Style

Williamsburg and Greenpoint residents may soon feel like they are living on the set of a reality TV show. The cast of the Apprentice-style MTV show starring 50 Cent is moving into a three-story, newly renovated loft building on the Greenpoint waterfront, a well-placed source has informed us.

The series will follow 16 aspiring rap moguls as they compete in a series of challenges to determine their "savvy, street smarts, manipulation, power and the art of winning"--"the skills that took 50 Cent from the streets to corporate America." At the end of each episode, 50 Cent will eliminate a contestant. The winner will get a full scholarship to an undergraduate or graduate business program.  read more »

Are musical movies the new It thing to franchise? Hairspray might kick off the trend (along with High School Musical) now that John Waters has signed on to write a treatment for a sequel to the 2007 movie version of the Broadway hit.

"I never thought of musicals as franchises, but it certainly worked with High School Musical, and the idea of working with that cast again, and creating new material and music, is a dream come true," director-choreographer Adam Shankman told Daily Variety. "John (Waters) has such an original and extraordinary voice; we all can’t wait to see what he has come up with.  read more »

The AP reported this morning that Simon & Schuster is suing rappers Foxy Brown and Lil' Kim, both of whom were under contract with the publishing house for books that were due several years ago. The deals were done separately: Foxy Brown got $75,000 in 2005 for what was supposed to be a memoir, and Lil' Kim got $40,000 in 2003 for what was supposed to be a novel.

According to Simon & Schuster's corporate spokesman Adam Rothberg, the lawsuits were not filed simultaneously for any particular reason.

"They're just two cancel-and-collects that happened at the same time," he said, adding that in both cases, Simon & Schuster had just "exhausted all other avenues on recouping the money on a manuscript that wasn't delivered.  read more »

It's more or less an open secret, but we've learned that the Top Chef cast has definitely been living for about two weeks now in a terraced duplex penthouse in Williamsburg overlooking McCarren Park.

So far, the chefs have pretty much kept to themselves, said an extremely well-placed source, leaving around 8 or 9 in the mornings for a soundstage in Greenpoint and coming straight back in the evenings.

“They’re not allowed to talk to anyone, really, or even do their own thing,” the source said. They’re trying to keep things under control before the paparazzi start camping out.”

Luckily, it sounds like they have the typical luxe reality show digs, complete with a private roof deck and a sweeping view of the city skyline, to occupy them when they are not shopping, cooking or shooting.  read more »

Supermodel Gisele Bundchen and her boyfriend, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, have re-listed their respective Manhattan apartments, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Ms. Bundchen is now asking $5.9 million for her West Village penthouse with Hudson River views--a little bit more than half the original asking price in September 2007. Marie Schmon of Corcoran has the listing.

Mr. Brady wants roughly 10 percent more for his Time Warner Center condo than he asked last year. Raphael De Niro (Robert's son) and Claudine DeMatos of Douglas Elliman are handling the now $18.29 million listing.

Thomas Earle, the asphalt heir, told his wife that Ashley Dupre tricked him into checking into the Gramercy Hotel with her and his wife believed him (!). But, Mr. Earle was reportedly bragging to his friends at a Jersey bar about being able to score with Ms. Dupre and told his wife he was on a business trip in Colorado when he snuck out to the city for his 24-hour date. [NYP]

Meanwhile, Eliot Spitzer got bullied on the Upper East Side for wearing a T-shirt that said, "New York Attorney General." [P6]

Al Sharpton reportedly turned down invitations to appear on Dancing With the Stars and Celebrity Apprentice.  read more »

Elle creative director Joe Zee will be making his reality TV debut this fall as a judge on CW's Stylista, a show in which fashion hopefuls will compete to become senior fashion news director Anne Slowey's assistant at Elle. Created by producers of Project Runway and America's Next Top Model, Stylista promises to a be A Devil Wears Prada-inspired reality show that will presumably feature contestants performing assistant duties while Ms. Slowey throws her coat at them like Meryl and says mean things about their H&M outfits.

Meadiabistro's Diane Clehane interviewed Mr. Zee about his career and his experience on the show.  read more »

Ashley Dupre, the hard-working Jersey girl who we thought would be leaving us for L.A. to pursue a reality TV career, is still here, it turns out, spending her time in hotel rooms and going on shopping sprees with another married man.

Today's New York Post reports that Ms. Dupre spent 24 hours with 35-year-old New Jersey asphalt heir, Thomas J. Earle. The two were reportedly seen drinking, dining and shopping together in midtown, before checking into the Gramercy Park hotel on Tuesday.

Ms. Dupre and Mr. Earle left the hotel the next day, departing 10 minutes apart.

According to the Post, Mr. Earle lives less than two miles away from Ms. Dupre's family's Jersey home and has a "very stunning" wife and two children.

Heath Ledger was reportedly a silent investor in Five Leaves, a Greenpoint bar designed by John McCormick, who also designed Smith & Mills and Beatrice Inn. While the project was at first put on hold after the actor's death, his father has agreed to fund the project to its completion. [P6]

Christian Bale's assault on his mother was possibly not an assault at all; sources say he never touched her, but merely raised his voice when she made negative remarks about his wife. Apparently, the British consider yelling a verbal assault and therefore a crime. [NY Daily News]

As part of an investigation into Raffaello Follieri's affairs, the F.  read more »

According to The New York Post, Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels has a stalker.

Evan Pidhajecky, a 31-year-old Long Island resident, didn't send Mr. Michaels love letters or threaten to commit suicide as Uma Thurman's personal stalker did earlier this year. Rather, he just wanted the SNL producer to admit that he had stolen his material for the show.

In a letter sent to Mr. Michaels in December, Mr. Pidhajecky claimed that Mr. Michaels overheard his private "conversations, singing and/or other utterances" and used it for the show without his permission. To make his case, Mr. Pidhajecky repeatedly called Mr. Michaels at his office and his home asking for a "chat." When the producer didn't respond, Mr. Pidhajecky started paying visits to Mr. Michaels' Central Park South apartment building.  read more »