Carly Simon Gives Away Who Is 'So Vain' Tue Aug 5,11:19 AM ET
EDGARTOWN, Mass. - Carly Simon (news) will finally reveal who's so vain to a man with major connections in the media world — should he ever decide to break his vow of secrecy.
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But Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC sports and NBC Olympics, said he'll never tell once Simon divulges to him the subject of her 1972 song "You're So Vain" after a private performance in about two weeks. Ebersol won the information with a $50,000 bid in a charity auction; he also gets a lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
"It won't be hard to keep a secret," he said on NBC's "Today" show Tuesday morning.
Ebersol said Simon gave him one clue about the man's identity that she said he could reveal: He has the letter "e" in his name.
That could be any of the chief suspects: actor Warren Beatty (news), whom Simon dated; Mick Jagger (news), who sang backup on the song; and her ex-husband, James Taylor (news).
Ebersol said he was happy to put up the cash for a secret he can't tell.
"It's a great cause and I wanted to make sure Carly didn't have to tell a total stranger," Ebersol said.
The auction Monday raised $500,000 to benefit Martha's Vineyard Community Services, which provides child care, counseling, substance abuse treatment services and visiting nurses to the community.
Other celebrities offered dinner, lunch or golf, including actors Ted Danson (news) and Mary Steenburgen (news); newswoman Diane Sawyer and her husband, director Mike Nichols (news); and veteran newsman Walter Cronkite.
The annual event has raised nearly $4 million for Community Services since it began in 1979. |