Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

Last Friday, David Paterson insinuated that he was the victim of racial bias, suggesting that a racially motivated campaign had been organized to keep him from running for governor this fall. A good deal of criticism immediately followed (and today Paterson attempted to back away from his remarks). But if Paterson had been planning to stick with that line of attack over the weekend and possibly coordinate a march on Albany with Al Sharpton, well, that doesn't appear to have been on his agenda. A few hours after raising the race issue on Friday, he cruised out to Water Mill to attend a country western-themed fundraiser at the home of author Jay McInerney and heiress Anne Hearst, where he had an opportunity to play a little charity blackjack with the likes of Kathy Hilton and Countess Luann de Lesseps. And you were thinking that the Hamptons tended to be exclusionary! A few more photos of Gov. Paterson's fun-filled Friday night below. More

The Friday Party Report | The Four Seasons celebrated its 50th anniversary last night and a predictably large crowd of media personalities, politicos, and powerbrokers turned out for the occasion. Just a few of the people on hand to celebrate the event with co-owners Julian Niccolini and Alex von Bidder (left,  Erin Fetherston): Barry Diller, Nicole Miller, Ralph Lauren, Mort Zuckerman, Ray and Veronica Kelly, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., David and Joyce Dinkins, Henry Kissinger, Aby and Samantha Rosen, Dolly Lenz, Tim and Nina Zagat, Steve Schwarzman, Fern Mallis, Jay McInerney, Jeffrey and Linda Chodorow, Steve Newhouse and Gina Sanders, Albert Maysles, Ruth Reichl, Robert Burke, Linda Fargo, Star Jones and Herb Wilson, Thom Browne, Don Marron, Drew Nieporent, John Gutfreund, Chuck Scarborough, Cindi Leive and Howard Bernstein, Terry Allen Kramer, Marjorie Gubelmann, Marina Rust Connor, and Salman Rushdie and girlfriend Pia Glenn. [PMc, Wireimage, NYO, Paper]

Jay McInerney's latest book, How It Ended, was feted at the 21 Club on Wednesday night. On hand for the occasion: McInerney's wife, Anne Hearst, Brooke Shields, Candace Bushnell and Charles Askegaard, Gay and Nan Talese, Morgan Entrekin, Nina Garcia, Pamela Fiori, Bob Colacello, Richard Johnson and Sessa Von Richthofen, Peggy Siegal, Muffie Potter Aston, Bettina Zilkha, Cornelia Guest, Debbie Bancroft, Valesca Guerrand-Hermes, Nina Griscom, Somers White Farkas, Patrick McMullan, Robert Couturier, George Farias, Tatiana and Campion Platt, Kimberly Rockefeller, Pamela Gross, Harry Slatkin, Dana Hammond, Harry Benson, and Deborah Norville. [PMc, VF, P6]More

Andrew Saffir's Cinema Society hosted a screening of The Mysteries of Pittsburgh last night at the Landmark Sunshine Theater. Guests at the screening included the film's stars Sienna Miller and Peter Sarsgaard (left), along with Maggie Gyllenhaal, Anna Wintour, Russell Simmons and Julie Henderson, Gilles Bensimon, Rachel Roy, Amy Sacco, Rachel Zoe, Beth Ostrosky, Olivia Palermo and Johannes Huebl, Jessica Joffe, Zoe Kravitz, Stefano Tonchi, Marina Rust Connor, Jennifer Creel, Richard Johnson and Sessa von Richchofen, Carlos Souza, Marcus Schenkenberg, Rosanna Scotto, Emma Roberts, Brittny Gastineau, Irina Pantaeva, Kiera Chaplin, Lisa Anastos, Jackie Astier, Kim Heirston, Nur Khan, Gilles Mendel, Bobby Kennedy III, Kelly Killoren Bensimon, Chris Diamantopoulos, and Olympic fencers Tim Morehouse and Jason Rogers. [PMc, Wireimage, VF, Paper, FWD]More

Andrew Saffir's Cinema Society hosted a screening of He's Just Not That Into You at the Tribeca Grand on Wednesday night. Guests at the screening and after-party, hosted by Stardoll and Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti, included Lindsay Price (left), Olivia Palermo and Johannes Huebl, Michael Kors, Amy Sacco, Anne Hearst and Jay McInerney, Rachel Roy, America Ferrera, Helena Christensen, Eva Amurri, Mamie Gummer, Cuba Gooding Jr., Maggie Rizer, Annelise Peterson, Zoe Kravitz, Lisa Bonet, Lorenzo Martone, Marina Rust Connor, Chris Benz, Christian Siriano, Reed Krakoff, Dori Cooperman, Taylor Momsen, Carson Kressley, Poppy Delevigne, Jane Seymour, Genevieve Jones, Patricia Clarkson, Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss, Irina Pantaeva, Dylan Lauren, Jeff Gordon, Kiera Chaplin, Liam McMullan, Derek Blasberg, and one of the stars of the film, Ginnifer Goodwin. [PMc, Wireimage, VF, Style.com, NYO, FWD]More

Cinema Society, Nextbook and Grey Goose hosted a screening of Defiance last night with an after-party at Shang inside the Thompson LES. Host Andrew Saffir and the film's stars, Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber, and director, Edward Zwick, were joined by Marc Jacobs and Lorenzo Martone, Naomi Watts, Olivia Palermo (left), Jason Pomeranc, Agyness Deyn, Tory Burch and Lyor Cohen, Donna Karan, Martha Stewart, Jay McInerney, Kimberly Guilfoyle and Eric Villency, Amy Sacco, Russell Simmons, Zani Gugelmann, Ivanka Trump, Andre Balazs, Steve and Christine Schwarzman, Ann Dexter-Jones, Ellen Barkin, Paula Froelich, Richard Johnson and Sessa von Richthofen, Larry Gagosian, Bettina Zilkha, Carson Kressley, Jennifer Creel, Valesca Guerrand-Hermes, Rachel Roy, Kelly Killoren Bensimon, Douglas Hannant, Rosanna Scotto, Heather Matarazzo, Joshua Bell, Leelee Sobieski, Jill Hennessy, Debbie Bancroft, Marina Rust Connor, Nina Griscom, Caroline Murphy, Judah Friedlander, Patrick McMullan, Liam McMullan, Mary Alice Stephenson, Dan Abrams, and Dave Zinczenko. [PMc, Wireimage, The Daily] More

Happy Birthday | Author Jay McInerney turns 54 today. Nutty editor Atoosa Rubenstein is celebrating her 37th. Orlando Bloom is 32. Grey's Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey is turning 43. Grey's creator, Shonda Rhimes, is 39. Julia-Louis Dreyfus is turning 48. Former Citigroup CEO Charles Prince is 59. Former Hillary Clinton advisor (and now Citigroup exec) Lisa Caputo is turning 45. Socialite Renee Rockefeller is 41. And legendary American Idol reject William Hung celebrates his 26th birthday today.

Jay McInerney Reflects on Life | You might imagine that yesterday's famous author/today's out-of-work wine critic Jay McInerney would attempt, just for the sake of decency, to play down his healthy self-regard when talking about his career, but, oh, you'd be so wrong. In an interview with Britain's Telegraph, Jay envisages the "headlines" when he dies, describes his reaction re-reading Bright Lights, Big City—"I thought, 'Wow, that's pretty damn good'"—and compares himself to Ernest Hemingway, Norman Mailer, and Henry James. Hey, we're sure if Gossip Girl had been around in James' day, he would have put aside writing masterpieces in favor of a bit part. [Telegraph]

♦ Publishing heiress Anne Hearst—the mother of socialite Amanda and wife of writer Jay McInerney—has sold her former three-bedroom, fifth-floor apartment at 203 East 72nd Street for $1.85 million. She and Jay shouldn't have to worry about packing any boxes: The couple has been living in an East 9th Street penthouse for the past couple of years. [Cityfile]
♦ Lincoln Center Theater artistic director André Bishop has sold his five-bedroom townhouse in Carnegie Hill for $5.6 million, nearly $2 million less than original $7.5 million asking price when it was first placed on the market back in February. [Cityfile]
♦ Adam Bronfman, the youngest son of Edgar Bronfman Sr. (and brother of Edgar Jr. and Matthew), has paid $7 million for a pied-à-terre at 170 East End Ave, the same building where Johan Santana, Dominique Levy, and Michael Fascitelli have all picked up apartments in recent months. [NYP]

It's a Zen-worthy philosophical riddle: If all the boldfaced names who turn up to a store opening deny that they themselves would dream of wearing the clothes, does that neutralize the PR value of their presence? At the launch of Juicy Couture's Fifth Avenue flagship last night, the guest list was a publicist's wet dream—or would have been—if The Transom hadn't asked people what they thought of the label.More

Normally TV producers wait until a show is flagging in its 5th or 6th season to wheel on the newsworthy cameos, but Gossip Girl, perhaps due to its eagerness to maintain an authentic elitey-glamour, is piling them on already. Last night's season two debut featured Jay McInerney playing himself with a different name, and Tinsley Mortimer playing herself period.More

• Tommy Hilfiger and Dee Ocleppo were supposed to have two weddings coming up—one in Mustique and one at The Plaza—but now they're having none because the whole wedding has been called off. The Post's suggestion: "Maybe he should rethink his hairpiece." [Page Six]
• Lydia Hearst and Aubrey O'Day weren't actually making out in front of Butter on Monday night. They were filming a scene for the film that Tara Subkoff is making to promote her new collection. [Page Six] 
• Heather Graham and Star Room co-owner Charles Ferri have broken up after two years of dating. [Page Six]
• Is Katie Holmes pregnant again? Probably not! [Mirror]

1) Donna Karan's annual designer garage sale in support of the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund was co-hosted by InStyle and Kelly Ripa on Saturday. Betsey Johnson, Lydia Hearst, Euan Rellie, Lorraine Bracco, Jessica Stam, Katie Lee Joel, Debbie Matenopoulos, Hana Soukupova, Charlotte Ronson, and Nanette Lepore browsed stalls manned by the likes of Rachel Zoe and Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss, raising $3.6 million. [FWD]

2) In the evening Robert Wilson hosted the 15th annual Watermill Benefit, where Lisa Anastos, Anthony Haden Guest, Howard Stern and Beth Ostrosky, Alan Wyse and Kim Catrall, Campion and Tatiana Platt, Roger Waters, Rufus Wainwright, Amanda Hearst, Fabiola Beracasa, Valesca Guerrand Hermès, Douglas Hannant, Debbie Bancroft, Rachel Zoe, Lisa Perry, Debbie Bancroft, Ross Bleckner, Bob Colacello, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Michelle Paige Paterson, Alexandra Stanton, Jamee Gregory, Jessica Joffe,  Jonathan and Somers Farkas, Chris and Cristina Greeven Cuomo, Hope Atherton, Joe Zee, Roberta Myers, Simon de Pury, Kim Heirston and Richard Evans, Lauren Ezersky, Jon Stewart, Lisa de Kooning, Jay McInerney and Anne Hearst participated in auctions for exotic prizes like an Einstein chair and a golden palomino mare. [PMc/FWD] More

It's a thorny issue grappled with by the best of us: When you're invited to spend the weekend at someone's palatial Hamptons residence, what kind of gift should you bring in order to create the right impression, not look like a cheap freeloader, and secure that all-important second invitation? Well, agonize no more, because The Sun has gathered together some top tips from both guests and hosts, so you'll know what to come armed with next time—or, you can see if you want to invite certain people based on what they might bring.More

1) The first New York benefit of the Young Patrons Circle of the Friends of the Louvre took place Tuesday night at Espace: Devoted socials like Olivia Chantecaille, Fabiola Beracasa, Alexandra Papanicalaou, Lisa Anastos, Annabel Vartanian, Melissa Berkelhammer, and Devorah Rose bid on photographer Candida Hofer's pictures of the Louvre's galleries. [Park Avenue Peerage/PMc]

2) Also on Tuesday, Elvis's granddaughter Riley Keough and famous elf Elijah Wood were the hosts of a fundraiser at Milk Studios in the meatpacking district for The Art of Elysium, a charity that connects artists with sick children. Danny Masterson, Ann Dexter-Jones, Alexander Dexter-Jones, Michael Hilfiger, Zoe Kravitz, Genevieve Jones, Amy Sacco, Tara Subkoff, and Agyness Deyn—sans Albert Hammond Jr., possibly because his ex May Andersen was there?—all peered at silkscreens of Iggy Pop, David Bowie, and Lou Reed. [Paper]More