Armed to the teeth with angry puns, hundreds of New Yorkers attended the Department of Conservation's fracking forum yesterday in Tribeca. Of the 40 to speak within the first few hours of the public comment period, just one man, Arthur J. Kremer of New York A.R.E.A., expressed his support for high volume hydraulic fracturing in upstate New York. During his three minutes, Kremer was interrupted by boos and hisses from the audience as he elaborated on the economic benefits of the controversial drilling method and asserted that over 50,000 jobs would be created should the plan to build and operate over 32,000 wells proceed. "If you travel to Pennsylvania, as I have," he said, "you will see that it's not an area of desolation, it's not a wasteland." more ›

The federal government is being sued for allowing natural gas drilling, which involves the potentially harmful "fracking" technique, without conducting a full environmental review. New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced a lawsuit yesterday that seeks to compel federal agencies to conduct an environmental review before the regulations authorizing gas drilling in the Delaware River Basin are finalized. Obviously, this goes against the gas industry's motto of "frack first, question later." more ›

Zodiac more ›

The American Theater Wing announced the 2006 Tony award nominees, and there are a lot of notables: more ›

David Amsden, Writer more ›

The eagerly anticipated collaboration between Joshua Albertson, Lockhart Steele, and Jonathan Van Gieson, Book of Ages 30, is out in bookstores (free same-day delivery in Manhattan from Barnes and Noble with purchases over $25), on the shelves of Amazon (and other online retailers), and perhaps even at a library near you. And naturally, the website goes live with a blog about all things 30. You can also explore more about the book which promises to be the first in a series that will herald landmark birthdays. Hmm. As it will be Gothamist's dad's 60th birthday next month, we might have to make due with giving him two copies. more ›

So far, the work of Charlie Kaufman has only been adapted by two directors: Spike Jonze, with Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, and Michel Gondry, whose Human Nature was tepidly received but has directed the eagerly awaited 2004 release, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Eternal Sunshine stars Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Tom Wilkinson, Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood, and Mark Ruffalo, with Carrey as a man trying to erase memories of ex-girlfriend Winslet from his mind. And by the looks of the trailer, it looks like vintage Kaufman AND Gondry, with tiny human bodies in normal size enviroments.
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The Daily News on the appeal of airline stewardesses - this time it's the sex appeal. Being a stewardess used to be glamorous, as air travel was just the hottest thing ever in the 60s, as "Catch Me If You Can" showed. more ›