Anthony Marshall has not only been indicted for alleged criminal mishandling of his mother Brooke Astor's estate - he's being called a "STONE COLD HEIR" by the Post for not properly maintaining his mother's grave. Ouch! A public spat with his own son over Astor's care led to an ultimate court settlement where Marshall ceded guardianship of Astor and her estate to JP Morgan Chase and Astor's friend Annette de la Renta. But after Astor...
Grave Troubles for Brooke Astor's Son
Queen of Mean's Best Friend Is Rich And Despised
The most famous new heiress these days is Trouble, the Maltese dog who was left $12 million in owner Leona Helmsley's will. To put this in perspective, Leona Helmsley gave a chauffeur $100,000, two grandchildren $5 million each (plus another $5 million each if they visit their father's grave at least once a year), and two other grandchildren nothing "for reasons which are known to them."
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- Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a shooting on Sutter Ave. in Brooklyn, a water rescue off the Breezy Point Jetty in Queens, and a missing child on East 178th St. in the Bronx.
- Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum is upset that Coney Island native and Knicks star Stephon Marbury donated 3,000 pairs of his new Starbury basketball shoes to male high school basketball teams, while ignoring the female players.
- The Brooklyn Paper reports that the Lincoln Plaza Hotel, which was advertised as a bed and breakfast but in reality was a by-the-hour brothel, is being renovated into luxury condos. Well-heeled eventual residents should not be expecting a welcome wagon, because neighbors are complaining they'd rather have a whorehouse on their street than rich condo-owners.
- Leona Helmsley moved into her final residence today: a 1,300 square foot space that featues stained glass windows with skyline views and 12 granite columns. The mausoleum is located in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Westchester.
- The Dept. of Health reported that of the 800,000 smoking New Yorkers who tried to quit the habit in the last year, only 17% were successful. Quitting aids like nicotine gum and patches will be distributed at the Whitehall Ferry Terminal Tuesdays through Thursdays from 3pm to 6pm for the next five weeks.
- The Gowanus Lounge has an update on the state of negotiations between vendors at the Red Hook ballfields and the Dept. of Health.
- SPIN has a page of photos and video of this summer's McCarren Park Pool Party concert.
- The manufacturers of Krasdale Gravy dry dog food are saying that some of their 5 lb. bags of dog food may be contaminated with salmonella. They are instructing to toss the food out and bring the bags back to the point of purchase for a refund. The tainted food was sold in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania and the packaging has the UPC code 7513062596.
Brooke Astor Buried Secretly By Son
Anthony Marshall and his wife Charlene buried his mother, Brooke Astor, with an Episcopal priest as the only other person in attendance. A day after a very public funeral service in Manhattan, that had an audio webcast online and several news outlets liveblogging the event, Marshall buried Astor at the Sleepy Hollow Cemetary yesterday. Other family members were not told of the burial arrangements.
Pencil This In: Halloween Edition!
Wow, Halloween and the start of CMJ all in one night. There will be lots of ear candy, and of course regular candy, all over the city tonight. So if you aren't checking out the Halloween Parade, here are some other options:
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- Beautiful panoramic shots of some iconic places, such as Grand Central and Economy Candy
Theatre This Week: Brains, And an Already Brawny Lineup
The past couple weeks have been a little slower than usual in Theatreland, with fewer openings, numerous closings, and performances on limited schedules. This week, as we all get back up to speed, there’s already quite a lot to choose from.
Halloween Wrap-Up
Yesterday's annual Halloween Parade reminded Gothamist of the protests during the Republican National Convention but just at night: Lots of people in mocking Bush costumes, men and women dressed like hookers (just not meeting clandestinely with delegates), and lots of enthusiasm. We hadn't been on the street for more than five minutes before we saw our first child throwing up from his sugar overload. The Daily News reports that other popular costumes were John Kerry, Martha Stewart, and anything with not much clothing. Gothamist hopes all of you had a happy Halloween.
More Outdoor Screenings
Hudson River Park also starts its outdoor film series, RiverFlicks, this week. Films begin at dusk (generally between 8-8:30pm), there will be free popcorn and beverages available for purchase.

