The current issue of Newsweek doesn't have too many good things to say about New York City and the state of its economy, but the city does have one thing to celebrate today: It's passed Orlando as America's No. 1 tourist destination! [Newsweek, NYT]

• What caused the death of troubled socialite and heiress Casey Johnson, who was discovered dead in her LA home yesterday? It's too soon to say since toxicology results are pending, although at least one tabloid is suggesting prescription pills may have been involved. In a bizarre twist to the story, Johnson's "fiancée," reality TV star/fame addict Tila Tequila, tweeted last night that Johnson hadn't actually died and was really in a coma, before backtracking a little while later and acknowledging what had already been confirmed by the police. Tequila's also believed to be the last person to have seen the Johnson & Johnson heiress alive. [TMZ, NYP, NYDN]
• It looks like when Beyoncé performed in St. Barts on New Year's Eve, she was doing so at the behest of Hannibal Khadafy, the son of Libyan dictator Moammar Khadafy. This would be the same man who is rumored to have broken his wife's nose last month, was arrested in 2005 for punching her, and was detained by the police in Geneva in 2008 for beating his servants. So either Beyoncé is really hard up for cash (which is doubtful), or she needs someone to vet her public appearances going forward. [P6]
• The third White House state dinner crasher has been identified. His name is Carlos Allen and he's a DC-based party promoter, and he managed to sneak into the White House by hopping on a bus filled with Indian diplomats. [WP]
• Susan Sarandon has denied reports that she's involved with Jonathan Bricklin, her partner in SPiN, the ping pong club on the East Side. But a source close to the 31-year-old entrepreneur says Bricklin and Sarandon spent New Year's together and were very "touch-feely." [Fox411]

Actor Bradley Cooper turns 35 today. January Jones of Mad Men is turning 32. Charlie Rose is 68. Diane Keaton is turning 64. Actor Robert Duvall is 79. Publishing heiress Amanda Hearst is 26. Marilyn Manson is turning 41. Former Vice President Walter Mondale is 82. Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell turns 66 today. King Carlos of Spain is turning 72. Fashion reporter Steven Cojocaru is 45. Carrie Ann Inaba, the judge from Dancing with the Stars, is turning 42. The Hills' Kristin Cavallari is 23. And former Love Boat actor Ted Lange celebrates his 62nd birthday today.

• As expected, Scott Conant will be taking over the Table 8 space at the Cooper Square Hotel. The restaurant is now closed pending renovations. [Eater, GS]
• The Pink Tea Cup's been saved. The Village soul food restaurant, which closed Sunday after 55 years, will reopen with a new owner and the same staff. [NYT]
• Chinatown Brasserie chef Joe Ng has a new spot planned for the WV. [NYT]
• Michael Huynh will open his fifth Baoguette in NYC later this month. [Eater]
• A few favorite coffee haunts of a few random celebrities. [NYP]
• Tavern on the Green served its last meal on NYE, in case you missed it. [NYT]
• The smoking ban isn't enforced much, as you may have heard. [NYT]

Casey Johnson—the troubled heiress, socialite, daughter of Jets owner Woody Johnson, and alleged fiancée of reality TV "star" Tila Tequila—was found dead in Los Angeles this morning. She was 30. [TMZ, NYDN, E!]

[January 4. Photo: newyorkshitty.com]

According to a team of British researchers who conducted research on 900 pairs of twins, "the elusive G-spot erogenous zone may be a myth encouraged by magazines and sex therapists." [USA Today, Times UK]

• The cover of Vanity Fair's February issue will likely turn plenty of heads: It features a barechested Tiger Woods pumping iron. The photo by Annie Leibovitz was taken before the Woods sex scandal unfolded, however. [VF]
• Is New York Post editor Col Allan retiring? That's the rumor, although Allan says it's just "wishful thinking" on the part of the Daily News. [NYM, Politico]
• Cable spats: Fox and Time Warner reached a deal in their dispute on Friday. But Cablevision customers are still without the Food Network and HGTV.
• Dick Clark has clearly seen better days, but ABC's NYE telecast was No. 1 on Thursday night. NBC's Carson Daly-hosted program came in No. 2. [Variety]
• Disgraced ex-Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich will be one of the "stars" on the next season of Celebrity Apprentice, you'll be thrilled to hear. [UPI]
• Ten years after he presided over the merger of Time Warner and AOL, Jerry Levin now says it was all a big mistake and he's really, really sorry. [THR]
• Good news! The ad market for newspapers, magazines is looking up. [WSJ]
• Arianna Huffington and Glamour's Cindi Leive plan to sleep a lot in '10. [HP]
• Avatar was once again No. 1 at the box office this weekend. The film has now grossed more than $1 billion around the world since it was released. [THR]

Remember Michaele and Tareq Salahi, the couple that crashed the state dinner in November? It turns out they weren't the only uninvited guests who made it inside the White House that evening. [Politico]

You undoubtedly heard about the trouble at Newark yesterday, when a man walked the wrong way through a security checkpoint and the airport was forced to halt all flights for several hours. It seems that some people made the best of a lousy situation. "What do you do when your terminal is on security lockdown and no one can come or go? Well, you burst out in song, of course!" [YouTube via NewTeeVee]

The noisiest public place in NYC is the platform for the F, V, B and D trains in the 42nd Street subway station, per a new survey. [NYP]

David Duchovny walking his dog on the Upper East Side this morning ... Ashlee Simpson leaving her apartment on Saturday ... Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie taking Maddox, Pax, Zahara and Shiloh to see Mary Poppins on Broadway ... Matthew Broderick walking in the West Village ... Catherine Zeta-Jones leaving her apartment on Central Park West with her dog ... Angela Lansbury sitting in a car outside the Walter Kerr Theatre ... Pete Wentz walking by himself ... and Conan O'Brien shopping with wife, Liza, on Madison Avenue.

• Theodore Friedman, a former negligence lawyer who was disbarred in 1994, and his wife, former New York Surrogate's Court judge Eve Preminger, have sold their three-bedroom penthouse at 25 Central Park West for $10.05 million. The couple first listed the 2,767-square-foot apartment, which features 900 square feet of outdoor space and 360-degree views, for $13.5 million in January of 2009. [Cityfile, Stribling]
• Are Alicia Keys and boyfriend Swizz Beatz planning to buy a duplex penthouse at 170 East End Avenue? That's the rumor, as the couple has reportedly toured the apartment several times recently. [NYP]

The New York Times asked a handful of prominent New Yorkers about what some of the city's "collective objectives" should be for the year ahead, causes that could unite New York in 2010 as we make an effort to "improve, change, and grow." As you probably could have expected, Donald Trump is taking up an issue of critical importance that you probably haven't given much thought to. Well, up until now, that is.

Michael Stipe turns 50 today. Actress Julia Ormond is turning 45. Comedian/satirist Andy Borowitz is 52. Director Harmony Korine (Kids, Gummo) turns 37. Presidential historian and author Doris Kearns Goodwin is turning 67. Comic actor Dave Foley (NewsRadio) is turning 47. And retired football coach Don Shula is 80 today.

[December 31. Photo: Flickr/oliver62]

Lots of important stuff happened in 2009. A bunch of famous people died. A bunch of banks almost died, but then Washington stepped in to make sure that Wall Street's way of life will be preserved forever. Swine flu came along and freaked everyone out (not to mention briefly endangered the air kiss). A publicity-obsessed family earned the attention of a nation by feigning their son's disappearance and launching an enormous Jiffy Pop into the sky. Celebrities got together, cheated on their spouses, broke up, got back together, had kids (or traveled to far-flung places to pick up kids), and checked into rehab. Some managed to do all of the above with a camera crew following close behind. Yes, 2009 has been quite a ride. What can we all expect to see happen in 2010? We took a few minutes to chat with Manhattan psychic Serena Stanley and ask her about a few things that may or may not happen in 2010. Her insight into the future—gratis!—is below.

Following in the footsteps of Accenture and Gillette, AT&T has decided to part ways with Tiger Woods, and says it will be ending its sponsorship deal with the lady-loving golfer. [AP]

Emmy Rossum and boyfriend Adam Duritz sitting in the stands at last night's Rangers game ... Brad Pitt leaving the Waldorf Astoria with son Pax, and later playing games at Dave & Busters in Times Square ... Angelina Jolie arriving on the set of Salt at Pier 66 ... Catherine Zeta-Jones walking out of her apartment building on Central Park West ... and Sarah Jessica Parker heading to Lincoln Center with son James for a matinee performance of The Nutcracker.

City and state officials aren't going to let you ride the subway for free tonight. (Fares were suspended in 1984 and 1985 in an effort to discourage New Year's Eve drunk driving; the MTA discontinued the program due to budget issues.) But you may still get a free trip home anyway. Cîroc and the vodka company's unfailingly responsible spokesman, Diddy, will distribute "thousands of" free Metrocards and $15 taxi debit cards tonight from 8-11pm as part of a PR stunt called "Safe Rides." The downside: You'll have to go to the meatpacking district or far West Chelsea club zone to get them. [NYT]