Winter wander-land
Movers and shakers torn between Davos, DC
BILLIONAIRES
have a January dilemma on their hands: Attend President-elect Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20 or stay for the third and final day of the annual World Economic ForumintheSwiss Alps village of Davos. In other worlds, to ski or to schmooze. It is the first time in recent memory that the WE F andthe inauguration of a USpresident conflict.
Many big-name US invitees are skipping the snowyget-together this year, sourcessaid, because there is so much happening back home.
Still, the WEF isn’t hurting. There has been a host of reports suggesting WEF officials were thinking about trucking in shipping containers to serve as emergency housing for staff — to free up luxe hotels in favor of the 11,000 guests.
Fon Mathuros, a WEF spokesman, said thegroupwas not out to mess with Washington by scheduling its gabfest to runthroughJan. 20. “Thedates for our annual meetings have been fixed [for] at least 5 years,” hesaid.
Hilfiger ontheslopes
Fashion designer TommyHilfiger is spending New Year’ s weekend on the slope sin Aspen along with other A-Listers — Kris Jenner (pictured), and boyfriend Corey Gamble, Kourtney Kardashian, Seal and Kate Hudson — after a busy year where he publishing his autobiography, “American Dreamer,” and cinched a partnership wit hub er model Gigi Ha did. The two produced a range of capsule collections.
Hilfiger tells Lisa Fickenscher he is spending his time in the mountains skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling andshopping.
The designer told On the Money his wife, Dee, “is decked out in Moncler ski gear” and that his family is racing downthe slopes on Rossignol skis because, well, his private equity company, Sandbridge Capital, is aninvestor.
TrumpandtheNFL
There is said to be no love lost between Trump and the National Football League.
The NFL, you remember, beat Trump and the upstart USFL (Trump owned the New Jersey Generals franchise) in court in 1986 — in essence, putting the junior league out of business.
Then the NFL all but blacklisted Trump — making sure that despite his billions he would never own a franchise. Trumphad a mild interest in buying the Buffalo Bills in 2014.
So come Jan. 20, Trump will be in position to exact some revenge— if hewantsto. Here’s how.
You see, the NFLisdeadset against expanding legalized sports betting beyondLasVegas. Meanwhile, New Jersey badly wantsinto the lucrative game.
Sofar the NFL, with the backing of the Justice Department and other leagues, havedefeated NewJerseyGov. Christie’s attempt to bring sports gambling to Atlantic City.
Trump could decide that sports gambling is astate issue, not afederal one. That would give Christie’s effort a major boost, sources said. It would also make the NFL mad.
“I think, knowing Donald, there is a part of him that would like to get even with the NFL by saying, ‘Let’s allow gambling,’ ” on NFLgamesinNewJersey, a source said.
A rep for the NFL declined comment. Reps for Trump’s office did not return calls.
Party in Florida
Some of the monied set not in Aspen (or Davos) are warming their buns in Florida. Film producer and real estate heiress Francine Lefrak, banker Martin Shafiroff, his philanthropist wife, Jean, and Sylvester Stallone will be at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. Just three miles away, billionaire David Koch holds “The Coconuts,” his annual New Year’s Eve party, at the Flagler Museum. Elsewhere in Palm Beach, New York real estate mogulCharlesS. Cohenandhiswife, Clo, will be ringing in the new year in 70-degree temps.
Musicmen
Our tea-leaf readers say 2017 is going to be a big year for the digital music guys. Spotify’s long a waited I PO is expected to pop as long as founder Daniel Ek can get Universal Music Group and other labels on board. The talks over the past few weeks have been centered on fees the record labels would receive and how Spotify will be able to use the music. Spotify is backed by Goldman Sachs. Meanwhile our industry tipsters believe Sound Cloud, where amateur musicians canposttheir worksalongside the famous, will be sold (all eyes are onGoogleas the likely buyer). Meanwhile things could heat up at digital radio service Pandora, where bankers are looking to drum up another buyer to bid up whatever Liberty Media’ s Sirius X Mis willing to pay. In the next fewweeks, Pandora will beta-test its own On Demand Spotify killer to its top users, sources told OntheMoney.