Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

♦  The Ashley Dupre press bonanza begins: In her first print interview with People, which hits newsstands on Friday (the same day she'll appear on 20/20), Dupre says she's just a "normal girl" who has "a lot of depth," and that she feels sorry for Silda Spitzer, but doesn't blame herself for Eliot's downfall. [People, NYP]
♦  Are Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin splitting up? The two have spent very little time together since this summer, and now she's become "very good friends" with Fontainebleau hotel owner Jeff Soffer. Gwynnie reportedly spent time with Soffer (and his Bentley and yacht) this past weekend in Miami. [P6]
♦  Britney Spears is supposedly dating a 27-year-old model named Marco D'Angelo who she met through friends in Las Vegas. [Star]
♦  It looks like Anne Hathaway is attracted to lovable losers, since people who know her new boyfriend, actor Adam Shulman, say he's an "opportunist" who "went after all the heiresses" when he was a student at Brown. [P6]More

♦  Although her life looks like it's finally back on track, a new documentary suggests Britney Spears thinks her new life is like prison and lacks "excitement" or "passion." Hopefully she'll be in a better mood in two weeks when she makes an appearance at the Rockefeller Center tree lighting ceremony. [The Sun, OK!]
♦  Could Anna Wintour be planning to retire? Page Six says the Vogue editor is thinking about leaving the mag once her contract is up, and she's even been recommending possible replacements to Si Newhouse. [P6]
♦  Kiefer Sutherland may be planning to move to NYC so he can be closer to his girlfriend, Allure style director Siobhan Bonnouvrier. [Daily Star]
♦  Madonna is reportedly making $10 million to appear in her new Louis Vuitton ad campaign. [P6]More

♦  Is Kate Hudson trying to steal Alex Rodriguez away from Madonna? She was spotted with her "arms completely wrapped around" him at a party in Miami this weekend. But she might just be trying to steal Jason Statham away from his girlfriend, since the two were seen downing dirty martinis together. [NYDN, P6]
♦  A PETA activist pelted Lindsay Lohan with a bag of flour at an event in Paris on Saturday. Sam Ronson responded by dissing the activist on MySpace: "My dog is far more civilized than that person." [People]
♦  Kanye West was arrested in London on Friday after an altercation with a photographer. Now he's suggesting the entire episode was "bogus," and has upset some Brits by comparing himself to Princess Di. [People, The Sun]
♦  Sarah Palin may collect a $7 million advance if she writes a book. [MSNBC]
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Gawker reports—and the Daily News confirms—that Ashley Dupre has taped her first TV interview since she got mixed up in a very minor scandal involving a politician that you may or may not have heard about back in March. Diane Sawyer sat down with the $5,000-an-hour woman yesterday for ABC News; the interview is expected to air next Friday as part of a two-part 20/20 special. It's quite likely Dupre collected substantially more than her standard rate for the Sawyer sit-down. Although ABC News cannot officially pay her for an interview per network policy, rumor has it she was compensated with a "consulting fee" and for "archival footage," which should keep her attired in $632 Fendi belts for many months to come.

♦  Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker are apparently incapable of getting along: A day after Kim confirmed that there will be Sex and the City sequel, Parker told fans "not to get their hopes up" and that "Kim is excited, but all the deals are not yet done." [Daily Star, People]
♦  It looks like spending time in court, soup kitchens, and sanitation departments hasn't helped Naomi Campbell much. She infuriated passengers on her flight back from London on Tuesday by cutting in line while going through customs at JFK. She swears it wasn't her fault because it was the airline that offered her an escort. [R&M]
♦  Ian Schrager is getting married next Saturday. The bride-to-be is a ballerina named Tania Wahlstedt. [P6]More

Spitzer Cuts a Break | Good news for Eliot Spitzer! The U.S. Attorney's office announced this afternoon that the former governor will not face charges in connection with that little scandal that ended his political career back in March: "We have concluded that the public interest would not be further advanced by filing charges in this matter." [NYDN]

Interested in Attending the Inauguration? | The Mayflower in Washington has quite the offer for anyone interested in going to D.C. for Barack Obama's inauguration. The "Ultimate Presidential" package includes a three-night stay, limo service, "his and hers inaugural jewelry," Dom Perignon champagne, in-room massages for two, 24-hour butler service, and his and hers "inaugural garb" from Burberry ("to keep special guests warm during the inaugural ceremony"). And it's only $51,000. What a steal! As for whether you'll be staying in the same room where Eliot Spitzer shared some special time with Ashley Dupre, you'll have to call and ask. [HotelChatter]

There have been reports of very long lines at the polls this morning. More than 400 people were already assembled outside P.S. 9 in Prospect Heights when the polls opened at 6 a.m. Confusion reigned outside the Hell's Kitchen polling station at 520 West 45th Street, where lines reportedly snaked around the block. Elected officials have had to patiently wait their turns. Chuck Schumer passed the time on a Brooklyn sidewalk chatting on his cell phone. Michael Bloomberg was No. 270 in line when he turned up on the Upper East Side this morning and he spent 45 minutes chatting with reporters and aides before getting a chance to make his pick. One person ahead of him? Eliot Spitzer. [NYT, WNBC, NYP, NYO]

Eliot Spitzer's Hairstylist Speaks | Alberto Rottura is the man who cuts Michael Bloomberg's hair. (His cuts cost $35.) He's also the man who tends to the locks of Betsy Gotbaum and Tom Wolfe. One person who used to be a client but no longer shows his face around Rottura's salon any longer? Eliot Spitzer. "Then he got entangled in an escort scandal, resigned and never came back, Mr. Rottura said." [NYT]

Eliot and Silda Celebrate in Style | Did you know that last Friday marked Eliot and Silda Spitzer's 21st wedding anniversary? Neither did we! Fortunately, the Daily News was thoughtful enough to send a reporter to cover the momentous occasion, who found the couple celebrating over breakfast at E.A.T on the Upper East Side: "She had toast. He had oatmeal. They shared laughs." Don't forget: breakfast is the most important meal of the day! [NYDN]

♦  Invoking emergency powers, the Fed will create a special fund to buy up commercial paper—short-term debt that companies typically use for such things as payroll—in an effort to ease up the credit markets. [Bloomberg]
♦  Wachovia and its sparring suitors, Citigroup and Wells Fargo, have agreed to a two-day truce as negotiators try to work out a resolution. [WSJ, DB]
♦  Did you miss Lehman CEO Dick Fuld's testimony before the House yesterday? A recap. [WSJ, FT, NYT]
♦  Bank of America reports that profits plunged 68% in the third quarter. [CNNMoney]More

Mr. Clean Is Dead | Mr. Clean has passed away. No, not that Mr. Clean. The other one! [NYP]

Spotted | Whitney Port of The Hills eating lunch with musician Jay Lyon at Extra Virgin on West 4th Street ... Gretchen Mol pushing a stroller ... Spike Lee signing books at the at Virgin Megastore in Union Square ... Paris Hilton posing outside the Letterman show ... Drew Barrymore walking into the Sheraton in Midtown to attend  the Clinton Global Initiative ... Eliot Spitzer standing by himself ... Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady leaving Kobe Club on 58th Street ... and Katie Holmes getting out of an SUV outside the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on West 45th Street.

Eliot Spitzer has been keeping pretty quiet recently, hasn't he? After months of radio silence, he emerged from hiding this week to answer a few questions for TONY as part of the mag's 40th anniversary celebration. (The London edition's 40th, that is.) The ex-governor provided responses to a handful of trite questions—his favorite place in New York is the Reservoir in Central Park, his favorite New Yorker in history is Teddy Roosevelt—although he took a pass when asked how he feels now that he's no longer running the state. And if he could have a drink with one other notable New Yorker, who would that person be? "These days I prefer hanging out with my kids—having dinner and encouraging them to do their homework and put aside Facebook for awhile." Yes, we imagine keeping the kids away from the Internet is a good idea.

• Jennifer Lopez competed in a triathalon in Malibu, then flew to New York to throw Marc Anthony a birthday party at the Bowery Hotel. It's unclear, though, if she ever had an injured foot, which was the reason she gave for pulling out of the Project Runway finale last week and now some are wondering if a fight with Harvey Weinstein over a movie role was the real reason she cancelled. [People, NYDN, MSNBC]
• As if life didn't suck enough for Jeffrey Epstein, the imprisoned money manager: now some of the girls he paid for sex are suing him. [P6]
• Lindsay Lohan isn't a fan of Sarah Palin. Via a post on her MySpace page, she told the VP contender that she could "suck it." [NYDN]
• In other Lindsay news, she punched a paparazzi outside the Bowery Hotel last night because she thought he tried to trip her. [TMZ]
  
• Eliot Spitzer was spotted in Cambridge dropping off daughter Elyssa at Harvard. [R&M]
• Mark Ronson and Daisy Lowe have split up. [Mirror]