cityfile

Rudy to GOP: Pay Me

cityfile · 06/16/08 01:03PM

Judi Giuliani has to go shopping. John McCain: You can help. News emerged over the weekend that former mayor and presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani is more than happy to shill for Republicans on the campaign trail in 2008—he just wants to be paid for it. As you may recall, Rudy ended his disastrous bid for the White House some $3.6 million in debt, including a $500,000 personal loan he made to his own campaign. Now he's looking to get out of the red by asking his fellow Republicans to pay him for his political appearances, a move that has infuriated fellow members of the party.

The Philosophy of Donna Karan

cityfile · 06/16/08 11:55AM

Donna Karan is coming out with a line of astrology-themed handbags, an event that's giving her sizeable kooky Kabbalah-ish side free rein. "You think it's an accident that you're here today?" she asks a Telegraph journalist who's arrived at her apartment to interview her. "Unh-unh, you're here for a reason. There's a destiny behind this, a soul connection. We're here to learn from each other, you and me." Isn't it uncanny how the people who think that "everything happens for a reason" and "there are no accidents" are invariably massively wealthy and fortunate? Anyway, more gems of spiritual wisdom from Donna after the jump!

No Sweeps at the Tonys

cityfile · 06/16/08 10:17AM

Not too many surprises at last night's yawner of a Tonys. Cementing his golden boy rep, 28-year-old Lin-Manuel Miranda's salsa-dipped In The Heights (derided by the Post's Michael Riedel today as "as zesty as an enchilada from Taco Bell") won Best Musical in addition to three other statues; Tracy Letts's August: Osage County predictably dominated the play category, winning five Tonys including Best Play; South Pacific won more awards than any production—seven—including Best Revival of a Musical; ribald '60s sex comedy Boeing-Boeing won for Best Revival of a Play; and Patti LuPone won the Tony for Best Actress. A complete list of the winners and losers is here.

The Corner of Russert and Russert

cityfile · 06/16/08 09:29AM

When will the Russert tearfest end? We can forgive MSNBC for the wall-to-wall coverage over the weekend (although we imagine fans of gruesome prison documentaries were dismayed to see so many episodes of "Lockdown" bumped). But now politicians are getting into the act, vowing to rename public roads in his honor. Could we possibly wait until he's buried first before the posturing begins? [WNBC]

Malcolm Gladwell Buys West Village Walkup

cityfile · 06/16/08 07:23AM

Wild-haired journo-celeb Malcolm Gladwell has gone into contract on a 900-square-foot, two-bedroom, walk-up in the Village. The 23 Bank Street co-op, which had an asking price of $1.4 million, is located inside an 1850s townhouse and features a skylight, two decorative marble fireplaces, and a renovated kitchen. But he appears to be downsizing a bit. In 2005, he sold his Tribeca apartment for $1.9 million and decamped to a rental in the Village. So is he now hunkering down given the turbulence in the real estate market or suggesting the downturn has reached its tipping point. Let us know, MG. In the meantime, photos of Gladwell's new pad follow after the jump.

Keith Olbermann: Antsy and Angry

cityfile · 06/16/08 07:00AM

The New Yorker profiles Keith Olbermann this week, MSNBC's fast talkin' resident Bill O'Reilly basher and the third-place cable network's brightest star. Among the juicier revelations: Olbermann suffers from Wittmaak-Ekbom syndrome or restless leg syndrome, which makes him "jumpy"; when he was younger he "bumped his head while leaping into a subway car," an accident that "permanently upset his equilibrium" and has made it difficult to drive or fly; and most of the people who have worked with him despise him, including a former ESPN colleague who says his antics made her run to the bathroom and cry. As for Keith's own boss, Phil Griffin? Even he can't resist describing the blowhard commentator as a "jerk" and "difficult and brutal." If this piece were about anyone else, we're pretty sure it'd serve as the basis for one of Olbermann's "Worst Person in the World" segments.

Trouble for Trouble

cityfile · 06/16/08 06:39AM

Remember Trouble, Leona Helmsley's ill-tempered Maltese who collected a $12 million inheritance when the Queen of Mean passed away in 2007? Poor Trouble is $10 million poorer today: A judge reduced the canine's trust fund to $2 million and ruled the remainder go to charity. [NYP]

Wintour Gets an OBE, Bee Gets a Sykes

cityfile · 06/16/08 05:26AM

Sorry, Glenda Bailey, you're no longer the only New York EIC with an OBE: Anna Wintour was similarly honored by the Queen, for "services to British journalism and British fashion in the US." Like Glenda, the Vogue editor can't assume the title "Dame," although really, how much more bowing and scraping does one person need? Meanwhile, her daughter Bee Shaffer, a Columbia student currently doing a semester at University College London, is reportedly dating Fred Sykes (third item), the younger brother of Anna's former protégée Plum Sykes. Social climbing is evidently in the Sykes' DNA: Plum and her twin sister Lucy both made sure to marry up.

David Paterson v. Michael Bloomberg

cityfile · 06/16/08 05:00AM

David Paterson absolutely despises Michael Bloomberg. Or at least that's the takeaway from Fred Dicker's front page "exclusive" in the Post today, which is full of vicious soundbites supposedly uttered by New York's governor, according to Dicker's unnamed sources. Paterson's tirade comes on the heels of a showdown over the fate of the city's OTB parlors. (Bloomberg wanted to shutter the chain of seedy betting dens; Paterson went around Mike to put together a last-minute reprieve.) And it certainly can't help that there's been talk that Bloomberg might make a run for Albany and challenge Paterson to the seat that landed in his lap three months ago. So is the mild-mannered governor really this furious at the mayor? Who knows, but it makes for a fantastic read:

Street Talk

cityfile · 06/16/08 04:00AM
  • Embattled Lehman Bros. posts a $2.8 billion loss for the quarter [WSJ]

Revolt at Central Park Boathouse, Matsugen Bows!

cityfile · 06/13/08 02:42PM
  • High drama at Central Park Boathouse yesterday: two employees were abruptly canned and 14 others briefly stormed out in protest before management caved. And yet by day's end it was the most boring restaurant in the city again. [NY Post]

Shock Jocks to the Rescue?

cityfile · 06/13/08 02:03PM

When you're seconds away from offing yourself, you probably wouldn't think of calling in to the "Opie and Anthony Show" as your last earthly act. Maybe you should? Yesterday the show's beyond boorish hosts, Anthony Cumia and Gregg Hughes, took a timeout from cracking fart jokes to dissuade a distraught caller from shooting himself. A man identifying himself as Tom, who'd previously called in to say that he planned to kill himself because of his debilitating lung condition—which everyone took as a joke at the time—called back to say he was ready to go through with it. On air. Now. "Had a great run, my time is now, have fun," he said, reading aloud from his suicide note. And you thought it was radio that was dying.

Minnie Mortimer Goes Retail

cityfile · 06/13/08 12:01PM

It's a big day for bi-coastal socialite Minnie Mortimer—sister of Topper, sister-in-law of Tinsley, and wife of Oscar-winning filmmaker Stephen Gaghan. She's joining the ranks of fellow socialigners Tory Burch and Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss and launching her very own eponymous clothing line. Unlike Tory and Shoshanna, though, Minnie's line isn't available in any stores yet. For the moment, her collection can only be found on her own website, where Minnie saved on production costs by modeling her wares personally. (Well, except for the $30 boxer shorts.) Just how Minnie found the time to handle the responsibilty of coming up with a six-piece collection remains a mystery. She says much of her precious time is devoted to her two dogs, Fuzzy Duck and Charlie Bear, and the "search for the perfect surf break." You can do it, Minnie! With that sort of work ethic, you could very well become the most famous Mortimer in no time.

And You Thought Chuck Listened to the Oldies

cityfile · 06/13/08 11:45AM

We'd sure like to take a peek at Chuck Schumer's iPod. Speaking to reporters this week, the nebbishy senator took to quoting Amy Winehouse while describing the Senate standoff between Democrats and Republicans: "It's sort of like that song. Democrats say, 'Let's legislate,' and [Republicans] just say, 'No, no no.' They need rehab, I guess." Guess Amy knows who she can call the next time she has visa trouble. [Politico]

Rachel Sontag: James Frey With Boobs?

cityfile · 06/13/08 11:34AM

So there's a memoir out about some chick's horrible childhood, so it goes without saying why it's in the news: Yes, she's being accused of lies and fraud. New School MFA Rachel Sontag's House Rules describes the emotional abuse she suffered at the hands of her father, who has amped up the PR she's already received (from people like Rosie O'Donnell) by posting a lengthy, aggressive screed on Amazon, in which he denounces his daughter as a disturbed individual guilty of deceit, duplicity and fabrication. What a heartwarming story just in time for Father's Day. Sontag's editors at HarperCollins must be relieved that their author, whose memoir was published a couple of months ago, is finally getting publicly trashed—otherwise the poor thing might have sunk without a trace, cleavageriffic author shot or not!

Buscemi Brother's Identity Hacked

cityfile · 06/13/08 09:36AM

Steve Buscemi has played his fair share of victims and petty criminals. This time, though, it's his (real) brother who got caught up in a caper. Breathe easy—it's nothing on the scale of murder-by-woodchipper. Seems someone stole Michael Buscemi's identity and opened up bank accounts in the actor/writer's name and ran up $3,822.21 worth of charges. According to his Facebook profile, Michael, who lives in Park Slope, is going by "David Bushemi" until Monday, presumably until things gets cleared up. It already has to be challenging enough to one's sense of identity to live in the shadow of a famous sibling (and to work in the same profession as him, no less.) But to then have your overshadowed identity stolen? Sounds like the sorry fate that would befall, well, a Steve Buscemi character.

Who Says Romance Is Dead?

cityfile · 06/13/08 08:33AM

Brazilian bombshell Adriana Lima, who once claimed that she was saving herself for marriage, will soon pop her cherry. Last night, during her 27th birthday dinner, she got engaged to 29-year-old Serbian basketball player Marko Jaric—who, naturally, immediately called up his publicist so an exclusive statement could be issued to People magazine. Mazel tov, Adriana, you've bagged yourself a classy guy. [People]

Happy Birthday!

cityfile · 06/13/08 08:27AM

Everyone's favorite set of child-star-turned-media-tycoon twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, turn 22 today. Congrats, girls. We expect there'll be lots of shots involved in your celebration tonight, although we're guessing you decided to forgo the birthday cake. Also celebrating around town today: U.N. head honcho Ban Ki-Moon turns 64. Portly congressman Jerry Nadler is 61. Celebrating tomorrow: Donald Trump will turn 63, although with that rug on his head, he doesn't look a day over 62. CNN's Campbell Brown turns the big 4-0. Book editor Alice Mayhew will be 72. Hedge fund tycoon Stanley Druckenmiller will be 56. Restauranteur Phil Suarez turns 68. And veteran sportscaster Len Berman will be 62.