Happy Birthday

cityfile · 08/18/09 06:55AM

Ed Norton is celebrating his 40th birthday today. Saturday Night Live's Andy Samberg is turning 31. Robert Redford is 73. Patrick Swayze is turning 57. Comedian Denis Leary is 52. Christian Slater is turning 40. Nadine Strossen, the president of the ACLU, turns 59. Newsman Bob Woodruff is turning 48. Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter turns 82 today. Jeremy Shockey of the New Orleans Saints is turning 29. Director Roman Polanski is 76. Actor Craig Bierko is turning 45. And Frances Bean Cobain, the daughter of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, turns 17 today.

The Penns Split (Again), Leighton Makes a Scene

cityfile · 08/18/09 06:24AM

• Remember how Sean Penn and Robin Wright Penn said they were divorcing a few months ago, but then changed their minds and announced they were getting back together? Yea, well, they're divorcing again. [P6, People]
• ESPN's Erin Andrews, the reporter who was filmed in the nude without her consent a few weeks back, can be seen in a new set of "dirty" photos. This time it was intentional, though. [NYDN]
• Celine Dion and the man she calls her husband (but who we always confuse with her grandfather for some reason) are expecting their second child. [OK]
• Leighton Meester was shouting and carrying on with her friends at Philippe in East Hampton last weekend, much to the annoyance of other diners present like NBC chief Jeff Zucker and billionaire Steve Schwarzman. [P6]

Bernie Madoff's Other Little Secret

cityfile · 08/18/09 06:07AM

Who should feel more embarrassed about the story on the front page of the Daily News today? Bernie Madoff, who will have to go through life knowing that not only do people despise him for carrying out the biggest fraud in history, they all now know he has a small penis, too? Or Sheryl Weinstein, the author of the new tell-all, who squeezes in the fact that he "was not well-endowed," but says sex with him left her "on fire" nonetheless, and he was a pretty good kisser to boot? Maybe it's Weinstein's husband, Ronald, who lost all his money to Madoff and now gets to spend his penniless golden years with the woman who will be forever known as the one who dished about the size of Madoff's member? It's hard to say, isn't it? [NYDN]

Stephen Colbert Coaxes Gay Congressman Into Funneling Beers With Him

The Cajun Boy · 08/18/09 05:47AM

Arguably the best thing about the Colbert Report is the regular "Better Know a District" segment where Stephen interviews various members of Congress. Tonight he interviewed the openly gay Jared Polis of Colorado's 2nd district and it was hilarious.

Patricia Heaton: Bad at Math

The Cajun Boy · 08/18/09 01:26AM

Monday wasn't good to former Everybody Loves Raymond star Patricia Heaton. First a former assistant filed a lawsuit against her for unpaid wages, then she made a fool of herself on national television. Seriously, you have to see this.

Obama 'Joker' Artist a Palestinian Arab from Chicago

The Cajun Boy · 08/17/09 11:31PM

You know those posters of Obama looking like the Joker from Batman with the word "socialism" underneath? The creator of that creepy image has emerged, and it's not some "real" American from a red state. Far from it.

Marc's Big Day, Runway's Return, Fashion's Night Out

cityfile · 08/17/09 07:21PM

• Marc Jacobs' wedding to Lorenzo Martone, which the designer says will happen "soon," is going to have a ridiculously exclusive guest list. Not a single friend or family member will be getting an invite, since it's just going to be the two of them. [Cut]
• Project Runway finally returns to the air on Thursday evening. So will the Lifetime iteration be the same show you remember from its run on Bravo? Not so much, it seems. [NYDN]
• Meanwhile, Nina Garcia will be making an appearance this fall on the new CW series, The Beautiful Life. [FWD]
• The website and schedule for Fashion's Night Out is now online. The retail pep rally, which goes down on Sept. 10, will include Anna Wintour and Michael Kors signing t-shirts at a Macy's in Queens, believe it or not.

Where's the Project Runway Excitement?

Brian Moylan · 08/17/09 04:33PM

Usually the week before Project Runway starts there is a noticeable buzz in the air—at least in circles who obsess about the show. This year the mood seems more like Christmas Eve in Israel. Why the collective shrug?

Eating & Drinking: Monday Edition

cityfile · 08/17/09 03:55PM

• A TGI Friday's and Tim Hortons in Union Square? The Riese Organization, which just acquired the building that once housed Zen Palate, says it will bring the chains to the 'hood if it can't find a higher-paying tenant. Uh oh. [Crain's]
• The Beatrice Inn isn't expected to reopen, but co-owner Paul Sevigny has another venue in the works. He's opening a club/restaurant in SoHo, and this time around it will be located "away from residential areas." [NYT]
• Billy Gilroy (Employees Only, Macao Trading Co.) and photographer Patrick McMullan plan to open East Side Social Club in Midtown in late October. [SB]