Why Diddy Is the Perfect New Mascot for AOL

Ryan Tate · 12/10/09 06:12PM

AOL has put Sean Combs very publicly in the middle of its directors and managers. A company banking on formulaic, mass-produced content could do worse than the rap mogul, who wished AOL shares luck. They promptly slid.

Men's Health Loved This Cover So Much They Used It Twice

Brian Moylan · 12/10/09 06:12PM

Word on the street is that Men's Health editor-in-chief Dave Zinczenko has checked out of editing the magazine. So why bother writing new cover lines for the latest issue when the ones from October 2007 will do?

cityfile · 12/10/09 06:04PM

• The Tavern on the Green saga continues: The LeRoy family has hired a marketing firm to sell the restaurant's name, but that may not be legal. [NYT]
• La Goulue closed this summer after losing its lease. Now it has a new location on East 63rd Street, though it's unclear if it'll be allowed to serve booze. [GS]
• The unstoppable Michael Huynh has several new spots planned. [Eater, IC]
• Closings: Harbour on Hudson Street appears to have gone under; Abraço in the East Village is temporarily closed and plans to reopen in a couple of days.
• Noel Ashman says his new lounge, opening "in the near future" somewhere "downtown," is "a mix" between Soho House, Veruka, and Bungalow 8. [GS]
• The Gansevoort Hotel in Miami has gone into foreclosure, but that won't have any impact on its New York sibling or its restaurant/rooftop bar. [MH]
• Rocco DiSpirito is currently staging a "local comeback," apparently. [NYP]

When Seth Met Roberto

cityfile · 12/10/09 05:58PM

Martha Stewart had designer Roberto Cavalli and Saturday Night Live's Seth Meyers as guests on her show this morning. A clip of the amusing encounter—and a slurred, semi-understandable conversation about women, helicopters, and Cavalli's multi-colored yacht—is below.

Craigslist's Dirty Secret

Ryan Tate · 12/10/09 05:54PM

This is pretty huge, at least for those who buy the myth of angelic Craigslist: eBay has effectively confirmed that cyber cherub Craig Newmark screwed over an early employee to enrich himself, then tried to cover it up.

Tyra Feasts on Tragedy

Daniel Barnum-Swett · 12/10/09 05:51PM

Today's Tyra Banks Show featured the ever-altruistic host admonishing a guest for poor driving, making her confront two parents whose 9 year old girl was recently killed by an inattentive motorist. She then offered her sympathies by eating some ribs.

British Critics Declare Avatar a Non-Trainwreck

Richard Rushfield · 12/10/09 05:05PM

Next week the world's critics will have their (completely meaningless) say about whether James Cameron's 3D extravaganza was worth waiting a decade for. But today, a couple British papers are jumping the gun to say it didn't suck.

cityfile · 12/10/09 04:44PM

• Nielsen has concluded a deal to sell handful of trade titles like The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard to a consortium of investors that includes Jimmy Finkelstein and Guggenheim Partners. Rupert Murdoch's son Lachlan was once part of the investor group, but ended up dropping out. [AdWeek, NYP, LAT]
• Nielsen also said today that it's shuttering two titles: Editor & Publisher, which dates back to 1884, and book pub Kirkus Reviews. [E&P, NYT]
• AOL and Time Warner are officially separate companies now. [WSJ, AP]
• George Stephanopoulos starts his new job of GMA anchor on Monday. [LAT]
• The controversy over MTV's latest series, Jersey Shore, rages on. [THR]
• Hollywood PR powerhouse PMK/HBH has pretty much imploded. [Wrap]
• The 30 worst women's magazine covers of the aughts. [Buzzfeed]
• The city's laziest magazine editor: Dave Zinczenko of Men's Health. [Gawker]

Old Dogs Learn New Tricks

Daniel Barnum-Swett · 12/10/09 04:30PM

A zany piece of the American video heritage: old-timey collegiate canines primp and prep before a big football game in human style: lifting weights, shaving, placing bets, and avoiding physical injury from their uptight Bulldog bookie.

Girlfriend Sobs at the End of Return of the Jedi

Mike Byhoff · 12/10/09 04:28PM

It's hard to understand women's motives sometimes. Two day silent treatment because I said your mother is wretched? Sure, whatever. But throw us a bone once in a while. Hysterically crying at the end of Star Wars is just confusing.

Rachel Uchitel Is Going to Enjoy Her 15 Minutes

cityfile · 12/10/09 04:15PM

Some people are horrified when a sex scandal forces them into the spotlight. As she demonstrated quite clearly on the streets of NYC today, Tiger Woods Mistress No. 1™ Rachel Uchitel isn't one of those people. [Splash News]

Emergency at Vanity Fair!

Hamilton Nolan · 12/10/09 04:10PM

A tipster emailed the Vanity Fair customer service department this week because his magazine stopped being delivered. He received an alarming response!

America Has Been Diagnosed

cityfile · 12/10/09 03:45PM

The reason so many Americans are overweight: It's because they spend 56 hours a week on average sitting on their fat asses, that's why. But what you may have assumed in the past was simply laziness is actually a certifiable medical condition. It's called "sitting disease" or "over-sitting," say health experts. Now we just need a kindly pharmaceutical company to develop a drug for it and we'll be all set, won't we? [NYDN]