Hasta La Ideas

Perhaps it’s our shameless Francophilia and penchant for spit-takes, but we’ve always been intrigued by Jerry Lewis. And so we were thrilled to read Chris Nashawaty‘s detailed recounting of his meeting with the comic legend, published in the January 30/February 6 double issue of Entertainment Weekly. At next month’s Academy Awards, Lewis will receive a special Oscar for his humanitarian efforts just in time for his 83rd birthday. But let’s get right to the important news: what his Las Vegas office looks like.

Lewis’ office in Las Vegas is a time capsule of a bygone golden age of comedy. Everything is hermetically clean, superstitiously orderly, and most important, red: the carpet, his old-school IBM Selectric typewriter, the telephone, even the bowl of hard candy on the coffee table. The walls are covered with posters from his movies, flattering letters from Stan Laurel and Steven Spielberg, and a museum’s worth of photos of him with Dean [Martin], him with JFK, and him with Robert De Niro on the set of 1983’s The King of Comedy. He could charge admission at the door.

Although we would have liked to know what kind of hard candy Lewis favors (we have a strong hunch that butterscotch was inolved), the details don’t end there. Click “continued…” for more of Lewis’s office tableau, which includes the dangerous combination of velvet slippers and Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

continued…

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Note to the First Lady: ix-nay on the $68,179 credenza. That’s just one of the pieces with which the First Family’s newly appointed interior designer Michael S. Smith furnished the office of John Thain (pictured at right), who resigned today in the wake of Merrill Lynch’s acquisition by Bank of America. Early last year, Thain hired Smith to redo his office, and CNBC got a hold of the final bill, which came to approximately $1.22 million. Here’s a taste of how Thain’s executive suite was furnished:

Area Rug $87,784

Mahogany Pedestal Table $25,713

19th Century Credenza $68,179

Pendant Light Furniture $19,751

4 Pairs of Curtains $28,091

Pair of Guest Chairs $87,784

George IV Chair $18,468

6 Wall Sconces $2,741

Parchment Waste Can $1,405

Roman Shade Fabric $10,967

Roman Shades $7,315

Coffee Table $5,852

Commode on Legs $35,115

A $1,405 Parchment Waste Can is now the official UnBeige symbol of the global economic crisis! Meanwhile, the White House has paid Smith $100,000 for his services, even though that’s barely enough for a decent pair of guest chairs.

Previously on UnBeige:

Amsterdam designers UXUS have completed a bar for beer brand Heineken at Newark International Airport, New Jersey, USA. (more…)