Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

The 2009 Mercedes-Benz Polo Challenge held its inaugural match at the Bridgehampton Polo Club on Saturday. Polo heartthrob Nacho Figueras, Chace Crawford, chef Marcus Samuelsson, Kyle MacLachlan and Desiree Gruber, Star Jones and boyfriend Herb Wilson, and a handful of reality TV personalities (Jill Zarin, PC Peterson, Kourtney Kardashian) turned out for the action. Cityfile's roving correspondent Douglas Marshall took a few minutes to catch up with Beth Ostrosky, who turned 37 last week but gets a gold star for still fitting into her short shorts from high school.More

Paterson Lines Up Another Big Name | Gov. David Paterson may have the lowest approval ratings in the history of state politics—one recent poll found that just 21 percent of voters said they have a favorable view of him, compared to a 26 percent favorability rating for disgraced ex-governor Eliot Spitzer—but Paterson is about to change all that. He's landed the sort of boldface supporter that politicians dream about. It seems none other than Star Jones will be hosting a "sunset cocktail reception" for Paterson on July 11 in Wainscott. Prepare yourself for some major momentum when the next batch of poll numbers are released. [NYDN]

Spotted | Tina Brown hailing a cab ... Sarah Jessica Parker walking son James to school ... Star Jones getting in a cab outside the Trump International ... Rachel Bilson carrying a bag from Whole Foods in Soho ... Justin Timberlake hitting balls at the driving range at Chelsea Piers, and later jogging along the West Side Highway with Jessica Biel ... Rachel McAdams and Josh Lucas riding bikes in Soho ... Kate Winslet walking in the West Village ... Jennifer Aniston getting out of an SUV ... Christina Milian arriving at her hotel in Midtown ... and Katt Williams getting in a green Lamborghini outside his hotel. 

• Matt Lauer's "deer incident" won't keep him down for long. He's reportedly in "good spirits" after undergoing surgery yesterday to repair a separated shoulder and will be back to work in a few days. [Star]
• How did Bruce Willis meet his new wife, Emma Heming? He picked her out during a casting call, just like any normal person. [P6]
• Lindsay Lohan is sick of "people telling lies" about her since she's "really a good person" who just wants to put in a honest day's work. Got that? Good. [People, Us]
• Barbara Walters is planning to quit ABC in the near future so she can "spend more time with her boyfriend, Dr. Robert Butler." Or at least that's what "industry insiders" are telling the Enquirer. [NE]
• The cutbacks at Condé Nast continue: Editors like David Remnick and Ruth Reichl have been forced to take the subway! [NYP]More

Happy Birthday | Tommy Hilfiger turns 58 today. Star Jones is 47. Condé Nast CEO Chuck Townsend is 65. Lara Flynn Boyle is turning 39. Lake Bell is 30. Actress Alyson Hannigan is 35. Filmmaker Curtis Hanson is turning 64. Fashion designer Bob Mackie is 69. Comedian Louie Anderson is turning 56. And Peyton Manning, the Super Bowl MVP and older brother of Eli, turns 33 today.

Karole Armitage's Armitage Gone! dance company held its annual benefit last night at Capitale. The honorees at the Think Punk! event, Jeff Koons and Earle Mack, celebrated with their wives, Justine and Carole, as well as with attendees like Rufus Wainwright (left), Andre Balazs, Calvin Klein, Fabiola Beracasa, Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson, Nicole Miller, Lauren duPont, Allison Sarofim, Peter Marino, Mary Boone, David Salle, Michael Musto, Dominique Levy, Sandy Brant, Tom Sachs, Todd Eberle, Francesco Clemente, Michele Zalopany, and Jamie Niven. [PMc, VF, WWD]More

• Was the "exhaustion" that sent Samantha Ronson to the hospital the result of a marathon screaming match with Lindsay? [TMZ]
• Walter Noel's five daughters are a bunch of maneaters who used to steal other girls' boyfriends, at least according to one of their former Georgetown classmates. [P6]
• Now that he's dated half the blondes in New York, Lance Armstrong says he's having a baby with his girlfriend, Anna Hansen. [NYDN, PM]
• Star Jones has supposedly gained 30 lbs. recently and is now worried her boyfriend, chef Herb Wilson, is going to dump her because of it. [NE]  More

Spotted | Jessica Szohr taking some of her hard-earned GG cash out of an ATM at a deli on the Upper East Side ... Barbara Walters walking down the street by herself ... Beth Ostrosky arriving at Fox for a TV appearance ... Jennifer Connelly leaving ABC studios after an appearance on Regis & Kelly ... Leighton Meester and Blake Lively filming scenes for Gossip Girl on the Upper East Side ... Michelle Williams reading a magazine while crossing the street ... Heather Graham standing on the sidewalk ... Amy Adams posing for pics outside Letterman ... Katie Holmes crossing the street with Suri in the East Village ...  and Ivana Trump and Star Jones standing outside La Goulue on Madison Avenue.

♦  A "crazed" Madonna fan stormed the set of Guy Ritchie's new movie this weekend and threatened to kill him with a 12-inch knife before the 16-year-old was arrested. [Mirror, Daily Star]
♦  Is Ashley Olsen planning to marry boyfriend Justin Bartha in a secret wedding on the French Riviera? That's what the National Enquirer claims! Also: She supposedly wants Karl Lagerfeld to design her dress. [Daily Express]
♦  Joaquin Phoenix was acting "odd" and wobbly at an event in San Francisco last week, and now his friends are worried he's back to drinking and doing drugs. [P6]
♦  Beth Ostrosky and Ryan Reynolds both finished the NYC Marathon yesterday, along with about 35,000 other people. [NYDN] More

Star Jones no longer has a husband to fight with or any co-stars to bash, so now she's going to battle with the board of her condo building at 300 East 90th Street over a mysterious leak that's been soaking her penthouse triplex since 2003. According to a lawsuit filed in the Manhattan Supreme Court, Jones wants $700,000 to compensate for water damage in her apartment, the $17,861-a-month she's been shelling out for a temporary rental since 2006, and the "unhealthy and dangerous" effects the now-moldy pad has had on her asthma condition. Still no word on what caused the leak to begin with, although we're guessing Barbara Walters and Joy Behar are prime suspects.

♦  Not only did Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony renew their vows at 3:15 a.m. in Las Vegas on Sunday, they did it in a joint ceremony with Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran and his wife Jessica.  [E!, People]
♦  Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson tell friends they're planning on dressing up as Todd and Sarah Palin for Halloween. [NYDN]
♦  Jay-Z couldn't get any London clubs to pay his $50,000 appearance fee this weekend. [This London Blog via E!]
♦  Is Suri Cruise lonely and sad because has no friends her own age? [P6]More

• It's no fun living near Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Neighbors in the West Village say the two are "spoiled brats" since they have bodyguards posted outside their apartment on West 13th Street who make neighbors get off the stoop whenever the twins are arriving home, and the twins keep SUVs idling in front of the building for hours at a time. [P6]
• Justin Timberlake has been hinting to friends that he and Jessica Biel may get married soon. [MSNBC]
• Ashley Dupre doesn't like it when randoms make fun of her on the street. [P6]
• Star Jones' new relationship with chef Herb Wilson? The two actually first dated 10 years ago back when she was fat. [NYDN]
• Jennifer Lopez is throwing Marc Anthony a birthday bash at the Bowery Hotel on Sunday. [In Touch]

• Raffaello Follieri is expected to appear in court later this morning and plead guilty to wire fraud and money laundering, a deal that will land him a jail term of 51 to 63 months. [NYP]
• Anne Hathaway says she "spent a week in shock" when she first found out about Raffaello Follieri's arrest. [ET]
• Jeremy Piven, who is decamping to New York for a Broadway role, was overheard saying he wants to take over Sean Avery's old apartment on 19th Street. [P6]
• Star Jones and Al Reynolds hammered out a divorce settlement yesterday. The settlement leaves Al with almost nothing thanks to the "air tight" pre-nup he signed. [P6]
• Wedding alert? Samantha Ronson told partygoers at the Chateau Marmont that "by the end of the year, my love will be Mrs. Ronson." Lindsay says she's looking forward to buying a home "with someone." [The Sun, People]
• Sarah Palin's oldest son Track was addicted to OxyContin? That's what the very reputable National Enquirer says! [Enquirer]

Spotted | Cameron Diaz leaving a nail appointment ... Jennifer Aniston with Alec Baldwin on the set of 30 Rock ... Liv Tyler dressed up for a party sponsored by Samsung ... Miley Cyrus walking around Midtown ... Adrian Grenier with his grandmother at the Entourage season premiere party ... Kim Cattrall sitting with with Star Jones at the US Open ... Naomi Watts with her baby on Lafayette Street ... Ed Koch standing in Midtown ... and Kelly Ripa leaving the ABC studios with a cup of coffee in hand... 

• Star Jones has a new man! Meet Herb Wilson, the executive chef at Manhattan's Soho and Tribeca Grand hotels. [People]
• David Duchovny's claim that he was getting treatment for his addiction to porn? He was cheating on his wife, according to tabloid reports. [R&M]
  
• Rachel Maddow has taken over as the Post's official MSNBC punching bag. Today's rumor: that Maddow tried to replace the staff for her new 9PM talk show. [P6]
• The National Enquirer is claiming that Sarah Palin cheated on her husband with his business partner. [CBS News]