A new luxury boutique hotel opening up in Queens is already being sued. Silvercup Studios in Long Island City is suing the operators of the establishment, which is called Silvercup Hotel. According to the Daily News, the lawsuit claims the hotel is "exploiting the goodwill inherent in the Silvercup" trademarked name. The hotel is nearby, at 29th Street and 39th Avenue, and is advertising its proximity to the famed studios (where shows like Gossip Girl film). The suit seeks an injunction against the hotel using Silvercup in their name, as well as $200,000 in damages. As of right now, their website is still up and running under the name Silvercup Hotel. more ›

With the writers' strike looking like it'll wrap up this week, Crain's points us towards another problem for New York's entertainment industry. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a serious trauma at East 16th St. and Moore Pl. in Brooklyn, a water search at Kosciusko Bridge in Brooklyn, and a bank robbery on Lexington Ave. in Manhattan,
• Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who popularized transcendentalism in the West with the support of The Beatles, died yesterday at an undetermined age.
• Postmodern reality at its best: Silvercup Studios, where "Gossip Girl," is filmed could actually become an educational institution.
• A Whole Foods location is opening in Gowanus, Brooklyn, after groundbreaking last spring and much consternation.
• Going against the grain of many city mayors who are declaring their municipalities a safe haven for illegal immigrants, Mayor Mark Boughton of Danbury, CT wants to align his police force with federal law enforcement to crack down on undocumented workers.
• Brooklyn's 4th Ave. has undergone a dramatic transformation over the last five years. The new-and-improved version seems equally unimpressive to some.
• Customers at the Grand Central Oyster Bar who want to order New England clam chowder will have to ask for "Giants Clam Chowder" this week.
• Big Brother is a salesman. He wants to follow you to sell you stuff.

As The Daily Show and Colbert Report are just moments away from filming their first shows in quite some time, picket lines are standing strong outside of their studios. WGA spokeswoman Sherry Goldman tells us, "These pickets will be against the media conglomerates – NBC and Viacom - and not the specific hosts who we understand were forced to return to the air without their writers who remain on the picket lines." Just because the hosts have returned, however, doesn't mean they'll have any luck filling their guest seats. more ›

The Writers Guild strike continued into its second day today; in L.A. Jay Leno delivered donuts to strikers on his motorcycle, while here in New York Seth Meyers joined the picket line and the giant rat outside Silvercup Studios in Long Island City (30 Rock and Gossip Girl are among the productions filmed there). The Saturday Night Live star and head writer had this to say:TV is completely changing, the way people are watching... more ›

We haven't checked in on Gossip Girl since the show was filming around town and the producer touted New York as a main character in each episode. To summarize: the show is like a New York-based version of The OC (in fact it's another Josh Schwartz creation), except the rich kids don't act like kids, they act like their parents. Meanwhile, the omniscient, omnipresent, anonymous oggler Gossip Girl blogs about it all. more ›

Even in the shadow of the Queensborough Bridge, the Maison Tropicale looks aloof. Hovering above a cleared and graded strip in Long Island City, this compact machine for living wears the architectural equivalent of sunglasses, safari helmet, binoculars, and shorts. It is haughty and cute at the same time. The aluminum outpost, one of three prototypes sent to Congo and Niger in the early 1950s, was designed by Jean Prouvé as a prefabricated home for French imperial masters in the Congo. While the empire was already beginning to fade, there was still some impetus to conquer African territory and look suave doing it. more ›

He made his name in London, Paris, Madrid, and Tokyo, and now he's making his mark on New York, too, with four major projects in development. Richard Rogers, one of Britain's handful of architect-knights, has just been awarded the 2007 Pritzker Prize, architecture's top honor. more ›

What an embrace of Long Island City! The city announced that it will buy waterfront property in Long Island City to build up to 5,000 units of affordable housing for families. The city is paying the Port Authority a total of $146 million for the 24 acres - $100 million for the property and $46 million for "remaining obligations" to the site. From the press relase:

Mayor Bloomberg: "Middle-income families are facing housing affordability challenges as a result of New York's success, and we have to make strategic, long-term investments to ensure that New Yorkers of all incomes can work and live in our City. This development will build on New York's grand tradition of major middle-income communities, but updated for the 21st century. We will work quickly to turn this into homes for thousands of teachers, police officers, firefighters, nurses and other moderate- and middle-income New Yorkers. I want to thank the Port Authority for its continued collaboration and support." more ›

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Forget for glitzy Brooklyn development for the moment: Silvercup Studios, home of the Sopranos (and former home of Sex and the City), has announced a $1 billion plan to expand the Long Island City waterfront. Quick, buy now! AM New York on the project:

The three-building project, to be called Silvercup West, will include eight soundstages, along with 1,000 apartments, a catering hall, museum, and office and retail space. The plans also call for redevelopment of the waterfront area of the 6-acre site, which will be transformed into a public esplanade.

While some city buildings are considering "greening" their roofs with gardens (Curbed as a rendering of one roof garden for Silvercup Studios), we hear there's a protest tonight to "openly mock" a plan to put AstroTurf on Cadman Plaza Park in Brooklyn. Reader Chris says, "As dumb ideas go, this one is pretty striking. Why not put up some plastic trees so we'll have greenery in winter." Cue the Radiohead! Just thinking about putting AstroTurf in a city park makes us wonder if having Lego surfaces in parks is next...although that'd be kinda cool. more ›

This is the New York of Staten Island - where we’re taking a stand for neighborhood quality of life. more ›