(They are so good at that, by the way! They learned this trick during the election, sending out politically relevant Letterman clips to all the blogs right after the show tapes.)
There are many perils to life in Congress: the humidity, town halls yelling... But worst must be when screw-loose ex-staffers go over to the opposition and accuse you of betraying your country to Turkey while having a lesbian affair.
Though there were signs that it wasn't going to last after the first year, we stuck around, willing to work hard to keep the love alive. However, after three long years, it's finally over. We're not tuning in anymore.
• Roundups of restaurants opening in the next week or so. [TONY, Eater]
• A look at the last-minute work involved in getting The Breslin, Ken Friedman's latest restaurant, ready for its October 8 opening. [NYT]
• Photos inside Abe & Arthur's, which opens to the public next week. [Eater]
• You may soon able to booze it up in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty: The vendor in charge of concessions there has applied for a liquor license. [NYP]
• David Chang's Momofuku Ko is raising prices beginning next week. [Eater]
• Is celebuchef Wolfgang Puck planning a NYC outpost? Possibly. [Gothamist]
• A chat with Richie Notar, the man who runs the show at Nobu. [ObsessedTV]
• What has Frank Bruni been eating since stepping down as restaurant critic of the New York Times? Lots and lots of roast chicken, apparently. [Atlantic]
HBO's new series Bored to Death has a self-referential hero, tons of inside New Yorker jokes, and heaps of self-conscious cool. But it's also a mystery series. Just who is going to watch Miss Marple meets Arcade Fire?
Hassan Nemazee, the banker and Democratic mega-fundraiser who was indicted last month for allegedly using forged documents to obtain a $74 million loan from Citibank—and who is currently under house arrest at his Park Avenue apartment—is facing new charges. He's been indicted for bank fraud and "aggravated identity theft" as part of what prosecutors describe as a $292 million Ponzi scheme that involves Bank of America and HSBC, too. Also, in case you've been mispronouncing his name all this time, the AP points out it's hah-SAHN' nah-MAH'-zee. Please make a note of it. [AP, Reuters]
The Way We Live Now: Wrong. It's funny how dumb people are some times when it comes to economics. They spend all their money. Then they're broke. Then they save all their money. Wrong move! I'm looking at you, Japan.
• Despite all the talk of the impending demise of the TV industry, ratings for last night's Emmy Awards weren't too shabby. The three-hour show was seen by 13.3 million people, which is up 8 percent from last year. [THR]
• Bloomberg LP has officially submitted its bid to buy BusinessWeek. [BW]
• Michael Musto of the Village Voice is hearing rumors that Conde Nast is planning to shutter five of its titles as it looks to slash costs. [VV]
• A group of activists affiliated with The Yes Men handed out copies of a New York Post parody this morning as part of an effort to draw attention to climate change; a number of them were later detained by the NYPD. [DF]
• Despite low ratings and lousy reviews early on, Katie Couric is expected to anchor the CBS Evening News until her contract expires in 2011. [NYT]
• Barack Obama made appearances on just about every Sunday morning talk show yesterday. With the exception of those on Fox News, that is. [LAT, [HP]
• Obama's media tour will continue tonight when he sits down alongside David Letterman on his late-night show, a first for a sitting U.S. president. [NYT]
The new Hollister store on Houston and Broadway seems to be pumping its fragrance outside its doors, and neighbors are pissed that it's stinking up the 'hood, the Post reports today. (One dissenter even allegedly set off a stink bomb outside the So-Cal wannabe-surfer palace in protest.) It's only fitting that Hollister has caused such a ruckus; it's part of the Abercrombie & Fitch franchise, whose stores are notorious for overpowering the olfactory nerves of anyone who walks within 200 yards of their front door. But this isn't the first time an NYC retailer has stunk up a street. In July, Diane von Furstenberg's store on West 14th Street reportedly offended passersby because its D Eau de Parfum scent wafted well beyond its doors.
No one has been more shameless about self-branding and self-marketing than Donald Trump. Over the past few years, he's stamped his name on everything from a line of steaks and bottled water to a collection of golf wear, accessories and watches. But not every Trump-related project gets off the ground, as was the case with "Trump Power," an energy drink he first contemplated launching in 2004 but gave up on in 2006. Or "Trump Verdict," a courtroom-style TV show he once thought about hosting. Or the line of kiddie clothing called "T Baby" that his daughter-in-law, Vanessa Trump, was thinking about starting until the "T Baby" trademark was abandoned last year. Below: A handful of other misguided Trump "concepts" that—thankfully—you've probably never heard about until now.
