Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

The Jane Hotel's "Ballroom" hasn't exactly been a welcome addition to the neighborhood since it opened a couple of months ago. Local residents have waged war on the hotspot, filing grievances with the city about excessive taxicab traffic, sidewalk smokers, and "noisy nightclub" music. And the hotel owners are fighting back. A New York Times story about the tiff set to run on the cover of the paper's real estate section this weekend was pulled when one of the co-owners, Richard Born, reportedly called editors at the paper and claimed it wasn't totally objective. Naturally, the writer—a blogger and freelance writer for the Times—posted the story to her blog regardless. And now, the gloves are off.More

Ashley Dupre is ready for redemption! It's been a year and a half since she became the girl who took down luv gov Eliot Spitzer, and now she tells the Post she's looking forward to love, marriage, and becoming a baby mama. But let's face it: the girl hasn't always been so lucky with men. (In fairness to her, meeting an upstanding guy when you're in the escort business has got to be tough.) But since she's starting over with a clean slate these days, we thought she should start off with a fresh start romantically, too. Herewith, a list of potential suitors for the escort-turned-budding-singer.More

To-Do List For Out-of-Towners | Do you have friends or family coming to visit this summer? Manhattan User's Guide has a list of 100 things that you can suggest they do when they're here so they stay out of your hair. [MUG]

You do know how to pronounce Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci, don't you? You're not one of those people who pronounces Hermès as "Her-meees," are you? In case you've been having trouble with the names of foreign fashion designers, the Imperial Hotel Management College in Vancouver has uploaded clips to YouTube to demonstrate how it's done. As The Moment points out, though, the school "seems to conflate the house's proper pronunciation with the accent of its country of origin." (In other words, follow the school's instructions and you may end up sounding dumb and/or incredibly pompous.) Worse still: A couple of the clips featuring the names of French designers sound as if they were recorded by French-Canadians, which may very well be a crime graver than the one committed against the House of Versace by Elizabeth Berkley's character in Showgirls. [The Moment via Gawker]

When the ladies from The Real Housewives of New York City were criticized for being hopelessly out of the touch with the current economic climate, they argued that the show had been filmed before the financial crisis, so it wasn't really their fault. Well, it appears that Jill Zarin has still failed to pick up a copy of the newspaper. OK! asked the fabric mogul's wife where to go to find a rich husband and instead of providing an answer that actually makes sense (move to China?), she reverted to the sort of advice that might have been useful in 2005. "If you want to find a rich husband, go sit in a private airplane terminal," Jill Zarin says. "Anyone coming off a private airplane is probably doing all right." More

Tips for Hedge Funders on the Run | Dealbreaker has some very useful "dos" and "don'ts" if you happen to be a financial fraudster still at large, and you're currently planning your flight from justice. "Don't: Wear expensive cowboy boots and show the flight crew your hoard of $4 to $5 million in gold. Yes. They are very impressed. And now they will never, ever forget your face." [Dealbreaker]

Fashion for the Soon-to-Be-Fired | Word is spreading around the office that layoffs are coming any moment. What should you wear for the big day? Ben Widdicombe, who found out in January that his "contract with a national magazine" (otherwise known as Star) was not being renewed, explains: "The perfect termination outfit should feature professionalism and employability as the top note, but with accents of confidence and an aftertaste that leaving the premises means moving on up. A sober suit with a bright shirt is perfect." One other bit of advice: "It is also important, when anticipating bad news, not to wear a favorite piece of clothing, which will forever be associated with an unpleasant memory." [NYT/The Moment]

These times are difficult for everyone: Even if you don't actually need to curtail your spending, you're obliged to pretend that you do, and even if you went out of your way to marry rich, you're probably expected to dial down your profligacy a notch. But what about arguably the city's most important demographic group, single women? The glossy playground of Cosmos and Louboutins that Carrie Bradshaw enjoyed in the late '90s is but a distant memory, and today there's an entirely new reality to adapt to. As always, we're here to help: After the jump, some vital tips for unattached women who have been forced to count the pennies, but still want to participate in New York's notoriously cut-throat dating scene.More

It's almost impossible to believe that anyone would dare—or want—to do the "looking over the shoulder to scan the room" trick when talking to Fabiola Beracasa at a party, but no: "People do it all the time and it's so rude," says the beloved social fixture, who gives readers of December's Allure tips on how not to disgrace yourself this party season. (The article is not online, unfortunately.) As well as always maintaining eye contact with whomever you're talking to, her other directives include magnanimously ignoring a companion's mispronounciation of a politician or designer—"correcting her will embarrass her, and you'll look like a know-it-all"—and resisting making a big exit: "When people say goodbye, it can be a buzz kill... tell one or two close friends you're leaving, then quietly kiss the host good-night and go." Oh, Fabi, as if your sudden absence wouldn't kill a party anyway, but it's a point well taken for the rest of us.

Jared Kushner's Negotiation Tips | As you've probably heard, the real estate market has softened and developers and apartment owners are getting increasingly desperate as they try to unload condos and co-ops. Real estate scion/Observer owner Jared Kushner has a few tips on navigating the market: "There is nothing too obnoxious you can ask for right now," he advises. "For the first time in a long time, brokers have to earn their commissions." Video of his remarks is to your left. [The Real Deal]

Be Prepared | Nine signs your boss is about to fire you. [BusinessSheet]

So you made a lot of money on Wall Street during the boom years, and you still have a lot of money despite the economic crisis. Good for you. But you may not want to be too conspicuous about your good fortune. Lots of your friends, colleagues, and neighbors haven't been so lucky. And you don't want everyone to hate you, do you? (If they don't hate you already, that is.) Fortunately, Bloomberg News comes to the rescue with some advice on how to tone down your outrageous lifestyle to fit with these somber times. It's all about "stealth wealth," you see: You still get to be filthy rich, it's just that you don't advertise it any more!More

Just in case you missed this the first time around—and because today seems like an awfully fitting day for this sort of thing—our handy guide to coping with the fact that your investment bank/law firm/media company has decided you're redundant. [Cityfile]

If you're wondering whether you're going to be employed this time next month, you're not alone. A recent survey found that nearly two out of three Americans are worried about losing their job within the next year. And how could they not? Hardly a day goes by without a bank announcing that several billion dollars has gone up in smoke, or that they've taken in several billion from the government of Dubai, Qatar, or Mongolia in a desperate attempt to keep their heads above water. Then there are the layoffs: a total of 463,000 jobs have been shed this year and many more cuts are on the way. (Unless, that is, you work in one of the few professions that does quite nicely in times like these, like bankruptcy law and repo services.) So are you going to be next? Maybe! Which is why you should know what to do—and how to behave—before and after the hammer falls and you're told to pack up your cubicle. Below, our guide to coping with the fact that your investment bank/law firm/media company has decided you're redundant.More