The Blind Item

May 27th, 2010

Keep an eye out for this in Hamptons Magazine

This blonde broadcaster has it all, a famous sense of humor, children, a house in the Hamptons and a husband who’s cheating on her. She’s popular and involved in local charities. Her success as a working mother makes her a role model. You don’t need to watch her show to know her name. Let’s call her A.
This married father should have known better then to have an affair with a 20 something gold digger, nest ce pas? Lets call her X because no one knows her name. What was this daddy thinking when he started paying X’s bills? Was it really worth risking everything for a few kinky hours a week? He’s a successful schemer who owes his status to his wife. Let’s call him B.
Miss X misjudged her worth. She forwarded incriminating emails to A and wrecked his marriage, but didn’t count on B dumping her as fast as his wife told him she needed some time alone. Meanwhile X is threatening to hire Gloria Aldrich if B doesn’t pay her off. A has hired a lawyer, a detective and a crisis manager to negotiate her divorce and keep her image as pristine as Gin Lane when this story goes public.

New Evidence in the Leary/Couri Mystery

March 22nd, 2010

Nicholas Kardaras’s Letter

Re: Timothy Leary Testimonial Letter
From: Nicholas Kardaras <nicholaskardaras@yahoo.com>
To: rcourihay@aol.com
Date: Mon, Mar 15, 2010 5:59 pm

Dear Couri,

I just wanted to send you a short note expressing my shock at the inaccurate portrayal in the New York Post of the relationship that you shared with Timothy Leary. Reading that article really upset me becasue, as you know, I am personally familiar with the close bond that you had with Timothy. As the owner of Mr. Fuji’s Tropicana–the venue that hosted the last two birthday’s of Dr. Leary’s illustrious life–I was always grateful to you for having introduced Timothy Leary to me. Always a rebel boyhood idol of mine, Timothy Leary spoke to me about you in glowing terms as his “Godson” and celebrated his Birthday (as documented in the NY Post and the Daily News) at my restaurant on your recommendation.

As you know, after I “retired” from the nightlife industry, I have since gone on to earn a Ph.D. in psychology and become a college professor and author; my memories of the legendary Timothy Leary remain some of my fondest remembrances of my younger days; for that, I thank you again and am saddened to see the special relationship between you and Dr. Leary besmirched by an ill-informed writer.

Sincerely,

Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, Ph.D., LCSW

BARBARA LEARY’S LETTER

Barbara-Letter

THE DAILY COURIER

March 22nd, 2010

March 1, 2010

Dear Reader,

This is the first of what might be many, even daily, entries into my Internet diaries, The Daily Courier. Let’s cut right to the latest nonsense about me….

I was terribly amused by Brad Hamilton’s NY Post interpretation of my 15 year friendship with Timothy Leary and my eyewitness account of the tragic death of Michael Kennedy in Aspen, published on Sunday February 28th. Personally, I don’t think I’m worth a drop of ink but …..

In my defense, here is George Rush in his New York Daily News Rush & Molloy Column posted Sunday February 28th as well as letters from Tama Janowitz (who wrote the classic ‘Slaves of New York’) and journalist Eric Allen, who both attested to my friendship with Timothy to Hamilton before his story was published. It should be noted for the record, that Brad Hamilton, the highly esteemed Post reporter, spoke at length to my friends Jay McInerney (who wrote ‘Bright Lights Big City’) Anne Hearst and Cornelia Guest, who all told him that they had met and gotten to know Timothy Leary the legendary pop culture icon who famously declared “tune in, turn on, drop out,” through me.

This posting is just the beginning of my response to this blasphemy. I’m deeply grateful to the New York Post, America’s oldest newspaper, for inspiring the beginning of my online autobiography and daily diaries. As Bette Davis, a long time family friend, said in ‘All About Eve,’ “hold on to your hats, it’s going to be a bumpy night.”

Cheers,

Couri


RUSH & MOLLOY

March 2nd, 2010
RUSH & MOLLOY
Sun February 28, 2010
Guess the New York Post still hasn’t gotten over our having the first details of RFK son Michael Kennedy’s fatal skiing accident in 1997. The Post today has a “wag” accusing publicist R. Couri Hay of “fabricating” his account of the tragedy in Aspen. We vividly remember Hay calling in eyewitness details from the slopes on New Year’s Eve as the Kennedy family prayed around Michael. The Post also questioned Hay’s closeness with Timothy Leary. Shortly before his death, the LSD pioneer told us how fond he was of Hay during an interview (in which he also shared his recipe for cannabis canapes).

Eric Allen

March 2nd, 2010

Date: February 24, 2010 11:38:42 PM PST
Brad:

I spoke with my longtime friend, R. Couri Hay, who asked me to touch base with you.  He says you’re collecting information for a story you’re developing and, since I’ve also worked as a journalist, Couri thought I may be able to provide some insight into his interesting life.

I worked in entertainment news for US Magazine, USA Today and CNN and E! Networks in Los Angeles.  I met Couri in 1989 when I was covering the celebrity ski scene in Aspen between Christmas and New Year’s.  He was instrumental in introducing me to numerous celebrity friends who ended up being a part of my 9-page spread in the magazine.

Over the years, I’ve spent many evenings with Couri and his long list of famous friends, including Cornelia Guest, Victoria Hearst, Patrick McMullan, Tama Janowitz, Peter Morton and Timothy Leary.

On two separate summers, Couri and I were amongst the guests who Victoria Hearst brought for week-long vacations to Wyntoon, the Hearst estate in northern California.

Couri was often helpful in arranging contact with his friends for business purposes.  One year, he helped arrange for Cornelia Guest to be a guest-host for an E! special I produced on New York Fashion Week.

Couri has often visited Los Angeles and stayed at my house while covering the Academy Awards.  On one year, to celebrate Couri’s visit to Hollywood, Timothy Leary and I threw a party at my house.  Well attended by Victoria Hearst and others — and great fun!  It’s not every day one gets to co-host an event with such a pop-culture icon.  We visited Tim for cocktails at his own house, which was always filled with an interesting bunch of folks.  And, sadly, when he passed away, I went with Couri to the memorial at a hangar at Santa Monica Airport — and the post-memorial wake at Tim’s house.  Truly a memorable occasion, but sad to see Couri lose a man who’d included him as such a part of his family over many years.

That’s a quick synopsis of our 20-year friendship.  If I can be of assistance in your research, please give me a call.

Best Regards, Eric

Tama Janowitz

March 1st, 2010

Sent: Fri, Feb 26, 2010 2:26 pm
Subject: hi brad, it’s me, tama!

dear Brad,

Hope all is well with you!

I understand you are doing a story on Couri, one of my oldest and dearest friends.

he asked me to e-mail you as he seemed to be puzzled about your statement that he wore a bone through his ear? or a necklace?he was dressed up  for a fabulous party he gave in my honor for the publication of my book A CANNIBAL IN MANHATTAN — it was at Halloween and the garden  was done up beautifully with this combination cannibal/Halloween theme — i had a hairdo with a huge plastic bone in the middle of it as well as the fake skull and bone necklaces that couri gave me– hoping I looked kind of like Pebbles from the flintstones.

i hope this clarifies that for you. Many people do dress up on Halloween and it was a party I will never forget.
since that time i have never seen Couri wearing any cannibal-themed jewelry, although indeed there may have been one or two other Halloweens when i saw him in costume. No, wait! I think he wore a Santa hat at one of his Christmas parties.

Through Couri i have gotten to meet so many interesting people — I won’t mention those alive but thanks to couri i got to know timothy leary, an old friend of couri’s, who otherwise i would never have met –and not only has couri thrown parties for me and invited me to parties but some fantastic events as well (like i got to take my kid on a private tour of the zoo!) and also trips (couri arranged for me to be the writer-in-residence on a crossing of the QE2).

one thing I was able to do in return for couri was to help him by editing his book and making suggestions about it — it was a fun read and I sure hope he finishes it soon, I think it will be a big success!couri studied with Larry mcmurtry at university of Colorado and I have always been so so jealous of this! some of mcmurtry’s books rank among my all-time favorites!

sorry to go on at such length, I am not sure if this filled in any details, and certainly i could go on at length because couri is one of the most entertaining and loyal people I know — but if you have questions please feel free to e-mail me any time!
yours truly

tama janowitz