fashion. At Georgette Mosbacher's holiday hoedown, the dapper top cop admired the seduce-me stilettos on Monica Crowley, complimented the silver necktie on Ralph Rucci, and deftly extracted the safety pin a dry cleaner left on the jacket of Richard Turley. ... Cable kingpins being greeted by the tomato-tressed Mosbacher included Fox News chief Roger Ailes
Likewise, Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller may also consider Ailes a bit ungrateful. Take it away, Liz Smith:
BIGGIES TURNED OUT in droves to salute the new book "Live From New York" that Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller have written as an oral history of "Saturday Night Live." These two guys were on the crest of a wave of great reviews as they received kudos in the stunning downstairs Sony Style Store space on Madison Avenue. Sony's chief, Howard Stringer, hosted the gala, which reminded us that he once headed up CBS News.
"This is a party about fear!" said one wiseacre, noting the VIP media-ites who attended. (Shales is the grand poo-bah of critics for The Washington Post.) I said, "No, it's because people genuinely respect Tom!"
Yes, they do, but one wonders -- where were the "SNL" stars? Most of them gave interviews; few of them showed. Other important people made up for it. Diane Sawyer made an early appearance but rushed off to tape "PrimeTime." In the gang, one saw Lorne Michaels; Mike Wallace; Charlie Rose; Larry King; Cynthia McFadden; Barry Diller; Tom Brokaw; Dan and Jean Rather; Joy and Regis Philbin; Marshall Rose and Candice Bergen; Nora Ephron; Binky and Ken Auletta; Richard Cohen; Wayne Lawson; Avery and Judy Corman; Conan O'Brien; and the NBC News legend named Reuven Frank. Leaving, I ran into Paula Zahn as I was rushing for a cab. I thought I should have warned her that her No. 1 enemy, Fox titan Roger Ailes, was also downstairs. But I guess Paula can take care of herself. I know Roger can take care of himself!
And I fear the Ailes-Limbaugh relationship might now be fractured irreparably:
EVERY APRIL, LIMBAUGH HOSTS A WEEKEND at his Palm Beach estate for his closest friends. This year the guest list included Roger Ailes, Mary Matalin and Joel Surnow
Granted, that one takes place at a Palm Beach estate, which is close to the soil, so maybe that doesn't count.