We've heard that the economic downturn has been effecting libidos. But now Pfizer has arrived on the scene to help ease the pain: The pharma giant has announced that it plans to distribute more than 70 of its medications for free, a list that doesn't just include Lipitor but also life-saving creations like Viagra. To qualify for the program, though, you'll have to meet certain criteria.
Mayor Bloomberg has already spent $18.7 million on his re-election campaign, substantially more than he'd spent at this point during his 2005 run. Why so much? Because he just wants to talk. "Every campaign is about engaging voters in a dialogue," said Howard Wolfson, the mayor's spokesperson for his reelection campaign. "This campaign has begun a conversation with New Yorkers about the economy and the mayor's plan to create or save 400,000 jobs." For that kind of money, he could have probably just hired 400,000 people to work at City Hall, but that's another matter. [NYT]
• The New York Times is now thinking of charging consumers for access to its web site, although doing so would be "tricky," says Bill Keller. Indeed. [NYT]
• There are some signs of further trouble at Forbes. [NYP]
• Martha Stewart is going to see if she can charge for online videos. [WWD]
• Advertisers are looking to channel recession-related outrage. [NYT]
• NBC has renewed Last Call with Carson Daly. Unfortunately. [THR]
• Did David Geffen really consider taking a stake in the Times? [NYP]
• Jay Leno's last guest on The Tonight Show: Conan O'Brien. [NYDN]
• Suze Orman is having her "moment," in case you weren't aware. [NYT]
• Is the Jon & Kate drama good news or bad news for TLC? [TDB]
• Brian Williams is still a Jersey boy, or so it would seem. [The Awl]
Tamir Sapir certainly isn't the first Russian billionaire to be accused of having bad taste, but he might be the first one who has landed in court thanks to his fondness for over-the-top decorations. The real estate tycoon—and former New York City cabbie!—signed a guilty plea in connection an attempt to import 29 items that violated of the Endangered Species Act, including seven carved elephant tusks, a zebra-skin-lined children's bed, and a fully stuffed and mounted lion, pieces he planned to use to decorate his Versace-drenched yacht. He's since agreed to pay $150,000 in fines, but there is some good news to come out of this sad tale of animal exploitation/bad taste. In comparison to his father, we're thinking son Alex Sapir's Maybach—or "rolling office," as he likes to call it—is downright classy! [Luxist, NYP, NYDN]
As we suspected, house arrest isn't all that bad for Marc Dreier, the disgraced lawyer who pleaded guilty earlier this week to conspiracy, securities fraud, money laundering and wire fraud. The judge in the case permitted him to return to his apartment pending sentencing, and it's a very comfy place, that's for sure. He's not lacking for food either. It seems he's been ordering miniburgers from Le Cirque's new recession-friendly bar menu, located on the ground floor of his building. A sensible way to begin transitioning from Le Cirque's regular menu to a lifetime of prison food, clearly. [Page Six]
Michael Gross' hotly anticipated tome about the Metropolitan Museum, Rogues' Gallery, arrived in bookstores last week. An account of the museum's "history of curatorial excellence, social climbing, and skullduggery," the book is full of salacious detail about some of the most prominent members of the New York society. But you won't hear much about the book's juiciest bits in the mainstream media coverage. Could it have something to do with the fact that Gross delves into the murky past of Oscar and Annette de la Renta, a couple at the very top of the social pyramid?
Justin Timberlake following his bodyguard out of a building downtown ... Gisele Bundchen walking to her West Village apartment in the rain ... Mary-Kate Olsen grabbing coffee downtown with Nate Lowman ... Jennifer Aniston sitting down on the set of The Baster in Central Park ... Tom Hanks getting out of an SUV ... Kirsten Dunst hailing a cab in the West Village ... Whitney Port having lunch downtown ... Madonna walking behind Jesus Luz ... Jennifer Hudson waving to fans outside the Today show ... and Jewel carrying her dog in Midtown.
• Marty Sprinzen, the founder of Forte Software, which was sold to Sun Microsystems for $540 million in 1999, has put his 4,552-square-foot apartment at 838 Fifth Avenue up for sale. The ninth-floor residence, which was once owned by Lily Safra and is one floor below the apartment Jimmy Nederlander bought in 2006—is now on the market for $24.5 million. [Cityfile, BHS]
• Seymour Zises, founder of the investment advisory firm Family Management, and his wife Cathy, have gone into contract to sell their second-floor apartment at 1016 Fifth Avenue. The five-bedroom co-op had most recently been listed for $10.95 million. [Cityfile, Stribling]
• William Little Jr., the chairman of George Little Management, the trade show production company founded by his father, has paid $6.64 million for a 16th-floor apartment at 170 East End Avenue. [Cityfile]
• Lindsay Lohan is certainly having a good week. Not only did she finally land another acting role—she'll be appearing in The Other Side, along with Woody Harrelson, and Giovanni Ribisi—but she may be getting her own clothing line at JCPenny, too. And the cops are getting closer to figuring out who broke into her house, too, which has got to be good news. [NYDN, People, NYP]
• These are tough times for Jennifer Aniston, clearly: Bette Midler is now providing her with dating advice and says Jen should sign up on JDate and find "a nice Jewish boy" with "a lot of money." [NYDN]
• Rihanna is "convinced" it was Chris Brown who leaked nude photos of her last week as payback for not attending his birthday party. [NYDN]
• Chelsea Clinton has a six-pack! [P6]
• The Carlyle Group will pay $20 million to end an investigation by Andrew Cuomo into its dealings with pensions and placement agents. [NYT, WSJ]
• Two attorneys at the SEC are under investigation for insider trading. [CBS]
• Hedge fund manager Jim Simons is facing tough questions from angry investors who put money into one of Simons' under-performing funds. [WSJ]
• Barclays is in talks to sell its Barclays Global Investors. Blackrock and Bank of New York Mellon are two of the bidders. [BN, Reuters]
• Six major insurance companies are getting a bailout. [BN, NYT]
• CBS has released more footage from Morley Safer's interview with Anna Wintour from this Sunday's 60 Minutes. In this installment, Anna explains why she insists on wearing sunglasses indoors. (The answer: It's her "armor.") [CBS]
• Matthew Williamson's second collection for H&M arrived in stores today. [Racked]
• LVMH may be buying a stake in the green fashion line backed by Bono. [WSJ]
• A retrospective on fashion photographer Richard Avedon opens tomorrow at the International Center of Photography. Cathy Horyn looks back. [NYT]
It's not cool looking like a banker these days, haven't you heard? Back in 2005, an expensive suit was a sign you'd made it. But that was then. "Now, with public sentiment against financial institutions still high, racks of expensive Italian beauties languish in shops across the country," the Times reports. In other words, modesty is in; flashiness is out. If that isn't enough to help you decide whether an outfit reflects this new pared-down aesthetic, think of it this way: Avoid anything that Lapo Elkann might wear. After the jump, the international playboy and Fiat heir will show you how not to dress in these unpretentious times.
• Frank Bruni will soon step down as the Times' chief restaurant critic. Who will replace him? Eater rounds up some of the faves as well as a bunch of unlikely picks, like Katie Lee Joel, who has a 475,000-1 shot of landing the gig. [Eater]
• Bruni's first appearance (second coming out?) after he steps down from the Times will be at the New York City Wine & Food Festival on Oct. 8. [GS]
• The UWS isn't the dining ghetto it once was thanks to the likes of Zak Pelaccio, Michael Huynh, Tom Valenti, Michael Psilakis, and Danny Meyer. [NYP]
• Start saving up: Marea, Michael White and Chris Cannon's temple of seafood, opens in the former San Domenico space on CPS tomorrow. [Eater]
You didn't really expect Victoria Gotti to let JPMorgan Chase take her marble palace away from her without a fight, did you? That's not how the Gotti family rolls, as history has shown us on more than one occasion. Gotti appeared in federal court in Brooklyn yesterday and blamed the non-payment of her mortgage on her ex-husband, Carmine Agnello, vowing that the bank would never get its hands on the property. "I'm never going to lose the home," she explained. If you're a JPMorgan shareholder, consider this a good indication that the bank may be forced to shell out more than the $348,000 it spent last year providing Jamie Dimon with a security detail. [Newsday, previously]
It's rare to hear about an industry that's hiring these days. But today is not one of these days: The MTA is currently hiring bus drivers. It seems the agency instituted a hiring freeze when it looked like the doomsday budget cuts would go into effect. They didn't, of course, which means the MTA is now looking to fill as many as 230 positions. If you worked at Lehman Brothers or Condé Nast until recently, it's unlikely that a bus driver gig is going to meet your salary expectations. (And judging by this and this, it can be a lot more dangerous, too.) But, hey, it's better than taking your chances with a sandwich board, no? [Urbanite]
What were the "many sad logistics" that Keith Olbermann had to attend to when he took three days off work last month? That remains unclear, although he did have time to head over to Citi Field and take in a ballgame with his girlfriend and Jason Bateman. We all cope in different ways, clearly. [MLBlogs] [Update: Gawker has spoken with a source of its own at MSNBC and is now backing our account. See here.]
• Union members at the Boston Globe will vote on the controversial concession package proposed by the New York Times Co. on June 8. [E&P]
• Last week's broadcast of Meet the Press earned the NBC chatfest its lowest ratings since David Gregory took over as moderator. [HuffPo]
• Supermarket tabloid smackdown: Us Weekly is standing up for integrity in journalism (and Brangelina) by waging war against In Touch. [TMZ, Gawker]
• Who says magazines are dead? The publisher of Interview is in the process of launching a quarterly design magazine called Modern. [Folio]
• Neil Patrick Harris will host the 2009 Tony Awards on June 7. [AP]
• The two American journalists who were first detained in North Korea two months will go on trial for "hostile acts" on June 4. [NYT]
As expected, Frank Bruni is giving up his coveted gig as the New York Times' restaurant critic so he can hit the trail and promote his forthcoming book (and not have to do it behind a wig and sunglasses). Per the official memo: "Recognizing that the book is certain to seriously compromise his ability to be a spy in the land of food, Frank picked this as a natural time to move on. He will be turning in his restaurant-critic credentials when his memoir, "Born Round: the Secret History of a Full-Time Eater," is published in late August. After a break for book promotion and some overdue vacation, Frank will become a writer-at-large on the staff of our Sunday magazine..." The job hasn't been filled yet, by the way. Interested? Call 212-556-1234 and ask for Bill. [NYT, Gawker]
