Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

Shop at Duane Reade, Help Sarah Palin Get Elected in 2012 | Duane Reade is hoping to change your opinion of the crappiest drugstore chain in NYC. For the first time in a long time, the company is about to launch a big brand-advertising campaign as part of an effort to "make New Yorkers think of Duane Reade as the hometown favorite." One little non-hometown detail that probably won't be referenced in the cheeky new campaign: the fact the chain is owned by Oak Hill Capital, which is controlled by Robert M. Bass, a Texas billionaire and one of George Bush's staunchest supporters during his two terms in office. [NYT]

Happy Birthday | 50 Cent turns 34 today. George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States, is turning 63. Nancy Reagan is 88. Sylvester Stallone is turning 63. Actor Geoffrey Rush is 58. Former Mets manager Willie Randolph turns 55. Ex-Barneys CEO Howard Socol is 64. Brazilian model Caroline Trentini is turning 22. Robin Antin, the Pussycat Dolls founder and sister of hairstylist Jonathan Antin, is 48. And the Dalai Lama turns 74 today.

Happy Birthday | Blow a kiss in Adriana Lima's direction. The supermodel turns 28 today. Others celebrating: Yankees star Hideki Matsui is turning 35. Deputy mayor Kevin Sheekey is turning 43. David Rockefeller is 94. Sports Marv Albert is turning 68. Real estate broker Michele Kleier is 66. Hunter College president Jennifer Raab turns 53. Kendra Wilkinson is turning 24. And George H. W. Bush celebrates his 85th birthday today. Weekend birthdays—including those of the Olsen twins and Donald Trump—after the jump.More

You can add The Carlyle Group to the long, long list of financial firms looking to cut back on their private jet budgets. The Washington-based private equity giant that counts members of the Bush family as investors is now looking to unload its 2004 Gulfstream G450. Like its rivals, it's been a challenging few months for Carlyle, which was ranked the largest private equity firm last year by Private Equity International. In December, the firm announced plans to slash 10 percent of its staff—the first layoffs in Carlyle's 20-year history—and it also said it planned to close down its Silicon Valley office. The jet broker responsible for selling the G4 didn't indicate how much Carlyle is hoping to get for the plane. (Similar models run about $30 million.) But if you're in the market for a jet that's made its fair share of trips to Kennebunkport and Crawford, you may want to set aside a little extra to replace all the gaudy gold plating in the bathroom and kitchen. Photos and detailed specs after the jump. More

Dinners with George | If you're looking for something to keep you occupied at work today, give C. Brian Smith's article about his regular visits to the White House a read. Smith, who became close to Barbara Bush at Yale, was a frequent guest of the Bushes during the early part of his administration. He also has the rare privilege of being able to say he's successfully carried pot into the West Wing, and has witnessed the President fart (although, in typical Bushian fashion, he deflected responsibility and blamed Barney the dog instead. [VF]

• MSNBC is planning to broadcast the inauguration live in 27 movie theaters around the country. The tickets are free; the popcorn and soda are not. [THR]
• The White House has requested 10 to 15 minutes of airtime on Thursday evening so George Bush can give a "farewell address" to the nation. [NYT]
• Chris Rock has signed a book deal with Grand Central Publishing. [PW]
• Is Blake Lively's appearance on the cover of Vogue a bad sign? [NYP]
• Ex-Voice fashion writer Lynn Yaeger will be writing for New York. [NYO]
• Condé Nast has appointed Bill Wackermann to oversee Domino. [MW]
• Comedy Central will begin broadcasting in high definition later this month, just so you can enjoy Carlos Mencia in all his glory. [B&C]

The Smartest Hasselbeck | Elisabeth Hasselbeck may be a vocal supporter of the President, but it doesn't appear her 14-month-old son is following in his mom's footsteps. After getting snubbed last month when she was denied an invite to the White House Christmas party, Hasselbeck got a chance to meet the President over the weekend and her son, Taylor, greeted the president by headbutting him. [HuffPo]

A Parting Gift for George | Here's an interesting idea courtesy of author Michael Gross: If you're doing a little year-end cleaning around the house and you have a few pairs of shoes you were planning to give to charity or toss in the trash, why not wrap up a single shoe in a pretty package with a bow and send it to the President Bush? The only thing better than seeing George Bush duck a flying shoe would be the sight of 50,000 of them piled up on the White House lawn. [MGross.com]

• President Bush announced a rescue plan for General Motors and Chrysler that will provide $13.4 billion in federal loans. [CNN]
• Jamie Dimon and Bob Rubin will go bonus-less this year. [Reuters]
• Not surprisingly, Credit Suisse's plan to pay out bonuses with "toxic" securities has "elicited livid reactions from senior bankers." [WSJ]
• A former Lehman employee has been charged with insider trading. [CNN]
• One person who will profit from the Madoff mess: Bruce Wasserstein. Lazard has been appointed to sell the trading operations of Madoff's company. [WSJ]
• There are two—yes, two—books already in the works about Madoff. [TBS]

Hasselbeck Denied in D.C. | Poor Elisabeth Hasselbeck. After stepping up to the podium at the Republican National Convention and then hitting the campaign trail to stump for John McCain and Sarah Palin, how does the White House repay her for her valuable service? By denying her an invite to the annual White House Christmas party! Maybe it has something to do with the fact that she's never bothered to register as a Republican? [NYP]

We should start off by saying that Lauren Bush is our favorite member of the Bush family. In fact, sometimes we forget that her uncle is the President, and what could be a greater compliment than that? She even deserves credit for dating David Lauren. Hooking up with a billionaire heir is rarely a commendable act, but since her relationship with Ralph's son is clearly a source of angst for the rest of the Bush clan—possibly because he's a decade older, Jewish, leans Democratic, or all three—it works in her favor. So it's with love and respect that we share the one thing about Lauren that we're decidedly less impressed with: Those burlap FEED bags she's been shlepping to every event she's attended for more than a year now. More

Barack Obama and George Bush have plenty of policy differences, of course, but does the President-elect really represent change when it comes to the wardrobe he's bringing with him to Washington? Maybe not! Both men are fond of American-made suits, white dress shirts, and light blue ties. And you'd be hard-pressed telling them apart if you only focused on the clothes, and you didn't get to peek at the size inside. (In case you're wondering, Obama wears a size 40 or 42; Bush is a 44 long.) On your left, you'll find our very own Presidential Fashion Challenge. See if you can tell which one is Barack Obama and which one is George Bush. It's harder than it looks.

Bush Turns to Booze | Just in case the plunging stock market, mass layoffs, falling real estate prices, and wave of bankruptcies wasn't sufficient proof that the sky is falling, here's a bit more evidence: Peru's official news agency reports that teetotaler-in-chief George Bush downed a Pisco Sour during his trip to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit last weekend. [Andina.com via HuffPo]

Mrs. Wolff Tells All | Michael Wolff is Vanity Fair's media columnist and the author of a brand new book about Rupert Murdoch. He's also a man with inside info and impeccable sources. "My 83-year-old mother (today is her birthday) in New Jersey has just called me to say that she has just heard through sources who must remain anonymous, though she hinted at friends who have children who might or might not know people in the State Department, that George Bush is back on the sauce and Laura is getting ready to leave him." [Newser.com]

With the presidential election just hours away, it's worth taking a moment to reflect on what George Bush will miss most when he goes from running the most powerful nation on earth to becoming the most hated president in modern American history. Will it be the power? The ability to twist the law to suit his own political agenda? Not according to his former chef, Walter Scheib. What he's really going to miss are the delicious huevos rancheros whipped up for him on Sunday mornings. Fortunately Scheib was willing to share Bush's fave recipe with Fox News, which you can see for yourself in the video to your left.