Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

Mark Thompson Deserves to Be in America's No. 1 Media Market | Why is it we don't have weather forecasters like this here in New York? Here's hoping some smart station manager at Channel 2, 4, 5, or 7 takes note of Mark Thompson's unique talents and gives him an opportunity to transport his act from LA to NYC. [YouTube via BB]

Today's Timewaster | If you're looking to kill a few minutes as the workweek finally comes to a close, Buzzfeed has an excellent round-up of the "10 best things that have ever happened behind a news reporter's back." Do enjoy. [Buzzfeed]

As you may have heard by now, David Letterman took some time out of his show last night to describe how a man tried to shake him down recently, threatening to reveal that the married Letterman had slept with several women on his staff unless he agreed to fork over $2 million. Letterman contacted the authorities and testified before a grand jury yesterday, and the man—who happens to be a producer for CBS News' 48 Hours—was later arrested. But the really awkward part came when Letterman went on the air to describe the extortion attempt to his millions of viewers, and concede that he has been involved with women on his show, a confession he played for laughs at times, leaving the audience wondering at times whether they were supposed to be laughing or not. A clip of the weirdest ten minutes of David Letterman's career is below.More

Newark vs. Conan | If your name was accidentally added to a no-fly list at one point or another (and you had to spends months working through red tape to have it removed), or you're one of the six people alive who takes TSA security precautions seriously, you may not find this video very amusing. But it seems Conan O'Brien had the nerve to mock the lovely city of Newark on his show last week and now Mayor Cory Booker has retaliated by adding Conan to Newark Airport's no-fly list. Let's hope Conan doesn't try to board a flight there regardless, get into a pushing match with security personnel, and fall down and bump his head or anything. [YouTube]

Daffy's Would Like You To Laugh at NYC's Most Unfortunate | Remember the Daffy's apartment contest? A few weeks ago, the discount clothing chain announced that it planned to give one lucky New Yorker a $7,000-a-month apartment rental for $700 a month. Contestants had to record a 30-second video explaining why they deserved the pad; Daffy's would pick the best entries and ask the public to select a winner.More

If you haven't had a chance to take the full tour of Bernie Madoff's East 64th Street penthouse with U.S. Marshall Roland Ubaldo as your official guide, you can do so below. More

Dr. Clarke To the Rescue | Did you know the Department of Health and Human Services is holding a competition to see who can come up with the best public service announcement about swine flu? It is! And a New York doctor has been picked as one of the top 10 finalists. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the lyrical dexterity of Dr. John Clarke, who spends his days working as the medical director of the Long Island Railroad. This guy is going places! [YouTube] 

Because the fashion industry really, really wants you start shopping again, it's pulling out all the stops for Fashion's Night Out, the hyped-up retail pep rally scheduled for September 10. The latest PR offensive: A TV commercial featuring Sarah Jessica Parker, Anna Wintour, Diane von Furstenberg, Donna Karan, Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Isaac Mizrahi, Diddy, Tory Burch, Lazaro Hernandez, Ashley Olsen, and a whole bunch of others—all jam-packed into a spot that's less than a minute long. If you watch the commercial—and you can do so above—make sure you're paying attention at the 0:30 mark. It's not every day that you get to see Anna Wintour come off as a giddy schoolgirl.

Anna Wintour on the Late Show with David Letterman [YouTube]

Donny Deutsch Is No Friend to the Homeless | Ad mogul and fill-in MSNBC anchor Donny Deutsch thinks it's a totally super idea to ship New York's homeless population to far-flung places! At least that's what he said under his breath today as the cable network went to commercial break. His reaction probably won't come as much of a surprise, of course. But prepare yourself for the news that Deutsch's worked out a marketing deal to make JetBlue the official airline of New York City's unwanted masses. It's bound to happen sooner or later. The clip is below.More

The September Issue Trailer Hits the Web | The trailer for The September Issue, the forthcoming documentary about Vogue editrix Anna Wintour, is now online. From the two-minute clip, there's plenty in the movie for Anna to like. (She's described as "the single most important figure in the $350 billion global fashion industry.") But there are clearly bits that may come back to haunt her. (A crack about blind people may not go over well.) The movie doesn't come out until September (naturally), although bootlegged copies are making the rounds. Think twice, though, if you plan to weigh in on Facebook. Anna is monitoring your every word. [YouTube, Page Six]

The High Line celebrated its grand debut with a splashy, Calvin Klein-sponsored party on Monday night. Naturally, Lisa Falcone and her husband, Phil Falcone, were in attendance: The hedge fund founder made a $10 million donation to the elevated park a week or so before it was unveiled to the public. Lisa took a few minutes to address the crowd at Monday night's party, and her speech came off as a bit loopy, according to people who were there.More

If you submit your wedding announcement to the New York Times and they decide not to run it, do you have legal grounds to sue the paper? No, sadly, you don't. But sketch comedy group, Kasper Hauser, has come up with an ad for a fake law firm that promises to do just that. It's a promotional video for the group's new book, Weddings of the Times, which was published last week. But it's amusing all the same. The video is after the jump.More

Checking In With Lizzie Grubman | Summer is here, which means Plum TV is back in action, filming the sorts of hard-hitting interviews you just can't find anywhere else. This week, the host of "The Juice," Nick Leighton, files a two-part interview with none other than Lizzie Grubman. More

General Motors Starts Over | If you were a little disturbed when you heard that America's largest automaker had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this week, you really need not have worried so much. General Motors didn't really "go out of business," the car company's new commercial explains. It was "about getting down to business." And don't pay any attention to all the negative press the past few months: "The only chapter we're focused on is the first chapter."