NEW YORK — Which failed presidential hopeful
from New York once married his second cousin and who married the
same person twice? Which New Yorker gave his girlfriend a $1
million Rolls Royce birthday gift? And which top literary agent
drove a cab?
The answers are part of a new web site,
www.cityfile.com, which lists profiles of the 2,121 most notable
people in New York City and has sparked questions by some
wannabe movers and shakers as to why they are not on the list.
"We have had quite a few e-mails from people
suggesting other people to include or (to include) themselves,"
said Cityfile founder Remy Stern.
Cityfile has sparked controversy among some
of those on the list by revealing some potentially embarrassing
details of their private lives and where they live, in some
cases even including a picture of their front door.
Stern, who was born and raised in Manhattan
and called on family and friends to help fund Cityfile, said his
small editorial team spent the past year determining the city’s
most influential people.
He likened Cityfile to the Zagat guides,
which rate restaurants, clubs, bars and stores. On Cityfile, the
most notable are rated by visitors to the site and on Thursday
long-time Village Voice columnist Michael Musto was No. 1.
The most viewed profiles are currently Vogue
editor Anna Wintour, businessman Aviv Nevo, socialite Tinsley
Mortimer, Fox News host Shepard Smith and film producer Harvey
Weinstein.
Stern said the web site aims to be impartial
and trustworthy, giving people the "straight scoop on the good
the bad and the ugly."
As for the New Yorker who married his second
cousin, that was former mayor Rudy Giuliani. Playwright Neil
Simon married the same person twice and rapper Jay-Z gave
Beyonce, then his girlfriend and now his wife, a $1 million 1959
Rolls Royce for her 25th birthday.
And top New York literary agent Andrew "The Jackal" Wylie
once drove a cab. –Reuters