The co-owner of a big newish ping pong club on 23rd Street has been having an affair with Susan Sarandon, sources told Page Six and Gawker several weeks ago. As you may know, a publicist for Sarandon announced yesterday that Sarandon "and her partner of 23 years, actor Tim Robbins, have announced that they separated over the summer." Sarandon is a financial backer in ping pong club SPiN New York, and rumor has it that 31-year-old co-owner Jonathan Bricklin is her lover.
Did Ping Pong Romance Spike Sarandon's Relationship With Robbins?
Board of Elections to Tim Robbins: Turn Lemons Into PSA
A day after Antitrust star Tim Robbins excoriated the Board of Elections in an open letter that described commissioner Gregory Soumas as a "petty vindictive corrupt scumbag," the bureaucrats have fired back with their own open letter! After some boilerplate about how the NYC BOE "takes special pride in the conduct of the November 4, 2008 election," and how they "recognize the need for all voters to be informed of all electoral procedural requirements," the letter gets down to brass tacks: "We also recognize and applaud that passion of Mr. Robbins exhibited with regard to his Election Day experience. Therefore, to harness the passion of Mr. Robbins, and to further the purpose of the NYC BOE, we hereby extend our invitation Mr. Robbins to join the NYC BOE to produce voter participation service announcements." Your move, Norville Barnes!
Voter-gate Update: Tim Robbins Still Pissed!
If you thought Barack Obama's decisive victory might shut up Arlington Road star Tim Robbins, well, you don't know Tim Robbins. First he was outraged when poll workers wouldn't let him vote at his regular voting place on Election Day, then he was doubly incensed when the Board of Elections publicly blamed the snafu on him (for supposedly registering twice with a different address). Now the Fraternity Vacation star has gone all Huff Post on the BoE with—fasten your seat belts—a witheringly contemptuous open letter. It begins: Dear [Board of Elections Commissioner Gregory] Soumas, I would like to publicly apologize for being such a dim-witted dilettante on Election Day. I was under the naïve assumption that I could vote where I voted in the last two elections." It gets worse from there, and after ruthlessly rocking Soumas's cradle with a mystical river of sarcasm, Robbins's ire reaches its highest fidelity with, "...you are a petty vindictive corrupt scumbag." You gonna take that, Soumas?!
Tim Robbins "Resents" Board of Elections For Blaming Voting Mess on Him
More on Tim Robbins Voter-gate! City Room has a thorough exposé on what went wrong for the Tapeheads star on Election Day, when he showed up to vote at the YMCA on West 14th Street and was told that his name was not in the Poll List Book. His misadventures got a lot of media attention after he refused to fill out a provisional ballot, accused poll workers of trying to "intimidate" him, and finally got a judge at the Board of Elections office to issue an order permitting him to vote.
Actor Tim Robbins Stymied At Polls
Tim Robbins made a big stink at the YMCA on West 14th Street this morning when he was told that his name was not on the voter list. According to City Room, Robbins has been voting at the same polling place since 1997, but for some unknown reason, his name was nowhere to be found when he went in this morning. The Times happened upon him sitting in a folding chair looking dejected and annoyed: "The poll workers here know me...The woman said she remembered seeing me here for the primaries."
Celebrity Spawn Singin' Downtown
W Magazine has a feature on the famous spawn of celebrity, currently rocking out in the dim spotlights of downtown clubs. Amongst them are CBS CEO Les Moonves's son (Chief), Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbin's son (The Tangents), Michael Keaton's son (The Hatch), Jann Wenner's son (The Ellis Unit), Ellen Barkin and Gabriel Byrne's son (also in the Ellis Unit), and...you get the picture.
Writers Guild Strike Heads into Second Week
Members of the Writers Guild of America have been striking in Los Angeles and New York this past week over details of a basic contract between writers and producers - one of the biggest sticking points is the amount of residuals writers get from DVD and new media distribution. The NY Times op-ed columnist Maureen Dowd asked Seth Meyers (who we spoke to on Tuesday) to give her a weekend update about the strike:...
Protesting Four Years of War in Midtown
Tomorrow is the fourth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and yesterday's antiwar march brought out thousands to protest on New York City streets. During a rally organized by United for Peace and Justice, the AP reports actor Tim Robbins as saying, "The American people want this war to end. That's the message they sent last November in the election. When are we going to start listening to them?" A Brooklyn Life marched yesterday and writes that a policeman "was using his megaphone to encourage us to keep marching for peace until the end." And check out this set of photographs from the protest by nickcalyx on Flickr - this might be the best sign.
Tuesday Memorials
A memorial service for Robert Altman, who passed away in November will be held on Tuesday. The service is open to the public and will take place tomorrow at noon at the Majestic Theater (247 West 44th Street). The Times reports that Julianne Moore, Tim Robbins, Bob Balaban, Harry Belafonte, E. L. Doctorow, Kevin Kline, Alan Rudolph, Joan Tewkesbury, Lily Tomlin and Garry Trudeau are all expected to speak.
The Cinecultist's Weekly Movie Picks: Babeling edition
With Halloween coming next week and the fall chill in the air, this is the perfect weekend to curl up with a good scary movie. , starring Tim Robbins and Derek Luke. Set in South Africa during apartheid, Luke plays a family man politicized by the injustice in his country and Robbins is a police officer on the other side.
Blogging the Golden Globes 2006
- Nicolette Sheridan does not look over-Botoxed with fish lips!
Opinionist: Theatre Review: Coronado
On Sundays, Gothamist runs opinion pieces on issues relevant to life in New York. The views expressed below belong entirely to the author.
Upcoming
Air America's The Majority Report with Janeane Garofalo and Sam Seder will broadcast live from The Tank, which it also did during the Republican National Convention. This time the broadcast includes a live studio audience and guest Tim Robbins.
Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, playwrights, The Exonerated, authors, Living Justice

Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, playwrights
The Day After The Oscars Which Were Yesterday
The reviews are out, and Chris Rock is getting a mixed bag of feedback for his duties as the MC of the Oscars. The NY Daily News' David Bianculli says he wasn't edgy or funny enough, Variety says his opening monologue was great (subscription required), the Hollywood Reporter says that Rock wasn't on a roll, and the Washington Post's Tom Shales says Rock was strangely lame and mean-spirited. Gothamist wonders if there's a generational divide between the reviewers, because we thought Rock was the best thing about the Oscars. It's like some of these reviewers weren't familiar with Rock's material before. At least Tim Robbins (left, photo AP), whom Chris Rock made fun of, could take a joke ... we think. As for the show, sure, it seemed to move quickly and was "well-produced," and, yes, we were happy certain people won, but since there wasn't much enthusiasm for any one nominee, the whole show was boring. And Gothamist doesn't care what Gil Cates's "producer's blog" says!
Mets Re-Sign Kris Benson, Men Rejoice
Anna Benson, pictured above and featured in this month's FHM Magazine is thought to like New York, as it affords her more opportunities to act and model. Always frank about the couple's sex life, Anna told FHM that she and Kris have yet to have sex at Shea Stadium. She also says that he hasn't worn her panties like Tim Robbins did in Bull Durham.
Golden Globes Commentary 2004
If it involves movies or television, Gothamist is interested. And if it's the tiniest bit related to the Oscars, then we're all over it. That's why Gothamist has produced a Golden Globes commentary similar to our Oscar commentary from last year. Yes, awards shows are self-congratulatory and ridiculous, and the Golden Globes are not a reliable predictor of the Oscars (which aren't that great anyway but their usefulness as a marketing tool cannot be denied), but it's just become a part of our DNA to enjoy an evening of watching, wondering, and whining.
Will Ferrell is Ron Burgundy, Anchorman
Even though its release is months away, Gothamist is excited for Will Ferrell's next movie, Anchorman. Watch the "trailer" (really early clips from Dreamworks) and see Ferrell play a pompous, chauvinistic anchorman from the 70s. He battles with a lady reporter played by Christina Applegate, and has a crack Action News team that includes Steve Carrell and Paul Rudd. The rest of the cast is pretty star-studded - Vince Vaughn, Fred Willard, Chuck D., Tim Robbins. Can't wait until July 9, 2004. In the mean time, our favorite favorite favorite 70s new anchorman, Ted Baxter, will have to do.
NYFF Opening Night
Opening night at the New York Film Festival is always fun in the grandeur of Avery Fisher Hall and stars in tow, and this past year was no different. Clint Eastwood began his introduction of his cast and crew (Mystic River author Dennis Lehane, screenwriter Brian Helgeland, and stars Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney, Tim Robbins, and Sean Penn) with what seems like the joke du mois - the California gubernatorial race joke: "I'm not running for governor."
Mystic River and the New York Film Festival
If it's fall, it must be time for the New York Film Festival. This year, the opening night film is Mystic River, the ensemble drama directed by Clint Eastwood. The cast is ridiculously loaded with great actors: Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Tim Robbins, Laura Linney, Marcia Gay Harden, and Laurence Fishburne. The story is dark, eliciting comparisons to Eastwood's tour de force western, Unforgiven, but its present day setting makes it more wrenching. Sean Penn also stands a good chance of being nominated come Oscar time, based on the buzz of his performance as a father whose daughter is murdered.
Star and Navel Gazing at the the MTV Video Music Awards
The Post lets us know where the hot post-MTV Video Music Awards parties are going to be, who is expected to be there, and how to crash. Venues include the Four Seasons (Madonna, Fatboy Slim, Fred Durst), Show (P. Diddy's bash, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce Ed Burns, the Hilton girls), Tao (Avril, Tim Robbins, Rosario Dawson, Tony Hawk), Splashlight Studios (The Donnas, Drew & Fabrizio, Iggy Pop), and we're sure enterprising kids will be photoblogging the festivites. Or check out the celebrity A-, B-, and C-list yourself from the streets that will be closed off (bottom of page).
Mystic River
Someday, Gothamist will go to the Cannes Film Festival. But until then, we will continue to get excited about films that premiere there and eagerly await for them to come Stateside. Like Mystic River, Clint Eastwood's adaptation of Dennis Lehane's bestselling novel. Gothamist had heard how wonderful a book Mystic River was ("Don't mind the 'New York Times Bestseller' and mass-market paperback size, Jen."), both in terms of the thrill and emotional story telling. It is a solidly written, haunting book about three friends whose "lives change forever" when one is kidnapped but returned a few days later; the friends reunite when one's daughter is found murdered.



