From The Simon's letter to Mayor Mike regarding the smoking ban: "Have you seen the new advertisement for a popular nicotine patch? I saw one yesterday on a phone booth. It�s hilarious. It reads: 'A man walks into a bar...He can�t smoke...It�s not funny.' Do you know what that is called in the advertising world? It�s called geo-targeting. We�re the only city in the world that�s getting that ad."
A smoker fires back [The Simon]
The April issue of Harper's has an excerpt from a rant by the head of the NYC Mayor's Action Center that made news a year or two ago: "Recently I took a new position. I was promoted to director of the Mayor's Action Center. That means I am responsible for overseeing practically any call, letter, fax, or email mad by griping, often whining, often stupid New Yorkers...Yesterday I personally took several calls from people with enough time to call up pitch a fit at the mayor for honoring the Bronx Little League team before anyone knew the pitcher was a ringer. One dumb fuck called to let me know all of Seattle (that's right, the whole city) was mad at the mayor...So I take painkillers, sleep a lot, and think about killing every citizen and employee of New York City every minute I'm awake."
Vredenburgh screed [Johnok]
To-Do List event of the day: "Before the rash of new rules take full effect in our bars and restaurants, our ever responsive and fun-loving mayor has agreed to a 12-hour suspension of all cabaret laws, anti-smoking regulations, and excessive tobacco taxes all in the name of good clean American fun...The evening culminates in a NYPD-sponsored party at Twilo, where the police reopen the doors for one night only and join our Mayor along with some special guests, including nightlife impresario Peter Gatien and former mayor Rudy Giuliani. Public employees are encouraged to call in sick the following day to recuperate."
Dance, smoke and partty with the mayor! [Flavorpill]
A reader writes, "[The] Mayor Bloomberg interview is being replayed on John Gambling on WABC Radio this morning, he's talking about how bar owners are secretly in favor of smoking bans. And he uses that as an argument for banning it statewidesaying the only thing bar owners are worried about is people going to other bars where smoking is allowed. Said something like, I can't tell you how many waitresses and bartenders have come up to me and said, 'Thanks for saving my life!'. [Bloomberg] says the law will be self-enforcing, and 'nobody will remember that you used to be able to smoke in those places!'"
Mayor Bloomberg's girlfriend arrived at the Academy's Oscar party at Le Cirque wearing a long navy sheath dress with spaghetti straps. "It's a Morgane Le Fay," she tells the NYT's Joyce Wadler. She remarks, of the Oscars, "It's an important industry for this country, and it's great to have something people can think about and look at in this time when there's so much strife in the world." Then, "Please get the name of the [dress] designer in your article."
Oh, no! Now he's offended Joan Collins! [NYT]
· Vanity Fair Editor Graydon Carter has rescinded press invitations to VF's annual Oscar party because, as one insider says, "what star is going to want to be seen partying while bombs are falling?" Apparently, the rationale for the move is that at least no one will be there to write about it if they do. [Page Six]
· Publicists are furiously lobbying to get their clients included in an upcoming Details story about the best-endowed leading men in Hollywood. [Page Six]
· Tavern on the Green is "de-Frenchizing" its menu. It's now serving "roast prime rib of beef with natural juice" rather than "roast prime rib of beef au jus." [Page Six]
· Rumor has it among restaurant owners that Mayor Bloomberg may delay the smoking ban for 60 to 90 days. Says one source, "I mean, reallyNew Yorkers can't not smoke in wartime." [Page Six]
· Post columnist Linda Stasi on the curtailing of red carpet festivities at the Oscars: "They worried for a while that their revered awards show might appear superficial and tacky in the midst of a war. As opposed to what? The great good-taste fest that it normally is?" [Liz Smith]
· A.R. Gurney's new drama, "O Jerusalem"a drama about a Texas oilman who crosses paths with his ex-lover, a Palestinian beauty who's become an activisthas generated much controversy at the Flea Theater. [NY Daily News]
As part of Gawker's ongoing commitment to service journalism, a list of all the places where cigarette smokers will still be able to puff, from April. Michael Bloomberg should realize that, through prohibition, he's transformed a declining proletarian habit into a delightfully wicked fad. Witness the following ingenious loopholes.
· Soho House [private member media club]
· Daniel Boulud's bus [with self-emptying ashtrays]
· Grand Central Terminal [over which the City has no jurisdiction]
· Hookah bars [because they derive much of their business from tobacco]
· Bar communes [so long as each worker has a stake of at least a third]
· Lot 61's patio
· Cigar Aficionado's Big Smoke benefit [because Rudy goes]
· VIP room at the Time Cafe [tough on non-smoking celebs]
· Illegal venues [one club plans to fund fines from a raffle]
More suggestions to tips@gawker.com.
NY Mag has discovered the root cause of the mayor's recent slide in the polls: he went to college at Johns Hopkins. "Hopkins has a knack for producing a singular sort of characterone in which the DNA of the computer jock has been gene-spliced with that of the arrogant med studentand it's an ugly hybrid. The classic Hopkins grad isn't just a dork; he's a dork with a superiority complex." He's not kidding. When I was in school, "Hopkins" was quite literally a synonym for assholish cutthroat behavior. The occasional jerk would steal all the practice tests for a midterm in an attempt to sabotage everyone else, (and by extension, lower the grading curve,) and someone would invariably exclaim, "What the fuck?! This isn't Hopkins!"
Hizzonerd [NY Mag]
The NYT has been spreading vicious rumors that the mayor likes cake. "The part of the story that really annoyed me is that part that said I eat cake every day," the mayor said. "I eat a lot of popcorn, pretzels. If you put cookies out I'll probably nibble on it. But cake is not my weakness." [Insert obvious I Do Not Eat Cake; Let Them Eat Cake joke.]
Pass the pretzels, Mayor says, but keep your cake [NYT]
Mayor Mike acknowledges his vast fortune and says everyone needs to get past it. People, are however, interpreting it in different fashions. According to the NYTimes, the mayor's response is an eye-rolling "grow up!" "You know we should get over this and get on with it," he says "Am I thrilled I started out working in a parking lot and made a lot of money? Yes." The NY Post, however, makes him apologetic: "Mayor Bloomberg yesterday practically begged New Yorkers to stop thinking about his bulging bank account...He pleaded, 'We should get over this.'" I suspect the NYT got it right.
Bloomberg says enough with the billionaire talk [NYT]
Moneybags mayor: forget my fat wallet [Post]
NYC bar owners are still finding loopholes in Bloomberg's no-smoking laws. Ventilated smoking chambers and illegal smoke-easies are being considered, and several bartenders plan to ignore it altogether. One club plans to charge smokers five dollars each, raffle off half the total, and use the other half to pay the fine, should the law be enforced.
As city tobacco ban looms, tavern owners get sly [NYT]
NYT architecture critic Herbert Muschamp's distate for the Libeskind plan doesn't seem to be affecting official opinion. Mayor Mike and Governor Pataki both favor Libeskind, albeit not strongly, and Port Authority officials appear to be leaning the same way. Maybe the Anti-Muschamp letter writing campaign worked.
Support builds for one plan for trade center site [NYT]
