If it feels like every week brings news of yet another cash-strapped American company raising money from Abu Dhabi or Dubai or selling itself entirely to one of these emirates, it isn't your imagination. From real estate (the GM building) to finance (Citigroup), cash has been pouring in from the Middle East as of late. But the expressway of money goes in both directions. Today the Times covered many of the banks setting up shop in Dubai. But loads of other prominent New Yorkers are heading East to take advantage of the petro-dollar gravy train. Here's a look at the growing list of prominent restaurateurs, fashion designers, architects, and real estate developers setting up shop in one of the world's fastest-growing—and richest—regions.
Congratulations, Donald! You finally closed on the sale of your Palm Beach manse! We hope you get a chance to have a glass of champagne with the man who will be its new occupant, Russian fertilizer kingpin Dmitry Rybolovlev. We don't know if Dmitry speaks any English, but you'll undoubtedly be capable of bonding over your shared love of all things gold and shiny. Oh, and nice work describing it as a $100 million sale even though you actually sold it for $95 million. You always remember to round up! Remember how you used to insist there were 68 floors in the Trump Tower, even though we all knew there were actually only 58 stories, and you'd simply skipped ten floors to make the building seem taller than it actually is? Yea, it was kind of like that. Good work.
Ever wonder why the CEO at your company has a $10,000 telescope parked in the corner of his office? It's not to admire the birds. Or even to peek at the woman in the neighboring office building who changes her blouse at precisely half past five. It's to look in the offices of other CEOs, obviously.
You know when you get really hungry and you're just dying for a delicious, rich, chocolatey piece of... Allen Grubman? Yes, indeed, you can pick up a slice of "Allen Grubman Double Chocolate Pudding Pie" at the tourist trap the Brooklyn Diner on West 57th Street. (It happens to be a block from Grubman's office.) Here are a few other dishes named after local boldface names.
There's one group of political donors that rarely receives any credit for their generosity. They don't get invited to any gala dinners or fancy cocktail parties, nor can they expect their checks to earn them any consideration when the next president is thinking about, say, who to appoint the Ambassador to Jamaica. They're the sons and daughters of the ridiculously wealthy, who kindly lend their names/identities to mom and dad so their hyper-political parents can direct even more cash to their favorite candidate. Of course, there's nothing illegal about any of this. Nor is it totally impossible that a 19-year-old college student would decide she'd rather give $4,700 to Hillary Clinton rather than, say, stock up on Juicy tracksuits. (Or Jared Kushner making his first big donation to the Democratic party when he was just 11.) Below, 2008 presidential donations by the children of some of New York's richest and powerful.
Donald Trump is a big, blustering, sexist dinosaur. The real estate tycoon and reality TV show host can "fire" us or call us a big fat dyke for saying so. Of all his delightful qualities, one of his most charming is his seemingly unlimited joy for belittling and needlessly berating women. His latest target is actress/princess of Genovia Anne Hathaway. The Donald recently lashed out at her, saying that she only broke up with be-scandaled Eyetalian Rafaello Follieri because his legal troubles caused the money to run out. "So when he had plenty of money, she liked him," he garbled to Access Hollywood. "But then after that, not as good, right?" No, actually, we suspect it's because he was arrested for stealing fucking millions of dollars that Hathaway ended the affair, not because the money trail went cold. She's been doing pretty well for herself in the films lately, so finances probably aren't a huge worry for her. But she's a woman!
So, the other day on Fox News, amidst a rant about Obama's support from the liberal Hollywood elite, the decidedly un-elite Stephen Baldwin told Laura Ingram that he'll leave the country if Barack gets elected. Obviously, the knee-jerk reaction here is to say, "Then we'd better do our best to make sure that happens." You can see it on Baldwin's face right after he makes his statement. He knows he's gonna get murdered in the blogsphere. But that's not happening here. Not today. I like Baldwin, and I'd be sad not to have him as a citizen of our country.
Donald Trump will do anything to generate a little press. That you know. This time, though, the attention addict and notorious cheapskate is scoring a little media time at the expense of former Tonight Show sidekick Ed McMahon: He released a public statement and made TV appearances this week to tell the world he's swooping in to rescue McMahon from foreclosure. Except poor Ed—who has enough drama in his life, thank you—hasn't heard a peep from The Donald or anyone else in Trump's camp. Did you lose Ed's contact info, Donald? We know how hard it must be to keep your affairs in order when you're juggling so many business ventures philanthropic endeavors. Just so you know, you can mail your check to Ed, c/o Howard Bragman, Fifteen Minutes PR, 8436 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90048. Thanks!
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.
Last night at Central Park's Wollman skating rink, fancy stars like That Lady from a Soap Opera, The Guy from SUV Who Always Gets Too Close to the Case, and the Countess de Lesseps from Real Housewives of New York City all came out for "Skating With the Stars - Under the Stars," an event that Donald Trump had something to do with. Tim Murphy was "on the scene" for New York magazine, deadpanning questions to skating celebrities Evan Lysacek, who knocks down the gay rumors by gabbing about his Heatherette costumery, and Johnny Weir, who once again ably acknowledges and dodges a gay baiting question. Murphy also talked to the Countess, who reminds us that she is, in fact, a Countess. And finally he nabbed the Donald, who mumbles something about having a lease on the rink then runs away. (Making it possible to call Donald Trump "a guy who rents a skating rink downtown.") Watch the funny video here, and if, you want more Johnny Weir (and who doesn't??), after the jump you'll find the most dramatically hilarious end to a skating routine ever.
We've quite enjoyed Macy's new marketing campaign in which they put together their design "stars" in fast-paced montages jam-packed with one-liners from the likes of The Donald, Martha Stewart and Jessica Simpson, who's fully come to terms with her dumb blonde schtick by agreeing to pretend she just can't figure out how to open the darn door to Macy's while schlepping boxes of her stripper shoes. But the latest spot has us confused. Featuring Mariah Carey (she has a fragrance, unlike any other celebrity we know!), Carlos Santana (highly respected shoe designer and sometimes musician!), Donald and Martha, the commercial's theme appears to be the way in which consumer goods can inspire...quasi-rhythmical snippets on Santana's legendary guitar?
Donald Trump is reportedly "appalled" that an uninvited promotional model crashed his Super Bowl party wearing nothing but his logo painted on her body. But we're confused; according to the event reps, they "hire[d] three promotional models, all over the age of 21 to be opaquely painted with logos for this event." So presumably, paint-adorned "waitresses" were par for the course at Trump's oh-so-classy liquor-sponsored party. So was it the fact that the crasher in question, one Chanell Elaine Hallett, was a youthful 17 years old, or is it her scandalous MySpace photo gallery that has Trump flustered? Photos from Miss Hallett's Ashley Alexandre Dupré-esque personal page follow after the jump.
Trump: Barron, say hello to the group.
Barron: Haawdow!
Trump: And Barron hopefully some day will be a great entrepreneur. Melania, what do you think?
Melania: [Unintelligible] Vot vant do ven you grau up?
Barron: Beeednees.
[Laughter]
Melania: Beeezneesman. Zats riiiight. Like you daddee?
Trump: That is pretty amazing actually.
Barron: Daddee!
Melania: Daddee's a beezneesman. And vot doz daddee beeldeeng?
Barron: House.
Melani: Chauuuus.
Trump: He's doing well. Just 18 months old...
Carol: Wow.
Trump: ...and he's doing really well.
