Ex-Rikers inmate and graffiti gal about town, Danielle Bremer (known as UTAH) is now fancying herself a model. Animal has photos of the vegan street artist posing in some undies for CLAW Money’s latest clothing line. Is an American Apparel modeling career in her future?
Graffiti Gal Gets Half Naked
Tagger UTAH Is Free, Talks Jail Time
Infamous graffiti gal Danielle Bremner (aka UTAH) is a free woman after serving out 6 months on Rikers. She was busted after a Bonnie & Clyde-esque 3-month tagging spree in Europe with her boyfriend in 2008.
The 27-year-old admits to tagging surfaces worldwide for the past 10 years, and now she's taggin' up the world wide web! (Sorry.) Bremner was recently interviewed over at Blogue, where she announced her new project: a blog. Her first post last month simply read: "I’m a free bitch baby!!!"
Tagger UTAH Jailed, Again
Graffiti gal and Queens resident Danielle Bremner, recently busted for putting up her UTAH tag around most of the world, is heading back to jail after finishing her time at Riker's Island. She was sentenced this morning in Boston, and will also have to "complete five years of probation, undergo a mental health evaluation and make restitution payments." During her probation period she will be supervised by New York authorities. Oh, and she's been banished from Boston!
The Hipster Grifter: She's Baaaack
It's been two months, so let's recap. Kari Ferrell, aka the Hipster Grifter, charmed the pants off half of Brooklyn with the promise of mouth handjobs over the last year. No crime there. But it turned out she was a liar and a thief, and like, wanted in Utah for passing $60,000 in check fraud. Speaking of, the Salt Lake Tribune has even adopted the Hipster Grifter nickname, as they report that Ferrell was charged again yesteday in 3rd District Court on numerous felony counts. "Ferrell allegedly opened a Comcast cable account in 2007 using her ex-boyfriend's name and Social Security number without his permission, charging documents state. She allegedly also wrote three checks to three different people on bank accounts that were closed or had a zero balance. She faces one count of identity fraud and three counts of issuing bad checks, all are third-degree felonies." And hey, Gawker points out commenters in her hometown feel about the same as they do here.
Graffiti Writer Can't Get Vegan Food on Riker's
Anyone have a spare block of extra firm tofu, a nail file, and a soft spot for graffiti gal UTAH? She's currently doing time on Riker's Island, and allegedly she can't get her hands on any vegan grub. Animal reports that after a friend visited her there, he reported back via Twitter, saying: “She said it’s not so bad, like a ghetto sleepaway camp. Suave shamps. She is starving b/c she is vegan. No tempeh on the island apparently.” The Department of Corrections directs inmates with special dietary needs to a nutritionist, who can issue an ID card for vegan meal procurement. Of course, it's actually easier to send a lawsuit-threatening letter than to go through this process successfully. And that is exactly what UTAH had to do in order to get soy milk and peanut butter.
Graffiti Tagger "Utah" Sentenced to 6 Months
Graffiti haters rejoice: justice has been served. The Daily News reports that the tag happy globetrotter Danielle Bremner (aka Utah) will be doing some time behind bars for charges she faced in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. The damages in those boroughs caused by her tags is estimated to be around $35,000 (of a $100,000 bill of damages she's racked up worldwide), and she will be paying back just $10,000 of that as part of a plea deal. Her boyfriend and partner in crime, Jim Clay Harper, still has charges pending against him. And perhaps one day, upon their release, they'll have a nice, civilized chat in a book store with the vandal squad.
Graffiti Gal "Utah" Unmasked!
New Yorker Danielle Bremner (aka Utah, Dani, Erin) has been called one half of the tag-happy, globetrotting Bonnie & Clyde, and following her arrest last year she's been on a less glamorous tour of regional courtrooms. Earlier this week she was charged in Queens—all in all the daughter of a retired police officer faces charges in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Boston and France. But does this look like the face of an international criminal?
Graffiti Gal Faces Hard Time
Last summer the Bonnie and Clyde of the graffiti world, Danielle Bremner (tags: Utah, Dani, Erin) and her boyfriend Jim Clay Harper (tag: Ether) were both taken down by the man after causing $100,000 in damages to city transit facilities. The Daily News now reports that the 27-year-old FIT student and Queens resident, Bremner, turned herself in Wednesday. Following a tagging trip abroad with her boyfriend last summer, the police found 450 cans of spray paint and, amongst other things, a photograph of her tagging a train. She faces up to 7 years behind bars if convicted of her "criminal mischief, making graffiti and possessing graffiti tools" charges. And that's just for tagging trains in Queens, she faces similar charges in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Boston and France. DA Richard Brown released a statement saying, "According to the charges, the defendant is reportedly well known in the international graffiti community—and to New Yorkers who have had to put up with her ego-driven vandalism of public property, which has cost taxpayers thousands of dollars to clean up."
Park Slope's Pavilion Theater: Flicks, Popcorn, Assault
Another slice of Park Slope life from Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn. Upon leaving a showing of Definitely, Maybe at the Park Slope movie theater, the Pavilion, OTBKB and fellow moviegoers spied a white teenaged girl "sitting on a bench [in the second floor concession area] icing an injury on her face just below her right eye."
Super Tuesday Returns: Clinton, McCain Win NY
As of 11:45 p.m., Hillary Clinton and John McCain are projected to win their New York primaries. The Democratic primary distributes NY delegates proportionally, so the final total will be important in determining how many will go to Clinton and how many to Barack Obama.
Last Night's Action: Woeful, Woeful West
This was a shorthanded and tired team. Renaldo Balkman missed the game for his elbow in Tuesday's game against L.A. Eddy Curry and Quentin Richardson have the flu. The rest of the team is just sick of losing.
Extra, Extra
- Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a bank robbery on 7th Ave. in Manhattan, a bank robbery on 3rd Ave. in Manhattan, and another bank robbery on 3rd Ave. in Manhattan. Save us Johnny Utah!
- Stuff embedded in asphalt; it's cooler than it initially sounds.
- Recreate the ambiance of Rob-from-Cloverfield's going-away party before things get crazy by downloading the jam's soundtrack.
Yeehaw! Bulls Take Over New York Streets Today
Nothing makes us want to drive a Ford truck like drinking a sixer of PBR, so we suppose their teaming up for a New York invasion today isn't that odd. Oh, wait... this PBR stands for Professional Bull Riders. Either way, the two are bringing some wildlife to our streets (why not) and for the first time in history (unsubstantiated!) "bulls will be bucked on sidewalks of New York City".
Last Night's Action: Break Up The Knicks!
Knicks 113 Utah 109: Now we get it. The plan was to flash some early success and then create more headlines with manufactured drama and a big losing streak. Then, the Knicks would rise off the mat, run of a huge winning streak and make the playoffs. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple. Yes, the Knicks are now on a winning-streak with their victory Monday, but that is more a function of bad Utah defense...
Last Night's Action: Isles Keep Upper Hand
Islanders 2, Rangers 1: For all the success the Rangers have had against the rest of the league, they still can't solve the Islanders. Five-game winning streak? Poof! Rick DiPietro made 18 saves and the Islanders won for the third time in three games between the two clubs. Ruslan Fedotenko and Josef Vasicek each scored in the second period, and Michal Rozsival scored a short-handed goal for the Rangers. He now has seven goals...
Drivers Licenses For Illegal Immigrants
Gov. Spitzer announced yesterday that illegal immigrants will be able to get valid New York State drivers licenses if they provide a valid and verifiable foreign passport. Spitzer hopes that the change, which reverses a four-year-old Pataki-era decision, will legitimize the 500,000-1 million undocumented immigrants who are driving in New York. In a repudiation of the federal government's stance, the governor said "We will not become part of what is propagated on the federal level that if we don't admit they are here then we can somehow not provide services. That is bad policy."
Video of the Day: The Healing Field
New York's Healing Field is currently residing at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn (until tomorrow). It's comprised of 3,000 3x5 foot flags that are standing 8 feet tall. Here's GerritsenBeach.net's glimpse at what it looks like:
Wednesday Food News: Early Edition
This week in the Times, Bruni goes to Café Boulud, reaffirms its three-star status. Says that under Chef Bertrand Chemel (who replaced Andrew Carmellini after his departure in 2005), the restaurant “promises about as much pleasure in the present as it did in the past.” He likes the traditional section of the menu best, but also loves the pastas. Doesn’t love the desserts, excepting the soufflés.
Openings Roundup
Johnny Utah's -- Nothing says classy like a mechanical bull and an enormous bourbon selection. Marlon Manton, formerly of Blue Smoke, will be serving up twists on Tex-Mex, including Texas brisket with red-eye gravy, and smoked chorizo with pickled okra. 25 West 51st Street, (212) 265-8824.
Quick Hits: Tiki to NBC; 'Evident Progress' by Thomas
Last Night's Action: Slow Start Costs Nets
- Magic 119, Nets 89: Monday's dramatic win in Utah is a distant memory. What could have been a springboard to success has instead become a footnote on a lousy stretch for the Nets. Friday's game in Orlando was another stop on the Nets' general downward trend. They almost got doubled up in the first quarter and looked listless the rest of the way. Jason Kidd's first scoreless game of the year didn't help matters. The good news for the Nets: they have an easier stretch of their schedule coming up, and they're only three games under .500.
New York Movie Makers Take Over Park City
If things have seemed quiet at the usual New York haunts of movie folks like Film Forum or Grey Dog Coffee this last week, it's because practically the whole community is in Park City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival. The annual launching pad of many subsequently huge independent features (see this year's Best Picture Oscar nom and last year's festival break out, ), Sundance is a crazy week. Parties, swag, deal-making and oh yeah, some screenings are jam packed into the proceedings.
Pencil This In
THEATER: Katharsis Theater Company has been developing The Polish Play for the past two years; it’s a fusion of Macbeth and Ubu Roi, the play by Alfred Jarry that was partially inspired by Macbeth. This work of Grand Guignol fusion, which mixes puppetry with live acting, swerves between broad satire, tragedy and plenty of ultra-violence. (Although puppets are decapitated and disemboweled on-stage, rest assured that no puppets are permanently harmed for this production.) Jordan Gelber, who some may recall from Avenue Q, plays Pere Ubu. Read about the rehearsal process on the company’s weblog to learn more about director Henry Wishcamper's search for shit squibs. - John Del Signore
Covert Dining in New York: Miracle Fruit
Many things happened last Tuesday night at a CUNY Graduate Center auditorium lobby reception. Kim Peek, the 55 year-old savant who inspired Rain Man, walked through the crowd to answer strangers' questions about forgotten rural highways, old telephone directories, and birthdays. His father Fran talked about Kim’s abilities and home life in Utah, and passed the nine-pound Academy Award given to him by Rain Man’s screenwriter to anyone who wanted to hold it. Elsewhere at the reception, the inventor Nate True chatted about his Time Fountain, a breadbox-sized contraption pumping with highlighter dyed water and ringed by ultraviolet strobes. When everything works right, it appears to the observer that time is slowing down, stopping, and even reversing for the fountain's falling droplets. Standing near to the cheese plate and chicken finger buffet was Joe Kittinger, who in 1960 jumped off a rickety Air Force gondola hitched to a big weather balloon, and free fell 102,800 feet back to earth, breaking the sound barrier in the process. Yes, this was all part of the inaugural meeting for the Athanasius Kircher Society, a mysterious group of people devoted to understanding the curious, obscure, and spectacular. The group is named for a 17th century German Jesuit scholar, an early adopter of Egyptology, volcanology, and a pioneer of germ theory.
Pencil This In
EVENT: Housing works is opening their new store in Brooklyn today. With great events and thrifty finds and a way to support the HIV-positive homeless community, it's nice to see the store is expanding.

