ALBANY—One of the Erie County Elections commissioners is calling on the State Board of Elections to investigate alleged improprieties of the "Responsible New York" PAC backed by Tom Golisano and Steve Pigeon.

It was reported today that outgoing Erie County District Attorney Frank Clark decided not to investigate RNY because "I simply don't have the resources to do it." In response, Democratic Election Commissioner Dennis Ward called for a state investigation into the affair.

"Maybe the best thing is to have it get pushed up to the state board or the attorney general," he said. It was his Republican counterpart, Ralph Mohr, who got into a videotaped shouting match with Golisano, a Rochester billionaire, earlier this month. (Video here)

"Ralph and I talked about it, and we were viewing it that the glass was half full not half empty," Ward said. "It wasn't a determination that there was nothing to investigated, it was just that given what he perceived to be the magnitude of what there is to be investigated that he couldn't do it."

Bob Brehm, spokesman for the State Board of Elections, said it was department policy not to comment on what complaints may have been received or were being investigated. Generally, he said the board's policy is to "consider that complaint in the order it's received" and to investigate any items that include specific alleged infractions of state election law.

Earlier this week the literary agent (and former magazine editor) David Kuhn pulled a funny trick, and submitted a novel to publishers across town without telling them who wrote it. The only clue the agent gave was the novel itself, which, according to people who have read it, is told from the perspective of a young boy growing up in the 1980s.

Mr. Kuhn told publishers the identity of the author would be revealed to anyone who expressed an interest in the book.

If it was buzz Mr. Kuhn was after, he got it. Rumors about who the author might be flew immediately among scouts, editors, and other agents. Some speculated it was a person who works in publishing, while some thought it was an established author with a poor sales record. Others were convinced that it was a disgraced celebrity who didn't want his or her bad reputation to cloud anyone's judgment. One preferred theory was that it was the actor James Franco, who is known to have recently started working towards an MFA at Columbia.

Today speculation ended as word spread that Mr. Kuhn's mystery author is none other than... Joyce Maynard, the author whose name is inextricably linked to an affair she had with J.D. Salinger as a young woman and the memoir she wrote about it in 1999.

That turned out to sit fine with the good people of William Morrow, who submitted a preempt offer today and won the rights before Mr. Kuhn put the thing up for auction as he was intending to do next week. No word on which editor there is going to work on it or how much they paid.

Asked earlier today why he thought Ms. Maynard's book would do better with publishers if they didn't know who wrote it, Mr. Kuhn first cited "the fact that it's more fun." He added that this book was a "major renaissance" for his client, and that the subject matter—remember, young boy in the 1980s!—was delightfully incongruous with its author. "Not only is it not a young novelist, it's not even a man!" Mr. Kuhn said.

Joe Dolce, who runs a media consultancy that specializes in rehabilitating the reputations of public figures who have fallen out of favor with the public, said he wasn't sure what the anonymity would achieve in this case (Mr. Dolce was interviewed on the subject before it was confirmed that Joyce Maynard was indeed the author of the book).

"If the person is a celebrity or a politician—even a disgraced politician!—I can't see how it would hurt the sale of the book, because most publishers would think, 'this person has a platform, and we can at least bank on the notoriety to raise the profile of the book in a very crowded media landscape.'"

Earlier this week the literary agent (and former magazine editor) David Kuhn pulled a funny trick, and submitted a novel to publishers across town without telling them who wrote it. The only clue the agent gave was the novel itself, which, according to people who have read it, is told from the perspective of a young boy growing up in the 1980s.

Mr. Kuhn told publishers the identity of the author would be revealed to anyone who expressed an interest in the book.

If it was buzz Mr. Kuhn was after, he got it. Rumors about who the author might be flew immediately among scouts, editors, and other agents. Some speculated it was a person who works in publishing, while some thought it was an established author with a poor sales record. Others were convinced that it was a disgraced celebrity who didn't want his or her bad reputation to cloud anyone's judgment. One preferred theory was that it was the actor James Franco, who is known to have recently started working towards an MFA at Columbia.

Today speculation ended as word spread that Mr. Kuhn's mystery author is none other than... Joyce Maynard, the author whose name is inextricably linked to an affair she had with J.D. Salinger as a young woman and the memoir she wrote about it in 1999.

That turned out to sit fine with the good people of William Morrow, who submitted a preempt offer today and won the rights before Mr. Kuhn put the thing up for auction as he was intending to do next week. No word on which editor there is going to work on it or how much they paid.

Asked earlier today why he thought Ms. Maynard's book would do better with publishers if they didn't know who wrote it, Mr. Kuhn first cited "the fact that it's more fun." He added that this book was a "major renaissance" for his client, and that the subject matter—remember, young boy in the 1980s!—was delightfully incongruous with its author. "Not only is it not a young novelist, it's not even a man!" Mr. Kuhn said.

Joe Dolce, who runs a media consultancy that specializes in rehabilitating the reputations of public figures who have fallen out of favor with the public, said he wasn't sure what the anonymity would achieve in this case (Mr. Dolce was interviewed on the subject before it was confirmed that Joyce Maynard was indeed the author of the book).

"If the person is a celebrity or a politician—even a disgraced politician!—I can't see how it would hurt the sale of the book, because most publishers would think, 'this person has a platform, and we can at least bank on the notoriety to raise the profile of the book in a very crowded media landscape.'"

Earlier this week the literary agent (and former magazine editor) David Kuhn pulled a funny trick, and submitted a novel to publishers across town without telling them who wrote it. The only clue the agent gave was the novel itself, which, according to people who have read it, is told from the perspective of a young boy growing up in the 1980s.

Mr. Kuhn told publishers the identity of the author would be revealed to anyone who expressed an interest in the book.

If it was buzz Mr. Kuhn was after, he got it. Rumors about who the author might be flew immediately among scouts, editors, and other agents. Some speculated it was a person who works in publishing, while some thought it was an established author with a poor sales record. Others were convinced that it was a disgraced celebrity who didn't want his or her bad reputation to cloud anyone's judgment. One preferred theory was that it was the actor James Franco, who is known to have recently started working towards an MFA at Columbia.

Today speculation ended as word spread that Mr. Kuhn's mystery author is none other than... Joyce Maynard, the author whose name is inextricably linked to an affair she had with J.D. Salinger as a young woman and the memoir she wrote about it in 1999.

That turned out to sit fine with the good people of William Morrow, who submitted a preempt offer today and won the rights before Mr. Kuhn put the thing up for auction as he was intending to do next week. No word on which editor there is going to work on it or how much they paid.

Asked earlier today why he thought Ms. Maynard's book would do better with publishers if they didn't know who wrote it, Mr. Kuhn first cited "the fact that it's more fun." He added that this book was a "major renaissance" for his client, and that the subject matter—remember, young boy in the 1980s!—was delightfully incongruous with its author. "Not only is it not a young novelist, it's not even a man!" Mr. Kuhn said.

Joe Dolce, who runs a media consultancy that specializes in rehabilitating the reputations of public figures who have fallen out of favor with the public, said he wasn't sure what the anonymity would achieve in this case (Mr. Dolce was interviewed on the subject before it was confirmed that Joyce Maynard was indeed the author of the book).

"If the person is a celebrity or a politician—even a disgraced politician!—I can't see how it would hurt the sale of the book, because most publishers would think, 'this person has a platform, and we can at least bank on the notoriety to raise the profile of the book in a very crowded media landscape.'"

Twenty authors attended Wednesday night's National Book Awards ceremony as finalists, each of them selected by a committee of readers made up of poets, novelists, historians, and critics of all stripes. The judges on each of the four committees spent three and a half months reading over a hundred books (the non-fiction judges read 530) before settling on their short-lists last month.

The New York Times reported on the finalists here in a 400-word item that ran in the Arts section. In the case of several of the authors, it was the first time in years that their names had appeared there.

Which is to say that between the two of them, Michiko Kakutani and Janet Maslin, the Times' primary daily book critics, reviewed precisely two of the 20 books—Marilynne Robinson's Home and Jim Sheeler's Final Salute, respectively—that were up for NBAs this year.

Some caveats, to be fair: 1) 10 of those 20 were poetry and children's books, which never get reviewed in the daily, 2) all but two of the fiction and non-fiction finalists were reviewed in The Sunday Book Review, 3) Jane Mayer was reviewed in the daily by Jennifer Schuessler, and 4) though there was no review, Times culture reporter Patricia Cohen did write a feature about Annette Gordon-Reed's The Hemingses of Monticello (which won the non-fiction prize) that ran in the daily Arts section.

But, you know, still!

Katherin Bouton, who became the culture desk's books editor last month, declined to comment because she is too new on the job, and her predecessor, Rick Liman, did not return calls seeking comment.

Twenty authors attended Wednesday night's National Book Awards ceremony as finalists, each of them selected by a committee of readers made up of poets, novelists, historians, and critics of all stripes. The judges on each of the four committees spent three and a half months reading over a hundred books (the non-fiction judges read 530) before settling on their short-lists last month.

The New York Times reported on the finalists here in a 400-word item that ran in the Arts section. In the case of several of the authors, it was the first time in years that their names had appeared there.

Which is to say that between the two of them, Michiko Kakutani and Janet Maslin, the Times' primary daily book critics, reviewed precisely two of the 20 books—Marilynne Robinson's Home and Jim Sheeler's Final Salute, respectively—that were up for NBAs this year.

Some caveats, to be fair: 1) 10 of those 20 were poetry and children's books, which never get reviewed in the daily, 2) all but two of the fiction and non-fiction finalists were reviewed in The Sunday Book Review, 3) Jane Mayer was reviewed in the daily by Jennifer Schuessler, and 4) though there was no review, Times culture reporter Patricia Cohen did write a feature about Annette Gordon-Reed's The Hemingses of Monticello (which won the non-fiction prize) that ran in the daily Arts section.

But, you know, still!

Katherin Bouton, who became the culture desk's books editor last month, declined to comment because she is too new on the job, and her predecessor, Rick Liman, did not return calls seeking comment.

Twenty authors attended Wednesday night's National Book Awards ceremony as finalists, each of them selected by a committee of readers made up of poets, novelists, historians, and critics of all stripes. The judges on each of the four committees spent three and a half months reading over a hundred books (the non-fiction judges read 530) before settling on their short-lists last month.

The New York Times reported on the finalists here in a 400-word item that ran in the Arts section. In the case of several of the authors, it was the first time in years that their names had appeared there.

Which is to say that between the two of them, Michiko Kakutani and Janet Maslin, the Times' primary daily book critics, reviewed precisely two of the 20 books—Marilynne Robinson's Home and Jim Sheeler's Final Salute, respectively—that were up for NBAs this year.

Some caveats, to be fair: 1) 10 of those 20 were poetry and children's books, which never get reviewed in the daily, 2) all but two of the fiction and non-fiction finalists were reviewed in The Sunday Book Review, 3) Jane Mayer was reviewed in the daily by Jennifer Schuessler, and 4) though there was no review, Times culture reporter Patricia Cohen did write a feature about Annette Gordon-Reed's The Hemingses of Monticello (which won the non-fiction prize) that ran in the daily Arts section.

But, you know, still!

Katherin Bouton, who became the culture desk's books editor last month, declined to comment because she is too new on the job, and her predecessor, Rick Liman, did not return calls seeking comment.

The National Book Awards tried to glam things up, with mixed results. 

Narciso Rodriguez told us about Michelle Obama's controversial Election Night dress at the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards. 

We caught up with the MisShapes at Christian Siriano's birthday party at Citrine. 

At the re-dedication of the Bridge Formerly Known as Triborough, we discovered that Nancy Pelosi isn't one for frivolous questions (but Martha Stewart is!). 

We faced the new media reality and took advantage of the complimentary burgers at Tina Brown's Daily Beast launch party in the Meatpacking District. 

We also learned about Out magazine's recession-proof readership and searched in vain for James Franco at the annual "Out 100" celebration. (We found him a few days later at a screening of Milk.)

The National Book Awards tried to glam things up, with mixed results. 

Narciso Rodriguez told us about Michelle Obama's controversial Election Night dress at the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards. 

We caught up with the MisShapes at Christian Siriano's birthday party at Citrine. 

At the re-dedication of the Bridge Formerly Known as Triborough, we discovered that Nancy Pelosi isn't one for frivolous questions (but Martha Stewart is!). 

We faced the new media reality and took advantage of the complimentary burgers at Tina Brown's Daily Beast launch party in the Meatpacking District. 

We also learned about Out magazine's recession-proof readership and searched in vain for James Franco at the annual "Out 100" celebration. (We found him a few days later at a screening of Milk.)

Kathleen Grimm, the deputy chancellor for the city’s department of education, testified for two and half hours earlier today at a City Council budget hearing in City Hall.

The highlight was Grimm specifying where 476 proposed job cuts this year would come from.

The list:
-43 vacant positions in the pre-kindergarten program won’t be filled (they’re not teachers);
-54 from the Integrated Service Centers which help principals do things like figure out how to budget money for their schools;
-95 from the facilities department, which includes 71 plumbers and electricians and 24 other non-skilled staffers;
-284 from the central offices (like Tweed), most of which have not been identified. But 51 positions slated to be eliminated have been. They’re from offices within the department of education that deal with technology, communications, family engagement and portfolio development (new small schools and charter schools).

Grimm also said that the city will pick up the $20 million price tag for merit pay for teachers, which had been in place for one year and funded privately.

And as Gotham School’s Elizabeth Green pointed out to me, since they’re only starting the second year of the program, they haven’t released results of a planned study showing the program has made a difference in secondary schools.

Green has more details (and my profound admiration for live-blogging the hearing).

Endearingly boisterous America's Next Top Model judge and walking coach J. Alexander (Miss J to the fans) has sold a book, Follow the Model: Miss J's Guide to Unleashing Presence, Poise, and Power, to Simon Spotlight Entertainment, to be edited by Patrick Price (Mr. Price was also responsible for the seminal He's Just Not That Into You, not to mention the Lance Bass biography Out of Sync).

The book promises to include "inspiring advice, life lessons, and self-esteem coaching for all women," punctuated by Mr. Alexander's "colorful anecdotes." Expect sometime in Fall 2009, possibly alongside his CW pilot Operation Fabulous, which is described as a mix between Top Model and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Miss J will be traveling the country with fellow Top Model fixture Jay Manuel (aka Mr. J) in search of worthy, style-starved small-time girls to glam up. 

Of the show, CW President of Entertainment Dawn Ostroff told the Los Angeles Times, "Jay is your parent in tough love. He tells you the way it is, but only because he wants you to be the best you can be. As much as Miss J criticizes and rolls his eyes, deep down, he's just looking for the girl who can get it done."

Endearingly boisterous America's Next Top Model judge and walking coach J. Alexander (Miss J to the fans) has sold a book, Follow the Model: Miss J's Guide to Unleashing Presence, Poise, and Power, to Simon Spotlight Entertainment, to be edited by Patrick Price (Mr. Price was also responsible for the seminal He's Just Not That Into You, not to mention the Lance Bass biography Out of Sync).

The book promises to include "inspiring advice, life lessons, and self-esteem coaching for all women," punctuated by Mr. Alexander's "colorful anecdotes." Expect sometime in Fall 2009, possibly alongside his CW pilot Operation Fabulous, which is described as a mix between Top Model and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Miss J will be traveling the country with fellow Top Model fixture Jay Manuel (aka Mr. J) in search of worthy, style-starved small-time girls to glam up. 

Of the show, CW President of Entertainment Dawn Ostroff told the Los Angeles Times, "Jay is your parent in tough love. He tells you the way it is, but only because he wants you to be the best you can be. As much as Miss J criticizes and rolls his eyes, deep down, he's just looking for the girl who can get it done."

"A winery in New York City. I can already see the expression on their faces," says Shlomo Lipetz, programming assistant at City Winery, explaining the difficulty of convincing vineyards to take an urban vintner seriously.

It's launch night for Michael Dorf's ambitious new wine and music venue, and the space does seem a little incongruous. It runs nearly the full length of a Soho block. The south windows are filled with gleaming fermentation vats, flashing a degree of industry generally departed from Manhattan. The back views inside are of oak wine barrels, suggestive of a Burgundy or Napa backwater, not the outskirts of the Holland Tunnel.

As uses for ground-level Manhattan real estate go, winemaking has to be pretty far down the efficiency chart. In an era of hedged bets, though, City Winery is opening itself to multiple possibilities. The 21,000-square-foot space is large enough to host a society wedding. A central stage will hold intimate concerts. (Steve Earle, Joan Osborne, and Philip Glass are already booked.) Wine-world rock stars like Alvaro Palacios and Robert Foley will lead tastings, and the kitchen will serve lunch and dinner, featuring the Mediterranean taverna fare of chef Andres Barrera. 

The interior is understated, a lack of showiness that keeps the focus on the music and the fruit of the vine. The main elements are century-old wood columns, which until recently held the ceiling up for newspaper El Diario. Three mirrored brick arches at the back of the main bar reference a cellar feel. Wine bottles wind along a staircase that accesses a private space downstairs. A raised platform in the middle of the main room provides V.I.P. concert access, while bar stools in back serve as cheaper seating.

Michael Dorf originally opened the Knitting Factory in 1986, at a time when downtown Manhattan was all about art and indie music. It seems fitting that the downtown of 2008 now welcomes a winery selling corporate barrel ownerships that start at $12,000. (You do get 250 bottles at the other end.)

"There wasn't a place for the music fan who wants to sit in an intimate space and enjoy some great wine in a real glass-not a plastic cup," says Mr. Dorf, describing the niche he hopes to fill.

The actual winemaking, from crushing to pressing to fermenting to tasting to bottling to labeling, will be overseen by Head Winemaker David Lecomte. The process is professionally monitored, disappointing those indulging visions of purple-stained Dionysian debauches. "No I Love Lucy," explains Mr. Lipetz.

Grapes will be selected as seasonal logic dictates, shipped in from Oregon, California, and upstate New York in the fall, and from Chile and Argentina in the spring. Stems and skins will be sent back upstate to be used as organic compost, Soho not being the most convenient place to dump wine dross by the ton. Mr. Dorf's long track record has already come in handy with his new operation: One vineyard owner recently escalated City Winery to receiving its top grade grapes. He'd met his wife at the Knitting Factory.

ALBANY—The State Senate will reconvene here at the Capitol the night before David Paterson is expected to present his budget for 2009.

A special session earlier this week ended without any substantive progress after lawmakers were unable to come up with a compromise package. Skelos, who did not provide an alternative plan, threatened to bring Paterson's draft legislation to a vote, knowing that it would not pass the State Senate. Paterson then disbanded the meeting.

Here's a statement from Skelos's office:

New York State Senate Majority Leader Dean G. Skelos today announced that the Senate will return on December 15 to take action on a plan to help close the current fiscal year budget gap and address the State's budget needs going forward by reducing spending and instituting other reforms and incentives to achieve savings and make necessary investments.

"It's important that we take action to close this year's budget gap as we begin work on a new budget Governor Paterson has promised to submit early. The legislation that we will advance and act on will include significant spending reductions, recurring savings actions and important initiatives to maximize revenue. We call on the Assembly to put forward its own plan so we can immediately begin conference committees to act on current-year solutions as we review the Governor's budget for the next fiscal year," Senate Majority Leader Dean G. Skelos said.

Governor Paterson has said he will submit his budget for next year onDecember 16. He has said his budget will include measures to close the current gap as well as the projected deficit for next year.

"We committed to addressing this year's budget gap this week in special session, but the bills that the Governor advanced were unacceptable to both the Assembly and Senate. While the Governor is apparently taking steps administratively to help close the gap, there are other actions that can be taken to further those efforts. It will, however, require that the Assembly joins us in passing bills so we can reconcile our differences in joint public conference committees that will allow us to move forward," Senator Skelos said.

In addition, Skelos noted, the Senate will pass legislation to help stimulate the State's economy and create jobs, particularly Upstate, which will include overhauling the State's Empire Zone program and redirecting those funds into tax cuts to jump start critical economic development efforts.

"In 1995, when faced with a multibillion budget deficit and a State economy that had yet to recover from a national recession, the Legislature partnered with a new Governor to reduce spending, cut taxes and create new jobs for our workers. This Governor and this Legislature must follow that model in the coming weeks and months," Senator Skelos said.

Silverstein and Port Authority go to arbitration over World Trade Center construction plot. [Crain's]

Sales have started at the 21-unit Fairchild on Vestry Street. [TRD]

Why it's not called Knakal Massey. [TRD]

Hundreds of people lined up in the Flatiron this morning to buy a BlackBerry Storm. [Racked]

Core Group launches a new Web site to market 11 Spring Street. [Curbed]

Speculation rampant over what might happen if Citigroup, New York City's biggest office tenant, goes under or gets sold. [GlobeSt]

Are Joe Sitt and the city close to a deal on Coney Island land? [Brooklyn Paper]

Ho ho ho! Fannie, Freddie suspend foreclosures for certain properties. [WSJ]

New York Fed Bank President Timothy Geithner to be nominated as President-elect Obama's Treasury secretary. [WSJ]

Answers about how to estimate rental income. [Brownstoner]

New York City's last couple of transit bargains. [Voice]

Target has announced two new collaborations: a handbag line with Felix Rey designers Lily Band and Sulaika Zarrouk to launch on March 29 and a shoe collection with footwear designer Trish Carroll, called Miss Trish of Capri for Target, for April 5. [WWD] 

When asked about her possible retirement, Anna Wintour asked a reporter from The Cut to leave her alone and please go away. [The Cut] 

Stylista contestant Kate: "What you see on television is a 100 percent accurate depiction of me and the entire cast." [Racked] 

Designer Thakoon Panichgul will not make any more of the "reverse kimono" dress that Michelle Obama wore to the Democratic National Convention for the time being, despite getting a boost in sales. [WSJ] 

DNR, Conde Nast's trade publication that covers men's fashion and retail, has been folded into WWD. [Fashionista] 

Target has announced two new collaborations: a handbag line with Felix Rey designers Lily Band and Sulaika Zarrouk to launch on March 29 and a shoe collection with footwear designer Trish Carroll, called Miss Trish of Capri for Target, for April 5. [WWD] 

When asked about her possible retirement, Anna Wintour asked a reporter from The Cut to leave her alone and please go away. [The Cut] 

Stylista contestant Kate: "What you see on television is a 100 percent accurate depiction of me and the entire cast." [Racked] 

Designer Thakoon Panichgul will not make any more of the "reverse kimono" dress that Michelle Obama wore to the Democratic National Convention for the time being, despite getting a boost in sales. [WSJ] 

DNR, Conde Nast's trade publication that covers men's fashion and retail, has been folded into WWD. [Fashionista] 

What the hell is up with Billy Corgan? Reports from the Smashing Pumpkins’ 20th Anniversary Tour—the Pumpkins, of course, consisting only of Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlain—have roused fans’ ire again and again with set-lists bereft of hits, endlessly wonky space jams (notably with their cover of Pink Floyd’s “Set Controls for the Heart of the Sun”), and Billy’s self-pitying, crowd-hectoring monologues.

During the second night of the Pumpkins’ hugely-disappointing two-night stand at Harlem’s United Palace earlier this month—the Pumpkins’ first time in the city in almost a decade—things got so bad, Billy actually invited a fan on-stage to vent his frustration. “Last night’s show sucked,” the guy said flatly, before handing the mic back to Corgan. When the fan had safely left the stage, though, Billy offered this witty rejoinder: “By the way, I liked that song you wrote. What was it called? ‘Take Your Dick Out of My Ass and Stick It in My Mouth’? That was a big hit in Europe.” All of which, of course, was a huge hit with the audience.

In D.C. a few days later, Billy got a couple middle fingers, before inviting a faux-James Iha on stage and heading off on a rant about his unblemished artistic integrity. And then in Chicago this week, shit hit the fan again. During the band’s encore, “Everything is Beautiful”—a tune Billy has taken to using as a platform for crowd mockery—things devolved into a ten-minute monologue featuring masturbation fantasies involving Sarah Palin and more painfully awkward self-criticism. And the whole thing was caught on tape. Our personal favorite quote: “Last I checked we were in an alternative band. 'Alternative' means 'different than what everyone else is doing,' including those reunion bands that go out and just play the old songs." Yeah, and last time we checked you still had a dedicated fan-base. More shows like these, and it won’t matter what kind of band you're in.

What the hell is up with Billy Corgan? Reports from the Smashing Pumpkins’ 20th Anniversary Tour—the Pumpkins, of course, consisting only of Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlain—have roused fans’ ire again and again with set-lists bereft of hits, endlessly wonky space jams (notably with their cover of Pink Floyd’s “Set Controls for the Heart of the Sun”), and Billy’s self-pitying, crowd-hectoring monologues.

During the second night of the Pumpkins’ hugely-disappointing two-night stand at Harlem’s United Palace earlier this month—the Pumpkins’ first time in the city in almost a decade—things got so bad, Billy actually invited a fan on-stage to vent his frustration. “Last night’s show sucked,” the guy said flatly, before handing the mic back to Corgan. When the fan had safely left the stage, though, Billy offered this witty rejoinder: “By the way, I liked that song you wrote. What was it called? ‘Take Your Dick Out of My Ass and Stick It in My Mouth’? That was a big hit in Europe.” All of which, of course, was a huge hit with the audience.

In D.C. a few days later, Billy got a couple middle fingers, before inviting a faux-James Iha on stage and heading off on a rant about his unblemished artistic integrity. And then in Chicago this week, shit hit the fan again. During the band’s encore, “Everything is Beautiful”—a tune Billy has taken to using as a platform for crowd mockery—things devolved into a ten-minute monologue featuring masturbation fantasies involving Sarah Palin and more painfully awkward self-criticism. And the whole thing was caught on tape. Our personal favorite quote: “Last I checked we were in an alternative band. 'Alternative' means 'different than what everyone else is doing,' including those reunion bands that go out and just play the old songs." Yeah, and last time we checked you still had a dedicated fan-base. More shows like these, and it won’t matter what kind of band you're in.

6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Seminar on “Weathering the Financial Storm” hosted by Cowan Financial Group. Cowan Financial Group, 530 Fifth Avenue, 14th Floor. Free. Pre-registration required. Call 212-642-4871.

6:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Come out for some hors d’oeuvres, a couple cocktails, and some high-speed networking with Networking for Professionals. Public House, 140 East 41st Street. $20 for members; $30 for non-members; $35 at the door. Register online.

Today, The New York Times' Brooks Barnes offered a hard-hitting A1 investigative report on how Angelina Jolie manipulates the press, especially how she uses access to her family to further her own agenda.

Writes Mr. Barnes:

Shifting the focus is one of Ms. Jolie’s best maneuvers, magazine editors and publicity executives say. When she became romantically involved with Mr. Pitt, for instance, she faced a public relations crisis — being portrayed in the tabloid press as a predator who stole Mr. Pitt from his wife, Jennifer Aniston.

This time, it was Ms. Jolie’s charity work that helped turn the story. Long interested in international humanitarian work, Ms. Jolie appeared in Pakistan, where she visited camps housing Afghan refugees, and even met with President Pervez Musharraf. Ms. Jolie and Mr. Pitt made a subsequent trip to Kashmir to bring attention to earthquake victims.

In a conspiracy like this, you build from the outer edges and you go step by step...

Is The Times out to get Angelina Jolie—the woman whom Esquire's Tom Junod has called "the best woman in the world, in terms of her generosity, her dedication, and her courage"?

Well, take a look at the cover of this week's New York Times Magazine.

Really uncool.

Today, The New York Times' Brooks Barnes offered a hard-hitting A1 investigative report on how Angelina Jolie manipulates the press, especially how she uses access to her family to further her own agenda.

Writes Mr. Barnes:

Shifting the focus is one of Ms. Jolie’s best maneuvers, magazine editors and publicity executives say. When she became romantically involved with Mr. Pitt, for instance, she faced a public relations crisis — being portrayed in the tabloid press as a predator who stole Mr. Pitt from his wife, Jennifer Aniston.

This time, it was Ms. Jolie’s charity work that helped turn the story. Long interested in international humanitarian work, Ms. Jolie appeared in Pakistan, where she visited camps housing Afghan refugees, and even met with President Pervez Musharraf. Ms. Jolie and Mr. Pitt made a subsequent trip to Kashmir to bring attention to earthquake victims.

In a conspiracy like this, you build from the outer edges and you go step by step...

Is The Times out to get Angelina Jolie—the woman whom Esquire's Tom Junod has called "the best woman in the world, in terms of her generosity, her dedication, and her courage"?

Well, take a look at the cover of this week's New York Times Magazine.

Really uncool.

Today, The New York Times' Brooks Barnes offered a hard-hitting A1 investigative report on how Angelina Jolie manipulates the press, especially how she uses access to her family to further her own agenda.

Writes Mr. Barnes:

Shifting the focus is one of Ms. Jolie’s best maneuvers, magazine editors and publicity executives say. When she became romantically involved with Mr. Pitt, for instance, she faced a public relations crisis — being portrayed in the tabloid press as a predator who stole Mr. Pitt from his wife, Jennifer Aniston.

This time, it was Ms. Jolie’s charity work that helped turn the story. Long interested in international humanitarian work, Ms. Jolie appeared in Pakistan, where she visited camps housing Afghan refugees, and even met with President Pervez Musharraf. Ms. Jolie and Mr. Pitt made a subsequent trip to Kashmir to bring attention to earthquake victims.

In a conspiracy like this, you build from the outer edges and you go step by step...

Is The Times out to get Angelina Jolie—the woman whom Esquire's Tom Junod has called "the best woman in the world, in terms of her generosity, her dedication, and her courage"?

Well, take a look at the cover of this week's New York Times Magazine.

Really uncool.

This morning, 25-year-old Georgina Bloomberg—daughter of Mayor Michael, little sister to 29-year-old Emma, accomplished equestrian—made a Page Six headline for claiming she was "not rich" despite owning nine horses and a BMW. Naturally, she got teased by a few websites for saying this. 

The quote was pulled out of an upcoming profile of Ms. Bloomberg in Page Six Magazine, to be published Sunday. But it also prompted a question: What do we really know about the young Ms. Bloomberg?

We've read things over the years about her being a professional equestrian and, oh yes, she was part of Jamie Johnson's Born Rich documentary. But unlike, say, Ivanka Trump, we haven't exactly come to think of Ms. Bloomberg as a socialite, making appearances at everything from benefits and galas to movie premieres and sneaker launches. 

Here's a little guide to Ms. Bloomberg to prepare you for whatever else her Sunday profile might disclose. 

1. Most recently, she has been linked to Irish show-jumping star Cian O'Connor, 27, whom she met through her trainer. Prior to that, she dated another Irish horseman (also introduced to her by her trainer) named Declan Orpen. 

2. In 2007, Forbes named Ms. Bloomberg the fourth most intriguing billionaire heiress; she was outranked by Marta Ortega Perez, daughter of fashion entrepreneur Amancio Ortega; Delphine Arnault Gancia, daughter of LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault; and Vanisha Mittal Bhatia, daughter of Indian industrialist Lakshmi Mittal. Ms. Bloomberg is reportedly worth $11.5 billion. 

3. Also in 2007 she told the New York Times about her life plans: "Devote 10 more years to a riding career that has produced two broken collarbones, two broken wrists, two concussions and a broken back along with ample trophies; establish a horse business; marry and start a family by 35." (The girl has a plan!)

4. From the same profile: her nickname is "George."  

5. Ms. Bloomberg spends time with her mother, Susan Brown, at a farmhouse in North Salem, N.Y., and also has apartments in New York City and Wellington, Fla. 

6. In Born Rich, then a 20-year-old Ms. Bloomberg, said, "Having the last name Bloomberg sucks."

7. She has a pierced tongue and once wore a $1600 gown while riding a horse. 

8. Ms. Bloomberg's trainer—the same one who introduced her to Mr. O'Connor—James Doyle, was once accused of abusing a former student, but was acquitted of all charges. The entire Bloomberg family attended the trial and hugged Mr. Doyle when the verdict was announced.

9. She attended—and may still attend—New York University, where she studies "Sports Managament."

10. Ms. Bloomberg started a charity called Rider's Closet in 2006 which collects used riding clothes for collegiate riding teams that are unable to afford them.

This morning, 25-year-old Georgina Bloomberg—daughter of Mayor Michael, little sister to 29-year-old Emma, accomplished equestrian—made a Page Six headline for claiming she was "not rich" despite owning nine horses and a BMW. Naturally, she got teased by a few websites for saying this. 

The quote was pulled out of an upcoming profile of Ms. Bloomberg in Page Six Magazine, to be published Sunday. But it also prompted a question: What do we really know about the young Ms. Bloomberg?

We've read things over the years about her being a professional equestrian and, oh yes, she was part of Jamie Johnson's Born Rich documentary. But unlike, say, Ivanka Trump, we haven't exactly come to think of Ms. Bloomberg as a socialite, making appearances at everything from benefits and galas to movie premieres and sneaker launches. 

Here's a little guide to Ms. Bloomberg to prepare you for whatever else her Sunday profile might disclose. 

1. Most recently, she has been linked to Irish show-jumping star Cian O'Connor, 27, whom she met through her trainer. Prior to that, she dated another Irish horseman (also introduced to her by her trainer) named Declan Orpen. 

2. In 2007, Forbes named Ms. Bloomberg the fourth most intriguing billionaire heiress; she was outranked by Marta Ortega Perez, daughter of fashion entrepreneur Amancio Ortega; Delphine Arnault Gancia, daughter of LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault; and Vanisha Mittal Bhatia, daughter of Indian industrialist Lakshmi Mittal. Ms. Bloomberg is reportedly worth $11.5 billion. 

3. Also in 2007 she told the New York Times about her life plans: "Devote 10 more years to a riding career that has produced two broken collarbones, two broken wrists, two concussions and a broken back along with ample trophies; establish a horse business; marry and start a family by 35." (The girl has a plan!)

4. From the same profile: her nickname is "George."  

5. Ms. Bloomberg spends time with her mother, Susan Brown, at a farmhouse in North Salem, N.Y., and also has apartments in New York City and Wellington, Fla. 

6. In Born Rich, then a 20-year-old Ms. Bloomberg, said, "Having the last name Bloomberg sucks."

7. She has a pierced tongue and once wore a $1600 gown while riding a horse. 

8. Ms. Bloomberg's trainer—the same one who introduced her to Mr. O'Connor—James Doyle, was once accused of abusing a former student, but was acquitted of all charges. The entire Bloomberg family attended the trial and hugged Mr. Doyle when the verdict was announced.

9. She attended—and may still attend—New York University, where she studies "Sports Managament."

10. Ms. Bloomberg started a charity called Rider's Closet in 2006 which collects used riding clothes for collegiate riding teams that are unable to afford them.

New York Fed President Timothy Geitner is almost certainly going to be Barack Obama's Treasury secretary.

Part of the deal to make Hillary Clinton secretary of state means Bill Clinton's speeches will have to be vetted.

David Paterson's spokeswoman says he didn't know about the very expensive rugs for the Governor's Mansion.

Patrick Gaspard chose a job with Obama over one with 1199 SEIU.

John Riley thinks that if Paterson is considering appointing Andrew Cuomo to Hillary Clinton's now likely vacated Senate seat because Cuomo might run for governor in 2010, he shouldn't.

A Long Island school has already been renamed for Obama.

Reuters notes Michael Bloomberg's popularity is at a three-year low.

A columnist in Kansas says Bloomberg is paying the price for his "arrogance."

Jonathan Hicks decodes the bond between Pedro Espada and Ruben Diaz, Sr.

Republicans didn't go after the seemingly-vulnerable Staten Island Assembly member Janele Hyer-Spencer because of internal polling and a lack of resources.

Barack Obama's appointment of Janet Napolitano to Homeland Security secretary means "the new Democratic administration will fundamentally change the tone of the nation's post-Sept. 11 approach to domestic security," writes the Washongton Post.

Janet Napolitano will be the first Democrat to lead the Department of Homeland Security, and since her expertise is more in immigration than anti-terrorism, there's reason to believe the department's priorities will change.

Here's a preview of Ashley Dupre's interview.

Sarah Palin does a TV interview while a turkey is slaughtered behind her.

Hillary Clinton's Senate office is not confirming that she is taking the secretary of state job, though they are adopting affirmative language on the record now, quibbling, lightly, only with the timing of the report.

"We’re still in discussions, which are very much on track. Any reports beyond that are premature," wrote Philippe Reines, a spokesman for Clinton in an email.

Hold on to your hats, ladies and gentlemen, Wall Street bonuses are headed for an epochal fall. According to estimates from the city Comptroller’s office provided to The Observer today, year-end bonuses will total $14.5 billion for 2008, an over 50 percent drop from 2007, when $28.9 billion was paid out to Wall Streeters.

Of course, the figures are merely an estimate for now, but the low projection jibes with the bleak year in finance, one that saw the collapse of the financial sector and the dissolution of two of the biggest investment houses: Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers.

The reduced bonuses will affect everything from luxury retail to top apartment trades. Expect a much quieter 2009.

Last night, at a screening of Milk and Q&A with stars James Franco, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin and Alison Pill; director Gus Van Sant; and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, everyone was pretty giggly.

Mr. Franco said that he had watched Gay Sex in the 70s (the documentary) to prepare for his role as Scott, Harvey Milk's boyfriend. Mr. Brolin joked that he'd been thinking he was to play Milk and so "being a straight guy, I had tons of sex. Lots of orgies."

Mr. Hirsch (sitting next to Mr. Brolin) interrupted him. "Our research was actually coordinated, right?"

Mr. Brolin looked at Mr. Hirsch quickly. He seemed confused and continued: "So I think that's where the sensitivity to my role came from."

The Q&A continued with smatterings of awkward moments from the moderator; at one point he mentioned Mr. Brolin's character's "70's porn-star hair" in relationship to Mr. Hirsch's "gay fro". Also questioned was Mr. Franco's capacity as a mate. Toward the end of the evening the moderator noted excitedly: "You're obviously going to be on everyone's No. 1 favorite boyfriend list after this."

Mr. Franco took the mic from his lap lazily. "Yeah. I was a pretty good boyfriend."

Last night, at a screening of Milk and Q&A with stars James Franco, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin and Alison Pill; director Gus Van Sant; and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, everyone was pretty giggly.

Mr. Franco said that he had watched Gay Sex in the 70s (the documentary) to prepare for his role as Scott, Harvey Milk's boyfriend. Mr. Brolin joked that he'd been thinking he was to play Milk and so "being a straight guy, I had tons of sex. Lots of orgies."

Mr. Hirsch (sitting next to Mr. Brolin) interrupted him. "Our research was actually coordinated, right?"

Mr. Brolin looked at Mr. Hirsch quickly. He seemed confused and continued: "So I think that's where the sensitivity to my role came from."

The Q&A continued with smatterings of awkward moments from the moderator; at one point he mentioned Mr. Brolin's character's "70's porn-star hair" in relationship to Mr. Hirsch's "gay fro". Also questioned was Mr. Franco's capacity as a mate. Toward the end of the evening the moderator noted excitedly: "You're obviously going to be on everyone's No. 1 favorite boyfriend list after this."

Mr. Franco took the mic from his lap lazily. "Yeah. I was a pretty good boyfriend."

The Times is now reporting, according to two "confidants," that she's taking the secretary of state position.

UPDATE: Her office doesn't confirm it, but says in a statement that discussions are "on track."

Arianna, Tina, Liz ... and Greta?

On GretaWire today, Greta Van Susteren, the Fox News anchor and profilic blogger, invited readers to write in about their dream jobs. Ms. Van Susteren kicked things off by admitting that she sometimes dreams of running an online news site.

From the post:

I love my job but from time to time think about the future (I can be a dreamer)….what is next? what would be fun for me? Every day I have a different idea of what is next (and let me repeat, I do love my job), but if I had to pick today I would love to run an internet news site. I read the news all the time on the internet and I have some ideas of what I would do differently with some news sites…and I have had success developing GretaWire with you…so I have a history of working with the web….

Shall we play a game?

It's Friday. Yes, we shall.

Let's call this one "MSM or Amateur?" We'll supply a quote and you guess if it comes from a professional journalism organization—you know, the kind of place that wins Pulitzer Prizes and whatnot—or some amateur on the Internet with no editor, no oversight, and no idea what he or she is saying.

Got it? Here we go: MSM or Amateur?:

Note to Al Qaeda: If you insist on trying to insult Barack Obama, the United States' first African American president-elect, falling back on the tropes of an America that no longer exists simply is not going to work. 'Field Negroes' and 'house Negroes'? Come out of the caves, blink in the sunlight of a new era and get it right—that's 'White House Negro.'

Answer follows:

The above quote comes from a Los Angeles Times editorial headlined Al Qaeda's silly slur against Obama. The editors were apparently so enamored with the truly awful phrase "White House Negro," they used it in the subhead, too.

As for those Pulitzer Prizes and whatnot? The Los Angeles Times has won 38 since 1942, including three for editorial writing. (Confidential to The Times Editorial Board: Do not submit this column this year.) Also, Sam Zell? Maybe newspapers do need editors.

This writer once had the good fortune of hearing Richard Serra speak at a college commencement (even if it was secondhand). 'If it doesn't work, break it,' the great Taurus of American sculpture inveighed to the graduates. Words to work by, maybe. The remark has stayed with me over the years (actually months; this was last May or June). It seemed to express the convictions-- impolite, bullheaded, you name it--behind Serra's work.

That's a long way of saying that there are certain artists whose talks you wouldn't want to pass over. Matt Mullican may be one of them. Tonight, Mullican is scheduled to give a gallery talk/interview with curator João Ribas at 6:30 at The Drawing Center.

The subject of the talk? "Matt Mullican: A Drawing Translates the Way of Thinking," his solo show which opened at the Drawing Center today and runs until February 5.

One is especially eager for the opportunity to hear Mullican give a formal talk because of the slightly mad and inscrutable quality of his work. Since the 1970s, the California-born, New York transplant has crafted a large body of performance-based work that deals with signs, symbols, language and meaning, which has involved Mullican acting out monologues, scribbling furiously in note-books, making "Bulletin Board" drawings from hieroglyphs, tarot cards, and number systems. Logorrhea (intentional) is built into his working method.

Note: Mullican has also been known, on occasion, to appear in public while under the effects of hypnosis. Will he do so tonight?

This writer once had the good fortune of hearing Richard Serra speak at a college commencement (even if it was secondhand). 'If it doesn't work, break it,' the great Taurus of American sculpture inveighed to the graduates. Words to work by, maybe. The remark has stayed with me over the years (actually months; this was last May or June). It seemed to express the convictions-- impolite, bullheaded, you name it--behind Serra's work.

That's a long way of saying that there are certain artists whose talks you wouldn't want to pass over. Matt Mullican may be one of them. Tonight, Mullican is scheduled to give a gallery talk/interview with curator João Ribas at 6:30 at The Drawing Center.

The subject of the talk? "Matt Mullican: A Drawing Translates the Way of Thinking," his solo show which opened at the Drawing Center today and runs until February 5.

One is especially eager for the opportunity to hear Mullican give a formal talk because of the slightly mad and inscrutable quality of his work. Since the 1970s, the California-born, New York transplant has crafted a large body of performance-based work that deals with signs, symbols, language and meaning, which has involved Mullican acting out monologues, scribbling furiously in note-books, making "Bulletin Board" drawings from hieroglyphs, tarot cards, and number systems. Logorrhea (intentional) is built into his working method.

Note: Mullican has also been known, on occasion, to appear in public while under the effects of hypnosis. Will he do so tonight?

A downtown mix of artists and fashion-world people gathered at the Bowery Hotel Thursday night. Their excuse? ART ROCKS, a benefit for the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center. It was said that Rolling Stone Keith Richards would be "toasting" his daughter Alexandra, an artist-model who had a piece in in the silent auction, but he never showed. (Alexandra's sister Theodora tottered in around 11, swaddled in an oversize striped sweater and scarf.)

A makeup-free Maggie Rizer, one of the evening's co-hosts, said the event was "all about incorporating young, up and coming artists with fashion—and I love fashion. If you don't support the young ones … Also, it benefits diabetes, which a few people in my family have." Rizer, whose father died of AIDS, is also working on a documentary on the subject, but said the project had been put on hold. "We're in the process of finding another production company."

The Daily Transom wondered if the current move away from conspicuous consumption-socialites finding it fashionable to stretch their salon appointments from every four weeks to every six!—might lead towards a dressing-down trend, but Rizer shot that theory down: "People tend to start dressing more expensively, I think ... People in fashion tend to do the opposite, anyway."

The recession was the unescapable theme of the night—even the ladies in the powder room were atwitter about much of the same: "I'm going to have to sell my shoes!" one said, prompting an anguished "Noooooo!" in reply.

Photographer and flâneur John Norwood was there, like a friendly uncle, eager to talk.

"People will actually start partying harder, but less often," he predicted. "A bartender friend of mine said during the week, it's slower now. But on weekends, it's crazy!" (The working-class ethic of partying reemerges!)

"I have to wonder if the lifestyle we're used to is going to continue. This is my fourth event tonight and it's only, what time is it, 9 o'clock?"

Another reporter remarked that the crowd was rather "pushy" for a benefit—"like a bunch of linebackers." Indeed, the sound of wineglasses breaking would punctuate the rest of the evening. A cater-waiter confirmed that the second-floor ballroom was more crowded than it had ever been.

But wait—there was Ally Hilfiger, daughter of fashion designer Tommy.

"Yes?" the tiny brunette replied brusquely, peering over the rims of her huge black-framed glasses, and stepping back into her heels, which she had kicked off. Her hair was twisted into a messy, intellectual bun.

Of her art, she said, "It's broadened and developed." Her previous paintings featured various iterations on the number eight. "It's very different now—I spent four months by myself painting [in the Caribbean]."

And now? "I'm starting my own collection of women's clothing." Inspired by? "Everything!" she said with a grin. She conceded that the recession was "a very big trend … I watch CNN and listen to NPR all day, every day, while I work. … We need to learn how to adjust, no matter which background we come from. We have to be very loving and supportive to each other during this economic crisis."

Heavily bearded artist Michael M. Koehler had two pieces in the show, both photographs from New Orleans. Speaking of hard times!

"The first wave of photography I saw from New Orleans—it was all these images with no people in them," he said. "I wanted to show that people's day-to-day struggles can be as beautiful as that image of a car up in a tree." One of his works, a 6-foot-high photograph, showed a stoic black man standing inside his post-Katrina house, with the high-water marks somewhere near the ceiling.

The show also included a cheeky work by Thomas McDonnell titled "Caucasians on Clinton Street Chewing Khat," clearly a comment on the street's gentrification.

Young Liam McMullan, in a lime green T-shirt, surveyed the scene from the back of the room. He had just written his first column for Page Six Magazine, a surprisingly funny, dry-humored scenester report. How's the editing process going? "Well, they dilute my snark and replace it with a little bit of douchebag ... but that's O.K."

Towards the end of the evening, it was announced that the benefit had raised over $150,000. As if on cue, another wineglass fell to the floor and shattered.

A downtown mix of artists and fashion-world people gathered at the Bowery Hotel Thursday night. Their excuse? ART ROCKS, a benefit for the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center. It was said that Rolling Stone Keith Richards would be "toasting" his daughter Alexandra, an artist-model who had a piece in in the silent auction, but he never showed. (Alexandra's sister Theodora tottered in around 11, swaddled in an oversize striped sweater and scarf.)

A makeup-free Maggie Rizer, one of the evening's co-hosts, said the event was "all about incorporating young, up and coming artists with fashion—and I love fashion. If you don't support the young ones … Also, it benefits diabetes, which a few people in my family have." Rizer, whose father died of AIDS, is also working on a documentary on the subject, but said the project had been put on hold. "We're in the process of finding another production company."

The Daily Transom wondered if the current move away from conspicuous consumption-socialites finding it fashionable to stretch their salon appointments from every four weeks to every six!—might lead towards a dressing-down trend, but Rizer shot that theory down: "People tend to start dressing more expensively, I think ... People in fashion tend to do the opposite, anyway."

The recession was the unescapable theme of the night—even the ladies in the powder room were atwitter about much of the same: "I'm going to have to sell my shoes!" one said, prompting an anguished "Noooooo!" in reply.

Photographer and flâneur John Norwood was there, like a friendly uncle, eager to talk.

"People will actually start partying harder, but less often," he predicted. "A bartender friend of mine said during the week, it's slower now. But on weekends, it's crazy!" (The working-class ethic of partying reemerges!)

"I have to wonder if the lifestyle we're used to is going to continue. This is my fourth event tonight and it's only, what time is it, 9 o'clock?"

Another reporter remarked that the crowd was rather "pushy" for a benefit—"like a bunch of linebackers." Indeed, the sound of wineglasses breaking would punctuate the rest of the evening. A cater-waiter confirmed that the second-floor ballroom was more crowded than it had ever been.

But wait—there was Ally Hilfiger, daughter of fashion designer Tommy.

"Yes?" the tiny brunette replied brusquely, peering over the rims of her huge black-framed glasses, and stepping back into her heels, which she had kicked off. Her hair was twisted into a messy, intellectual bun.

Of her art, she said, "It's broadened and developed." Her previous paintings featured various iterations on the number eight. "It's very different now—I spent four months by myself painting [in the Caribbean]."

And now? "I'm starting my own collection of women's clothing." Inspired by? "Everything!" she said with a grin. She conceded that the recession was "a very big trend … I watch CNN and listen to NPR all day, every day, while I work. … We need to learn how to adjust, no matter which background we come from. We have to be very loving and supportive to each other during this economic crisis."

Heavily bearded artist Michael M. Koehler had two pieces in the show, both photographs from New Orleans. Speaking of hard times!

"The first wave of photography I saw from New Orleans—it was all these images with no people in them," he said. "I wanted to show that people's day-to-day struggles can be as beautiful as that image of a car up in a tree." One of his works, a 6-foot-high photograph, showed a stoic black man standing inside his post-Katrina house, with the high-water marks somewhere near the ceiling.

The show also included a cheeky work by Thomas McDonnell titled "Caucasians on Clinton Street Chewing Khat," clearly a comment on the street's gentrification.

Young Liam McMullan, in a lime green T-shirt, surveyed the scene from the back of the room. He had just written his first column for Page Six Magazine, a surprisingly funny, dry-humored scenester report. How's the editing process going? "Well, they dilute my snark and replace it with a little bit of douchebag ... but that's O.K."

Towards the end of the evening, it was announced that the benefit had raised over $150,000. As if on cue, another wineglass fell to the floor and shattered.

We learned that:

• The financial crisis has hurt FiDi's 24-7 rep.
• The Real Estate Book is trying to change the conversation through advertising.
• Richard Rogers unveiled his Port Authority tower plans.
• Interior designers are facing more skittish clients.
• CB Richard Ellis declared Fifth Avenue the world's priciest retail corridor.
• Cushman & Wakefield did, too.
• London's swankier neighborhood homes sales could hold lessons for New York.
• IFC is airing a film bashing the media for not bashing Atlantic Yards.
• Crisis or not, Manhattan rents remain absurdly high.
• Shoe retailer Camper bought a Soho spot for $16 million.
• Law firm Pryor, Cashman leased 100,000 feet in Times Square Tower.
• NYU's I.M. Pei-designed Silver Towers won landmark status.
• Marc Shaw has left Extell Development to work for Governor Paterson.
• CBRE has formed a group to broker distressed assets.
• Ground was broken on East Harlem's first green affordable apartment tower.
• The City Council OK'd a downzoning of 111 Lower East Side blocks.
• The townhouse at 11 Spring has been price-chopped to $36.5 million.
• Related, Durst and YoungWoo unveiled proposals for Pier 57.
• The M.T.A. caught a lot of angry flak over its proposed service cuts.
• The city's joblessness, surprisingly enough, stayed flat in October.
• The 10023 zip code has had a plethora of $5 million home deals.
• Brooklyn retailers dread the holiday shopping season.
• Newmark predicts 4 million feet of Manhattan office space will come online.
• City Housing Authority Chairman Tino Hernandez resigned.

Top 10 Date-Night Dinners for a Recession, #5

To enjoy Oktoberfest year-round, step into pint-sized Austrian tavern Café Katja, where patrons gorge themselves on homemade sausages and raise frosty mugs of beer seven nights a week. For those whose German skills are elementary at best, the menu offers a glossary (note that doppelgänger is not a dinner option, it’s just a joke). Start off with a warm, chewy, freshly baked pretzel, a convincing argument against the street cart variety, and some creamy paprika-laced liptauer cheese, a superior Austrian take on orange beer cheese, served here with toasted rye bread. Because everything is better with bacon, there’s bernerwurstel, a wrapped hot dog that’s also stuffed with emmenthaler cheese. Simpler Krainer sausage, served with a lemony boiled potato salad, is a hearty option, while the pork-phobic can opt for a tangy marinated herring salad, made less healthy by a generous dollop of mustard sour cream. Austrian wines and creative cocktails (made with Schnapps, natch) are available, but beers, like the refreshing clovey Schneider hefe-weisse or dark Gosser lager, rule here. If you’re still hungry (unlikely) at meal’s end, a slice of golden-brown, lattice-topped Linzer torte crammed with raspberry preserves is hard to say nein to.

79 Orchard St.(near Grand St. ); 212-219-9545

Here’s a letter from Representative Dennis Kucinich and two other members of Congress, supporting Representative Ed Towns of Brooklyn to become the new chairman of the committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

The current chairman, Henry Waxman, is leaving that position because he ousted the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

The most senior member of the committee on Oversight and Government Reform, after Waxman, is Towns, according to one of his aides. Usually, chairmanships are assigned based on seniority, which means Towns is already Waxman's likely successor.

Towns' lack of a committee chairman was one of the critiques raised by his opponent in the Democratic primary.

Apparently ABC subscribes to the theory that it's best to deliver bad news at the end of the workday. Last night, after everyone had gone home, the network announced they would not be picking up full seasons of Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone and Dirty Sexy Money. While ABC bizarrely refused to use the word "canceled", this effectively does just that. No new episodes will be ordered for the three sophomore series beyond the initial commitment of thirteen. There is no word yet on whether or not all of the episodes will eventually air. We can't say this news is at all surprising. Rumors began circling last week that Pushing Daisies was on life support, while Eli Stone was lucky to even get a second season. (Did anyone watch that show? If a tree falls in the forest...)

The cancelation of Dirty Sexy Money however, is disappointing. Let's get this out there immediately: Dirty Sexy Money was not good. It was supposed to be a smart and wry mix of Arrested Development and Dynasty, but it ended up feeling like a slightly better Central Park West. Confusing plots, stuffed with lame melodramatic dialogue and shot on distractingly poor soundstages--no matter how many aerial shots you show of Manhattan, if you then cut to a soundstage in Hollywood, it won't feel right--Dirty Sexy Money was never dirty enough, funny enough or interesting enough to sustain our love. However! Where else could we sit and watch actors like Peter Krause, Donald Sutherland, Blair Underwood and Billy Baldwin chew scenery with such gusto? While we have no doubt that Messrs. Krause, Sutherland and Underwood will land on their feet (doesn't Mr. Underwood have a lifetime contract with ABC?), we do feel quite bad for Mr. Baldwin. Forever in the shadow of the talented Alec, not a screw-up like Daniel, nor crazy like Stephen, Billy has always been the "other Baldwin". But on Dirty Sexy Money he possessed his own special brand of vulnerability. Put it this way: we'd never buy Alec Baldwin shacking up with a transsexual, but Billy made us believe and, more importantly, care. Here's hoping someone finds another show for him in the near future.

There wasn't only bad news filtering out of ABC; they also set up their winter schedule! Life on Mars, which had four more episodes ordered to push its first season total to seventeen, will move to Wednesdays at 10 p.m., following Lost. Private Practice, as had been previously rumored, will shift to Thursdays, post Grey's. And for those of you who still want to see Zach Braff on a weekly basis, Scrubs will premiere on Tuesday, January 6th at 9 p.m.

Apparently ABC subscribes to the theory that it's best to deliver bad news at the end of the workday. Last night, after everyone had gone home, the network announced they would not be picking up full seasons of Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone and Dirty Sexy Money. While ABC bizarrely refused to use the word "canceled", this effectively does just that. No new episodes will be ordered for the three sophomore series beyond the initial commitment of thirteen. There is no word yet on whether or not all of the episodes will eventually air. We can't say this news is at all surprising. Rumors began circling last week that Pushing Daisies was on life support, while Eli Stone was lucky to even get a second season. (Did anyone watch that show? If a tree falls in the forest...)

The cancelation of Dirty Sexy Money however, is disappointing. Let's get this out there immediately: Dirty Sexy Money was not good. It was supposed to be a smart and wry mix of Arrested Development and Dynasty, but it ended up feeling like a slightly better Central Park West. Confusing plots, stuffed with lame melodramatic dialogue and shot on distractingly poor soundstages--no matter how many aerial shots you show of Manhattan, if you then cut to a soundstage in Hollywood, it won't feel right--Dirty Sexy Money was never dirty enough, funny enough or interesting enough to sustain our love. However! Where else could we sit and watch actors like Peter Krause, Donald Sutherland, Blair Underwood and Billy Baldwin chew scenery with such gusto? While we have no doubt that Messrs. Krause, Sutherland and Underwood will land on their feet (doesn't Mr. Underwood have a lifetime contract with ABC?), we do feel quite bad for Mr. Baldwin. Forever in the shadow of the talented Alec, not a screw-up like Daniel, nor crazy like Stephen, Billy has always been the "other Baldwin". But on Dirty Sexy Money he possessed his own special brand of vulnerability. Put it this way: we'd never buy Alec Baldwin shacking up with a transsexual, but Billy made us believe and, more importantly, care. Here's hoping someone finds another show for him in the near future.

There wasn't only bad news filtering out of ABC; they also set up their winter schedule! Life on Mars, which had four more episodes ordered to push its first season total to seventeen, will move to Wednesdays at 10 p.m., following Lost. Private Practice, as had been previously rumored, will shift to Thursdays, post Grey's. And for those of you who still want to see Zach Braff on a weekly basis, Scrubs will