Mel Gibson's Greenwich Estate: Bring Your Exorcist

cityfile · 06/04/09 08:58AM

Mel Gibson is about to go through a messy divorce, which explains why in recent weeks he's slashed nearly $10 million off the price of his vast estate in Greenwich. Originally priced at $39.5 million, the 15,800-square-foot "Elizabethan-inspired Tudor mansion" is now available for $29.75 million. The 75-acre property comes with lots of extras, including a terraced pool, tennis court, greenhouse, stable, staff houses, log cabin and stream-fed pond. The downside? Unless prospective bidders happen to be devoutly Catholic or just die-hard fans of The Da Vinci Code, they'll have to plan on spending millions more freshening up the spooky, church-like home. After the jump, a little tour of a property you would not want to wander around at night.

The Return of Coke Mom

Richard Lawson · 06/04/09 08:38AM

Today we have a backsliding young starlet, the reappearance of that awful mother who leaves cocaine around the house for her kids to find, and a reality star/couple who as all their moves planned out.

Checking In With Lizzie Grubman

cityfile · 06/04/09 08:23AM

Summer is here, which means Plum TV is back in action, filming the sorts of hard-hitting interviews you just can't find anywhere else. This week, the host of "The Juice," Nick Leighton, files a two-part interview with none other than Lizzie Grubman.

Fuld Gets an Offer, Mnuchin Lists in East Hampton

cityfile · 06/04/09 07:27AM

• It looks like former Lehman chief Dick Fuld and his wife Kathy might unload their co-op at 640 Park Avenue, after all. The Fulds have reportedly received an offer "in the $27 million range" for the 6,200-square-foot spread—which they listed for $32 million last month before taking it off the market a week later—although they've yet to decide whether to accept the bid. [NYP]
• Robert J. Katz, Goldman Sachs's former general counsel, has paid $7.525 million for a three-bedroom, 16th-floor apartment at 860 Fifth Avenue. The seller was jewelry designer Jean Vitau and his wife Irene. [Cityfile]
• Alan Mnuchin—the former Bear and Lehman banker, founder of AGM Partners, son of Bob Mnuchin, and brother of IndyMac CEO Steve Mnuchin—has put the six-bedroom home he shares with wife Kimberly on East Hampton's Hither Lane up for sale for $17.5 million. [Newsday, Sotheby's]

Happy Birthday

cityfile · 06/04/09 07:00AM

Real estate mogul/Daily News owner Mort Zuckerman turns 72 today. Restaurateur Drew Nieporent is turning 54. Angelina Jolie is 34. Supermodel Bar Refaeli is turning 24. Comedians Horatio Sanz and Rob Huebel are both turning 40. Russell Brand is turning 34. Noah Wyle is 38. Actor Scott Wolf is turning 41. Singer Nikka Costa is turning 37. Journalist John Hockenberry is 53. And your favorite elderly sex therapist, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, is celebrating her 81st birthday today.

Barack Obama Asks Muslim World For A 'New Beginning'

The Cajun Boy · 06/04/09 06:42AM

Barack Obama delivered his much-anticipated speech to the Muslim world at Cairo University this morning. In his address, Obama offered a message of peace and tolerance, reaching out to Muslims and asking for a renewed partnership for world peace.

Wall Street: Thursday Morning

cityfile · 06/04/09 06:41AM

• Morgan Stanley may get out from under the TARP sooner rather than later now that the bank has raised another $2 billion of Japanese cash. [DB]
• AIG was spending a fortune to sponsor the British soccer team Manchester United. Now that it no longer has a fortune to spend, Aon is taking over. [DB]
• Fewer people filed new claims for jobless benefits for a third straight week last week, and worker productivity is up, too, so that's good news. [Reuters]

Angie & Brad's Love Will Never Die

cityfile · 06/04/09 05:56AM

• Despite what you may have read in the tabloids the past few weeks, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are not splitting up and remain truly, deeply, madly in love. So if you've spent sleepless nights worrying about that, hopefully Jolie's publicist's soothing words will finally put your mind at ease. [Us]
• Speaking of Angie, Forbes has named her the most powerful celebrity on the planet, so she's got that going for her, which is nice. [Forbes]
• And speaking of Brad, you may be interested to know what his "secret" is to avoiding odors when he's on the set of a movie and doesn't have time to shower: baby wipes, apparently. It's also a slow news day, apparently. [NYDN]
• Christina Ricci and Owen Benjamin have called off their engagement. [Us]

The First of Many Future Bruno Lawsuits Filed

The Cajun Boy · 06/04/09 04:57AM

Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat produced a number of lawsuits filed by people who were duped by Cohen and humiliated on a broad scale. Now Bruno hasn't even been released on theaters yet and he's already being sued.

Brüno, Bar & Barneys

cityfile · 06/03/09 07:47PM

• Photos of Sacha Baron Cohen (as Brüno) and Alessandra Ambrosio from the new issue of British Marie Claire are now online, if you're interested. Or, if you prefer, you can take a gander at a nude Bar Refaeli on the cover of Esquire. [Marie Claire, Esquire]
• After many months of hemming and hawing, it looks like Roberto Cavalli has finally decided to sell a stake in his company. [WSJ]
• Vogue's André Leon Talley reports Anna Wintour was "thrilled" with how her "fabulous" 60 Minutes profile turned out a couple of weeks ago, you'll ubdoubtedly be pleased to hear. [FBNY]
• It's been a year since Barneys started looking for a CEO, which may be one reason why the company has had so many trouble as of late. [WSJ]