The mayor faced questions from reporters today about his decision to take a helicopter to the U2 concert at the Meadowlands last night (he wanted to "say hello" to his "friend" Bono), since he's been busy pushing environmental awareness the past couple of days. His response: "I suppose you could say that, but you know, there's other ways to get around and there are different ways of—some are more energy efficient. I could have walked and swum across the rivers as well. That would have used less." [NYT]

There's a new billionaire in town. And he happens to be single, too! This week, Russia's richest man, Mikhail Prokhorov, cut a deal with real estate developer Bruce Ratner to buy the Nets as well as part of the new Nets arena under construction in Brooklyn. Today the Times compares Prokhorov to one other non-married billionaire in New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg. So how different are the two men? Let's take a look, shall we:

"Mayor Michael Bloomberg is trying to raise awareness about how white rooftops can make buildings cooler and more efficient, but the city hasn't painted hundreds of its own buildings." That isn't the only building that needs a paint job, clearly! [AP]

Joyce Purnick, New York Times columnist and the author of Mike Bloomberg: Money, Power, Politics, is once again taking questions about the mayor! Today, though, she's handed a doozy: "Does he do anything for pleasure at all?" a reader named "Coleman" asks. "From here, it looks as if his life consists entirely of power games: racking up money, giving away money, acquiring power, using power, holding power. He has done many worthwhile things, but there is something driven and seemingly empty about the process as a whole. Is there anything that he likes doing other than work?" Good question, Coleman!

Bill Thompson won the Democratic primary for mayor by a substantial margin last week and he started airing his first TV commercial. So he's probably made a dent in Mayor Bloomberg's lead, hasn't he? Not so much, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released this morning:

• The week in reviews: Pete Wells of the Times shows little love for Hotel Griffou this week, leaving the Village hotspot starless; TONY's Jay Cheshes has nice things to say about Michael Psilakis' Gus & Gabriel; NY's Patronite & Raisfeld weigh in on Brooklyn's Fort Defiance; RG visits Yerba Buena Perry; and Gael Greene shares thoughts on Jeffrey Chodorow's latest, Ed's Chowder House.
• More photos/details about the new MePa venue Abe & Arthur's. [TFB, Eater]
• Are those calorie counts that are now posted for all to see (sigh) actually making a difference? Unclear, but the city is now conducting "research." [NYT]
• Incoming Tavern on the Green operator Dean Poll says it will take up to four years (and lots of cash, of course) to finish renovations on the space. [NYP]
• Nevermind the endless delays and appalling lack of legroom, some airlines are now offering passengers their very own signature cocktails. Yay! [VV]
• Do you know a "foodiot"? Probably, although you may be one, too. [NYO]
• If Mike Bloomberg asks you to bring over dinner, you can't go wrong with the half chicken with herbs at Quatorze Bis or the Sichuan shrimp from Shun Lee Palace. Whatever you do, do not pick up anything from Blue Smoke. [NYT]

One good thing about summer ending and fall beginning, according to the blog EVGrieve: If you're not too into guys wearing pink shirts (or draping pink sweaters over their shoulders, as the mayor is wont to do now and then), you can look forward to seeing a lot less of that on the streets of the city from now on. At least not until next May. [EVGrieve]

Michael Bloomberg is an imperious, irritable oligarch who has purchased the mayoralty of New York City for life. And the New York Times has something to say about him: He puts salt on his pizza.

In his nearly eight years as mayor, Mike Bloomberg has banned trans fats. He's forced chain restaurants to post calorie counts. Most recently, he took on the soft drink industry with an anti-obesity ad campaign. But when it comes to Bloomberg's own diet, it seems anything goes, according to the Times' Michael Barbaro. The mayor dumps salt on just about everything he eats, including pizza and even Saltine crackers. He has a weakness for all varieties of fast food and likes to snack on Cheez-Its. And you won't find him with a bottle of Poland Spring or Evian in hand. "I can count on two hands the number of times I have seen him drink water," says one of the mayor's regular dining companions. [NYT]

Mayor Bloomberg's latest campaign video features an endorsement by Matt Damon. Really. [YouTube via NYM]

If you were worried about the Health Department's proposed ban on smoking in city parks and beaches, you can breathe a sigh of relief (or carbon monoxide, if you wish): While Mayor Bloomberg says he totally supports the idea, he also says the city doesn't actually plan to enforce it. "Our Police Department has enough to do. They can't be going around giving tickets," Bloomberg said. Now that's a slippery slope, isn't it? The next thing you know someone will come along and propose that the NYPD stop handing out parking tickets, enforcing open container laws, or arresting people for possessing drugs intended for personal use. [NYP]

Did you vote in the Democratic primary yesterday? If you didn't, you'll get another chance to make good in the next couple of weeks. A runoff election will be required to select Democratic candidates for both comptroller and public advocate since none of the candidates pulled in at least 40 percent of the vote yesterday. In the race for comptroller, the top two finishers, City Councilmen John Liu and David Yassky, will now go head to head; and Bill de Blasio and Mark Green will square off for the public advocate nomination when the special election is held on September 29.

It's not just sipping on wine in Central Park that will earn you a ticket in the near future—at least if Mayor Bloomberg gets his way. He's now looking to ban smoking from public parks and beaches, too, according to an announcement today by the city's health commissioner, Dr. Thomas Farley. [NYT]

What should you do if you're downtown in the financial district and there's a massive crisis of some sort? Seek shelter at Goldman Sachs' new $2.4 billion, 43-story building on Vesey Street! It's the "the safest place you could possibly be" in the event of an attack, according to Michael Bloomberg. [NYP via Dealbreaker]

Fashion's Night Out, Anna Wintour's faux charity event to make people shop, is well underway. What's Anna up to? We followed her to the Macy's in Queens to find out. Too bad we were the only ones there for her.

You were waiting for Mayor Bloomberg to offer up his predictions for the MTV Video Music Awards, weren't you? Well, he's officially weighed in: He says he expects Lady Gaga will have a big night when she goes up against Beyoncé for "Video of the Year" and "Best Female Video" on Sunday. [MTV]

• It looks like there's a new frontrunner to take over BusinessWeek. Mayor Bloomberg's media company, Bloomberg LP, has bypassed Bruce Wasserstein as the leading contender to take over the McGraw-Hill-owned mag. [NYP]
• After close to three decades at ABC News, John Stossel is leaving the network to join Fox News and Fox Business Channel. [FNC, TVN]
• Not all magazines are closing down or trimming operations. Cesar Millan and IMG have launched a title for dog owners called Cesar's Way. [WSJ]
• There's been an editorial shakeup at O, The Oprah Magazine. [NYP, WWD]
• Will this season be the last for Oprah Winfrey's daytime talk show? [NYDN]
• Graydon Carter appears to have been granted a pass. The Vanity Fair editor reports he hasn't been forced to sit down with the flock of cost-cutting McKinsey consultants now prowling the halls of Condé Nast. [NYO]
• A judge has tossed out a lawsuit by Missy Chase Lapine, the author who claims Jessica Seinfeld ripped off her cookbook last year. [AP]
• According to the Wall Street Journal, "Bonnet books," or Amish love stories, are "a booming new subcategory of the romance genre." Who knew? [WSJ]

Ever since Bloomberg and the Port Authority executed the adorable kittens of JFK's Happy Cat Camp, unchecked terror-birds have been waging war on the city of New York. And now they are going after Mayor Mike himself.

The city budget may prevent Mayor Bloomberg from paying his employees what he'd really like to give them for their service and dedication. But he has other ways to make up the difference. According to today's Times, the mayor recently made a $1 million donation to Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania—to stamp the name of his deputy mayor, Patti Harris, on the front of a new academic center.

We really hoped we'd live to see the day come when Diana Taylor, the patient, soft-spoken woman who serves as New York City's de facto first lady, would find herself embroiled in messy, embarrassing scandal. It looks like that day has arrived, unfortunately. The New York Post reports that Taylor wore the same dress and the same hat to the Hampton Classic Horse Show in Bridgehampton two years in a row. Could it be true?