Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

Reality TV stars artfully bare their souls on camera and in the tabloids, and even better, they do it all without a script. But a TV show is only the first step to building a brand, and now countless pseudo-celebs are milking their 15 minutes and peddling products that you couldn't possibly live without. (Or so they say!) We compiled the most promising items from the brightest minds in faux-showbiz. With these ladies' designs in your style arsenal, your look will never be the same.More

• It's all over for Dan Rather and his long-running legal campaign against CBS. A state appeals court dismissed the ex-anchor's lawsuit today. [Reuters, NYP]
• At least four parties are still in the bidding for BusinessWeek. But Bloomberg LP remains the most likely acquirer of the struggling magazine. [BW, Reuters]
• An "unbelievably conscientious" Sarah Palin has finishing her memoir in less than four months. You can not buy the book beginning on November 17. [WP]
• Michelle Obama will appear as guest on Sesame Street's season debut. [NYT]
• TLC announced today it's dropping Jon Gosselin from Jon & Kate Plus 8. This news calls out for name change, obvs, so it'll be Kate Plus 8 from now on. [THR]More

• Madonna's trip to Israel is over. And it sounds like it was quite the party. Her entourage occupied a total of 11 suites and 25 hotel rooms; she brought her Italian chef with her as well as all her own exercise equipment aboard her private jet; and she received the sort of reception typically reserved for visiting presidents. Fun! [NYP]
• Michael Jackson's burial is finally scheduled to take placed today in Glendale, Calif. [MSNBC]
• DJ AM's burial took place in LA yesterday. Travis Barker, Scott Caan, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and members of Crazy Town turned up for the small service. In related news, although Goldstein didn't leave a will, he left behind about $1 million in assets. [Us, TMZ, People]
• The filming of the Sex and the City sequel has been getting a little chaotic, since fans have been turning up in droves at the locations. Fortunately, Sarah Jessica Parker and Chris Noth remain unarmed. And extra security has supposedly been hired. [NYDN] More

• Versace CEO Giancarlo di Risio is expected to hand in his resignation tomorrow. He's leaving after reportedly clashing with Donatella Versace "over her lavish lifestyle," not surprisingly. [NYT]
• The second season of The City has started filming inside Elle's offices. [WWD]
• Rosa Cha has launched a line of bathing suits that sell for as much as $3,200 apiece. And you can't even get them wet. But that isn't stopping women from buying them, supposedly. [NYP]
• If that bathing suit sounds appealing, you're probably the sort of person who'd also be interested in buying these $340 Hermès cotton boxer shorts for your husband. [FWD]
• Karl Lagerfeld is hitting the big screen. Or his voice is, at least. He'll be playing a villain in an animated French movie. [Fashionista]  More

Elle Prepares For Olivia's Arrival | Olivia Palermo starts her new "job" in Elle's publicity department next week. But she isn't coming alone: Since the gig will be incorporated into the next season of The City, she'll be followed around the entire time by a MTV camera crew. This probably explains why Elle staffers have been sprucing up the office ahead of her arrival and even repainted the reception area. Or perhaps this is how the magazine welcomes all new entry-level staffers these days? [WWD]

• Presumably this is what happens when you spend time hanging out with John Mayer: Dick Parsons (right), the former chairman and CEO of Time Warner and currently the chairman of the board of Citigroup, not only cheated on his wife of three decades with a "model-philanthropist" 29 years his junior, he fathered a child with her, too. [NYDN]
• Sean Penn and wife Robin Wright Penn may not be getting divorced after all. Weeks after filing for legal separation, Penn has withdrawn the motion, either because he only did it in a fit of anger, or because he got jealous after seeing Robin flirting with a handful of men at the Cannes Film Festival. [NYDN, P6]
• The "Real Housewives of New York" have all reportedly signed on for a third season and are expected to make upwards of $30,000 per episode. [MSNBC]More

• Olivia Palermo's imaginary career is on fire. The City star is reportedly leaving her "job" at DVF to "work" in the publicity department at Elle. So if you see anything in Elle that seems to have been ripped from another magazine, now you know who to blame. [P6]
• Jay-Z demanded a Maybach, champagne, "good quality" peanut butter and jelly, 12 shot glasses, and a pack of Marlboros—along with $750,000—before agreeing to perform at the University of Arizona last month. [SG, P6]
• Jesus Luz's dad says his son and Madonna "definitely" plan to tie the knot in a Kabbalah ceremony shortly. But Jesus won't have to bother signing a prenup since the marriage won't be legally binding. [NYDN]
• The good news for Amy Winehouse: She's reportedly no longer addicted to drugs. The bad: She's supposedly traded the drugs for booze. [OK!]
• Man of the people: Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein was spotted flying coach on a flight from New York to DC. [P6]More

She may not know much about PR, but one thing Olivia Palermo does know a lot about is nail polish, at least according to UK's Look magazine, which has declared her a "new style icon" for being brave enough to stick with the red nail color trend and get "snapped wearing the same nail colour again and again." Who knew Olivia's tiny fingers were capable of having such a profound effect on society? It's the next bit, though, that's really surprising: "With millions in the bank and a list of fashionable friends, you would think she would have a selection of nail varnishes to choose from." We would think she has multiple colors to choose from: That's how Korean nail salons operate, silly! We're not so sure about the whole "millionaire" bit, but presumably her dad will be pleased to hear the news.

• Madonna's most recent effort to change hearts and minds in Malawi: She pleaded her case in a letter to the country's Nation newspaper, writing that she wants to provide Mercy "with a home, a loving family environment and the best education and health care possible." [Us, NYP]
• Madonna may want to take a cue from Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt: The couple had their adoption request turned down by Bhutan recently, but they're now moving on to the Philippines, according to Britain's Daily Mail. [NYDN]
• Kipton Cronkite's life appears to be headed downhill: The art world scenester has lost his job and apartment, and he's living rent-free with a rich teenager on the Lower East Side. [P6]
• Ruth Madoff will have to find a new stylist: She's been banned from the Pierre Michel Salon "out of respect for the salon's other customers." [P6]
• Lindsay Lohan's mental condition isn't improving: Friends now say she "barely sleeps" anymore, and she "can't even sit down for a minute without pacing around the room." [People]More

Olivia Palermo is getting a little help from MTV as she tries to convince the world she isn't as horrible as you might think she is given her role as resident bitch on The Hills. Per the network's "official" TV blog: "With all the Olivia bashing that's been going on lately, we wanted to remind you that she has a totally separate life from what you see on The City. Not only is she way more casually dressed in person (we've spotted her in jeans and heard her cop to breaking out the spandex!) but she's also way more chill. And happier! And dating the hottest guy ever." Okay, sure, Johannes Huebl is nothing to sneeze at. But the hottest guy ever? Bold claim, MTV! But feel free to watch the video of Johannes flexing his abs in "nut-hugging briefs" so you can judge for yourself.

Olivia Palermo turned up on WPIX last week as part of her ongoing campaign to restore her good name. And what do you know? She says she doesn't always dress up (we thought so!) and can occasionally be seen in "Converse and spandex," she decided to appear on the The City because she thought it would "be a good learning experience," and despite evidence she does not actually work at Diane von Furstenberg, she says she exclusively wears DVF to go to work every day. Oh, and if you show her pictures of celebs on the red carpet, she will totally be able to tell you what designer each woman is wearing. The video below. More

Olivia Palermo's PR campaign to restore her good name continues! Hot on the heels of her chat with People, Palermo—accompanied by her publicist, naturally—took some time to complain to the LA Times about she's been magically transformed into a villain on MTV's The City. How could such a thing happen? "I'm a much nicer person, much more laid back and relaxed, not serious like they show me," she tells the paper. As for the suggestion she's a flighty young social who spends every evening out on the town, well, if you knew anything about her, you'd understand that's complete nonsense. She's a total homebody: More

• If you're out shopping and you find yourself facing off against Kelly Killoren Bensimon for the last dress in your size, let her have it: The former model and Real Housewives star was arrested and charged with third-degree assault last week after punching her 30-year-old boyfriend in the face, leaving him with a "black eye and opening a blood-gushing gash on his left cheek." [NYP, NYDN]
• Poor Olivia Palermo says she's been misrepresented by MTV producers, since she's actually "a much nicer person in real life." Also? She's currently "vacationing in London with her model boyfriend," if you're interested. [People]
• How's this for a comeback: Rihanna and Chris Brown have reportedly been holed up in a studio working on a new track together for the past few days. [E!]More

• Moises de la Renta—son of Oscar/ex-Phat Farm intern—is launching a clothing line. It's called MDLR; no points for figuring out what that stands for. [SF]
• Kevin Federline is launching a children's clothing line. He's currently attending a trade show in Las Vegas "in the interest of research," in case you happen to be looking for him. [WWD]
• Jenna Jameson is launching a fragrance. [NYDN]
• Michelle picked Narciso Rodriguez for Barack's speech before Congress. [SF]
• Roberto Cavalli isn't skipping Milan Fashion Week completely. And Victoria Beckham's headed to town, so the week is shaping up nicely. [FWD, WWD]
• A roundup of the worst fashion choices from The City! [Pipeline]

If you've ever watched The City and wondered whether Whitney Port and Olivia Palermo are actually sitting at their desks all day at Diane von Furstenberg and slaving away, well, it looks like The Daily may have finally put the matter to rest.More