EFTA00188396 Archives: New York Post Page 1 of 4 # PROBED POL'S SON BLAMES PLOT New York Post. New York, N.Y.: Jan 14, 2005. pg. 014 Abstract (Document Summary) IS billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein making a bid for IMG Models? As we reported last summer, Epstein tried to buy Elite Models when the bankrupt agency was auctioned off. In 2003, we reported that Epstein, who's been described as "a connoisseur of beautiful women," was talking to Karin Models owner Jean-Luc Brunel about doing a deal, but it went nowhere. Epstein has also met with Elite's Gerald Marie and 1 Management's Scott Lipps. Now we hear Epstein has been having talks with fellow billionaire Teddy Forstmann, who paid $750 million for the IMG group a few months ago, about buying the company's modeling division, which reps the likes of Gisele Bundchen, Kate Moss and Heidi Klum. Reps for IMG and Forstmann deny any such negotiations are taking place. Epstein's rep did not return calls. Forstmann has been talking to top Hollywood talent agencies about a possible merger. PAUL Allen, 51, the bachelor Microsoft co-founder worth $20 billion (according to Forbes), rang in the New Year with British blonde Kate Reardon, 36 (above), a former fashion director for Tatler magazine who now writes about jewelry for the Times of London. The couple ushered in 2005 in St. Barts aboard Allen's 413- foot yacht, "Octopus," equipped with two helicopters and a 60-foot submarine. There were scores of other guests but Allen seemed mesmerized by Reardon, who had a similareffect on another billionaire, Sir Jimmy Goldsmith. Reardon attended Goldsmith's funeral in 1997, along with his widow and his second wife. "Conveniently, Allen has a house in London," said our source. [TRUMAN CAPOTE], dead for over 20 years, is suddenly a hot property in Hollywood. The author of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "In Cold Blood" is the subject of two new biopics - Warner Independent's "Every Word Is True," based on the Plimpton's 1997 oral history, and United Artists' "Capote," based on the landmark 1988 Gerald Clarke biography. "Capote," due out this fall, stars Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who is talented but a bit burly to play the "tiny terror." "Every Word" stars relatively unknown Toby Jones with an all-star supporting cast including Alan Cumming, Anjelica Huston, Sandra Bullock (as "To Kill a Mockingbird" author Harper Lee), Ashley Judd, Kevin Kline, Gwyneth Paltrow and Sigourney Weaver. Hollywood columnist Jeffrey Wells reports that "Capote" has the advantage of Hoffman in the starring role, while "Every Word," which just started filming, is said to have a much better screenplay. ## Full Text (1520 words) (Copyright 2005, The New York Post. All Rights Reserved) THE loose-cannon son of a subpoenaed Bronx state senator claims Republicans are behind a federal probe of the Bronx Democratic machine because they want to destroy Fernando Ferrer's campaign for mayor. Efrain Gonzalez III, whose dad, State Sen. Efrain Gonzalez Jr., is one of nine Bronx politicians subpoenaed to testify, wrote to the Riverdale Review: "The GOP controls the White House, the N.Y. State House and City Hall, so if they want to attack the members of the Bronx Democratic Party, who is going to stop them?" Fifteen subpoenas reportedly have been served, six of them to nonprofit organizations that employ relatives of the elected officials. Young Gonzalez is president of the Latino Affirmation Council, which isn't listed in The Bronx or Manhattan. Gonzalez III's letter to the Riverdale paper said: "When my father and the 14 other members were issued subpoenas, that alone was a message being sent by the GOP, that they will do anything in their power to keep Mayor Bloomberg in power, because all those members being probed are working to support Ferrer in next year's mayoral race." The elder Gonzalez's lawyer, "Don't Worry Murray" Richman, told PAGE SIX: "This is the over-excited imagination of a young man. We do not support these allegations which were not authorized and don't represent the views of the senator or myself." In a strange e-mail posted on YonkersTribune.com last fall, after The Post broke the news of the investigation, young Gonzalez said: "They couldn't find any weapons [of mass destruction], so they said instead of killing more http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/778885231.html?MAC=d480c38ad9d4655614f3d46d... 11/30/2005 EFTA00188397 Archives: New York Post Page 2 of 4 camels, they are trying to get rid of all the donkeys over here instead . . . they forgot that a Puerto Rican donkey knows how to climb high mountains, and are stronger than any elephant." One federal subpoena went to the elder Gonzalez's longtime girlfriend, Lucia Sanchez. Investigators are also looking into the $1 million in campaign funds Gonzalez has spent over the years in uncontested elections, with much of the money going to a mystery campaign worker identified in filings as Ricardo Santiago. "At issue is whether or not borough politicos funneled state and city funds into pet programs to then turn those funds into salaries for friends and relatives," the Riverdale Review reports. One of the non-profits being probed is the West Bronx Neighborhood Association, a favorite of Gonzalez's housed in the same building as his office on the Grand Concourse. ## Talent shortfall THUMB-size thespians looking for a little work would do well to book a trip to London, where dwarf actors are in short supply. Producers for the BBC's "Doctor Who" are searching for undersize actors to play little blue aliens in the remake of the classic 1970s sci-fi show. But most of Britain's tiny talents have already been snapped up for the new "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" movie or to play Gringotts Bank staff in the new "Harry Potter" film. Executive producer Russell T. Davies complained to London's Daily Mirror: "It's very difficult to employ persons of restricted growth when these other movies are filming at the same time." ## We hear . . . THAT it could get crowded for the Democrats in 2008. John Kerry has said he won't rule out running again, and now comes word Tipper Gore is telling friends that Al is eyeing another race himself. ## Words of gold DONALD Trump will be paid a record-breaking $1 million an hour for Learning Annex appearances in three cities this year. That's over $16,000 a minute. Since it was founded in 1980, the Learning Annex has featured such celebrity teachers as Sarah Jessica Parker, Tony Robbins, Deepak Chopra and Henry Kissinger. The previous highest fee was $28,000 - paid to Ron Wood nearly 20 years ago when he was a member of the Rolling Stones. Trump's "How to Succeed in Real Estate" hits Los Angeles on May 1, Chicago on Oct. 23 and New York on Nov. 6. Learning Annex president/founder Bill Zanker said, "Last time he taught for us, over 20,000 students came - and this year he's even bigger." ## Mogul lusts for model shop IS billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein making a bid for IMG Models? As we reported last summer, Epstein tried to buy Elite Models when the bankrupt agency was auctioned off. In 2003, we reported that Epstein, who's been described as "a connoisseur of beautiful women," was talking to Karin Models owner Jean-Luc Brunel about doing a deal, but it went nowhere. Epstein has also met with Elite's Gerald Marie and 1 Management's Scott Lipps. Now we hear Epstein has been having talks with fellow billionaire Teddy Forstmann, who paid $750 million for the IMG group a few months ago, about buying the company's modeling division, which reps the likes of Gisele Bundchen, Kate Moss and Heidi Klum. Reps for IMG and Forstmann deny any such negotiations are taking place. Epstein's rep did not return calls. Forstmann has been talking to top Hollywood talent agencies about a possible merger. ## Aspen captive SOCIALITE Denise Rich has fired her yoga instructor after his girlfriend told police that he locked her in a room of Rich's Aspen mansion for three days over the Thanksgiving holiday. The unidentified woman alleged that Jules Paxton attacked her first and then locked her in a room when she threatened to call the cops. A spokesman for Rich said the ex-wife of pardoned tax cheat Marc Rich was traveling abroad during the incident, but confirmed that Paxton was staying at her home. "Mrs. Rich has decided to discontinue his services as her yoga instructor," the rep said. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/778885231.html?MAC=d480c38ad9d4655614f3d46d... 11/30/2005 EFTA00188398 Archives: New York Post Page 3 of 4 ## Happy holiday PAUL Allen, 51, the bachelor Microsoft co-founder worth $20 billion (according to Forbes), rang in the New Year with British blonde Kate Reardon, 36 (above), a former fashion director for Tatler magazine who now writes about jewelry for the Times of London. The couple ushered in 2005 in St. Barts aboard Allen's 413- foot yacht, "Octopus," equipped with two helicopters and a 60-foot submarine. There were scores of other guests but Allen seemed mesmerized by Reardon, who had a similareffect on another billionaire, Sir Jimmy Goldsmith. Reardon attended Goldsmith's funeral in 1997, along with his widow and his second wife. "Conveniently, Allen has a house in London," said our source. ## Super at 14 THE 44 contestants in the Ford Supermodel of the World contest learned evasive maneuvers at the after-party at the Tunnel, where they met such studs as Jesse Palmer of the Giants, Trevor Ariza of the Knicks, Jamie ("Born Rich") Johnson and Kelly ("The Apprentice") Perdew. New husband Fabian Basabe showed, too, without bride Martina Borgomanero, and worked the red carpet. The winner, who also got a $250,000 modeling contract, was Brazilian Camila Finn (above), all of 14. She might look even better when she grows up. ## IT'S THE TRUMAN CAPOTE SHOW TRUMAN Capote, dead for over 20 years, is suddenly a hot property in Hollywood. The author of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "In Cold Blood" is the subject of two new biopics - Warner Independent's "Every Word Is True," based on Plimpton's 1997 oral history, and United Artists' "Capote," based on the landmark 1988 Gerald Clarke biography. "Capote," due out this fall, stars Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who is talented but a bit burly to play the "tiny terror." "Every Word" stars relatively unknown Toby Jones with an all-star supporting cast including Alan Cumming, Anjelica Huston, Sandra Bullock (as "To Kill a Mockingbird" author Harper Lee), Ashley Judd, Kevin Kline, Gwyneth Paltrow and Sigourney Weaver. Hollywood columnist Jeffrey Wells reports that "Capote" has the advantage of Hoffman in the starring role, while "Every Word," which just started filming, is said to have a much better screenplay. ## Own show COURTNEY Fine, a former aide to Mayor Bloomberg who left politics to become an actress, is showcasing "Me 2," a play she wrote about a woman jailed for breaking into the bar where she left her cell- phone. Among those invited to last night's opening at the Producers Club 2: Victoria Gotti, Amy Fine Collins and Bloomberg's sister Marjorie Tiven. The show closes after tomorrow's performance. ## Never mind Parnham, the lawyer for Andrea Yates, is quick to cash in after winning her a new trial for the murder of her five kids. Parnham, who will try to get Yates off using the insanity defense, is shopping a book, "States of Mind," which will focus on his favorite tricks for defending female killers: postpartum depression, premenstrual syndrome and post-traumatic stress. And he'll include similar cases: Clara Harris, who allegedly ran over her unfaithful husband with herMercedes Benz, and Lisa Montgomery, who strangled Bobbie Jo Stinnett and then surgically removed her fetus last month. ## [Illustration] -Kate Reardon; Camila Finn -SINGER ALICIA KEYS KEEPS HER BOD BUFF BY JOGGING ON THE BEACH IN BARBADOS YESTERDAY. [ZUMA PRESS]-ANY MAN WHO WINS THE HEART OF NICOLE KIDMAN, PICTURED HERE IN A SHOOT FOR THE NEW ISSUE OF IN STYLE, IS A LUCKY DOG. HER LATEST CRUSH, SHE TELLS THE MAG, IS PHILIP ROTH, 71, WHO WROTE THE NOVEL "THE HUMAN STAIN," THE BASIS FOR HER 2003 FILM. [RUVEN AFANADOR FOR IN STYLE] Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/778885231.html?MAC=d480c38ad9d4655614f3d46d... 11/30/2005 EFTA00188399 Archives: New York Post Page 4 of 4
permission.
People: Gonzalez, Efrain III, Epstein, Jeffrey, Rich, Denise, Allen, Paul, Reardon, Kate
Section: Page Six
Text Word Count 1520
Document URL:
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/778885231.html?MAC=d480c38ad9d4655614f3d46d... 11/30/2005