cityfile

A New Use For Your Old Cards

cityfile · 06/02/09 09:24AM

If you've been laid off recently and you have a stack of useless business cards sitting in your desk drawer, there's something you can do with at least one of them. CardsofChange.com asks people to submit photos of their old business cards with their new contact info scribbled in, along with "one positive change that happened in your life as a result of being downsized." You don't get anything for participating, naturally. The same can't be said for the founders of the site: They've already landed a deal to turn the project into a book. [CardsofChange]

Spotted

cityfile · 06/02/09 08:53AM

Anne Hathaway and boyfriend Adam Shulman walking around ... Helena Christensen carrying shopping bags full of flowers in the West Village ... Tim Robbins playing hockey at a playground downtown ... ... Kate Hudson walking downtown with a friend ... Paris Hilton getting out of an SUV in front of her hotel ... Rachel McAdams arriving on the set of Morning Glory ... Robert Pattinson leaving JFK ... Nicole Kidman filming scenes for her new movie outside Sotheby's on the Upper East Side ... and Alessandra Ambrosio posing for photographers on the sidewalk.

Barclays Chairman Buys at One Beacon Court

cityfile · 06/02/09 08:00AM

• Archibald "Archie" Cox, Jr., the former CEO of Morgan Stanley International who was appointed chairman of Barclays Americas in 2008, has paid $12 million for a 49th floor apartment at One Beacon Court. The three-bedroom pad (left), which had most recently been listed for $14.4 million, was sold by Muirfield Capital Management chairman John Chalsty and his wife Jill. [Cityfile, floorplan]
• Retired tech exec Lawrence Mueller and his wife Mary Kay have put their 25th floor condo at 15 CPW on the market for $16.5 million, or nearly three times more than what they paid for it back in December '07. [Real Deal, PDE]
• Real estate magnate Murray Goodman has dropped the price of his duplex at 960 Fifth Avenue for the second time since listing it for $32.5 million in January. The four-bedroom co-op, which Goodman bought for $1.41 million back in 1981, is now priced at $27.6 million. [Cityfile, Sotheby's]

Spitzer Family Update

cityfile · 06/02/09 07:33AM

It's been a year a half since Eliot Spitzer resigned as governor, but there's some fresh news today about his ties to the Emperor's Club V.I.P. escort service. Court records unsealed at yesterday's sentencing of Temeka Rachelle Lewis, one of the agency's bookers, reveal that Spitzer hooked up with Emperor's Club prostitutes for 18 months to 2 years, met the ladies in "cities outside New York and Washington," employed a variety of aliases, and often paid for their services via postal money orders. In totally unrelated—but interesting—Spitzer family news, WWD reports today that the former governor's daughter will be spending the summer interning at the Huffington Post. Let's hope more embarrassing Spitzer news doesn't surface between now and September. Things could really get awkward around HuffPo's offices! [NYT, WWD]

Happy Birthday

cityfile · 06/02/09 06:55AM

Dating Drew Barrymore isn't the only thing that Fabrizio Moretti and Justin Long have in common. They also share a birthday. Fabrizio is turning 29 today, while Justin is turning 31. Others celebrating: Times columnist Frank Rich is turning 60. American Express CEO Ken Chenault turns 58. Princeton professor Cornel West is 56. Westchester DA-turned-TV judge Jeanine Pirro turns 58. Hairdresser-turned-movie producer Jon Peters is 64. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is 57. Dana Carvey is turning 54. Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts turns 68. Dennis Haysbert is 55. Nikki Cox turns 31. And comedian Wayne Brady is 37 today.

Lindsay in Paris, Britney on Tour, Amy's Failed Detox

cityfile · 06/02/09 06:31AM

• Lindsay Lohan is stirring up a bit of trouble in Paris. Apparently she's been in discussions with Emanuel Ungaro about signing on as a "creative consultant," although Ungaro's Esteban Cortazar is threatening to walk if that happens. [P6]
• An "insider" says a "fragile" Britney Spears doesn't really want to be on tour, but her dad has been forcing her into it. [MSNBC]
Christie Brinkley says she has no plans to get married again and doesn't really know why anyone would bother getting married, but does still believe in "true love," if that's any consolation. [Us]
• Amy Winehouse's "last-ditch" plan to sober up isn't going so well. Instead of six shots of tequila for breakfast, she now settles for two. [DM]

Wall Street: Tuesday Morning

cityfile · 06/02/09 05:56AM

• JPMorgan Chase, American Express and Morgan Stanley all announced plans to raise fresh capital today, so they're prepared to repay the taxpayer money they've received as soon as Washington gives them the go-ahead. [WSJ, BN]
• Related: The Federal Reserve says next week it will announce an initial set of banks that have been approved to exit the bailout program. [NYT]
• Citigroup has stopped paying out massive severance payouts to a handful of execs who recently left the company. Is it legal? Not really, but they're betting that it would be too embarrassing for them "to file lawsuits against the struggling, taxpayer-backed company seeking the money." [WSJ]
• Ex-Bear Stearns chief Alan Schwartz is joining Guggenheim Partners. [WSJ]
• After a good day on Monday, stocks are taking a breather today. [NYT]
• GM says it has a deal to sell Hummer, but won't disclose the buyer. If you were buying Hummer, would you want your name publicized? [WSJ]

Rihanna Rumors, Karl in Russia, Disappearing Signage

cityfile · 06/01/09 07:36PM

• Rihanna seemed to have a lock on an upcoming Vogue cover. But that was before nude pics of her appeared online and now Anna Wintour won't return her phone calls. At least that's the rumor that is now circulating with the tabloids. [The Insider]
• Pics of the fashion set at Saturday's polo match on Governors Island. [WWD, Vogue UK, Marie Claire]
• Karl Lagerfeld headed to Moscow last week. He wasn't impressed by the food or the men, although he did find Naomi Campbell's beau "quite stunning." [Cut]
• Bid farewell to the giant DKNY billboard on Broadway and Houston. [Racked]

Eating & Drinking: Monday Edition

cityfile · 06/01/09 04:11PM

Danny Meyer has tapped Gramercy Tavern's executive sous-chef, Nick Anderer, to run things at his new restaurant at the Gramercy Park Hotel. [GS]
• A roundup of restaurants already open or will be soon. [Eater]
• Greenpeace staged a demonstration inside Nobu on Saturday night. [NYT]
• More bad news for Giuseppe Cipriani: His Moscow expansion is a no-go. [P6]
• Pete Wentz's Angels & Kings was shuttered for serving minors. [Gawker]
Frank Bruni isn't too impressed with the Obamas decision to eat at Blue Hill during their weekend jaunt to NYC: "In the very predictability of this choice, in its all-too-neat squaring with the officially sanctioned food agenda, in its absence of surprise or abandon, isn't it ever so slightly disappointing?" [NYT]

NYC Launches 'Podcast Tours'

cityfile · 06/01/09 03:33PM

The city is now offering hour-long podcast tours designed to "highlight the rich and fascinating history of film and television locations in New York City." The first two installments focus on Tribeca and Wall Street and are "narrated by some of the city's most notable figures in entertainment." Whether Julianna Margulies and Matthew Modine live up to such billing is your call, but the tours are free, so don't complain. [NYC.gov]

Ackman Clears the Record

cityfile · 06/01/09 03:05PM

Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman lost his high-profile proxy contest with Target last week, a defeat that reportedly led him to shed a tear or two when he spoke at the company's annual shareholders meeting. It was Ackman's decision to invoke the words of John F. Kennedy, though, that really ticked off New York Times business columnist Joe Nocera, who penned a blistering critique of Ackman's performance on Friday. So how did Ackman respond? He stayed up all night and composed a 5,000-word essay to explain himself: "The tear was not for the loss of a proxy contest as Mr. Nocera implies, but rather in recognition of the significance of JFK's words nearly 50 years ago. It may also have represented some amount of physical and emotional fatigue." Duly noted. [NYT]

Mayor Bloomberg Relies On a Different Pay Scale

cityfile · 06/01/09 02:23PM

Mayor Bloomberg raised a few eyebrows when he said earlier today that President Obama "does not get paid very much." City Room details just how much the president makes a year when you factor in some of the perks that come along with the job: "As president, Mr. Obama earns $400,000 a year. He has a $50,000 expense account, a $100,000 nontaxable travel account and a $19,000 entertainment budget. Mr. Obama's total compensation package: $569,000 a year. That is 11 times the median household income in the United States." Of course, it's also what Bloomberg probably collects in interest over the course of a couple of days so, you know, it's all relative. [NYT/City Room]

Conan, Jay, Bravo & Condé Nast

cityfile · 06/01/09 12:07PM

• Conan O'Brien makes his debut this evening as Tonight Show host. [BN, EW]
• Bravo is ditching its tagline "Watch what happens" and replacing it with "By Bravo." We'll just have to watch and see what happens with that. [AdAge]
• More on the recent ratings meltdown at CNN. [Politico]
• The Times Magazine will be 9 percent smaller starting in two weeks. [E&P]
• DirectTV chief Chase Carey is in talks to join News Corp. as Rupert Murdoch's second-in command, taking over for Peter Chernin. [THR, BN]
• Disney's animated pic Up was No. 1 at the box office this weekend. [THR]
New York's cover story on Condé Nast, in case you missed it. [NYM]

Spencer Dreier Strikes Back

cityfile · 06/01/09 11:28AM

Marc Dreier didn't contest the charges against him: Last month, the disgraced lawyer pleaded guilty to swindling hundreds of millions from investors and he'll be sentenced for his crimes on July 13. His son, however, appears to be keeping up the fight. Spencer Dreier filed suit against his former Union College roommate last week. The reason? Spencer claims that his former pal, Ben Clorite (right), defamed him by posting negative comments about his dad on the Wall Street Journal's Law Blog and also assaulted him.

The Obamas Boost Broadway

cityfile · 06/01/09 09:59AM

The show that Barack and Michelle Obama attended on Saturday evening is benefiting nicely from presidential publicity. The number of advance tickets sold yesterday for Joe Turner's Come and Gone was triple that of the previous Sunday. Now the Obamas just need to attend a new show every week and Broadway will be back in business in no time. [NYP]

Cindy Adams Takes a Stand

cityfile · 06/01/09 09:13AM

A couple of weeks ago, state officials issued a report indicating New York City may need a new area code in the near future. It seems phone numbers for the 718 and 347 area codes—which are in use in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx—will run out by late 2011. Cindy Adams doesn't live in any of those boroughs (her apartment is a Park Avenue penthouse, thank you very much), but she's still outraged by the prospect: "Making someone get another area code is like making them move to the back of the bus. It's discrimination."

Swine Flu at Vogue?

cityfile · 06/01/09 08:40AM

Condé Nast just sent out a memo warning staffers that an employee who works on the 12th floor of 4 Times Square—the floor occupied by Vogue—has swine flu. [NYM/Daily Intel]

Joan Rivers Lists Longtime Penthouse

cityfile · 06/01/09 07:47AM

Joan Rivers has put her duplex penthouse at 1 East 62nd Street up for sale. The 5,190-square-foot aerie, which comes with "original architectural detail painstakingly restored by museum-trained artisans" and an outdoor garden, is on the market for $25 million. [NYT, Sotheby's]
• Calypso founder Christiane Celle and her husband, Antoine Verglas, have lowered the price of their Lafayette Street penthouse. The apartment, which went on the market for $13.99 million in January and was reduced to $11.99 million in March, is now listed for $10.65 million. [Cityfile, CBHK]
• Chrysler president James Press has put his East 64th Street townhouse up for sale. Press bought the home last year for $13.5 million. He's now looking to sell it for $15.7 million, or rent it for $35,000 per month. [NYO, Halstead]

Happy Birthday

cityfile · 06/01/09 07:00AM

Model, TV personality, and baby machine Heidi Klum turns 36 today. Morgan Freeman is turning 72. Alanis Morissette is 35. MTV VJ Damien Fahey is turning 29. Andy Griffith is 83. Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood is turning 62. And singer Pat Boone turns 75 years old today.

Kimora's New Baby, Susan Boyle's Breakdown

cityfile · 06/01/09 06:24AM

Kimora Lee Simmons and Djimon Hounsou had a baby boy over the weekend. [Us]
• Susan Boyle checked into a clinic on Saturday after suffering a "mental breakdown" following her loss on Britain's Got Talent. [NYDN, NYP]
• Kate Hudson successfully avoided Madonna at Saturday's polo match, which is a good thing since an encounter could have led to a "girl-on-girl showdown." [NYDN]
• Bill and Hillary are househunting, apparently. Per a friend: "There are some really massive estates that are incredibly cheap. Plus, it's a fun way to spend a weekend." [NYDN]
• As for Barack and Michelle, they spent Saturday in NYC, eating at Blue Hill before attending a performance of Joe Turner's Come and Gone. [NYDN, NYT]
• Eminem stormed out of the MTV Movie Awards after Sasha Baron Cohen landed in his lap, either because he was offended or because it was part of a pre-planned stunt. [P6, NYDN]
• Billy Bob Thornton's daughter has been arrested for child neglect. [People]
• Rumor has it Jennifer Hudson is pregnant. [People]