Courtenay Semel, for those who are not familiar with her heiress-level fameballing, is not a shy and retiring person. A person does not make out with her attention-craving girlfriend Tila Tequila on red carpets because she mistrusts the media; a person does not scream at a club bouncer to "just fucking Google me, you dumb fuck" because she mistrusts the media; and a person certainly does not "joke" to a magazine reporter that "I'm kind of like the Don Juan of the lesbian world," as Semel did with Curve, because she mistrusts the media.

So it's odd that Semel would tell Curve that the "media kind of ruined that relationship" she had with Lindsay Lohan by saying the pair were dating. Semel added: "I can't even have a best friend because I guess I'm going to be linked with them next." But maybe she also can't have friends because she gives underminey quotes about them, like this one, from the new interview:

I think, you know, everyone scrutinizes, Lindsay for everything she went through, but they should thank her, because it shows you exactly what not to do.

That's a fairly cutting quote considering that Lohan has yet to enter rehab per Semel's urging. Of course, when Semel only went to rehab herself after her dad cut off access to the trust fund, something she left out of her little zinger. Semel, it would seem, grasps the advantages of strategic oversharing as well as the rest of her internet-bred generation; if only daddy Terry had been so savvy, Yahoo might be in a better place today.

[via People]

(Semel with heiress Casey Johnson this past May, top, via INF; Semel-Tequila pic, lower, via x17online.com)

Dauman, a friend acknowledges, is partying as hard as ever. Though he's grown sick of the scene in San Francisco, Dauman spends freely to find fun elsewhere, jetting to Vegas some weekends to party with his New Yorker girlfriend at events with a around four females for every male. (This is a new girlfriend; the dominatrix Dauman was said dating is history.)

Dauman's also returned to New York on a near-monthly basis, including for Fashion Week in February, and this summer to his parents' vacation home in East Hampton.

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.Or so we're told. But Dauman's hedonism doesn't seem to have affected his work. Though his side gig, a music startup, appears defunct, the Columbia JD and MBA got a promotion at Google last month, from "Strategic Partner Development Associate" to "Strategic Partner Development Manager." (See the excerpt from Dauman's LinkedIn profile at left.)

Presumably this means Dauman will have more responsibility around local content acquisition, as his father has described his job. This could help sell his bosses on a New York move; AOL, the New York Times and Huffington Post are all duking out in the city and surrounding markets for local news website dominance.

It certainly wouldn't be Dauman's first time finagling an advantageous transfer. Below, Dauman Sr., well-to-do CEO of Viacom, describes how no less a negotiator than Google chief Eric Schmidt was persuaded to hire Dauman Jr., despite the Viacom suit.

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.

[video via]

Took him long enough. The pair married in December 2007, with Page (net worth $18.6 billion) planting a kiss on his bride on Richard Branson's exclusive Necker Island. Co-founder Sergey Brin and his wife, Anne Wojcicki, have already popped out a billionaire baby boy. We wonder: Will the Pages go with a squad of Stanford-trained nannies, or take their child to Google's gold-plated childcare?

She's headed to rehab, Page Six reports, using a cover her ex Lindsay Lohan would appreciate: Exhaustion, which Lohan used to claim crippled her on movie sets (before she was arrested for cocaine possession).

A rep for Semel tells us, "Courtenay has indeed checked into rehab . . . She's emotionally, physically and mentally exhausted.

There's no question this "exhaustion" bug has been going around; it sent Heather Locklear into an Arizona treatment facility last year, around the time Kirsten Dunst sought rehab for, uh, depression.

It's hard to tell what left Semel more tired out: Allegedly punching that security guard in Las Vegas, purportedly setting girlfriend and fellow heiress Casey Johnson's hair on fire (a charge Semel denies) or working on that reality show.

Actually, none of the above: Our money's on "trying to live for a month without access to daddy's money." Talk about exhausting.

Ev and Sara being Twitter's First Family, they've been teasing the news out on the microblogging service. We're curious: When Morishige referred to Williams's "Christmas present" in a tweet last week, did she mean a bit of procreation? Do the math: She wrote that she "ordered it" in early December, and the baby's due in August.

A tipster tells us that "for security reasons," Brin and his wife, who's the cofounder of genetics-testing startup 23andMe, have given their son the official name of Benji Wojin (a combination of "Wojcicki" and "Brin").

And sure enough, someone has privately registered the domain name benjiwojin.com. Of course, the legendarily bizarre Brin, who posted pictures of himself in drag, got married in a Speedo, and had guests show up in diapers to a baby shower.

Papa Brin is already putting his son to work as a test subject for mom's business, according to the New York Times, which reports that he plans to have Benji tested for Parkinson's disease:

Mr. Brin and Ms. Wojcicki said they would check whether their son, who was born in November, also has the mutation, though he will not be able to donate his DNA in the usual way - putting saliva in small tubes, as 23andMe has promoted at celebrity-studded "spit parties."
"Babies can't spit into a tube," Mr. Brin said.

The disease is genetic, and runs in Brin's family. His mother, Eugenia, already has developed it, and Brin announced last September that he runs a high risk of developing it himself.

So Brin announced on his blog that he is funding a study that will subsidize the cost of having people with Parkinson's get their DNA tested through 23andMe; they will pay $25 instead of $399, with Brin's grant, one presumes, making up the difference.

This is at once a noble contribution to science — and an outrageous case of nepotism that raises questions of tax evasion.

23andMe is backed financially by Google, which became an investor as it repaid a personal loan Brin made to the company. (Anne Wojcicki's sister, Susan, is also an executive at Google — a position she got after she served as the company's first landlord.)

Previously, Brin had contributed money to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, a prominent charity backed by the actor, who also suffers from Parkinson's. The Fox Foundation then went on to fund a Parkinson's study at 23andMe.

23andMe officially announced the study today — and confirmed that Brin himself provided the funding:

The initiative is made possible through funding by Google co-founder Sergey Brin. Mr. Brin's commitment comes from his personal interest in Parkinson's disease. Brin's mother has Parkinson's and he discovered through 23andMe that he has a genetic predisposition to the disease as well. He explained, "We can make significant progress in understanding Parkinson's disease if individuals join together and contribute their personal experiences to scientific research. Individually, our genes and experiences are lost in a sea of statistical noise. But, taken together they become a high power lens on our inner workings."

Mr. Brin's personal donation substantially underwrites the cost of genotyping the participants, who will pay only $25 compared with the usual commercial price of $399. Individuals who join through the PI and MJFF partnership will have the exact same data, information, tools, and access as individuals who have paid full price for the 23andMe Personal Genome Service.

Let's get this straight:

• Brin is making a charitable donation, presumably tax-free, to the Fox Foundation.
• The Fox Foundation is turning around and giving that money to 23andMe, a for-profit startup cofounded by Brin's wife and financially backed by Brin's company.
• 23andMe will get to count the tests paid for by the charity as revenues, thereby pumping up its financial results, directly benefitting Google and Wojcicki.

We can all applaud Brin's contributions to science. But did he really need to go through what looks like a money-laundering scheme to make them?

(Photo via Edge.org)

Newsom, a Democrat, has declared himself a candidate for California's governor seat, a wide-open race taking place next year, since term limits are keeping Arnold Schwarzenegger from running again. A rising star in the Democratic party, Newsom has hurt himself with gaffes both personal and political.

He and his first wife, Fox News TV host kimberly Guilfoyle, divorced in 2006. While going through the divorce, Newsom had an affair with Ruby Rippey-Tourk, the wife of his campaign manager, Alex Tourk. The divorce and affair ruined Newsom's Camelot-by-the-Bay image.

His wedding last year to Siebel, a cousin of wealthy software entrepreneur Tom Siebel, was a step towards restoring his tattered image. (Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin ferried guests in their private jet to the wedding site on a Montana ranch.)

But then came Proposition 8, California's ban on gay marriage, a cause Newsom has championed since he defied state law in 2004 by issuing marriage licenses to gay couples (including the author of this post). At a rally, Newsom declared that gay marriage was coming to California "whether you like it or not," a sound bite Prop 8 supporters aired endlessly in TV commercials and was cited in many election post-mortems as a factor in the passage of Prop 8.

With memories of his messy personal life still fresh, and his main cause defeated in the last state election, Newsom's push for the governor's seat looked like it was off to a rocky start. In the Democratic primary, he faces California Attorney General Jerry Brown, the former Governor Moonbeam.

But political observers say Brown may strike potential voters as too old. With Newsom's wife expecting a child in the fall, he will have the perfect family-man campaign prop. What better way for a claimant to the throne to seem young and vital than to have his very own heir?

Update: The mayor's office has confirmed that the Newsoms are expecting. Spokesman Nathan Ballard said:

We are pleased to confirm that Mayor Gavin Newsom and First Lady Jennifer Siebel Newsom are starting a family. The Mayor and the First Lady are thrilled to be embarking on this adventure together, and they appreciate your good wishes.

Guess who wasn't expecting this? Gavin's dad and Jennifer's mom, both of whom told the San Francisco Examiner that their children hadn't let them in on the secret.

(Photos by Getty Images)

He also won't answer her phone calls, she told the New York Post. "I don't want to be known for all this craziness in my life," said Courtenay. Nor, presumably, does Terry. A recap of her adventures:

• Had a public dalliance with Lindsay Lohan, the actress's first known same-sex relationship.
• Fought with ex Casey Johnson, who said Courtenay set fire to her hair, a claim she denies.
• Dated MySpace fameball Tila Tequila (they were last seen smooching in December).
• Told a security guard at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas to "just f—-ing Google me, you dumb f—-."

That off-brand moment in Vegas may have been the last straw for Terry. Now Courtenay's on her own — a conveniently dramatic plot point in the reality show she's working on!

Valleywag has just learned the name of the first heir to the Google fortune, who was born in late December. But domain records suggest his parents may already be planning young Benji's career on the Web. (Either that, or some mischievous sort privy to the family's secrets snapped up the kid's name as a website address.) On Friday, benjibrin.com got registered using a private-domains service to hide the customer name.

For modern parents, registering a baby's name is relatively normal, a trend USA Today deemed mainstream two years ago. Thank goodness for that. If Benji Brin's baby shower, where his parents and guests dressed up in diapers and footie pajamas, is any indication, he's in for a weird if wealthy life.

(Photoillustration of Benji Brin's likely appearance, based on his parents, via MakeMeBabies.com)

Page and his wife Lucy Southworth, the model-pretty, Stanford Ph.D.-smart scion of a family connected to the Bushes, threw the party for Brin and Wojcicki in a San Francisco warehouse space a couple of months ago, we're told. The dress code: baby clothes. Guests wore adult diapers, footie pajamas, and other infantile getups.

Most guests, that is: Gavin Newsom, San Francisco's sexaholic mayor, refused to play dressup. "Dignity," he explained. We suspect that a team of Googlers, at this very moment, may be working to eradicate dignity as an obstacle to their goal of organizing the world's information.

(Oh, and that sighting of Brin at a maternity ward last month? A bit too early, but Wojcicki did have their child a few weeks later. We know all kinds of things about this baby, thanks to Wojcicki's oversharing on Oprah — likely to be lactose intolerant, unlikely to have blue eyes, high risk of Parkinson's — but not its name. Anyone care to fill us in?)

I saw Sergey Brin (in all his blaze red-orange Croc glory) eating outside the Marya Cafe in the Melchor pavilion. After he was done eating he ran across the street towards the Orchard pavilion which is the maternity ward for El Camino hospital in Mountain View.

Brin and Wojcicki drew notice for the way they got married in May 2007 in the Bahamas, swimming to the sandbar. But they also got attention for the way they handled a conflict of interest; Brin lent 23andMe his own money to start up, and then Google repaid the loan and became an investor. The company's board approved the deal, but it has never lost the appearance of self-dealing.

In what quirky way will they celebrate the birth not just of their first child, but the first member of the great Google dynasty? In Japan, the successor to the throne was greeted with shouts of "Banzai!"

But we suspect Brin will be more low-key. Perhaps he will order up a new doodle for Google's homepage. We'll let you know as soon as we know more about this momentous occasion — the advent of the generation which will save us from the mistakes of the Google era.

“It does feel a little funny to personalize it in his voice and be connecting to other babies as him,” Chase admits to the New York Times. If it feels funny, Kristin, perhaps you shouldn't do it — even if everyone else is. As Dr. Benjamin Spock once wrote, "The more people have studied different methods of bringing up children the more they have come to the conclusion that what good mothers and fathers instinctively feel like doing for their babies is the best after all."

What we still don't get: Why is Jesse Draper bothering? Most videobloggers we know are hoping to parlay a career covering tech — and by "covering tech," we mean "flouncing around on camera with an iPhone" — into a Hollywood star turn. With "Valley Girl," Draper is going about things backwards.

We're all for not turning our atmosphere into an oven, but adolescent admonishments will swiftly grow even more wearisome than Gore's original. Children are now encouraged to scold their parents for crimes against the climate — such as using your dryer on a warm August day — with "Climate Crime Cards." Annoying, yes. But easily remedied. Just remind the offspring that bringing them into life increased the family's carbon-dioxide output by the equivalent of 620 round-trip flights between London and New York. Inconvenient youth, indeed.

Father Vinod, who is now backing startups which turn vegetable matter into energy, has suggested that all women stop talking to the young master until he relents. With the habit of "coughing freely and infrequently washing his hands," reported by his sisters in the Facebook group's description, I can't imagine many women who would talk to him in the first place. What are some of the effects of malnutrition? Well, a lack of vitamin C or ascorbic acid, which can be found in onions among other fruits and vegetables, can lead to scurvy. And trust me, no pubescent teen with scorbutic gums is getting to first base any time soon. We won't even get into what this is doing to his father's cleantech investments.

On Wed, Aug 13, 2008 at 4:19 AM, Peter Rojas wrote:
If you could just delete the street number and street name that would
be great. Your post is the only place on the public web that has that
info, and I'm hoping that raising that small hurdle to finding it will
help.

I've been blogging for seven years and I've never felt the need to
publish someone's home address like that.

On Sat, Aug 9, 2008 at 8:40 PM, Peter Rojas wrote:

If it's all the same to you guys, could you please remove my address from
this post?

http://www.cityfile.com/dailyfile/853

I get that this stuff is a matter of public record, but I've had a problem
recently with someone sending harassing materials to me through the mail
and
since I've just moved I'm hoping that they won't figure out what my new
address is. Right now you guys have the only mention of it on the web, so
I'd really appreciate it if you just removed the address from the post.

Thanks!

Peter

—
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(Photo by Scott Beale/Laughing Squid)