We have no problem with the paparazzi, but there comes a point where a picture is no longer interesting if you've seen one similar a million times. There are a million happenstances of this, but there are the ones that really stood out in our mind.

Sienna Miller Walking Her Dog: As we mentioned, Ms. Miller takes the pooch out for a stroll every day on the streets of New York. We've even seen pics of her picking up his poop. The critter is cute, but we are sick of seeing this. Get Sienna stealing people's husbands instead, she does that about as often. [Images via INF and Bauer-Griffin]

Gosselins at the Bus Stop: Just like Sienna's dog, the Gosselins have to bring the kids to the bus stop just about every day. It's always a hassle with all the children, their backpacks, and the photographers waiting to pounce. We didn't like taking the bus when we were kids, and we don't want to see it anymore now. [Images via INF and Bauer-Griffin]

Marc Jacobs in a Skirt: We love that Marc is a little fashion forward and claiming a piece of clothing for the boys that is usually reserved for the women. However, the skirt in and of itself is no longer news if he wears one everyday. It's like calling out Posh Spice for wearing the same frozen alien expression. We've just come to expect it, so it's not exciting. [Images via Getty and Bauer-Griffin]

Britney Spears in a Bikini: Just like Marc, her choice of attire is no longer shocking or titillating, no matter what the shape of her body is. Because she takes lots of vacations and her boys like to go swimming, we get to see her poolside apparel quite frequently. Let us know when she wears a metallic designer one-piece. At least that would be trend news. [Images via Bauer-Griffin]

Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber Walking the Family: The couple lives in New York and has two young kids. That means lots of time walking and pushing a stroller. For most Manhattanites (and espeically Brooklynites) seeing a pretty lady with a too-big stroller is about as rare of a sighting as seeing a crazy person on the subway. If we wanted to see this, we'd brunch in Park Slope instead of staying in bed on a Sunday morning. [Images via Bauer-Griffin]

Lindsay Lohan Shopping: Lindsay Lohan is unhireable. How does she pass the time? She shops. She'll buy anything (except groceries) and she'll spend hours looking for it. She takes friends, family, girlfriends, anyone. She loves to shop. Yawn. The only transaction of hers we want to see caught on film is when she goes to her dealer. Deliver some footage of that and we'll start paying attention. [Images via Bauer-Griffin]

"Consumed," a "fashion short" written and dirtected by Bradley Young—former photography director at Interview, GQ, Instyle, Talk and Radar—and shot on the roof of The Standard Hotel, features socialite and model Lydia Hearst looking her most gorgeous and bored. She vamps for the camera in various killer outfits and interesting tableaux while subway busker Luke Trumble croons "St. Louis Blues" in the background.

There is a sad and gritty undercurrent to the action that reminds us a bit of what life in New York is really like. Sure, there are plenty of glamorous things here in the city, but often attaining them isn't worth the trouble to get them, and sometimes those fabulous parties are just full of lonely people waiting to pounce on a Rubix cube on a silver platter. Still it reminds us of the wonderful luster of the city, and the danger of being swept up in it. Be sure to check out the whole video (and the surprise ending!) at Gravure Mag.

Below is the updated map of the neighborhood. The areas shaded red are stores that are closed, vacant, or under construction. The yellow ones are those currently having sales. The white ones are either restaurants, private residences, or places where someone has managed to make a coin or two in these bleak times.

So, what did we (and by we, I mean intrepid intern Daniel Pardo) find in the intervening eight months? Six of the properties that were closed before are still closed, seven of the stores that were having sales are now closed, 20 properties are now vacant that weren't before, nine stores are still having sales, ten stores that weren't having sales are now trying to get rid of their merchandise, twelve stores that were having sales are no longer offering discounts, and three brave souls have opened new business in addresses that were formerly vacant.

What does all this mean? We're all screwed. Sales worked for some, but didn't work for others. Some places that were going strong are now on the ropes. Some places are just meant to be closed, and some people have the optimistic delusion to chase the American dream even in this economy.

Here is a selection of the places having sales:

White Saffron—232 Mott St.—40% off.

Tangdance—230 Mott St.—50 % off.

Mink—219 Mott St.—40 % off.

Second Time Around – 262 Mott St.—50 % off.

Mixane—272 Mott St.—30 % off.

TUTU—55 Spring St.—60 % off

Irregular Choice—288 Lafayette St.—30 % off.

Amarcord—252 Lafayette St.—25 % off

Label—273 Lafayette St.—70 % off.

NY Poll—269 Lafayette St.—70 % off.

Christian Audigier—275 Lafayette St.—70 % off.

B Tiff—244 Mulberry St.—70 % off.

Think Closet—242 Mulberry St.—70 % off

The Red Thread—190 Elizabeth St.—30-70 % off

The Media Museum: Cut $9 millionA 10,000 square foot townhouse on East 64th St. that used to be the headquarters for the New York Observer was recently reduced in price, from $36 million to only $27 million. Renovated from the heap it was during its Observer days, the 25-foot-wide, 5 story palace is for the discerning buyer who wants a whiff of Old Media when they wake up in the morning.

The New Media Neighbor!: Cut $10 million
When you're a real estate heir these days, you've basically inherited a pile of dust. For example, from CityFile: "Real estate heiress Caroline Cumming's 12,128-square-foot townhouse at 11 Spring Street, which went on the market for $39.8 million in September and was reduced to $36.5 million in November, has been reduced once again. The home can now be yours for $29.5 million." Incidentally this place is just down the street from our HQ, so you might spot some of our ugly mugs if you keep your eyes peeled.

Chateau Runner-Up: Cut $10 million
It's still going for $65 million, making it the second most expensive listing in the city, but with the price tag $10 million less than it should be, you can't afford not to buy art dealer W. Graham Arader III's "seven-story, 10-bedroom, 22-room, 12,000-square-foot mansion at 1016 Madison Avenue." It's been meticulously renovated to resemble its original 1900 look, with all the dark wood and ugly curly-cue detailing that period suggests. Arader says that he's selling because he's getting older and though his young children love the place, it's just too big. It also probably doesn't help that the art industry is dead. [NYO]

The Gossip Girl Dream House: Cut $3 million
CityFile on hedge fund manager Karen Fleiss and her doctor husband David's complicated selling history: "The couple originally listed the apartment for $47.5 million last June. They then lowered their price twice and tried selling off just the bottom floor for $15 million. When that didn't work, they took the listing down and lowered the price of the entire eight-bedroom unit to $25 million. But that didn't work out either, so now they've re-listed the bottom floor once again, albeit for a more modest $12 million." Back in November, the Observer reported that the couple planned to buy elsewhere, but that they were cagey about explaining their reasons for splitting up the unit: "When asked about why she and her husband took the extraordinary step of listing one of the duplex's floors separately, [Ms. Fleiss] hung up." Ah well. The place is at 1030 Fifth Avenue, which is just around the corner from the Met. So maybe you can have your breakfast on the museum steps, just like the Gossip Girls!

The Mack Attack: Cut $17 million
Back in July real estate heir Richard Mack, whose Apollo Real Estate Advisors is facing foreclosure on their Harlem condo development Savoy Park, listed his "mammoth" 25,000-square-foot manse on East 94th St. for $59 million, but now it's been reduced to a simple $42. A classic (if a bit too big and a bit too uptown) New York mansion, the Corcoran listing suggests that it could also be used "for a school, private club, diplomatic residence or institution." Because, you know, it's that big. Sad to see the palace (trying to be) sold. What a difference ten years make. [CityFile]

Intern Whitney Jefferson traversed a few blocks around our front door — between Bowery and Laffayette, Houston and Kenmare — peering in the windows of cutesy boutiques and club-thumping clothing stores. What she found was a pretty grim picture. "80% Off" sales. Shuttered windows. All the sad evidence of a material world in decline.

Below is a list of the shops she surveyed along with a handy map. Happy cheap shopping, you broke bastards!

Red shows stores that are closed or empty. Yellow is the shops promoting discounts of 50% or more.

1. Triple Five Soul Apparel - 290 Lafayette St. - 50-70% Off

2. WESC - 282 Lafayette St. - 70% Off

3. Christian Audiger - 273 Lafayette St. - 30-50% Off

4. L P & P New York - 250 Lafayette St. - 80% Off

5. Bicycle Habitat - 242 Lafayette St. - Bikes Reduced by $3,000+

6. Lilliput SoHo Kids - 240 Lafayette St. - 40-50% Off

7. Sissy - 231 Lafayette St. - 50% Off

8. Parasuco - 60 Spring St. - 70% Off

9. Mary Jaeger - 51 Spring St. - Closed, Moved

10. Spring Communication, LLC - 50 Spring St. - Dirt Cheap Cell Phone Plans (see image)

11. Varazioni - 214 Mulberry St. - 60% Off

12. Coqueta Lingeries - 215 Mulberry St. - 50% Off

13. Think Closet - 230 Mulberry St. - 30-50% Off, Cheap Coats

14. Bul Bul - 230 Mulberry St. - $80 Couture Dresses

15. Cutie Room - 234 Mulberry St. - 40, 70, and then 90% Off (see image)

16. MK Lifestyle - 236 Mulberry St. - Closed, For Rent

17. Shane Shawn - 238 Mulberry St. - $25 Shoes Sample Sale

18. Nanja Yeoja Boutique - 241 Mulberry St. - Closed, For Rent

19. Amalia - 44 Prince St. - 50-80% Off Storewide

20. Femmegems NoLita - 280 Mulberry St. - Closed

21. Poppy - 281 Mott St. - 30-70% Off

22. Bara Bock - 279 Mott St. - Closed

23. The Shoe NY - 272 Mott St. - 20-50% Off

24. Christopher Totman - 262 Mott St. - 30-75% Off

25. Modo - 252 Mott St. - 50% Off Prescription Lenses

26. Lugo Tailored Menswear - 246 Mott St. - Closed, For Rent

27. Belle - 242 Mott St. - 70% Off

28. Baby Blue Line - 238 Mott St. - 70% Off

29. Alice + Olivia - 219 Mott St. - Store For Rent

30. Nancy Koltes - 29 Spring St.- 40-80% Off, Changed to 50-90% Off

31. Barsow - 170 Elizabeth St. - For Rent

32. Tricia's Place - 171 Elizabeth St. - 25-50% Off

33. The Red Threads - 190 Elizabeth - 30-50% Off

34. Character - 19 Prince St. - 40% Off

35. Varazioni - 23 Prince St. - "Last Call" 80% Off

36. Eleven - 11 Prince St. - 20% Off, Changed to 40% Off

37. Unis - 226 Elizabeth St. - 50% Off

38. Kitt - 228 Elizabeth St. - 70% Off

39. La Petite Princesse - 232 Elizabeth St. - All Clothes $59-$69

40. GirlCat - 237 Elizabeth St. - 20-40% Off

41. EMC2 - 240 Elizabeth St. - Huge Sale (see image) ex. Coats $995 down to $295

42. Kipepeo - 248 Elizabeth St. - Closed, For Rent

43. Silver Goddess - 259 Elizabeth St. - Closed, For Rent

44. RS Equipment Corp. - 274 Bowery - For Rent

45. Bowery Home Supply - 270 Bowery - For Rent

46. The Chair Factory - 214 Bowery - "Red Tag Sale"

47. Manhattan Realty Corp - 8 Spring St. - Moved, For Rent

48. B. Tiff - 244 Mulberry St. - Jewelry: Buy 1, Get One Free

49. John Fluevog - 250 Mulberry St. - 60% Off

50. Gates of Morocco - 8 Prince St. - Going Out of Business Sale

It's incredibly difficult to keep a secret anymore, and in this adolescent media world, it's impossible. So: I assumed, because Greg hadn't been blowing cash and buying everybody drinks and hookers over the last three months, that he had lost on Jeopardy. We'd known about this for a while, and a bunch of us had even helped him study. I was even a little concerned; he was putting so much effort into winning that I feared what would happen if he lost. Every pseudo intellectual has dreamed of being on Jeopardy. Actually making it, and then getting crushed, could emotionally devastate even the most stable of us. So I worried Greg was doomed.

Halfway through Double Jeopardy, my worry was not displaced. All of us had gathered at the Barrow Street Ale House, hoping to cheer Greg on, but he was so far behind that our priorities changed. No longer were we, "Way to go, Greg." It became, "Christ, how the hell do I deal with the crying dude when I just want to leave already?" And then he caught a break, and hit the second Daily Double, and then entered Final Jeopardy within distant striking distance. At this point, we were just happy he'd made it that far. He had nothing to be embarrassed about. I was trying to imagine a scenario where Greg would feel comfortable inviting people to come watch his show without him actually, you know, winning. This seemed about right. Within striking range during Final Jeopardy. Close enough. Good show, son. Everyone back in Illinois is surely proud.

And then the crazy defending champion woman missed — honestly, Galileo was obvious; she totally choked — and, somehow, amazingly, Greg had won. I write about sports a lot, more than I'd like, actually, and I find that the more sports I watch, the more difficult it becomes to come across an outcome that's truly unexpected. The term "upset" has become trite. Even the scrappy underdogs make millions and, if you met them in real life, would not like you. But to actually watch a friend of mine come from nowhere — seriously, the man was defeated — and win, in front of everyone he knows and holds dear (and even a few he doesn't) ... well, not even this cynical Brooklynite could deny it. About 35 jaded, angry, jealous, winded media people, everyone sniping behind everyone's backs beforehand, apoplectic that THAT guy got THAT assignment, all in a room together ... suddenly screaming like we're 10 year olds, shocked, giddy, foolish. It was awesome. This is all giving Greg a bigger ego. But it's true. The place went nuts. We were all so happy.

He's on again tonight, and maybe he'll win, and maybe he'll lose. Honestly, after the first unexpected victory, it turns strange, really, to cheer for your friend to make more money. This is New York, after all, and more money could mean a better apartment than I have, and That. Just. Won't. Do. But for one night, we were all Marshall. Update the Greg Lindsay Career Trajectory, folks. My friend is a Jeopardy champion.

So, now that he's won on Jeopardy ... maybe he can finish his goddamned book.

5 p.m. August 26 | Just spotted the cast and crew members having lunch and filming at Cafeteria at 17th and 7th on the sidewalk cafe!

“'If you get to be 23 or 24 and you’re not married, your parents are going to say you shouldn’t be living at home anymore,' said Rabbi Allen Schwartz of Congregation Ohab Zedek, a synagogue on West 95th Street near Columbus Avenue that is heavily attended by young Orthodox singles. 'Where are you going to go?' he added. 'To Teaneck, where there might be another 10 singles like you? You go to the West Side, where there are another 5,000 singles like you.'

"[Baruch] November, an English professor and poet from Pittsburgh who moved to the Upper West Side five years ago, put it this way: 'It’s like all roads lead to the West Side [...] Matchmakers still have the idea that if you put two Jews together, it will work,' Mr. November said. 'But that’s a shtetl mentality. In the shtetl, what else did you know but your neighbor and your neighbor’s daughter? If you’re not sheltered, that’s not going to work. All we have are Marc Chagall paintings of that life. We’re not in the shtetl anymore.'"

Young and with-it and looking for love? Cue the SATC reference!

"But while the Upper West Side may offer an expanded pool of singles, some say its social offerings can distract from the presumed goal of marriage. The lifestyle sometimes resembles a relatively chaste version of that depicted in the television series 'Sex and the City,' featuring below-the-knee designer skirts and kosher wine in place of Cosmopolitans."

Followed neatly by the sad reality of that series:

“'In a way, the West Side is like Never-Never Land,' Mr. November said. 'People tell their parents they’re going to meet someone, but it’s an extended childhood.'” [NYT]

Freefall (GTA IV) from VIP3Rz on Vimeo.

[Vimeo via Digital Urban]

"Well, I simply adore this writeup, but let me make a tiny clarification: While I am indeed crazy, if I'm drunk, it's only from the caffeine in Diet Coke!

"Also, 'At least they have a hobby'? Honey, it's my job!!!

"And as for a full update: We actually hit 12 bars and clubs that night! We graced Mansion, the Eagle, Hudson Bar & Books, Chi-Chiz, Gym Bar, G Lounge, XES, Barracuda, Splash, Pieces, Marie's Crisis, and Pop Rocks. If I was on anything other than soda, would I be able to remember all that? Now on to lucky 13!"
[La Daily Musto]

"Aside from the realities of price and space, the requirements set by New York landlords are also bound to help turn a bright-eyed first-time renter’s outlook grim. To start with, landlords want only tenants who earn at least 40 times the monthly rent, which means an $80,000 annual salary for a $2,000 apartment. According to census data, more than 25,000 graduates ages 22 to 28 moved to the city in 2006, and their median salary was about $35,600." [NYT]

But there's plenty of space in Brooklyn—go there! There's nothing in Queens. Especially not in Forest Hills.

"Another resident who helped conduct the study was Gloria Verdell, a retired office manager, who walked along West End Avenue on a recent afternoon and pointed out various hazards she had recorded. One was on the corner of West End Avenue and 64th Street, where a pool of murky water collects after a downpour.

"The worst, she said, was at the intersection of West End Avenue and 65th Street near her building, where the lights were timed in a way that had people feeling they had just seconds to cross the street. 'Before, I could run across the street,' Ms. Verdell said. 'At this point, I’m not running anywhere. I don’t want to slow-poke. I just want to get across the street without being afraid.'” [NYT]

Wusses. My neighborhood is cut across by Queens Boulevard—happily nicknamed "The Boulevard of Death"—where time-stunned Methuselahs traverse ten lanes of angry traffic all day long and every hundred feet or so is marked with a sign reading "A PEDESTRIAN WAS KILLED HERE". And when they get to the other side, they stand still with their mouths agape in every doorway of every store.