Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, looking to become mayor, came over for a meet ’n’ greet. Bar mitzvah blue suit, gray tie, crisp white shirt, shiny black shoes. Arrived 10 minutes early. Drank water. Was off to a fund-raiser.
“My birthday’s in April. I’m Taurus. Taureans are stubborn.”
Since I’m Taurus I’m thrilled to hear this.
“Also kind.”
So he’s which?
“A little both.”
Besides being 51 and flashing perfect teeth (whether all natural, who knows?), what’s a Beep do?
“My parents and grandmother were political. Growing up, I thought everyone was in politics. It’s all I wanted my whole life. My first campaign was for Bella Abzug, my cousin and a force here years ago. I attended NYU, was a reformer in the Assembly 13 years.
“I’ve done lots in this job. Helped change the skyline, eased the food supply and production, wrote ‘The Go Green East Harlem Cookbook,” planted trees, worked on checking diabetes …”
OK, OK, who actually is Scott Stringer?
“I married for the first time one year ago. She’s terrific. A vegetarian. She works at Cooper-Hewitt. We have a two bedroom West Side rental. I’m a good citizen. I help wash dishes — but with green chemical-free soap.
“I eat anything. I’ve lost 15 pounds, I walk the neighborhood. I work the iPad, watch the news, go to bed around midnight. Only, she won’t watch football with me. Saturday is our night together. I’m up 6 a.m., 6:30. What gets me up is — as I get older — me! We don’t make coffee. Breakfast, a banana, is at a coffee shop.
“Our baby’s due in December. We don’t know if it’s a boy or girl. If I’m mayor, we’ll have the youngest child ever in Gracie Mansion. Excited at having our kid, we’re doing a yellow nursery. We’ve talked about the sacrifices. I know I’ll be Daddy to the max. I’m learning to change diapers.
“I already love my in-laws. My mother’s 76, out campaigning for me, holding house parties with my Latino stepfather. I represent our biggest voting district and already raised $3 million. Mom calls every morning with news of the day and says things like: ‘Don’t be mad at Bloomberg.’”
CAN scientists please explain what’s happening with our planet? Earth, seas, skies are all changing. Snow in October, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, forest fires … My friend, with a wife, three children and a home in New Jersey, is housing 11 neighbors. One man and wife plus three little ones. Trees hit their house. No lights, no electricity, no heat, no water, no johns, nothing. He’s taken them in.
‘TOWER Heist,” opening Friday, filmed here. Macy’s Thanksgiving parade was re-created for them the weekend after the holiday. Snoopy got hauled out. Look-alikes were in key sequences. A chase scene with a van flipping over at Trump International, a key location to Alan Alda’s billionaire character, shot early Sunday morning. The film paid for the extra police.
The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment invited residents and businesses impacted by the production — Community Board 1, Upper West Side, Columbus Circle, city agencies NYPD, FDNY for a thank you and special screening.
LARRY King’s tribute dinner at the Sheraton is the 14th. The dais is larger than CNN’s entire audience. He told me: “My wife, Shawn, will sing the national anthem. It’s a Lifetime Achievement trophy, not a roast. They had them before. I went to Travolta’s. I’ll ad-lib a speech, but who knows what? I’ll probably comment on every year I’ve ever spent in front of a mike.”
SO she says to her boyfriend: “Talk dirty to me,” and the guy says: “Madoff.”
This dredges up the question, who benefits from two side-by-side Madoff literary alibis. 1) From Bernie’s wife, who wasn’t able to do herself in even with the peroxide fumes so worked with the innocent — who? … me? — son, and 2) from the daughter-in-law. Both at the same time. Both supposedly venting. Whoopsing out their innards. Telling all.
They can’t earn royalties since that’ll get vacuumed up by the lawyers. So none goes to the authors? They earned zippo for all that time and angst expended??
TOGETHER, not together, Courteney Cox and David Arquette are together in business. Co-producing an ABC sitcom … Marc Jacobs and his tattoos working out at the David Barton Gym … Nick Jonas, coming to star in B’way’s “How To Succeed,” was accompanied by brother Kevin and the missus Danielle hunting Time Warner Center apartments. He should just ring Barbara Corcoran when she’s back from a business conference speech in the Caymans.
LA’s two-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath condo of publicist Ronni Chasen, murdered Nov. 16, stays unsold. On the Regency Wilshire’s 18th floor, marketed for months, its asking price is $1.2 mil … Two unknown men attracted attention playing singles at the USTA Tennis Center. Both in wheelchairs … Dermatologists with knowledge of Michael Jackson’s skin before he turned all white, say he originally affected gloves because his hands bore white spots.
RTR Bag Company has their West 20th window designed like a peep show. You can dress your naked products with a bag, box or packaging.
Only in New York, kids, only in New York.