Marc Dreier, the prostitute-loving disgraced lawyer accused of bilking investors out of hundreds of millions dollars, will plead guilty on May 11 to money laundering, according to his lawyer, Gerald Shargel. The saddest thing for Dreier? Once he does so, he'll have to say goodbye to this place. Can we interest you in a spectacular apartment in One Beacon Court, by any chance? [WSJ]

Republican Senator Arlen Specter is switching parties, upping the Democratic majority to a filibuster-busting 60.

During his presidential campaign, Barack Obama made audience members faint on a near-daily basis with his astounding coolness. Now that he's president, he's turning his swoon-inducing powers to federal employees.

Gossip Girl!! What did you doooo??? Last night's episode definitely stepped on some toes, what with its swift plotting and actual things happening. Josh Schizzy must be pissed, yo. Queller, was this your doing?

• William Morris and Endeavor have agreed to merge the two agencies. The new company will be called William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, or WME, which should not be confused with WWE, or World Wrestling Entertainment, although the testosterone and aggression levels are comparable. [WSJ, NYT]
• Is the New York Times Co. putting the radio station WQXR up for sale? [P6]
• David Hunke, who had been publisher of the Detroit Free Press, is the new president and publisher of USA Today. [PaidContent]
• The New York Sun is back! Sort of. [NYSun via Gawker]
• More coverage/ analysis of Portfolio's closing, if you're up for it. [NYT, TDB]

Hipster Grifter Kari Ferrell sounds really clever until you notice she just re-used a few key lines over and over, via email. Uh, outrage! New email evidence concerns her imaginary beard-based coffee table book:

[Submit your own Gawker Stalker sightings to stalker@gawker.com] April 27 @ 7pm Danny D spotted dining at Omai in Chelsea with 3 others.

Supreme Court reverses the "one-free-expletive" on live TV ruling; no more fucks at awards shows.

Sanctimonious Catholic scold Sean Hannity invited noted porn star Kim Kardashian on his show last night, and—literally—called her a "role model" for young girls.

Parlor Steakhouse on the Upper East Side earned a middling review when Frank Bruni of the New York Times paid a visit last October. He came way reasonably pleased with the service, though, including the "friendly hostesses," and "prompt waiter." But that may be because he didn't come across a waiter by the name of Hugh Loeser. Parlor is the latest in a very, very, very long line of restaurants to find itself sued by an employee for paying less than the minimum wage and for pooling tips. You can take a gander at Loeser's lawsuit after the jump.

Do you love stories of high society intrigue, but can't stand young people? Then the Brooke Astor case has everything you need: Famous New York Families! Money! And best of all, criminal old people!

New York's tabloids are in high dudgeon over yesterday's Air Force One flyby. Who got the best headline and front-page out of it?

President Obama apologized today for that low flight over Manhattan by a Boeing 747 yesterday that had so many people panicked that a terrorist attack was underway. "It was a mistake... It will not happen again," he said before a meeting at FBI headquarters in Washington this morning. We certainly hope it doesn't! The flight wasn't part of some secret mission to keep the city safe. "Sources said the reason for the stunt was to create souvenir pictures of a customized Boeing 747, which serves as Air Force One when the president is aboard. Photos of the plane flying over the Statue of Liberty were to be given out to family, friends or supporters." [NYDN]

Here we are two days into the Swine Flu Panic of '09, and dead bodies have yet to be stacked up like cordwood on the streets of American cities. Face it: this story is dumb.

It's no fun being a fashion reporter right now. Glossy mag circulations are dwindling, advertisers are jumping ship in droves, and you're likely to be humiliated in front of a TV camera at a moment's notice. But most challenging of all? You still have to somehow write about buying pretty things, despite the fact that no one is shopping anymore. So kudos to former Journal reporter Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, who has gone beyond the played-out cheap chic and recessionista articles to identify a new species of shopper: women whose compulsive need to shop is actually exacerbated by the current economic climate.

The actress needs to learn how to be people. So, she went to prom! Our favorite black person is growing up, and growing up means going to priggity-prom, y'all. In a wee pink dress.

Kate Hudson walking in Soho with friends ... Anne Hathaway leaving the Apple store in Soho with boyfriend Adam Shulman ... Zoe Kravitz and Chace Crawford going to lunch together ... Angelina Jolie filming scenes for Salt in a subway station ... Jeremy Irons sitting on a motorcycle in Midtown ... Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick leaving their Village townhouse ... Alexis Bledel getting in a car outside the Tribeca Film Festival ... Mary-Kate Olsen walking in Soho ... Madonna leaving the Kabbalah Center on East 48th Street with daughter Lourdes ... Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman kissing on the set of The Baster in Midtown... and Kim Kardashian leaving the Waverly Inn and sitting with Russell Simmons in the backseat of his Maybach.

NBC went and sold the most blatant product placement in TV history in its show Chuck, and what do you know, it worked! Not for Chuck; that shit is getting canceled. But for Subway, yes!

[James Gandolfini with his wife Deborah outside the Waverly Inn; image via INF]

If Michelle Obama could be forgiven for feeling a little competitive toward France's first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, especially when it comes to matters of fashion and all-round feminine allure, we think it's safe to say that this morning, Michelle will be feeling glad that her vanity, as far as we know, stops short of making sex tapes. Yes, a burglar has stolen a cache of "highly intimate" videos and photographs featuring Carla with her ex-boyfriend/baby daddy Raphaël Enthoven (who, for those who like to keep track of European affairs, she stole from his then-wife, novelist Justine Levy, whose father, philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy, is reportedly winning the heart of wealthy fashion plate Daphne Guinness away from Andre Balazs). Police in Paris are hoping to catch the thief before any images hit the web; the web, obviously, hopes the opposite.