The Wall Street Journal's Steve Gelsi took to the streets yesterday to solicit some thoughts about the crisis in the financial markets from people gathered outside the New York Stock Exchange. One of the people Gelsi chatted with was a young man named Bhusham Gupta, who said he works in the wealth management department at Citigroup and confessed that he feels "pretty" for the people who worked at Lehman Brothers who lost their jobs. First of all, Bhusham, you are pretty—don't ever let anyone tell you any different. And hats off to Citi CEO Vikram Pandit. Importing your brokers from India is a surefire way to keep your bank nimble during these lean times! Clip after the jump.

American hedge funders might be too nervous to blow millions on contemporary art at the moment, but thank God for the Russians and Arabs. Damien Hirst's auction at Sotheby's in London last night turned out to be a big success notwithstanding the Wall Street meltdown, with 54 new pieces selling for a total of $127 million. [Reuters]

The fifth season of Project Runway is far from over, but the winner has already been selected and Tim Gunn was spotted (and photographed) with a film crew in Lower Manhattan on Saturday filming what may have been the season finale. We won't ruin it for you in the event you like surprises, but if you're curious to see who walked away with top prize, see here. [Urbanite]

The youth of today have it so easy! When they want to get messed up on drugs, they don't have to scrape together money, locate a dubious character to deal to them, and risk getting arrested: They simply go to their parents' medicine cabinet. Painkillers, tranquilizers and stimulants are frequently the drugs of choice for 12 to 25-year-olds, according to the federal government's National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Katie Couric's career is certainly on the upswing, isn't it? A day after the Times' David Carr called the CBS anchor a "highly skilled interviewer" and naturally funny" and observed that she's been in "the middle of things for the last few weeks" comes word that she'll be the second person to interview Sarah Palin next week. [P6]

It's a busy week for Amy Poehler. Last Saturday, she helped SNL score its highest ratings in years and then announced yesterday that she's planning to leave the show in November. Today she celebrates her birthday: She's 37. Also celebrating: Marc Anthony is 40 (although he held his big birthday blowout on Sunday at the Bowery Hotel.) Lauren Bacall is 84. Magician David Copperfield is 52. Nick Jonas is 16. Actress Alexis Bledel is 27. Mickey Rourke is 52. The artist Christopher Wool turns 53 today. Fortune's managing editor Andy Serwer is 49. Harvard professor and author Henry Louis Gates is 58. Televangelist Robert Schuller is 82. And blue's legend B.B. King is 83.

• Yesterday's 504-point drop was the worst day for the Dow since 2001. [NYT, WSJ]

Just in case you missed this the first time around—and because today seems like an awfully fitting day for this sort of thing—our handy guide to coping with the fact that your investment bank/law firm/media company has decided you're redundant. [Cityfile]

» International fashionistas like Diane von Furstenberg had barely seconds to spare between New York Fashion Week ending and London beginning: Across the pond good weather has thrown everyone into confusion, designers are angry about plans for New York to encroach on London's runway time, and to cap it all, they've got Peaches Geldof (left) back in town, although everyone had been hoping she'd stay in NYC. [style file, Guardian, Mirror]
» Maggie Rizer is writing a memoir about growing up as a model and about her personal and family life. No doubt she'll be touching on her stepfather's theft of $7 million of her money to feed his gambling addiction. [WWD]
» You have until 10pm to buy some Sigerson Morrison pumps, an Anya Hindmarch purse, or a Jonathan Saunders dress from one of the Target Bullseye Bodegas. [LX.TV]

Who's going to suffer as a result of all the carnage on Wall Street? A few of the sectors expected to be particularly hard hit: black-car chauffeurs, Breguet dealers, pricey restaurants, wine auctioneers, art galleries, household-staffing agencies, Lamborghini salesman, private-jet operators, African safari planners and interior designers. [WSJ]

• Julian Niccolini will begin serving breakfast at the Four Seasons. You'll have to wait until January, though, to pay $44 for a croissant. [NYM]

Just in case you're wondering what the scene looks like outside the Midtown headquarters of Lehman Brothers, well, here you go. More photos of aggressive reporters and depressed ex-employees here.

Russians are "not afraid" to call themselves snobs, says the spokewoman for a new magazine called, yes, Snob. Slated to debut next month and backed by playboy oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov (left), it's aimed at well-to-do, educated Russians, including those in New York, London and Paris, who, we're guessing, will be thrilled by the prospect of getting their fix of Dasha Zhukova news in actual Russian. [Independent]

Lots of people are coming to the defense of Michael's, the media hangout that was subjected to a bruising review by Frank Bruni in the Times last week. Caroline Bankoff of the Observer chatted with David Patrick Columbia who says he found the review "ridiculous" and thought Frank Bruni was being excessively "bitchy." Elderly gossip Liz Smith (pictured here with Michael's owner, Michael McCarty) observed that no one goes there for the food, but that she's fond of the place for the "greeting" she receives and the "physical situation," whatever that means.

In the event you haven't yet seen this clip from CNN this morning and you're either a) really depressed about the demise of Lehman Brothers and need a little cheering up; or b) you get really turned by watching unattractive men going at it on the streets of Manhattan, have a look at this clip of some on-camera shenanigans outside the offices of Lehman Brothers earlier today. [The Observer now reports it was a prank for Howard Stern's show.] Video after the jump.

• The premiere of Saturday Night Live with Tina Fey playing Sarah Palin and Michael Phelps as guest host generated the show's best season debut since 2001. [THR]

Barack Obama's once-commanding lead in New York has shrunk to just 5 points, according to a new survey. The Siena College poll shows Obama leading McCain 46% to 41%, down from Obama's 18-point lead in June. [NYDN]

It looks like Google co-founder Sergey Brin and his wife Anne Wojcicki are planning on spending more time in New York. A month ago, we reported that Bill Brady, the head of Credit Suisse's technology banking practice, had sold off his duplex penthouse at 744 Greenwich for $8.5 million. Now it seems the buyer was none other than Brin and his genetics-loving wife. Earlier today Real Estalker mentioned it had received a tip that the tech billionaire was behind the purchase. When we checked the records, we noticed that the buyer, Moore LLC, shares the same address in Menlo Park, CA as Brin's private foundation. So what is the couple getting for their cash? Some 3,457-square-feet of living space, four bedrooms, limestone bath with heated floors, and a master suite with a 23-foot balcony. You can gaze at the photos yourself here.

Remember Susan Lyne, the former CEO of Martha Stewart Omnimedia who also happened to look a lot like the domestic diva? Lyne has a new job: she's been named the CEO of Gilt.com according to a Silicon Alley Insider "source," which is probably a pretty reliable one, considering the two companies share the same co-founder. [AlleyInsider]

On a day like today, you might imagine that hedge fund moguls would be a little skittish about plunking down a small fortune on a piece of art. Not so much. Damien Hirst's big auction at Sotheby's is taking place in London this evening anyway. [Portfolio]