Last night in Chelsea, Dave Chappelle no-showed at a fundraiser he was slated to headline for the congressional campaign of Kevin "Real World" Powell. After waiting around for over three hours, the crowd of a few hundred was told that Chappelle had missed not one, but two planes out of Ohio. To add insult to injury, Powell mentioned more than once that Chris Rock was in the building, but did not want to take the stage due to "not wanting to disrespect another comedian." How this was supposed to appease the crowd who had paid $75 (minimum) a ticket for the rare Chappelle appearance was unclear. Hot 97's Angie Martinez also had some questionable logic for crowd control. While emceeing as the audience began jeering the phantom comedian, she responded, "Don't boo me. Boo yourselves." more ›

Everything’s connected: Kevin Powell was a star in MTV’s very first season of The Real World – now he’s campaigning to be the congressional representative for a district that includes the location of the new Real World apartment in downtown Brooklyn. And not only that, Powell is enlisting the help of comedian Dave Chappelle, who once lampooned the reality series in a hilarious skit called The Mad Real World. Go ahead and take a minute to let all that sink in. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: an unconscious baby on Ralph Ave. in Brooklyn, a construction accident on Bedford Ave. and Crown St. in Brooklyn, and a found grenade at 54th Ave. and Junction Blvd. in Queens.
• Dave Chappelle made an unannounced appearance at a comedy club, where Radar learned he "took the stage at approximately 12:30 a.m. and didn't leave until club management turned off the lights at 4:20 a.m."
• Busta Rhymes got three years probation, 10 days of community service, $1,250 in fines and will have to cover court costs in relation to assorted offenses related to DWI and assault.

With Labor Day weekend well under way, the season of block parties is about to come to an end. The NY Times has a story today on 4 of the 225 block parties that took place in the city last weekend (overall most take place in Brooklyn). more ›

Middle College High School in Queens decided not to leave things to chance when a senior wrote a note saying, "So you think Virginia Tech was bad? Just wait for the MCHS Prom! Unlike VTech there won't be any injured, I'll get the job done." The student, 17-year-old Michael DiGiovanni, was found out because the note and fliers made from it were found in the school computer lab on Monday. And the city wants us to be impressed with high school graduation rates? more ›

An interesting update about fund-raising efforts for Broken Angel in New York magazine's Intelligencer: It seems that Dave Chappelle and director Michel Gondry have been contacted about doing a benefit at Pratt, but Chris Wood, the son of Broken Angel owners Arthur and Cindy Wood, hadn't heard anything from Chappelle and only "vague" things from Gondry. Gondry's rep, though, tells New York, “Michel would be willing to be of any assistance for the Broken Angel’s home, if he is able. He is open to holding a screening and/or a benefit concert with the Roots and Dave Chappelle to help raise money.” Now, to find out about the Roots's and Chappelle's availability and willingness! more ›

Okay, so it's been 2007 for the last four days but since everyone's doing it from the critics circles to the awards nominating pools, it seemed worth it to weigh in on last year's movies. However, constructing end of the year top ten lists can be both painful and thrilling. Looking at a long list of the year's movie releases reminds you how many films passed you by in the theaters and playing favorites amongst the pool is never easy. It's much more fun to look at a top 10 and what various moviemakers from around the world have churned out in the last 12 months as glass half full. In the midst of the dreck of horrible new releases are some very bright spots, and here are 10 of our personal highlights. more ›

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Christopher Wood, son of Broken Angel owners/creators Arthur and Cindy Wood, updates what is happening with the 4 Downing Street building in Brooklyn. As the Woods are working with Jordan Parnass Digital Architecture to bring the building to code, there is still a court hearing tomorrow to see if the Department of Buildings has been justified in its actions (the DOB has threatened demolition and removed the Woods from the house). more ›

André 3000 and Big Boi bring their Grammy-winning mojo to the big screen this week with their much anticipated musical, Idlewild. Set in a '30s speakeasy complete with marcel wave hairdos and juke joint stepping, the movie also coincides with the release of a new OutKast record featuring songs from the flick. Hopefully director Bryan Barber has made something be more substantial than one terribly long, theme music video. Some might argue drinking lots of beer will make you stupider, but it can't be nearly as brain cell draining as , a new movie from the Super Trooper guys. Though maybe with a few in you and your favorite frat boy in tow, it could be worth a chuckle or two. more ›

MUSIC: Propect Park. TV on the Radio. Matt Pond PA. Voxtrot. Free. Need we say more? Bring a blanket. more ›

Can't you just feel the Oscar buzz in the air? The jangling of borrowed jewels and the buzzing of nominees nerves is like a cacophony even on this coast. Gothamist is excitedly anticipating the telecast like June Carter Cash before a duet with Johnny. In the meantime though, there are movies to be watched. more ›

Variety (subscription required, sadly) reports that the new Chapelle's Show segments that were meant to be for season three (you know, the season that was supposed to air earlier this year, only to crumble amidst production delays, rumors of a mental hospital stay, and Chappelle in South Africa) will be shown online first (on the Motherload) and then on cable in 2006. And Comedy Central is calling it season three. At a taping of Last Laugh '05, Comedy Central apparently showed a preview of "what it will air as part of season three, which included send-ups of MTV skein 'Cribs' and the Morgan Spurlock docudocu 'Super Size Me.'" Will the rest of season three be old Chappelle's Show, while funny, but totally warmed over since we've seen it a million times at this point? Whatever, Gothamist will take whatever we can get. more ›

Dave Rubin, Comedian more ›

The long-awaited return of the third season of Chappelle's Show will actually be an even longer-awaited return, as Comedy Central has yanked the premiere and stopped production. Augh!! Even though it's funny, seeing "The Niggas" for the literally 50th time is wearing on us! But enough about us, as we'll take The Mad Real World any day. Variety's article (registration req'd) said Chappelle had to "seek treatment for unspecified personal issues." Personal issues after getting $50 million for two more seasons of Chappelle's Show? Blog loosie has a lot of dirt, saying that insiders on the set confirm that Chappelle's behavior is "increasingly erratic; he regularly arrives hours late for shooting and has disappeared for days at a time without offering an explanation for his absence." Also, loosie reports that a "demented-looking" Dave Chappelle was at a Midtown ATM last week, where it took a minute for the ATM to spit out all the cash and he forgot about his card, leaving it to another customer to run after him with the card. As the report goes, Chappelle thanked her in a slurred speech and "has not returned to the set" since. more ›

On the classic Chappelle's Show skit, Dave Chappelle showed what happens when a blind KKK leader who doesn't realize he's black is unmasked. Buy Chappelle's Show, Season 1, on Amazon. And Season 2 will be released in February.
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Did you go to Dave Chappelle's Block Party? How was it? Some photos from Down on Love. We expect Standard Deviance to have the full scoop soon. And Dave Chappelle's official site is still a work-in-progress.
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Also: Dave Chapelle will not be doing the Rick James biopic; he told Terry Gross in a great NPR interview that he spoke to Rick before his death and Rick's concern was that his children might not understand the film, even if it was a comedy. But Rick James's shadow still looms, as "I'm Rick James, bitch!" gets tossed out a lot at his shows. His Showtime special, For What It's Worth, aired last Saturday and is in repeats. more ›

There's something we left off of our Sell Outs list, because it deserves its very own post. more ›

Image at right from Gotham Gazette's judicial fun game, So You Want To Be A Brooklyn Judge. Check out the suit, The People of NY vs. Gerald Garson (PDF).
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James will of course live on in a classic Chappelle Show bit and the movie about his life, with Dave Chappelle playing him. Here's All Music Guide on Rick James, his bio on VH1, his lyrics, considered #30 on the list of Trainwreck celebrities and news on Google. more ›