The best time to say "sorry" to your customers is when no one else will hear you say it. That seems to be the thinking at Google, Amazon and AT&T, which are all ready to grovel to you, today.
The New York Post has had a field day this week with the (quite possibly false) rumor that Eliot Spitzer is supposedly thinking about jumping back into politics. That Tuesday cover story led to a Wednesday cover featuring a response from Ashley Dupre's mom; then, yesterday, Ashley herself responded to the Spitzer story before going on to suggest that she really isn't all that different than many women in Manhattan, and that the line between a prostitute and an ordinary gold-digger is a thin one. Dupre's remarks generated a third Post cover yesterday, and although a response to Dupre's comments from a handful of random women today didn't justify the cover of the paper today (despite the fact the Post it's now describing it as a "citywide catfight), it did give the paper an excuse to post one more photo gallery of Dupre in a skimpy bikini. Think the Daily News is feeling a little left out? You bet it is!
There hasn't been much good news for photographer Annie Leibovitz the past few months. But today there is! Leibovitz had been given a deadline of September 8 to respond to a lawsuit that alleged she'd failed to repay a $24 million loan that had been extended to her last year. Yesterday, however, a judge granted her another month to either respond to the suit or settle the case with the lender, Art Capital. Will that give her enough time to figure a way out? Or is she just putting off the inevitable, which could include filing for bankruptcy or surrendering her real estate holdings and collection of photographs? See you back here in 30 days! [NYP]
This is like the "I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out" of health care town hall viral videos. According to the videographer/blogger, a dozen teabaggers staked out Al Franken's booth at the Great Minnesota Get-Together ready to boo and hiss and shout "socialism!" and all of those things that they have been doing, everywhere.
With Labor Day right around the corner, you'd think the federal government could serve up a little positive news as we head into the long weekend, right? Apparently not. The unemployment rate stands at 9.7 percent, the Labor Department reports today, the highest it's been since June 1983. [CNN Money]
This guy was in such a rush he didn't even apologize for mowing down fluffy. A beleaguered wife, a warring couple, and a brothel-loving singer better watch out. There is a maniac on the loose!
Julianne Moore walking in the West Village ... Kim Cattrall crossing the street with Pat Field ... Blake Lively and Penn Badgley walking to the set of Gossip Girl ... Ashlee Simpson leaving MTV studios, and going to dinner at Nobu with friends ... Becki Newton and Michael Urie filming scenes for Ugly Betty in the East Village ... Gerard Butler hanging out in Chelsea ... Taylor Momsen walking with a bodyguard on the Upper West Side ... Anderson Cooper interviewing Drew Barrymore in Times Square for a 60 Minutes segment ... and Daniel Craig walking to rehearsals for his new Broadway show.
• Morgan Stanley CEO John Mack and his wife Christy appear to be the mystery buyers behind last month's purchase of the limestone carriage house at 165 East 70th Street. The 107-year-old home, which was sold to Mack in "distressed condition" for $13.5 million—and which comes with a 12-car garage, believe it or not—was purchased from Bunny Mellon, the 99-year-old widow of philanthropist Paul Mellon. [NYO]
• Sandy Gallin, the Hollywood talent manager-turned-serial house flipper, is at it again. The onetime manager of stars like Michael Jackson and Barbra Streisand, Gallin has placed his 14-acre estate in Bridgehampton on the market for $32 million. [WSJ, Saunders]
• Steve Black, co-CEO of JP Morgan's investment banking division, has sold his estate in Greenwich for $18.9 million. The English-style mansion, which Black bought for $13.75 million in 2001, had been "quietly" on the market for $21 million. The buyer is believed to be to be investor Gerhard Andlinger. [WSJ]
Beyoncé turns 28 today. Mark Ronson is turning 34. Police commissioner Ray Kelly is 68. Congressman Anthony Weiner is turning 45. Hotelier/restaurateur Sean MacPherson turns 45. Paper magazine co-founder David Hershkovits is turning 62. Damon Wayans is 49. Retired baseball player Mike Piazza is 41. And Dr. Drew Pinsky is celebrating his 51st. Weekend birthdays below.
• Michael Jackson was laid to rest yesterday evening, exactly ten weeks after his death. Gladys Knight performed; Al Sharpton delivered a sermon; Lisa Marie Presley, Elizabeth Taylor, Chris Tucker, Macaulay Culkin and Mila Kunis put in appearances; and the Jackson siblings color-coordinated their outfits, per usual. [NYDN, People]
• Nike has wisely decided to put on hold the line of sneakers it had been planning to introduce in partnership with DJ AM. [TMZ]
• Pervy photographer Terry Richardson is settling down. He's reportedly getting ready to tie the knot with scenester Jen Brill. [TrendLand]
• Is French First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy planning to appear in Woody Allen's next movie? "Nothing is signed yet," says her publicist. [WWD]
