ShamWow Warriors

Montecito political pundit Dennis Miller has signed up for a new docuseries for the Fox News streaming service Fox Nation.

The series, The Infomercials That Sold Us, is steaming on the platform now and takes “a nostalgic and poignant look back at the years when infomercials ruled late night TV, featuring interviews with the colorful characters who made the ads so entertaining.”

“I’m very proud to be part of this project,” says Miller, a former cast member on Saturday Night Live. “It’s easy to dismiss the Willy Lomans who hawked products on late night TV as nothing more than easy punchlines.

“But The Infomercials That Sold Us shows us the humanity of these pitch people, who came from nothing and, armed with self-belief and perhaps a fine mop, made themselves wealthy and famous. It’s the ultimate American success story.”

The three-episode series includes interviews with some of those pitch people, including actress Suzanne Somers, who was interviewed shortly before her death last October.

Others featured in the series include Tony Robbins, Brooke Burke, Leeza Gibbons – on whose L.A.-based TV talk show I used to regularly appear – and others.

Foundational Environment

The Santa Barbara Foundation has awarded nearly $610,000 in grants to 26 nonprofits across Santa Barbara County for their work in conservation, environment and public trails.

The CEPT grant program was launched in 2021 and awarded $222,000 in grants to ten organizations.

The projects range from preserving and expanding pollinator habitats in Carpinteria to rehabilitating fire and storm-damaged trails in the Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Maria Valley, Figueroa Mountain and surrounding areas.

Refreshing Roots

Gwyneth Paltrow is back to her modeling roots.

The Goop founder, 52, has returned to the luxury fashion scene as the new face of French designer Yves Saint Laurent’s Spring 2025 campaign.

The Paris-based company has just released the Montecito resident’s edgy new shots taken by David Sims.

It has been more than a decade since the Goop founder teamed up with a luxury designer.

Holiday Sweets

A festive treat with a wonky smile and giant eyes, part of Beanie Baby billionaire Ty Warner’s latest collection, has become holiday sensation.

The Ty Toy has gone wild on X, formerly Twitter, and is selling out in stores.

The plush toy dubbed ‘Cookie,’ features the signature Beanie Baby large eyes, with a thinly drawn smile and a red button nose just above.

The toy’s round face has a frosted border as well as round hands and feet. 

Yummy….

Fleeing Questions, Dropping Names

Prince Andrew’s ex, the Duchess of York, walked out of an interview with the Australian version of 60 Minutes when the reporter had the audacity to ask her about her “cash to access” scandal revealed by Rupert Murdoch’s now defunct weekly News of the World 25 years ago.

I also faced her fury when I was invited to Manhattan’s Helmsley Palace Hotel for a lunch celebrating her multimillion deal promoting Wedgwood china and Waterford crystal.

While other hacks were peppering her with inane questions – What’s your favorite tea? What’s your favorite Wedgwood pattern? – I asked Fergie, given her new contract, if she would at last be moving out of Royal Lodge, the Queen Mother’s former home near Windsor Castle, having said previously she couldn’t afford to run any of the homes offered her by her mother-in-law Queen Elizabeth.

She was clearly not amused by my query and walked out of the room.

Lord Piers Wedgwood, with whom I had appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s Chicago-based show four weeks earlier, said I had asked a perfectly reasonable question given her new contract. Other TV guests on that program included fashion designer Princess Diane von Furstenberg, Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia (mother of Dynasty actress Catherine Oxenberg), and an old friend, Prince Egon von Furstenberg, Diane’s ex husband.

By coincidence later that evening I was covering Fergie’s charity bash for her Chances for Children, with James Ogilvy – the jeweler-son of Princess Alexandra, sister of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, grandson of King George V – at the Regency Hotel on Park Avenue.

She was glad handing everybody in the room – that is until she saw me and darted to the other side of the room.

James noticed and asked me what had happened. I explained the lunchtime walkout and he rolled his eyes.

Such are the joys of covering the Royal Family…

Double Edged Weather

Our Eden by the Beach has been ranked the best place to live in the U.S. for its “near perfect weather.”

U.S. News reports that we’re renowned for our climate, with temperatures regularly between 55 and 65 degrees and as many as 329 rain-free days a year meaning it’s the ideal location for outdoor activities.

However, experts warn the area is increasingly vulnerable to climate change-related threats, including rising sea levels, coastal erosion, landslides, shifting rainfall patterns, and wildfires.

ClimateCheck, which tracks the figures, estimated 85% of Santa Barbara’s buildings are at a very high risk of wildfire.

Despite these problems, our Mediterranean climate continues to attract celebrities and affluent residents, with stunning scenery and grand estates.

The median home price is a hefty $1,789,765.

Families Still Using Mail Service

Prince Harry has been sent a scathing letter by the family of Carl Westcott, the former owners of Katy Perry’s Montecito estate, asking him to rescind the singer’s invitation to sing at the Invictus Games in Canada next year.

Westcott has been embroiled in a lawsuit with Perry, 40, for four years and after the latest chapter of her countersuing for $6 million in damages, the family is not backing down.

In a letter sent to the Riven Rock-based Duke of Sussex, revealed by the London Daily Mail, Carl’s son Chart Westcott details his family’s concerns regarding the former Dos Pueblos High student being invited to headline the Vancouver event, set to kick off Feb. 8.

Harry, 40 has been dragged into the feud since he is the founder of the games, an international multi-sport event for wounded, injured and sick men and women, both serving and retired.

He and wife Meghan Markle are also friends with Perry and her British actor fiancé Orlando Bloom, who will soon be forced to testify in court over the legal battle over the $15 million estate with Westcott, a U.S. Army veteran who had been bedridden for more than a year battling
Huntington’s disease.

“As our father’s health declines my brother and I are fighting to preserve his legacy, as a man and veteran, yet this legal struggle has been a source of immense pressure for our family.

“The choice of Ms. Perry at the Invictus Games feels at odds with the event’s mission to honor veterans and their sacrifices. While her participation may be seen as a gesture of support for veterans, her relentless pursuit of our father in court tells a different story – one that deeply undermines the values the games stand for.”

Harry is being asked to reconsider his decision to have Perry in the Vancouver lineup.

Stay tuned…

Ambassador Barrack

Santa Barbara Polo Club patron Tom Barrack is the new U.S. ambassador to Turkey.

The Santa Ynez Valley vintner, owner of the Piocho Ranch and venture capitalist, formerly owned the late Michael Jackson’s 2,700-acre Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos, paying $22 million for the estate, which he wound up selling to magazine magnate Ron Burkle for the same price after initially listing it for $100 million.

Each year he lends his sprawling ranch to the local charity, People Helping People, for their annual fundraiser.

Remembering Polly Mellen

I remember fashion expert Polly Mellen, who has died in Manhattan at the age of 100.

The consummate New Yorker worked as fashion editor for Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, and creative director for Allure.

We would often meet each other when I was an editor at New York Magazine in the ‘80s.

She worked at Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor before breaking into magazine journalism as a lifestyle writer at Mademoiselle before moving to Harper’s Bazaar in 1950 working with the legendary Diana Vreeland before moving with her to the iconic Condé Nast fashion bible Vogue.

My former New York Magazine colleague Anna Wintour, now longtime editor of Vogue, described Polly as “a mercurial grand dame with bundles of energy, a deep love for her work and the creative processes.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Sightings

Warbler Katy Perry at the Jingle Ball in Philadelphia… Oprah Winfrey celebrating her friend CBS anchor Gayle King’s 70th birthday bash with Stephen Colbert in Manhattan… Dennis Miller checking out Restoration Hardware (RH).

Pip! Pip!