Thomas Golisano, former New York governor candidate, still staying involved with politics

Thomas Golisano- who spent $93 million of his own money on three independent bids for governor here, then departedN.Y.forFloridain protest of formerGov. David Paterson's millionaire tax - hasn't given up on politics entirely. We hear the reclusive billionaire, who sold theBuffalo Sabreshockey team for a reported $189 million Monday, is quietly bankrolling efforts to build support for the National Popular Vote Bill.

If passed, the bill would guarantee a majority of the Electoral College to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in the election. (In 2000,Al Gorewon the popular vote, butGeorge W. Bushended up with the most electoral votes - and the presidency.) When we called Golisano, he referred us to the website nationalpopularvote.com, but declined to discuss his role in the effort. According to the site, the bill's been enacted by states possessing 73 electoral votes - 27% of the 270 needed to activate it.

Shaping up to be one hell of a party

Karole Armitageand her partner, artistDavid Salle, don't throw dull benefits. Wednesday night, the Armitage Gone! Gala, which benefits her dance company, will entertain an audience of"art stars, drag queens and theoretical physicists,"as the press release puts it. They'll convene for a three-stage performance created by Armitage and combining ballet, rock 'n' roll and standup comedy. Organizers also will auction off artwork created by more than 200 artists using the"exquisite corpse"relay method of collaboration.Anne Bass,Peter BrantandStephanie Seymour, andFran Lebowitzare expected to attend. 

How about Atkins?
 
Fat Joeappears to be trying the South Beached Whale Diet. The robust rapper was overheard discussing his weight-loss plans with a table of 10 at STK in theMeatpacking DistrictSunday night. We're not sure how well it's going though, considering the group shared"Lil Big Mac"sliders, truffle fries, steaks and short ribs. They did skip dessert.
 
One side of the camera

Bill Cunninghamskipped his own premiere. Monday night, the documentary"Bill Cunningham New York,"debuted at aCalvin Klein-hosted screening at theCrosby Street Hotel, but theNew York Timesstyle photographer was not in the house because, a source tells us, he abhors"the limelight."Doc director Richard Press also told the audience the 81-year-old shutterbug has no plans to see it. Really?

All is not well in RHONY world
 
Real Housewives of New York, start yer bitching. A source close to the sirens tells us there's discord brewing over"RHONY"premiere parties thatRamona Singer,Sonja MorganandJill Zarinare each planning. The source says Singer was"not about to share the attention"with the other ladies. Zarin's and Morgan's fetes are planned for Feb. 15, the day the series returns. They will be held at, respectively, theChelsea Hoteland RDV. So Singer has scheduled hers for Feb. 8 at Covet. Take that!

Contact Gatecrasher:
Frank DiGiacomo:fdgiacomo@nydailynews.com
Carson Griffith:cgriffith@nydailynews.com
Molly Fischer:mfischer@nydailynews.com

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Kanye West really enjoys his own music, asks deejay to play hit'Runaway'at crowded club

Kanye West likes to hear himself. A source tells us the singer made sure clubgoers at Avenue enjoyed a taste of his own music early Sunday morning. Arriving after midnight with an entourage that included Kid Cudi, he asked deejay Sam French to play his hit"Runaway."French complied, prompting Yeezy to start"jamming out to his own music"—"drink in hand."A few pretty ladies noticed and advanced, but another insider says, aside from posing for pictures with a few hotties, it was a"boys night"for Kanye and Cudi.

Olbermann Tweets up a storm

Keith Olbermann is a Twitter god. Little more than a week after exiting MSNBC, fans of his popular but now-defunct"Countdown"show seem to have followed him to the Twitter zone. As of Monday afternoon, Olbermann had 215,839 followers, up from just under 200,000 at the start of the day. Ironically, he used to disdain Twitter and even once named it his show's"Worst Persons in the World."Get this man a TV show!

Where is the love?

Harvey Weinstein, Dr. Love? Make no mistake, Hollywood's awards season is a white-knuckle ride, but movie-industry sources tell us the Weinstein Co.'s post-SAG Awards party at the Sunset Towers was a lovefest in more ways than one. TWC's"The King's Speech"was the big winner, with awards going to star Colin Firth as well as the film's cast, but that didn't keep the movie's ostensible Oscar competitors away.

Among those who showed up to celebrate were"Black Swan"director Darren Aronofsky,"The Social Network's"Justin Timberlake and"The Fighter"director David O. Russell. Also glitzing up the joint were Sofia Vergara and her boyfriend, potential Senate candidate Nick Loeb;"Glee"star Jane Lynch;"Mad Men"hunk Jon Hamm; and Weinstein Co. mascot Quentin Tarantino.

Speaking of amore, we also hear that Timberlake, who's linked with Jessica Biel, and his"Friends With Benefits"co-star Mila Kunis were"cozy"at the party.

...Pants on fire

Splash's smoky Sunday-morning mystery solved? A source tells us the reason all those sexy"firemen with a big hose"were summoned to the gay hot spot, as we reported Monday, was a lit cigarette that a coatroom staffer failed to extinguish. Um, aren't there rules about smoking indoors? No one answered the club's phone to respond.

King of the hill

Rep. Peter King chairs the House Homeland Security Committee— and he's funny, too! Past and current district attorneys Robert Morgenthau and Cyrus Vance and supermarket mogul John Catsimatidis turned out Monday to see the Republican congressman and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly speak at the Police Athletic League luncheon at the Mutual of America Offices in Midtown. The topic was serious — terrorism —
but King got a nice laugh when he cracked a joke about his and Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner's token attempt to forge a more bipartisan Congress by sitting next to each other at the State of the Union address.

Addressing the PAL crowd, King apologized for his hoarse voice and said he didn't know if he had laryngitis or bronchitis. He seemed sure of one thing though:"God has been punishing me for sitting next to Anthony Weiner."

Stylist show-stopper

Gali Barraza got a big surprise in the form of a little person, thanks to famed jewelry designer Lorraine Schwartz on Wednesday. A source says the celeb stylist pulled Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam out of retirement to perform for Barraza's birthday bash at midtown East hot spot Covet. Guests included supermodels May Anderson, Julia Orden and Jessica White, but Schwartz's show-stopper was a cake from which a midget emerged, prompting the crowd to erupt in squeals of delight.

Contact Gatecrasher:
Frank DiGiacomo:fdgiacomo@nydailynews.com
Carson Griffith:cgriffith@nydailynews.com
Molly Fischer:mfischer@nydailynews.com

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Jonathan Knight comes out: News Kids on the Block member confirms he is gay

Tiffany, you're off the hook.

Jonathan Knighthas officially come out of the closet, a week after the pop star accidentally outed him onBravo's"Watch What Happens Live."

In a blog post published Thursday on a members-only section of theNew Kids on the Blockwebsite, Knight confirmed his sexual orientation for the first time publicly but claimed he had actually privately revealed he was gay"almost twenty years ago."

"I have never been outed by anyone but myself! I did so almost twenty years ago,"the singer wrote, according to a screengrab fromTowleroad.com."I never knew that I would have to do it all over again publicly just because I reunited with NKOTB!"

"I have lived my life very openly and have never hidden the fact that I am gay!"he continued."Apparently the pre requiste {sic} to being a gay public figure is to appear on the cover of a magazine with the caption‘I am gay.'"

Knight went on to say he believes"that you live your life by example, and not by a caption on a magazine!"

"If there ever has been any confusion about my sexuality, then you are someone that doesn't even know me!"he added.

The 42-year-old, who will soon embark on a joint tour with the NKOTB and theBackstreet Boys, noted that he won't be addressing his love life publicly again.

"I love living my life being open and honest, but at this time I choose not to discuss my private life any further!"his post concluded."My fellow band members don't discuss their private lives with their loved ones and I don't feel that just because I am gay, I should have to discuss mine!"

Tiffany, who dated Knight when they were rising stars in the late 1980s, told Bravo hostAndy Cohenon Jan. 20 that her ex"became gay later."

She went on to joke about possible clues he might've given regarding his sexuality.

"Now looking back when we were dating,"Tiffany said,"he was so much fun. We used to do facials together. He was so easy to talk to… And he was fabulous."

Shortly after, the songstress came under fire for outing him, prompting an apology onTwitter.

"Really didn't know that was the wrong thing to say,"she tweeted the next day."Never meant to hurt Jon."

And Knight himself ended up defending her.

"Tiff, please don't lose any sleep over it!"he replied to her on Twitter."I know you weren't being mean and I found it to be funny!"

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Kim Kardashian slams'Teen Mom'for making teen pregnancy'trendy,'star Amber Portwood fires back

Kim Kardashian, arguably one of the biggest reality stars ever, has a bone to pick with one reality series in particular:"Teen Mom."

The hit MTV show, which chronicles the travails of young women as they deal with the consequences of their unplanned pregnancies, was the subject of Kardashian's ire in a recentblog post.

"It seems that shows like 'Teen Mom' are all of a sudden making teen pregnancy seem cool in the eyes of young girls,"the 30-year-old wrote Wednesday in an entry directed"to all young girls out there."

"The kids from these shows are all over the news, even on the covers of magazines, and have been become almost like celebrities, but girls, these are not people you should idolize!"Kardashian said.

Calling parenting"one of the biggest, and most life-changing decisions a person can make,"the E! reality star insisted"having a baby so young shouldn't be seen as the trendy thing to do."

"Girls, please, think very carefully before you make these kind of decisions,"she encouraged."Talk to your family, friends, teachers, and most of all, be careful."

Not surprisingly, at least two of the"Teen Mom"cast members weren't pleased with Kardashian's post.

"Last time I checked, Kim Kardashian had a sex tape floating around on the Internet and I'm pretty sure she made a lot of money off of it,"Amber Portwood toldE! News."She made a sex tape when she was younger and she wants to bash the girls on 'Teen Mom'?"

Portwood, who has been one of the series' most controversial stars because of her alleged domestic violence against babydaddy Gary Shirley, pointed out a positive effect of the show.

"There's actually a study that shows since the original '16 and Pregnant' aired, the number of teen pregnancies have gone down,"she said, emphasizing that MTV doesn't"glamorize anything."

"It shows the heartache we've all gone through,"Portwood explained."We may be 'celebrities' because our face is out there, but it's only because we've done some bad things. That's not glamorous."

"Teen Mom 2"cast member Jenelle Evans offered up a simpler response to Kardashian's warning:"Sh-t happens."

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Jason Sudeikis moves on from January Jones, onto Heather Graham at premiere

Jason Sudeikis is on the prowl. The newly single"Saturday Night Live"cast member, who reportedly just split from"Mad Men"starJanuary Jones, spent nearly an hour hitting onHeather Grahamat the premiere of IFC's"Portlandia"at Edison Ballroom on Wednesday night. Graham, who we hear has split from her beauYaniv Raz, found the actor relatively amusing, but after a male friend of the"Hangover"hottie interruptedSudeikis' game, the funny man moved on to a redhead.

"Portlandia"starFred Armisenand his"SNL"co-starAbby Elliotdid nothing to put rumors of their relationship to rest. The two sat together and periodically smiled at each other during the show's screening. They also stuck close together during a performance later that night by The Thermals. At one point, 44-year-old Armisen even kissed the wall next to where Elliot, 23, was dancing wildly. We won't ask.

Birds of a feather...

Call them TheLeague of Extraordinary First Children: LBJ daughterLynda Bird JohnsonRobb attended the opening night of the American Antiques Show at theMetropolitan PavilionWednesday night, where she told us that a number of U.S. Presidents' kids stay in touch by email and phone."We try to keep up,"said Robb, who's particularly"fond"of Julie andDavid Eisenhower(Julie's the daughter ofRichard Nixonand married Ike's son), as well asSusan FordandJack Carter, spawn ofGerald FordandJimmy Carter).

The opener benefited theAmerican Folk Art Museumand was hosted by its board president,Laura Parsons. Afterward, Robb was a special guest at a dinner atTocquevilleon E. 15th St. She left right after dessert because she was due in D.C. yesterday to speak at theSargent Shriverfuneral and mark the 50th anniversary of the JFK/LBJ inauguration.

Before she left, we asked her what she remembered most from the original 1961 ceremony. Replied Robb:"How cold it was."

Double entendre alert

Friday's party for best-selling authorLynn Schnurnberger's latest novel,"The Best Laid Plans"is all about buzz.  The drinks are by the Summit Bar, the setting is theSoHosex emporium Babeland, and the raffle prize is a"high end"multi-speed vibrator worth over $100. (Does it come with a kickstand?)  The book's about a middle-aged mom who opens an escort service for over-40 women when her husband loses his job. Stimulating!

Ladies man
 
Todd English strikes again. The playboy chef left his 27-year-old girlfriend,Candice Sonneman, in tears at a party hosted byNe-Yoand real estate developedAvi Osterat theCarlton Hotelon Wednesday night.

Not long after the singer took the stage, English sidled up to a tall blond model and - placing his hand on her lower back as if he was seasoning a succulent cut of veal - began whispering in her ear in full view of his gal pal.

"My heart is breaking! My heart is breaking!"Sonneman wailed at the sight of English's advance. When we inquired about her distress, she gestured toward English and the model:"Look at my boyfriend over there with that girl!"Before stalking away, the teary-eyed Sonneman told us:"I just can't do this anymore!"

Minutes later, English bid the model adieu and exited, too, but he must be as good at sweet talk as he is in the kitchen. Later that evening, Sonneman was back in his arms, dancing the night away.

Don't skip the commercials

Is Diddyjust another word for nothing left to lose? In 2009, we had to suffer through theBlack Eyed Peas'Will.I.Amsponging offBob Dylan's"Forever Young"in a Pepsi Super Bowl ad. Now we hear thatMercedes-Benzhas just shot a dream-sequence spot for theNFLad-stravaganza that stars Sean (Diddy) Combs and featuresJanis Joplin's great"Mercedes Benz"song. Oh, Lord!?

Contact Gatecrasher:
Frank DiGiacomo:fdgiacomo@nydailynews.com
Carson Griffith:cgriffith@nydailynews.com
Molly Fischer:mfischer@nydailynews.com

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Gwyneth Paltrow a pain? New book ready to dish on celebs who can't be bothered with commoners

Sorry,Gwyneth Paltrow, it takes more than a spot on"Glee"to melt your ice-princess image.

Abbe Diaz, who spent several years as a maitre d' at some ofManhattan's poshest restaurants, has the dish on stars' bad behavior - and the regal"Country Strong"star is among those she roasts on her PXThis blog and the books it has spawned.

So while Paltrow tries to recast herself as a relatable mom (see the newGood Housekeepingcover),Diazmaintains she's got some work to do.

After serving Paltrow about a half dozen times in her years as a maitre d' (from 2000 to 2004), Diaz says the actress has a"passive-aggressive comportment… meant to unnerve the plebeians."

"If you're not worthy, it's like you're not there,"the author tells us, although she adds, Paltrow"likes boys" - servers, that is -"as long as they're cute and sweet."

Diaz first made a splash with insider restaurant gossip on her blog, PXThis."PX"stands for"personne extraordinaire" - French for"VIP"and restaurant code for celebrity bookings. She turned her experiences into the diary-style book"PX This."A second,"PX Me: How I Became a Published Author, Got Micro-Famous, and Married a Millionaire,"arrives in June. It will describe Diaz's brushes with Internet infamy, including feuds with Gawker and former employerJean-Georges Vongerichten.

Her celeb stories aren't all bile, however. She saysWill Smithis a"huge, huge"tipper -"like 100%."Stars like that seem to"remember what it's like to struggle a little bit for your cash,"she concludes.

But not all do: Ex-restaurateur (and a former Diaz boss)Brian McNallyonce expressed surprise thatEllen Barkinwasn't nicer to the staff - because he'd dated the actress back when she was waiting tables. Diaz dealt with Barkin several times when she dined withJulianne Moore, who was polite to the point of being apologetic."Overcompensating,"Diaz speculates.

Some stars aren't even nice to each other. Diaz recalls seeing designersMarc Jacobsand the lateAlexander McQueen, each with an entourage, at adjacent lunch tables— and each table acting like the other"wasn't even there."

The toughest customers, she says, are niche VIPs, like magazine editors, who go unnoticed by most NYers but are used to royal treatment within their worlds. Real A-listers hesitate to wield clout.

Once, for example, a colleague of Diaz's failed to recognizeHilary Swankand turned her away."She was a little surprised,"Diaz says, but clearly didn't want to say anything.

Fortunately, the misunderstanding was sorted out. Celebrities can count on happy endings - or at least a table.

Contact Gatecrasher:
Frank DiGiacomo:fdgiacomo@nydailynews.com
Carson Griffith:cgriffith@nydailynews.com
Molly Fischer:mfischer@nydailynews.com

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Kim Richards rehab:'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'star in treatment after shocking finale

Kim Richardsis an alcoholic? Who knew!?

The 46-year-old reality star of"Real Housewives of Beverly Hills"was checked into rehab by her family at the end of the show's shocking season finale on Thursday night.

The painful decision was made after Kim and her sister, Kyle, got into a booze-fueled war of words at fellow castmateTaylor Armstrong's birthday party.

The shouting match initially started between Taylor and a clearly-drunk Kim over a previous fight the women had during a trip toNew York.

The women eventually retreat back to their limo, where Kim calls Kyle a"f--king phony"while Kyle accuses Kim of being"delusional"and"demented."

She tops it off with"You are a liar ... {and} you are an alcoholic! Yeah, that's right. I've said it now, and everybody knows."

The fight continued to escalate with Kyle claiming her husband sends Kim, a single mom, money every month.

"You are so sick. My husband has helped you every month and stood by you and taken care of you, okay, like you're his second f--king wife!"

The show ended with Kyle storming the limo telling her sister that she's on her own.

A written banner then announced Kim was checked into rehab by her family, then checked herself out a week later, and that the sisters have not spoken to each other since the blowout.

On the show's blog, Kyle said she would not divulge what happened after the vicious fight because it's Kim's"story to tell."

"My heart was broken and I suffered an incredible amount of anxiety and panic attacks,"wrote Kyle."Next to losing my mother, this was the most difficult time of my life."

ashahid@nydailynews.com

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