Millionaires: Poorer Than Ever | A new report released today says millionaires in the U.S. have seen their assets shrink by 30 percent during the economic crisis and 55 percent of the people surveyed said they are now concerned they won't have enough money left to maintain their lifestyle. One solution: Put your money in the porn business, which seems to be faring well despite the downturn. [Reuters]
• If you were thinking you were the only person fed up with Agyness Deyn, you'll undoubtedly be happy to hear that BBC viewers have named her the "Most Annoying Person of 2008." [NYM]
• Marc Jacobs is planning to open yet another store in the West Village, believe it or not. [WWD]
• Because the '70s never go out of style, the Paco Rabanne brand may stage a comeback. [Vogue UK]
• Two more designers have bowed out of Fashion Week in February. [WSJ]
• Oscar de la Renta, meanwhile, has added a second show to the lineup. [FWD]
• Anne Hathaway has new extensions to go with her oversized smile. [Style]
• Former Vogue cover girl Liskula Cohen is most unhappy that some people have been calling her a "skank" and ''ho" on the Web. [NYP]
• Urban Outfitters is planning a giant store for the UWS. [NYP, NYT]
You certainly have to take advantage of the city's free Christmas tree recycling program if you don't feel like it, but would it be too much to ask to avoid tossing your tree into oncoming traffic? [Bowery Boogie]
• Those "anniversary specials" at the Four Seasons and Daniel? They may actually just be recession discounts in disguise. [W&D via GS]
• The latest contender to take over Wakiya is Danny Meyer. [Eater]
• Patois, one of the first upscale spots to open on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens, will serve its final meal on Sunday. [NYT]
• Momofuko Ko is offering a $225 Super Bowl take-out special. [Eater]
• The UWS's Emerald Inn won't be shutting down after all. [NYT]
• A Q&A with food critic (and former New York employee) Gael Greene. [RG]
Graydon Will Judge You Now | If your child is in eighth grade, you have lots of money, and you've been having trouble snagging a reservation at the Waverly Inn, you now have another potential path to those $55 bowls of truffled macaroni and cheese. Greenwich Village High School—the private school backed by Vanity Fair editor (and Waverly co-owner) Graydon Carter, actor John Leguizamo, and New School president Bob Kerrey, among others—is taking applications for its first freshman class through January 15. [NYO]
It's been nearly two months since the town of East Hampton first began its crusade against Ron Baron, the investor accused of razing the 3,000-year-old dunes on his 40-acre beachfront property without obtaining the proper permits in advance. At the time, East Hampton threatened Baron with a $500-a-day fine until the problem was resolved and the "habitat was restored." Unfortunately, it turns out that $500 a day doesn't go very far when you're trying to scare a billionaire into submission.More
Paging Dr. Gupta | Barack Obama has offered the job of Surgeon General to CNN's Sanjay Gupta, and he may accept the position in the next few days, "according to people familiar with the situation at the television network and in the Obama transition." As far as we know, Dr. Drew Pinsky has not yet been tapped to serve as drug czar, but the position is still open, so here's hoping! [NYT]
Bernie Madoff might not be able to leave his apartment, but now you can take him with you wherever you go! We're very happy to present you with the very first Bernie Madoff ringtone, which in a violation of everything Bernie holds dear, we're giving away for free. The ringtone features a few phrases from a talk Madoff gave in 2007, set, appropriately enough, to the theme music from the horror movie Halloween. As for how to actually turn this MP3 into your ringtone if you don't know how to do it, you should probably consult your cell phone manual or something. We have it working on a couple of Blackberrys—navigate your browser to this address, open the file, and save it your Blackberry and you'll see it appear in the directory of ringtones. It's a bit more complicated with iPhones, but here are instructions if you feel like giving it a shot. Oh, and we'll be giving away a few more ringtones in the next few days, so if you have suggestions, now would be a good time to let us know. [Bernie Madoff Ringtone - Download]
Tough Times Get Tougher | How bad is the unemployment situation in New York? Here's a clue: Both the New York State Department of Labor's toll-free hotline and the online filing system crashed today because "as many as 10,000 people per hour were trying to log into the system." [AP]
• Laura Bush either received $1.5 million for her memoir or $3.5-5 million, depending on who you believe. Either way, it's a lot less than Hillary Clinton's $8 million advance for Living History. [NYP, WSJ]
• Chris Matthews is not running for Senate, according to his brother. [P'ticker]
• A new buyer has emerged for TV Guide. The movie studio Lionsgate is picking up the cable network and website for $255 million. [AP]
• Senior Village Voice staffers are taking 10-15 percent pay cuts. [DW]
• Another reason kids can't find Iraq on a map: Foreign-related news coverage by the three major networks fell to a record low during 2008. [IPS]
• Those ads on the front-page of the Times run $75K on weekdays. [NYP]
• Ogilvy & Mather is cutting 10 percent of its staff today. [AdAge]
• CBS's Lara Logan gave birth to a son. [FBDC]
Roberto Cavalli's Snakeskin Credit Card | If you happen to spot designer Roberto Cavalli, could you kindly take him aside and explain to him that now is really not the time to introduce useless things like credit cards made out of snakeskin? Putting aside the fact the card comes with useless "perks" like seats at Cavalli's fashion shows and access to "special" sales, we're pretty sure the only people who'd be caught dead with these things are Russians and they don't have any money any more, so why bother? [Luxist]
Spotted | Ivanka Trump (left) shopping on Madison Avenue with a friend ... Chloe Sevigny walking around in a red hat and red boots ... Kate Hudson leaving her West Village apartment with two friends ... Hugh Jackman hanging out with his kids in the Village ... Maggie Gyllenhaal crossing the street ... Heather Mills heading into the Avalon Day Spa on Christopher Street ... Kate Winslet on a stroll ... Julianna Margulies and husband Keith Lieberthal showing up at Nobu for dinner ... and Jon Stewart watching a Knicks game at Madison Square Garden with his son.
NYC Feels the Pain | A bit of bad news for anyone hoping to sell their apartment in the near future. A new report released yesterday confirms NYC is experiencing the same pain as other parts of the country: During the fourth quarter, the number of Manhattan co-op sales fell 23.4 percent, the number of listings were up 52.2 percent, and the median resale price dropped 3.6 percent. [NYP]
Like something dreamt up in a joyful vision of the future along with safe tanning, hair that grows blonde out of your head, and Sara Lee chocolate layer cake with negative calories, the Ultrashape machine apparently shrinks the flab on your body without any cutting, pain, or downtime. "It actually breaks down the fat cell and gets rid of the unwanted fat much like liposuction does," says Canadian plastic surgeon Ari Benchetrit. The bad news is it's still in clinical trials in the U.S., so even if you've never felt strongly enough about an issue to call your senator before, now might be the time. If the FDA hurries up and gives it its seal of approval, it might be just the kind of morale boost our country needs right now.
It's just as you've always suspected: Acting like a jerk is actually good for your career. According to a new study, "agreeable" people earn less. And as for all those claims that women are condemned for bitchy behavior in the office whereas men get away with it: It's all true! Neuroticism, defined as being "tense, anxious or moody," has a negative influence on women's earnings, but has no such effect on men's. So go ahead and start off the year the right way: Avoid being pleasant to anyone, and if you're male, take inspiration from some of the masters and give free reign to your most temperamental inpulses.
