Open Gate bought TV Guide for $1 in 2008 and convinced the seller, Macrovision, to lend the company $9.5 million until 2014 to help run the magazine, which at the time was losing $20 million per year. 

Jack Kliger, CEO of Open Gate, cut much of the magazine's staff and hired consultants to fill in.

The Washington Post Co. suggested in its sales book that it wouldn't be surprised if a new owner cut the staff. Letters of interest are due June 2.

Jonathan Alter is "cautiously optimistic."

The quaint one-bedroom in the 1931 Emery Roth & Sons-designed building has a cozy and convenient layout: the walk-in closet is significantly larger than the petite kitchen corridor—really, this is Mr. Mizrahi we're talking about, not Nigella Lawson; closet space is what the man needs. Not to mention the "large dining gallery" which opens onto an "oversized" living room with a wood-burning fireplace and tree-line southern exposure.

The Brooklyn-bred Mr. Mizrahi, who has boasted, "I'm as much a part of New York as the rats," bought the apartment from publishing veteran Jack Kliger, who took over as CEO of floundering TV Guide last summer. Before that, Mr. Kliger was chief executive of Elle publisher Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., and before that he was publisher of Glamour and GQ magazines.

Mr. Mizrahi is known to live in the West Village with his partner, Arnold, and his dog, Harry. Neither Mr. Mizrahi's spokesperson nor Mr. Kliger could be immediately reached for comment; but this reporter, for now, guesses that it sounds like an expansion or a purchase for a friend or family member.

cmalle@observer.com

As Mr. Bercovici writes:

Ms. Bassett and Mr. Vance's 34th-floor one-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bathroom spread has marble baths and Hudson River views. The 60-story building, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, has numerous amenities, including a doorman and a private health club with a swimming pool.

The Lincoln Center perch will only be a pied-à-terre for the Ivy League couple (he's a Harvard man; she's a Yalie), who reside full-time in the sunnier climes of Los Angeles.

"Courtney is filming Law and Order and is here eight to nine months out of the year," Ms. Bassett's spokesperson said. "They'll remain full-time in Los Angeles."

In September 2002, Tony Friedman of Realty Group International sold the apartment to a buyer from Chicago who, two years later, sold the place to Ms. Bassett and Mr. Vance; the sale took place in January. The 890-square-foot condo is the first Manhattan residence for the couple, who married in 1997.

In 2001, Mr. Vance, 44, joined the cast of NBC's Law and Order: Criminal Intent as Assistant D.A. Ron Carver, which has brought him to New York for extended shoots. In addition to his current role, Mr. Vance has appeared in such films as The Hunt for Red October , Space Cowboys and The Preacher's Wife , as well as the television dramas Boston Public and Picket Fences .

For Ms. Bassett, who was nominated as Best Actress for her portrayal of Tina Turner in the 1993 film What's Love Got to Do With It (she didn't win the Oscar, though she did get a Golden Globe), landing at Lincoln Center is a return to her Gotham roots. Not that she's been a stranger to the city: Over the course of her 19-year career in Hollywood, she's appeared opposite such notable New Yorkers as Robert De Niro in 2000's The Score , as well as in Spike Lee's Malcolm X .

In recent weeks, the Upper East Side real-estate market has been flooded by a cascade of luxury townhouses, marking the first major real-estate shake-up of 2004. In the two years following the Sept. 11 downturn, which slowed the townhouse market's upper echelons to a trickle, owners of Manhattan's gilded private residences have retreated behind their mansions' limestone façades as the properties languished on the block.

But now, as the real-estate boom that began in the second half of 2003 continues apace, owners have returned to the market with hubristic price tags. Since early April, a quartet of Upper East Side townhouses with asking prices totaling $100 million has hit the market. Buoyed by an improving economy and a recent real-estate market report issued by Miller Samuel showing that the average price of a Manhattan townhouse increased by 10.1 percent in 2003, to a record $4.04 million, sellers now believe that well-heeled buyers are ready to plunk down eight figures to own a trophy property.

"It's a return of the titans," said Jed Garfield of townhouse brokerage Leslie J. Garfield and Co. "Certainly, it's fair to say, this year's market is considerably stronger than last year's."

The mansions flanking the blocks on East 64th Street between Fifth and Lexington avenues-such as Seagram heir Edgar Bronfman Jr.'s $40 million home, art dealer Guy Wildenstein's $35 million spread and the residence of former Sony Music chief Tommy Mottola, which sold for nearly $20 million last year-have made this corridor the pinnacle of Upper East Side luxury real estate. Now, the "For Sale" signs have sprouted like cherry trees budding on a spring morning.

Take 16 East 64th Street, the six-story, 10,000-square-foot neo-Federal townhouse owned by attorney Stuart Schlesinger. The property, listed by his wife, Linda Schlesinger of Douglas Elliman, hit the market on April 14 for $27 million. At the end of the block at 603 Park Avenue, the red-brick, Tuscan-columned, 25-room home owned by real-estate developer Sherman Cohen (which has bounced on and off the market since he purchased it in 1989 for $12.5 million) is now quietly listing at $35 million, brokers close to the property said. The mansion, which Mr. Cohen has never occupied, has 100 feet of frontage along Park Avenue and, since its construction in 1920 for sugar wholesaler Thomas Howell, has been home to the coal magnate James Ellsworth, as well as Margaretta Fitler, who in 1963 became Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller's second wife.

Several doors down from the Cohen mansion, corporate real-estate dealmaker Kenneth Laub is currently seeking $23 million for his four-story, red brick townhouse at 163 East 64th Street. Mr. Laub, the former president of the East 64th Street Association, had been privately showing the 8,500-square-foot, 13-room mansion over the past 10 years and advertising it with a slick brochure, before openly listing the property with Yael Nazmiyal and Alexandra Tawfik of Douglas Elliman in early April. Five blocks uptown, at 21 East 69th Street, the fertility guru Dr. Norbert Gleicher, chairman of the Chicago and New York–based Center for Human Reproduction, recently listed his 7,500-square-foot mansion (formerly the Romeo Gigli boutique) for $14.99 million-more than twice the $5.25 million he paid back in February 2001 for the 20-foot-wide landmarked building.

The appearance of these listings indicate that the townhouse market is finally keeping pace with the Upper East Side co-op and condo frenzy that has raged since last year. Sellers, hesitant until recently to wade back into the market after "white elephants" like Mr. Bronfman's $40 million mansion and Mr. Wildenstein's $35 million abode languished post-9/11, have decided to dive headlong into the resurgent market.

"We've been thinking about doing this for a while," said Ms. Schlesinger of listing her East 64th Street townhouse, which has a limestone-and-marble entry foyer, bronze and wrought-iron railings and six wood-burning fireplaces. "Since the market is so strong now, and since we live on the best block in New York, we thought we'd make a go of it."

Mr. Laub echoed the sentiment.

"If someone is willing to pay a price commensurate with what the home is worth, then I'll sell. I'm just as happy to stay here if I don't get my price," he said. "It just seems like an opportunity [to sell] in an improving market."

Brokers handling the listings say that the stratospheric asking prices are realistic-not overly optimistic, like the previous slate of luxury properties that failed to sell in 2002.

"We feel it's an excellent time now. The trend for townhouse prices is going up," Mr. Laub's broker, Ms. Nazmiyal, said.

But other brokers in the Upper East Side market question the selling stampede and the skyrocketing prices.

"This often happens in the townhouse market on a cyclical basis. A lot of times, the market is filled with big egos that tend to get ahead of the rest of the market," said Kirk Henckels, a director at Stribling and Associates. "We're back to speculation in the market, though one thing that will help is the lack of inventory in the co-op and the townhouse market. There's really nothing else out there for sale."

Recent sales may also fuel optimism for those looking to cash out. In February, the 28,500-square-foot mansion at 9 East 86th Street owned by the Town Club sold for $14.7 million to a private investor and his family. And while Woody Allen's $27 million, 22-room mansion still awaits a buyer, some brokers say that, given current market conditions, a sale may be not far off.

Ultimately, the proof is in the pudding. The number of buyers willing to fork over north of $20 million for a private residence will be the best indication of whether the current glut of eight-figure listings is more than brash posturing.

"It's very hard to get a five- to six-bedroom apartment in this market. There's nothing available. The bottom line is, everything is selling," said Michele Kleier, the president of Gumley Haft Kleier, an independent Upper East Side brokerage.

"The market is absolutely crazy," she continued. "Condos are now asking for income-tax returns; the only thing they don't do is interview like a co-op board. The only clean deal, if you don't want to go through the difficult process, is to buy a townhouse. When you own a townhouse, you own a real piece of New York."

Greenwich Village

Hachette Boss Buys on Beloved Block; Will He Ask Staff to Choose Colors?

Jack Kliger, president and chief executive of Hachette Filipacchi U.S., the publisher of such style-conscious titles as Elle and Metropolitan Home , has left the stroller-saddled sidewalks of the Upper West Side for the leafy West Village, home to designers Marc Jacobs and Diane von Furstenberg. Mr. Kliger recently paid $1.4 million for the 1,300-square-foot, two-bedroom condo at 59 West 12th Street that had been the home of actor Ben Bates, son of the late thespian Sir Alan Bates, who passed away last December.

"I wanted to get back downtown," Mr. Kliger told The Observer , speaking of his recent West Village acquisition. "I always loved that particular block. That's where I lived 25 years ago when I worked for The Village Voice ."

The prewar building, between Fifth and Sixth avenues, is also home to designer Isaac Mizrahi. Talking Heads rocker David Byrne lives down the block.

The renovated condo has detailed woodwork, marble baths, oversized windows and a high-tech sound system. Leonard Steinberg of Douglas Elliman, who sold the spread along with his partner, Herve Senequier, declined to comment.

Mr. Kliger began his career at The Village Voice in 1973. Before becoming the head of the U.S. division of the world's largest magazine publisher, he worked as publisher of GQ and Glamour , as well as being executive vice president of Condé Nast.

While the renovated apartment already meets Mr. Kliger's exacting standards, it's impossible, with the resources he has at his fingertips, not to ponder making further improvements.

"I bought [the apartment] in great condition, though I might have Elle Decor or Met Home come in and take a look," he said. "The editors can come by and tell me what they think. It's good to have that kind of on-staff advice."

"John had a suite of offices; I took the one closest to the hall," he said, explaining that it was his style to stay close to the newsroom. "At Money magazine, I had a desk on the news floor. I'm a hands-on editor. I prefer where I'm sitting."

According to a George source, when the senior staff of George magazine was called to a meeting with Hachette Filipacchi Magazines chief executive Jack Kliger midday on Nov. 29, the new editor, with his bushy mustache, was sprung on them. The reaction? "Oh my God, what's Frank Lalli doing sitting there?" one editor was overheard saying.

So what was Mr. Lalli doing there? "[Mr. Kliger] wanted a magazine maker. That's what I am."

Mr. Lalli, 57, has a long history as a "magazine maker." He ran Money magazine from 1989 through 1997, and had worked for the New York Daily News , House & Home , Forbes and New West –the latter under Clay Felker, a pioneer of reader-oriented service journalism. It was while working for Mr. Felker 23 years ago that he met an ad salesman for The Village Voice named Jack Kliger. He said they'd been friends ever since.

"I first started talking to Jack in the summer," Mr. Lalli said. That was shortly after Mr. Kliger took over for David Pecker, but before Kennedy died. By then, Mr. Kliger had pretty much decided to end Hachette's relationship with George. That was fine with Kennedy, who had already begun trying to find new investors, according to a publishing executive familiar with Kennedy's plans at the time.

Mr. Lalli said his conversations with Mr. Kliger had nothing to do with George. "I was talking about another start-up and some other roles I might be able to play at Hachette," he said.

Mr. Kennedy was killed in a plane crash on July 16. Soon after, Hachette decided to keep the magazine alive, but wanted to buy the shares Kennedy had controlled from his heirs. Meanwhile, they were looking for a new editor.

Just after Labor Day, Mr. Kliger and Hachette editorial director Jean-Louis Ginibre met with Newsweek 's Jonathan Alter. Mr. Alter wrote an edit plan and they talked salary, but by October Mr. Alter had decided to stay put. The whole thing got messy when Mr. Alter told the press he'd been offered the job and Hachette denied it. Hachette became gun-shy about who they talked to next. They wanted someone who wanted the job, not someone they'd woo and who might reject them at the last minute, said a source familiar with Mr. Kliger's thinking. They didn't want another Alter-esque blow-up, especially while they were still negotiating to buy the magazine from the Kennedy family.

The deal went through on Oct. 27, while the search for an editor continued. Candidates were impressed with Hachette's commitment to producing the magazine for at least two more years. Nonetheless, Newsweek international editions editor Michael Elliott also turned them down.

Re-enter Mr. Lalli. "After Jack and Hachette bought the magazine from the Kennedys, Jack called me up and said, 'I have another idea for you,'" said Mr. Lalli. Mr. Lalli said he hadn't read the magazine particularly closely, but he took home a stack over a weekend. "I got back to Jack and said, I'm interested in this … I find myself, my background and outlook on life compatible with what John Kennedy was trying to do: to help people understand who the public figures are in this country who have real political clout, and how are they using it to either serve the public or disserve it."

Sounding very much like his mentor, Mr. Felker, he said, "If you want to get this magazine down to two words, what we're doing is 'power people.'"

At Money, Mr. Lalli took a nearly crusading attitude toward his job and his readers, even testifying before Congress on issues affecting their financial well-being. His editorials had titles like, "Congress aims at lawyers and ends up shooting small investors in the back" and "What we ought to remember about the Oklahoma bombing is the heroism, not the terrorism." He said he persuaded President Clinton to veto a securities law. "I wrote five editorials that changed public policy," he said. He expects to do the same at George .

His fellow editors at Time Inc. said, however, it was that earnest spirit that ultimately doomed him in 1994, with the arrival of Norman Pearlstine. Mr. Pearlstine was looking for a magazine with an edge, and that's not what Mr. Lalli was about. He had been gunning for Mr. Lalli's Money for years and, in fact, is said to have started Smart Money while he was at The Wall Street Journal to exploit what he saw as its failings.

In 1997, Mr. Pearlstine booted him upstairs in Time Inc., after writing an editorial in Money praising him for his defense of the American consumer. Mr. Lalli stuck around until the next year. One theory has it Mr. Pearlstine didn't want the embarrassment of firing Mr. Lalli while he was president of the American Society of Magazine Editors, particularly as Mr. Lalli was doing earnest, do-good things like fighting Chrysler's attempt to get pre-approval of articles in magazines in which it advertised.

At Money, Mr. Lalli adopted the motto "Our Readers Above All," and had it mounted in brass near the office's entrance. So expect George's can-do American spirit to continue, unfettered by irony.

Will Hachette, which has had a reputation for mingling church and state, leave Mr. Lalli and his Dudley Do-Right tendencies alone? Mr. Lalli said he's not worried. "That was one regime and this is another regime," he said. "We won't have problems in that area."

The New York Post crew bid farewell to Jeane MacIntosh, Richard Johnson's No. 2 reporter at Page Six, on Nov. 29 at Langan's on West 47th Street. Ms. MacIntosh is moving to Chicago to be with her fiancée and serve as the paper's Midwest correspondent. Earlier that day, Mr. Johnson hired her replacement, Paula Froelich, who'll be coming from Dow Jones Newswires. Previous gig: Derivatives Week .

The main advantage to covering gossip as opposed to derivatives? "I'm so psyched," said Ms. Froelich, "because I'll know who the blind items are. Oh, my God, it's fabulous."

Editors Kurt Andersen and Michael Hirschorn have hired Variety news editor Chris Petrikin for their planned Insidedope.com Web site. Mr. Petrikin rose quickly at Variety : He started as editor Peter Bart's assistant five years ago and ended up covering the movie studios. He joins Craig Marks, who will oversee music industry coverage, and Lorne Manly, who oversees media coverage. Asked about the latest hire, Mr. Hirschorn continued acting as if he's involved in some top-secret mission, saying, "I just can't comment in any fashion."

For the last few months, Out president and editorial director Henry Scott has been trying to organize a "management buyout" of the troubled lesbian and gay monthly. According to a publisher he approached, the deal was structured so that a new investor would be found and he would remain in charge. Such a deal would bail out Robert Hardman, Out Publishing Inc.'s chairman, owner and chief benefactor over the years.

But that plan did not work out, and now Mr. Scott has left the magazine.

Mr. Scott, who had previously worked as a marketing executive for The New York Times and as an editor at The Hartford Courant , became president at Out after the departure of its founder, Michael Goff, in 1996. By most accounts, he cut costs and raised ad revenue. In January 1998, he oversaw a radical shift in the magazine's editorial direction. He threw out editor Sarah Pettit and replaced her with a flashy British fellow, James Collard. Mr. Collard lasted about a year, then left mysteriously. Next, Mr. Scott himself took over as editorial director.

Circulation fell to 115,000 by the most recent audit in June 30, 1999, down from a high of 134,700 in 1997, the final year of Ms. Pettit's tenure. Out 's competitor, The Advocate , has 83,000 paying readers.

One publisher the magazine approached about buying Out said the magazine was about $5 million in debt. That fact, combined with the proposed deal's stipulation that Mr. Scott would remain in charge, blocked the deal.

When reached at home, Mr. Scott refused to comment. But in an e-mail sent out to friends and business acquaintances, he wrote of his Out days: "It was a tenure marked by more than its fair share of problems and controversies, the latter of which I admit to sometimes creating and always reveling in." He also said he's writing a book and will be consulting at Out and Nest , an interior decorating magazine.

Steve Pippin, the magazine's executive vice president and general manager, will now serve as Out 's president. Executive editor Tom Beer will oversee the editorial side for the time being.

Out spokesman Alberto Rojas said "several parties" are looking at the magazine. "We'll hopefully close a deal in the new year," he said. He refused to comment on the magazine's debt or who the suitors are.