cityfile

Most Fashionable Gay Wedding Ever: Postponed

cityfile · 06/30/09 01:58PM

If you've been opening your mailbox every afternoon wondering why you haven't received your invitation to Marc Jacobs' wedding to Lorenzo Martone—and you've been freaking out at the prospect that you didn't make the invite list—you can breathe a bit easier today: WWD reports that "the fashion world's most anticipated wedding" has been pushed back to August. "Martone attributed the delay to Jacobs' hectic work schedule, but said it is still planned for Provincetown, Mass., where Jacobs' business partner, Robert Duffy, has a vacation home." [WWD]

Paterson Lines Up Another Big Name

cityfile · 06/30/09 01:43PM

Gov. David Paterson may have the lowest approval ratings in the history of state politics—one recent poll found that just 21 percent of voters said they have a favorable view of him, compared to a 26 percent favorability rating for disgraced ex-governor Eliot Spitzer—but Paterson is about to change all that. He's landed the sort of boldface supporter that politicians dream about. It seems none other than Star Jones will be hosting a "sunset cocktail reception" for Paterson on July 11 in Wainscott. Prepare yourself for some major momentum when the next batch of poll numbers are released. [NYDN]

Ivy Supersonic's Odd Stunt Goes Awry

cityfile · 06/30/09 12:29PM

Does Ivy Supersonic strike you as the sort of person who would have fallen victim to Bernie Madoff? Not so much? Perhaps that explains why her attempt to tape-record Madoff's sentencing yesterday didn't turn out so well and she got caught in the act. Ivy Silberstein, as she's known in real life, brought a "recording device" into the courthouse, a violation of the rules, obviously. But someone apparently spotted her and Judge Denny Chin ordered that court officers seize the device and delete the material before returning it.

The End of Vibe, Wall-to-Wall Jackson Coverage

cityfile · 06/30/09 11:45AM

• The urban/music magazine Vibe is shutting down. [Daily Finance]
• Media coverage of Michael Jackson's death is now "receding." Not that there was any other place for it to go but down: A report finds that 93% of the coverage on cable late last week was Jackson-related. [AP, Journalism.org]
• Or maybe not. Katie Couric anchors a big Jacko special on CBS tonight. [NYO]
• Fired Fox News columnist Roger Friedman has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court against Fox News, News Corp, 20th Century Fox and Rupert Murdoch. He'd like $5.2 million, please. [HuffPo]

Spotted: Mark Madoff Edition

cityfile · 06/30/09 11:27AM

Mark Madoff wasn't at his father's sentencing yesterday, although no one really expected him to be there considering he says he hasn't spoken to his dad since his arrest in December. So where is he? In Nantucket, apparently, where he's doing his best to redeem the family name, according to a Deabreaker tipster:

Brooke Astor Supported Her Son, The Pharmaceutical Industry

cityfile · 06/30/09 10:49AM

Brooke Astor's son, Anthony Marshall, wasn't the only one profiting from his mother's poor health. The neighborhood pharmacist was doing quite nicely, too. According to papers filed in court this week, Astor gobbled down two dozen pills a day, including the medications Bextra, Tenormin, Prevacid, Alphagan, Sonata, Neurontin, Zoloft, Aricept, Detrol, Rhinocort, Xalatan, Antivert, Percocet, and Procrit. Describing her list of meds it as "Brooke Astor's socialite diet," the Daily News suggests "it's a wonder she had room for food." Considering Astor was a svelte 91 pounds when she died, whatever she was taking was working pretty well, wasn't it? [NYDN]

The Noose Tightens For Madoff's Accomplices

cityfile · 06/30/09 09:23AM

A "person familiar with the investigation" into Bernie Madoff has tells the AP that the government is pursuing charges against 10 more people who allegedly played a role in carrying out the biggest Ponzi scheme ever. Who are they? No names were mentioned, unfortunately. But if one of the people on the list is hedge fund manager Ezra Merkin, that won't be the only piece of bad news he receives this week. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo unveiled a deal this morning to sell off a collection of Merkin's Rothko paintings and Giacometti sculptures, items that will go to repay people who lost money as part of the scheme. An anonymous buyer has already stepped up and agreed to pay $310 million for the works, and when various liens, commissions and legal fees are subtracted, an estimated $191 million will eventually be left over for Madoff's victims. What will Merkin do with the bare walls of his mammoth apartment at 740 Park? Well, this painting is still for sale, as far as we know, and would be rather fitting, wouldn't it? [AP, WSJ]

Lisa Maria Falcone Steps Into the Spotlight

cityfile · 06/30/09 08:36AM

It hasn't been a fun ride for hedge fund manager Phil Falcone since he picked up 20 percent of the New York Times Co. a couple of years ago. He had to face off against the ruling Sulzberger clan for representation on the board of directors and the company's plunging stock price means his investment in the paper is now worth a few hundred million less than it once was. Today, however, he gets his money worth with a Times profile of his beloved bride, Lisa Maria Falcone, who, as the title of the piece informs us, is a "philanthropist with a sense of timing." Indeed!

Kristen Johnston Lists West Village Condo

cityfile · 06/30/09 07:33AM

• Emmy-winning actress Kristen Johnston is selling her West Village duplex. The two-bedroom condo at 296 West 10th Street, which comes with solarium and terrace, "custom window treatments," and "Ralph Lauren carpet in the den," hit the market for $1.795 million late last week. [Cityfile, Corcoran]
• Retired Continental Airlines CEO Gordon Bethune has paid $5.882 million for a third-floor apartment at The Beresford on Central Park West. The three-bedroom pad had been listed for $6.95 million most recently. [Cityfile]
• Dr. Gary Roubin, Lenox Hill's chief of interventional cardiology, has re-listed the carriage house at 168 East 73rd Street he went into contract to sell in May. The deal fell through earlier this month, so now the 6,800-square-foot home is back on the market for $16.5 million. [Cityfile, SSNYC]

Happy Birthday

cityfile · 06/30/09 06:46AM

Vincent D'Onofrio turns 50 today. Mr. Mike Tyson is turning 43. Italian fashion heiress Allegra Versace is 23. American Idol's Fantasia Barrino is turning 25. Lizzy Caplan of Mean Girls and True Blood is 27. Nightlifer Noel Ashman, the former owner of the Plumm, is turning 39. Famed conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen is 51. Matisyahu is 30. And actor/comedian David Alan Grier turns 54 today.

Sarah and Matthew's Arrivals, More Jackson News

cityfile · 06/30/09 06:21AM

Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick took home their adopted twin daughters, Marion and Tabitha, last week. Now they've released a photo of the whole family. Cute! And a nice palate cleanser after all the sordid Michael Jackson news the past few days, no? [People]
• Speaking of grim details from the Jackson case, here's what you may have missed over the last day or so: The doctor at Jackson's house couldn't call 911 for more than half an hour because he couldn't find a working phone (Jackson disconnected them for "privacy reasons); drugs, insiders says, were most likely the cause of death (duh); and Jackson's last will, which dates back to 2002, provided for his kids and mom, but cut his father out completely. [TMZ]

The Madoff Penthouse Revealed

cityfile · 06/30/09 05:34AM

The Daily News brings us a few photos inside Ruth and Bernie Madoff's Upper East Side penthouse today, so if you've been dying for a peek at the pattern of their $35,000 Persian carpet—which, like everything else in the apartment, will be up for auction at some point in the future—you're in luck.

Another Model-Turned-Intern, A Less Splashy Gala

cityfile · 06/29/09 06:42PM

• Coco Rocha may have only been "observing" at Vogue a few weeks ago, but Chanel Iman says she actually spent past of last week interning at Teen Vogue. [Fashionologie, Grazia]
• Is the Costume Institute Gala planning a new approach next year? Some insiders tell the Daily it will be a "much less splashy affair" the next time around, with more benefactors in attendance and fewer models and celebrities. [FWD]
• A couple of weeks ago, it seemed Esteban Cortazar had decided to split with Emanuel Ungaro. Now it looks like he's staying put. For the moment, at least. [WWD, Cut]
• An interview with Stacey Bendet, whose alice + olivia line now rakes in more $50 million a year, she says. [ObsessedTV]

Eating & Drinking: Monday Edition

cityfile · 06/29/09 04:50PM

• Payard has closed after more than a decade on the Upper East Side. [Zagat]
• The building at 347 Bowery, which until recently served as the Salvation Army's base in the East Village, may turn into another Koi sushi joint. [Curbed]
• Michael Psilakis reopens the former Kefi space as Gus & Gabriel Gastropub tomorrow. But Donatella Arpaia won't be involved this time around. [GS]
• Eataly, a Italian food market that opened in Turin two years ago, has signed a lease for 32,000-square-feet of "food halls and restaurants" at 200 Fifth. Joe Bastianich, mom Lidia, and Mario Batali are partners in the venture. [NYT]
• A roundup of where celebs were spotted eating/drinking recently. [GS]
• A Q&A with Leyla Marchetto, daughter of Silvano/Scuderia boss. [Zagat]
• The West Village's Jarnac closed over the weekend. Now everything in the restaurant is for sale through tomorrow, if you're interested. [Eater]
• The NYT panned Spice Market last week. Now Jean-Georges responds. [JGV]

New York's Least Desirable Tenant

cityfile · 06/29/09 02:51PM

The deal that Ruth Madoff signed with prosecutors last week will force her to give up her penthouse apartment on East 64th Street (as well as her other homes in Palm Beach and Montauk). So where will she move next? Finding a building willing to rent an apartment to her is proving challenging, according to the Post, since accepting Ruthie means also accepting the fact that photographers may be camped outside the building and Madoff victims may occasionally hurl rocks from across the street. What to do? Well, she hasn't moved out of the place yet, so if you have some brilliant ideas for her, you could always update the text on this card and send her your suggestions. Maybe you have a spare bedroom and you're desperate for some attention? Do reach out if you can help. [NYP, Curbed]

Keaton Injured, Doing Fine

cityfile · 06/29/09 02:23PM

Diane Keaton fell and bumped her head on the set of her new movie, Morning Glory, in Battery Park City this morning. She was taken to the hospital for tests, but she didn't sustain any serious injuries, so she'll be back at work tomorrow. Which is great news for Keaton because, as Ryan O'Neal has discovered in recent days, the media can only accommodate a certain number of celebrity deaths at any one time. [AP]

A Small Victory For the National Enquirer

cityfile · 06/29/09 01:53PM

In a historic first, it seems the National Enquirer's headline from January proclaiming that Michael Jackson had "six months to live" turned out to be spot on. Not that any of us should be that surprised. "When you constantly make things up, you're bound to get something right. Right?" [Buzzfeed]

The Box Office, The Times, More Trouble at NBC

cityfile · 06/29/09 12:09PM

• Despite unkindly reviews from most critics, the Transformers sequel racked up $112 million at the box office over the weekend, bringing its five-day gross to more than $200 million. [THR]
• Don't worry too much about the New York Times going under. AdAge reports the paper should be in business until at least 2011. [AdAge]
• Viacom is not going to buy MySpace from News Corp., alas. [Reuters]
• NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker is so concerned about the situation at the company's film division, he's sending his CFO to LA to crack skulls. [NYP]
• More bad news for the TV biz: According to a new report, the industry faces a $2 billion ad slump over the next four years. [FT]
• Not only did the New York Times keep news of reporter David Rohde's kidnapping a secret, the paper kept it off of Wikipedia, too. [NYT]
• MSNBC's is hoping broadcasting in HD boosts ratings. [B&C]
• Kate Gosselin's next book has been postponed; you can guess why. [NYP]
• VH1 has two new hip-hop-themed reality shows in the works. [THR]