The Ultimate Tabloid Whore
Friday September 04, 2009 | Contributor: Jennifer Wright

You’ll never guess who I hung out with the other night! Justin Ross Lee! Oh, you’ve never heard of him? Well, neither had I—and then I learned that he is the latest fameball to hit the club circuit. (A fameball is someone who tries to get reporters to write about them, despite a lack of substantial accomplishments, in order to have a snowball effect on their fame. Typically, they don’t have a real job, at least not one that takes time away from fameballing, and they’re prone to stunts.) Andy Warhol would be proud!



Lee—who goes by JRL—is apparently most famous for sitting next to an Olsen twin on a flight and taking pictures of her as she slept. We live in a miraculous age where that’s enough to turn someone into an Internet celebrity. He did note that “sleeping with an Olsen twin is a lot better than TMZ reports.” And, according to JRL, Ashley Olsen has retaliated by insisting that he be banned from the gastropub, Avenue.

According to sources, including Guest of a Guest, Star Jones had him barred from Bridgehampton Polo after he posted a picture on his Facebook of Jones with devil dogs Photoshopped above her head. Apparently, last weekend he was escorted off the grounds by four security guards.



Despite these unfortunate run-ins, he does have an interesting sense of humor about the vagaries of social life in Manhattan. As a Bret Easton Ellis fan, I was pleased to see that he lists his employer as Pierce and Pierce (the investment bank in American Psycho).  And his Facebook profile notes that his interests include bottle service, fake tanning and taking pictures of people while flying first class. Perhaps all of this posing is an elaborate performance art piece? There seems to be too much comic value to attribute any actual sincerity to any of this.

No wonder he was the perfect host for this week’s Tabloid Whore party at the Gates. Guests were encouraged to dress as a favorite tabloid whore. What defines a tabloid whore, you might wonder? According to website and party sponsor Guest of a Guest, it is anyone willing to “lose all dignity for attention.” I caught sight of one of my favorite publicists, Justine McCarthy, who defied the rules and did not come in costume. (Perhaps as a publicist she was concerned about incriminating any of her clients!)



Guest of a Guest elevated JRL’s profile by sponsoring a special contest, the grand prize for which was a picture of Justin Ross Lee, signed by Justin Ross Lee, and an opportunity to sit at his table! Alas, I did not win. This lucky lady did.



Of course, JRL wasn’t the only aspiring hipster desperate for attention. Many people wore name tags stating that they were Michelle Joni—another aspiring fameball who is attempting to gain Internet celebrity by following the rules laid forth in Karen Robinovitz’s great book, How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less. (I actually saw Robinovitz at the September Issue screening, and she, personally, seems very comfortable with anonymity, being mostly intent on promoting her amazing “Big Lips, Skinny Hips” lip gloss.) Apparently, Joni’s first attempt to gain fame was to perform a burlesque routine at the lounge Citrine and invite Patrick McMullan to photograph her act. Honestly, if she has that much chutzpah, I’m happy to help spread her name around.

If nothing else, the event proved a valuable learning experience. I have new names to follow— names that have no shame in the pursuit of fame. Today, the internet. Tomorrow, Page 6? They wish!