Ezra Merkin, the financier who steered $1.8 billion into Bernie Madoff's pockets, officially stepped down today as the chairman of GMAC, the financing arm of General Motors. The move was widely expected given the reputation-shattering events of the past few weeks, a staggeringly swift fall for a resident of New York's richest apartment building and the president of one of the city's most prominent synagogues. But when there's blood in the water, the sharks turn up for dinner, which is why Merkin's art adviser, Ben Heller, says his phone is ringing off the hook.

You didn't think Andre Balazs hired all those hot staffers at The Standard to just answer phones and carry bags, did you? The hotel's 2009 calendar is out with photos of employees from the New York, Miami, and LA outposts acting out various high school stereotypes. (Think slutty cheerleaders and sexy stoners.) Unfortunately there aren't any photos of Andre himself included, although we're hoping that's just because he's saving the pics for a full-size poster. [The Standard via Curbed]

Lipstick Jungle's fate is sealed, but poor Brooke Shields appears determined to tune out the bad news. Although the show's finale airs tonight and co-star Robert Buckley has already signed on to star in a new CW show, none of that appears to be fazing Brooke, who says she's keeping the faith and "not going to give up" because "we keep getting emails" and "they're all positive." Too bad they don't hand out a Norman Vincent Peale Honorary Emmy for Optimism. Brooke would be a shoo-in! [Us]

• Ago, the restaurant inside the Greenwich Hotel, will close at the end of the month when Jean-Georges Vongerichten takes over. He'll change the restaurant's name and chef, but says the menu will remain Italian. [TFB]
• Kefi is reopening tonight after it was shuttered by the Dep't of Health. [Eater]
• Buddha Bar has been forced to change its name after losing a lawsuit. [P6]
• Elad Properties says the closure of the Palm Court is only temporary. [NYT]
• Picholine says it plans to expand its "Menu d'Economie." [W&D]
• A rundown of this week's restaurant closures. [Eater]
• The Observer's top 10 picks for a romantic Valentine's Day dinner. [NYO]

Clearly the social scene really has been turned upside down when obsessive socializer Kristian Laliberte is not only blogging about Boston, but there are also comprimising photos circulating of him with a girl. [GoaG]

The Wall Street Journal reports that Bob Rubin is leaving Citigroup and Citi is now in active discussions to unload its Smith Barney unit. Possible bidders include Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan, but there's probably still time to get in on the action if you're interested in picking up a venerated brokerage brand for bargain basement prices. Just shoot a quick email over to vikram.pandit@citi.com. [WSJ]

The folks over at Property Shark have kindly put together an interactive map of residential sales in Manhattan during the fourth quarter. We have a feeling the map for the first quarter of 2009 won't have quite as many big maroon dots, but let's all keep our fingers crossed, okay? [Property Shark]

Lillo Brancato Jr., the former Sopranos actor who was cleared of murder last month in connection with a botched burglary in 2005 that left an off-duty police officer dead, was sentenced to 10 years in prison today for attempted burglary. [NYT]

If you were hoping that a benefit of economizing might be dropping a few pounds as a result of fewer expensive boozing sessions and restaurant meals, food experts would like to alert you to the inescapable relationship between a shrinking bank balance and a burgeoning waistline. According to one doom-mongering nutritionist, obesity "is a toxic result of a failing economic environment," basically due to the fact that McDonald's is so cheap. But looking on the bright side, at least the lines will be shorter at Whole Foods.

• David Pecker's magazine empire may avoid bankruptcy after all. [NYP]
• The mood is expected to be bleak when Sundance kicks off next week. [WSJ]
• Discovery has signed Paula Zahn to create a weekly news show. [THR]
• An op-ed and podcast by Bono in the Times will debut on Sunday. [JR]
• Three more Politicker sites have been shuttered. [Jossip]
• The spring issue of Men's Vogue will be bound inside Vogue. [WWD]
• Katie Couric chats about feminism, Hillary, and the future of TV news. [CNP]

Something tells us we'll be seeing lots of lawsuits like this over the next few months. One Central Park West Property Limited, which controls the condo portion of the Trump International Hotel & Tower, has filed suit against a would-be buyer who agreed to buy a 29th-floor unit for $7.8 million, but backed out of the deal in December. A tanking real estate market isn't a justifiable reason for pulling out of a deal, of course, which may explain why the buyer, listed in court papers as Franpearl LLC, justified its decision by citing a sculpture, bar table, and coffee table that were mistakenly included on the condo's initial inventory list. The buyer initially requested, and was eventually granted, a $25,000 price cut because of the mix-up, but Franpearl later opted to abandon the purchase altogether. But because it's probably easier to just sue the buyer you thought you had rather than find a new prospect, 1CPW is now suing FranPearl and asking to not only keep its $780,000 deposit, but is asking a court to award damages, too. The full lawsuit after the jump.

As every newspaper profile of Candace Bushnell is obliged by law to mention, she didn't get rich off of Sex and the City, having sold the rights to Darren Star for a mere $60,000. Then she neglected to marry a Mr. Big-type mogul, opting unexpectedly for a ballet dancer ten years her junior. Her lifestyle, as a result, isn't exactly as lavish as her characters': Those seven-figure book advances don't go so far, she recently lost her radio show, and it's clear that executive-producing ratings disappointment Lipstick Jungle isn't going to provide for an early retirement. Still, at least she's got a second home, even if it is only worthy of a feature in the Hartford Courant rather than Architectural Digest.

It's hard to imagine what life must be like right now for Andy and Mark Madoff, the sons of alleged scam artist Bernie Madoff. It's still unclear if the two had any role in helping their dad carry out the $50 billion fraud and if they'll eventually face legal charges. Their reputations have been decimated. Worst of all, they didn't get those Hanukkah gifts that their dad hoped to give them, expensive pieces of jewelry that were intercepted by the authorities (and may ultimately cost Bernie his freedom if a judge rules the gifts violated the conditions of his bail). They didn't get the cash that Bernie had hoped to give them either, the signed checks to friends and family discovered in Bernie's desk drawer when he was arrested. But, as always, we're here to help!

You may have seen every episode, purchased all the official gear, and now even have a Padma ringtone on your cell, but if you're a truly dedicated Top Chef fan, you should probably consider renting the Williamsburg pad that housed season five's cast. It's on the market for $12,000-a-month! Housewarming party hosted by Tom not included. [Craigslist via DBTH]

When we unveiled our Anna Wintour ringtone the other day, we naturally didn't dare to dream of an endorsement from the hallowed dominion of Vogue itself. Alas, we still have no idea what Anna thought of it. But that didn't stop French Vogue, whose beloved editor Carine Roitfeld has been the subject of rumors that she'll replace Wintour in New York, from happily informing readers about the sonnerie de téléphone with "the invaluable recommendations of Madame Wintour herself!" Merci, Carine! [Vogue.fr]

Ron Burkle, the lecherous billionaire and former pal of imprisoned con man Raffaello Follieri, just bought a stake in Whole Foods! So the next time you spend $11 for two tomatoes, feel free to ponder whether your hard-earned cash will go pay for his $30,000-a-month suite at the Bowery Hotel, a new Polo shirt, or to buy bottles of Cristal at Marquee. [NYT/Dealbook]

• It's not just the Manhattan real estate market that's stressing out Alex Rodriguez: He's having difficulty selling his mansion in Coral Gables, too. The slugger has cut the price of the manse from $14.9 million to $12.3 million, which is just $300,000 more than what he and ex Cynthia paid for it in 2004. [WSJ, CB]
• Troy Roberts, a correspondent on CBS's 48 Hours, has paid $2.275 million for a two-bedroom apartment at 135 Watts Street in Tribeca. [Cityfile]
• Monster.com founder Andrew McKelvey has listed his 6,000-square-foot apartment in The Sovereign on East 58th Street for $7.9 million. [WSJ]

Model Maggie Rizer is turning 31 today. Dave Matthews is turning 42. Times book critic Michiko Kakutani is 54. Hot 97 host Angie Martinez is 37. Internet tycoon Lockhart Steele is 35. Indie film honcho Michael Barker is turning 55. Earl Graves, the founder of Black Enterprise, is turning 74. Author Judith Krantz is 81. Singer Joan Baez is 68. And Kate Middleton, who stands to become a princess if Prince William ever pops the question, turns 27 today. Weekend birthdays—including that of Jared Kushner—after the jump!

• More than 2.6 million jobs were lost in 2008, the most since World War II ended in 1945. The unemployment rate now stands at 7.2 percent. [CNN]
• Steve Rattner may be Barack Obama's car czar, assuming several potential conflicts of interests are sorted out. [ABC, NYP]
• Hedge funds lost 18.3 percent on average in 2008 [DB]
• Merrill Lynch exec Gregory Fleming is headed off to teach at Yale. [DB]
• Dick Parsons says he has no plans to become Commerce Secretary. [DB]
• Sometimes there is justice in this world: Marc Rich was a victim of Bernie Madoff, too, and lost $10-15 million as part of the scheme. [BN]
• Bernie Madoff's home in the south of France is actually fairly modest. [BN]

Maimon Kirschenbaum, the lawyer that restaurant owners love to hate, has a new target: He's filed a class-action lawsuit against Le Cirque on behalf of cater-waiters. So if in the future you have to start tipping the guy who hands you a glass of champagne at a party, now you know who to thank! [Grub Street]