Padma Lakshmi Picks Up a New (Well, Actually, Old) Teddy

Yes, possums, there is actually a story to go with that photo. Following her split from Salman Rushdie, Padma Lakshmi was linked to Teddy Forstmann, a then-67-year-old Republican billionaire who had also dated Elizabeth Hurley and Princess Diana. (Fun tidbit: According to The Evening Standard, "American intelligence agencies were bugging Princess Diana's telephone over her relationship with a US billionaire,...tycoon Teddy Forstmann....").

At the time, the newspaper reports about Padma's new old man were denied, and it was claimed that if Padma and Teddy had been seen together, it was only because Teddy's company was doing licensing and endorsement deals for Padma. Then the ever-reliable Page Six reported that Padma was dating billionaire Adam Dell, as in, "Dude, you're getting a Padma."

And now, the still-ever-so-reliable Page Six is reporting that, no, actually, Padma is disporting herself with billionaire Teddy after all. From this story, it would seem that Teddy does indeed walk softly, but is he carrying a big stick? Teddy is 30 years older than Padma and seven years older than Salman Rushdie, prompting Miss XaXa to ask, "Does she like them well-aged, or, well, agèd?"

“Teddy” Allen Offers Apocalyptic Yet Strangely Titillating Vision to the Burly Gay Men of America

Possums, let it never be said that Ted Allen's Queer Eye is any less gimlet for being on Top Chef.

Following up on last week's controversy over whether it was sexist for Sara Nguyen and Casey "Beaver Boots" Thompson (hey, that's what she calls herself on her MySpace profile) to cook in low-cut tops and high heels, Ted tries in this week's blog to take a gander at what might just be good for the gander:

And, while I would love to see Tom cooking in stilettos and a teddy as much as the next guy, it’s not likely to happen -- at least, not on television. He’d lose all his cred with the “bear” community...

Not so fast, Mr. Allen. As we said last season, it's always the leather bears who have doilies at home, so Tom as a "teddy" bear would probably not lose him any woof cred.

However, if what you are looking for is a scenario that would level the playing field in terms of objectification, cooking, and habiliments, we have a perfect solution: Tom Colicchio cooking steaks in a leather codpiece and chaps. That would be sure to make him uncomfortable, retain his credibility with the burly gay men of America, and yet constitute a cogent critique of sexism. You might just want to drop it in Raggaydy Andy's suggestion box.