Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

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• Super Bowl XLIV made history last night: It's now the most-watched TV program in U.S. history, having bypassed the finale of M*A*S*H in 1983. [THR]
• Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have filed suit against the Rupert Murdoch's News of the World for reporting the couple was separating. [Guardian]
• Talks between Fox and Conan O'Brien seem to be moving ahead. As for the Super Bowl ad featuring Letterman and Leno, Letterman was reportedly interested in having Conan appear as well, although it didn't pan out.
• Ellen DeGeneres makes her debut on American Idol tomorrow. Meanwhile, talks to have Howard Stern replace Simon Cowell next season are progressing.
• Mixed news for the magazine business: newsstand sales fell in the second half of 2009, although the situation was even worse a year ago. [NYT, AdAge]
• Sarah Palin won't have to fly to NYC to tape her appearances on Fox News: The network is building its new "contributor" a TV set in her living room. [NYT]
• After dominating the box office for seven weeks, Avatar was dethroned by Dear John this weekend, although it remained No. 1 internationally. [MTV]
• Ads for Snickers, Doritos, and Google were big winners with Super Bowl viewers this year. As for the Motorola spot starring Megan Fox, she may be the first person in history to have had a "thumb double." [Reuters, NYT, NYM]

André Leon Talley Is Ready For His Close-Up | Vogue editor-at-large André Leon Talley makes his debut as a judge on America's Next Top Model when the new season begins on March 10. And although he says he'd never watched the reality TV competition before deciding to join his dear old friend, Tyra Banks on the show (he says his boss, Anna Wintour, has never seen the show either), it looks like he'll fit in just fine. In addition to a special outfit for each episode—"13 custom-made Chado Ralph Rucci cloaks, varying only in color or fabric"—he'll be unveiling his very own catchphrase, too: "dreckitude," a combination of his favorite word, "dreck," and "quackitude," a "term he'd heard Rachel Maddow use on her show. 'Dreckitude was whipped out when I thought the challenge was not met or if [the contestants] showed up in perhaps an outfit that I just couldn't wrap my mind around.'" [WWD]

At Least Oxygen Is Still Free (For Now, At Least) | American Airlines plans to start charging $8 for a pillow and blanket on all domestic flights and some international trips, beginning May 1. [AP]

Botox Numbs More Than the Face | Not only does Botox prevent people from expressing emotion, it may also prevent them from experiencing emotion, according to researchers, who say that when you're physically unable to frown or smile, you're less likely to feel happiness or sadness, too. And you thought the total lack of affect on the faces of certain celebrities was masking a really rich inner life. [Newsweek]

Even in Scandal, Paterson Disappoints | Here we were expecting to hear a tawdry tale about coked-up key parties at the governor's mansion in Albany. But now word has it the much buzzed-about David Paterson scandal may not be quite as juicy as some have been suggesting, says Gabriel Sherman: "According to a source close to the Paterson camp who is familiar with the scope of the Times' reporting, the Times piece will be an in-depth profile of the governor focused on his personal character. There are likely to be new details about his marital infidelities, but the source added that it's not going to be the bombshell the blogs have predicted. "The piece is PG-13, not XXX.'" [NYM]

Greenwich Gets Back to 'Normal' | Now that the economy has rebounded—for people who make their living on Wall Street, at least!—and big bonuses have returned, how are residents of fancy schmancy Greenwich faring? Life is  "slowly returning to normal," apparently. "The Greenwich version of normal, anyway," which means people are once again turning up to the local Ferrari dealership: More

Spotted | Rosario Dawson leaving the Bowery Hotel ... Keanu Reeves walking in SoHo ... Larry King picking up food on Madison Avenue ... Renee Zellweger arriving at JFK ... Eliza Dushku and Rick Fox walking in the East Village ... Madonna arriving at the Kabbalah Center in Midtown with her kids ... Liev Schreiber and Naomi Watts in Soho pushing their kids in strollers ... Amanda Seyfried picking up coffee in the East Village ... Natalie Portman taking a break on the set of Black Swan ... Sarah Jessica Parker leaving her townhouse in the Village ... and an unrecognizable Kate Gosselin leaving the Ted Gibson Salon before heading to dinner at Butter.

• Conan O'Brien's tenure as Tonight Show host has ended, but it looks like he and wife Liza may be planning to stay in LA, since they're reportedly looking to unload their penthouse duplex at the Majestic on Central Park West. The 17th and 18th-floor spread, which features three terraces and Central Park Views, is being "quietly" shopped around for $35 million. [NYP]
• The buyer of Bernie and Ruth Madoff's penthouse has been revealed. It's Al Kahn, the CEO of 4Kids Entertainment and the man behind Pokemon and the Cabbage Patch Kids, who is said to be buying the place at at 133 East 64th Street for "just under" the asking price of $8.9 million. [NYP, previously]
• Jimmie Johnson has unloaded one apartment and picked up another. The Nascar driver has sold his 3,200-square-foot loft at 32 West 18th Street, which he put on the market last year, for $4 million. Meanwhile, he and his wife paid $8.33 million for a condo in the Superior Ink building on W. 12th St. [NYT]More

So what's going on with Gov. David Paterson and those rumors last week that the Times has been working on a "bombshell" story that may (or may not!) involve allegations that Paterson is a fan of booze-filled swinging sessions? Over the weekend, reports suggested the Times story would drop today. That didn't happen. More

• Lots of celebs turned out for the Super Bowl in Miami. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were there (and were spotted "kissing, hugging and laughing," so if you were worried that they'd broken up, you can rest easy). Also on hand was Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher (who were chased by photographers), Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, and John Travolta, who couldn't even be bothered to stay for the entire game. [DM, The Sun, Popeater]
• Is the cast of Jersey Shore getting a little overexposed? Just a little! MTV is now looking to clamp down on their efforts to "pimp themselves" at bars and colleges around the country and has informed them that they're each limited to two appearances a week and need permission from the network before accepting any gigs. [P6, NYDN]
• In other Jersey Shore news, Jenni "JWoww" Farley is planning to "enhance" her ginormous fake boobs "as soon as possible to be ready for the new season," you'll be pleased to hear. [P6]More

Happy Birthday | Former Nightline anchor Ted Koppel turns 70 today. John Grisham is turning 55. Mary Steenburgen is 57. Nick Nolte is turning 69. Vince Neil of Motley Crüe turns 49. Seth Green is 36. Mary McCormack, the star of In Plain Sight, is turning 41. Comedian Robert Klein is 68. Times Magazine editor Gerry Marzorati is 57. And recently-jailed actor Gary Coleman turns 42 today.

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Harold Ford, Rock Star | Former congressman and possible Senate candidate Harold Ford is getting $20K a pop to give speeches around the country. Among the demands listed on his "tour rider": Limo drivers have to carry a sign that reads "H.F."; he needs an "alternate entrance & exit" at each venue; and you can't feed him shellfish. He's allergic (but will probably claim he's kosher when it comes time to lock in the Jewish vote.) [TSG]