Catch You Later, Sandy Baby

This has nothing specifically to do with New York or media, but they tell us it's a big deal anyway: Sandra Day O'Connor just announced she's retiring from the Supreme Court. More »

And How Is This Night Different From All Other Nights?

She was up in New York, not in her usual D.C. comfort zone, and she was talking about quixotic Olympic bids, not quixotic war efforts. But it's remarkable how natural Condi looks in this photo. You'd almost think she has lots of experience giving brief speeches under the watchful gaze of a mostly empty-headed wannabe jock with an inexplicably optimistic grin permanently affixed to his face. More »

NYC2012, Helping You Watch the Olympics on TV

Only eight days left till the host city is chosen for the 2012 Olympics, and the NYC bid committee wants to make sure no one here at home is left out of the fun while the final presentations are being made in Asia next Wednesday night. More »

Today in Gay: Unicycling for Pride, or Something

• Perhaps the wackiest gay-pride stunt ever: A straight pastor is unicycling down the East Coast, collecting "human stories" of gay Americans for inclusion in a book. Queer, indeed. [Good As You] More »

Best Vacation Ever

State lawmakers want to boost touristm with an "I Love NY Beer" campaign.

The program, floated by a state assemblyman who doesn't drink, would include a beer trail map, preplanned vacation itineraries and a "brewery passport" booklet filled with discounts and information on surrounding attractions.

The urinal trail map, unfortunately, will be sold separately. More »

Bush to City: Drop Dead

It's not surprising when W. tries to screw over the city financially, but, still, it's worth noting. Reports the News:

New York lawmakers made a last-ditch appeal yesterday to stop the feds from taking back $125 million in unspent 9/11 relief money meant for workers injured at Ground Zero.

You remember the rescue workers, right, George? The ones surrounding you when you did your little bullhorn photo op at Ground Zero? The ones who you told, "I can hear you, the rest of the world hears you, and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon?" Just checking. More »

At Least Larry Kramer Can't Say They Ignored It This Time

Remember the new superstrain of AIDS that promised to make 2005 seem like 1985 for New York's gays? The one that was all over the press for a few days, and that prompted an hysterical New York magazine cover (on what was actually a skeptical article)? Yeah? Well, turns out it, um, sort of didn't exist. Here's the Post on this big whoops:

The city's top AIDS official said yesterday the recently discovered virulent HIV strain — dubbed a "superstrain" by some — appears to be an isolated case and may not have been the new virus form that was initially feared.

It's almost as though government officials are trying to scare us all for no reason. But they would never do that. More »

Gossip Roundup: Hillary Clinton, the Senatorial Lesbian

· Ed Klein's new biography on Hillary Clinton says that she was a total dyke and chowed box. Or was maybe just friends with women at Wellesley, God forbid. [Page Six] More »

Eliot Spitzer, The Video Game Nerd

We know that New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is supposed to be the little man's savior, the one who brought big business to its knees, pleading for a death that will never come. (We also hear Spitzer found and protects the Ark of the Covenant.) But we still find his last few days of woe somewhat amusing. More »

Gay Republicans Remain Confused

It must be strange to be a gay Republican. It must be even stranger to be a gay Republican in Queens. (You'd have to decide whether or not you hate yourself based on which neighborhood you were in. We imagine one would just keep to Astoria.) This is probably why it's so confusing that Rep. Serphin R. Maltese of Queens is so angry that gay Republicans are taking up space on the Republican State Committee. More »

It's Alive! The Stadium Is Alive!

Hey, this is New York: Stuff like this never dies. Young Republican safe haven The New York Sun reports this morning that, in spite of the negatory vote earlier this week, the Jets are still considering building the damn stadium anyway. They haven't really found a catch, really; they've just kind of said, "well, uh, we could pay for it ourselves, we guess." More »

Kill The Smokers. Kill Them Now!

We know that smoking is bad, OK? And that smokers are bad people? And that anyone who so much as says the word cigarette should be cast down by stones in the town square? That if you see a smoker on the street, you should stab them in the face? We're all agreed on this, right? More »

Why Brooklyn Gets Stadium, But West Side Doesn't

In case you were wondering, just because the Jets aren't getting their stadium paid for with public funds doesn't mean the Nets — they're from somewhere west of the River, we hear — aren't still building theirs. The NYT looks at why Brooklyn is going to get its stadium, whether it wants it or not. More »

Looking At The Look Book

Earlier, we introduced you to today's Look Book victim subject, NYU student and secret OlsenFriend Madison Brigode. But just because Madison is created in Mary-Kate's image doesn't mean she isn't worthy of our usual dissection — if anything, Madison is all the more deserving of our attention. This week, Intern Alexis rounds up AJ Daulerio, Timothy Gunatilaka, and Ian Chillag for their for an in-depth discussion of Madison's penchant for wearing dirty clothes. More »

Ground Zero Redevelopment Update: Just Let the Men In Fashionable Glasses Take Care Of It

Ground Zero may be totally over, but with reelection campaigns and political careers riding on it, it won't go away. Paul Goldberger weighed in with his plans for the site in the New Yorker, calling for more apartments for corrupt Giuliani associates. But will they have the same romantic End of the Affair aura now that the rubble is no longer smoking? More »

NYDN's Errol Louis On The Secrets Of The Flackiverse

Today's Page Six once again tries its veiny hand at local politics, running an awkwardly-placed item suggesting that Daily News columnist Errol Louis has a bone to pick with mayoral candidate Gifford Miller because, Page Six claims, Louis was passed over for a job on Miller's staff. The Politicker called Louis for comment: More »

Ferrer: He's Kinda Like That Weird American Apparel Guy

You kids with your celebrities and your general-interest magazines, I think you could all use a little more civic involvement. How many of you know there's a war going on? Did you vote in the primaries? When the hell are the primaries? Let's catch up on local politics, shall we? More »

Bloomberg: 10 Days, $1 Million, Still No Fumar

The Times reports on Mayor Mike s first wave of advertising, all in Spanish: More »

Here He Comes to Save the Day...

We're not quite sure if this guy is serious or if he's joking (or if maybe he's both at the same time, like Andy Kaufman): Andy Horwitz is running for mayor on the "Blog Party" ticket. We suppose we ought to support his campaign, what with being a blog and all, but somehow we can't really work up the enthusiasm; he's just got such a boring platform. (A typical plank: "Accountability in the MTA and responsible public transportation development initiatives." Please.) Plus, what's a blog party without drinks, or at least Krucoff? We'll make this pledge, though: If Horwitz successfully picks a fight with Jerry Lawler, he's absolutely got our votes. More »

The New New York Anthem You Never Wanted

Somewhere, Frank Sinatra is rolling over in his grave: The Politicker has obtained an exclusive copy of the new NYC anthem (no, it's not anything from the Geto Boys). Composed by Frank Wildhorn with creative — nay, genius — lyrics by Jack Murphy, this one is destined to find its way into your iPod's heart: More »

Gifford Miller, Superstar

In an attempt to be more than just the pasty white guy in the race, mayoral hopeful Gifford Miller tells The Times' Nicholas Confessore about his Lucy-like desire to be in the show. I've always liked singing," says the City Council speaker. "It finally struck me that if I could find some captive - and uncritical - audiences, I could indulge myself a little more." To that end, Miller, who says his eclectic musical tastes run the gamut from Bob Marley to Neil Diamond (black vote, check; Jewish vote, check), has been performing his little heart out on the campaign trail. Reviews in the paper seem positive, but we wanted a more professional appraisal. After the jump, our hastily-assembled panel of experts weighs in on the singing speaker's performance. —AB More »

Mayoral Race: Here's the Tiniest Violin in the World, Playing for Just the White Guys

A Hispanic Roman Catholic, a black Baptist and a Jew walk into a bar sounds like the beginning of a really racist joke, right? (It is; e-mail us for details.) But it's also practically the lede of a story in The Times this morning on the lonely life of the white Protestant in New York City politics. According to Sam Roberts, City Council Speaker Gifford Miller's (second Caucasian from left in photo) mayoral campaign is finding it difficult to gain ground because young Giff worships at the altar of Wonder Bread in a bagel and tortilla town. So Giff's trailing in the polls because of the color of his skin? Guess that aggressively boring thing is just a bonus. —AB More »

Strange doin's at the old Bloomberg place.

The buzz in North Salem, NY (and did you ever think you'd see those words in the same sentence?) concerns the mysterious landscaping events occurring at the home of one Michael Bloomberg. What nefarious scheme might our mayor want to keep private from the prying eyes of locals and the media? A summit with Karl Rove? A secret tryst with Bernie Kerik? The launch party for Radar magazine? (As if that's going to happen.) The sharp-eyed folks at The Times have the answer: It's all in preparation for daughter Emma's upcoming nuptials. No word yet on whether famously foul-mouthed mayoral spokesman Ed Skyler will be offering a toast, but we have heard a rumor that the cake will be in the shape of a West Side stadium. Which, you know, is the only way that thing will get built. —AB More »

Jen Bluestein Is Totally Spongeworthy

Mayoral candidate Fernando Ferrer has recently hired Democratic PoweR Girl Jen Bluestein as his campaign's chief spokesman but, as a commenter on The Politicker deftly notes, Bluestein's promotional skills aren't simply limited to politics: More »

If We Have to Take the Van Wyck, We're Letting the Terrorists Win

Big Daddy Schumer is very disappointed. Pataki and Bloomberg aren't doing what they're supposed to and getting Ground Zero rebuild. And if they don't shape up, he's taking away their shiny new MasterCard: No more money for a JFK rail link. More »

Here We Go Again: The Kerr(e)y Campaign

We were so busy hating on Brooklyn earlier in the week that we didn't read far enough into New York mag to pay attention to Kurt Andersen's big sloppy wet kiss to Bob Kerrey, who for something like 20 minutes thought about running for mayor. Kerrey's quick in-and-out earned him the label "flaky," but Kurt's kind of in love:

I count most of the attributes that are conflated into that invidious "flaky"—unapologetic ambivalence, reflexive candor, independent-mindedness, a habit for giving bipartisan offense, spontaneity, playfulness—among Kerrey s great virtues. ... Mayor (or President) Bob Kerrey would be splendid....

We're thinking Kerrey needs to reconsider his reconsidering. With Kurt, the popularest of the popular kids, behind him, he'd be Media High's pick. Which doesn't necessarily mean he'd win NYC, but it'd help. And it'd totally be a landslide if he runs for mayor of Montclair. —JO More »

Gossip Roundup: Bob Kerrey's Imaginary Candidacy

· After the Times mentioned New School president Bob Kerrey's interest in the NYC mayoral race, Kerrey has withdrawn. Tomorrow, he'll re-enter under the guise of his favorite ex-employee, Actor's Studio robot James Lipton. [Page Six] More »

Christopher X. Brodeur Arrested

The other day we reprinted some of the campaign promises of outsider mayoral candidate Christopher X. Brodeur. More »

Brodeur: A Chicken in Every Pot, a Murphy Bed in Every Home

Self-described "political activist / pain in the ass" and perennial New York City Mayoral Candidate Christopher X. Brodeur is back, and ready for 2005. More »