Sad news has come our way regarding D.C. gossip columnist Karen Feld and her beloved poodle Campari. The duo was left badly beaten on Sept. 26 after a service for a dearly departed aunt, where, witnesses say, three men attacked her and her puppy, leaving Karen with bruises that are still visible today and Campari with an apparent concussion.

One person who saw the scuffle described it as “brutal.”

The writer says the case is now in the hands of her “very competent attorney.” And she vows to move forward: “I am a survivor and will survive this horrific episode as well,” she told us. “Survivors do what they do best — survive.”

It’s not entirely clear what motivated the attack, but we’re on the case.

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The reign of Alex Pareene is truly over, kids!

We just received a message from Wonkette’s new associate editor Jim Newell (who’s got quite a potty mouth on him, we hear, but not quite as big a potty mouth as new editor John Clarke Jr.) about that whole Wonkette stole copyrighted material from the GW Hatchet item we wrote earlier this morning.

“[W]e did take down the post with the Ben Stein photo yesterday afternoon as per their request,” Newell tells Big Head DC. Which, let’s face it, has helped Newell to become our favorite Wonkette editor in ages (he actually communicates, which is unique amongst that breed — God, remember the time when former editor Pareene hid under a table because he was having a panic attack and was afraid to talk to Karen Feld at a party?).

Don’t worry, we’re not forgetting that Wonkette still has a second post up mocking the GW kids to high heaven for bringing the whole copyright violation thing to their attention in the first place, which isn’t exactly fair, since the multi-million Gawker Media owns Wonkette, and, instead of mocking the kids, they could have easily afforded to pay them for the photo. Read more…

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Why does the City Paper have a sick obsession with dishing snark on our favorite DC gossip columnist? Seems like every two years one of their writers becomes devilishly enamored with her style, her clothing, and even her puppies. Which is, mind you, better than Alex Pareene’s every-other-month track record, but still just ridiculously pathetic.

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Karen Feld reports that an “overly orange-dyed hair, Arnold Schwarzenegger - walking on a drug store stick with the price tag in plain view - opted to attend the White House dinner and the National Governors Association in Washington over the ‘green’ Oscars, Sunday evening.”

“I have a great White House dinner and then go home and see the Academy Awards,” he told Feld. ”That’s technology - TiVo.”

And when the longtime Washington gossip ran into Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine at President Bush’s annual dinner for the nation’s governors at The White House, she pressed him as to why he felt the need to endorse Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination so early in the election cycle.

“I have a good personal relationship with Barack. He’s a transformational figure,” Kaine replied. “I do things when my gut tells me.”

He also told her that he hasn’t made any deals with Obama for a possible cabinet seat. “If Obama wins, I’ll still be governor for another year and I promise - hear that - ‘promise’ to stay in the governor’s office ’til the last day.”

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Karen Feld recently caught up with Terry McAuliffe in DC as he continues on his non-stop quest to make his new book, “What A Party! My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators, and Other Wild Animals,” number one of the New York Times bestseller list. (It’s currently tied at five.)

The former DNC chairman appeared confident that Hillary Clinton will be the next Prez, and he expects his buddy Bill to take on a unique role after the ‘08 election.

“If Hillary wins, it will only enhance Bill’s eight years,” McAuliffe told Feld. “His role as ‘First Gentleman’ will be that of ambassador-at-large.”

He also seems to have grown tired of appearing on traditional news news programs, like Meet the Press, and said The Daily Show is now tops on his list to get political messages out.

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Campari Feld, just back from covering this year’s Westminster Dog Show, has provided a detailed dispatch of the 3rd Annual Black Tie & Tails gala (as told to his mom, Karen Feld) to The Alexandria Times. Some doggone good tidbits:

Alexandria Rep. Jim Moran — who co-sponsored a bill barring dog fur imports from China — and two-month-old Little Lulu stopped to chat. “She’s named after my wife and loves to snuggle,” said Moran. “She sleeps on a pillow between us.” Moran added cautiously, “We waited until we had been married a year to get her.” This evening was for and about dogs but Moran did comment on the Democrats’ control of the congress: “At least people in Northern Virginia will know we’re not crazy and that our priorities – envisioning diplomacy and investing in education – are different from those of the White House.”

The highlight of my evening was meeting pet psychic Diane Roadcap of Springfield. She actually knew what I was thinking. She talked to me and translated symbols that I gave her. I told her that “I have my mom wrapped around my paw, and I feel like a little celebrity.” Roadcap told my mom that I was showing her “ribbons.” She said that I come from a line of champions. She’s right, but I wondered how she knew that. She told me that my purpose in life is to be a “healer, and I should be doing some kind of therapy work.” She also told my mom that I showed her “airplanes,” which she interpreted as a fondness for travel. I am a well-traveled guy since I accompany my mom all the time.

No word on how much the pampered pooch gets paid for his insights, but hopefully it’s more than those kids at Yeas & Nays. He’s a better writer!

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This morning I thought I’d summarize the sentiments of all Washington-based gossip columnists: Fuck you, Mark Leibovich.

In a NY Times article summarizing our blossoming gossip market, he daringly says that whispers within Washington are often not “titillating.”

“As the globe warms, Iraq burns and a presidential campaign heats up, Washington finds itself red-hot in gossip, or what passes for such here,” he writes. “Never in memory has the political world been so awash in items about every little burp and wart and appendectomy of our nation’s leaders.”

Instead of heralding the addition of Big Head DC and WaPo’s The Sleuth and In the Loop to a mix that already included the Reliable Source, Under the Dome, In the Know, Heard on the Hill, Washington Whispers and Karen Feld’s Capital Connections, he opines that our gossip is “tame compared to the sexier, snarkier variety from Hollywood and New York.”

BS! When Mark Foley gets in trouble for IMing teens about their horny wee wees, the actual leadership of the Congress changes. When Lindsay Lohan goes into rehab, alcohol sales plummet at one NYC grocery.

The only area where I agree with Leibovich is that the Politico’s “Shenanigans” columnist Anne Schroeder writes like a retard. OK, he didn’t really say that, but I’m sure he meant it. (I kid Anne because I love her.)

Well, suck our untantilizing bitch tits, Mark, our sources say that you’re just jealous (and that you might even like to sniff dead tree copies of the Times.) Now that’s juicy!

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While Wonkette was quick to cast a negative eye on the Washington gossip, Big Head DC can now confirm that Canadian Embassy officials have apologized to Karen Feld for mistreating her pooch, Campari, at an event the duo attended together this week.

“They are writing me a letter as well admitting they were wrong,” Feld told BHDC this afternoon. “I was already inside and one snarky wannabe grabbed a guard to tell me Campari couldn’t go on Canadian soil.”

Bernie Etzinger, chief spokesman for the embassy, said that he’s “quite embarrassed for an error of common sense and bad judgment.” He blamed the situation on a young Canadian security guard who was “out of bounds.”

Feld is happy to report that Campari and his doggy siblings are “always welcome” at the embassy in the future.

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Yesterday WaPo’s Mary Ann Akers got put through the ringer, now Wonkette’s Alex Pareene is picking on Karen Feld yet again via a thinly veiled “blind item,” no less — without getting her side of the story:

His commenters are now fueling the hate, calling her names and making up lies about her work. It’s just plain irresponsible. Why on Earth does Pareene despise Karen and her awesome pooch, Campari, so much? Do you think he’ll ever pick on his pal Patrick Gavin, despite a plethora of REAL snafus made by that Washington gossip?

Stay tuned for the real story…

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DC gossip Karen Feld spent Monday night whooping it up with Bill Clinton at the NYC launch of former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe’s new book, “What a Party! My Life among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators and Other Wild Animals.”

She asked the former Prez if he thinks a Hillary presidential victory would affect his legacy, causing him to be remembered not for his own achievements, but rather for being the “first First Man.”

“I hadn’t thought about that,” he responded with a laugh. ”I don’t know. I’m just glad Hillary’s running.”

And he’s definitely ready for the spotlight of the campaign. Feld reports that he looked “slim, relaxed and elegant with his thick silver hair,” and he’s even been spending some time in the gym.

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