Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

Joe Biden warned the public to avoid "confined spaces" like the subway when he appeared on the Today show this morning. So what did our fearless leader, Michael Rubens Bloomberg, do? He took the subway and went as far as to ask reporters to film him arriving at City Hall by train. Message communicated! But to make his arrival even more special, he also made sure he had a crisp copy of El Diario tucked under his arm, so not only did he reassure us all that we'll be fine amid the swine flu epidemic, he also demonstrated that he's still working on his Spanish. Multitasking in action, clearly.

• As part of the rescue plan currently under discussion in Washington, the government would end up with 40 percent of Citigroup, which isn't quite the same as nationalizing it, but is pretty darn close. [NYT] 
• JPMorgan Chase cut its dividend to a nickel yesterday. [AP]
• John Thain spent six hours answering Andrew Cuomo's questions last week. But he'll make a return visit this week now that a judge has ruled Thain has to provide more detail on Merrill's controversial bonus payouts. [Reuters]
• AIG needs more government money. Feel free to laugh or cry about this. [DB]
• UBS may end up going to court as it tries to fight an order to disclose the names of its American clients suspected of offshore tax evasion. [NYT]
• Allen Stanford had ties to Joe Biden's brother and son, apparently. [WSJ]
• A bankrupt Lehman Brothers is spinning off its venture capital arm. [WSJ]
• Home prices in 20 U.S. cities declined an average of 18.5% in December. [BN]
• Federal chairman Ben Bernanke says the recession should end this year and 2010 "will be a year of recovery," if the banking system's stabilized. Reassuring words, provided you still believe anything Bernanke has to say. [WSJ]

♦ Either Mariah Carey is pregnant or she's determined to do whatever it takes to stay in the spotlight. The diva was spotted looking "ebullient" on her way out of an OB/GYN's office in LA, where she was greeted by a cheering entourage and seen clutching "what looked like a sonogram." [P6, Mirror]
♦ Kate Moss skipped champagne and wore a loose dress to a Vogue event in China, which means she must be pregnant, too. [The Sun]
♦ In an upcoming issue of O, Oprah says she's "fallen off the wagon" and now weighs 200 lbs. But she blames it on her "out-of-balance thyroid," which gave her "a fear of working out." [AP]
♦ Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich watching soccer at Nevada Smith's in the East Village with girlfriend Dasha Zhukova? We can hardly believe it. [P6]
♦ Steve Schwarzman insisting on remaining centerstage at yesterday's Vanity Fair photo shoot? That sounds likely. [P6]More

Happy Birthday | Joe Biden has one more thing to celebrate today: It's his 66th birthday. Others blowing out candles today: The Soup's Joel McHale is 37. Author Don DeLillo is 72. Longtime TV journalist Judy Woodruff is 62. Avant-garde singer Meredith Monk turns 66. Bo Derek is 52. Former U.N. ambassador John Bolton is turning 60. The Beastie Boys' Mike D is 43. Hannah Montana star Cody Linley is turning 19. And Mark Gastineau, former football star, ex-husband of Lisa, and father of Brittny, is 52 years old.

When Diddy promoted "Vote or Die" in 2004, there were rumors that he didn't even bother to go to the polls himself. Guess there won't be a question this time around: He posed for photographers outside his local polling station in Midtown this morning. Click through for photos of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Bill Clinton performing their civic duty.More

♦  It's confirmed: Sarah Palin will appear on Saturday Night Live tomorrow. [NYDN]
♦  Yet another tragic consequence of the economic meltdown: Suze Orman is making money off the crisis with big-money endorsement deals. [WSJ]
♦  Playboy is cutting costs. How? With energy-efficient lightbulbs, naturally. [WWD]
♦  The Grammy nominations—not the actual awards, mind you—will be a TV special. [NYT]
♦  A hiring freeze is now in place at Condé Nast. [NYP] More

Democrats are thrilled to see Obama ahead by more than 10 points in the polls. But they're not counting their chickens just yet: Al Gore was leading the polls in mid-October of 2000 and then, well, he won except that he lost. But if you're a Democrat and looking for further evidence that you're going to have a reason to celebrate on November 4th, there's good news courtesy of an authority you can really have faith in: Rose Rosetree, face reader! Salon had the expert physiognomist gaze at pictures of all the important people, and Barack's great big forehead might as well have "leader" tattooed on it: Its wideness means "having ideas, goals, ideals" that will overcome the "obstacles that might get in your way." Even more reassuring: Obama and Joe Biden are "nostril twins."More

We always guessed Anna Wintour had psychic powers. The November issue of Vogue is now out, and the profile of four generations of women in Joe Biden's family appears under the headline "All the Vice President's Women." And if Anna says it's a done deal, who are we to argue? [Vogue via HuffPo]  

♦  Last night's face-off between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden generated the highest ratings for a debate in 16 years. [THR]
♦  SNL has booked Queen Latifah to play debate moderator Gwen Ifill tomorrow night. [People]
♦  What does Palin have to say about Katie Couric? Nothing good. [HuffPo]
♦  CNN incorrectly reported that Apple CEO Steve Jobs suffered a heart attack. [Reuters, SAI]
♦  Fox Business hit a ratings high on Monday—a scant 81,000 viewers. [NYT]
♦  Google may hire an ad agency for the first time. It's had discussions with Wieden + Kennedy and Ari Merkin's Taxi New York. [WSJ]
♦  Jesse L. Martin is in discussions to star in a new NBC drama called The Philanthropist. [THR]
♦  The Economist is stamping its brand on pizza boxes. [NYT]

Politico.com wanted some insight into how tonight's debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin will play out. So they consulted with one of the few people blessed with the ability to predict the future: psychic Elizabeth Joyce. She says the moon and stars are not, in fact, aligned in Palin's favor, and that Biden "will take the day so long as he doesn't push her too much." If you're supporting Obama/Biden, you're probably pleased to hear that. You may not, however, be quite as jazzed to hear what's in store for next week: "Her instincts tell her that come next week, there might be 'rioting in the streets and martial law,' and that President Bush will henceforth carry out his term indefinitely." Good to know!

John McCain has apparently taken careful note of the fact that no sooner had the news of Joe Biden joining the Democratic ticket emerged, his 2007 memoir Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics jumped straight onto the bestseller lists. McCain now seems to be taking advantage of his media interviews to market his own backlist, which consists of such magnum opi as Faith of My Fathers: A Family Memoir and Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life. In an interview with Time, the fiesty politico vehemently insisted that the reporters read his books for the answers to their questions. What, just because he's in the running for president, he should put all his eggs in one basket?More

• NBC says 211 million Americans tuned in to the Beijing Olympics, making it the most widely-viewed Games in television history. And merchandise sales were way up, too. [TV Decoder, TV Week]
• Journalists have spent the last couple of days trekking to Denver for the Democratic convention. David Carr will be one of the many Times reporters on hand, and he seems to have already located the free yoga facilities. [NYT, HuffPo]
• CJR dissects the Joe Biden announcement that went out over the weekend. [CJR]
• Remember Steve Stoute, the guy who hooks up corporate sponsors with big-name celebs? Stoute chats with AdWeek about some of his upcoming tie-ins, including a State Farm campaign with LeBron James. [AdWeek]
• When editors and publishers come together: This week's issue of New York features an article on the Gossip Girl ad campaign as well as an ad for—naturally—Gossip Girl. [Portfolio]
• The Wall Street Journal's new glossy magazine debuts September 6. [Gawker]
• Lifetime seems to be determined to give Bravo a run for its money with fashionistas and gays: It's set to air Blush: The Search for America's Greatest Makeup Artist right after Project Runway beginning in November. [Variety]

• Obama now has a running mate. But now Joe Biden's son and brother are in the news over a hedge fund that went sour. [WaPo, Dealbook]
• Investors are more optimistic that Lehman Brothers will raise additional capital in the near future. But there are also rumbles that Richard Fuld may be on the way out. [Dealbook, Dealbreaker]
• Citi has changed up its capital markets group. [Dealbook]
• Economists are questioning the government's response to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. [WSJ]
  
• Mrs. Fields has filed for bankruptcy. [Marketwatch]
• A top Blackstone exec, David Blitzer, was shaken down by his father-in-law. Now Blitzer has helped put the man behind bars. [WSJ]
• More details on Goldman Sachs' new headquarters downtown: "The heart of the building" will be a "living room" on the 10th through 12th floors. [NYT]