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Courtney Love did something most New Yorkers fear: She accidentally left her cellphone in a cab.
Not only did a good Samaritan find it and return it to her, but that thoughtful man was New York Times columnist and former restaurant critic Frank Bruni.
Bruni reached out to Love on Twitter and was able to get it back to her through a series of social media exchanges.
STORY: Courtney Love to Tell Her ‘Story’ in New Autobiography
Bruni saw the phone as he was getting out of a taxi on his way home from dinner at Barbuto restaurant.
“I assumed it was mine. I thought, ‘Jesus, Frank, I can’t believe you left another phone in a cab,’ ” he told New York magazine’s Daily Intelligencer blog. “But then I realized I was talking on my phone, so it couldn’t have been mine.”
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Evidently the phone was “super-locked,” but Bruni’s assistant realized she could see the incoming texts. A little Googling of people who were messaging Kurt Cobain‘s ex-wife and an Instagram led her and Bruni to determine that the phone belonged to Love.
STORY: Kurt Cobain’s Ex-Girlfriend Blasts Courtney Love in Bizarre Pet-Death Dispute
“First I saw that Stella Schnabel had just texted her,” his assistant told New York. “And then I noticed this name, Lo’renzo Hill-White, and I Googled him, and he’s a celebrity stylist. Then there was Peri Lyons, the name sounded familiar to me, and I realized my uncle used to date her! She’s a psychic to the stars. I said to Frank, ‘It’s gotta be Courtney Love.’ “
“There was another little item on the screen from Instagram, and it said someone had posted a picture of her,” said Bruni. “It was a Throwback Thursday.”
So Bruni sent the following tweet, mentioning Love’s screen name.
Weird: the iPhone left in my yellow cab last night clearly belongs to @courtney (Courtney Love). Trying to return. Anyone? Courtney?
— Frank Bruni (@FrankBruni) November 21, 2013
Love quickly responded with the following messages:
@FrankBruni frank you’re a gem, what a small world can we exchange dms?
— Courtney Love Cobain (@Courtney) November 21, 2013
@FrankBruni wow you really do have my phone at the @nytimes yikes please don’t read it Bwahaa this is hilarious xc
— Courtney Love Cobain (@Courtney) November 21, 2013
@nytimes @FrankBruni have fun reading my texts. Please dont publish my “dirty” pics Bwahaa thank God it wasn’t someone from the Post 🙂
— Courtney Love Cobain (@Courtney) November 21, 2013
While some of Bruni’s followers thought he was joking, wondered how he could tell and offered to buy it, Bruni wrote that he heard from her manager, who had sent someone to fetch her phone.
@Courtney Hi there. Just spoke with your manager, someone’s en route to get your phone. Will DMS this to you as well.
— Frank Bruni (@FrankBruni) November 21, 2013
Evidently Love had taken a cab home from a performance of the hot Broadway play Betrayal, starring Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz.
As for the offer to buy it, Bruni had already done the right thing before he responded to that tweet with the following:
@johnjcook @Courtney Hahahaha. I’m clearly not much of an entrepreneur!!! Have already taken the Good Samaritan route.
— Frank Bruni (@FrankBruni) November 21, 2013
The scandalous rocker was grateful for his kindness, according to a later tweet.
@johnjcook @FrankBruni Frank for governor!!! I would have to move to Iowa if you hadnt taken that route. Ohh the secrets we could tell
— Courtney Love Cobain (@Courtney) November 21, 2013
“It’s not exactly a column I could write, but it is a fun story,” Bruni told New York in closing. “Now Courtney and I follow each other on Twitter, and I have a direct message from her. This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship, or at least a signed copy of a Hole album.”
Perhaps that could be a reward for his efforts, since Love told New York she didn’t give him one.
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