Just heard a very realistic rumor that East Village hipster standby The Annex has been sold and will become, of all things, a sports bar. In honor of the decline of yet another club kid landmark, the infamous electro-nu-rave Ruff Club party will be throwing a final hurrah for the sweat den it made popular on September 11, bringing out some underground all-stars: the Misshapes, Spencer Product, and the Ruff Kids. Another fond farewell to a Friday night hotspot that many called home.

● Umi Nom (Brooklyn South) - Kuma Inn expands to Bed-Stuy/Clinton Hill hinterland.
● Le Cubain (Lower East Side) - New French-Cuban combo conveniently just above Chloe 81.

Moises de la Renta could very well be a reality television icon by now. With Fashion God Oscar de la Renta as his father and a velvet rope lifestyle, he certainly fits the I-wish-I-was-him credentials. But Moises opted for a real (and respected) career in design/photography. And if his recently launched, painfully hip website for his bad ass womenswear fashion line MDLR is any indication, his career choice was wise. We met up to chit-chat for what I thought was drinks at the Thompson Hotel, but to my surprise, I was greeted by the man about town in a room full of models getting ready for their close-ups in an MDLR photo shoot featured on Whatswear.com. It was all lights, cameras, and action, mixed with plenty of cigarettes, blaring background noise of the sub-par performances of MJ's classics from the previously aired BET Awards, sexy leather biker jackets complete with gilded MDLR zippers -- and, in true rock star form, an Iggy Pop vs. David Bowie debate.

Dining might be the new nightlife, so then where does that leave nightlife? Could nightlife be the new shopping? Could it be still alive and well, and hiding behind a bandolier of dusty velvet ropes? Our dear Foster's existential breakdown and subsequent pocketbook damage got me to thinking about what everyone else (re: people with jobs other than chronicling New York nightlife) is doing with their free time in Manhattan. I cornered a Wall Street Dude, a New York Newbie, a Hipster DJ, a girl-about-town Socialite, a Fashion Intern, and a Lawyer to see what's going on behind our editorial backs. Turns out actually going someplace isn't a precursor for strong opinions, pro or con. For example:

WALL STREET DUDE
So, what do you think is hot these days in nightlife?
Minetta Tavern.

When we suggested that the media "hype" behind Beatrice Inn "rival" and New York "hotspot" Chloe 81 peaked, we were so, so wrong. This cat has many more than nine lives, apparently. Because the Village Voice's Annie Fischer (of "Dirty Blonde" column fame) wrote a timeline about the hype (she called me a "writer," which was nice of her. Seriously! Hi, Annie!). And then The Observer wrote about the Voice's writing about the hype, in yet another media colonoscopy. And now I'm here, writing about people writing about people writing about the hype! And still, it's just another blog post about a club!

The Village Voice has legitimized the media's feverish obsession with LES speakeasy Chloe 81 by cataloging its recent coverage with an actual chronological history, you know, the kind they use for wars and stuff. Yes, we're a major historical figure in Chloe's storied media-coverage past, and we admit to spending hours in the situation room pontificating on whether or not Chloe is the new Beatrice Inn. Which is why, tomorrow, at sundown, we will be holding a press conference in front of neutral nightspot Rose Bar, to lay down the final verdict on Chloe 81. Only then can we get back to more pressing matters, like the economy and whether or not Scarlett Johansson knows how to sing.

Inevitable comparisons to New York hipster nightlife epicenter Beatrice Inn aside, the latest hipster hotspot hype, LES club Chloe 81 is ... actually, 'know what? There's no possible way you can skirt around the Beatrice comparisons (or the common press narrative that it's the "next Beatrice Inn") with this place. Forget that the drummed-up hype for both places has reached fever pitch (usual suspects: New York magazine, Eater, Guest of a Guest, etc). Forget that they both have low ceilings, secret entries, and the same supposedly-unknowing-yet-totally-self-aware-I-Know-Something-You-Don't speakeasy vibe that New York bar/club owners have down to a sickly precise science. We can even forget the intense (if not suspicious) irony that Beatrice Inn owner Paul Sevigny is most famous for his sister, named Chloe.

Nightlife impresario Dirk Van Stockhom on his new venture at 98 Kenmare Street, being a 13-year-old English playboy, and why Sudan is the new global hotspot.

Where do you go out? I am very much a bar/restaurant guy. I go to Rose Bar ... when I can afford it [laughing]. Milano's on Houston. My favorite place in the whole of New York is the Ear Inn on Spring Street. It is the most classic bar because they don’t give a damn. It is full of regulars and some of the most interesting people. You also do see models and actors, next to regular people. It is no bullshit, great drinks, great food. The owners are two of the nicest people in the world. It is a real community bar. Big supporters of the arts. Don’t tell anyone though, it will spoil it [laughing].

Having a barber shop opening in a bar with A-list attendees boggles the mind. But this is New York, and I was playing favorites last night. The venue in question, Chloe 81, happens to be my beloved watering hole, and one of the DJs, Steven Rojas, is also choice. So we decided to drink to better hair.

Wednesday. The week is half over, half remaining, or half in the bag. Doesn't matter. These five spots are shutting it down.

1.Chloe 81 (Lower East Side) - Next contender for title of the new Beatrice is blissfully not in the West Village.
2. Blue Owl Cocktail Lounge (East Village) - Undercover basement lounge for pretty professionals taking it down a notch for the night.
3. Pink Elephant (Chelsea) - Gangsters, models, and house. Where one goes, the others must follow.