Famous insider-trader Sam Waksal, whose overgenerous tipstering led to Martha Stewart's incarceration, is out of the big house! Well, sort of. After serving five years in a Michigan jail, he's been transferred to a not-so-big-house, a half-way facility in the Bronx. You'll be glad to hear that such modest surroundings aren't inhibiting Waksal from flaunting his wealth: Yesterday he returned from a shopping trip carrying a bag from Smythson's, the stationery store where you can pick up notebooks and the like for as little as $75. (Perhaps he was buying a gift for Martha? A message book that can be carried from place to place away from prying eyes, maybe?)

Benji Madden shopping on the Lower East Side ... Brooke Shields filming a scene for Lipstick Jungle at Chelsea Piers ... Suri Cruise going shoe shopping with mom Katie Holmes ... Ben Stiller filming a scene outside the Natural History Museum ... Penn Badgley taking a break from filming Gossip Girl on the Columbia campus ... Rumer Willis showing up to a screening of House Bunny at the Hearst building ... Billy Bob Thornton performing at the Highline Ballroom ... and Michelle Williams and Spike Jonze leaving a Brooklyn bar together.

Last week, Quest magazine, coddler of heiresses, financiers, and other layabouts, published its annual "Quest 400," the exhaustive yet unexplained list of the society fixtures it deems worthy. Originally the "400" represented the number of guests Mrs. Astor could fit into her ballroom. Mrs. Astor is long gone, so how can one land a spot on the list today? We looked through all 20 pages to find out how to make the cut.

Now here's an idea for cheap New York hoteliers: The world's first "recycled" hotel opened in Britain this week, a Travelodge that was constructed entirely out of shipping containers. The 120-room property in Uxbridge took less than a month to construct, used 86 steel containers manufactured in Shenzen, China, and cost 10 percent less than a normal hotel. After the jump, video of what New York budget hotelier Sam Chang will probably be doing five years from now.

When it comes to selling treatments that claim to get rid of fat and cellulite, these days doctors and estheticians can impute magical powers to a big slab of metal and plastic, throwing in words like "laser" and "light energy" and "high frequency," and pluck out of the air a price with a vague connection to both how much they paid for the machine and just how desperate/gullible/rich their potential customers are. Women will then eagerly sign up for the treatment, regardless of whether or not it actually does anything. And, according to today's Wall Street Journal, it probably doesn't.

Estiatorio Milos on West 55th Street is one of New York's most upscale Greek restaurants. It's one of the most expensive, too. Since most of the prices on the menu are by the pound, that delicious piece of grilled tuna with oil and lemon can easily cost $50 or more. ("Unless you've worked at a carnival guessing weights, the bill is always something of a surprise," writes New York.) But it seems Milos's owner, Costas Spiliadis, isn't just engaging in a little deception when it comes to the prices on the menu. According to a class action lawsuit filed against the restaurant, Spiliadis has been refusing to pay servers minimum wage, denying them overtime pay, and forcing wait staff to share tips with the restaurant's managers. The lawsuit was filed by Franco Sukaj and Nikolas Tsikitas, who both worked as waiters at the restaurant. You can read the legal nitty gritty for yourself after the jump.

One more victim of the lousy economy: Park Avenue nannies. "Caregivers face lost jobs, reduced hours, pay cuts, and added responsibilities as wealthy families trim household staff." [NYM]

Bill Clinton is 62 years old today. We're sure he'll find a very special way to celebrate. Others who will be blowing out candles today: Kyra Sedgwick, who is turning 43, author Frank McCourt, who is 78, and the Bronx's very own Fat Joe, who is celebrating his 38th. Former Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson is 66 today. City Council member Melinda Katz is turning 43. Literary agent Lynn Nesbit is 70. John Stamos is 45. And Matthew Perry—remember him?—is 39.

The voicemail recording on Leven Rambin's cell phone.

• Roseanne Barr is outraged that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt haven't endorsed Barack Obama, so she's taken them to task on her blog for being evil and vacuous, and for "trying to look as if they give a crap about humanity." [P6, RoseanneWorld]
  

• Lehman Brothers continues to have discussions about selling pieces of its investment management business, including Neuberger Berman. [Dealbook, FT]
  

• The Obama campaign is marshalling the full power of the fashion industry to get ahead: A long list of designers—definitely including Derek Lam, Isaac Mizrahi, Tracy Reese, and Diane von Furstenberg and possibly including Beyoncé, Russell Simmons, and Vera Wang—will be creating official merchandise like totes and t-shirts. [WaPo]

The richest man in hip hop according to Forbes' list of the industry's "cash kings," which was published today: 50 Cent, who made $150 million last year, including $100 million from Darius Bikoff's sale of Glacéau to Coca-Cola for $4.1 billion. [Forbes]

Club impresario Noah Tepperberg turned 33 last week and celebrated the occasion with three birthday parties, the first of which went down at Marquee last Thursday night. Nightlife blog Guest of a Guest was kind enough to post a gallery of pics of the fête earlier this afternoon. And what do you know: super-secretive, lecherous billionaire Ron Burkle turned up to event! The supermarket mogul, Democratic donor, friend of Bill, and rumored owner of Maer Roshan's Radar proves once again that just because you're 56 doesn't mean you can't hit the dance floor and party like you're 26. Another accidental Burkle pic after the jump.

• Bob Costas and Meredith Vieira are among the many NBC anchors who haven't been pronouncing "Beijing" correctly. (It's Bay-jing, not Bay-zhing.) Bonus points to Brian Williams for getting it right. [AP]
  

• Adam Platt isn't feeling much love for Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Matsugen. In this week's issue, he gives JGV's soba house a single star. [NYM]

Mary-Kate Olsen taking a walk downtown, iced coffee in hand ... Jennifer Lopez in a GMA interview in Central Park with Chris Cuomo ... Tim Robbins chatting with fans playing hockey in the Village ... Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise, and Suri playing in Central Park ... Sarah Silverman walking through SoHo with a friend ... Ed Westwick filming Gossip Girl on the campus of Columbia ... Paris Hilton and Benji Madden holding hands on their way to a waiting SUV ... and John Mayer leaving Nobu with his brother Carl.

East Village residents could be in for a pleasant surprise when they see 6'4" Olympian golden boy Michael Phelps walking down the street in a few weeks. That is, if the rumors that he's dating British model Lily Donaldson (and not Amanda Beard, whom he's also been linked to) are true. Donaldson spends most of her time in New York these days: Back in May, she bought a two-bedroom pad on Avenue B for $2.2 million. For his part, Phelps has already said he plans to take a few months off from swimming now that he's done with the Olympics. What else is he going to do if not hang out with his supermodel girlfriend, who just happens to have a lovely new love nest? One (much less alluring) bonus: Lily is just a few blocks from the crummy public pool at the Hamilton Fish Recreation Center on East Houston Street.

The September issue of Details features a two-page spread on Vito Schnabel, the son of painter-turned-movie director Julian Schnabel. Strangely, the headline, "The 22-Year-Old Art-World Power Broker: How Vito Schnabel became a big-time gallery owner—without his dad's help," is followed by an article detailing all the ways that mega family connections have furthered his career. He landed his first movie role at 12 (he played a "gay boy" in Before Night Falls—"I got a blow job in it," Vito says), sold his first works to Elton John when he was 15, curated his first show as a junior in high school, attracted family friends like Jim Jarmusch, Zac Posen, and Paz de la Huerta to his first gallery opening, now lives in a loft on the third floor of Palazzo Chupi (which his dad built), and spends his time hanging out with Theo (son of Jann Wenner), Jimmy Jagger (son of Mick), and Cody Franchetti (of Born Rich infamy).

Looking for some new friends on Facebook? Meet Ivy Bean, who, at the tender age of 102, is officially the oldest member of the social network. [Daily Mail]