• The father of Mercy James, the girl being adopted by Madonna, says he has no plans to object to the adoption, and a nanny and nurse have already touched down in Malawi to take care of her. So it looks like the little girl will be climbing aboard Madonna's jet to head to NYC any day now. [Reuters, DM, Sun]
• David Carradine's funeral took place in LA on Saturday and more than 400 mourners turned up for the occasion, including Lucy Liu, Michael Madsen, Jane Seymour, Tom Selleck, Daryl Hannah, Lucy Liu, Edward James Olmos, and Rob Schneider. [Us, AP, People]
• Jeff Goldblum, who is 56, and his new girlfriend, 21-year-old Lost actress Tania Raymonde, "can't keep their hands to themselves," which may explain why they've been seen "making out all over town." [AMNY]

The Four Seasons celebrated its 50th anniversary last night and a predictably large crowd of media personalities, politicos, and powerbrokers turned out for the occasion. Just a few of the people on hand to celebrate the event with co-owners Julian Niccolini and Alex von Bidder (left, Erin Fetherston): Barry Diller, Nicole Miller, Ralph Lauren, Mort Zuckerman, Ray and Veronica Kelly, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., David and Joyce Dinkins, Henry Kissinger, Aby and Samantha Rosen, Dolly Lenz, Tim and Nina Zagat, Steve Schwarzman, Fern Mallis, Jay McInerney, Jeffrey and Linda Chodorow, Steve Newhouse and Gina Sanders, Albert Maysles, Ruth Reichl, Robert Burke, Linda Fargo, Star Jones and Herb Wilson, Thom Browne, Don Marron, Drew Nieporent, John Gutfreund, Chuck Scarborough, Cindi Leive and Howard Bernstein, Terry Allen Kramer, Marjorie Gubelmann, Marina Rust Connor, and Salman Rushdie and girlfriend Pia Glenn. [PMc, Wireimage, NYO, Paper]

It seems Karl Lagerfeld's obnoxious comments about Heidi Klum a couple of months ago didn't communicate the bitchy message he'd intended to send, so now he's going back for another shot. After dismissing Klum as a nobody (which is what he also said back in February), the Chanel designer went after Klum's husband, Seal, too: "I am no dermatologist but I wouldn't want his skin. Mine looks better than his. He is covered in craters." We can't say we've ever thought a little German unity would be a good thing. But, hey, there's a first for everything. [The Sun]

One of the most popular pieces at Art Basel this week? A work by Takashi Murakami and Pharrell Williams featuring "a miniature ketchup bottle, a can of Pepsi, a pair of sneakers, a cupcake, a condom, a bag of Doritos and a bottle of Johnson & Johnson baby lotion," all of which are made out of gold and "encrusted with 26,000 inlaid diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds" that had been supplied by imprisoned bling king, Jacob the Jeweler. The piece ended up selling for $2 million to two collectors who intend "to share it." So, yes, there really is someone out there who is the proud new owner of half of a jewel-encrusted bag of Doritos. Congrats? [NYT, Marketwatch]

The financial collapse has gifted us with some first-class public relations kerfuffles—those bonuses at AIG and the big three automakers arriving in DC via private jet, to name just two—and there might be another one on the horizon. AIG is giving the survivors of the Miracle on the Hudson plane crash a hard time about reimbursing them for their lost property, medical care and therapy bills.

• Three more people have come out of the woodwork to express an interest in acquiring the Boston Globe. Let the bidding war begin? [Reuters]
• Analog television meets its maker tonight. Tell your grandma. [NYT, AP]
• Facebook introduces vanity URLs at midnight! Just in case you have absolutely nothing better to do and/or you're not too busy tweeting. [ABC]
• The New York Times is cutting, combining a few of its blogs. [E&P]
• Yahoo's new CFO is known for his ruthless cost-cutting. Good news for the beleaguered Internet company, bad news for beleaguered employees. [PC]
• Jon and Kate have been on the cover of Us for seven straight weeks now. "Unless Britney Spears gets pregnant or Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie break up, it appears the troubled couple won't be bumped anytime soon." [WWD]

With so many companies going bust these days—and with so many giant figures bandied about in the media—it's hard maintaining any perspective on what's happening in corporate America, isn't it? Fortunately, the good folks at GOOD magazine created a useful chart using little—or big!—boats in a selection of lovely pastel colors to illustrate it all. [GOOD]

What would you do if your dad handed you a check for $5 million and told you to give it away to the charities of your choosing? (You'd probably buy a massive apartment and inform your dad that by investing in the New York's real estate market during these difficult economic times, you were actually performing an act of charity, wouldn't you?)

• Beny Alagem, the Israeli-born founder of Packard Bell Electronics and now the owner of the Beverly Hills Hilton, has put his 15th-floor condo at 15 CPW on the market. The three-bedroom apartment, which Alagem and his wife Adele bought for $15.4 million in April 2008, is listed for $24 million. [Cityfile, BHS]
• Dr. Athanase Lavidas, the chief executive of the Greek pharmaceutical company Lavipharm Group, has re-listed his massive apartment at 2 East 67th Street six months after taking it off the market. The 11-room spread, which features a design by interior designer John Saladino, is back on the market for the same $43 million price it was listed for last November. [Cityfile, BHS]
• Real estate mogul and former WorldCom director Francesco Galesi still hasn't managed to find a buyer for his 16-room River House duplex, more than four years after first listing it for $50 million. The price is now down to $35 million, though, so hopefully he won't have to wait another four. [NYO, BHS]

Remember "Clark Rockefeller," the con man who bounced around social circles in New York and Boston posing as a physicist, financier, art collector, cardiovascular surgeon, government official, and sea captain, among other things? Rockefeller—real name Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter—was convicted today of kidnapping his 7-year-old daughter during a custody dispute with his ex-wife, and he now faces more than a decade in prison. Unfortunately, the trial did not fully account for how he managed to convince people he was all those things when, to most normal people, he bears a striking resemblance to a serial killer from a made-for-TV movie on Lifetime. But at least he'll have a non-fake job—license plate maker, perhaps?— to add to his resume in the near future! [AP]

East Hampton may be home to some of the richest people around, but the town itself is on the verge of bankruptcy. It's now facing an $18 million deficit by the end of the year, partly because most of the officials responsible for managing the town's finances over the past few years have turned out to be crooks. (In what is becoming a tradition of sorts, another local official was arrested this week—he served as budget officer until recently—and was charged with seven felonies.)

• BlackRock has reached a deal to buy Barclays Global Investors for $13.5 billion, making BlackRock the world's largest money management firm. [WSJ]
• Lawmakers grilled Bank of America chief Ken Lewis in Capitol Hill yesterday, although he defended his decision to go ahead with the acquisition of Merrill Lynch and placed blame on Ben Bernanke and Hank Paulson. [NYT, WSJ]
• John Paulson's hedge fund, which made $3+ billion betting the housing market would collapse, is now scooping up lots of distressed debt. [BN]
• Goldman was an investment bank before becoming a commercial bank. Now that it's free from the bailout, it may go back to being an I-bank. [Reuters]
• US households lost $1.33 trillion of wealth in the first 3 months of '09. [DB]
• Foreclosures fell during May, not that things have improved much. [CNN]

Friday morning special: Goldman Sachs chairman and CEO Lloyd Blankfein and his wife Laura have finally put their old apartment at 941 Park Avenue on the market. The couple paid $27 million for an apartment at 15 Central Park West in 2007, and settled into their new digs last year. But the couple's old apartment on Park just hit the market today. The five-bedroom duplex, which is listed with Sotheby's Royce Pinkwater for $15 million, comes with grand foyer, 30-foot living room with wood burning fireplace, paneled library, formal dining room, master bedroom suite with office and two baths, two maid's rooms, and bath and laundry area. Unfortunately, pictures of the co-op aren't online yet. But you can have a look at the floorplan below. [Cityfile]

Today, the New York Times reminds us that some members of the filthy rich continue to be filthy rich, recession notwithstanding. They're just hiding their spending places where regular people can't see it: in their homes. Designer Clive Christian's extremely high-end wares—think over-the-top chandeliers and the sort of Liberace-inspired designs that would appeal to someone like Celine Dion—are selling better than ever.

Blow a kiss in Adriana Lima's direction. The supermodel turns 28 today. Others celebrating: Yankees star Hideki Matsui is turning 35. Deputy mayor Kevin Sheekey is turning 43. David Rockefeller is 94. Sports Marv Albert is turning 68. Real estate broker Michele Kleier is 66. Hunter College president Jennifer Raab turns 53. Kendra Wilkinson is turning 24. And George H. W. Bush celebrates his 85th birthday today. Weekend birthdays—including those of the Olsen twins and Donald Trump—after the jump.

• Paris Hilton reportedly broke up with boyfriend Doug Reinhardt after she saw him partying with a "Texas beauty queen" named Kendhal Beal. The heiress responded by throwing a fit (and some fruit and ice in Beal's direction). But don't you worry about Paris. She's got her dependable sister by her side. And she's already moved on to someone new, namely soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo. [P6, People]
• Madonna will be performing her Kabbalah rituals today with an extra bit of enthusiasm: Malawi's highest court has overturned its previous ruling and has granted her adoption of Mercy James. Justice to the people! [DM]
• Dr. Drew Pinsky of Celebrity Rehab is offering Lindsay Lohan six figures to appear on his VH1 reality show. But only because he cares deeply about her well-being, not because he's interested in ratings or anything. [NYP]

• Coco Rocha may not be interning at Vogue this summer, but Tallulah Belle Willis, the 15-year-old daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, is spending the next couple of months "shadowing" at Harper's Bazaar. [FWD, WWD]
• Goodwill stores are experiencing a boom, as you may have heard. Sales were up 7 percent in the first three months of 2009 compared to the same time period last year. [NYT]
• The fragrance industry introduces an average of 250 scents ever year. And you know what? That's probably a few too many. [NYT]

• The Grill at the Standard hotel is in friends-and-family mode at the moment. (It should be open to the public sometime next week.) In the meantime, though, you'll be pleased to hear (and see—left) that some serious bartender training is currently underway. [HotelChatter, Flickr]
• New York's very first spot for 24-hour-a-day pho is coming soon. [GS]
• Chocolate mousse is popping up all over town, according to Kate Krader. Exhibits 1-4: Monkey Bar, Minetta Tavern, Bar Artisanal, and Kefi. [F&W]
• Another list of downturn-friendly bars offering free food with drinks. [NYT]
• Good news for strip club fans: Drink prices, cover charges are down. [WSJ]
• Some breaking news from Tuesday evening's screening of Food, Inc.: Rocco DiSpirito says he's been known to occasionally eat a Cinnabon or two. [NYDN]

Yesterday, Glamour magazine reported that a staffer had contracted swine flu. This afternoon, NBC sent out a memo warning that a couple of employees at 30 Rockefeller Plaza had come down with the flu and while the network didn't indicate if it was of the swine variety, we don't believe company-wide emails usually get sent out every time a grip on the set of Saturday Night Live develops a slight cough. But it's not just swine flu that is making the rounds. The porn industry in Southern California is reeling from the news today that an unidentified actress has tested positive for HIV, the first case to hit the adult entertainment business since 2004. [NYO, LAT]

A tipster tells us—and we have since confirmed—that Insitu, the Gramercy salon founded by stylist Paula Casano and known for its Japanese hair-straightening expertise, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It's not just the salon's curly-haired clients who will suffer if it's forced to close it doors: Insitu is one of the few salons in Manhattan that works with the Locks of Love project year-round, offering free haircuts to women willing to donate their tresses to economically disadvantaged cancer patients. The grim evidence is below.