Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

Russell Simmons Gets A Glimpse [Celebuzz/Bauer-Griffin]

♦  Now that she doesn't have Guy Ritchie to boss around, Madonna is finding more time to control everyone else: She's supposedly been "begging" Gwyneth Paltrow to leave her London home so they can spend more time together in New York. She's also busy orchestrating a reunion between Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears: All three will be performing together at Madge's concert in LA tonight. [The Sun, E!]
♦  Padma Lakshmi is apparently on a "man-search" for a filthy rich boyfriend now that her flings with Ted Forstmann and Russell Simmons are over. [P6]
♦  Now that the election is over, Tina Fey says she will be officially retiring her Sarah Palin impression. [Extra]More

♦  A long list of celebs have been involved in a last-minute effort to get out the vote for Obama, including Oprah, Diddy, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Edie Falco, John McEnroe, Mary J. Blige, Russell Simmons, Beyonce, and Jay-Z. In the elderly celebrity writer department, Vanity Fair's Dominick Dunne says he postponed surgery so he could vote today. [R&M, Politico]
♦  Ivana Trump has been calling Marius Rusovici, the 23-year-old Belgian she's been hanging out with, "her boyfriend," although it may just be a plot to make Rossano Rubicondi jealous. Or stir up some press. Or both. [NYDN]
♦  David Duchovny and Tea Leoni were spotted holding hands while their kids went trick-or-treating on the Upper East Side last Friday, which may or may not mean they're getting back together. [P6]
♦  Sumner Redstone's ex-wife, Paula Fortunato, is still living in his Beverly Hills mansion. But he may have already reunited with his ex-girlfriend, Manuela Herzer. [P6] More

Russell Simmons Fends Off the Press with Cash | How do you get those obscenely annoying photographers from TMZ to stop hassling you? If you're a hip-hop mogul worth hundreds of millions, the solution is simple: You slip the offending photographer a twenty dollar bill. Video of Russell Simmons' handout after the jump.More

» The Liv Tyler-hosted party for Hearts on Fire diamonds at the Rose Bar was the hottest ticket in one of the busiest social weeks of the year: Leonardo DiCaprio, Alexandra & Theodora Richards (who DJed), Keith Richards, Elizabeth Banks, Catherine Keener, Mena Suvari, Dave Navarro, Ellen von Unwerth, Tara Subkoff, Alan Cumming, Tinsley Mortimer, Adrian Grenier, Sean Avery, Emma Roberts, Monet Mazur, Richie Rich, Ingrid Sischy, Jamie Burke, Russell Simmons, Lauren Santo Domingo, Diego Garcia, Andrew Saffir and Daniel Benedict all stopped by. [The Daily/Paper]

» Too many people wanted to squeeze onto the Mini Rooftop for the V magazine party on Wednesday night, leading to a scrum outside the velvet rope. Those who made it through and caught a performance by Swedish popstar Lykke Li: Agyness Deyn, Irina Lazareanu, Barbara Bush, Doutzen Kroes, Hilary Rhoda, Joy Bryant, Leigh Lezark, Fabiola Beracasa, Sean Avery, Rachel Zoe, Cecilia Dean, Anne Slowey, Natasha Poly, Raquel Zimmerman, Christopher Bollen, and Derek Blasberg. [The Daily, NYO, Style.com]  More

• It's no fun living near Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Neighbors in the West Village say the two are "spoiled brats" since they have bodyguards posted outside their apartment on West 13th Street who make neighbors get off the stoop whenever the twins are arriving home, and the twins keep SUVs idling in front of the building for hours at a time. [P6]
• Justin Timberlake has been hinting to friends that he and Jessica Biel may get married soon. [MSNBC]
• Ashley Dupre doesn't like it when randoms make fun of her on the street. [P6]
• Star Jones' new relationship with chef Herb Wilson? The two actually first dated 10 years ago back when she was fat. [NYDN]
• Jennifer Lopez is throwing Marc Anthony a birthday bash at the Bowery Hotel on Sunday. [In Touch]

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• George Clooney's ex-girlfriend Sarah Larson may have cheated on the actor when she had a "weekend fling" with a "media mogul," although it appears she's paying for her crime since her new boyfriend is a lowly nightlife promoter named Joey Vanas. [P6]
• Lindsay Lohan says her dad is an "embarrassment and a bully" who won't stop talking about her to the press because he's addicted to fame. Sounds about right. [The Sun]
• Naomi Campbell's Russian billionaire boyfriend Vladmir Doronin picked her up a $18.5 million penthouse apartment in Sao Paolo as a gift. [P6] 
• The next socialite guest star on Gossip Girl? That would be Cristina Greeven Cuomo. [P6]

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• The Obama campaign is marshalling the full power of the fashion industry to get ahead: A long list of designers—definitely including Derek Lam, Isaac Mizrahi, Tracy Reese, and Diane von Furstenberg and possibly including Beyoncé, Russell Simmons, and Vera Wang—will be creating official merchandise like totes and t-shirts. [WaPo]
• With T magazine's handy crib sheet, you need never again display ignorance of different countries' Vogue editors! [NYT]
• Converse for John Varvatos's fall campaign features Daisy Lowe shot by Ryan McGinley in now-closed Florent. [WWD]

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• Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi will be tying the knot in California tomorrow. Portia is expected to wear a Zac Posen gown in front of their 20 guests. [Us, P6]
• Donald Trump Jr. and wife Vanessa are expecting baby No. 2 in February. And Fabian Basabe and wife Martina Borgomanero are expecting a baby, too. [P6]
  
• Donald Trump Sr. has agreed to buy Ed McMahon's mansion in Beverly Hills for an undisclosed amount, and then lease it back to the TV icon. [LAT]
• Regis Philbin's daughter, Joanna, has landed a three-book deal. [P6]

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Was Leslie Kaufman hoping to land a standing reservation at the Waverly Inn by making today's Times assessment of Graydon Carter's West Village nightspot more glowing than anyone would have thought possible? Most impressive of all: how many friends of the Vanity Fair editor she manages to squeeze into the piece. Did you know that Ron Perelman owns the building it's in and that the quinoa risotto with green curry sauce was added at the request of vegan Russell Simmons? But in case you imagined that mere wealth provided an entrée to this dazzling scene of fabulous movers and shakers, think again.More

There's probably been a time or two when you've been tempted to check out a restaurant or bar simply because some celebrity supposedly "owns" it. Maybe I'll see Justin Timberlake devouring a plate of ribs at Southern Hospitality! Or I'll spot Robert De Niro slurping on some pasta at Ago! Restaurateurs know this, too, of course, which is why they're all so eager to attach a celebrity name—any one will do!—to their ill-conceived bistro, brasserie, speakeasy, lounge, or barbecue shack. We don't want to be the ones to crush your dreams and tell you that there's no chance you'll see these famous faces at these venues. Just in case you're the more optimistic type—or just curious who has a stake in what—we happily introduce the Cityfile celebrity-owned restaurant/bar map!

• Celebrity Restaurant/Bar Map

1) A screening of Bottle Shock, a dramedy about when California beat France in a wine taste test, was hosted by Michael Dunbar of Domaine Chandon and Newton Vineyard on Sunday night at the Southampton Cinema. The film's stars Alan Rickman, Eliza Dushku, and Bill Pullman, along with Bronson van Wyck, Andrew Fry, Devorah Rose, Elizabeth Lindemann, Jill, John, and Whitney Fairchild, Jeanne Greenberg and Nick Rohatyn, and Bettina Zilkha, watched the film followed by food and wine at Savanna's. [PMc]More

1) Lisa Salzer had a party last night for her jewelry line Lulu Frost, where hosts Alexis Bryan Morgan and Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann were joined by Erin Fetherston and Hedi Ferjani, Derek Blasberg, Luigi Tadini, Kathryn Neale Shaffer, Peter Davis, Kate Schelter, and Carole Radziwill, who were rewarded for walking up the five flights of stairs with a live Cuban band and cocktails. [Paper/style file]

2) Pure Yoga on the Upper East Side had its grand opening on Tuesday evening. Company CEO Harvey Spevak welcomed downward Dog fans like Jennifer Creel, Katie Lee Joel, Dylan Lauren, Stacey Bendet, Alison Brod, Beth Ostrosky, and Jonathan and Lizzie Tisch, who all came to check the place out. [The Daily/PMc] More

1) Donna Karan's annual designer garage sale in support of the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund was co-hosted by InStyle and Kelly Ripa on Saturday. Betsey Johnson, Lydia Hearst, Euan Rellie, Lorraine Bracco, Jessica Stam, Katie Lee Joel, Debbie Matenopoulos, Hana Soukupova, Charlotte Ronson, and Nanette Lepore browsed stalls manned by the likes of Rachel Zoe and Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss, raising $3.6 million. [FWD]

2) In the evening Robert Wilson hosted the 15th annual Watermill Benefit, where Lisa Anastos, Anthony Haden Guest, Howard Stern and Beth Ostrosky, Alan Wyse and Kim Catrall, Campion and Tatiana Platt, Roger Waters, Rufus Wainwright, Amanda Hearst, Fabiola Beracasa, Valesca Guerrand Hermès, Douglas Hannant, Debbie Bancroft, Rachel Zoe, Lisa Perry, Debbie Bancroft, Ross Bleckner, Bob Colacello, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Michelle Paige Paterson, Alexandra Stanton, Jamee Gregory, Jessica Joffe,  Jonathan and Somers Farkas, Chris and Cristina Greeven Cuomo, Hope Atherton, Joe Zee, Roberta Myers, Simon de Pury, Kim Heirston and Richard Evans, Lauren Ezersky, Jon Stewart, Lisa de Kooning, Jay McInerney and Anne Hearst participated in auctions for exotic prizes like an Einstein chair and a golden palomino mare. [PMc/FWD] More

(1) The 9th annual Art For Life Benefit took place on Saturday at Russell Simmons' East Hampton house. Despite tickets not selling out as fast as usual, the event played host to Aretha Franklin, Christy Turlington, Lorraine Bracco, Soledad O'Brien, David Paterson, Diddy, Padma Lakshmi, Brett Ratner, LA Reid, the cast of Real Housewives of New York, Al Roker, Kelly Bensimon, Alina Cho, Simon de Pury, and Porschla Coleman—whose break up with Simmons, judging by their behavior, is either incredibly amicable or no longer in effect. [PMc]

(2) Sara and Patrick Handreke hosted a screening of the new rom-com Ghost Town in East Hampton. Guests included Arden Wohl, Bennett Miller, Peggy Siegal, the film's star Ricky Gervais and Jane Fallon, George Stephanopoulos and Alexandra Wentworth, and Helen and Tim Schifter. [PMc] More