Phelps Shakes Off "SNL" Hosting Nerves
Michael Phelps steps out of his chlorinated comfort zone to host the season premiere of "Saturday Night Live" this weekend, treading the same stage where his comedy idol Chris Farley once got big laughs. The swimmer who won a record-setting eight gold medals at last month's Olympics has been riding a pop culture wave since Beijing, making the rounds of the TV talk shows, presenting at MTV's Video Music Awards and being gossiped about in the tabloids. Phelps follows in the athletic footsteps of such jocks

Michael Phelps on Saturday Night Live gig: Maybe Ashton Kutcher can help?
Michael Phelps has no problems when it comes to setting world records--but he's hoping Ashton Kutcher can give him some comedy pointers as he gets ready to host Saturday Night Live this weekend. (Click here for all the photos of Michael Phelps hanging out in New York City) He'll be on the same stage where his comedy idol Chris Farley once got big laughs. The swimmer who won a record-setting eight gold medals at last month's Olympics has been riding a pop culture wave since Beijing, making the rounds

Michael Phelps Prepares to Host Saturday Night Live
Michael Phelps, famus US Olympic swimmer and the winner of 8 gold medals at the Beijing Olympics has stated that he is a little nervous about hosting Saturday Night Live. Phelps will be hosting the season premier of the popular show, and will be making his mark on the same stage as did his comedy idol Chris Farley. Other big name sports superstars to host the famous comedy show include LeBron James, Peyton Manning, Derek Jeter and Michael Jordan. “I was a little nervous coming into this whole thing

Carmelo Anthony
THE YOUNGEST TYCOON Before he could order a drink, Carmelo Anthony turned his basketball fame into endorsement dollars and celebrity status. Now just 21, he’s the ultimate street kid turned unstoppably ambitious mogul. He might even be your next landlord BY SEAN FENNESSeY PHOTOGRAPHY BY Rainer Hosch Chilling in the weight room of Denver’s Pepsi Center arena, Carmelo Anthony stares at the gym as the University of Utah’s basketball team runs layup drills. He’s quietly sca

Michael Phelps To Host SNL Premiere
Aquaman Michael Phelps has signed on to be the host of the season premiere of Saturday Night Live on Sept. 13.  Lil Wayne will be the musical guest.  Mike isn't the first sports figure to take the SNL stage, as LeBron James, Peyton Manning, and former Olympians Johnny Mosley and Nancy Kerrigan have also taken on the famous sketch comedy ensemble. It will definitely be interesting. Do you think Michael will make a splash or will he be more like, um, a fish out of water?

Out of Control
An oral biography of the comedian Chris Farley.

Spike TV Guys Choice Awards... Check it!
Hey Guys,I just got back from attending the Spike TV Guys Choice Awards and had such a great time. Last year I won an award and this year I introduced. There were a lot of rad people there like Harrison Ford and Adam Sandler. I got to see Katy Perry perform and she put on an amazing show. Labron James sat at my table and he looks very intimdating being like 7 feet tall and all but he's actually a sweetie. Him and his friends were cracking up with they heard "I kissed a girl and I liked it". I don't th

'SNL' debuts with Tina Fey playing Palin, Phelps hosting
Master showman that he is, "Saturday Night Live" czar Lorne Michaels did take a calculated risk by getting Tina Fey to play Sarah Palin in the season opener of "Saturday Night Live" this weekend. If she became Palin, which she most assuredly did, than anyone else in this role would be a massive letdown -- a pale imitation of the imitator. Of all the candidates, Palin - with her guns, and self-described soccer mommish ways, and piled bun, and flat Midwestern accent -offers the richest comic possibilities. O

Anne Hathaway's ex-paramour headed to prison for fraud
A smooth-talking Italian businessman who dated actress Anne Hathaway and claimed to have friends in high places at the Vatican is headed to prison after pleading guilty Wednesday in a Manhattan real estate fraud case.

Paterson: Moynihan Needs New Transportation To Be ‘Favorable Investment’
The planned redevelopment and expansion of Penn Station, a top priority of the Spitzer administration, needs to include transportation improvements in order to be a "favorable investment" of the state's resources, Governor Paterson said today. "What is essential to Moynihan Station is that it be a viable transportation hub," he said, speaking at a Crain's New York breakfast this morning. "If it doesn't include the transportation, its value diminishes considerably as far as I'm conc

Joel Schumacher Buys $1.3 M. Fifth Avenue Shelter From Critics’ Barbs
Joel Schumacher. The 69-year-old director’s bubblegum 1997 film Batman & Robin was so viciously mindless (“That’s right, Dick. I want them so much, I can taste it”) that his Wikipedia page gives one paragraph on his legendary ’80s brat pack films, one on his Grisham films (including The Client), then six paragraphs on B&R. His following work is squished under the header “Post-Batman”; the section on Schumacher parodies has seven paragraphs. Even the New York City Department of Finance�

A Magical Rainbow Of Album Covers [Roy G. Biv Unavailable For Comment]
The above photo of the new line of iPod Nanos brought out this comment from Maura: "This is what happens when you're the type of person who arranges your CDs by color." I wondered if I could do any better, especially because the Calvin Harris selection was a particular affront. Here is the photo in its full-size glory: James Blunt? Someone at Apple couldn't think of a better album with a blue cover than the debut by James Blunt? In an effort to help out whoever's designing Apple's next pre

Couple Dukes for 1040 Fifth Penthouse as Brokers Posit a Fate—$30 M.-Plus Perhaps?
Nicely suited Upper East Side agents openly chat about death leading to plush real estate sales (one broker is said to keep a list of the most aged owners at beloved 740 Park Avenue), but divorce is more gauche than simply passing on, which makes it a trickier subject. Over the past few months, neighborhood agents have quietly been wondering what will happen to the penthouse at 1040 Fifth Avenue, the chicly restricted limestone building where Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis lived and died. That apartment belong

Tina Fey `likely’ to play Sarah Palin on `SNL’
Fey is "likely" to return to her former show Saturday to play the Alaskan governor and Sen. John McCain’s running mate, a person close to the show told The Associated Press on Friday night. The person requested anonymity because the decision has not been announced officially. No further details were available. Since Palin’s entry onto the national political stage, speculation has been rampant over who might play Palin on the program. Many have commented that Fey resembles her. In an interview

Weekend's best bets: "Saturday Night Live," "Mad Men" and "True Blood," in which vampires make better lovers than humans
This weekend offers some true goodies. Here are three that I recommend: "Saturday Night Live" opens a new season with Michael Phelps as host and Lil Wayne as musical guest. The big draw, however, could be "30 Rock" star Tina Fey (pictured) as Gov. Sarah Palin. Don't you want to see that? In a conference call earlier this week, "SNL" executive producer Lorne Michaels hinted that viewers could see skits on the Olympics, Aquaman, politics and Palin. Michaels said they were wa

It’s Official: Jimmy Fallon Is Next for ‘Late Night’
NBC has scheduled a news conference for Monday to make an announcement about its late-night lineup that has been in the works for 18 months and has been all but formalized since February: Jimmy Fallon, the former cast member of “Saturday Night Live,” is to be named the third host — after David Letterman and Conan O’Brien — of NBC’s “Late Night” talk show. The expectation that Mr. Fallon would get the job (likely to begin in June of 2009) and that he would be introduced on the day NBC make

Report: Tina Fey in Talks to Play Sarah Palin on ‘SNL’
Veteran ‘Saturday Night Live’ alum and Sarah Palin look-alike Tina Fey may be in talks to play the GOP vice presidential nominee on the show’s season premiere this Saturday. The New York Post reports that Fey, who left the sketch-comedy series two years ago, has not agreed to play the role, but the idea has been talked about. “There are discussions,” ‘SNL’ executive Lorne Michaels tells the paper. “They’re ongoing.”

Report: Tina Fey in Talks to Play Sarah Palin on ‘SNL’
Veteran ‘Saturday Night Live’ alum and Sarah Palin look-alike Tina Fey may be in talks to play the GOP vice presidential nominee on the show’s season premiere this Saturday. The New York Post reports that Fey, who left the sketch-comedy series two years ago, has not agreed to play the role, but the idea has been talked about. “There are discussions,” ‘SNL’ executive Lorne Michaels tells the paper. “They’re ongoing.” Read the full story  

Since No Other Black Comediennes Exist, 'SNL' Hopes to Lure Back Maya Rudolph For Michelle Obama [Black Holes]
A while ago, not long after after Barack Obama won the Iowa caucus, NPR put forth a story asking, "Is America Post-Racial?" "Probably not," we thought to ourselves, "otherwise America's premiere sketch comedy show would actually have this famously black presidential candidate played by, y'know, a black guy and not Fred Armisen." Now, Saturday Night Live has reminded us of that musing once again, because TV Guide reports that instead of adding a black actress to its troupe to play Michelle Obama, the show wo

Idle Chatter: The Literature of Sarah Palin, more
-Publishers are scrambling to sign up authors who can write about Sarah Palin, and at least one, the HarperCollins-owned Christian imprint Zondervan, will have a book out before the election. [NYO] -Speaking of that unwieldy book-publishing process, titles on Why Real Estate Won't Go Bust and Fred Thompson's likely victory in 2008 are looking less than prescient now. [WSJ] -The New York Daily News is giving staffers until Friday to decide whether to take one of 25 buyouts on offer. Interest is said to b

In This Week's Observer...
A sale at 145 Hudson Street might be a downtown record. Eleven Spring Street looks really neat from the inside. And dual flush toilets! Joel Schumacher buys a $1.36 million Fifth Avenue condo. George Pataki, the original World Trade Center visionary. Downtown Brooklyn takes its turn in the commercial spotlight. The billion-dollar Manhattan deal disappears. Why? There's the beef! Arby's plans 41 New York City locations. Ian Schrager talks about his first boutique hotel. Darin Rubell and Josh Boyd on their

Anne Hathaway: Endured During 'Difficult Moments'
Actress Anne Hathaway tells ET that she has much to be thankful for and has gained much strength from friends "even in difficult moments." Hathaway, whose ex-boyfriend was arrested in June on charges of operating a fraudulent real estate scheme that he claimed was linked to the Vatican, said she has the greatest friends in the world and she trusts them with her privacy and to help her move forward in trying times.  "I have so much to be thankful for, even in difficult moments," Hathaway said during a

Anne Hathaway’s ex likely to take a plea bargain soon!
Anne Hathaway’s recent ex Raffaello Follieri, is reportedly near an agreement to plead out to charges of money-laundering and fraud. His tale of rags to riches is like a Lifetime movie. Arriving in the U.S. as a little-known but charming twenty-five year-old in 2003, Follieri became friendly with Douglas Band, the top aide to former President Bill Clinton. That helped Mr. Follieri navigate into the upper reaches of Mr. Clinton’s world, and meet Mr. Burkle. He persuaded Mr. Burkle to form a ventu

Industry Insiders: Rande Gerber, Lounge Lizard
Do a Google image search of Rande Gerber, and you'd be hard pressed to find a photo of him that doesn't include his supermodel wife Cindy Crawford. Gerber is a tabloid fixture thanks to his famous wife and famous friends (think George, Brad, Matt) but guess what. He also owns bars. A lot of them. He's the self-described creator of the lounge concept, his Whiskey brand a permanent guest in hotels all over the country. Here he talks about his start in the business, his Vegas hotel with George that almost was,

School's Out Forever as Durst, Whittle Part Ways on Private 57th Street Academy
“Whoever this is, I don’t want to talk to you,” said the man who answered the phone Tuesday at the offices of the Nations Academy, the private-school brainchild of former Esquire owner Christopher Whittle. As The Observer’s Web site reported on Monday, Mr. Whittle’s plans for an academy on a West 57th Street site controlled by Douglas Durst are no more. “There were a number of issues on which we could not reach agreement,” said Jordan Barowitz, spokesman for the Durst Organization, which has a