4th\SW Quadrant The Approval Matrix
Denise Richards Denies Asking for Charlie Sheen's Sperm
Friday, May 30, 2008
Did Denise Richards ask for Charlie Sheen's Sperm?
Denise Richards Denies Asking for Charlie Sheen's Sperm
Angelina Jolie "Wanted"
4th\SW Quadrant The Approval Matrix
"Wanted" tells the tale of one apathetic nobody's transformation into an unparalleled enforcer of justice. In 2008, we're introduced to a hero for a new generation: 25 year old employed slacker, WESLEY GIBSON. Wes is the most disaffected, cube-dwelling, clock-punching drone this planet has ever known. His boss chews him out hourly, his girlfriend ignores him routinely, and his life plods on in interminable boredom and routine. Everyone knows this disengaged slacker will amount to absolutely nothing, and so does he, until he meets the sexy, foxy woman named FOX, and then everything changes. Wes' estranged father is murdered, and the deadly Fox recruits him into The Fraternity, a secret society that trains him to avenge his father's death, by unlocking his dormant powers. And oh boy does he have powers, as she teaches Wes how to develop his lightning-quick reflexes and phenomenal agility, he discovers that The Fraternity lives by an ancient, unbreakable code: to carry out the death orders given by emotionless Fate itself. Wes, with his wickedly brilliant and sexy tutor, plus the paternal guidance of The Fraternity's enigmatic leader, SLOAN, young Wes grows to enjoy all the strength and success he ever wanted. But, slowly, he realizes there's more to his dangerous associates than meets the casual eye. And, as he wavers between new found heroism and vengeance, Wes will come to learn what no one can ever teach him; that he alone controls his destiny.
-- IMDb\Written by Orange
"Wanted" tells the tale of one apathetic nobody's transformation into an unparalleled enforcer of justice. In 2008, we're introduced to a hero for a new generation: 25 year old employed slacker, WESLEY GIBSON. Wes is the most disaffected, cube-dwelling, clock-punching drone this planet has ever known. His boss chews him out hourly, his girlfriend ignores him routinely, and his life plods on in interminable boredom and routine. Everyone knows this disengaged slacker will amount to absolutely nothing, and so does he, until he meets the sexy, foxy woman named FOX, and then everything changes. Wes' estranged father is murdered, and the deadly Fox recruits him into The Fraternity, a secret society that trains him to avenge his father's death, by unlocking his dormant powers. And oh boy does he have powers, as she teaches Wes how to develop his lightning-quick reflexes and phenomenal agility, he discovers that The Fraternity lives by an ancient, unbreakable code: to carry out the death orders given by emotionless Fate itself. Wes, with his wickedly brilliant and sexy tutor, plus the paternal guidance of The Fraternity's enigmatic leader, SLOAN, young Wes grows to enjoy all the strength and success he ever wanted. But, slowly, he realizes there's more to his dangerous associates than meets the casual eye. And, as he wavers between new found heroism and vengeance, Wes will come to learn what no one can ever teach him; that he alone controls his destiny.-- IMDb\Written by Orange
"Postal"
4th\SW Quadrant The Approval Matrix
The story begins with a regular Joe who tries desperately to seek employment, but embarks on a violent rampage when he teams up with cult leader Uncle Dave. Their first act is to heist an amusement park, only to learn that the Taliban are planning the same heist as well. Chaos ensues, and now the Postal Dude must not only take on terrorists but political figures as well.
-- IMDb\Written by cgw@mac.com
The story begins with a regular Joe who tries desperately to seek employment, but embarks on a violent rampage when he teams up with cult leader Uncle Dave. Their first act is to heist an amusement park, only to learn that the Taliban are planning the same heist as well. Chaos ensues, and now the Postal Dude must not only take on terrorists but political figures as well.-- IMDb\Written by cgw@mac.com
Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty - Best Friends
4th\SE Quadrant The Approval Matrix
According to Best Week Ever, "These two are probably just friends who have multiple arrests, music, nationality and a love of drugs in common, but look how the two drunken singers are hanging onto each other outside of Amy’s house. She has an opening for a new leech after her husband, Blake Fielder Civil, took up with a blond ex girlfriend who started visiting him in prison. She’s been auditioning various guys these past few weeks, and Doherty seems just her type unfortunately."
Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty have a crazy night...
According to Best Week Ever, "These two are probably just friends who have multiple arrests, music, nationality and a love of drugs in common, but look how the two drunken singers are hanging onto each other outside of Amy’s house. She has an opening for a new leech after her husband, Blake Fielder Civil, took up with a blond ex girlfriend who started visiting him in prison. She’s been auditioning various guys these past few weeks, and Doherty seems just her type unfortunately."Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty have a crazy night...
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Rumors of the Demise of CW
4th\SW Quadrant The Approval Matrix
The Wall Street Journal says if ratings don't perk up, the CW could fold as soon as next year.
A big part of the ratings issue — the network has lost about 30% of its target of 18 to 34-year-olds — is that its audience spends a lot of free time on the Internet and not in front of the tube. The writers' strike also accelerated the viewership decline.
In an effort to steer eyeballs back to the TV, the network recently pulled free episodes of Gossip Girl from its website, but ratings for the TV show did not improve.
The Journal quotes industry officials as saying it's possible one of the CW's owners — CBS and Time Warner — could cash in and walk away next year. -- TV Guide
The Wall Street Journal says if ratings don't perk up, the CW could fold as soon as next year.A big part of the ratings issue — the network has lost about 30% of its target of 18 to 34-year-olds — is that its audience spends a lot of free time on the Internet and not in front of the tube. The writers' strike also accelerated the viewership decline.
In an effort to steer eyeballs back to the TV, the network recently pulled free episodes of Gossip Girl from its website, but ratings for the TV show did not improve.
The Journal quotes industry officials as saying it's possible one of the CW's owners — CBS and Time Warner — could cash in and walk away next year. -- TV Guide
"The Office's" "Kevin is retarded" Joke
3rd\NW Quadrant The Approval Matrix
Alan Sepinwall posted the following on his blog What's Alan Watching?:
A classic example of the humanized writing [on the season finale of "The Office"] was the running gag about Holly believing that Kevin was retarded. “You drive your own car? Wow….I am so proud of you.” Here's something where Kevin behaves the way he always behaves, and Holly behaves in a way that seems appropriate (for her and the situation), and you can see exactly how she'd read their encounters as Kevin being slow while Kevin would read them as Holly wanting to get him in bed. Much as I love "The Office," there are times when the show forces its characters' behavior to extremes in order to get a big laugh.
The full episode can be viewed here.
Alan Sepinwall posted the following on his blog What's Alan Watching?:A classic example of the humanized writing [on the season finale of "The Office"] was the running gag about Holly believing that Kevin was retarded. “You drive your own car? Wow….I am so proud of you.” Here's something where Kevin behaves the way he always behaves, and Holly behaves in a way that seems appropriate (for her and the situation), and you can see exactly how she'd read their encounters as Kevin being slow while Kevin would read them as Holly wanting to get him in bed. Much as I love "The Office," there are times when the show forces its characters' behavior to extremes in order to get a big laugh.
The full episode can be viewed here.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Chuck Ramkissoon in "Netherland"
2nd\NE Quadrant The Approval Matrix
In a New York City made phantasmagorical by the events of 9/11, Hans--a banker originally from the Netherlands--finds himself marooned among the strange occupants of the Chelsea Hotel after his English wife and son return to London. Alone and untethered, feeling lost in the country he had come to regard as home, Hans stumbles upon the vibrant New York subculture of cricket, where he revisits his lost childhood and, thanks to a friendship with a charismatic and charming Trinidadian named Chuck Ramkissoon, begins to reconnect with his life and his adopted country. Ramkissoon, a Gatsby-like figure who is part idealist and part operator, introduces Hans to an “other” New York populated by immigrants and strivers of every race and nationality. Hans is alternately seduced and instructed by Chuck’s particular brand of naivete and chutzpah--by his ability to a hold fast to a sense of American and human possibility in which Hans has come to lose faith.
Netherland gives us both a flawlessly drawn picture of a little-known New York and a story of much larger, and brilliantly achieved ambition: the grand strangeness and fading promise of 21st century America from an outsider’s vantage point, and the complicated relationship between the American dream and the particular dreamers. Most immediately, though, it is the story of one man--of a marriage foundering and recuperating in its mystery and ordinariness, of the shallows and depths of male friendship, of mourning and memory. Joseph O’Neill’s prose, in its conscientiousness and beauty, involves us utterly in the struggle for meaning that governs any single life. -- Amazon
In a New York City made phantasmagorical by the events of 9/11, Hans--a banker originally from the Netherlands--finds himself marooned among the strange occupants of the Chelsea Hotel after his English wife and son return to London. Alone and untethered, feeling lost in the country he had come to regard as home, Hans stumbles upon the vibrant New York subculture of cricket, where he revisits his lost childhood and, thanks to a friendship with a charismatic and charming Trinidadian named Chuck Ramkissoon, begins to reconnect with his life and his adopted country. Ramkissoon, a Gatsby-like figure who is part idealist and part operator, introduces Hans to an “other” New York populated by immigrants and strivers of every race and nationality. Hans is alternately seduced and instructed by Chuck’s particular brand of naivete and chutzpah--by his ability to a hold fast to a sense of American and human possibility in which Hans has come to lose faith.Netherland gives us both a flawlessly drawn picture of a little-known New York and a story of much larger, and brilliantly achieved ambition: the grand strangeness and fading promise of 21st century America from an outsider’s vantage point, and the complicated relationship between the American dream and the particular dreamers. Most immediately, though, it is the story of one man--of a marriage foundering and recuperating in its mystery and ordinariness, of the shallows and depths of male friendship, of mourning and memory. Joseph O’Neill’s prose, in its conscientiousness and beauty, involves us utterly in the struggle for meaning that governs any single life. -- Amazon
Monitor Mix
3rd/SE Quadrant The Approval Matrix
Carrie Brownstein, former guitarist for the band Sleater-Kinney, hosts our new NPR Music blog, with musings for music fans, curmudgeons and recovering hipsters.
Carrie Brownstein is a writer and musician. She was a member of the critically acclaimed rock band Sleater-Kinney. Her writing has appeared in 'The New York Times,' 'The Believer,' 'Pitchfork,' and various book anthologies on music and culture. -- Monitor Mix
Carrie Brownstein, former guitarist for the band Sleater-Kinney, hosts our new NPR Music blog, with musings for music fans, curmudgeons and recovering hipsters.Carrie Brownstein is a writer and musician. She was a member of the critically acclaimed rock band Sleater-Kinney. Her writing has appeared in 'The New York Times,' 'The Believer,' 'Pitchfork,' and various book anthologies on music and culture. -- Monitor Mix
NATIONAL TREASURE 2 on DVD
3rd\SE Quadrant The Approval Matrix
Treasure hunter Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) embarks on a new adventure in director Jon Turtletaub's sequel to NATIONAL TREASURE. Ben and his father, Patrick (Jon Voight), take great pride in their ancestors and their family's devotion to the United States. When Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris) produces a page from the diary of Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth allegedly linking Ben's great-great grandfather to the plot, Ben and Patrick set out on a path to clear their family's name. Ben also believes that the diary page contains hints to the whereabouts of a treasure map leading to an ancient city made of gold, and soon the hunt is on. Tech expert Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) and Ben's now ex-girlfriend Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger) join the Gates in their quest, which takes them from Washington, DC, to Paris, London and the Black Hills of South Dakota. It's true that the storyline and the actions of Gates and his team--which include breaking into the Queen's study at Buckingham Palace, sneaking into the Oval Office, and kidnapping the President of the United States--are completely unbelievable. But with a storyline built on true, interesting trivia and great locations, this film is an amusing, family-friendly romp. Cage has some great moments as Gates-- loyal, patriotic, fair to a fault, and very funny as he goads on Buckingham Palace security. Harris plays Wilkinson with just the right air of mystery and menace: is he after fortune, or does he just want to leave his own mark in history? Helen Mirren fits the bill as Ben's mother and Patrick's estranged ex-wife, Emily, a scholar and historian in her own right.
National Treasure 2 : Book Of Secrets DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English, French, Spanish
Subtitles - French, Spanish - Optional
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentary - Jon Turteltaub - Director; Jon Voight - Actor
-- CD Universe
Treasure hunter Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) embarks on a new adventure in director Jon Turtletaub's sequel to NATIONAL TREASURE. Ben and his father, Patrick (Jon Voight), take great pride in their ancestors and their family's devotion to the United States. When Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris) produces a page from the diary of Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth allegedly linking Ben's great-great grandfather to the plot, Ben and Patrick set out on a path to clear their family's name. Ben also believes that the diary page contains hints to the whereabouts of a treasure map leading to an ancient city made of gold, and soon the hunt is on. Tech expert Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) and Ben's now ex-girlfriend Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger) join the Gates in their quest, which takes them from Washington, DC, to Paris, London and the Black Hills of South Dakota. It's true that the storyline and the actions of Gates and his team--which include breaking into the Queen's study at Buckingham Palace, sneaking into the Oval Office, and kidnapping the President of the United States--are completely unbelievable. But with a storyline built on true, interesting trivia and great locations, this film is an amusing, family-friendly romp. Cage has some great moments as Gates-- loyal, patriotic, fair to a fault, and very funny as he goads on Buckingham Palace security. Harris plays Wilkinson with just the right air of mystery and menace: is he after fortune, or does he just want to leave his own mark in history? Helen Mirren fits the bill as Ben's mother and Patrick's estranged ex-wife, Emily, a scholar and historian in her own right.
National Treasure 2 : Book Of Secrets DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English, French, Spanish
Subtitles - French, Spanish - Optional
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentary - Jon Turteltaub - Director; Jon Voight - Actor
-- CD Universe
Fox Orders "Hole in the Wall"
3rd\SE Quadrant The Approval Matrix
The series originated in Japan in 2006 and continues to win its time slot. It later spawned versions in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia, Sweden and the United Kingdom. -- Fox Reality
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
"The Book of Dahlia"
2nd\NE Quadrant The Approval Matrix
When Dahlia Finger—a 29-year-old, pot-smoking, chronically underachieving Jewish-American princess—learns that she has brain cancer, the results are hilarious and heartbreaking in Albert's superb first novel (following the story collection How This Night Is Different).
Opening in the Venice, Calif., cottage to which Dahlia has retreated, at her father's expense, after unsuccessfully trying to forge a life in New York, chapter one begins with the omniscient narrator's scathingly Edith Wharton–worthy catalogue of Dahlia's symptoms and ends with her first grand mal seizure. As Dahlia endures blistering radiation, sits numbly through her support group, smokes medical marijuana (with her crisis-reunited divorced parents) and carries a condescending book called It's Up to You: Your Cancer To-Do List, Albert masterfully interweaves Dahlia's battle with flashbacks, most tellingly involving her complexly overbearing Israeli mother, Margalit (who unceremoniously imploded the family decades earlier), and contemptuous older brother, against whom Dahlia has never learned to defend herself. Throughout, Albert delivers Dahlia's laissez-faire attitude toward other people (men especially) and lack of ambition with such exactness as to strip them of cliché and make them grimly vivid. Her brilliant style makes the novel's central question—should we mourn a wasted life?—shockingly poignant as Dahlia hurtles toward death.
-- Publishers Weekly Starred Review
When Dahlia Finger—a 29-year-old, pot-smoking, chronically underachieving Jewish-American princess—learns that she has brain cancer, the results are hilarious and heartbreaking in Albert's superb first novel (following the story collection How This Night Is Different).Opening in the Venice, Calif., cottage to which Dahlia has retreated, at her father's expense, after unsuccessfully trying to forge a life in New York, chapter one begins with the omniscient narrator's scathingly Edith Wharton–worthy catalogue of Dahlia's symptoms and ends with her first grand mal seizure. As Dahlia endures blistering radiation, sits numbly through her support group, smokes medical marijuana (with her crisis-reunited divorced parents) and carries a condescending book called It's Up to You: Your Cancer To-Do List, Albert masterfully interweaves Dahlia's battle with flashbacks, most tellingly involving her complexly overbearing Israeli mother, Margalit (who unceremoniously imploded the family decades earlier), and contemptuous older brother, against whom Dahlia has never learned to defend herself. Throughout, Albert delivers Dahlia's laissez-faire attitude toward other people (men especially) and lack of ambition with such exactness as to strip them of cliché and make them grimly vivid. Her brilliant style makes the novel's central question—should we mourn a wasted life?—shockingly poignant as Dahlia hurtles toward death.
-- Publishers Weekly Starred Review
"Bruce Lee" Coming to Broadway
2nd\NE Quadrant The Approval Matrix
By Gillian Reagan\ The New York Observer
Bruce Lee: Journey to the West, a David Yazbek-David Henry Hwang musical, will be directed by Bartlett Sher, a Tony Award nominee for his direction of South Pacific. Elephant Eye (which is also attached to the Off-Broadway musical Saved) announced today that Bruce Lee "is targeted for the 2010-2011 Broadway season," according to Playbill. The musical will follow of the martial arts legend as he kicks and Kung Fus his way to stardom. Figures from Chinese mythology will follow his quest to master his skills and merge East and West cultures. Tony nominee Mr. Yazbek (The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) will pen music and lyrics for the bio musical about the martial arts movie star, and Tony winner (and recent Obie award winner) Mr. Hwang (M Butterfly) will write the book.
By Gillian Reagan\ The New York ObserverBruce Lee: Journey to the West, a David Yazbek-David Henry Hwang musical, will be directed by Bartlett Sher, a Tony Award nominee for his direction of South Pacific. Elephant Eye (which is also attached to the Off-Broadway musical Saved) announced today that Bruce Lee "is targeted for the 2010-2011 Broadway season," according to Playbill. The musical will follow of the martial arts legend as he kicks and Kung Fus his way to stardom. Figures from Chinese mythology will follow his quest to master his skills and merge East and West cultures. Tony nominee Mr. Yazbek (The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) will pen music and lyrics for the bio musical about the martial arts movie star, and Tony winner (and recent Obie award winner) Mr. Hwang (M Butterfly) will write the book.
Authors @ Google
2nd\NE Quadrant The Approval Matrix
The Authors@Google program brings authors of all stripes to Google for informal talks centering on their recently published books. Through the program, we invite authors to our Mountain View headquarters as well as our New York, Santa Monica, and Ann Arbor offices, where they treat Googlers to readings of everything from serious literature and political analysis to pioneering science fiction and moving personal memoirs; past participants have ranged from novelist Martin Amis and Nobel-prizewinning economist Joseph Stiglitz to primatologist Jane Goodall and U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton. When possible, we share these remarkable conversations with the world outside the Googleplex via Google Video and YouTube. -- Google
Anthony Bourdain is interviewed by Google Executive Chef Nate Keller at Google's Mountain View, CA headquarters. This event took place on November 20, 2007 as part of the Authors@Google series.
The Authors@Google program brings authors of all stripes to Google for informal talks centering on their recently published books. Through the program, we invite authors to our Mountain View headquarters as well as our New York, Santa Monica, and Ann Arbor offices, where they treat Googlers to readings of everything from serious literature and political analysis to pioneering science fiction and moving personal memoirs; past participants have ranged from novelist Martin Amis and Nobel-prizewinning economist Joseph Stiglitz to primatologist Jane Goodall and U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton. When possible, we share these remarkable conversations with the world outside the Googleplex via Google Video and YouTube. -- GoogleAnthony Bourdain is interviewed by Google Executive Chef Nate Keller at Google's Mountain View, CA headquarters. This event took place on November 20, 2007 as part of the Authors@Google series.
"Who's Afraid of Jasper Johns?"
2nd/NE Quadrant The Approval Matrix
The Swiss artist [Urs Fischer] commissioned the photographer Ellen Page Wilson to document Tony Shafrazi’s previous group show—artworks, walls, air ducts, security guards—then created seamless, to-scale trompe l’oeil wallpaper from the images. This evidential trace of the gallery’s last exhibition is now the ground against which nearly two dozen artworks, selected by Fischer and Brown and which at some point were in Shafrazi’s inventory, cagily rest.
Walking through the show is an uncanny delight: Like an autofocus lens unable to locate its subject, one’s mind and eyes strive to unscramble the artworks actually present from those that are verisimilar copies. A 1943 portrait by Francis Picabia is centered on the image of a Donald Baechler painting of a dandy and some beach balls...While the included artworks, in a white cube, would make for an odd group show, in this bizarro world harmonies arise.
The recognition dawns that Fischer and [dealer Gavin] Brown have concocted a surprisingly subtle meditation on the many lives of artworks...That such canny, simple gestures seem so refreshing is a gentle rebuke to the ossified conventions to which we all unthinkingly subscribe. -- Art Forum
"Who's Afraid of Jasper Johns?"
TONY SHAFRAZI GALLERY
544 West 26th Street
May 9–July 12
The Swiss artist [Urs Fischer] commissioned the photographer Ellen Page Wilson to document Tony Shafrazi’s previous group show—artworks, walls, air ducts, security guards—then created seamless, to-scale trompe l’oeil wallpaper from the images. This evidential trace of the gallery’s last exhibition is now the ground against which nearly two dozen artworks, selected by Fischer and Brown and which at some point were in Shafrazi’s inventory, cagily rest.Walking through the show is an uncanny delight: Like an autofocus lens unable to locate its subject, one’s mind and eyes strive to unscramble the artworks actually present from those that are verisimilar copies. A 1943 portrait by Francis Picabia is centered on the image of a Donald Baechler painting of a dandy and some beach balls...While the included artworks, in a white cube, would make for an odd group show, in this bizarro world harmonies arise.
The recognition dawns that Fischer and [dealer Gavin] Brown have concocted a surprisingly subtle meditation on the many lives of artworks...That such canny, simple gestures seem so refreshing is a gentle rebuke to the ossified conventions to which we all unthinkingly subscribe. -- Art Forum
"Who's Afraid of Jasper Johns?"
TONY SHAFRAZI GALLERY
544 West 26th Street
May 9–July 12
LES is an Endangered Historic Place
1st\NW Quadrant The Approval Matrix
At a press conference this morning [May 20, 2008] at Seward Park High School on Grand Street, the National Trust for Historic Preservation will name its 2008 list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.
Here's the National Trust for Historic Preservation's explanation:
Few places in America can boast such a rich tapestry of history, culture and architecture as New York’s Lower East Side. However, this legendary neighborhood—the first home for waves of immigrants since the 18th century—is now undergoing rapid development. New hotels and condominium towers are being erected across the area, looming large over the original tenement streetscape. As this building trend shows no sign of abating, it threatens to erode the fabric of the community and wipe away the collective memory of generations of immigrant families.
Although the Lower East Side was placed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places in 2000, such a designation functions primarily as an “honor roll” and does not preserve a neighborhood’s appearance or regulate real estate speculation. The community, with little recourse for protection, is reeling from the recent destruction of its cultural heritage, including the defacing of several historic structures and the loss of First Roumanian Synagogue. Slapdash and haphazard renovations have led to the destruction of architectural detail, while modern additions to historic buildings sharply contrast with the neighborhood’s scale and character. In 2007, permits were approved for the full demolition of 11 buildings on the Lower East Side, compared with just one in 2006. These developments, among others, signify the quickening erasure of the neighborhood’s architectural and socio-cultural fabric. -- Curbed
At a press conference this morning [May 20, 2008] at Seward Park High School on Grand Street, the National Trust for Historic Preservation will name its 2008 list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.
Here's the National Trust for Historic Preservation's explanation:
Few places in America can boast such a rich tapestry of history, culture and architecture as New York’s Lower East Side. However, this legendary neighborhood—the first home for waves of immigrants since the 18th century—is now undergoing rapid development. New hotels and condominium towers are being erected across the area, looming large over the original tenement streetscape. As this building trend shows no sign of abating, it threatens to erode the fabric of the community and wipe away the collective memory of generations of immigrant families.
Although the Lower East Side was placed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places in 2000, such a designation functions primarily as an “honor roll” and does not preserve a neighborhood’s appearance or regulate real estate speculation. The community, with little recourse for protection, is reeling from the recent destruction of its cultural heritage, including the defacing of several historic structures and the loss of First Roumanian Synagogue. Slapdash and haphazard renovations have led to the destruction of architectural detail, while modern additions to historic buildings sharply contrast with the neighborhood’s scale and character. In 2007, permits were approved for the full demolition of 11 buildings on the Lower East Side, compared with just one in 2006. These developments, among others, signify the quickening erasure of the neighborhood’s architectural and socio-cultural fabric. -- Curbed
Monday, May 26, 2008
Geraldine Ferraro Accusses Bob Herbert of Sexism
1st\NW Quadrant The Approval Matrix
[Geraldine Ferraro] was on Fox News, once again playing the race card minus an iota of shame. According to her, black male journalists are up to our eyeballs in the Obama juice and never, ever talk about sexism. She then decides to give to New York Times columnist Bob Herbert, who happens to be black and male, a little grief.
“All the surrogates that they had out there, from the black journalists — you know, have you read Bob Herbert recently in the past six months? There wasn’t one column that had anything decent to say about Hillary.”
Like everything else out of Ferraro’s mouth, this charge is loony. Nuts. Filled with “truthiness.” Here is Herbert in January of this year:
“If there was ever a story that deserved more coverage by the news media, it’s the dark persistence of misogyny in America.” -- The Visible Vote
[Geraldine Ferraro] was on Fox News, once again playing the race card minus an iota of shame. According to her, black male journalists are up to our eyeballs in the Obama juice and never, ever talk about sexism. She then decides to give to New York Times columnist Bob Herbert, who happens to be black and male, a little grief.
“All the surrogates that they had out there, from the black journalists — you know, have you read Bob Herbert recently in the past six months? There wasn’t one column that had anything decent to say about Hillary.”
Like everything else out of Ferraro’s mouth, this charge is loony. Nuts. Filled with “truthiness.” Here is Herbert in January of this year:
“If there was ever a story that deserved more coverage by the news media, it’s the dark persistence of misogyny in America.” -- The Visible Vote
American Airlines to Charge $15 for Checked Bag
1st\NW Quadrant The Approval Matrix
American Airlines will start charging $15 for the first checked bag, cut domestic flights and lay off workers — probably in the thousands — as the nation's largest carrier grapples with record-high fuel prices.
American plans to cut domestic flight capacity by 11 percent to 12 percent in the fourth quarter, after the peak summer season is over. The carrier was previously planning a 4.6 percent cut.
American said rising oil prices have increased its expected annual fuel costs by nearly $3 billion since the start of the year.
American said Wednesday that the fee for the first checked bag starts June 15, and it will raise other fees for services ranging from reservation help to oversized bags. Those fees could cost between $5 to $50. -- Yahoo! News
American Airlines will start charging $15 for the first checked bag, cut domestic flights and lay off workers — probably in the thousands — as the nation's largest carrier grapples with record-high fuel prices.American plans to cut domestic flight capacity by 11 percent to 12 percent in the fourth quarter, after the peak summer season is over. The carrier was previously planning a 4.6 percent cut.
American said rising oil prices have increased its expected annual fuel costs by nearly $3 billion since the start of the year.
American said Wednesday that the fee for the first checked bag starts June 15, and it will raise other fees for services ranging from reservation help to oversized bags. Those fees could cost between $5 to $50. -- Yahoo! News
Fire at Berlin Philharmonic
1st\NW Quadrant The Approval Matrix
(Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)
By NICHOLAS KULISH and DANIEL J. WAKIN\New York Times
Firefighters brought a large fire in the roof of the famed home of the Berlin Philharmonic under control on Tuesday, but the full extent of damage to the building remained unclear.
The Berlin Fire Department reported no injuries, and the musicians’ irreplaceable instruments were rescued from the building, the Philharmonie. Nevertheless, the roof, made of metal, was in shambles after firefighters tore through it to get at the flames in the structure underneath, and significant water damage to the building, which is one of the world’s great concert halls, remained a concern.
Officials said they believed that a team of welders working on the roof had accidentally started the fire, but the cause remained under investigation. The fire commander at the scene said that more than 17,000 square feet of the roof was damaged, from the fire and the rescue efforts.
(Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)By NICHOLAS KULISH and DANIEL J. WAKIN\New York Times
Firefighters brought a large fire in the roof of the famed home of the Berlin Philharmonic under control on Tuesday, but the full extent of damage to the building remained unclear.
The Berlin Fire Department reported no injuries, and the musicians’ irreplaceable instruments were rescued from the building, the Philharmonie. Nevertheless, the roof, made of metal, was in shambles after firefighters tore through it to get at the flames in the structure underneath, and significant water damage to the building, which is one of the world’s great concert halls, remained a concern.
Officials said they believed that a team of welders working on the roof had accidentally started the fire, but the cause remained under investigation. The fire commander at the scene said that more than 17,000 square feet of the roof was damaged, from the fire and the rescue efforts.
Friday, May 23, 2008
"Hot Tub Time Machine"
4th\SW Quadrant The Approval Matrix
MGM has picked up the Josh Heald comedy project, Hot Tub Time Machine, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Hot Tub Time Machine follows a group of guys, adults who used to be cads back in their heyday, who, after a night of vodka and Red Bulls in a hot tub, travel back in time and set out to rediscover their "mojo."
"We're always looking for ways to stand out from the rest of the pack in today's crowded marketplace, and what better way than to combine hot tub debauchery and the complications of time travel," said MGM exec vp production Cale Boyter, who will oversee the project along with the company's Becky Sloviter.
The comedy begins production May 19 with Phil Dornfeld at the helm. -- Movie Web
MGM has picked up the Josh Heald comedy project, Hot Tub Time Machine, according to The Hollywood Reporter.Hot Tub Time Machine follows a group of guys, adults who used to be cads back in their heyday, who, after a night of vodka and Red Bulls in a hot tub, travel back in time and set out to rediscover their "mojo."
"We're always looking for ways to stand out from the rest of the pack in today's crowded marketplace, and what better way than to combine hot tub debauchery and the complications of time travel," said MGM exec vp production Cale Boyter, who will oversee the project along with the company's Becky Sloviter.
The comedy begins production May 19 with Phil Dornfeld at the helm. -- Movie Web
Trump says Brady is "Probably" Cheating on Gisele
4th\SW Quadrant The Approval Matrix
[D]uring a recent speech at an economics confab in Arkansas. The Donald couldn’t help telling the backwater business types that he and the New England Patriots QB/QT are thisclose.
“Tom Brady is a friend of mine. I walk into a room with him and people go wild. Of course, I think it’s because of me. It’s good for my ego,” the real estate czar told the group. “But he’s with (girlfriend) Gisele (Bundchen), and probably many others. But that’s a guy who never gave up.” -- Boston Herald
[D]uring a recent speech at an economics confab in Arkansas. The Donald couldn’t help telling the backwater business types that he and the New England Patriots QB/QT are thisclose.“Tom Brady is a friend of mine. I walk into a room with him and people go wild. Of course, I think it’s because of me. It’s good for my ego,” the real estate czar told the group. “But he’s with (girlfriend) Gisele (Bundchen), and probably many others. But that’s a guy who never gave up.” -- Boston Herald
Toy Tower to be Dismantled
4th\SW Quadrant The Approval Matrix
City officials say the so-called Toy Tower is rotting and has become unsafe.
Local artist Eddie Boros built the 65-foot-tall tower out of boards he found on the streets, starting more than 20 years ago.
He garnished it with a plastic mannequin, religious statues and other objects. He died last year.
City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe says the city has "a real civic heavy heart" about taking down the tower, but officials fear pieces could fall off and hurt onlookers. -- 10 10 Wins
City officials say the so-called Toy Tower is rotting and has become unsafe.Local artist Eddie Boros built the 65-foot-tall tower out of boards he found on the streets, starting more than 20 years ago.
He garnished it with a plastic mannequin, religious statues and other objects. He died last year.
City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe says the city has "a real civic heavy heart" about taking down the tower, but officials fear pieces could fall off and hurt onlookers. -- 10 10 Wins
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Whedon, Abrams, and Hurwitz Fox Pilots
3rd\SE Quadrant The Approval Matrix
Fox just released its 2008-09 schedule, which has relatively few new shows (two for the fall, a few more in the winter/spring) but includes sci-fi-ish offerings from two producers with a couple of TV's most feverish fanbases: J. J. Abrams' Fringe (for fall) and Joss Whedon's Dollhouse (for midseason). All that, and a Mitch Hurwitz animated comedy [SIT DOWN, SHUT UP] for the spring.
FRINGE (Tuesdays, 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT): From J.J. Abrams (“Lost”), ... comes a new drama that will thrill, terrify and explore the blurring line between science fiction and reality. When an international flight lands at Boston’s Logan Airport and the passengers and crew have all died grisly deaths, FBI Special Agent OLIVIA DUNHAM is called in to investigate. After her partner, Special Agent JOHN SCOTT, is nearly killed during the investigation, a desperate Olivia searches frantically for someone to help, leading her to DR. WALTER BISHOP, our generation’s Einstein. There’s only one catch: he’s been institutionalized for the last 20 years, and the only way to question him requires pulling his estranged son PETER in to help. When Olivia’s investigation leads her to manipulative corporate executive NINA SHARP, our unlikely trio along with fellow FBI Agents PHILLIP BROYLES , CHARLIE FRANCIS and ASTRID FARNSWORTH will discover that what happened on Flight 627 is only a small piece of a larger, more shocking truth.
DO NOT DISTURB (working title) (Wednesdays, 9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT): DO NOT DISTURB (working title) is a hilarious workplace comedy set at one of New York City’s hottest and hippest hotels: The Inn. Named one of the Big Apple’s “10 Best Places to Stay,” The Inn is just that – the “in” place to be, with its chic décor, stylish staff and celebrity clientele. Behind the scenes, however, the upstairs/downstairs dynamic tells quite a different story.
SIT DOWN, SHUT UP (Sundays, 8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT): From Emmy Award-winning writer Mitchell Hurwitz (“Arrested Development”) ... comes SIT DOWN, SHUT UP, an animated comedy that focuses on the lives of eight staff members at a high school in a small northeastern fishing town (Go Baiters!) who never lose sight of the fact that the children must ALWAYS come second. We watch them grapple with their own egos, needs and personal agendas, their petty insecurities and prejudices, unrequited loves, and ruthless battles for power – and that’s just at the staff meeting. -- Tuned In\Time
Fox just released its 2008-09 schedule, which has relatively few new shows (two for the fall, a few more in the winter/spring) but includes sci-fi-ish offerings from two producers with a couple of TV's most feverish fanbases: J. J. Abrams' Fringe (for fall) and Joss Whedon's Dollhouse (for midseason). All that, and a Mitch Hurwitz animated comedy [SIT DOWN, SHUT UP] for the spring.FRINGE (Tuesdays, 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT): From J.J. Abrams (“Lost”), ... comes a new drama that will thrill, terrify and explore the blurring line between science fiction and reality. When an international flight lands at Boston’s Logan Airport and the passengers and crew have all died grisly deaths, FBI Special Agent OLIVIA DUNHAM is called in to investigate. After her partner, Special Agent JOHN SCOTT, is nearly killed during the investigation, a desperate Olivia searches frantically for someone to help, leading her to DR. WALTER BISHOP, our generation’s Einstein. There’s only one catch: he’s been institutionalized for the last 20 years, and the only way to question him requires pulling his estranged son PETER in to help. When Olivia’s investigation leads her to manipulative corporate executive NINA SHARP, our unlikely trio along with fellow FBI Agents PHILLIP BROYLES , CHARLIE FRANCIS and ASTRID FARNSWORTH will discover that what happened on Flight 627 is only a small piece of a larger, more shocking truth.
DO NOT DISTURB (working title) (Wednesdays, 9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT): DO NOT DISTURB (working title) is a hilarious workplace comedy set at one of New York City’s hottest and hippest hotels: The Inn. Named one of the Big Apple’s “10 Best Places to Stay,” The Inn is just that – the “in” place to be, with its chic décor, stylish staff and celebrity clientele. Behind the scenes, however, the upstairs/downstairs dynamic tells quite a different story.
SIT DOWN, SHUT UP (Sundays, 8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT): From Emmy Award-winning writer Mitchell Hurwitz (“Arrested Development”) ... comes SIT DOWN, SHUT UP, an animated comedy that focuses on the lives of eight staff members at a high school in a small northeastern fishing town (Go Baiters!) who never lose sight of the fact that the children must ALWAYS come second. We watch them grapple with their own egos, needs and personal agendas, their petty insecurities and prejudices, unrequited loves, and ruthless battles for power – and that’s just at the staff meeting. -- Tuned In\Time
Sue Simmons
3rd\SE Quadrant The Approval Matrix
During last night’s [May 12, 2008] airing of the show Medium, Sue did a promo for the 11 p.m. news. She was teasing a story about rising grocery-store prices when the footage laid over her voice switched from boxes of Cheerios and bread to a cruise ship. And, well, Sue wasn’t having it.
“What the fuck are you doing?!” She blurted out. -- NYMag
During last night’s [May 12, 2008] airing of the show Medium, Sue did a promo for the 11 p.m. news. She was teasing a story about rising grocery-store prices when the footage laid over her voice switched from boxes of Cheerios and bread to a cruise ship. And, well, Sue wasn’t having it.
“What the fuck are you doing?!” She blurted out. -- NYMag
93-Year-Old Barfly
3rd\SE Quadrant The Approval Matrix
Claire Oesch, at 93, most likely the city’s oldest and most refined barfly. It’s not easy for a woman of any age to sit alone at a bar and look comfortable, but Ms. Oesch not only looks at home, she practically is at home. She started coming to the Café des Artistes, then a favorite of the creative types who lived upstairs, in the late 1940s, when Ms. Oesch was living at a boardinghouse for young women down the street. By 1953, when she was 38, she had started dating Romeo Sterlini, who then owned the restaurant, and was helping him run it as a hostess whose abundant elegance became a form of charisma.
When the restaurant changed hands in the ’70s, Ms. Oesch kept coming in as a guest, and never really stopped. “I came and I got stuck,” she said, still speaking with a strong Swiss-German accent after 60 years in the United States. -- SUSAN DOMINUS/New York Times
(Photo courtesy of Béatrice de Géa for The New York Times)
Claire Oesch, at 93, most likely the city’s oldest and most refined barfly. It’s not easy for a woman of any age to sit alone at a bar and look comfortable, but Ms. Oesch not only looks at home, she practically is at home. She started coming to the Café des Artistes, then a favorite of the creative types who lived upstairs, in the late 1940s, when Ms. Oesch was living at a boardinghouse for young women down the street. By 1953, when she was 38, she had started dating Romeo Sterlini, who then owned the restaurant, and was helping him run it as a hostess whose abundant elegance became a form of charisma.When the restaurant changed hands in the ’70s, Ms. Oesch kept coming in as a guest, and never really stopped. “I came and I got stuck,” she said, still speaking with a strong Swiss-German accent after 60 years in the United States. -- SUSAN DOMINUS/New York Times
(Photo courtesy of Béatrice de Géa for The New York Times)
"Things That Suck"
2nd\NE Quadrant The Approval Matrix
Lighten up, people. It's just a list! This is not just MY list. It was made up by scores of people around the world who sent in their suggestions.
This is a sampling from the list:
Lighten up, people. It's just a list! This is not just MY list. It was made up by scores of people around the world who sent in their suggestions.
This is a sampling from the list:
- Frank Luntz
- Robert Novak
- Enron
- the price of gas
- The Governator
- Halliburton
- Sinusitis
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
"The Real World Brooklyn"
3rd\SE Quadrant The Approval Matrix
Production will move from the west coast to the east as the 21st season of The Real World will be filmed in Brooklyn, MTV announced today [May 13, 2008].
“The Brooklyn season, like the Hollywood season, will focus on what people loved about The Real World when it launched in 1992 - genuine people, meaningful conflict and powerful stories,” said Jon Murray, The Real World Co-Creator and Chairman & President of Bunim-Murray Productions. “We’re thrilled that MTV is allowing The Real World turn 21!” -- Just Jared
(Photo courtesy of Just Jared.)
Production will move from the west coast to the east as the 21st season of The Real World will be filmed in Brooklyn, MTV announced today [May 13, 2008].
“The Brooklyn season, like the Hollywood season, will focus on what people loved about The Real World when it launched in 1992 - genuine people, meaningful conflict and powerful stories,” said Jon Murray, The Real World Co-Creator and Chairman & President of Bunim-Murray Productions. “We’re thrilled that MTV is allowing The Real World turn 21!” -- Just Jared
(Photo courtesy of Just Jared.)
Leon Wieseltier vs Martin Amis
2nd\NE Quadrant The Approval Matrix
Leon Wieseltier led off the New York Times Book Review yesterday with a devestating piece on The Second Plane, a bigoted anti-Islam screed by the novelist, Martin Amis. Wieseltier is a maven of literary invective (and single malt scotch, but that's another story.)
According to Wieseltier:
Amis seems to regard his little curses as almost military contributions to the struggle. He has a hot, heroic view of himself. He writes as if he, with his wrinkled copies of Bernard Lewis and Philip Larkin, is what stands between us and the restoration of the caliphate. He is not only outraged by Sept. 11, he is also excited by it. “If Sept. 11 had to happen, then I am not at all sorry that it happened in my lifetime.” Don’t you see? It no longer matters that we missed the Spanish Civil War. ¡No pasarán! -- The Magnes Zionist
The full review can be read here.
Leon Wieseltier led off the New York Times Book Review yesterday with a devestating piece on The Second Plane, a bigoted anti-Islam screed by the novelist, Martin Amis. Wieseltier is a maven of literary invective (and single malt scotch, but that's another story.)According to Wieseltier:
Amis seems to regard his little curses as almost military contributions to the struggle. He has a hot, heroic view of himself. He writes as if he, with his wrinkled copies of Bernard Lewis and Philip Larkin, is what stands between us and the restoration of the caliphate. He is not only outraged by Sept. 11, he is also excited by it. “If Sept. 11 had to happen, then I am not at all sorry that it happened in my lifetime.” Don’t you see? It no longer matters that we missed the Spanish Civil War. ¡No pasarán! -- The Magnes Zionist
The full review can be read here.
Robert Rauschenberg,1925-2008
2nd\NE Quadrant The Approval Matrix
Artist Robert Rauschenberg...died Monday [May 12, 2008] at the age of 82. The Times describes him as a "brash, garrulous, hard-drinking, open-faced Southerner." Rauschenberg started out making art out of junk he found on the streets of lower Manhattan, announcing that if you didn't find "soap dishes or mirrors or Coke bottles" beautiful than you must be a miserable bastard. -- Gawker
Robert Rauschenberg Obituary|The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
Artist Robert Rauschenberg...died Monday [May 12, 2008] at the age of 82. The Times describes him as a "brash, garrulous, hard-drinking, open-faced Southerner." Rauschenberg started out making art out of junk he found on the streets of lower Manhattan, announcing that if you didn't find "soap dishes or mirrors or Coke bottles" beautiful than you must be a miserable bastard. -- GawkerRobert Rauschenberg Obituary|The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
The WorldWide Telescope
2nd\NE Quadrant The Approval Matrix
The WorldWide Telescope (WWT) is a Web 2.0 visualization software environment that enables your computer to function as a virtual telescope—bringing together imagery from the best ground and space-based telescopes in the world for a seamless exploration of the universe.
WorldWide Telescope is created with the Microsoft® high performance Visual Experience Engine™ and allows seamless panning and zooming around the night sky, planets, and image environments. View the sky from multiple wavelengths: See the x-ray view of the sky and zoom into bright radiation clouds, and then crossfade into the visible light view and discover the cloud remnants of a supernova explosion from a thousand years ago. Switch to the Hydrogen Alpha view to see the distribution and illumination of massive primordial hydrogen cloud structures lit up by the high energy radiation coming from nearby stars in the Milky Way. These are just two of many different ways to reveal the hidden structures in the universe with the WorldWide Telescope. Seamlessly pan and zoom from aerial views of the Moon and selected planets, as well as see their precise positions in the sky from any location on Earth and any time in the past or future with the Microsoft Visual Experience Engine. -- WorldWide Telescope
Roy Gould: WorldWide Telescope
The WorldWide Telescope (WWT) is a Web 2.0 visualization software environment that enables your computer to function as a virtual telescope—bringing together imagery from the best ground and space-based telescopes in the world for a seamless exploration of the universe.
WorldWide Telescope is created with the Microsoft® high performance Visual Experience Engine™ and allows seamless panning and zooming around the night sky, planets, and image environments. View the sky from multiple wavelengths: See the x-ray view of the sky and zoom into bright radiation clouds, and then crossfade into the visible light view and discover the cloud remnants of a supernova explosion from a thousand years ago. Switch to the Hydrogen Alpha view to see the distribution and illumination of massive primordial hydrogen cloud structures lit up by the high energy radiation coming from nearby stars in the Milky Way. These are just two of many different ways to reveal the hidden structures in the universe with the WorldWide Telescope. Seamlessly pan and zoom from aerial views of the Moon and selected planets, as well as see their precise positions in the sky from any location on Earth and any time in the past or future with the Microsoft Visual Experience Engine. -- WorldWide Telescope
Jenna Bush's Wedding Dress
2nd\NE Quadrant The Approval Matrix
And it [Jenna Bush's wedding gown] was streamlined and very textured, resembling the surface of a coral reef. -- NYMag
Missus wrote on the blog On Common Ground, "Jenna Bush looks like she's wearing a white dress made out of a terry cloth towel that was stuck in the dryer and now has all the little gobs of stubbly nobs on it. She looks like she is wearing a towel. The cut of the dress is fantastic... The material just doesn't work for her."
And it [Jenna Bush's wedding gown] was streamlined and very textured, resembling the surface of a coral reef. -- NYMagMissus wrote on the blog On Common Ground, "Jenna Bush looks like she's wearing a white dress made out of a terry cloth towel that was stuck in the dryer and now has all the little gobs of stubbly nobs on it. She looks like she is wearing a towel. The cut of the dress is fantastic... The material just doesn't work for her."