Unsurprisingly, the Humane Society has issued a statement saying they strongly approve of Leona Helmsley's posthumous wish to put her entire trust towards the welfare of dogs. The group asks that the trustees to honor her wish, creating a better world for the pups--and people--of the planet. Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society, noted that "While there are 10,000 or so humane organizations in this country, many are poorly funded and overwhelmed......

Since Leona Helmsley died last year at the age of 87, details of the Queen of Mean's will and wishes have caused chatter amongst those who knew and knew of her. Most notably, her dog, a Maltese named Trouble, was left a hefty $12 million...surely more than he can spend in his lifetime! The move led to death threats against the pup, who now has a security team that costs around $100K per year. She......

Leona Helmsley’s dog Trouble, who was famously bequeathed $12 million from the late real estate tycoon, will now have to make do on a measly $2 million, according to the Post. Helmsley had set aside the money for the care of her beloved Maltese while also disinheriting two of her grandchildren, Craig Panzirer, 40, and Meegan Panzirer Wesolko, 37, "for reasons which are known to them." The siblings have now hammered out a deal with......

Known for her smoky voice and role as Bob Newhart's no-nonsense wife in The Bob Newhart Show, Suzanne Pleshette died at age 70 last night. Pleshette had suffered from lung cancer in recent years. Pleshette was born in NYC and attended LaGuardia High School, aka the High School for the Performing Arts. She started on Broadway in 1957, eventually replacing Anne Bancroft in The MIracle Worker, and started to star in some TV series around......

After posthumously leaving $12 million to her dog, Leona Helmsley is ready to spread the wealth with humans through her own charitable trust (created in 1999). Yesterday Christie's announced they would be auctioning off paintings, sculptures, furniture and other property from the late real estate mogul's numerous homes. Spokesman Rik Pike stated that each auction will take place this year, and "the collection reflects a sophisticated taste and a wonderful sense of style across a......

Being heir to $12 million can be a real dog. Especially if you're Trouble Helmsley, the cherished Maltese owned by the late real estate developer Leona Helmsley. "Queen of Mean" Helmsley shocked people from the grave by leaving $12 million to the pooch, which was more than what her grandchildren (combined) inherited. Helmsley's friend John Codey, who oversees Helmsley's trust, reveals that there have been many death threats: "We received any number of threats to......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a shooting on 1st Ave. and 92nd St. in Manhattan, a car vs. building on Liberty Ave. and Elton St. in Brooklyn, and a body found on East Tremont Ave. in the Bronx. Looking to avoid damaging snail- and e-mail trails or records of phone conversations, aides to Gov. Spitzer who are being investigated in the State Police scandal investigation are allegedly conversing only in person while driving around......

The most famous new heiress these days is Trouble, the Maltese dog who was left $12 million in owner Leona Helmsley's will. To put this in perspective, Leona Helmsley gave a chauffeur $100,000, two grandchildren $5 million each (plus another $5 million each if they visit their father's grave at least once a year), and two other grandchildren nothing "for reasons which are known to them." Trouble has had a bad rap, even before becoming......

Leona Helmsley sure loves Trouble. Trouble, her dog, that is. How much did Helmsley, the hotelier who was known by some as the "Queen of Mean" and passed away last week, love her pooch? Enough to leave the white Maltese $12 million in her will, more than she left four of her grandchildren. In addition to the $12 million trust, when Trouble dies, she'll be buried next to her former owner in the family......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a shooting on Sutter Ave. in Brooklyn, a water rescue off the Breezy Point Jetty in Queens, and a missing child on East 178th St. in the Bronx. Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum is upset that Coney Island native and Knicks star Stephon Marbury donated 3,000 pairs of his new Starbury basketball shoes to male high school basketball teams, while ignoring the female players. The Brooklyn Paper reports that the......

Leona Helmsley, whose conviction on tax evasion charges made her infamous beyond her repute as a hotelier and real estate developer, died today at age 87. She and her husband Harry Helmsley (who divorced his wife of 33 years to marry her) ran a $5 billion real estate empire that included the Empire State Building, 230 Park Avenue, Tudor-City, a number of hotels including the Park Lane, New York Helmsley, and Helmsley Palace, and......

We've heard of hotel staffs doing anything for their guests, but providing them with drugs and guns goes a bit too far. The Post revels in news that some employees at the Helmsley Park Lane hotel on Central Park South were arrested for selling six guns and half a pound in cocaine to undercover police officers, because that means they can run unflattering photos of the Queen of Mean. Police found out about the drug......

Ooh, finally we move to the "Handwriting Analysis" portion of the Astor spat! There were accusations of her son Anthony Marshall making 104 year old Brooke Astor wear tattered nightgowns and sit on a couch reeking of dog pee and being cheap with her medical care. Then there was the odd sale of her favorite painting. And of course allegations that her estate was being mishandled. Although Marshall has agreed agreed to give up his......

First came word that Gotham was the only city in the country with a population over 1 million to record in increase in poverty. Now the Times reports that Manhattan has the biggest income gap of any county in the United States. The top fifth of earners in Manhattan now make 52 times what the lowest fifth make (that's about $7,047 on the bottom for every $365,826 on the top, or about two cents......

Is Leona Helmsley landlady to bedbugs as well as many NY businesses? A Mexican father and son claim that they were mauled by bedbugs at the Helmsley Park Lane hotel and are suing the Leona's hotel. Last summer, Ventura Arrangoiz and Ventura Requejo stayed awoke at the Park Lane hotel with many bug bites all over their torso and arms, but did not think they were from the hotel and left for the day. Upon......

Four hundred New Yorkers were asked which New Yorkers they hated most. Their top ten with percentages: 1. Leona Helmsley: 71% 2. Lizzie Grubman: 62% 3. Al Sharpton: 60% 4. Martha Stewart: 49% 5. Donald Trump: 47% 6. Woody Allen: 29% 7. George Steinbrenner: 27% 7. Rudy Giuliani: 27% 8. Michael Bloomberg: 26% 9. Arianna Huffington: 22% 10. Tina Brown: 20% 11. Norman Mailer: 13% 12. Bill Parcells: 8% [Via Daily News] Clearly, Gothamist wasn't......

Ah, Leona Helmsley. I remember when she was a screechy lady being hauled away for tax evasion. Now it's gay bias. What next! This Newsday article examines how the trial is making NY tabloids spin. Best sentence: "The words "gay" and "sex" are an orgasmic combination for Post editors on any given day." This Times article is funny, kind of painting Leona as this doyenne of hotel employees.......