Arts and Events: February 2010 Archives

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22-year-old Brooklyn Decker (born in Ohio and raised in North Carolina, obvs) is gracing this year's cover of the Sport Illustrated Swimsuit issue. David Letterman says this issue (and the much coveted cover spot) is still a "huge thing" for America (is it?). He unveiled the billboard on 53rd and Broadway last night, and the model will sit down with him on tonight's show. more ›

You can't get much more New York than Suzanne Vega. A lifelong resident of the Upper West Side, she's an alum not only of Barnard, but the High School for the Performing Arts and P.S. 161. She's been New York's ambassador to the world of folk music since her self-titled debut album twenty-five years ago. She immortalized Morningside Heights with the unbearably catchy "Tom's Diner" (which will still take you back to 1990 if you let it). She has relatives in Queens. She learned to drive at age 43. Starting at the Songwriters' Exchange in the Village in the early 80s, she had her Lincoln Center debut two weeks ago, as part of the American Songbook series, whose podcast series she hosts. She's still covering the New York map with songs: her last studio album, "Beauty and Crime," included songs set on the Upper West Side, Central Park South, Ludlow Street, and Ground Zero. more ›

Well this seems unfair: MTV is allegedly trying to stop the Jersey Shore cast from cashing in on personal appearances. Well, not all of them, but the NY Post reports that the network's head honchos have warned the cast to "rein in their appearances" or face fines and legal consequences! Allegedly they are trying to "protect the brand," but none of the guidos or guidettes are abiding, even after signing their $180K contracts for a 2nd season. more ›

For the third year in a row, The New Yorker's celebrated its anniversary by asking readers to submit illustrated riffs on the magazine's iconic cover, created in 1925 by Rea Irvin, the magazine’s first art editor, who also designed the distinctive New Yorker headline type. The original features a fictional dandy, Eustace Tilley, inspecting a butterfly. As Louis Menand explained, the character "seems to be saying something about the magazine itself, and the question is: What? Is the man with the monocle being offered as an image of the New Yorker reader, a cultivated observer of life’s small beauties, or is he being ridiculed as a foppish anachronism? Is it a picture of bemused sophistication or of starchy superciliousness?" (If you're a subscriber, you can peruse the first issue, online here.) The first three images in this gallery are taken from the official "winners" this year; our favorites follow in the last four images. more ›

The Central Park Conservancy asked New Yorkers to pick the most romantic spot in all the park, and today they unveiled the winning location: Bow Bridge. Can't you just hear Johannes Brahms playing right now? more ›

The Guggenheim has invited creatives worldwide to come up with a way to fill the void at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed museum, and starting on the 12th (through April 28th) you'll be able to see what the 200+ artists, architects, and designers imagined at the Contemplating the Void: Interventions exhibit. A few options are above; our favorite is JDS Architects, who proposed a spiraling trampoline net that looks really dangerous! more ›

The Royal Shakespeare Company will spend several hundred thousand dollars donated by Ohio State University to construct a full-size replica of their new theater in Stratford-upon-Avon, ship it in pieces to NYC, and assemble it in the Park Avenue Armory's massive Drill Hall, which has 55,000 square feet of uncolumned space. In an unprecedented plan announced today, the company will use the replica to stage five plays in repertory in July and August 2011 as part of the Lincoln Center Festival. (The five plays are Antony and Cleopatra, As You Like It, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet and The Winter’s Tale.) more ›

Have you seen these shots of a shanty town set up on Mercer and Houston Streets during the Great Depression? That's right, these (first two) photographs of men in suits reading magazines, smoking cigarettes and lingering about their alternative abodes aren't from the web pages of Unhappy Hipsters—they were taken by Berenice Abbott in 1935. more ›

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So, how 'bout those commercials? USA Today has a ranking of all the Super Bowl ads, which places the Snickers commercial featuring Betty White in the #1 slot. A bit further down, that car commercial that's narrated by Michael C. Hall, has Noah Kalina staring into a camera again and lets women across America know their husbands f*cking HATE THEM and just want to drive their Dodges, baby... placed #23; the Simpsons shilling for Coca-Cola comes in at #30; and the Christian group's (actually not all that controversial) anti-abortion commercial placed #54. You can watch all 63 commercials there, or at CBS. more ›

Of all the performing arts, theater has a tendency to be the most unbearable. You can easily walk out of most concerts, and with dance there's usually at least a certain technical proficiency to be admired. But particularly in small Off Broadway theaters—where, ironically, the potential for magnificence is greatest—it's almost impossible to escape without causing a major disruption. When theater stinks, which is often, you've usually got no choice but to suffer through it without anesthetic, as time slows to a crawl and your captors torment you with boredom. more ›

While the snow didn't really hit NYC (though it did bury parts of southern NJ and totally pummeled DC) as badly as feared, the snow festivities at Winter Jam went on as planned in Central Park. See, the Department of Parks & Recreation was prepared, with 10 inches of fake snow ready for skiing, sledding, snowboarding and more. Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe told the Daily News, "It's a good thing that we did not listen to the meteorologist." more ›

Aww. Roots drummer ?uestlove, who questioned the menu choices of NBC's cafeteria in celebration of Black History Month (fried chicken, collard greens, black-eyed peas)... has made peace with chef Leslie Calhoun. She defended her menu after the Twitpic he took of it made it all the way to the Jay Leno show, and now ?uestlove says: "just so yall dont think that im all talk. i presented leslie in our kitchen with flowers and an extremely sizable gift certificate spa treatment with the works." more ›

The Seven Year Itch, starring Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell, was filmed between September 1st and November 4th, 1954—and although its action centered around a New York City apartment, it was mostly shot in Hollywood. There were a few scenes filmed here, however—including that shot of Monroe standing over a subway grate. That ended up being more of a photo opp, however, since the crowd was too distracting and loud to capture anything usable. That first take was shot at 590 Lexington Avenue, at 52nd Street (the one used in the film was from a sound stage). more ›

Click on the stills for more details and reviews on this week's new releases and repertory screenings, which include District 13, Frozen, Terribly Happy, Red Riding Trilogy, The Shinjuku Incident, From Paris with Love, Dear John, Reservoir Dogs, Ran, and Total Recall. more ›

These photographs were all taken by Berenice Abbott in the same area of Brooklyn in 1936 (two of them on the now non-existent Talman Street). The clapboard houses were part of what was called Irishtown, which was under the anchorage of the Manhattan Bridge (this area is now called DUMBO, of course). According to this book, back then it was "a slum of pre-Civil War houses renting for $15 per month. Lacking cellars, central heat, hot water, toilets, and bathtubs, many of the houses had been declared uninhabitable by the city. Talman Street was the remnant of an old cow path with an ice cream factory at one end and empty lots at the other." more ›

Last year the city’s Economic Development Corporation announced their NYC BigApps competition, which invited anyone to develop an application using 170 sets of municipal data made available by 30 different agencies. Throughout the process, we've seen apps like Taxihack and NYC Broken Meters (aka free parking!) pop up, and last night the winners were officially announced. more ›

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A Bald Eagle spotting isn't unheard of in New York City—but it's still neat to see one milling about in Harlem instead of, say, behind bars at the Bronx Zoo. One blogger recently spotted one heading to Fairway, saying: "Since the opening of the Harlem Piers I have always appreciated its close views of Hudson River bird traffic, all the while knowing that Bald Eagles sometimes ply these fish rich waters. So today, as I was about to head into Fairway, I scanned the rough ice and to my surprise, found a bald eagle in almost complete adult plumage." (Maybe he knows where that wiley coyote is.) Find out more about the city's history with the Bald Eagle, here. more ›

This morning we looked at the Croton Reservoir, where the New York Public Library's main branch now sits. In the time that it's been there—since the early 1900s—the surface of New York City has continued to change. Luckily, the library is home to a massive collection of maps, which chart the changes of this city as well as other areas—and this week they've officially launched maps.nypl.org. The site also hosts "a powerful set of tools designed to significantly enhance the way we access and use maps and the cartographic information they contain." Click! Zoom! Pan! more ›

Snoop Dogg marched through Times Square with Darth Vader and a bunch of Stormtroopers earlier today. Because what else are you going to come up with when you have a big bag of chronic and are pondering a marketing plan for a Star Wars-based footwear/clothing collection? Later in the day Racked reported that Snoops Troops made it to the Adidas store in SoHo... and R2D2 even made a cameo! Have you spotted anyone else from the Empire out there? more ›

Since organizers of the Idiotarod this year, Corporation X, were being vague with any details prior to go time, but simultaneously wanted press coverage—our publisher sent them this little note (yes, in all caps): "WE CAN'T COVER YOUR STUPID HIPSTER RACE ON THE SITE IF WE DON'T KNOW WHERE IT IS." more ›

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In an 1844 edition of the Columbia Spy, Edgar Allen Poe wrote, “When you visit Gotham, you should ride out Fifth Avenue, as far as the distributing reservoir, near Forty-third Street, I believe. The prospect from the walk around the reservoir is particularly beautiful. You can see, from this elevation, the north reservoir at Yorkville; the whole city to the Battery; and a large portion of the harbor, and long reaches of the Hudson and East Rivers." He's talking about the Croton Reservoir, of course, where the New York Public Library now stands. (In fact, you can still see some remains of it there.) more ›

The experimental noise-poppers Cold Cave are hitting the road once again, where the trio has spent much of their time since the re-release of their Love Comes Close album (on Matador) last November. Tonight they play Mercury Lounge—it's now sold out but we suggest you get a taste of their live show here and catch them next time around. The group consists of Caralee McElroy (formerly Xiu Xiu), Dominick Fernow and Wesley Eisold (formerly American Nightmare/Give Up The Ghost and Some Girls). This week Mr. Eisold was kind enough to answer some of our questions... more ›

Jersey Shore's Snooki was given another makeunder recently, but let's face facts: pantsuits will not get you ca$h money. But taking off your clothes might! Radar reports that she may be following in cast mate J-WOWW's footsteps as rumors swirl that she's shopping around nude photos and video of herself. Snookers allegedly took the shots herself in her bedroom—and the site reports that at least one photo is "too raunchy to describe." Snickers! The reality starlet denied it all on Twitter, calling Radar "weirdos"—but time, and the inevitable leaked photos prior to Season 2 airing, will tell. more ›

There's been much discussion about reviving old theaters in town lately, with the Ridgewood Theater getting landmark status and the Loew's in Chinatown getting refurbished into a community center. Now Brooklyn's Loew's Kings Theater is getting some attention after rotting away since 1977—the NY Times notes that its current state includes a "rusting, dirt-caked marquee," a cobweb-filled deteriorated interior, and plenty of vandal and pigeon feces. You know, just your typical movie theater here in New York! more ›

The folks who run Bowery Presents certainly have some of the best music venues in New York City, but where would you rank their superclub Terminal 5 on a list of best venues in the world? more ›

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This morning the NYC Road Runners took their 33rd run up the Empire State Building. Meanwhile, the rest of us were probably busy avoiding staircases and unnecessary exercise. The 300 runners hauled ass up the 86 flights, with the winner—25-year-old German Thomas Dold—leading the pack and finishing up at 10 minutes and 16 seconds. But maybe everyone's a winner, because that's gotta be the nicest finish line view in the history of races. more ›

Last night Courtney Love (who may be West Village-bound soon) played at the SGI Culture Center in Union Square, an organization that celebrates the teachings and philosophy of Nichiren Buddhism. The event wasn't publicized, but a Yelp page says that it was free and included both a talk and a performance. One Twitterer reported back saying she "gave a very inspiring & spiritual talk; undoubtedly she has had an amazing journey." And later that night, that journey continued with an eBay shopping spree, which Love live-Twittered for the masses. She broadcasted her wants/needs/must-haves! Like an "agent provacatuer suitcase... petticoats and metalliclace." Maybe something was lost in translation from East to West, or maybe this little grasshopper is still learning. more ›

A year in the life of phenomenally photogenic President Barack Obama will be on display starting Friday at the NYPL's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. The exhibit exclusively features 77 photos by Chief Official White House Photographer Pete Souza, beginning with the festive inaugural ball evening on January 20, 2009 and moves through the next 364 days. Many of these photos are on view to the public on the White House Flickr page, but if you want to rekindle your Ohhhhbama love with full size prints, now's the time! more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] All the single ladies (and whoever), Grammy-award winning Beyoncé Knowles has a new perfume out! Exciting, right? Anyway, in order to get you to buy it, DNA Info reports that she's playing a free show for the people tonight, right in Union Square. But is she? Every other listing has simply stated that "the visionary artist is illuminating the central destination with fiery red light and smoky fog... an unprecedented, spectacular display will vividly capture the spirit of Beyoncé Heat." That is significantly less exciting. We'll get to the bottom of this, in the meantime, she is having a private launch party tonight at 15 Union Square, where sister Solange will be deejaying; and tomorrow she's making an appearance at Macy's Herald Square at 5 p.m. In any case, if Union Square looks like it's on fire between 6 p.m. and 12 a.m., don't worry, it's just the glow of marketing. more ›

Back in 2008, we shared some exhilarating video of cyclists peddling through NYC at breakneck speeds. The hardcore footage is part of a documentary called Empire, which director Luke Stiles tells us is almost finished. The hour-long feature will resemble a "BMX or skate video; music-driven action sports stuff," says Stiles. "All fixed gear, all NYC, with traffic and tricks. No one has been injured to date except for the occasional shin burger or twisted angle by one of the trick guys. Everyone's pretty good at what they do." They better be—as you can see from this gnarly new video, serious injury is just one handlebar twist away: more ›

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Senator Schumer has saved the Brooklyn Pool Parties! We just received a press release announcing the news that will surely put a smile on disaffected hipster's faces borough-wide. more ›

This year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided to bump up the number of films eligible for Best Picture nomination from five to ten. The nominations were announced before dawn on the west coast this morning by Anne Hathaway and Academy President Tom Sherak. Some, like Jeffrey Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere, had threatened "a tsumani of shame" if the Coen brothers' superb film A Serious Man was left out of the newly-expanded Best Picture category. But Old Testament wrath was mercifully averted, and the film was nominated for Best Picture and Best Screenplay. Now it better win, lest Hollywood feel our hurricane of hate. more ›

This rather mesmerizing little video was made "using a digital stills camera to create a stop motion animation." Most of the images depict NYC from the land, air, or water, but there are some other urban areas mixed in there, too. (Anybody know where they are?) There's not much more to add here, except to caution that what you are about to see has the serious potential to trigger a potent acid flashback, so have a beanbag chair and a copy of Meddle cued up. [Via Kottke] more ›

The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA) is unveiling a new exhibit this week called "The Gentrification of Brooklyn: The Pink Elephant Speaks." Curated by Dexter Wimberly, the show will open on the 4th and runs through May 16th. more ›

On Saturday afternoon, Union Square was taken over by the spirit of Gandhi. One knitster handmade some hats and scarves for her Gandhiwarmer event, which consisted of adorning the peacemaker's statue with some handknits, and collecting even more to give away to those in need. There were also rose petals, diwa candles, and a sitar player to help set the mood. The organizer reports back saying, "as of now gandhi’s scarf and hat are still up and it would be lovely if it may stay for a while!" How long do you think it'll last? more ›

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