The New York Observer (New York, NY) back issues from October 2008:
How to Avoid Becoming 'A Punching Bag for the Public'.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ City Councilwoman Diana Reyna of Brooklyn doesn't think it's an accident that a vote on whether to extend or abolish term limits will fall to the City Council, and not the public. The legitimacy of the change, if it passes, would be " undermined" by the ...
A Reason to Add HBO to Your Cable Plan: Little Britain USA.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ If there's one reason to lament not having (read: not being able to afford) HBO right now, it's that you're missing the new stateside version of the hit British sketch comedy show Little Britain. (This reporter is among those without premium channels. Sigh.) The ...
Palin for McCain, Palin for Palin.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ It's obvious now that Sarah Palin's performance in Thursday's vice-presidential debate is crucial to the G.O.P.'s chances of prevailing in November. If she lives up the ditzy Tiny Fey caricature that has come to define her, Palin will complete a five-week ...
How to Suck-Proof the 2009 Mets: Massive Expenditure on Relief.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ So what are the poor, pathetic, sidelined Mets to do as they approach roster decisions this winter? At first glance, their options for building a team that can play consistently good baseball for an entire season are grim: A weak free agent class provides ...
Viewers Continuing to Flock to Cable News Networks.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ The third quarter numbers for the cable news networks are officially out today. Overall, the stretch from June 30 to Sept. 28 proved to be yet another strong period for the cable news networks, especially compared to the gloomy news coming from newspapers and ...
The Afternoon Wrap: Wednesday.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ New York may have had a killer pumpkin crop this year, but it'll be murder on your wallet. [NYDN] MTA's new raised subway grates protect the system from flooding, provide parking for bikes, and give you a place to sit down--all in under 26 feet. [City Room] ...
Events for Thursday, October 2, 2008.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ 10 a.m. Rosie Perez and Alan Cumming join Obama supporters to unveil a billboard and fund-raising campaign that aims to raise $1 million in one minute, on Broadway between 48th and 49th streets. 10:30 a.m. The Environmental Defense Fund hosts a live ...
Fashion Roundup: Sofia Coppola to Design for Louis Vuitton; Marie Claire Snubbed at Givenchy.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Sofia Coppola will design a line of handbags and shoes for Louis Vuitton. [WWD] Model Irina Lazareanu has been tapped to be the face of Tiffany & Co. And Nylon darling Cory Kennedy is reportedly working out a deal with Dr. Martens. [WWD] Marie ...
Elsewhere: Senate Optimistic on Bailout, Clinton for State Senate Dems.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ The Senate votes on the revised bailout plan tonight, and leaders are optimistic it will pass. House members who voted for the failed bailout legislation received more contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac than members who voted against it. ...
Things We Don't Want.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ We saw The Strangers when it came out (we only made it through to the end so we could talk to Scott Speedman) and it scared us into the next week. Very ....
Dispatches From The New York Film Festival: The Wrestler.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Ever since Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and inspired one of those famed late-night bidding wars in Toronto , everyone has been all aflutter to see the film. It's due to close the 46th New York Film Festival on October ...
Details Details the 'Playboys of Tech'.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ In this month's issue of Details, reporter Heather Chaplin got all googly-eyed about the "geeks gone rich" of New York's tech scene, including David Karp, 21, (we asked if you wanted to take a Tumblr with him ages ago!) and Julia Allison's boyfriend Charles Forman, ...
Jack Black to Play Washed Up Superspy.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Have you been waiting for a comedic take on The Bourne Identity starring Jack Black and written by the geniuses who brought you Kung-Fu Panda? No? Too bad, because apparently Universal thinks you have! The studio announced that they have picked up a live-action comedy ...
The Question To Now Ask About City's Young and Affluent.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ "The trend of young families did not occur because real estate was affordable in the city, rather it occurred because the city had become a desirable place to live. With the pending economic crisis, the state of the city is ...
Phish Swims Back From the Deep.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ We'd be surprised if this news truly genuinely delights any of our readers, but we do like to keep you in the know around here, and give you a little laugh occasionally, so, here goes! After four years of separation, Phish, that 90s jam band as beloved by some as it ...
Texas Monthly Names New Editor; Special Projects Editor.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Attention, Paul Begala: Your home state's magazine, Texas Monthly, has a new editor. In a blog post written by the magazine's recently promoted president and editor-in-chief, Evan Smith, we're introduced to Jake Silverstein, the magazine's new editor, and Brian ...
More Bloomberg, Less Consulting.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Here's yet one more group whose year Michael Bloomberg is about to ruin with his plan to seek a third term: the city's political consultants. As Jerry Skurnik of Prime NY points out, if term limits are abolished or extended, many incumbents will run for ...
Journalism Professor at Palin's Alma Mater: 'I Don't Think They Asked Any "Gotcha" Questions'.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Yesterday Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin complained to radio host Hugh Hewitt that she was being subjected to 'gotcha' journalism and told him, "I have a degree in journalism also, so it surprises me that so much has changed since I received my ...
The Giuliani Angle on Term Limits.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Although his own attempt to engineer an extended mayoral stint failed, Rudy Giuliani is cautiously supportive of Michael Bloomberg's plan, telling the Daily News he'd be willing to campaign for the mayor if he runs again. This makes sense for a couple of ...
Will Renovations Stave Off Doom for Bungalow 8?
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Bungalow 8, the hot nightclub that was, underwent a makeover last month, and photos of the new Bungalow 8 are posted on Guest of Guest. But can anyone tell what's different?And does anyone care? Once upon a time Bungalow was at the epicenter of the city's ...
70s Icon Norman Lear Brings 70s to HBO.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ HBO is planning so many new series', that it seems like they may need to quit showing movies to make room for them all. The latest comes with the help of 70s super-producer Norman Lear. The man who brought us All in the Family, Maude and Good Times is partnering with ...
Quinn to Discuss Bloomberg 'Implications'.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Christine Quinn's spokeswoman, Maria Alvarado, is out with a statement saying that her boss will be "discussing" the impact of Michael Bloomberg's move to change term limits with her colleagues. Quinn hasn't been spotted around City Hall and it's unclear where or how ...
Upper Crust Catholic School Snags 91st Street Spot for Expansion.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ The Convent of the Sacred Heart School of New York, perhaps the city's most elite Catholic school and owner of the sublime building above, has closed on a much less attractive edifice down the street in which to implement a long-planned school expansion. ...
Foley's Ad: Bull.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Democrat Brian Foley attacks incumbent Republican Caesar Trunzo ...
Palin's Advice for McCain, The Island of Little Diomede.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Harry Reid is giving House Democrats a "classic political jam job." [First Read] A blogger worries that the way the bailout bill is being handled violates the Constitution. [Housing Doom] John McCain claims, "I have always had absolute 100 ...
Le Reve Gauche.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Left in Dark Times: A Stand Against the New Barbarism By Bernard-Henri Levy Random House, 233 pages, $25 Yes, he's a celebrity who wears expensive suits. But he's a real-deal philosopher, too, so let's put on our thinking caps and ...
WTC Report To Call for Closing No. 1 Train for Months Downtown.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ The Port Authority is slated to recommend a closure of the No. 1 train south of Chambers Street for a series of months, likely during the summer, according to multiple people familiar with the agency's plans. The recommendation is expected to be part of ...
Term-Limits Extension Won't Stop John Liu.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ John Liu, a term-limited City Councilman from Manhattan Queens who last said he was leaning towards running for city comptroller, told me just now that he is going forward with plans to run for citywide office, whether or not term limits are extended. ...
InStyle Puts Its Own Spin on Reality Television: Makeup!
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ The CW's premiere of Stylista on October 22 featuring Elle magazine's Anne Slowey is only a few weeks away. Meanwhile, Marie Claire--the new home of former Elle staffer, Nina Garcia--is hard at work on their own reality show about magazine editors, Running in Heels on ...
Apple Drops the NDA.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Hooray! Apple has lifted their gag on iPhone apps developers! We told you that the company's mysterious non-disclosure agreement was frustrating third-party developers of cool applications for the gadget, banning them from discussing the finer points of their coding ...
Manhattan Apartment Rents Tumble Some More.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Manhattan apartment rents stayed flat in September, on par with average rents in the summer and substantially lower than those from early autumn 2007. Rents are down by around $200 across the board since September 2007, in fact, for both doorman and non-doorman ...
Bloomberg's Rubenstein-Style Rollout.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Liz Benjamin, of the Daily News, suspects there's a reason why the New York Post got the exclusive on Ron Lauder changing his mind on term limits: The New York Post and Ron Lauder share the same publicist, Howard Rubenstein. The third-term roll-out ...
A Term-Limits Question for Councilmen Seeking Higher Office.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ The proposed change to the city's term limit law may "sail" through the City Council, but it poses a complication for City Council members who are currently campaigning for higher office. If they support the change, they risk, at least theoretically, ...
Decembrists' First Single, 'Valerie Plame,' Ready For Listening.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Early last month, we told you about the Decembrists' upcoming singles series, Always the Bridesmaid. (Just think back ... past the failed $700 billion bailout, past A.I.G., past Merrill Lynch, past Lehman.) Well in advance of its Oct. 14 release date, Stereogum has ...
Trailer Cache: Australia.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ The new trailer for Baz Luhrmann's Austrailia has us a little dumbfounded. The film, Mr. Luhrmann's first since striking the fancy of Oscar voters seven years ago with his multiple nominated revisionist musical Moulin Rouge!, features so many references to other ...
Council Member on Constituents' 'Like of Mike'.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ City Councilwoman Gale Brewer represents the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and says in her district, there's unlikely to be a clear consensus on the mayor's reported intent to change the law on ...
New Bronx Boss Uncomfortable With Editorial Boards, OK With Quinn.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ The presumed (but still disputed) new Bronx Democratic leader, Assemblyman Carl Heastie, says has never been a fan of term limits, but he's also uncomfortable with the role some newspaper editorial boards are playing in the debate about changing them. "It's ...
Real Estate-Spawned Anger Over $700 B. Bailout.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ "And the Bush administration and Hank Paulson are asking for taxpayers' money to keep these very same guys filthy rich? I vote NO! for the bailout plan. Have Buffett and the billionaires of the world inlcuding the Arab sheiks ...
Meet Mark Walsh of Lehman Brothers.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Dana Rubinstein has the backstory on Mark Walsh, the star Lehman executive who orchestrated the bank's myriad commercial real estate ...
About Those $1.7 B. in Overruns at the World Trade Center...
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ "Who are they kidding? If the problems would only stop with $1.7 billion, it would be OK. The Freedom Tower isn't practical, and the memorial also. And what about ...
Tina Fey Book Has Publishers Biting Blindly; Bidding Reportedly Up to $6 Million.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Good googly moogly! Keith Kelly reports in The New York Post this morning that literary agent Richard Abate has publishers going nuts at the prospect of a book by Tina Fey. We heard earlier this week that Mr. Abate was boldly asking for $5 million, but ...
The Transom in Print, Oct. 1, 2008: New Diner at Socialista; No Love for Sarah Palin at Bill Maher Lunch.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Spencer Morgan called up Armin Amiri of Socialista and discovered that Mr. Amiri is planning to turn the ground-floor space at the club into a 24-hour diner. One hitch: From 11 p.m. to 4 a.m., it'll be guest-list-only. The ladies at a lunch for Bill Maher's ...
Morning Memo: Harvey Weinstein Not Vindicated; Sharon Stone's Dubious Parenting Skills; Heather Locklear's DUI Details.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Per his agreement with Page Six, Harvey Weinstein now owes a charity $1 million after a leaked Scott Rudin email describing Weinstein's bad behavior during the production of The Reader turned out to be real. (Yesterday, Mr. Rudin told Gawker that the email was fake, ...
In the Observer: Bloomberg's Big Plans, McCain's Angry Campaign.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Azi recounts the chaos that swept City Hall yesterday as news broke that Michael Bloomberg would actually try to run for a third term. Jason Horowitz considers what will become of the McCain campaign now that attacking the press has failed to work as a ...
Mr. Third Term Arrives, to No Fanfare, at City Hall.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Michael Bloomberg, who has no publicly scheduled events today, arrived at work at 7:15 a.m. this morning and headed to his side of City Hall. He made some light conversation with me (I ...
The Leadership Meltdown in Washington DC.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ As Congress desperately tries to pass legislation to bail out Wall Street and restore confidence in the American economy, it is also managing to allow tax credits for renewable energy to expire at the end of the year. According to Robert Pear's recent New York Times ...
The Morning Read: October 1, 2008.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Michael Bloomberg wants to run for a third term; aides are "envisioning an unusual bill that would apply only to those currently in office." Anthony Weiner said he'll run against Bloomberg, but Bill Thompson was on the fence. Richard Lipsky sees ...
The Round-Up: Wednesday.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ After 24 hours of compromises, a bailout package heads to the Senate for a vote today. [NY Times] New York's real estate bonanza comes to a screeching halt. [NY Times] Manhattan businesses--once insulated from the economic turmoil roiling the ...
Lineup for October 1, 2008.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ David Letterman might just have summed up last week when he said, "You heard it here first, ladies and gentlemen, this doesn't smell right." Felix Gillette and John Koblin track the billion little pieces in our new A.D.D. news cycle. PLUS: Pumping McCain. ...
Mark Walsh, Lehman's Unluckiest Gambler.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Mark Walsh entered 2008 as a Svengali of numbers. He headed Lehman Brothers' commercial real estate investments, which put him at the helm of a chugging ship that spouted billions in liquid cash for deals locally and nationwide. It was the pinnacle of a ...
What To Watch For in Latest Manhattan Housing Reports.
Oct 02, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ By this time Friday morning, the blogosphere and the dailies will be rat-a-tat-tat-tat abuzz with what's happening or not in the Manhattan housing market. The Corcoran Group and PropertyShark.com, Prudential Douglas Elliman and Miller Samuel, StreetEasy.com, Halstead ...
Gwen Ifill Not Worried That 'One-Day Blog Chatter Is Going to Destroy My Reputation'.
Oct 02, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Yesterday, a broad range of conservative Web sites questioned whether Gwen Ifill could do a fair job of moderating tonight's vice presidential debate, given that the veteran PBS broadcaster is about to publish a book in January called The Breakthrough: Politics and ...
Couric to Palin: 'What Other Supreme Court Decisions Do You Disagree With?'.
Oct 02, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ In case you missed it last night on the CBS Evening News, there was another jaw-dropping moment between Katie Couric and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. As part of the ongoing series called Vice Presidential Questions, Ms. Couric had just finished asking Ms ....
Recchia Hopes for More Bloomberg, Coney Island Development.
Oct 02, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Christine Quinn has adamantly denied speaking to the mayor or her colleagues about whether or not the City Council would approve a change to the term-limits law, and it looks like most members are set to do that. So who was talking to the Council? ...
Wolfson Hears Support for Bloomberg in Democrats' Silence.
Oct 02, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Last night on NY1's Inside City Hall, Howard Wolfson and host Dominic Carter discussed the suprising silence from the Democratic Party on Michael Bloomberg's plan to try to run for mayor again. "Where's the statement from the state Democrats?" asked Carter ....
Morning Memo: Larry Flynt "Interprets" Sarah Palin; Details of Nikki Blonsky's Airport Brawl; Harvey Weinstein "Not a Nice Man".
Oct 02, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ It was only a matter of time: Larry Flynt's Hustler Films has produced a Sarah Palin-themed movie. [R&M] Page Six claims that Bill and Hillary Clinton's tepid support of Barack Obama is due to the Democratic nominee's refusal to promise Mrs. Clinton a spot ...
Palin 2012.
Oct 02, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Kornacki thinks the stakes of tonight's V.P. debate are high not only for ...
The Morning Read: October 2, 2008.
Oct 02, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ The federal bailout legislation passed the Senate last night; the only senator who did not vote was Ted Kennedy. John McCain was not very friendly when Barack Obama approached him on the floor last night. On the eve of the V.P. debate, Sarah ...
Big Real Estate Would Love Bloomberg Triplex.
Oct 02, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ The story was reported by Max Abelson, Eliot Brown and Dana Rubinstein; and written by Ms. Rubinstein. New York's real estate community doesn't just love Mayor Bloomberg. It lurves him. And it's greeting the news of his third-term bid accordingly. ...
The Round-Up: Thursday.
Oct 02, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Senate easily approves rescue plan; House vote expected Friday. [NY Times] Bloomberg great on managing short-term financial crises, less so with long-term. [NY Times] State provider of subsidized mortgages forced to raise interest rates after ...
Vito Lopez on 'Unstoppable' Bloomberg, Some Unfinished Business.
Oct 02, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Vito Lopez, the Brooklyn Democratic County Leader, told me in an interview yesterday that Michael Bloomberg is "almost unstoppable" in his quest for a third mayoral term. But Christine Quinn's re-election as City Council speaker is another matter. Before he ...
Palin Hits Washington, Biden Hits McCain.
Oct 02, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ ST. LOUIS--This time, Sarah Palin wasn't going to let the questions get in her way. "I may not answer the questions the way either you or the moderator want to hear," she said. "But I'm going to speak straight to the American people." In her ...
McCain Leaves Michigan, Obama Camp 'Surprised'.
Oct 02, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ The McCain campaign says that its decision to pull his campaign operations out of Michigan is no big deal, because there are plenty of other states to compete in. The Obama campaign begs to differ, and jumped on the news today, portraying it as an omen of McCain's ...
Events for Friday, October 3, 2008.(Conference notes)
Oct 02, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ 8:30 a.m. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, other elected officials, educators and parent groups at rally to demand "A Better Capital Plan" and reduce class size, at City Hall. 11:30 a.m. Opening of new Bronx Democratic headquarters; 914 East ...
Star-Ledger Nears Deal with Drivers' Union.
Oct 02, 2008 ... <![CDATA[ Things are looking steady again at the Star-Ledger. The paper has found 200 employees to accept buyouts, and now has a tentative deal in place with the drivers' union. Donald Newhouse confirmed it to ...