Earlier this afternoon I got thinking about the fact that I should blow out of this place a little early today, which I’ll be doing shortly, which got me thinking about the weekend. Then I started wondering what your favorite Rego Park born and bred journalist might have planned for himself, and decided to get him on the horn and find out. Thank god I did! ‘Cause he’s got a message for all of you I’ve been asked to pass on. Chaz will be partying with his pal “Eddie” tonight (the same Eddie CG insists I remind you owns a family-run chain of gay strip clubs and was supposed to attend our dinner but was a no-show), at some place called Marie’s Crisis Cafe. He’d love for you to come out! After recovering from what will likely be an epic night, Gaspo says he’s going to keep it low-key. “I’ll be out in Connecticut this weekend,” Chazza told us, probably mixing drinks. “I’m gonna sit in my back yard, drink martinis out of a plastic glass, and read my book. At some point I’ll go for a run, and later, I’ll throw some steaks on the grill.” If that sounds like something you’d be interested, he’d love for you to join, if not, go fuck yourself, Hoss. CG doubts you’ve got anything better lined up.

Big boy just pocketed $25.87 million for his 640 Park Avenue co-op, after buying it for $21 million in January 2007. He and the wife originally asked for $32 million and were apparently pretty incensed by the lowball but rolled with it. Where should he spend the cash money? In other news, while we were out Chaz-boy said he’s been vindicated and Tits Cabrera recycled old material and then offered to chest-bump CG (she said “high five” but you know that’s just code).

Continue reading »

Any way you want it, it’s probably there. Standard tee with tits. Tee with no T’s. Tank top for your lady friend. Sleeveless for your Charlie Gasparinos. Plus: gear for dogs, babies, business cards, calendars, neckties, mousepads, beer steins and more. Anything that requires stitching (fleeces, hats, Polos) will be available Monday. Naked has decided to donate all proceeds to this cause, so load up good. I don’t know if there’s a rush order option, but personally I want mine for tonight. Also, progress has been made to get Drury, the inspiration for this whole thing, in one of these babies before her time here is up. Fingers crossed.

Here’s the latest trailer for Capitalism: A Love Story which you’re surely counting down the seconds to Fandango. Goldman Sachs is only mentioned once or twice, and Moore disses some guy at AIG for having a receding hairline which must’ve burned bad.

Two things are troubling in Charlie Gasparino’s latest story on Goldman Sachs, which has apparently been freaking out over how it’s going to manage the 85 Broad haters come bonus season, when Lloyd Blankfein is expected to make it rain golden showers. The first is that you might get the mistaken impression Chaz is an anti-Semite. This could not be further from the truth. Charlie loves Jews. Some of his best friends are Macabis and since I’ve known him he always takes the time to inquire “how the dreidel spinnin’s goin’, Heeb girl” come December. So please, people e-mailing us, get off CG’s ass for the description of current Goldman management below.

People inside Goldman tell me that some senior executives say they believe the onslaught of negative stories detailing Goldman’s manifold ties to upper levels of government, charges that it somehow fraudulently profited from the subprime crisis, and now the press about the firm’s record earnings is so out of proportion to reality that the coverage contains an element of anti-Semitism–subtly playing off the racist myth of a conspiracy of Jewish bankers controlling the world for their own benefit. (Goldman was founded by a Jewish immigrant, and after years of being run by Gentiles Jon Corzine and Hank Paulson, is once again run by a Jew, Lloyd Blankfein.)

The second issue we’re working through this morning is who the goddamn fuck has been running his mouth re: Lloyd Blankfein’s looks?

…one thing government bureaucrats don’t like is bad publicity, even if it’s in fringe media publications.
That’s why Goldman has been looking for months for the right person to fill the job of “brand manager.” It’s the reason senior executives at the firm meet almost daily on how to repair the firm’s image. It’s the reason Blankfein “looks like shit,” according to one Wall Street CEO who considers himself a friend of the Goldman CEO.

It shouldn’t be too hard to narrow this down (loose lips Lewis is a strong contender), at which time we can go confront the chump, and demand he say it to LB’s face. Let’s see how tough he is in the presence of a fishnet bodysuit.

Benmosche Accepts AIG Job as Friend Says U.S. Turning Socialist, Being Asked 3 Times (Bloomberg)
“He said, ‘How does it feel, here we are moving forward, and you guys are becoming socialists,’” Benmosche said during an Aug. 4 staff meeting, according to a recording. “I said, ‘What the hell are you talking about?’ I started to think about the motivation I had to doing this job.”
Rise of the Super-Rich Hits a Sobering Wall (NYT)
In 2007, Mr. McAfee sold a 10,000-square-foot home in Colorado with a view of Pike’s Peak. He had spent $25 million to buy the property and build the house. He received $5.7 million for it. When Lehman collapsed last fall, its bonds became virtually worthless. Mr. McAfee’s stock investments cost him millions more. One day, he realized, as he said, “Whoa, my cash is gone.”

Tiger Asia Engaged in Insider Dealing, Hong Kong Regulator Says (Bloomberg)
Tiger Asia was approached by a placing agent before market opening on Jan. 6 to participate in the planned Bank of America placement of Construction Bank shares, the SFC said. Tiger Asia was informed of the size and discount range of the share offering, it said.
Morgan Stanley Plans Hiring Spree (Reuters)
John Mack’s got 400 jobs and 400 cannolis to pass out. Get some of that.
FDIC Seeks To Attract More Buyers Of Banks (NYT)
The second most powerful woman in the world “taking extraordinary steps to attract buyers for troubled institutions.” Swimsuit calendar.
AIG Says Madoff Suit Without Merit (WSJ)
In a statement Thursday, the insurer said it will cover, under some product lines, losses that are a result of a fraud, but only if the policyholder suffered an actual net loss and has done so for claims related to the Madoff scandal. Everyone else can S a small D.
Switzerland’s Profit on UBS: $1.13 Billion (WSJ)
Toberlones for everyone.
Sail Away With A Piece Of Madoff Memorabilia (Telegraph)
B-boy’s boat, a “spanking white, classic gin-palace” featuring “a luscious master bedroom, a double room and a further twin room, plus all the mod-cons and the obligatory sunlounger decks” could be yours.
______________________________________________________________

“New intern challenge. We’re not in for the long-haul. This one’s a sprint. 4,200 calories. He has until 2:45PM (London time). Call it a farewell lunch if you will.”
Update: No cash prize at stake. Apparently he’s doing this “for respect.”
Update II: “Done. Nearly a photo finish at the end there. He managed over 1000 calories an hour. Now to take him to the pub to celebrate.”

$$$ SheBair: 2nd most powerful woman in the world. [Forbes]
$$$ Goldman Sachs spent $630,000 lobbying gov’t in 2Q [AP]
$$$ TARP Oversight Panel Hires Former S.E.C. Official [Dealbook]
$$$ Matt Taibbi Tangles With Maria Bartiromo Over Health Care [BI]
$$$ The world’s first cocaine bar [Guardian]

The Barney Frank show was just the warm-up act; Mad Max is having a town hall of her own this Saturday. But Maxie says you shouldn’t expect the same type of fireworks out of her as B-Frank because, in her words, “I just don’t seem to have that kind of anger”. An explanation of the source of all the conflict starts 3:20 in.

In a new article over at Time, William Cohan discusses the whole vampire squid thing with Li’l Blanks. Sayeth LB: “Oddly enough, the Rolling Stone article tapped into something. I saw it as gonzo, over-the-top writing that some people might find fun to read. I was shocked that others saw it as being supporting evidence that Goldman Sachs had burned down the Reichstag, shot the Archduke Ferdinand and fired on Fort Sumter.” They then go on to discuss Goldman playa hatas in general, LB’s gold-plated scrot, etc, which is all well and good but what we’re interested in is what in the hell this about:

Blankfein also developed some pretty bad habits. Once upon a time, he smoked two to three packs of cigarettes a day. He was overweight. He often dressed inappropriately or ostentatiously. And he had a love of gambling in Las Vegas.

The cigs, fine, the gambling, who cares, and the extra lbs just mean more LB to go around. But inappropriate and ostentatious dressing? Those are pretty strong words to toss out there without a follow-up, especially when we’re talking about a Jewish kid from the Bronx. What kind of a threads could he have possibly be sporting that would elicit such a description? Are we talking pimp canes? Or duds that would be most appropriate in Southern Connecticut, such as the ones at left, but wouldn’t be considered inappropes so much as required? I need someone who knows to let me know.