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]

Bobby Jindal isn't officially running for president in 2012. But he sure isn't wasting any time filling up his campaign coffers. We're pleased to share with you this invite that went out to top NYC Republican donors this week, promising "cocktails and conversation" with the Republican governor of Louisiana at Georgette Mosbacher's Fifth Avenue apartment on April 15. For just $1,000 a person. (Or $2,000 if you're spending corporate money.) A larger scan of the invite is here.

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]

To Sell To Republicans, Use the Word "Conservative" | Do terms like conservative and liberal actually mean anything, or are they just empty labels that people toss around? Frequently the latter, says a group of Columbia University psychologists.More

John McCain and Sarah Palin may have lost last night, but there is still plenty of work for Republican strategists to do. Like shift the blame for McCain's embarrassing defeat! There is lots of blame to go around, of course, and the finger-pointing will likely go on for weeks and months (years?) as the GOP struggles to come to terms with the loss. But watching Sarah Palin get pummeled by anonymous GOP insiders and get handed the blame for everything that went wrong in the final weeks of the campaign will certainly be the most entertaining thing to watch. Several former "top advisers" to John McCain, for example, are now speaking with Newsweek about Sarah Palin's spending spree, and they now say her shopping expeditions were actually even more outrageous than previously reported. (Naturally, they go on to share just how upset the McCain team was by her "outrageous profligacy.") More

Elisabeth Hasselbeck has been one of the most vocal supporters of the Republican agenda on the View for years, she was the toast of the Republican National Convention in early September (she hosted a luncheon for Cindy McCain and handed out "McCain '08" t-shirts she designed herself), and just last weekend, of course, she hit the campaign trail with Sarah Palin. So you'd think that some staffer in the McCain camp—or an official at the RNC—would have taken a moment to verify that Hasselbeck is a registered Republican, right? Apparently not.More

Sarah Palin, Trendsetter | If you're still wondering how it is that people take Sarah Palin seriously, consider this: Her eyeglasses have caused a run on Kazuo Kawasaki frames, idiot reporters at ABC are calling her glasses the "bipartisan must-have fashion accessory" of the season, and even her hairdo, which the LA Times described as "a study in contrasts, carefree and 'done' at the same time" and noted was longer than "any other major female U.S. political figure's," is becoming all the rage. No word on American parents are now naming their little babies "Trig" in record numbers. [ABC, LAT]

The Times takes a look today at Woody Johnson, heir to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical fortune, owner of the New York Jets, and Republican fundraiser extraordinare. Johnson was one of the most important men at the Republican convention this year and has been among John McCain's most loyal fundraisers. He was the only fundraiser, the Times tells us, who had his name "emblazoned" on his own hospitality suite. And he's successfully raised money from the likes of Donald Trump, billionaire oil mogul David Koch, and even former enemy Chuck Dolan, the man who thwarted his attempt to build a Jets stadium on the West Side. Of course he's also the father of Casey Johnson, who has been tabloids recently for having dated Courtenay Semel, the daughter of ex-Yahoo CEO (and Democrat) Terry Semel, although we're guessing Casey didn't come up very often in conversation, especially with those Sarah Palin social conservatives. But Woody always has something to talk about with Dick Cheney!

• Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi officially tied the knot in front of 20 guests at their Beverly Hills home on Saturday, exchanging handwritten vows and Neil Lane rings. Ellen wore a pants suit; De Rossi opted for a Zac Posen gown. [NYP]
• Madonna spent her 50th birthday in London, attending Kabbalah sessions before having a small party at her London home. She then hit the clubs with 90 or so of her closest friends. [Mirror, Showbiz Spy]
• Did Hillary Clinton get facial fillers from a plastic surgeon earlier this month? [R&M]
• Republicans are having a tough time finding any celebrities to come to their convention. [R&M]