My local liquor store makes its feelings clear.

The blonde Elvis, that is.  My second Crain’s New York Business column is a paean to Richard Johnson.

Matt Taibbi‘s upcoming book Griftopia is excerpted in the new issue of the ever-better New York Observer.  Here’s an excerpt of their excerpt, in which he discusses the reaction to his Rolling Stone story likening Goldman Sachs to a vampire squid:  “As interesting as the actual material in the original piece was what happened after we ran it… My initial reaction to being blasted in the media …  was that this was just typical media turf-war stuff: a bunch of insiders angrily piling on someone who didn’t have any background in their area of expertise (which I definitely did not) and … Continue reading →

The Boston Globe’s The Angle blog takes a stand today against vile e-mails like the ones I got from Ann Coulter‘s fans after she mixed me up with another writer and sent her banshees screaming into my in-box. At the time, I asked her to correct her mistake. Just to update Gripebox readers, she hasn’t. I can’t say I’m surprised.

Here’s a little preview of my next book, a 740-Park-like look at the lives and real estate styles of Los Angeles’ wealthiest. Billionaires Lynda and Stewart Resnick have been much in the headlines lately. They financed a new Renzo Piano exhibition hall at LACMA, aka the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and were feted at a major gala there last month. A few days later, the Federal Trade Commission and Food and Drug Administration accused them of hyping their POM pomegranate juice “as though they’re just a gang of cheap hucksters,” according to the Los Angeles Times. Unrevealed until … Continue reading →

Please “like” my brand-new Facebook page. Click through here.

Steven Rattner, the former Metropolitan Museum of Art trustee, New York Times reporter, BFF of Arthur Ochs “Pinch” Sulzberger Jr., investment banker, Democratic party moneybags, financial counselor to Mayor Michael Bloomberg (with him above) and briefly, Obama car demi-czar, has reportedly settled charges by the Security and Exchange Commission that he arranged kickbacks, paying off a political adviser to get investment funds from New York State’s pension fund. Rattner will pay a seven figure fine and be banned from the securities industry. The good news: A former journalist can afford to pay a seven-figure fine. An UPDATE from Daily Intel.

It’s John Lennon’s 70th Birthday tomorrow. Imagine.

Scroll past the bio and you’ll find a pretty funny interview with me conducted by Peachy Deegan of whomyouknow.com. An excerpt: Q: It came up in a Fitzgerald/Hemingway discussion that “The rich are different from us/Yes they have more money” what do you think of this and why? A: Staff. It’s all about staff. They have staff and we don’t. And Gulfstreams. Rich today is Gulfstream. Everything else is upper middle class. Obama should tax anyone with a Gulfstream. Then tax them again. But I bet he likes riding in Gulfstreams too and the rest of us are gonna have … Continue reading →