The September Issue Trailer Hits the Web

cityfile · 06/25/09 10:32AM

The trailer for The September Issue, the forthcoming documentary about Vogue editrix Anna Wintour, is now online. From the two-minute clip, there's plenty in the movie for Anna to like. (She's described as "the single most important figure in the $350 billion global fashion industry.") But there are clearly bits that may come back to haunt her. (A crack about blind people may not go over well.) The movie doesn't come out until September (naturally), although bootlegged copies are making the rounds. Think twice, though, if you plan to weigh in on Facebook. Anna is monitoring your every word. [YouTube, Page Six]

Rudy Giuliani Feels Mark Sanford's Pain

cityfile · 06/25/09 10:10AM

Rudy Giuliani has been trying to worm his way back into the public conversation the past few days. He penned an op-ed for the Times yesterday, jumping into the political mess in Albany by proposing, among other things, a constitutional convention to institute term limits on lawmakers and stricter campaign finance laws. But he didn't speak out because he's considering a run for governor in 2010. Don't be silly. It's because he cares about New York and fixing the political gridlock in Albany. ("This is done really out of frustration as a New Yorker," he explained.)

Ryan Reynolds for the Ladies, Mayim Bialik for the Fellows

Richard Lawson · 06/25/09 09:43AM

Everyone ends up somewhere. Whether it's on bad family shows or stuck in a coffin underneath the desert or sitting through 25 more butt-numbing minutes of a movie you didn't like the first time. Everything has its place.

'Anderson Cooper's Big Fat Coming Out Party' (Updated)

Hamilton Nolan · 06/25/09 09:28AM

What will Anderson Cooper be doing tonight? Unvogue Magazine says he'll be attending a party at the Sapphire Go-Go Lounge for their men's issue. It's been informally dubbed "Anderson Cooper's Big Fat Coming Out Party." [UPDATED: AC's denial below]:

New York Times Celebrates Its Continued Existence

Gabriel Snyder · 06/25/09 09:17AM

New York Times Co. chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr. and CEO Janet Robinson sent out a self-congratulatory memo this morning. Among their accomplishments: the New York Times still exists, despite Michael Hirschorn's prediction that it might not. Hirschorn tells us: "Speaking as 'one writer,' I'm genuinely happy to be proven wrong." Also, employees have lost a lot of their pay and benefits and they're raising newsstand and subscription prices. Go team! (via Nieman Lab and the Awl)

Wall Street: Thursday Edition

cityfile · 06/25/09 09:03AM

• Just in case you've missed the excitement on TV, Ben Bernanke appeared on Capitol Hill today to testify about Bank of America's acquisition of Merrill Lynch. Lawmakers grilled him, Bernanke played defense: quality entertainment as usual! [NYT, WSJ]
• Financier Allen Stanford appeared in court today and pleaded not guilty to charges he swindled investors out of $7 billion. [WSJ]
• The job market hasn't improved: The number of Americans filing jobless claims rose last week to the highest level in more than a month. [CNN]
• Good news! AIG is reducing its debt with the Fed by $25 billion. [NYT]
• Andrew Cuomo is recusing himself from the investigation into the hedge fund that handed his finances and is now tied to Cuomo's kickback query. [BN]

The Rant that Explains Why Dylan Ratigan Left CNBC

John Cook · 06/25/09 08:50AM

Dylan Ratigan's new MSNBC show launches next week. To judge by this audio, sent by a tipster, of Ratigan berating a producer during a commercial break, his new colleagues must be thrilled to have him.

Subway Line Winners and Losers

cityfile · 06/25/09 08:47AM

The cleanest subway line in NYC, per the annual survey by the Straphangers Campaign? That would be the No. 7 train, which came in first place and was tidy 84 percent of the time. The worst: The R, with just 25 percent of cars considered clean. Enjoy your commute. [NYT/City Room]

Ruth Madoff Makes Mistake of Leaving Home

Hamilton Nolan · 06/25/09 08:45AM

"New York Post Stalkerazzi" is one of the most repellent job titles in all the media—until they attach their leech-like suction lips to someone truly deserving. Then they're great. Today in justified stalkings: Ruth Madoff rides the subway!

Asness Sells, More Cuts at Chupi

cityfile · 06/25/09 07:54AM

• Hedge fund manager Cliff Asness won't have an apartment to stay in when he makes occasional trips to Manhattan from his home in Greenwich. Or at least he won't have the apartment at The Oxford on East 72nd Street that he bought back in 2002 and has owned till now. Asness has sold the 35th floor apartment for $1.55 million. [Cityfile]
• James Luikart, executive vice president of the private equity firm Jeffries Capital Partners, has paid $7.8 million for an 18th floor apartment at 170 East End Avenue. He and his wife also picked up a ground-floor studio in the building for an additional $500,000. [Cityfile]
• Things haven't been going well at Julian Schnabel's Palazzo Chupi. And they're not getting any better. The price of the combined triplex and duplex has been cut to $27.9 million, which is $10.1 million less than its last listing price of $38 million, or roughly $31 million less than its original asking price of $59 million. [NYP]

Angelina Jolie Tells Jennifer Aniston to 'Back Off' of Brad Pitt

The Cajun Boy · 06/25/09 07:45AM

Angelina threatens Jennifer for frequently texting Brad, Marlon Brando banged Jackie O twice, Lily Allen gets caught with coke in her nose, Victoria Beckham shows off her new rack and Katy Perry posts a nude pic with pizza on Twitter.

Happy Birthday

cityfile · 06/25/09 07:07AM

Chef, restaurateur, author, and cable fixture Anthony Bourdain turns 53 today. Judge (soon-to-be Justice) Sonia Sotomayor is turning 55. Burlap bag promoter and social fixture Lauren Bush is 25. Director Sidney Lumet (Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon) turns 85. Carly Simon is turning 64. Publicist Desiree Gruber is 42. Ricky Gervais of the UK version of The Office is 48. Angela Kinsey of the American version is turning 38. Gay rights activist Larry Kramer turns 74. Architect Alex Gorlin is 54. And George Michael celebrates his 46th birthday today.

Russell Simmons Trades Up

cityfile · 06/25/09 06:09AM

• A new month is approaching, so it's time for Russell Simmons to drop the twentysomething model he's been dating and move on to a new twentysomething model. But there are signs the 51-year-old is maturing: Julie Henderson, age 23, has been replaced by French model Noemie Lenoir (right), who is a positively aged 29. [P6]
• A drunken Jonathan Rhys Meyers was detained by the authorities in Paris yesterday after he punched a waiter in an airport lounge. [Us, People]
• Audrina Patridge is saying goodbye to The Hills so she can take part in a new, Mark Burnett-produced reality show for MTV. [NYDN]
• Ricky Martin did not come out of the closet in an interview with a Spanish magazine the other day. He's still inside. Carry on. [Advocate]