cityfile

Is Tiger Woods on LI?

cityfile · 01/06/10 11:08AM

Is Tiger Woods hiding out at the Long Island mansion of Jim Dolan, the "controversy-prone CEO of Cablevision and owner of Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks"? That's what Us Weekly reported this morning, although reps for Dolan have called the story "preposterous." [Us]

Paris Hilton's Littlest Victims Head East

cityfile · 01/06/10 10:53AM

The first batch of homeless Chihuahuas will be arriving in New York from Los Angeles today. (As you may recall, Paris Hilton's fascination with the breed a few years back led a big bunch of California residents to adopt Chihuahuas, but many of them were abandoned when the fad passed.) As part of "Operation Chichuahua Airlift," about 15 dogs will be landing at JFK today aboard a Virgin America flight. Why NYC? According to the ASPCA, "the East Coast has long had a shortage of small dogs." [AP, ABC News, previously]

Spotted

cityfile · 01/06/10 10:05AM

Julianne Moore standing on a subway platform waiting for a downtown train ... a spiffy-looking Kiefer Sutherland walking in SoHo ... Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni filming scenes for Law & Order: SVU in Murray Hill ... Sarah Jessica Parker arriving at her townhouse in the West Village ... Teri Hatcher posing for photographers outside the Late Show with David Letterman in Midtown ... Ashlee Simpson walking to her apartment downtown, and later clowning around with husband Pete Wentz by walking in Union Square wearing Halloween masks.

Trump Int'l Fixer-Upper: Yours for $28.5 Million

cityfile · 01/06/10 09:33AM

• Back in July, word spread that financially troubled movie producer Vittorio Cecchi Gori's 52nd-floor apartment at the Trump International—a 5,500-square-foot pad that Donald Trump himself once owned—had gone into contract for $18 million, making it "possibly the largest residential foreclosure action ever in Manhattan," according to the Times. It's been six months since then, but the gutted palace in the sky is now back on the market. The penthouse, which will undoubtedly require many millions to whip into shape—or is "a complete blank canvas" in the words of Prudential Douglas Elliman managing director Howard Margolis—can now be yours for $28.5 million. [Cityfile, PDE]

Raj Rajaratnam, Revised

cityfile · 01/06/10 08:50AM

Raj Rajaratnam, the hedge fund billionaire (and dwarf enthusiast) accused of insider trading, has even more legal trouble on his hands today. Prosecutors say they plan to tack on another bunch of charges to their original indictment, a move that could increase Rajaratnam's prison sentence to 15 years (or more) if he's ultimately convicted. Even more concerning: The Wall Street Journal unveiled a new illustration (or "hedcut") of Raj in the paper today, and his smile and casual, open-collared look has been replaced with one that makes him look much more defendant-y. That can't be a good sign, can it? [NYT, Dealbreaker, previously]

A-Rod Moves On; The Last Days of Casey Johnson

cityfile · 01/06/10 08:02AM

• Kate Hudson was supposedly holding out hope that she and Alex Rodriguez would reunite one day soon. But it looks like it may be time for Kate to let the dream die. A-Rod's new flame is a "gorgeous blonde" who he met at a gym in Miami. [P6]
• In happier celebrity couple news—and after months of schmoopy public displays of affection—Katy Perry and Russell Brand are now engaged. Brand reportedly proposed while in vacation in India, a trip they decided to take after Perry expressed her love for "Indian culture while they were eating curry." [Us]
• An autopsy has been performed on Casey Johnson, the socialite and pharma heiress who was discovered dead on Monday. There weren't any signs of trauma, but more should be revealed when toxicology tests are completed. In the meantime, friends of Johnson report she went into a diabetic coma on several occasions over the past year, "spent the last months of her life in a suicidal drug haze," and had been living in squalor up until her death, since her family had cut her off. Speaking of the Johnson clan, they're planning to have a private funeral for Casey later this week. [TMZ, NYP, NYDN, People]
• In other Johnson news, she was dealing with a long list of legal problems when she died, including a lawsuit by Porsche (for failing to keep up with her car payments), and another suit by a nanny service (which claimed it was owed money). As for fame addict Tila Tequila, her alleged fiancée, she's been busy posting to Twitter, recounting the "haunting visions" she's been having of Johnson and how they "made such a lovely couple." [TMZ, NYP, Us]

Happy Birthday

cityfile · 01/06/10 06:56AM

Julie Chen, co-anchor of the CBS Early Show and the wife of CBS honcho Les Moonves turns 40 today. Henry Kravis, the billionaire financier and co-founder of the private equity giant KKR, is turning 66. Film director John Singleton is 42. British food writer/TV personality Nigella Lawson is 50. Novelist E.L. Doctorow turns 79. Trudie Styler, Sting's wife, is turning 56. Former volleyball great Gabrielle Reece is 40. Rowan Atkinson (aka "Mr. Bean") turns 55. Actress Joey Lauren Adams turns 42. George Ross, Donald Trump's sidekick on The Apprentice, is 82. And reality star Tiffany Pollard, best known as "New York" to regular VH1 viewers, is turning 28 today.

cityfile · 01/05/10 07:01PM

• A federal judge has yet to decide whether the city or the LeRoy family controls the "Tavern on the Green" name. In the meantime, the city's plan to use "Tavern in the Park" as a possible backup has been given the kibosh. [NYT]
• Café Gitane's Jane Hotel outpost is now serving dinner. [Gothamist]
• A roundup of a few closings around town in recent days. [Eater]
• Doughnut Plant's second NYC location will be at the Chelsea Hotel. [TONY]
• Bowling is booming, apparently. Leisure Time Bowl, the alley inside the Port Authority Bus Terminal, is changing its name and opening a "swank restaurant" and club shortly. It will soon face some competition in the hood, since Bowlmor is opening a $20 million venue on West 43rd Street this fall. [NYT]
• Looking for a few recipes inspired by Jersey Shore? You're in luck. [F&W]

Bill Thompson Plans Ahead

cityfile · 01/05/10 04:45PM

The next mayor of New York City won't take office until four years from now. But Bill Thompson, who came pretty close to beating Mike Bloomberg last fall, isn't wasting any time. He's already decided to throw his hat into the ring in 2013. [NYT]

cityfile · 01/05/10 04:15PM

[January 2. Photo: Flickr/nachalot]

cityfile · 01/05/10 03:30PM

• Prepare to enter the third dimension. ESPN plans to launch a 3D channel in June. And Discovery, Imax and Sony are teaming up on a 3D channel, too.
• Has Kathy Griffin been banned from CNN following her risqué performance alongside Anderson Cooper on New Year's Eve? Maybe yes, maybe no.
Newsday is cutting pay and vacations for 1,100 of its employees. [NYP]
• Apple's buzzed-about tablet device comes out in March. [WSJ]
• Google's buzzed-about mobile phone/iPhone ripoff debuted today. [BN]
• You'll be relieved to hear that the New York Times has no plans to follow in Kim Kardashian's footsteps and begin sticking ads in its tweets. [AdAge]
• Coming soon: Publicist Kelly Cutrone's TV show and self-help book. [WWD]
• Nielsen closed Kirkus Reviews last week, but it may now have a savior. [NYT]
Conveyor of Love, the new reality show on ABC that combines dating and the latest in baggage handling technology, is off to a solid start. [Wrap]
• Will Avatar turn out to be the biggest movie ever? Maybe! [MTV]

The Wild Side of Hon. Jed S. Rakoff

cityfile · 01/05/10 02:33PM

Manhattan federal judge Jed Rakoff has been nicknamed "Judge Dread" on Wall Street for his efforts to hold banks and financial execs accountable for their actions. (He's currently overseeing the case against Bank of America, which is accused of misleading investors regarding bonus payouts, and he's also presiding over the trial of Raj Rajaratnam, the hedgie charged with insider trading.) So how does Rakoff blow off steam when he isn't taking on big banks and crooked execs? He engages in a little ballroom dancing, that's what. [BusinessInsider]

Self-Storage For Bargain Hunters

cityfile · 01/05/10 01:12PM

Renting a room at Manhattan Mini-Storage could easily run you $100 a month. A far cheaper solution: Buy a junky used car, fill it up with all the crap you own (and should really throw out), and then park the car on the street for free!

America's Most Frugal Billionaire

cityfile · 01/05/10 12:49PM

Hedge fund manager David Tepper is a rare breed. Not only did he earn $2.5 billion in 2009 while many of his peers just struggled to keep their heads above water, he still lives in the same New Jersey home he and his wife have occupied since 1990, he's yet to buy a vacation home, and he still sends his kids to public school. [BN]

Breaking: Going to Work Is No Fun

cityfile · 01/05/10 11:33AM

And now for some news that will totally shock you: According to a new survey, Americans are more unsatisfied with their jobs than ever. [NYDN]

Marc Jacobs May Now Be Married

cityfile · 01/05/10 11:15AM

Marc Jacobs and Lorenzo Martone were supposed to get married in Provincetown this past summer. They never ended up going through with it for whatever reason, although that may have changed over New Year's vacation. According to the fashion blog Styleexperts, the couple tied the knot in a private ceremony on St. Barts earlier this week, an event that was hosted by art dealer Larry Gagosian and which featured a cake topped with an edible Jacobs (sans shirt), Martone (dressed in a tux), and two of their dogs. [Styleexperts via GoaG]

Spotted

cityfile · 01/05/10 10:31AM

Regis Philbin walking with a cane following surgery to replace his hip recently ... Amy Adams leaving ABC after an appearance on Good Morning America ... Pete Wentz pushing baby Bronx in a stroller in SoHo and Ashlee Simpson getting coffee with Bronx and a friend ... Sarah Jessica Parker leaving a salon in the meatpacking district ... Ludacris walking with his new girlfriend, Fab ... Jenna Elfman posing for photos outside the Late Show with David Letterman ... and Hugh Jackman getting in an SUV outside his apartment building in the West Village.

Mr. Big Hits the UWS; Robert Ziff Seals the Deal

cityfile · 01/05/10 09:27AM

• Is Chris Noth giving up on the Village and planning to move his family to the Upper West Side? A tipster tells us Noth and his girlfriend Tara Wilson have visited a two-bedroom apartment at 239 Central Park West on two occasions in recent weeks. The apartment is currently on the market for $1.85 million. [Cityfile, BHS]
• Publishing heir Robert Ziff has closed on the sale of his three-bedroom condo at the Trump International. The 41st-floor apartment, which Ziff bought for $5 million in 2001 and listed for $13 million in 2008, had been on the market for $11.5 million when it went into contract last month. It sold for $10 million to Barbara Stiefel, a Democratic fundraiser from Florida. [bigdeal_nyc]
• Anna Bulgari sold her apartment on East 79th Street last week. Now the jewelry designer has picked up a new home. Bulgari paid $3.995 million for a three-bedroom apartment at 1040 Madison Avenue. According to property records, the seller is Bunny Price, the Tennessee-based ex-wife of billionaire money manager Michael Price. [Cityfile]