Chelsea Clinton's gone to Haiti to sweat under the Caribbean sun and assist victims of the devastating earthquake? No, but she did host a spin class last night that doubled as a benefit, raising $66,810 from the likes of Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, who pedaled alongside the former first daughter at the event. Try and multi-task like that, George Clooney. [People]
Those really annoying trucks that drive around, clog up city streets, and serve no other purpose than to expose you to some dumb ad? They're getting an upgrade. Taking a cue from those horrific RVs that Lubavitch Jews use to proselytize with, the "mobile billboards" will soon blast music as they drive around town.
This is Conan O'Brien's last day at NBC, as you've probably heard. Unfortunately, the person who should be packing up his giant office today isn't: Jeff Zucker, NBC's ruinous president and CEO, who has pretty much destroyed everything he's touched over the past decade, from comedy (remember when Thursday night was "Must See TV"?) to drama (remember when ER and The West Wing were big hits?) to late-night (no explanation necessary). What happens to Zucker in the end is anybody's guess and ultimately up to his new bosses at Comcast, who gave him a new contract recently that will keep him in place through 2013. But given the events of the past couple of weeks—and the sense of panic that probably pervades Comcast HQ right now—it wouldn't be a bad idea for Zucker to polish up the ol' résumé. With that in mind—and because Zucker is a busy man and fully consumed with damage control right now—we took the liberty of getting things started. Why not, right? He's going to need some help, though. After all, he's spent his entire career at NBC (he joined the company as a lowly researcher way back in '86), so it's unlikely he's given his résumé any thought in two decades. But we're here to help. Below, Jeff's starter-kit résumé—along with a few instructions and suggestions—so he can get to work as soon as this weekend.
The Tribeca loft that Mischa Barton skipped out on—her old landlord is now suing her for $21,300—is up for rent: "Luxury loft formerly occupied by A-list celebrity. High ceilings, great light, beautiful columns, new kitchen. Incredible discreet block in Tribeca close to all transportation." [Streeteasy via Curbed]
Alec Baldwin taking a coffee break on the set of 30 Rock ... Mischa Barton leaving the Cooper Square Hotel with her dog in tow and getting into a waiting SUV ... Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony leaving the Gansevoort hotel ... Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz walking home with their baby ... Brendan Fraser getting out of an SUV in front of his hotel ... Matthew Broderick walking with his son James in the Village ... Harrison Ford arriving at the Late Show with David Letterman ... Chace Crawford on the set on the set of Gossip Girl ... and Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi posing for pics outside the Wendy Williams Show.
When you're an indolent billionaire and your entire existence revolves around getting (young, female) celebrities to hang out with you—and you shell out a small fortune to make that happen—the least these stars could do is spell your name correctly, right? Well, at least if one of them ends up getting your name wrong, you can always have someone from your office notify them of the error so they acknowledge the mistake publicly:
Very little has gone right for Gov. David Paterson in recent weeks. Embarrassingly, his son was detained by the NYPD after he was spotted playing dice and found to be in possession of someone else's credit card; a week later, the Post reported he had an "intimate" lunch at a New Jersey steakhouse with a "sexy mom" woman who wasn't his wife, a charge he denied; and he's fallen far behind of Andrew Cuomo on the fundraising front—Cuomo has nearly five times as much cash in his coffers—which certainly doesn't bode well. Maybe it's time for the governor to pursue a new campaign strategy? It looks like he's going to get the chance to do so, whether he likes it or not: Tracy Sefl, Paterson's "most visible" campaign strategist and his chief spokesperson quit her job today. [NYP, NYT]
• Joe Roth, the Hollywood producer and former head of Twentieth Century Fox and Walt Disney Studios, has put his four-bedroom apartment at One Beacon Court on the market. The 3,779-square-foot spread, which Roth purchased for $13 million in 2006, is currently listed for $21.7 million with Corcoran's Deborah Grubman and Carol Cohen. [Cityfile, Corcoran]
• In related news, Johnny Damon's former apartment at One Beacon Court is up for sale, too. The baseball player and his wife sold the 39th-floor pad three years ago for $8 million. Now the 2,100-square-foot apartment is back on the market, this time with a listing price of $8.9 million. [Cityfile, Sotheby's]
• Conan O'Brien's final Tonight Show airs tonight. Then he'll head off to count the enormous pile of cash that NBC just gave him while he waits until September 1, which is when he'll first be permitted to host another talk show as part of the deal he signed with the network. As for NBC, it will air reruns of The Tonight Show until the Olympics start, with Jay Leno officially returning to his (very tarnished) throne on March 1. [TMZ, THR, WSJ]
• It looks like things are going from bad to worse for Mischa Barton. Her landlord has filed a lawsuit against her for failing to pay three months of rent on her $7,000-a-month Tribeca apartment before moving out of the place late last year. [NYDN, P6]
• Lady Gaga looked pretty banged up when she appeared outside her "Monster Ball" show last night to sign autographs. She she had bizarre cuts and bruises all over her arms and legs. And those mustard-colored extensions she's been wearing as of late aren't helping matters. [The Sun, 3am]
Diane Lane turns 45 today. Director Jim Jarmusch is 57. Actor Balthazar Getty is turning 35. Neil Bush, the brother of George and Jeb (and father of Lauren), turns 55. Actress Olivia d'Abo is 41. Steve Perry from Journey turns 61. Linda Blair of Exorcist fame is 51. And DJ Jazzy Jeff turns 45 today. A few people celebrating birthdays this weekend appear after the jump.
• Rumor has it Danny Meyer and Ian Schrager are currently in "advanced talks" to open a restaurant on the roof of the Gramercy Park Hotel. [P6]
• Will we see the classic tiki bar make a comeback in 2010? [NYT]
• Minetta Tavern introduces brunch service this weekend. [UD]
• New Tavern on the Green operator Dean Poll has yet to seal a deal with the union or city (or even finalize the name), but he's lined up a new GM. [P6]
• Is it possible the restaurants in London are better than the ones here? [GS]
• Two "disaster-relief socials" benefiting Haiti took place last night. [SF, HP]
• NYC's oldest gay bar, Julius, has been shuttered by the DoH. [Eater]
• Gwyneth Paltrow has a tasty Vietnamese salad she'd love to share with you.
• As if this hasn't already been a crappy week for liberals thanks to the election results in Massachusetts, Air America announced today that it's shutting down effective immediately and filing for bankruptcy protection. [AP, WP]
• More on the conclusion of l'affaire Coco, what's in store for O'Brien (unclear), and what NBC can look forward to in the months ahead (lackluster ratings for Leno, mammoth losses, continued shame, etc). [NYT, TW, WSJ, NYT]
• CNN has been pulling out all the stops to cover the crisis in Haiti (not to mention invested in hundreds of tight t-shirts for Andy Cooper). And yet Fox News, which has sorta ignored the earthquake (and typically avoids covering stories involving poor black people) is still out in front in the ratings. [LAT]
• Kitty Kelley's tell-all about Oprah hits bookstores on Apr. 13. [AP]
• A Pulitzer for the National Enquirer? Stranger things have happened. [WP]
• HGTV and Food Network have returned to Cablevision customers. [NYT]
• Thanks to Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones, you'll be hearing "We Are the World" (Haiti 2010 edition) again in the near future. [Showbiz411]
• Madonna and Beyoncé have joined Team Clooney, FYI. [Reuters]
• So much for free content: Hulu may start charging its users to watch popular TV shows in the future; and YouTube is introducing pay-per-view videos.
• Is the Wall Street Journal really launching a travel agency? Yes. [E&P]
• Say goodbye (arrivederci?) to MTV's Jersey Shore. [NYM, Gawker, MTV]
New York's scaffolds are about to get a makeover. Yes, those "sidewalk sheds" that you try to avoid walking under in case one of them collapses on your head when you least expect it (left!), may soon be a thing of the past.
Because the current way to get Botox—exit home, get into vehicle, travel to doctor's office—is way too taxing and time-consuming, Los Angeles is now home to the first-ever "mobile cosmetic care service," in which a doctor comes to you—in a "nondescript SUV"—and is in and out of your place in ten minutes. Something tells us NYC won't be far behind. [Luxist]
Wall Street may be raking in record profits right now. But unless bankers start go out and suddenly start spending those massive bonuses on meals, liquor, entertainment, clothing, and real estate, well, we're all pretty much screwed: "The city's unemployment rate soared to 10.6% last month from 10% in November, a sign that record Wall Street profits and hints of a national recovery have yet to reverberate through the local economy." [Crain's]
