Chris Wilson

We pondered sub-prime teen sex comedy Sex Drive with the cast of Gossip Girl. 

At a Pratt Institute benefit at Chelsea Piers, the prince of the Palazzo Chupi, Julian Schnabel, told us exactly what he thinks about John McCain.

We waved goodbye to George W. Bush and Cindy McCain at the premiere of W. 

Blythe Danner gave us some useful recession style tips at the launch for Key to the Cure (plus: Ronsons, Real Housewives, and Lindsay Lohan). 

Maxim editor Chris Wilson explained how he got dumped by Oprah.

The sexual assault lawsuit filed against Jeffrey Epstein was dismissed.

Irina Aleksander called around to find out the costumes prominent New Yorkers are wearing this Halloween. Celerie Kemble's going to need a lot of hairspray!

Ms. Aleksander also moseyed down to Diane von Furstenberg's meatpacking district store, where the fashion empress was throwing a party for Paper mag's Kim Hastreiter's new book about Geoffrey Beene.

And Spencer Morgan rang his old friend Chris Wilson to find out the real story behind his scandalous tale of sexual deviancy on board an American Airlines flight. It's, uh, not what you think!

Jossip editor Corynne Steindler is leaving the celebrity and media site behind, to become a full-time reporter at the New York Post's Page Six. She will begin in early October.

Steindler said: "Jossip's been an amazing experience, but the opportunity to report for Page Six is something I just couldn't pass up."

Others were less reluctant to pass up a similar opportunity earlier this year. When Page Six editor Richard Johnson set out to replace his freelancers with a full-timer after the Jared Paul Stern scandal, more than a half-dozen prospective candidates declined to pursue the opportunity. Eventually Johnson hired Bill Hoffman from within the Post, to join Paula Froelich and Chris Wilson on the gossip staff.

In August, Wilson accepted a position at Maxim, leaving a new vacancy among the Sixers. This week, Steindler met with Johnson and editor-in-chief Col Allen and was offered the position.

So how will Steindler--who started blogging at Jossip in December 2005-- adjust from riffing on the morning's news to reporting into the wee hours for the Post? "I don't want it to be looked at as a huge leap to what I'm doing now," Steindler said. "It's just more high profile, and more corporate. But other than that, I'll be doing the same work--just for Richard."

-Michael Calderone

In a bit of a thematic departure, yesterday's Page Six led off with an item sourced not to a Bungalow 8 patron or a Hollywood publicist but to a "disgruntled" government employee in the city comptroller's office.

What it lacked in glamor, the item made up in sting: the employee, via e-mail, accused several aides by name of forging their time sheets -- a criminal act.

The piece included a response from Comptroller Bill Thompson's spokesman, Jeff Simmons:

"Your information is factually inaccurate . . . We ensure that employees account for their time," the statement, which Simmons sent via email, began.

But what words did Page Six elide with those three dots?

"And flat-out defamatory," according to a copy of Simmons's email to Page Six's Chris Wilson, which Jeff provided upon request.  read more »

Simmons declined to comment on the likelihood of a libel suit.

[Editor's Note: A somewhat murky clarification has been appended to this item on July 20th.]

When The Transom talked to Paula Froelich last week, she was jetting off to somewhere less humid and more glamorous for the weekend. And apparently Page Six boss Richard Johnson was out on mini-vacation. Which would have just left the fun-loving Chris Wilson to mind the Page Six shop for Sunday's edition, which included a nearly delightfully old-school and almost Gotti-esque warning to Jessica Coen of Gawker. [Disclaimer: The Transom was once Ms. Coen's boss.]

What was that one thing that Chris Wilson said that one time to Ms. Coen? "If you want to belittle me, okay, but remember one day I can do the same to you. Be nice okay? Be nice. I know what you guys do. I don't need the aggravation."

And, at last, the gentleman delivers. Sorta.

Although the retribution element is a wee bit scary and just a bit more entertaining, overall it makes The Transom pine for the days of scary former Page Sixer Ian Spiegelman, who famously sent a note to an enemy that included the fantastic phrase "You're a lame and a pussy, Doug." Sadly, it got him fired. But it satisfied.

Perhaps everyone involved should sit down and read Ms. Froelich's new book, It! Nine Secrets of the Rich and Famous That'll Take You To the Top. From page 134: "Always—and always, I mean every single time you leave the house—put your best foot forward and act appropriately." See? Nice, they say, is back, baby.  read more »

But The Transom hopes it won't last.

**UPDATE** Well, The Transom would prefer to have had someone speak on the record. However, having received more than a few off the record emails regarding this item, The Transom will happily concede that it cannot prove its assumption that Mr. Wilson was in fact the author of the Page Six item in question. And although The Transom sees conspiracy everywhere, it is absolutely willing to say that this conspiracy theory may (or may not?) be truly only a theory. —Choire Sicha