Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

Bernie Kerik Has a Big Decision Ahead of Him | Bernie Kerik is no longer crazy, apparently. After displaying behavior that "put him at risk" and spending 10 days in a psychiatric facility, New York's former police commissioner was allowed to return to a regular prison cell at the Westchester County Jail yesterday. More

Rudy Giuliani will not be pulling his dusty Marilyn Monroe costume out of the closet this weekend, sadly. (It seems that while New Yorkers didn't have a problem with a mayor who occasionally cross-dressed, national voters picking their next president weren't quite as open-minded.) When we called Giuliani's office to find out what he was planning to wear for Halloween (if anything!), a spokesperson for the ex-mayor admitted that while she hadn't spoken to him about it, she didn't believe he had any plans to dress up: "He's likely to be in New Jersey campaigning for the gubernatorial candidate, Chris Christie," she said. [Previously]

Rudy Does the Dirtiest Work | Were you, like us, a little perplexed last week when Mayor Bloomberg indicated that he planned to campaign this weekend with Rudy Giuliani by his side? One thing we didn't take into account (but which explains everything): If you'd like to engage in a little vintage NYC fear-mongering and race-baiting in the last few weeks of a campaign, there's really no better person out there to guide you. [NYT, previously]

The Mike and Rudy Show | At the debate earlier this week between Michael Bloomberg and Bill Thompson, the mayor said he thought Rudy Giuliani would make a good governor. The remark generated boos from the crowd (and rightly so), but it looks like the mayor wasn't paying much attention. More

Scary Rudy Rumor Quashed | Is Rudy Giuliani planning to run for president again in 2012? And is that why President Obama encouraged Gov. Paterson to abandon his gubernatorial bid? (The theory being that if Giuliani becomes New York's governor next year, he'd be better positioned to compete in a presidential election in 2012, and that by pushing Paterson aside, the chances of Rudy taking Albany are greatly diminished.) That's "insanity" and "very silly," and it ain't gonna happen, says Steve Kornacki. [PolitickerNY]

When members of the media have asked Rudy Giuliani in recent weeks if plans to run for governor, he's said that one of the complicating factors is what would happen to his law firm, Bracewell & Giuliani, and Giuliani Partners, his scandal-plagued security consulting business. Does the fact the latter is now taking on big new client mean Rudy has decided against making another bid for elected office? 

Capitalizing on the panic coursing through the ranks of the ultra-wealthy in the wake of the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme scandal, former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani is joining forces with Nine Thirty Capital in a new venture to vet hedge fund managers for fraudulent activity, according to an announcement being released today.

• Just as Jude Law is getting ready to play Hamlet on Broadway next month, his most recent baby mama, model Samantha Burke, has her lawyers offering up an exclusive interview and pics of their soon-to-be-born love child. Ah, there's nothing like milking a little publicity. [P6]
• Madonna bailed on Marc Jacobs' after-party at Hiro on Monday eve despite attending his show. Not to worry: Lindsay Lohan, Mischa Barton, and Rachel Zoe were all there, so there were plenty of people to stir up trouble. [NYDN]
• It looks like LiLo has made her 15-year-old sister, Ali, her new partner-in-crime when she goes out to party at night. We have a feeling this isn't going to end well. [MSNBC]
• Michelle Williams opens up about Heath Ledger's death in Vogue's October issue: "After the first year, the pain is less intense; it's less immediate... But every time I really miss him and wonder where he's gone, I just look at [Matilda]," she tells the magazine. [Vogue]More

Is Rudy Giuliani planning to run for governor? He still hasn't announced his candidacy officially, but it's looking more and more like he's a contender. Last week, he "encouraged" the chairman of the New York State Republican Committee, Joseph Mondello, to step down from his post, and Mondello dutifully did what he was told yesterday, resigning from the job to allow the former mayor to push for a more Rudy-friendly replacement. He's been crisscrossing the state over the last few weeks to drum up support with state Republicans. And he met with Mayor Bloomberg recently to discuss his chances.More

• Lindsay Lohan's troubles continue: Last week, the cell phone she left behind at a bodega in NYC prompted her to call the cops; now the police in LA are investigating a break-in at her Hollywood Hills home, which her family now says may have been an inside job. [People, TMZ, NYP]
• David Blaine's magic skills have turned a bit rusty. Although he was told not to go swimming in the ocean on account of Hurricane Bill, he jumped in the water at Necox Beach in Watermill anyway. And instead of magically transporting himself to safety, a couple of lifeguards had to go and rescue him and a few of his friends. [NYP] 
• Ryan Jenkins, the reality show contestant wanted for murdering (and dismembering) his ex-wife, Playboy model Jasmine Fiore, was found dead of an apparent suicide yesterday. [AP, TMZ]

• One of Jay-Z's bodyguards was arrested in Croatia yesterday after he got into a scuffle with a local TV reporter armed with a tripod. Video of the encounter is here. [TMZ]
• Heidi Pratt is scheduled to perform at the Miss Universe Pageant this weekend; not surprisingly, she and husband Spencer Pratt haven't exactly been making things easy for organizers of the event. [P6]
• Is it over between Renee Zellweger and Bradley Cooper? The two didn't attend the party for Zellweger's new movie together and, well, we all know what that means, don't we? [P6]
• Rudy Giuliani wandered into Blue & Cream in East Hampton the other day because he thought the clothing boutique was an ice cream shop. [P6]

Is Rudy Giuliani planning to run for governor? He's been flirting with the idea for months now. And he still isn't saying, suggesting this morning that the decision will ultimately depend on how "bad" things get in New York: "I got elected mayor, I believe, on the theory of—it can't get worse. So if it gets to that point, maybe I'll decide [to go for it]." And how much worse do things have to get before he decides to throw his hat into the ring? More

Rudy Giuliani has been trying to worm his way back into the public conversation the past few days. He penned an op-ed for the Times yesterday, jumping into the political mess in Albany by proposing, among other things, a constitutional convention to institute term limits on lawmakers and stricter campaign finance laws. But he didn't speak out because he's considering a run for governor in 2010. Don't be silly. It's because he cares about New York and fixing the political gridlock in Albany. ("This is done really out of frustration as a New Yorker," he explained.) More

It may seem as if Michael Bloomberg has it all. But money doesn't buy you everything, you know. All the riches in the world can't turn a nebbishy guy from Medford, Massachusetts into Tiger Woods, and so despite all the effort the mayor has put into improving his golf game since taking up the sport in 2000, he hasn't been able to improve all that much. But it's not like he doesn't want to. He's "obsessed" with the game, according to Christine Quinn. And it's not as if he isn't trying. He is. He really is.More

Happy Birthday | New York's 107th mayor—and the most famous drag queen in the city's history—is officially a senior citizen. It's Rudy Giuliani's 65th birthday today. Others celebrating: Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes is turning 74. View co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck is 32. Gladys Knight is turning 65. Kylie Minogue is 41. Mark Sanford, the Governor of South Carolina, is turning 49. And singer John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival) is 64 today.

Working on Michael Bloomberg's reelection campaign might just be the best job in town. He's got lots of money to spend, of course. (He's already shelled out more than $18 million since Jan. 12 despite little in the way of competition.) And then there are those rides aboard his jet, where expensive wine and sushi is always on the menu. He's paying his campaign staff pretty well, too, as Jason Horowitz discovered. And he's generous about looking beyond what others might consider unfortunate career blemishes. Take Bradley Tusk, the mayor's 35-year-old campaign manager, for example. Tusk once worked for Chuck Schumer's communications office and for Mayor Bloomberg at City Hall. But then he took a job as deputy governor of Illinois under now-disgraced Rod Blagojevich, and then left to join Lehman Brothers as a senior vice president. (We all know how that one turned out.) But Tusk has bounced back nicely. He's now making $27,500 a month to run Bloomberg's campaign. And he's not the only one doing well. A roundup of some of Bloomberg key campaign staffers—and their salaries—below. More