Eliot Spitzer’s Hooker Calls John Mayer A ‘Douchebag’ For Dishing On How Jessica Simpson Is In Bed: Got That?

Sexual Napalm

As the New York Post reminds us Sunday, QVC vendor/singer Jessica “Sexual Napalm” Simpson will debut tonight on VH1.

Her new show, “The Price of Beauty,” airs at 10 p.m.

In its “TV Week” section, the Post’s headline actually is “Sexual Napalm,” referring to John Mayer’s rather indisreet remarks to “Playboy” magazine about how the Texan blonde is in bed. He used “crack” and “napalm” to describe her.

Simpson recently told Oprah Winfrey that she was not happy about Mayer’s public comments.

Simpson, on her new TV show, travels around the globe to look at what is considered beautiful in different cultures. “Wonder if she brought any souvenirs back for Mr. Mayer?” that snide Post asked.

But the best is in another section of the Post, the “Ask Ashley” sex advice column written by the notorious Ashley Dupre, the New Jersey-bred hooker whose escapades with New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer brought him down.

This week Mike from New Jersey asked Duprey, “What, exactly, is ‘sexual napalm’? And doesn’t that seem like a bad thing? “

Duprey, we guess based on her years in a career that required discretion, made it clear how she feels about Mayer.

“OK, first let me say how much of a douchebag I think John Mayer is,” she wrote. “(Am I allowed to say douchebag in The Post? Because that is the perfect word to describe him — so I’m using it! Oh, and any man who thinks John Mayer is the man, well, you’re a douchebag, too. So there.)”

Duprey wasn’t finished.

“Why he felt he needed to broadcast that Jessica was like ‘crack cocaine’ when it comes to sex is beyond me,” she wrote. “She has a sister, a family and a freakin’ nephew now! How old are you, John? 15? Sounds like it.”

And we loved Duprey’s “kicker,” as we say in the journalism business.

“Now that’s out of the way, ‘napalm’ refers to chemicals that can cause an explosion,” she wrote. “By putting sexual in front of it, I guess he meant what they experienced was a ‘sexual explosion’ of sorts, which to me seems more like a compliment. But really, only he knows what he means by all of his gibberish. And at this point, I’m the even bigger douchebag for sitting here and writing about it. But I do feel better now.”

Kim Kardashian Pushes Her Tush On QVC: Is Her Voluptuous Butt A Plus Or A Minus?

Kim Kardashian

Is reality TV star Kim Kardashian the right person to be doing workout videos, especially about getting your butt in shape?

We guess that depends on where you stand on big booty.

Kardashian was on QVC Saturday morning hawking her new DVD set, “Fit In Your Jeans By Friday,” for $25.

The DVDs include “butt blasting” exercises, and Kardashian demonstrated the “tush push” on air.

Host Shawn Killinger, her usual tactful self, put Kardashian on the spot right away on the segment.

“You are known for one of your most famous assets,” Killinger said, making quote marks in the air when she said “assets.”

Well, she wasn’t talking about Kardashian’s eyes. Killinger then made Kardashian stand sideways, so viewers could get a good look at her figure.

Kardashian, rather like Jennifer Lopez, is known for her shapely behind. Here’s the difference between women and men: Some women — like us — look at Kardashian and think her behind is too big, men look at her and, well, you figure it out.

Believe me, we’re not saying that Kardashian isn’t gorgeous. And we agree with her about women’s bodies.

“I love my curves,” she told QVC viewers. “I love curvy. I love voluptuous.”

Kardashian draws a negative response on QVC’s online forums, but we think she comes across as down to earth and friendly on QVC — better than her persona on E! Entertainment Television’s “Keeping Up With The Kardashians.”

Finally, while we’re on the topic, please remember our dating rule: Never go out with a man whose butt is smaller than yours.

Salon by Sally Hershberger Has Launched Exclusively On HSN

Celebrity hairstylist Sally Hershberger has debuted an exclusive line of professional styling tools, SALON, this month on HSN.

“As a hair dresser for over 20 years, the products out there just weren’t delivering the results I was looking for,” Hershberger said in a canned statement. “Heavy and greasy hair made it very difficult to get incredible styles and maintain the natural movement in the hair. With my new product line, SALON, I worked with my team of stylists to develop these must-have products.”

HSN tells us, no hype we’re sure, that CleanTech, a cornerstone of SALON formula development, delivers the best professional styling results without the weight.

The five stylers are formulated for all hair types and are priced at $20 to $24.

Highlights of each formula are:

LUXE LAYERS delivers a ProTouch, perfect blow dry while helping to prevent heat damage and protecting color.

MINERAL SPRAY gives 3D texture and lifts layers with minerals, providing the alternative to dulling, drying salt sprays.

SHAPE UP builds body from root to tip, using a skincare-inspired plumping system.

TEXTURE BLAST- instantly gives lifeless hair body and movement to create big bold styles.

SMOOTH FIX gives hair a super glossy, instantly dry shine with frizz free hold- never greasy, providing a state of the art revolutionary alternative to the heavy shine products.
SALON by

QVC Vendor Jessica Simpson’s Stylist Sidekick, Ken Paves, May Have His Part In Her VH1 Show Cut, Says New York Post

The New York Post’s Page Six Friday claims that VH1 is looking to trim hair stylist Ken Paves’ role in Jessica Simpson’s new show “The Price of Beauty.”

Paves and unlucky-in-love Simpson, both QVC vendors, are going around the world to report on how beauty standards differ from country to country. The Post claims that Paves’ initial role was just to do Simpson’s hair, but that he stayed put when the cameras started rolling and essentialy horned his way into the show.

Paves hawks Jessica Simpson hair extensions on QVC, while the blonde has a line of accessories there.

HSN Names Rob Solomon Executive Vice President Of Operations

HSN has promoted Rob Solomon to the post of executive vice president of operations. He will also be a member of HSN’s executive committee, reporting directly to HSN CEO Mindy Grossman.

In his new position, Solomon will be responsible for overseeing sales and services, fulfillment, IT, supply chain operations and quality control.

Solomon joined HSN as senior vice president of customer care in 2004. Under his direction, HSN established new standards in the industry for a flexible workforce through its innovative Work-at-Home program, which eliminated HSN’s need for offshore call centers and greatly improved the overall customer experience.

“Rob has been instrumental in raising customer service levels at our customer sales and service centers. Under his leadership, last year HSN ranked No. 7 out of the Top 10 retailers – the highest ranking ever for the company – in customer service, according to the 2009 Annual NRF Foundation/American Express Customer’s Choice Survey,” Grossman said in a canned statement. “Providing exemplary customer service remains a top priority for HSN, and we look forward to further enhancing our world class consumer experience.”

Prior to joining HSN, Solomon worked at Ticketmaster, serving as executive vice president of contact centers and retail locations. He was responsible for the integration of call center operations for TicketMaster’s diverse businesses. Before being appointed executive vice president in 2000, Solomon was the company’s vice president of call center operations, where he was responsible for 13 U.S. call centers with over 3,000 teleservice representation.

Solomon also held senior positions with Electronic Processing Source and Continental Guest Services in New York.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Science Management degree from Pepperdine University.

HSN And ‘Real’ New York City Housewive Ramona Singer Has Some Swell Digs

Ramona Singer, one of “The Real Housewives of New York City” and an HSN vendor for a year now, lives in some damn nice digs.

The New York Post did a story Thursday on the blonde housewive’s luxurious Upper East Side condo in its Real Estate Guide.

The spread on Singer’s 2,500-square-foot condo includes some nice photos of her bedroom and her daughter’s bedroom.

Singer does a vintage-inspired jewelry line for HSN.

Badgley Mischka Returns To HSN March 18 For 12 Hours, With Today’s Tuxedo Special

The Today's Special is on the far right

The red carpet design team Badgley Mischka will be back on HSN in mid-March, on for a good 12 hours on March 18 when they will have the Today’s Special.

We got a gander Thursday at the design team’s spring American Glamour collection for HSN, and we were eyeing the TS long before it we even knew it was going to be the TS.

And the handbags, jeans, blouses, sandals and fashion jewelry that Mark Badgley and his partner James Mischka have lined up are pretty eye-catching.

During the breakfast press preview Mischka explained that the vendors that do the goods for the design team’s luxury lines, which sell in stores like Neiman Marcus, are the exact ones who are making the merchandise for HSN.

“All of our partners that do our couture range – like the jewelry, the handbags, the scarves, the shoes, the apparel – they’re the same teams that do the HSN projects,” he said.

Badgley Mischka is creating six collections a year for HSN, which is quite a commitment.

The TS for March 18 is a knit tuxedo jacket with removable jeweled belt loops that comes in a variety of colors, including black and a gorgeous turquoise that drew it to us as soon as we walked into the showroom. It will sell for $109.90, and is modeled after a suit that Badgley Mischka did for its couture collection.

The upscale design team also had some stand-out purses for HSN on display.

“Our handbags are one of our strongest categories with HSN,” Badgley said. “They’re just really fun and really chic….We made a conscious decision with them (HSN). We wanted to do fine quality leathers with them. We weren’t interested in… just throwing out a faux bag.”

When they were on HSN in November, they had a $500 snakeskin purse that sold out in a snap. That purse in the Badgley Mischka couture collection would have cost $1,600, according to Badgley.

Soft Napa tote

His favorites in the collection for the spring were a slouchy Napa leather tote with for $329, and “this studded bag has about 500 hand-done studs…I love this bag.”

Then Mischka chimed in, “We’re going to actually count them for you on the show.”

Chunky bangles, $79

Badgley Mischka is know for its bling, and they are bringing chunky gemstone cuffs and a sea life collection – necklaces adorned with rhinestoned starfishes, coral and shells – to HSN this spring.

“I love the jewelry,” Badgley said. “James and I are freaks for stones and vintage jewelry. Jewelry always inspires all the beading, all the artwork, on our evening gowns. So the jewelry is really one of our favorites.”

Badgley Mischka is also doing jeans for HSN this go-around, including a pair of straight legs that we have our eye on now.

“It’s such a super important category for HSN,” Badgley said.

The 5-way maxi-dress for $129.90

And Mischka added, “Our couture customer wears them at trunk shows. She comes in with a Chanel jacket and a pair of jeans on. It’s the dominant category for HSN, too.”

The other items that caught our fancy included a cowl-neck jersey-like top that has a removable necklace; real snakeskin flats; and a georgette maxi dress that can be worn five ways.

We’re not shoe whores, but Mischka pointed out a pair of cork platforms with a fabric “fun and flirty” flower. The runway version of that show was called one of the season’s best shoes by The New York Times, according to Mischka.

Badgley and Mischka will have a jewely show on HSN March 17, and them will dominate March 18. Their shows that day will be from midnight to 2 a.m.; 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. (Jewelry Hour); 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.; 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.; and 10 p.m. to midnight.

Red Carpet Designers Badgley And Mischka Dish About How They Wound Up On HSN: The Mindy Grossman Connection

Couture and HSN designer James Mischka, The Homeshoppingista (my head's as big as Nancy Reagan's) and Mark Badgley

HSN gave the press a sneak peek Thursday at Badgley Mischka’s spring line for the home shopping channel. And it rocked.

We and a handful of other early-rising writers got to interview both bling boys. Mark Badgley and James Mischka, who were charming and down to earth (we hear tell Mischka grew up in Jersey, so that’s a big plus in his favor right off the bat).

They then took us through their merchandise, set up in displays at the couture design house’s headquarters in Manhattan’s Garment District.

When we first heard that Badgley Mischka, the designers of bedazzling couture red carpet gowns, were coming to HSN last year we couldn’t believe it. These are the guys who have done dresses for the likes Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Sharon Stone, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jennifer Garner, to name just a few of their clients.

The duo debuted their lower-priced American Glamour apparel and accessory line last November on HSN, and the goods blew out the door.

The design partners, we found out, go way back with HSN CEO Mindy Grossman, and talked to the home shopping network for several years about coming onboard. Mischka, the blond, said he worked with Grossman at his first job at WilliWear from Willi Smith back in the 1980s.

“I’ve known her for 27 years,” Mischka said.

The duo, dressed in their uniforms of jeans and jackets, just opened a store in Palm Beach. They want to spread their wings and expand their brand, and that’s where HSN came in, especially in an economy where the luxury category has been hit hard.

“We were selling $10,000 evening gowns for about 16 years, which is fun, but it’s a specialized niche and a niche that we love,” the bespectacled Badgley said. “But today, you can do more than just that single kind of category.”

A georgette dress, far left, is one of Badgley Mischka's hot items for the spring, along with quality leather purses

Surprisingly, or not, the designers said that the women who guy their luxury couture clothes are also shopping for their wares on HSN.

“After the HSN thing in November, we were walking down Worth Avenue and 12 people stopped us on the street and said, ‘Oh, I saw your stuff on HSN. I bought a bag or I tried to get a bag but it was sold out,’” Mischka said. “So the Worth Avenue-Palm Beach customer also shops HSN.”

And, just as we’ve been preaching, those young fashionistas in Badgley Mischka’s Seventh Avenue showroom watch the No. 2 home shopping network.

“All the girls here in the office are closet HSN shoppers,” Mischka said. “Their closets are apparently full of those hangers.”

He was referring, of course, to Joy Mangano’s Huggable Hangers. Our closet is full of them, too.

The designing duo returns to HSN March 17 for one show, and for 12 hours on March 18, with the Today’s Special, which is a hell of a lot of air time.

The spectator look and studded purses are part of the American Glamour collection this spring

“We’re supposed to be on for 12 hours, if we live to tell the tale,” Badgley said.

Mischka said they recently saw fellow HSN vendor Stefani Greenfield, and she advised them, “Don’t drink too much Red Bull, or you won’t sleep on your hours off.”

Badgley admitted that it’s not easy to be on-air live, trying to come up with dozens of adjectives to describe a shirt, for example.

“James and I don’t really have the gift of gab, so it’s a challenge,” he said.

Well, the HSN hosts sure have it, so don’t worry too much, Mark,

Our blog on the new collection is coming shortly.

In A Furor, QVC’s Online Community Calls Changes To Forums The Pits

It looks like we’re not the only ones who think QVC’s changes to its online forums this week stink. The response has been so negative that QVC Wednesday posted a kind of apology on its Web site.

“First of all, thank you for your candid feedback,” QVC said. “We are sorry that the recent changes to the Community have presented a disappointing experience for many of you. Your specific requests to make this work better are very much appreciated.”

The message goes on “We share your frustration with the things that are not working as we intended (i.e. search, # of posts, sign out). We are working with our provider to determine the cause and identify a solution for each of these and will communicate to you when they are addressed.”

QVC said, “Some of you have already noticed that a thread that receives a recent reply now appears at the top of the forum listing. The issue related to updating your preferences for sorting within a thread is a priority for us, as is the sign-out functionality. We are reviewing all of the feedback to identify those issues most important to you and will prioritize future enhancements accordingly.”

In sum, QVC said, “Please continue to let us know what you think as we make the improvements. We appreciate your understanding, and thank you for your patience.”

But this humble message didn’t appease many of the forum users, who at last count had posted 14 pages of comments to it.

Some of the comments:

“Your lack of foresight about test marketing these changes, polling users for their opinions, and implementing strange fixes when there were no problems, is difficult to understand.”

“If the powers that be don’t make this more user friendly, potential customers walk.”

“The vast majority of your customers who frequent the boards are upset. Personally all my purchases (thousands in 2 years) are made soley on board recommendations. I don’t sit and watch the Q on TV. The new forums are a disaster…I’ll check in to see what changes are (hopefully) made; but in the meantime I’m getting product recommendations at HSN and will be boycotting the Q. You guys messed up big time by not having a core group test run first. It’s not just stuff that needs tweaking here – it’s the whole layout. I’m sure it’s a tough day there, but you kinda asked for it.”

“I am posting since 1998…Yeh…. I have seen all the changes through the years…Change is good for the brain cells……But this one is the pits.”

Well QVC online forum posters, don’t hold back, tell us what you really think.

QVC’s Joan Rivers Skewers Her Own Red Carpet Disasters In Us Weekly

QVC vendor Joan Rivers is all over the media this week, fallout from her Oscar “Fashion Police” commentary on E! Entertainment Television.

First, it was a profile in the Sunday New York Times. Now, Us Weekly has done a piece where Rivers rates her biggest fashion disasters. She’s as tough on herself as she is on anyone on the red carpet.

The comedian’s missteps include wearing a sleek black Vera Wang gown, and an eye patch, because she had a sty in her eye.

There’s also a nice shot of Rivers wearing a Pamela Dennis gown with a huge feather collar. “Looks like I was playing ring toss with an ostrich” Rivers tells Us Weekly.

Our favorite, however, is Rivers in a copper-colored puffy taffeta Oscar de la Renta cape. “Today, it’s Lady Gaga’s casual Friday outfit,” Rivers tells Us.