So this line at MoMA to sit in front of Marina Abramović is really long, you know, FYI. You pretty much have to clear your schedule and be prepared to wait around for at least a few hours... unless, of course, you are famous. Or so we hear.
The other day James Franco was first to sit in front of the performance artist, and we're pretty sure he—or Lou Reed, or Sharon Stone—didn't stand in line like regular museum patrons. Like the Paco Blancases of the world.
The Artist Is Present... For VIPs
Chef Rocco DiSpirito's Strange Journey from Stove to Screen
This week's NY Times Dining section has a long profile about Jamaica, Queens native Rocco DiSpirito, who many in the dining biz have criticized for focusing on TV shows and cookbooks when he could be running a restaurant. Some, like cookbook author Michael Rhulman, believe "he’s almost gotten to the point where people in the food world feel sorry for him and want him back." Others, like former NY Mag critic Gael Greene, opine, "I do believe that ‘Dancing With the Stars’ is kind of the last stop. I don’t understand—has he totally lost that passion to cook?" In his defense, DiSpirito paints himself as a populist who loves "advocating" for the "general public." But Ed Levine at Serious Eats scoffs at that, slamming DiSpirito and the Times in a fun blog post: "What DiSpirito really loves to do is bring attention to himself Paris Hilton-style and try to cash in on it. Only she can't cook."
Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs, Now With Calorie Info
Now that an appeals court has ruled that the city can start requiring chain restaurants to prominently display their calorie information, Nathan’s has begun tossing up their stats just in time for summer at Coney Island. Kinetic Carnival notes that the Nathan’s basic hot dog has just half the calories packed into a Big Mac from McDonald’s.
Marvin Sylvor, Famed Carousel Designer, Dies at 75
World renowned merry-go-round designer Marvin Sylvor has saddled up for the great carousel in the sky following a kidney failure. He was 75. The Bronx-born Sylvor’s love for the fanciful rides dated back to his childhood, when his father, hell-bent to get to Rockaway beach, would always refuse to stop so the young Sylvor could ride a carousel near the Marine Park Bridge.

