Clear Shuts Down Its Lanes

cityfile · 06/23/09 07:07AM

Airport snobs have been dealt a heavy blow today. Clear, the Steve Brill-founded company that charged travelers up to $199 a year to zip past long security lines, ceased operations last night. Per the notice posted to the company website: "Clear's parent company, Verified Identity Pass, Inc. has been unable to negotiate an agreement with its senior creditor to continue operations." [Wired]

Happy Birthday

cityfile · 06/23/09 06:30AM

Selma Blair turns 37 today. Frances McDormand is turning 52. Famed conductor (and Met artistic director) James Levine is 66. Real estate tycoon Jerry Speyer turns 69. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is 61. Dermatologist Nicholas Perricone is also turning 61 today. Jason Mraz is 32. American Idol's Randy Jackson is turning 53. Musician KT Tunstall is 34. The singer Duffy is turning 25. Writer/director Joss Whedon turns 45. Retired soccer star Zinedine Zidane is 37. And Vint Serf, the computer scientist you have to credit for the Internet, turns 66 today.

Splits, Hook-Ups & Deaths

cityfile · 06/23/09 05:53AM

• It looks the end of the line for Fox News anchor Kimberly Guilfoyle and husband Eric Villency, the heir to a furniture store chain founded by his grandfather and occasional TV presence. It's Guilfoyle's second high-profile break-up. Her first husband was San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. [P6]
• Sean Avery and model Hilary Rhoda were spotted "getting cozy" the other night. [P6]
• Ed McMahon, Johnny Carson's sidekick on The Tonight Show for more than three decades, has died at 86. [NYT, People]

DC Metro Crash Death Toll Rises

The Cajun Boy · 06/23/09 05:17AM

Three more bodies were pulled from the wreckage of the yesterday's Metro train collision overnight, raising the confirmed number of deaths to nine. [WTOP]

Apple: Den of Secrets

The Cajun Boy · 06/23/09 04:36AM

It looks as though Apple did a good job angering the New York Times with the news that Steve Jobs recently underwent a liver transplant. The paper's Tuesday edition dedicates two pieces to Apple's renowned penchant for shadiness.

Google Games Bite Newspapers

Ryan Tate · 06/22/09 09:48PM

Desperate for online advertising, newspapers have learned to aggressively optimize their content for Google. The result: more traffic. Junky traffic.

Glenn Beck Explains the Situation in Iran

The Cajun Boy · 06/22/09 09:30PM

Confused about the situation in Iran, are you? Surely you've found yourself laying in bed at night recently wondering, "When will Glenn Beck explain all of this for me?" Well you're in luck—Glenn broke out the chalkboard today!

Gay-Rights Group Demands Perez Hilton Apology

Ryan Tate · 06/22/09 08:34PM

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation isn't buying Perez Hilton's line that he called Will.I.Am a gay slur to taunt the singer with his own intolerance. The organization wants an apology. And Hilton pretty much has to give one.

Calvin Comes Down

cityfile · 06/22/09 07:22PM

• The Calvin Klein billboard in Soho that has caused a bit of controversy recently has been replaced. Of course, just swapping out the ads could be part of the company's PR strategy to keep people talking about the ad campaign, in which case, well, it worked nicely. [GoaG]
• Rumor has it Anna Wintour has offered a Vogue internship to Prince William's girlfriend, Kate Middleton. [Grazia]
• Rumor also has it Emma Watson is designing a teen line. [Fashionista]
• Olivia Palermo plans to model now: She's signed with Wilhelmina. [P6]
• Isaac Mizrahi is opening a store on the Upper East Side in August. [WWD]

Lesbians Really Dig Kurt Andersen

Ryan Tate · 06/22/09 07:03PM

All lesbians are Midwesterners who cotton to Kurt Andersen; all Apple copywriters should fear a Steve Jobs tantrum; and all people with cameras are unpaid Associated Press stringers. For the Twitterati, Monday was absolutely something.