Ephraim Hardcastle
‘OBAMA stays neutral on effectiveness of torture,’ says the New York Times about shocking CIA cruelty to terror suspects. They ‘greatly respect’ the response of Republican Senator John McCain – himself a tortured Vietnam War PoW, and Barack Obama’s opponent in the 2008 presidential election. McCain, 78, condemned the torturers, saying America ‘should be better than those who would destroy us’. A Washington source says: ‘He’d have been a better leader than Obama. And he has a little vibe of craziness which might have kept Putin on his back foot.’
COVERAGE of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s New York/ Washington outing is perkier than what William’s father, the Prince of Wales, might expect. I hear Catherine Mayer’s forthcoming book about Charles – punted to US publisher Holt by Ms Mayer’s ‘hail-fellow, well-met’ agent, Ed Victor – was accepted on condition that it was cut in half for the American market.
ITV’s lively political editor, Tom Bradby, pictured, regrets having to attend Ed Miliband’s big speech, complaining: ‘He has said nothing new. No policy shift, no new detail. All parties do this a lot. The spin doctors “sell” a speech hard to guarantee coverage. Then it turns out to be stuff they’ve said before.’ Clearly, there’s no love lost between Tom and Ed.
PAYING tribute to her late mother, comedienne Joan Rivers, at a Hollywood reception, Melissa Rivers describes how she might have participated in the event: ‘She would be sitting at the table beaming, while very discreetly shovelling croissants and silverware into her purse.’
DAME-TO-BE Joan Collins, 81, talks about her role in a forthcoming film, The Time of Their Lives, remarking: ‘I’m a drunk, and I don’t wear a scrap of make-up. Oh, and I have to sing My Way… I’ve called on (Sir) Tim Rice, the executive producer, for help with that.’ Drunk Joan, sans make-up, singing My Way – is Sir Tim up to the challenge?
BROADCASTER David Aaronovitch pens a stinging attack in The Times on Shadow Health Secretary and Labour MP Andy Burnham for attacking the idea of NHS privatisation, pointing out: ‘He is slagging off for political gain the very things he championed in power…’ Aaronovitch is admired by Cherie Blair. And she’ll have enjoyed his article, ‘Labour and the great privatisation fraud’. Coincidentally, she has founded a private company promising ‘a revolutionary new way of delivering health care’.
LEONARDO DiCaprio, 40, who has just split up with his latest squeeze, blonde German model Toni Garrn, 22, is an avid art collector. And a collector of ladies, too. Partying at Miami’s trendy, South Beach Art Basel – ‘the world’s premier international art show for Modern and contemporary works’ – he consorted with a legion of lovelies and left with no fewer than 20 of them. Leo’s manliness is not in doubt, but he must not overegg the pudding.