Kids Say the Darndest Things.
Chelsea Clinton wrote an article for the February issue of Interview magazine, in which she conducted a question-and-answer interview with movie star Jake Gyllenhaal. During Chelsea's interview with Gyllenhaal, their talk turned briefly to his sister Maggie Gyllenhaal, who recently starred in the sado-masochistic film Secretary. Ms. Gyllenhaal plays a character who is hired by a dominating lawyer who likes to issue spankings for spelling errors, and eventually has his secretary performing office work while shackled to a kind of portable stockade. As disturbing as the film may be, the real shocker came when Chelsea Clinton tells Gyllenhaal in the interview that "My mother liked it"-the film, that is. As the New York Observer noted, "[T]his little nugget of information dropped by Chelsea feels like it's an important part of explaining the woman who stood by her man when a hefty portion of the country thought she should have abandoned him." Unfortunately, we will probably never get to know exactly why Sen. Clinton wasted two hours watching the movie when she could have been spending her time helping "the children," as a spokeswoman for the senator declined to comment, and Chelsea has since clammed up about her odd but insightful observation.
Hill Supports Martha.
In an interview with the New Yorker magazine, embattled domestic goddess Martha Stewart said that she has received support from her friend Hillary as she tries to fend off a federal probe into whether she traded on insider information when she sold shares in ImClone System Inc. Stewart says she has received encouragement from Sen. Clinton, who has faced down a number of federal investigations. "She was one of the first people to call me. . . and very nicely say, 'You know, you just have to hang in there. It's the process,'" Stewart told the magazine. Clinton spokeswoman Karen Dunn refused to characterize the phone conversation, or say whether the senator was supportive of Stewart. According to Dunn, Hillary "made a phone call to a friend and has not commented on the ongoing investigation. . . . I wouldn't say either way about the contents of the call."
London Calling.
Hillary is planning a July trip to London to promote her $8-million memoirs, talking about her political ambitions and life with the former President. In what has been seen as an unusual step, the former First Lady recently met leading British booksellers in New York, including Waterstone's and W .H. Smith, to discuss the book. "It was hugely successful. Mrs. Clinton was inspirational," according to a spokeswoman for Headline, her British publisher. The book's tentative title is Hillary Rodham Clinton: A Memoir, and the provisional publication date is June 16 . Headline has not agreed the final format of her publicity visit, but a conventional book-signing is apparently out of the question because of the huge interest that will be generated by her visit. One option being considered is hiring a venue such as the Royal Festival Hall, which has a capacity of 2,000, where Sen. Clinton could talk about her life. Hillary's visit will almost certainly include a visit to Downing Street to visit her old friends, Mr. and Mrs. Tony Blair. Early reports indicate that Hillary's book will reveal more details about her presidential ambitions and for the first time her thoughts on Monica Lewinsky. One publishing spy said: "Sufficient has been written about Monica, with much style and some wit. But Hillary has said her piece, make no mistake."
DSCC Event.
On March 11, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee will hold its "Majority Trust Winter Dinner" at Hillary's Washington home. Hosting this important event is yet another way for Sen. Clinton to collect chits to gain favor among Democrats across the country. The DSCC is asking for a $25,000 contribution for donors to qualify for its Majority Trust. While individual donors can give $37,500 in hard money annually under the new campaign finance rules, there is a cap set at $25,000 for donations to any single committee. Watch for HILLPAC to make some serious donations at this time. Hillary's husband is not yet scheduled to attend the March dinner.
Hill Supports Mayors.
Sen. Clinton recently appeared before the U.S. Conference of Mayors, telling the cities leaders that the federal government should be providing more money to cities to prepare for terrorism. Said Hill: "It is obvious that our cities are the primary vulnerable targets when it comes to the war from the terrorist perspective. We know that great cities like Washington and, of course, New York, have already been attacked. We also know that we've uncovered plans and information that other cities have been on the list of potential targets, yet we have not taken adequate measures to give you the resources you need."
