This month’s cover model for San Francisco’s new “944 Magazine” takes a few minutes out of her busy schedule as E! TV host, part-time actress and full-time mom of two to chat about this week’s visit to San Francisco for the magazine’s big launch party.
D: Catt, you have such an interesting, varied background, starting with a childhood in Indiana. Of the places you’ve lived, including San Francisco, which is your favorite?
C: I was born and raised in Indiana, so that has a special place in my heart, without question. …

This weekend Fox Broadcasting released a preview of their upcoming dramatic reality show “The Secret Millionaire.”
Each week, one of the wealthiest Americans, worth millions of dollars, will go undercover into one of the most impoverished and dangerous towns in America. It sounds like fun, but why do I mention this now?
Because Gurbaksh Chahal is one of the millionaires featured on the show!
The guy never mentioned it to me when I interviewed him on Wednesday because it’s been a closely guarded secret. I only heard about the clip by …

The talk around town for the last month or so has been something called 944. What’s 944? Who’s 944? Is it a store, a club, a hotel, one of those secret code words you see in Craigslist ads?
It turns out that 944 is a magazine that’s about to launch in San Francisco — and in a very big way. Local editions of the magazine are already published in Los Angeles, Miami, Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Diego and Orange County.
Noting our “strong, resounding arts culture” and “burgeoning nightlife …

SFLuxe Reminder: Don’t forget to RSVP for Surface Magazine’s fabulous party, hosted with Lexus, this Thursday night (Nov. 8th, 8 - 11 pm at 465 California). It’s going to be fabulous. They’re celebrating the 10th Annual “Avant Guardian” project, an exhibit which coincides with the magazine’s special issue devoted to the most exciting new photographic talent in the United States. This year’s judges included Jonas Akerlund, Alan Cumming, Richard Klein, Rankin, Fern Mallis, and others. It’s really a great project, which has been instrumental in bringing fresh new …

Willie Brown, Lois Lehrman and Elisa Stephens
Dr. Elisa Stephens, the president of the Academy of Art University, recently hosted a dinner to honor Lois Lehrman, now in her 30th year as publisher of the Nob Hill Gazette. It was a lovely dinner, preceded by a formal declaration of “Lois Lehrman Day” by the Mayor’s Office, and the University’s bestowal of an honorary doctorate.

Willie Brown, Sonya Molodetskaya, Robert Atkinson
I can only imagine how touched Ms. Lehrman must have been to be surrounded by so many of the friends she has …

Vanity Fair has released its 2007 list of the 100 people they rank as leaders of “The New Establishment.” No big surprises on the list, which is really quite a silly thing anyway. I mean, what does it mean to say that in 2006 Steve Jobs was number three on the list, with Sergey Brin and Larry Page number two — whereas this year, Jobs is two and Brin & Page are three? Does anybody take this seriously?
And like there needs to be a list to tell us that …

In February I wrote about Ysabella Brave, the local woman who, out of her small apartment, has drawn thousands of fans internationally through performances of classic 20th century songs on youtube.   She’s a new kind of star from a new kind of medium — without youtube, no one would know who she is, much like Madonna made her mark over 20 years ago thanks to MTV, then in its infancy.

In the last six months she has gained many more fans, signed a recording contract, and has begun performing original material.  …

Life for poor SFluxe Editor would be so much easier were he Communist. At least the magazine bills would go down. That’s what I thought after reading a recent statement by Fidel Castro:
“Commercial advertising and consumerism are incompatible with the survival of the species. After all possible calculations, you will realize that natural resources, space, climate, weather, and the system cannot yield any other outcome, …

Guess who’s the new Deputy Editor & Society Columnist for the Nob Hill Gazette? Catherine Bigelow, one of SFluxe’s favorite writers, is now in her first week at the publication, working alongside the fabulous Merla Zellerbach and super-fabulous Lois Lehrman!
“I’ll be reviving the local society column (that Merla penned for years) in the October issue,” she tells SFluxe. “It’s great to be back on the beat!”
It’s great to have you back, Catherine.
And is it just me, or does the NHG seem to be entering an exciting new phase? …

… but less accurate.

Jennifer Siebel and her boyfriend, the politician. Photo by Luke Thomas.
Is one of the writers at SFist.com a jilted ex-lover of Jennifer Siebel, a disgruntled former employee, or perhaps just a misguided ex-staffer of the National Enquirer? Because for some reason the site is very much preoccupied with the need to make fun of her and belittle her as just some plaything of Mayor Newsom’s — and I’m not sure why.
The site looked absolutely foolish on Friday when it ran with the headline: “Newsom Dumps Actress Siebel.” …