Harvey Weinstein on the Kickstarter-Funded Veronica Mars Movie: “I’d Be Happy to Distribute It”

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At The New York Observer’s 25th-anniversary party last night, Mike Bloomberg noted that the salmon-colored weekly has always been an incubator for talented writers, editors, and illustrators. He said that every media outlet in the city boasts the newspaper’s alumni. “And let’s not forget the Observer was also the place where Sex and the City got its start. That was long before my cameo role in the film version ended up on the cutting-room floor, but I’m over that. I’ll never mention it again,” he told the crowd in the Four Seasons’ iconic pool room.

And it was quite a crowd, which did not escape the mayor’s notice. “Actually, the Observer does throw a hell of a party. I saw all the boldfaced names on the guest list,” Bloomberg said, calling out a few. “Cory Booker, the handsomest mayor in America, west of the Hudson River. Harvey Weinstein. Actually, I just slipped my script to Harvey for the movie adaptation of Bloomberg by Bloomberg. Harvey, have your people call my people.”

A chuckling Weinstein, who made the list of the Observer’s 100 Most Influential New Yorkers, told VF Daily that the paper’s less-than-flattering illustrations don’t bother him. “I like the illustrations. It reminds me of Hirschfeld.” Weinstein also mentioned that he thinks using Kickstarter to raise funds for a Veronica Mars movie is a good idea. “Why not? I love Veronica Mars, and I love Kristen Bell,” he told VF Daily. He’d consider picking up distribution, should it get made. “If they give it to me, I’ll be happy to distribute it.”

Newark mayor Booker said he wasn’t expecting to make the Observer list. “I was very surprised, because I think it’s actually the most influential New Yorkers, and I am a quintessential New Jersey boy,” he said, before launching into an energetic spiel on his city’s economic rejuvenation. “So I’m happy that this great newspaper is allowing a little bit of acknowledgement of the importance of New Jersey,” Booker said.

**publisher Jared Kushner and C.E.O. Joseph Meyer hosted the party, and others in the power crowd included Rupert and Wendy Murdoch, police commissioner Ray Kelly, Tamara Mellon, Carolina Herrera, Ronald Perelman, Terry Lundgren, director Tom Hooper, Sean Parker, and, of course, most of the Trump clan, who are Kushner’s in-laws.

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump., By Patrick McMullan/PatrickMcMullan.com.

His wife, Ivanka Trump, said she never expected to have a newspaper in the family, but that it’s a lot of fun. And yes, she’s occasionally been the subject of those illustrations. “I’ve had a few caricatures which I’ve, uh, had comments on,” she told us, laughing.

“I try not to look at too many illustrations of myself, but I’m a fan of the illustrations,” Katie Holmes said, diplomatically. Holmes said she tries to avoid reading about herself in the press, generally.

For many guests, including Chuck Close, Wendy Murdoch, and Christine Baranski, who said their caricatures hadn’t appeared in the Observer, this was the night to be drawn; caricaturists were stationed around the room, and you could take home an original drawing of your face, smack on the front page.

Katie Couric made the rounds and groaned when we brought up her [now-infamous Larry King date.](/online/oscars/2013/02/katie-couric-larry-king-date-jimmy-kimmel-live)

“God, aren’t people so over that?” Couric said. The point is, it’s funny, VF Daily explained. “It is funny,” she agreed. “It is funny. You know, I’ve been telling that story for years to my friends at parties, but I’ve never actually told it on national television, and I think now you know why,” she said, laughing.

And when King dropped in on her talk show to tell his side of the story? “Oh, I was so surprised!” Couric said. “I was completely and utterly surprised, and mortified at the same time.”

Also, Couric was flattered that Taylor Swift quoted her in her Vanity Fair cover story. “I thought it was really sweet,” she said. “And you know, she didn’t give Madeleine Albright credit for the quote, but Taylor’s a really sweet girl, and that was nice that that was somehow helpful to her.”