Speaking of backlash, the Mayhill Fowler assault is percolating at a gentle boil. You paranoid wheels-within-wheels political fans out there will be happy to know that, apparently, stellar journalist and master of the MP3 recorder Mayhill Fowler is totally ">out to get Obama. How so? Well, because she's wealthy, her husband's lawfirm knows a guy who knows someone who met someone who likes McCain, and she's the devil reincarnated. Or something like that. Don't......

The backlash has started. A few are livid over Barack Obama's surreptitious statements about the poor, armed, and God-fearing that he made over at the Getty manse; others are going into hysterics over ABC's treatment of Barack Obama during the this week's debate. (Actually, some of it was inanely amusing, which, most important of all, made for fantastic television. Check out Ms. Nash McCabe of Pennsylvania [at 1:46] asking Obama if he "believes in......

You know how political fetishists are losing their minds this week over Barack Obama's kind of awesome but kind of classist statement at the Getty manse? You know, this: And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations. The fundraising event on Billionaires Row, as most of you......

Danielle Steele, Vanessa & Bill Getty, Trevor & Alexis Traina, and Serge & Tatiana Sorokko are wealthier than you, punk. "A San Francisco family is looking for a personal assistant / household manager to join our team on a long term basis." Are you that someone? But wait, there's more: in addition to joining a family that refers to themselves as a "team," you--a "highly poised, polished, professional, and articulate" cad--will also conduct interviewing,......

By now our admiration for all things Vanessa Getty is well-known. Championed by the masses, we would hope. Take, for example, the above rendering SFist reader Alissa sent to us, which uses Nessie's legendary W shot. Brilliance. Thanks again, Alissa. (And to Miss Bigelow from saving us from further humiliation.)......

Well, this is some depressing news. Marin's very own Hollywood transplant power couple, Sean Penn and Robin Wright Penn, are getting a d-i-v-o-r-c-e. At least according to People Magazine they are. The couple, chained together in varying levels of wedding bliss for over 11 years, have two children. The two appeared together in two flicks: the film adaptation of Hurlyburly and Nick Cassavetes' She's So Lovely. (We love the latter. A lot.) And if......

Update: The murdered teen has been identified as Carlos Sousa, Jr. As the investigation continues into Christmas Day's gruesome tiger attack at the SF Zoo, it turns out that the guy killed by Tatiana the tiger was a 17-year-old boy from San Jose. Unidentified at this point, and currently stuck with the moniker "John Doe 116," it seems that he also knew the tiger's two other victims, 19- and 23-year-old brothers from San Jose. The......

Know the holiday log know God; no holiday log no God. For all you Xmas celebrating consumerists out there - you know, those of you who participate in the evil practice of stocking stuffing and the early morning unwrapping of gifts - be sure to tune in to TV36 to catch the time-honored holiday log. It will burn from 9 a.m. to noon. What's more, a holiday score will be provided by the likes......

Just because we haven't seen him around these parts of the Internets lately, here's an ancient shot of Gov. (oy) Arnold Schwarzenegger taking some time to curl a dumbbell he found wildfire remains in South Lake Tahoe. A truly amazing shot, Jeff. Image credit: Jeff Chiu of AFP/Getty Images......

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos threw down some serious shade today. "While technologically and financially you are giants, morally you are pygmies," he cried, shaming two senior Yahoo officials. Why? Because the Sunnyvale company named names, handing over private information about Chinese journalist Shi Tao's online pro-democracy action to country officials. (Or, as the New York Times so eloquently put it, their "complicity with an oppressive communist regime." Oh snap.) This landed......

Step right up and see the world's largest passenger jet...in your very own backyard! This story has saturated the news this morning, but these kind of items (along with anti-vertical growth rhetoric) always make us feel as if San Francisco is veering back toward some sort of home-of-the-world's-largest-tomato quaint-ism. Aaanyway, the big ol' plane made its way to SFO to see if the airport could handle such girth, deal with the operations of the......

This 4-bedroom, 5-bathroom house helped to land 94123 on Forbes’ Most Expensive Zip Codes list - #55 to be exact. At 2500 Lyon Street, you can live right down the street from Gordon Getty and Larry Ellison. How fun! The property lies at the entrance to the Lyon Street steps and boasts “abundant with rich and opulent architectural detailing and superb Bay views.” Not expensive enough for you? Coldwell Banker lists another 94123 gem......

You’ve been paying $1.25 for bottled tap water…sucker! Reuters reports that PepsiCo Inc. will now actually inform consumers what they’re shelling out their health-conscious and ever-hydrated bucks for -- bottled tap water, or, according to PepsiCo, stuff from a "Public Water Source." Now, this gets us thinking about gas prices and how much we bitch and moan about $3.31/gallon down at the Chevron station. We‘re Talking Barbie when it comes to math, and I......

OK. Hmm. We're not sure if politicians and public servants count as society folk, regardless of their top-drawer Getty connections. (We think once you're in office, we at SFist must then considered you the help, even if you can buy and sell us into sexual slavery.) Granted the image is old and last-year, but here's Gavin's tongue (which is fresh and tasty, we're sure), in case you’ve been kept up at nights wondering about its......

Hey -- we're not doing our usual light-hearted romp through the Swells society column this weekend, because we've got sad news. The doyenne of Swells, Catherine Bigelow, announced in this week's column that she's been asked to take the Chron's "voluntary buyout package," so this is it for your mathematically-inclined socialite review. Best of luck to you, C.Big, and we know you'll end up on your feet, tripping the light fantastic, and we hope you'll......

Total number of people pictured in this week's Swells society column: 67. Total number of people pictured whom we recognize: 4 (including Molly Sims and her BFF Jennifer Siebel.) Minority count: 4 (5.8%). Getty v. Traina: 1-0 (counting Gavin's sister as a Getty) Number of countries visited by Denise Hale to celebrate her April birthday: 3 (India, Serbia, Italy). The age of children being compared to "a natural phenomenon where a river comes in and......

Number of people pictured in this week's Swells society column: 101. Number of people pictured whom we recognize: 5 (including Rita Moreno, Justice Harry Low, and Wonder Woman). Minority count: 18 (about 18%) -- there's a benefit for the Chinese-American Int'l School this week. Hats, scarves and wraps, tiaras: 6 (including a big Beach Blanket Babylon one), 6, 0. Getty v. Traina: 5-0. Number of Gettys pictured that are actually Gavin Newsom: 4. Number of......

Number of people pictured in this week's Swells society column: 55. Number of people pictured whom we recognize: 2 -- Charlotte Maillard Shultz and a way-too-skinny-looking Vanessa Getty. Minority count: 6 (10.9%). Getty v. Traina: 1-7. Big ups to C.Big for the comparison of the Steel-Traina family to the von Trapps! So long, farewell, auf wiedersein, good night. Number of hot dog hats pictured: 1, and it rocks. Days until the Barneys SF opens: 107......

It's a short Swells this week! Total number of people pictured in this week's Swells society column: 85. Number of people pictured whom we recognize: 2: Dede Wilsey and Frank Jordan. Minority count: 13 (15.3%). Includes three food servers. Getty v. Traina: 0-1. Where's Gavin this week? We know he loves a party! Museums featured in this week's column: 3: the Museum of the African Diaspora, the Legion of Honor, and the Cal Academy of......

SFist Rita is out of town for work, so we are donning our tiara and gown for this weeks Swells analysis. Tra-la-la! Total number of people pictured in this week's Swells society column: 57. Total number of people pictured whom we recognize/know: 23. This high number is because of the SF Library event with lots of writers, including Amy Tan, Vendela Vida, Dave Eggers, Stephen Elliot, Ben Fong-Torres, Michael Lewis, Kathi Kamen Goldmark, Sam Barry,......

Total number of people pictured in this week's Swells society column: 65. Total number of people pictured whom we recognize: 9 (including George Shultz, Dianne Feinstein's husband, and Spike Lee). Minority count: 6 (9.2%). Getty v. Traina: 2-2. Gavin holds down the fort for both points scored by Team Getty. Years between visits with Queen Elizabeth for Charlotte Maillard Shultz: 24. "She absolutely radiates like a queen," Ms. Maillard Shultz raves to Swells. Percentage of......

Total number of people pictured in this week's Swells society column: 67. Number of people pictured whom we recognize: 11 (including two pictures of Gavin, one of Jennifer Siebel, and director Chris Columbus.) Minority count: 4 (6%) Getty v. Traina: 2-2. Percentage of featured parties with decor designed by Stanlee Gatti: 66% (2/3). The last time Paul Discoe wore shoes: 1967. "I'm a builder. When I pour concrete, I wear zoris. And when I wear......

Number of people pictured in this week's Swells society column: 67. Number of people pictured whom we recognize: 9 (including 3 pictures of Gavin Newsom and 2 pictures of Dede Wilsey). Minority count: 5 (7.5%). Getty v. Traina: 10-8 (There's a spread about the LA branch of the Gettys in this month's Harper's Bazaar). Number of choice quotes concerning Gavin Newsom: 2. One by Dede Wilsey (re the Healthy Saturdays negotiations): "I learned that Gavin......

Total number of people pictured in this week's Swells society column: 47. (We almost counted the mannequin at your right!) Number of people pictured whom we recognize: 3. Minority count: 2 (4.2%). Hats, capes, tiaras: 5, 0, 0. Getty v. Traina: 1-2 (Gavin for Team G and Dede for Team T). Amount of money it'll cost you to attend the SF International Poetry Festival this summer: 0! Poet Laureate Jack Hirschman, a Marxist, says poetry......

The Sunday Styles section of the Chronicle does it again! Not content to rest on its laurels after watching poor Jennifer Bumblebee Siebel decimate herself, Styles next turns its gimlet eye on two other prominent members of the Swells set: Denise Hale and the inimitable bicycle-intimidator Dede Wilsey. Sunday Styles RULES. Turns out Pat Montandon, mother of Sean Wilsey and ex-wife of Dede's late husband Al Wilsey, has decided to pen a book of her......

(A little late, because we're fixing our servers around here today.) Total number of people pictured in this week's Swells society column: 70. Number of people pictured whom we recognize: 8 (including Charlotte Maillard Shultz, Stephan Jenkins, and a certain precious Bumblebee!) Minority count: 7 (10%). Getty v. Traina: 1-3, with Gettys represented by Swells stalwart Gavin Newsom. Bumblebee sightings: 2! Ms. Jennifer Siebel attended a benefit party/auction for Tipping Point, and will also be......

Total number of people pictured in this week's Swells society column: 74. Total number of people pictured whom we recognize: 7 (after some deliberation, we decided not to include Steve Kawa because we didn't recognize him with his new haircut at all.) Minority count: 7 (9.5%). Number of pictures included in the minority count that are of Willie Brown: 4. Hats, capes, tiaras: 9, 0, 0. (SF Giants opening day skewed your hat stats a......

We're back from vacation! Number of heartfelt thank yous from us!: One! Thanks, SFist Mary, for covering for us last week! We're bummed we missed the Vanessa Prada turban, though. Number of people pictured in this week's Swells society column: 57. Number of people pictured whom we recognize: 8 (including one awesome picture by C.Big of George Shultz with Naomi Campbell. It's probably too much to hope for that Naomi Campbell swatted the tiger tattoo......

Editrix Rita is globe trotting, so we donned our tiara, cape, and jewels to fill in this week. Total number of people pictured in this week's Swells society column: 78. Total number of people pictured whom we recognize in the pictures: 25 (including George Schultz, Swells standby Charlotte Maillard Schultz, Vanessa Getty, Kamala Harris, Heather Fong, Lars Ulrich and Connie Nielsen.) Our college pal Katherine Calvert and her husband Gray were mentioned in print, too.......

We don't think she's pregs, but here's a picture of Vanessa Getty at Armani Privé in LA wearing the most glamorous maternity dress EVAH!...