The onetime fluffer of New York Sun column "Lunch at the Four Seasons," Pranay Gupte, was last seen on his way to Dubai to take over as business editor at the Khaleej Times (he was to give the paper his "Gupte touch"). Last Friday he returned to New York, bounced out of the job after 13 days. Gupte's extended…

In a particularly strange twist, the prickly Pranay Gupte, formerly the writer of numerous "Lunch at the Four Seasons" puff pieces for the New York Sun, has picked up stakes and taken on the business editorship at Dubai's Khaleej Times. From his announcement:

• The people have spoken. [Animal]

• Are Madonna and Guy Ritchie headed towards a divorce? And is floating such rumors part of new Observer owner Jared Kushner's hip-and-cool mandate? [Daily Transom]

• Speaking of J-Kush, homeboy was definitely not a team player last night when he missed the Observer's very first…

Pranay Gupte announced today that he would no longer be writing his "Lunch at the Four Seasons" column for the Sun; his official reasoning was that he could no long work for free and the paper was unable to pay him, but we received an email in which Gupte referred to "digusting notes" being sent to him.

New York Sun columnist Pranay Gupte has informed Mediabistro's Revolving Door department that he will no longer be writing his "Lunch at the Four Seasons" column, leaving many a high-profile individual crushed with the knowledge that they may never be the subject of Gupte's signature sycophantism. In the third…

From: Gupte, Pranay
To: New York Sun Editor
Sent: Tuesday, June 13 2006
Subject: Potential profile?