Lee Anne Devette
Lee Anne Devette, the sister of actor Tom Cruise, was last week’s top search term on Muckety, as rumors circulated on celebrity web sites that Cruise had given his publicity firm the boot and replaced it with his sister.
E! Online reports that Devette had worked as Cruise’s publicist “after he left longtime flack Pat Kingsley more than four years ago,” but that he eventually signed with Rogers & Cowan.
Rogers & Cowan clarified the matter with statement saying that Devette “is not involved” with publicity for her brother at all, according to the E! report.
Frank Vennes, Jr.
Frank Vennes, Jr. was a top search last week after federal agents searched the office and home of Thomas J. Petters, a prominent Minneapolis-area businessman and philanthropist.
In a report on Muckety, A. James Memmott reported that “the affidavit links Petters to Frank Vennes Jr., a former Bismarck, N.D., pawnbroker who pleaded guilty in 1987 to money laundering and drug charges and subsequently served a prison term.”
According to the affidavit, they were looking for evidence in what authorities say may be a $2-billion-plus scheme to defraud investors.
On Monday, Petters resigned as CEO and chairman of Petters Group Worldwide, a company based in a Minneapolis suburb that owns a wide variety of companies including Polaroid and Sun Country Airlines.
Colonial Pipeline
Readers were searching for updates on the Colonial Pipeline in the wake of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, which hit the Gulf Coast area with such a mighty punch that shortages of gasoline were widespread throughout the southern United States.
The pipeline, which carries gasoline from Houston across the southern and eastern United States before terminating at New York harbor, was briefly out of service following the hurricanes. Shortages continue to be a problem in the south because several refineries were knocked offline by the storms.
Lynn Forester de Rothschild
Lynn Forester de Rothschild, the former Hillary Clinton backer who threw her support behind GOP candidate John McCain, continued to be a top search on Muckety.
In a September post on Muckety, Carol Eisenberg noted that de Rothschild’s defection could embarrass Democrats given de Rothschild’s involvement with the Democratic National Committee’s platform committee and the efforts by Barack Obama’s campaign to reach out to Clinton supporters - especially women.
Erin Callan
In the midst of the financial crisis on Wall Street, interest remained high about former Lehman Brothers CFO Erin Callan. Callan returned to the news after she was interviewed by Fortune Magazine following the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. It was her first interview since losing her job as CFO.
Callan, one of Wall Street’s golden girls, is now the head of the global hedge fund business at Credit Suisse.
Top five stories for the week
Twin Cities philanthropist targeted in Ponzi probe
While the U.S. financial crisis captured the world’s attention, another kind of financial story made headlines in Minnesota last week.
On Wednesday, federal agents searched the office and home of Thomas J. Petters, a prominent Minneapolis-area businessman and philanthropist.
Obama and McCain both have ties to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
In the wake of the federal government’s bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two presidential candidates are calling for reform.
Yet, as The New York Times notes today, both men have close connections to the mortgage giants.
Paul Newman made sure his charities would outlive him
A sign in Paul Newman’s Westport Conn. offices famously read: “If I had a plan, I would be screwed.”
But before he died Friday at age 83 after a long struggle with cancer, the late actor and philanthropist played against type to make sure his beloved philanthropies, especially a network of camps for children with life-threatening diseases, would outlive him.
Herb Sandler and son-in-law back Democrats
Two California groups, Vote Hope and PowerPac.org, are drawing national attention, and boisterous complaints from opponents, for their support of Barack Obama’s run for the presidency.
Both are operating outside the Obama campaign as 527 organizations, taking advantage of tax-code provisions that exempt them from federal spending limits. And both were founded by Steve Phillips, former president of the San Francisco School Board and son-in-law of billionaire banker Herb Sandler.
Inspector General Kotz gets expert help on his SEC audit
Using expert consultants is common in business and government. SEC Inspector General David Kotz used one on his report that slams the agency for missing numerous red flags that foreshadowed the collapse of Bear Stearns.
He retained Albert S. “Pete” Kyle, a specialist in capital markets and a finance professor at the University of Maryland. Kyle, a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, was a staff member of the Brady Commission, which investigated the stock market crash of 1987.
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1 Comments
#1. junior 10.05.2008
Don’t believe everything you read. Tom’s sister is once again controlling his publicity, even if the PR firm is still involved.
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