cityfile

Nemazee's Scheme Now in the Nine Figures

cityfile · 09/21/09 02:40PM

Hassan Nemazee, the banker and Democratic mega-fundraiser who was indicted last month for allegedly using forged documents to obtain a $74 million loan from Citibank—and who is currently under house arrest at his Park Avenue apartment—is facing new charges. He's been indicted for bank fraud and "aggravated identity theft" as part of what prosecutors describe as a $292 million Ponzi scheme that involves Bank of America and HSBC, too. Also, in case you've been mispronouncing his name all this time, the AP points out it's hah-SAHN' nah-MAH'-zee. Please make a note of it. [AP, Reuters]

Emmy Ratings, Bloomberg's Bid & The Post Parody

cityfile · 09/21/09 02:04PM

• Despite all the talk of the impending demise of the TV industry, ratings for last night's Emmy Awards weren't too shabby. The three-hour show was seen by 13.3 million people, which is up 8 percent from last year. [THR]
• Bloomberg LP has officially submitted its bid to buy BusinessWeek. [BW]
Michael Musto of the Village Voice is hearing rumors that Conde Nast is planning to shutter five of its titles as it looks to slash costs. [VV]
• A group of activists affiliated with The Yes Men handed out copies of a New York Post parody this morning as part of an effort to draw attention to climate change; a number of them were later detained by the NYPD. [DF]
• Despite low ratings and lousy reviews early on, Katie Couric is expected to anchor the CBS Evening News until her contract expires in 2011. [NYT]
• Barack Obama made appearances on just about every Sunday morning talk show yesterday. With the exception of those on Fox News, that is. [LAT, [HP]
• Obama's media tour will continue tonight when he sits down alongside David Letterman on his late-night show, a first for a sitting U.S. president. [NYT]

Smelly Stores Cause a Stink

cityfile · 09/21/09 01:35PM

The new Hollister store on Houston and Broadway seems to be pumping its fragrance outside its doors, and neighbors are pissed that it's stinking up the 'hood, the Post reports today. (One dissenter even allegedly set off a stink bomb outside the So-Cal wannabe-surfer palace in protest.) It's only fitting that Hollister has caused such a ruckus; it's part of the Abercrombie & Fitch franchise, whose stores are notorious for overpowering the olfactory nerves of anyone who walks within 200 yards of their front door. But this isn't the first time an NYC retailer has stunk up a street. In July, Diane von Furstenberg's store on West 14th Street reportedly offended passersby because its D Eau de Parfum scent wafted well beyond its doors.

Not All of Donald Trump's Dreams Come True

cityfile · 09/21/09 12:50PM

No one has been more shameless about self-branding and self-marketing than Donald Trump. Over the past few years, he's stamped his name on everything from a line of steaks and bottled water to a collection of golf wear, accessories and watches. But not every Trump-related project gets off the ground, as was the case with "Trump Power," an energy drink he first contemplated launching in 2004 but gave up on in 2006. Or "Trump Verdict," a courtroom-style TV show he once thought about hosting. Or the line of kiddie clothing called "T Baby" that his daughter-in-law, Vanessa Trump, was thinking about starting until the "T Baby" trademark was abandoned last year. Below: A handful of other misguided Trump "concepts" that—thankfully—you've probably never heard about until now.

The Paparazzi Wars Go Hi-Tech

cityfile · 09/21/09 11:43AM

Hunting down celebrities and taking their pictures—work carried out by thousands of paparazzi photographers every day—hasn't changed much over the past few years. The cameras are better and the lenses are longer. But the job still necessitates someone patiently waiting for hours outside the Bowery Hotel so that when Lindsay Lohan finally emerges, a thousand photos can be snapped of her in the six seconds it takes the actress to get from the door of the hotel to her waiting car. But technology could change the celebrity-industrial complex forever if Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has anything to do with it:

The Perks Return to JPMorgan

cityfile · 09/21/09 10:35AM

Further evidence that the fear that crippled Wall Street a year ago has almost entirely lifted: JPMorgan, which cut the dinner allowance for bankers who stay late in the office from $20 to $25 last spring, just bumped it back up to $25. [Dealbreaker]

Khadafy's Welcome Mat Gets Wet

cityfile · 09/21/09 10:03AM

Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy won't be staying at the Pierre Hotel when he descends on NYC this week to attend the opening session of the U.N. General Assembly. Hotel guests outraged by the plan seem to have forced Libya to change its plans and he'll now be staying at the Libyan Mission to the U.N. instead. Not that staying at a building owned by his own government isn't still creating drama. It seems a dog peed on the red carpet that had been rolled out to welcome Khadafy, and "aggravated Libyan officials were forced to cut away a section of the carpet that stretched across the E. 48th St. sidewalk from the curbs to the steps." [NYDN, previously]

Spotted

cityfile · 09/21/09 08:59AM

A pregnant Karolina Kurkova walking in Tribeca with fiancé Archie Drury ... Catherine Zeta-Jones taking her kids Dylan and Carys to Pier 59 where she was celebrating her birthday ... Jared Leto riding a bike in SoHo ... Kirsten Dunst walking downtown ... Jennifer Hudson leaving her hotel with husband David Otunga ... Sienna Miller signing autographs outside her new Broadway play, After Miss Julie ... Cynthia Nixon walking in SoHo ... Oprah sitting in the back of an SUV ... Whitney Port filming scenes for The City on Friday afternoon ... Matthew Broderick riding bikes with son James in the Village ... Jonah Hill hanging out with a friend downtown ... and Rihanna leaving dinner at the Spotted Pig, and then going to the 40/40 club.

An Awkward Encounter in Albany

cityfile · 09/21/09 08:32AM

News emerged over the weekend that President Obama has been urging Gov. David Paterson to seriously consider bowing out of the race for governor, since the president and his advisers don't think he has a chance of winning next fall, especially if he goes up against Rudy Giuliani. Paterson rejected the suggestion yesterday, and indicated he plans to move ahead with his campaign. This morning the two men came face to face when the president touched down in Albany to deliver an economic address at a nearby college. So how did that go? It was a little bit awkward, not surprisingly:

Charles Schwab Lists at 834 Fifth

cityfile · 09/21/09 07:30AM

• It seems another apartment at posh 834 Fifth Avenue is coming on the market. In addition to Broadway producer Hal Prince who listed his duplex last week, billionaire Charles Schwab is reportedly putting his 15th-floor apartment in the building up for sale. The "small" penthouse will be listed with Sotheby's Roger Erickson for $14 million. [NYO]
• Seymour Zises, founder of the investment advisory firm Family Management, and his wife Cathy, have closed on the sale of their five-bedroom apartment at 1016 Fifth Avenue. The second-floor spread, which was listed for $10.95 million when it went into contract back in May, was sold to investor Paul Orlin for $8.9 million. [Cityfile]
• Gail Elliott, the former British model and fashion designer, and her husband, Joe Coffey, have sold their condo at 40 Mercer. The buyers, club owner Bryant Yunker and his wife, paid $3.812 million for the fourth-floor pad. [Cityfile]

Happy Birthday

cityfile · 09/21/09 06:29AM

Bill Murray turns 59 today. Director Ethan Coen is turning 52. Stephen King is 62. Luke Wilson is turning 38. Jane Rosenthal, the film producer and co-creator of the Tribeca Film Festival, turns 53. Movie producer Jerry Bruckheimer is 64. Nicole Richie is turning 28. Natural History Museum president Ellen Futter turns 60. Book publisher Geoff Kloske is 40. J. Darius Bikoff, the man who introduced the world to VitaminWater, is turning 48. Cheryl Hines is 44. Country star Faith Hill is turning 42. Ricki Lake is 41. Actress Maggie Grace is turning 26. Actor Rob Morrow turns 47. And Dave Coulier, the comedian best known for playing Joey on Full House, is 50 today.

Actors Clean Up at Emmys; Mischa Gets Even Messier

cityfile · 09/21/09 06:03AM

30 Rock and Mad Men took home Emmys last night for outstanding comedy series and outstanding drama series, respectively. (Surprise, surprise.) Alec Baldwin won for outstanding actor in a comedy series; Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston won for outstanding actor in a drama series; Glenn Close won for best actress in a drama series for Damages; and The United States of Tara's Toni Collette took home the award for best actress in a comedy series. Other winners included Lost's Michael Emerson, 24's Cherry Jones, Grey Gardens' Jessica Lange, Pushing Daisies' Kristin Chenoweth, and Two and a Half Men's Jon Cryer. The catchphrase of the night was "pulling a Kanye," naturally. [People, Us]
• Mischa Barton just isn't a morning person... or perhaps she's having dental issues again. A source from her CW show, The Beautiful Life, says she's often so out of it in the mornings that she holds up filming, and she'll stare into her coffee for minutes on end, mumbling, "Who will fix my coffee? I need someone to fix my coffee." [P6]
• Courtney Love lost it when a bathroom intruder caught her with her pants down at the T magazine party at the Standard the other night. Love supposedly screamed that the man had attacked her and tried to have him ejected. "I never wanted to see Courtney Love on the toilet," says the unlucky guy. "It wasn't a pretty sight. I just wanted to get out of there." [P6]

Reach Out

cityfile · 09/18/09 02:59PM

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Eating & Drinking: Friday Edition

cityfile · 09/18/09 02:45PM

• Payard Patisserie & Bistro was forced to close its doors back in July. Now François Payard has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection. [Crain's]
• SushiSamba won't be taking over the old Mercato 55 space in the meatpacking district. Rumor has it the owners of Bagatelle will. [GS]
• A Q&A with Eugene Remm and Mark Birnbaum, the duo who just opened Abe & Arthur's and Simyone Lounge for private parties in what was once Lotus. [W]
• Eater's list of the top 10 most wanted reservations in the city. [Eater]
• A report from the opening of Ed's Chowder House last night. [TFB]
• A few food-related events around town this weekend. [Zagat]

Another Not-So-Traditional Club Opens in NYC

cityfile · 09/18/09 02:22PM

What do you get when you combine Susan Sarandon, Alan Cumming, Judah Friedlander from 30 Rock, and a scantily-clad female Asian table tennis player? An opening party for one of New York's newest private clubs, obviously. This awesomely random grouping turned out last night for the opening of SPiN New York, a new Ping-Pong social club on 23rd Street and Park Avenue, and in which Sarandon is an investor. The space holds 17 Ping-Pong tables (two are in a private room) and has Olympic-quality cushioned flooring, special "player-friendly" lighting, and of course, a full bar. Does it get any better?

Condé Cuts, Oprah's Big Pick & The Emmys

cityfile · 09/18/09 01:50PM

• Rumor has it Condé Nast isn't going to shutter several of its money-losing magazines like Details and Teen Vogue, after all. But the budget review that's taken place in recent weeks seems to have "scared fiscal responsibility into some of the highest-rolling titles at the glitzy empire." This means Graydon Carter won't be making it to London or Milan Fashion Week, sadly. [NYP]
• Irving Kristol, the godfather of neo-conservatism, is dead at 89. [AP]
• Oprah has picked the next big best-seller. The latest pick for her book club is a set of short stories by Uwem Akpa called Say You're One of Them. [NYDN]
• After a 72-year run, Guiding Light's final episode aired today. [Reuters]
• CNBC has canceled Dennis Kneale's 8pm show on the network. [NYO]
• The Emmy Awards take place this Sunday. Who's going to win? If you watched last year's telecast, you may already have the answers. [WP]

Ernie Anastos Will Live On Forever

cityfile · 09/18/09 01:02PM

It's only been a couple of days since he uttered the now-famous expression, but Ernie Anastos' screw-up on TV the other night already stands as his greatest legacy. The numerous clips of the moment have collectively racked up close to a million views on YouTube thus far (and that doesn't include all the parodies and remixes); Jon Stewart suggested last night that he might adopt it as his sign-off; and, in typical fashion, you can now find it stamped on t-shirts and mousepads. Is the G-rated version—"keep plucking that chicken"—destined to become a quintessential New York catchphrase? (Or a really annoying thing that you're going to hear endlessly repeated for the next few months?) The Times dialed up former mayor Ed Koch, since he was responsible for coining the expression "How'm I doin'?" in 1969. "It has a nice sound to it," he said. "It could become a phrase that people could use." [NYT]

To Be Rich Is To Be Cruel, Apparently

cityfile · 09/18/09 12:23PM

Why do some extremely wealthy people often come off as so heartless? They're conditioned that way. And now there's science to prove it:

New York's Most Bizarre Beauty Rituals

cityfile · 09/18/09 11:27AM

You've heard of a spermine facial, haven't you? (If you haven't, it's exactly what you probably think it is.) How about a bird poop facial, which has gotten lots of media attention recently? Maybe you'd be interested in "extreme cryotherapy," which involves stepping into a chamber that's been cooled to 216 degrees below freezing and which may tighten your skin, assuming you survive? (You can actually scratch that last one off your list; it isn't available in New York just yet.) If you're feeling adventurous as we head into fall—and you've got some cash to burn—there are all sorts of dubious procedures you can subject yourself to, provided, that is, you can get beyond their horrifying descriptions. A collection of some of the zaniest ones—and where you can find them in NYC—is below.

Happy Park(ing) Day!

cityfile · 09/18/09 10:06AM

If you see a group of people sitting on a patch of artificial turf in the street and you're not sure why they're there or what they're doing, you're probably unaware that today is Park(ing) Day NYC, "an international event that reclaims parking spots and transforms them into engaging, people-friendly public spaces for one day a year." Event organizers are expecting a big turnout as they convert the parking spots into miniature parks once again this year. And there you were thinking there wasn't any upside to the news NYC's unemployment rate now stands at a 14-year high. [Gothamist]