That super-secret, impossible-to-get-into Prince show? It went down for four hours (two shows) on the rooftop loft at the Hotel Gansevoort on Friday night. The NY Times reports that audience members paid around $1,000 to get inside the intimate room, with proceeds going to charity (Love 4 One Another Charities and Urban Farming). The Purple One did give a nod to the tough times however, the paper notes that "moments into the early set he joked about the tough day, then he tweaked the lyrics of '1999' to reference the financial crisis." Howard Stern, Spike Lee and Dave Chappelle were all in attendance, and the latter even took over entertaining duties for a bit, saying, “I played tambourine tonight at a Prince show — that’s the good news. The bad news is, I flew coach.” more ›

After Page Six alluded to The Gansevoort Hotel staff as being just a tad anti-semitic, the hotel retorted saying that the incident on New Year's Eve that led to the allegation was a misunderstanding. Their side of the story includes having to kick out a yarmulke-less (and apparently racist) "ill-behaved boyfriend of a member of Kid ['I love Jewish people'] Rock's PR team." Today Grub Street asked "which member of Kid Rock’s PR team brought in this ruffian," saying they were "not at all surprised that it involves Kid Rock." more ›

Page Six has reports of some nasty antisemitism that went down at the Hotel Gansevoort’s regrettably named G-Spa lounge. A witness tells the Post that a Jewish guest – who had paid for a ticket to the festivities – was insulted by the club’s staff for wearing a yarmulke. more ›

READING: Dave Eggers has delivered two (out of three) great novels, and tonight he reads from last one (which is just out on paperback), What is the What. He'll be at the Strand discussing the book and he'll also give a slideshow presentation from a recent trip he took to Sudan. More info here. Friday // 7pm // Strand Bookstore [828 Broadway] // Free EVENT: We love a good pillow fight, and tonight there's a... more ›

Untitled, by Dogseat. more ›

• The Port Authority has officially agreed to fund $1 billion of the Freedom Tower's construction
• Dr. Denton Sayer Cox, whose patients have included Andy Warhol and John Steinbeck, told police he was beaten and burned with a chemical at York and East 73rd Street but police believe he was the "victim of a gay pickup gone wrong" in his Upper East Side apartment. Either way, he's fighting for his life.
• A corrections officer gets a $1 million settlement because his female boss said things like "You better come and get some of this. My stuff is not going to wait for you forever." and "Why don't you let me make a man out of you?"
• Admissions for NYC public schools are "much more difficult" than college according to parents
• Bickfords, Corvingtons, and bishop crooks: Forgotten NY looks at old-fashioned street lamp design
• A 12-year-old boy died yesterday morning, after falling out the window of his 5th floor apartment in Harlem. His father believes his son pushed the air conditioner and may have tried to retrieve it, but the police are investigating.
• New anti-outdoor advertising poster boy: Restaurateur Keith McNally who picketed the Hotel Gansevoort today
• And in days old news, the Law & Order episode based on the Adrienne Shelly murder was came in second last Friday night, beaten by an episode of Numb3rs.
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- Some Greenwich Village residents are worried that plans for 36-40 Gansevoort Street will mean sleepless nights. Fashion brand Theory (Angelina Jolie wears it!) is converting a five-story building into offices, complete with a rooftop garden, which conjured up Hotel Gansevoort nightmares for people living on Horatio Street. Theory has met with residents and Theory's president Andrew Rosen told the Times, "We're not a bar. We're a day business. Our only objective is to be a credible, positive influence in the community. We intend to be there for a long time, so our commitment to the neighborhood is significant." Or form a group of fashionistas who really want the Theory store in the neighborhood. more ›

- Deputy mayor under Giuliani says his respiratory illnesses are caused by September 11's toxic air more ›