Warhol Painting Rakes In $43.7 Million At Sotheby's
It was Andy "Warhol's night" at yesterday's contemporary art auction at Sotheby's. One of his first silk-screen paintings, "200 One Dollar Bills" yielded a surprising $43.7 million: While the bidding started at $6 million, the price jumped rapidly between five bidders, all of whom were eager to nab the Warhol classic. The estimated price was $12 million, so it was a shock that the painting brought in more than three times that. Sotheby's refused to reveal the identity of the buyer, but one unsuccessful bidder told the Times, "I think the painting was worth it. It was rare and great. And the appealing estimate helped encourage bidding."
If There's Cash, Paterson May Rethink License Plate Fee
Naturally, not many people are happy with the state's decision to change license plates and charge $25 in the process. Governor Paterson said he'd nix the fee—if there was some other way to generate $129 million, "I'm optimistic I can find a way to replace the $129 million hole -- and I'll reconsider it. I'll go back and take a look at the license plates because it has upset so many people... What I would like is help figuring out how to replace it." So, we guess that the DMV's explanation that the license plates had to be changed for safety reasons is BS, then?
Kittens "Saved" By Goldman Sachs Fat Cats
When word got out that some kittens born at Goldman Sachs' Battery Park City headquarters were essentially abandoned by the firm—the bank allegedly reneged on earlier promises to have its employees adopt the kitties and pay for vet bills—the bank scrambled to set the story straight. A spokesperson said, "To be clear, we never abandoned the kittens. Every kitten has been adopted. The vet bills were requested several times and they were paid as soon as we received them," and said downtown newspaper The Downtown Express "reported the story inaccurately." So, Goldman Sachs—really rich but not kitten lovers-and-leavers.
Chinatown Business Struck Again By Vehicle
Yesterday, a truck hit a Chinatown business near the Manhattan Bridge—and it was the second time this year wireless store has been hit. The Post reports that a "runaway cement truck" which "apparently lost its [brakes] at about noon on Canal Street near the Manhattan Bridge, careen[ed] out of control along the busy street" and "sideswiped half a dozen cars -- including one filled with children -- and then crashed through the front of a wireless-phone store." (See this picture.) One witness said of the scared children, "They were very distraught. It was traumatic. The truck was bearing down on them. They were both crying." Ten people (no pedestrians) had minor injuries; no criminality was involved.