One on 1

I am pleased to report that Budd Mishkin is finally doing some "One on 1" interviews that people who are under 65 can enjoy.

His latest interview was with the funny and charming John Hodgman, and this Monday at 8:30, he'll be interviewing Jonathan Lethem. I hope I remember to watch it!

In other news, NY1 has been reporting for several days now on the Bronx fire that left former New York Knicks star Dean "The Dream" Meminger in critical condition. Investigators suspect the fire may have been started by a crack pipe, and several pipes that appeared to have been used recently were found in Meminger's room. Meminger has spoken publicly about his long battle with drug abuse, according to a New York Daily News report.

If that name sounds familiar... well, you probably know that Meminger's son is NY1 reporter Dean Meminger Jr, who told the Daily News he hasn't spoken with investigators about the cause of the fire and is just concerned about his father's safety. New York Two sends its/my/our thoughts to the Meminger family.

Speaking of families, hope everyone has a nice, relaxing, stress-free day full of food and good company. New York Two out!

Black Friday countdown

Friday, November 27 is a day that will strike fear in the heart of every financial journalist who covers retail and consumers: Black Friday.

Mr. New York Two has to report to one store that is opening its doors at midnight; I personally think it's crazy, but I'm pretty sure there will be enough people already there to justify the coverage. Today, Tara Lynn Wagner had a fairly useful Money Matters report on how to negotiate Black Friday sales -- she covers what items are worth buying on Black Friday and which ones are worth waiting a week or two (in many cases, prices actually decline about a week or so after Black Friday sales), and she points out that many retailers carry their so-called "doorbuster" deals online.

All I'm sayin' is, if any fools trample my boyfriend to death, NY1 will have another murder to cover.

On a lighter note: remember when Pat hosted the "World Series of Pop Culture" on VH1? Of course you do. Well, now Pat has a daily trivia quiz on his Web site. This kind of trivia - lots of 80s and pop culture references - is what my brain is completely filled with, which is why I can't learn new things, so hopefully I'll be good at these questions.

And finally: NY1 got a mention on Letterman! Granted, he was making fun of them, but Pat and crew were very good natured about it, as you can see from the link to Pat's blog.

Roger Clark on Twitter

This is old news by now, but I've been meaning to post for some time that Roger Clark is now on Twitter. His Tweets are a mixture of business and pleasure, and so far I've learned that:

* He really likes Manitoba's in the East Village (as I've witnessed first hand for myself)
* he has reasonably decent taste in music
* He may or may not be dating someone but obviously had to be schooled in Direct Messaging after having Tweeted something a little too personal
* Some crazy lady tried to grab the mic out of his hand when he was taping a segment the other day
* At the NY1 Holiday Party, they show a blooper reel. I have to get an invite to this party - I need to see that footage!

That's all for now - busy with work today. Happy Friday!

Bloomie wins, but only just

So Bloomberg won, but it wasn't a landslide. NY1 reports that Bloomie won by what Pat called a surprisingly thin margin. Speaking of PK, he apparently had a long night, according to his Twitter feed. He Tweeted "must get some sleep" just eight hours ago and has already been in the anchor chair for a few hours. And he's already Tweeting like a madman. Do Canadians have more stamina?

Carter pretty much out

This will surprise no one, but NY1 spokesman Steve Paulus told the Daily News the station has no plans to bring Carter back. The Daily News also reports that Carter tried to name drop in a bid to get the judge to drop the wife-beating charges against him. Bad idea jeans, Dominic.

"That kind of behavior violates every principle of journalism and is not something we tolerate," Paulus told the Daily News.

Meanwhile, the Post is reporting that when Carter tried to fly out of town for a few days, an "overzealous flight attendant picked a fight" with him, so he voluntarily left the flight.

All in all, it's not a good time to be Dominic Carter. I guess the judge will decide whether this is all karma. For my money, it would be putting it mildly to say that I find his wife's court testimony unconvincing re: the mysterious day laborer who attacked her. This reminds me of Hiram Monserrate's girlfriend, and actually a whole host of other battered wives and girlfriends who change their stories after the fact. It's sad, but it happens all the time.

Halloween

I hope everyone had a happy Halloween! I was going to go as Zombie Kristen Shaughnessy, but I couldn't bear the thought of going anywhere near a costume shop on Halloween and I didn't think of it until the day before yesterday. Since I have red hair and a closet full of 60s-style dresses, I went as Joan Hollway instead.

NY1 had a report on Friday on how to do your makeup from Halloween. The MAC cosmetics guy had some good tips, but he also had the most atrocious exit-wound hairdo ever. Witness it here, and then weigh in: Is that a comb-over, or just extremely overzealous gel usage?