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Anthony Weiner is finally admitting that he'd probably be New York City's mayor-elect right now if he hadn't made the decision last spring to remain on the sidelines. Not that he has any regrets, of course. Had he elected to run, he would have totally neglected his responsibilities in Washington and then he wouldn't have been able to play such a central role in passing health care legislation. Obviously! Weiner also says that if he'd jumped into the race, Mayor Bloomberg would have been forced to spend $150 million on his campaign (instead of the $90 million he spent going up against Bill Thompson), since Bloomberg's advisers "were afraid" of him. So Weiner saved the mayor $60 million? Sounds like someone deserves a gift, Mr. Mayor. [NYT]

That sure was close, wasn't it? Going into the election, pollsters and pundits were predicting a double-digit win for Michael Bloomberg. But for all the money he spent ($157.27 per vote, compared to Thompson's $13.12), flashy endorsements he lined up, political rivals he forced into submission—and even with an opponent like Thompson who never quite got his act together—Bloomberg only managed to win by five percentage points. Yesterday's results will have implications for years to come, of course. We've rounded up a few of the early winners and losers below.More

Happy Birthday | Beyoncé turns 28 today. Mark Ronson is turning 34. Police commissioner Ray Kelly is 68. Congressman Anthony Weiner is turning 45. Hotelier/restaurateur Sean MacPherson turns 45. Paper magazine co-founder David Hershkovits is turning 62. Damon Wayans is 49. Retired baseball player Mike Piazza is 41. And Dr. Drew Pinsky is celebrating his 51st. Weekend birthdays below.More

Weiner Commits | Now we know why Anthony Weiner wasn't too eager to run for mayor (and not just because he would have lost, although there's that, too): It's because he's settling down. A spokeswoman for Weiner revealed over the weekend that the congressman proposed to Huma Abedin, a top aide to Hillary Clinton, back in late May. Now we just have to wait for a photo to surface of the two of them standing next to each other, and it'll be all but official. [NYP]

• A recent Elle photoshoot with Britney Spears turned out to be a bit messier than expected. [P6]
• A photographer has filed suit against Chris Brown. He's  claiming the singer's bodyguards beat him up when he tried to take pics of Brown in March. [Us]
• Is Anthony Weiner engaged to Huma Abedin? [P6]
• Jay-Z is supposedly in talks with Lyor Cohen to set up a new record label at Warner Music. [NYDN] 
• Chace Crawford may be having a fling with 19-year-old Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Esti Ginzburg. [P6]
• Jane Fonda knows how to travel. She pretends she's injured so she can cruise through security in a wheelchair, apparently. [NYDN]
• Get ready: Prince Harry arrives in NYC tomorrow. [NYDN]More

Weiner Gives Up | Rep. Anthony Weiner is officially dropping out of the race for mayor, a move he hinted at a couple of months ago when he announced plans to suspend his campaign. The move leaves Comptroller William Thompson in the unenviable position of having to go head to head with Michael Bloomberg (and his $80 million war chest) this fall. It also means the election will likely turn out to be a lot less entertaining. "Mr. Weiner is among the few political figures in the city who seem to rattle the supremely confident Mr. Bloomberg, and appears almost to relish antagonizing the mayor. His exit, in some ways, is a victory for Bloomberg campaign aides, who sought to knock him out of the race." [City Hall News, NYT]

Weiner Takes a Step Back | Has Anthony Weiner decided not to face off against Michael Bloomberg this fall? It's hard to say! In a letter to campaign supporters today, Weiner said he plans to put off a final decision about his mayoral campaign until the summer, since he doesn't feel this is an appropriate time to engage in politics. Rest assured it is still a fine time to cavort with models. [NYT]

Beautiful models have been the downfall of many men, and Anthony Weiner, it appears, is no exception: The congressman who proposed expanding the number of visas available to foreign models last year is now being accused of accepting campaign contributions from the same models his proposal would have helped—women like Jessica Stam, May Andersen, and Thalita De Oliveira—for his upcoming mayoral campaign. The problem, of course, is that these models aren't allowed to make political contributions since they are not U.S. citizens. On the plus side, though, this may be the first scandal in history involving a politician and a gaggle of beautiful models that has absolutely nothing to with sex. Oh, poor Anthony.

Karole Armitage's Armitage Gone! dance company held its annual benefit last night at Capitale. The honorees at the Think Punk! event, Jeff Koons and Earle Mack, celebrated with their wives, Justine and Carole, as well as with attendees like Rufus Wainwright (left), Andre Balazs, Calvin Klein, Fabiola Beracasa, Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson, Nicole Miller, Lauren duPont, Allison Sarofim, Peter Marino, Mary Boone, David Salle, Michael Musto, Dominique Levy, Sandy Brant, Tom Sachs, Todd Eberle, Francesco Clemente, Michele Zalopany, and Jamie Niven. [PMc, VF, WWD]More

Grudge Match | Michael Bloomberg may spend as much as $100 million to run for mayor for a third time next year, which would be $16 million more than he spent in 2005. (Think how embarrassing it would be to actually change the city's term limit laws and then lose!) So where will the money go? A Bloomberg administration official says an estimated $20 million of it will be used to "pound away" at the mayor's likely competition, Anthony Weiner, who "Mr. Bloomberg is said to dislike." [NYT]

Happy Birthday | Bernie Kerik, the disgraced former NYC police commissioner, turns 52 today, although we imagine that this year there will be no celebratory hugs from his former boss. Today is also Beyonce's birthday: the singer, actress, and wife of Jay-Z is 27. Celebrity DJ Mark Ronson turns 33 today. One of the many contenders for mayor in 2009, Anthony Weiner, is 44. Mike Piazza is 40. Damon Wayans is 48. And Shar Jackson, the woman gave birth to Kevin Federline's kids before he found Britney to do the job, is 32.

• Barack Obama will appear on the cover of Time for the seventh time this year. [Drudge]
• National Enquirer editor David Perel would prefer it if you didn't refer to his tabloid as "icky". [HuffPo]
• Rachel Maddow's agent may have shopped her to Fox News before concluding a deal with MSNBC. [Jossip]
• Many of the bloggers who didn't get passes into the DNC will be blogging from the Big Tent a few blocks away. [MediaShift]
• Lifetime is moving ahead with its plans for Blonde Charity Mafia, a series about three D.C. socialites. [Variety]
• Ratings are up for Fox News. [THR]
• The New York Times has turned "tabloid-y," according to Anthony Weiner. [NYO]

Anthony's Anger Problem | The Times explores Anthony Weiner's temper today, and just as he gets his mayoral campaign off the ground, too! The "intense" and "demanding" Weiner harasses his employees on weekends, speaks "at a high decibel level most of the time," is "rough on office furniture," and hangs up on people. Weiner's response? "When you grow up in Brooklyn, you know, sometimes arguing is the sport." [NYT]

H-1B or 36D? | Mayoral aspirant and Queens Congressman Anthony Weiner is pushing a bill that would provide 1,000 extra visas a year. To models. Could Weiner be hoping for a little action from these hotties of foreign extraction? He already has a serious girlfriend! If nothing else, it can't hurt his chances of locking up a Bill Clinton endorsement in 2009. [NY Post]