Gothamist Weekly Favorites

Sean Bell Protesters Arrested, Including Sharpton

Photograph of protesters on Varick Street by stconrad on Flickr

Hundreds of people gathered at six different locations in the city to protest the acquittal of three police detectives in the Sean Bell shooting. They blocked traffic at the Queensboro Bridge, Triborough Bridge, Manhttan Bridge, Holland Tunnel, Queens Midtown Tunnel and Brooklyn Bridge, and arrests were made at the Queens Midtown Tunnel and Brooklyn Bridge.

The arrests seem to be because the protesters have been blocking traffic, either forming a human chain or sitting down in front of the bridges. There are delays on the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, while traffic was "momentarily halted" on the Triborough.

At the Brooklyn Bridge, the AP reports the Reverend Al Sharpton, Bell's fiancee Nicole Paultre Bell, Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman (Benefield and Guzman were with Bell during the shooting) were arrested--they "lined up and peacefully put their hands behind their backs as police put plastic handcuffs on them."

State Senate Passes Gas Tax Holiday; Roadblocks Ahead

The NY State Senate may have passed legislation eliminating the NY State gas tax between Memorial Day and Labor Day, but it's unlikely Assembly or Governor will support the plan.

New Yorkers would save 32 cents per gallon, and State Senator Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island) said, "Look at New Jersey, where you'll find a lower tax for gasoline, and you know what you'll find? A lower price for gasoline. Gas costs more here, because we impose a higher tax here. If we impose a lower tax here gas will cost less here. What is so hard about that to understand?"

However, Governor David Paterson has previously signaled caution about the plan, saying that it would be "meritorious" only "if in fact that saving is passed along to the consumer." He is also concerned about loss revenue, given the dire state of the budget, which Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver reiterated--about $500 million could be lost in infrastructure funding. Others suggest oil companies will hike prices to make up difference.

A group pressing for the gas tax holiday, Free New York, says the state could replace that revenue if it stopped the corporate welfare. Free New York president Jim Ostrowski told Buffalo news station WIVB, "New York State gives a lot of money to wealthy private corporations. Did you know the Hyatt is getting 5.1 million dollars for new mattresses and a private hotel?"

Sean Bell Civil Disobedience "Pray-ins" Today

Photograph of protesters in Harlem on April 26, 2008 by urbanblitz on Flickr

Today at 3 p.m., six pray-ins are planned around Manhattan and Brooklyn to protest the Sean Bell shooting verdict. The Reverend Al Sharpton is leading the events and has said he and other participants are willing to be arrested to make a point about the acquittals of the three police detectives who helped fire a total of 50 shots at the unarmed Bell on November 25, 2006. Sharpton said, "If you are not going to lock up the guilty in this town, then I guess you'll have to lock up the innocent."

However, the NYPD and Mayor Bloomberg do not expect the protests to be violent. The NYPD said, "The vigils and demonstrations related to the Bell case to date have not been violent. We have no reason expect otherwise now," while Bloomberg said, "I think it's another example of people being able to protest in New York City, but rest assured that we will enforce the law and we will do everything we can to make sure we don't violate anybody's rights." (Lesson learned after the 2004 Republican Convention?)

One Police Plaza (Rev. Al Sharpton. Nicole Paultre Bell, Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield will be at this location)
Varick and Houston Street: Led by Hazel Dukes, NAACP and Labor leaders)
125th and Third Avenue: led by Rev. Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, Chairman of National Action Network)
House of the Lord Church, Brooklyn, New York: Led by Rev. Herbert Daughtry
Third Avenue and 60th Street: Led by National Action Network Senior Staff
34th and Park Avenue: Led by National Action Network Senior Staff

Newsday notes many of the protest sites "are near transportation pressure points" (the Triborough and Queensboro Bridges, the Queens Midtown and Holland Tunnels). The MTA's Jeremy Soffin said, "We will be in very close contact with the New York Police Department and their command center to reroute buses and redirect people as necessary."

And Sharpton wants the feds to prosecute the police officers, "The city hasn't shown ... the ability to reform itself. We need federal intervention."

"Seinfeld": So Over or So Timeless?

Forget the debate over whether Clinton should drop out; there’s a more divisive argument going on at Newsweek, where two critics are locking horns over whether “Seinfeld” (the TV series, not the car-crashing Bee Movie star) is still funny after all these years.

The series went off the air ten years ago this month and reruns are broadcast on 200 stations nationwide. “Seinfeld” advocate David Noonan argues that the show’s enduring success is largely owed to the supporting cast: “No sitcom in the history of television has featured a more talented or memorable bunch of second, third and fourth bananas than ‘Seinfeld.’ Period.”

He’s talking about Frank and Estelle Costanza, J. Peterman, Uncle Leo, Morty and Helen Seinfeld, and, of course, Newman. And perhaps the greatest proof of "Seinfeld's" resiliency is that isolated lines from the show can still amuse: Tippy-toes! Mr. Marbles? My wallet’s gone! Levels. The Place to Be! Man hands. Kramerica Industries.

Marc Peyser, on the other hand, says the show doesn’t hold up, and his argument is a tad askew. Among other things, Peyser blames “the laugh track” (huh?), and the characters’ lack of “depth.” But Larry David’s “no hugging, no learning” approach to sitcoms gleefully acknowledged the genre’s inherent shallowness and replaced sentiment with absurdity and farce.

Is Seinfeld still funny after all these years? ( polls)

Scolds Scuttle Union Hall at CB6 Meeting

Pictured L-R: Anti-Union Hallers Roberta Lehrner and Jon "Old Man" Crow -- and their laundry list of complaints.

Late last month some residents of Park Slope secured themselves a Community Board meeting with CB6 to air their complaints about Union Hall, and attempt to stop their liquor license from getting renewed. The meeting took place last night, lasted more than two hours, and to everyone's surprise -- the board voted against Union Hall. The vote of six to two (with two abstentions) means CB6 will advise the State Liquor Authority (SLA) against renewing the liquor license of Union Hall.

The meeting was mostly an open forum for the Board to hear voices in favor of and against the bar/venue's presence in the neighborhood. The voices against were predominantly residents of the Union Avenue block Union Hall is located at, led by community activist Jon Crow (aka "Old Man Crow"). The supporters of the bar consisted of patrons, employees, and regular performers at the venue including Michael Showalter and Eugene Mirman (pronounced by the Board "MEER-min") who ended his testimonial by asking the angered but wealthy residents of Park Slope, "Can I borrow some money?"

The residents were by far the more animated (and dramatic) of the two groups, regularly being called to order as they would heckle Hall supporters with everything from indignant responses ("Why don't you hold your quiet science fair at three AM while I'm trying to get some sleep?!") to outright heckles (standing and shouting "Sneak!" at one of the owners, audibly calling another speaker a "jerkoff"). Easily the most livid neighbor of Union Hall to speak was Roberta Lehrner, who painted a picture of her block coming full circle from the "prostitutes and gypsies" she helped clean off the street to current female patrons of the bar that she could hear outside her window yelling, "F-me! F-me!" One has to wonder if Crow & Co. are just acting out against the stroller ban.

Union Hall's owners demonstrated plenty of evidence as to how much they've bent over backwards to appease griping residents, regularly attempting to set up meetings to hear their complaints and installing soundproofing. There was a large outpouring of support from locals who made the case that Union Hall was more than just a bar, bringing Nobel Prize winners to Brooklyn for a fraction of the price it would cost to see them at somewhere like the 92nd Street Y. However the Board made the point that of all the many supporters of Union Hall (more coming out to speak for than against it), none of them actually lived within 200 feet of the bar where people were most affected by its late night noise (some even complaining of health issues caused by sleep deprivation).

The Board's advice will now be taken into account at the SLA's liquor license renewal meeting on May 31st. But both the CB6 and the complaining neighbors consistently acknowledged that the vote was only a minor victory since the general expectation is that the SLA will still renew the license as residents have little history of success when it comes to shutting establishments down.

Reporting and photos by Billy Parker for Gothamist.

Critic Dishes on the Momofuku Ko Reservation Mishap

To bring the Momofuku Ko Craigslist reservation controversy full circle, Insatiable Critic Gael Greene (pictured incognito) has finally published her side of the story.

For those just joining us, one Tom Dobrowski posted a Craigslist ad inviting a guest to buy him dinner in exchange for his impossible-to-get reservation at David Chang’s 14-seat Momofuku Ko. Greene took him up on the offer, but last week witnesses from Eater reported that their date was meal by confusion – with Ko’s staff claiming that Dobrowski had canceled his reservation.

Greene’s version of the contretemps goes like this:

When first one, and then a second hostess told me there was no 9:15 reservation for Dobrowski, I was startled and grew anxious. “How can that be?” I asked.

“Don’t worry. When he comes, he’ll have his confirmation and we’ll see,” hostess #2 assured me. Then suddenly, a handsome young man burst through the door, shook my hand and surrendered his email reservation to the scrutiny of the two gorgons... There was some muttering between the two women, but they didn’t summon the FBI, and one led us to our designated infamous backless unpadded wooden stools... Then suddenly, there is Chang himself, “inviting” the happy-go-lucky Dobrowski outside for a chat...

I try not to let the Hitchcockian plot spoil my pleasure in the pineapple sorbet on spicy pineapple... Tom asks for the check – his treat for the pleasure of my company, he says. But the hostess announces there is no check. “Your meal has been comped... I believe Chef Chang feels that if we have made a mistake, you should be our guest and if you have made an error, we don’t want your money.”

Greene goes on to call Chef Chang “stupid and insulting,” his food “uneven” but “brilliant,” and his chefs toiling behind the counter “expressionless Stepford cooks.” But who canceled the reservation? And why? You’re surely on the edge of your seat, so stay tuned for the next 'Hitchcockian' twist in the Momofuku PsyKo saga!

Photo courtesy Tejal Rao.

Goodbye Miss Brooklyn: Ratner Goes to Plan B1

Developer Bruce Ratner and architect Frank Gehry have announced that ‘Miss Brooklyn,’ the 620-foot residential and commercial tower planned for the 22-acre Atlantic Yards project, has been scrapped. In its place they’re proposing a building called ‘B1’: a 511 foot tall structure that will now house commercial tenants only. If they can be found – Forest City Ratner has yet to secure an anchor tenant for what will now be 650,000 of commercial space.

B1’s design is markedly different from the sleek Miss Brooklyn, which was to have risen higher than downtown Brooklyn’s tallest building, the Williamsburgh Savings Bank. Gehry’s redo is an amalgamation of asymmetrical stacked boxes – call it Miss Jenga – that he deems “more festive” than Miss Brooklyn.

A second building, dubbed ‘B2,’ would (theoretically) be built first. It’s a 340-foot building with 350 market-rate and affordable apartments, colored red and pink in order to “speak to the residential fabric of the neighborhood,” according to Gehry.

Atlantic Yards Report notes that the downsizing of Miss Brooklyn is old news, and a rally over the weekend drew hundreds of protesters who oppose the $4.2 billion project. In a Daily News Op-Ed yesterday, Ratner pledged to forge ahead.

McKibbin Dorms Get Front Page Treatment from Times

The Gray Lady slums it out to far East Williamsburg to report on the hipster bohemian squalor of the sprawling McKibbin Street “dorms;” two hulking buildings converted from garment factories to lofts in the late nineties by a trio of savvy Stuyvesant alums. It’s since become a filthy, bed-bug ravaged rite of passage for the young DIY arts set, who pile on top of each other in warren-like lofts more crowded than one of Dan Deacon’s dance-a-thons.

The walls are paper thin, and the surrounding neighborhood still crime-ridden, but the appeal for many is in the sense of post-collegiate community and cheaper rent – though even that’s changing. We spoke to Jeff Seal, a McKibbin veteran who recently moved out after an 18-month stay in building 248. He says his rent for a tiny, low-ceilinged cubby in a loft with seven roommates was costing him $700:

The walls are so thin I could literally hear the person next door rustling his sheets. And the other neighbor would play electronic music every night until 4am; even with earplugs the bass would haunt my dreams. One of my roommates was mugged in the loading dock of my building, and after one party some people spray painted swastikas around the building, which our Jewish landlord was understandably upset about.

Maybe he didn’t get that they were supposed to be ironic swastikas? The Times article characterizes the McKibbiners as care-free twenty-somethings who admit they “don’t really speak to the locals,” many of whom live in less romantically squalid housing projects.

But Seal counters that some McKibbin kids have been active in building bridges to the local community in East Williamsburg and Bushwick. His group, Arts in Bushwick, organizes outreach programs with neighborhood groups to try and address the issues of gentrification and displacement, while also working with local businesses to help them profit from the demographic change by stocking products the white artists want. So hold tight, McKibbiners; bodegas with day-glo fanny-packs are just around the corner.

Photo of 255 McKibbin St. from the roof of 248 McKibben courtesy Thatsplenty.

Bedbugs Found on Subway Benches

Photograph of subway bench by Triborough on Flickr; additional bedbug plushes added (plushes by Giant Microbes)

Warning: You may feel itchy after reading this.

A city bedbug expert has seen bedbugs on the subway benches at the Union Square subway station and the Fordham Road station, according to the NY Post. The Post also adds that Edward Brownbear also saw a bedbug, "in one case, catching a ride on an unsuspecting straphanger's caboose at Brooklyn's Hoyt-Schermerhorn station." Quick, everyone buy disposable jumpers to wear during commutes!

Gothamist on the horrors of bedbugs.

Harrowing Testimony from Slain Grad Student's Father

Yesterday, the father of the Columbia graduate student who died after running into traffic--while trying to flee a teen attacker--testified in Family Court yesterday.

A 14-year-old boy, Sheldon J., admitted to punching 24-year-old Minghui Yu on a traffic median near the Columbia campus; Yu ran into busy Broadway traffic and was fatally hit by a car. The Post reports that testimony from Yu's father, who traveled from China with his wife, moved the defendant and his mother to tears:

"It is the tradition of the Chinese people for their children to support their parents when they grow old," a crying Zhaofu Yu told Manhattan Family Court Judge Jane Pearl. "The only thing we will have is deepest sorrow surrounded by bittersweet memories. We have to face every day with the unspeakable grief of the total loss of joy in our lives."

..."We are both in our 50s and Minghui Yu was our only child. All of his grandparents are in their 80s. For the sake of their health, they have not been told of the death of their grandchild," Yu said.

The father, unable to choke back his tears, said, "Even now, we can't believe what happened. Minghui Yu was our light, our future, our hope, our support. This has swept away our happiness...Our mutual suffering and anguish is indescribable...If it was not for the support of from our friends, family and those close to us...our lives would collapse."

Yu added, "We thought public safety around the campus was good enough so we'd never have to worry about him."

Sheldon J., who was charged with second-degree manslaughter, has pleaded guilty.

Williamsburg: Where Indie Rock and Porn Commingle

Aspiring actors, look now further than the Morgan L stop in Williamsburg for your big break! This flier advertises casting for a little film called: "Niki Gets Lost In BushDick." The plot is pretty simple: Niki stumbles upon a band whilst wandering around "BushDick" and (to put it mildly) ends up "sleeping with" them, all, at once. Copyranter guesses that the band must be indie rock; perhaps some real life Brooklyn band porn names are in order. Yeah, Say Her? The XXX Affair? Either way, can't wait for the soundtrack!

Previously: Brooklyn loves porn; voted "the randiest place in the country."

NYCLU Sues City, NYPD Over Post Reporter's Stop-and-Frisk Arrest

The New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit accusing the city and NYPD of racial profiling on behalf of a NY Post reporter who was "stopped, arrested and jailed without justification" last November.

Leonardo Blair told his story in the Post late last year. Blair, a Jamaican immigrant who graduated from Columbia Journalism School in May 2007 and was living with his aunt and uncle in the Bronx, had just parked his car and was walking to the house. The police arrived, questioning what he was doing with the car, asking him to put his arms in the air, then handcuffing him, and ultimately taking him to the station house.

Inside, Officer Reynolds shoved me into a cell. Digging through my bag, Officer Castillo picked out my driver's license and said, "Look at this. He is not even from the projects."

I angrily shouted, "Because I am black that means I'm supposed to be from the projects? That's profiling and you know it!"

"Tsk, tsk," Castillo replied.

When Officer Reynolds returned, I again asked why I had been incarcerated. "This is not incarceration. Do you know what incarceration means?" he said.

I unloaded: "I have a master's degree from Columbia University. I am a reporter for the New York Post. What do you mean this is not incarceration?"

The air froze. Officer Castillo kept writing, but I watched his face go flush.

Ten minutes later, Blair was released and when he called his aunt, she said, "We're just glad you weren't killed." In the video (above), Blair recounts the experience.

Blair says, “The only reason why I declared to these officers that I was a reporter for the New York Post, that I was a graduate of Columbia University, is because I wanted it to end. I should not have to pull on cards to be respected as an individual.” NYCLU's Donna Lieberman said, "Walking while black is not a crime, and yet every year hundreds of thousands of innocent New Yorkers are stopped, searched and interrogated by the police for doing just that. For justice in our city to be truly just, the NYPD needs to start treating all New Yorkers fairly, regardless of the color of their skin."

Blair discussed his arrest on NPR with Stanley Crouch. The charges against him were ultimately dropped in February.

"Ten Plagues" of the Subway Set Forth by Straphangers

Photograph by Sacha Lecca, which Gothamist published in 2006. Today it’s on the cover of amNY.

Flooding. Crowding. Filth. These are just a few of the “ten plagues” being visited daily upon New York commuters, according to transit activists at the Straphangers Campaign. Unlike the ten plagues that cursed the commute of ancient Egyptians, New Yorkers have – so far – been spared swarms of locusts on the L; though bed bugs have been sighted on subway platform benches.

Gene Russianoff, lead gadfly for the Straphangers, tells amNY that he’s already been “chastised for leaving out rats, cockroaches and subway preachers.” But watching your train pull away just as you get to the platform made the top ten, as did commuting with children. A spokesman for Pharoah – er, MTA – responded to the plague list by reminding commuters that they're continuing to work hard to serve “the greatest city in the world.” And at least when the subway floods it isn't blood in blood. The Straphangers' full plagues list after the jump.

The Straphangers Campaign thinks there are many other challenges frequently facing riders in the subways. So we are releasing our list of "ten plagues of the subways." Bedbugs don't make the list. While city transit has improved in many ways, riders must deal with these problems all too often. These are the subway curses of:
Overcrowding

Delays

Long waits

Flooding

Summer heat

Dirty seats

Garbled announcements

MetroCard mis-swipes

Just missing a train

Traveling with your newborn

But what about 'Dead rat in the change chute' of the Metrocard machine'?

Yankees-Red Sox Rivalry Turns Murderous

A Red Sox fan paid the ultimate price for his allegiance this weekend when he crossed paths with a Yankees fan in New Hampshire. Ivonne Hernandez, 43 years old and a Yankees fan, is charged with fatally running him over.

Hernandez, who was drinking at a Nashua, NH bar on Friday night, announced that she said she was a Yankees fan. The Boston Globe explains, "Nashua, 45 miles northwest of Boston, is Red Sox country."

A bartender says she got into a fight with some patrons that spilled outside. The group chanted "Yankees suck!" when they saw a Yankees sticker on Hernandez's car. The taunting apparently was too much for Hernandez; a prosecutor said, "She never braked, and she accelerated at a high speed for about 200 feet. She went directly at this group of people."

Matthew Beaudoin, 29, suffered massive head trauma and died at the hospital. Hernandez was charged with reckless second-degree murder and aggravated drunken driving.

Clinton Lent $6 Million to Campaign, Plans to Keep Going

It's a good thing Bill Clinton made so much money on the speaking tour--he and wife Hillary have lent millions to her presidential campaign, most recently a $6 million loan from the candidate herself, broken up into three installments over the past month.

The Clinton campaign said last night's loss in North Carolina and narrow win in Indiana "strengthens the case that she will be the strongest nominee for the party in November." Still, pundits believe the super delegates will be flocking to Obama and wonder how she'll exit.

But the big news is that former Senator George McGovern is now a former Clinton supporter--he has endorsed Obama after watching last night's primaries and urges Clinton to drop out. He believes Obama has won the nomination "by any practical test," "Hillary, of course, will make the decision as to if and when she ends her campaign. But I hope that she reaches that decision soon so that we can concentrate on a unified party capable of winning the White House next November.

And Political Punch's Jake Tapper has a list of Hillary Clinton to do's: "3. Try to pick off one of the three remaining "Obama" primaries -- Oregon, Montana or South Dakota...5. Point to ugly exit poll data from Indiana showing 50% of Clinton supporters say they will not vote for Obama in the Fall."

Say Cheese Laptop Thieves: Camera Foils Crooks

A Westchester woman who had her laptop stolen didn’t even bother with old fashioned signs like the one pictured here – instead she remotely used the camera in her computer to photograph the culprits. The laptop was stolen from her apartment on April 27th along with $5,000 worth of other electronics.

The Journal News has it that the unnamed woman got a call from a friend on Tuesday asking her if she was online; she wasn’t, but her stolen computer was. So the victim signed onto another computer and used the "Back to My Mac" program to confirm that it was in fact her stolen laptop being used to surf the Web.

She was then able to use the stolen computer's camera to photograph the suspects, two Bronx residents in their ‘20s. She didn’t recognize the men, but her roommate did – they had attended a party at the apartment a few weeks before the burglary. White Plains police later arrested the duo, recovering most the stolen goods and generating another useful plot device for Law & Order screenwriters.

Photo courtesy Bahi P

Protesting the Greenpoint Oil Spill in the Subway

The presence of oil in parts of Greenpoint is well documented, but it looks like someone wants the oil to be cleaned up. This morning there was artwork in the Queens-bound Nassau Avenue G stop asking for a stop to the oil spills. The artwork shows drops of oil on the walls of the station, pools of oil collected on the floors, and paper towels for straphangers to clean up the spill. Reader Shannan tells us that the paper towels said something to the effect of "no more oil spills."

If the oil piece is still up or you have photos of it, email us at photos@gothamist.com or tag your photo 'gothamist' on flickr.

Update: Kara sent over a couple more images of the Nassau oil spill. At the pools of oil at the bottom is the address greenpointoilspill.com. The new photos show that the paper towels say "What is it doing to our bodies?" in three languages.

Elaine Stritch, Actor

Elaine Stritch's long and colorful career is packed with so many memorable roles that it's impossible to really say what she's best known for. Her show-stopping rendition of "Ladies Who Lunch" in Sondheim's Company? Or maybe her Tony-nominated performance in Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance? Her movie and television appearances in everything from Woody Allen's Small Time Crooks to 30 Rock? Or her critically-acclaimed solo cabaret show, which she's taken from Broadway to the intimate Cafe Carlyle, just downstairs from her home in the Carlyle Hotel? And this season fans of the incomparable Stritch have another winner to add to their collection: her short but poignant portrayal of Nell in Samuel Beckett's Endgame.

Stritch is joined in this exhilarating revival by John Turturro, Max Casella and Alvin Epstein. Presented at BAM under the direction of Andrei Belgrader, Beckett's scaldingly funny and timeless one act continues through May 17th.

I’ve been looking forward to seeing Endgame for a while and when I found out you were cast I was even more excited. I saw you in A Delicate Balance years ago and that was so impressive. Compared to this, A Delicate Balance was a cinch. Mr. Albee thinks about the actor a little bit. Maybe he’s not even conscious of it but he makes it easier. I have never done anything as hard as this.

What’s so challenging about it? Beckett shmeckett. There’s so much emotion and information you have to convey to an audience in what seems like seconds on stage. You know? He jumps from huge emotions all within – look what I have to convey to an audience in a tiny amount of time. My God. Maybe I’m too used to being onstage more in an evening. I mean, this is a small part. But you know the old gag; there is no such thing as a small part, and Endgame proves it.

Nagg, my husband in the play, has a little more opportunity to explain himself. And I am such a stickler – I know this sounds like violin playing but I don’t mean it to – I am a stickler for honesty. If I don’t understand what I’m talking about, I can’t be honest or dishonest, just confused. Now I’m beginning to see a vigil light at the end of the tunnel – just a vigil light, not a proper light. It’s as difficult to understand Beckett as it is to get to your dressing room at BAM. That’s my… what do you call that when you compare something to something? Metaphor. Is that the right word? Come on, you’re the intellectual!

Oh no, then we’re in trouble. Is that the right word?

I think so. The performance seemed very natural to me, at least. Well, that’s what I’m aiming for. If I’m not relaxed out there I don’t care how emotional I am or how tough things are. She’s up to her you-know-what in unhappiness and she says it’s the funniest thing in the world. It’s so impressive because the scene you’re in goes through so many changes. It’s so funny and then – Exactly. And that’s hard emotionally to hang onto your sanity and jump from one emotion to the next, and have it be totally honest and believable that that can happen to a human being.

Have you performed Beckett before? Never. And don’t ask me the next question.

What’s the next question? Would you ever do it again? Because I’m not going to answer that! [Laughs.]

How did you come to be involved in this production of Endgame? John Turturro directed me in his movie Romance and Cigarettes.

I saw that twice; I love it. Oh, good. Because I thought that film could be fixed. I think it was too long. I think John is an extremely talented man. I love John Turturro. He’s one of the few great guys in the theater. He’s a nice man. This is not just an actor. The terrifying thing in my life is that I am just an actress. And I have to keep pushing it and getting approval, approval, approval or I don’t think I’m worth two cents. And I am starting to get over it, thank God. And I’m just sad because I don’t have many years left and I wish I had a longer space of time to think that Elaine Stritch is okay. But all these qualities you see are, I think, very good preparation for Beckett. But people don’t think of me like that. They think that I am a million laughs, and that’s it, folks. And I am a funny woman and it has a lot to do with what we’re talking about, really, because Beckett was a funny man.

Like you say in the play, a lot of humor comes out of unhappiness. Absolutely. We’re all living proof every day of our lives. When things get too tough all you have to do is laugh. You can get hysterical laughing in a traffic jam that lasts an hour – you have to or you’ll do something desperate. But Beckett’s full of that way of thinking isn’t he?

Yeah. Talk to me. Tell me about yourself. Reverse the shoes now for a minute.

Well, I go to as much theater as I can for Gothamist. There’s nothing like it. And that’s about as much as I can say. It’s a corny saying, but I have a love/hate relationship with it. If the shoe fits, wear it. But I had my problems getting my size in this Endgame, I’ll tell you that. So if I’ve succeeded in any way, shape or form I am so relieved and so eager to go on.

So did John approach you about being in it? We’ve had a good relationship. We just had a day together on Romance and Cigarettes. I had just broken my leg the morning of the shoot so I wasn’t in very good shape but he helped me through it. As I say, he’s a lovely man. And I think that’s the best thing you can say about an actor. Because that doesn’t happen very often.

Have you worked with any of the other people in this production? No. My card to Max Casella was, “You’re in the middle of what could be a brilliant career.” Meaning: behave yourself. You know? He’s a brat. Extremely talented. And I saw ‘brat’ lovingly. I think he’s extremely talented, don’t you?

Oh yeah, I’ve dug him ever since I was a kid and watched Doogie Howser, M.D. What’s that?

He started out on a TV show called Doogie Howser M.D. I’m sorry to say I missed that.

Of course, he’s since gone on to do a lot of other things that I’ve liked him in, like Ed Wood. He’s very funny. He’s a hard worker and he loves acting and he’s angry with it. He’s got all the qualities that make for a fucked-up actor.

Is there any advice you have for young actors? You can’t fake it. It’s impossible. No one’s ever been able to do it. Tell the truth. And also, never underestimate the power of an audience. The audience tells me a lot about how to play Beckett. Because that’s how good the author is, the author leaves it up to the audience. This is complicated stuff we’re talking about; I’m trying to make it simple. I’ve always been afraid before to go on; I’m not afraid anymore. I get goosebumps and butterflies and adrenaline but I don’t get that awful fear. I’m not afraid to go onstage. That’s where I’m at ease. And if that lets me down I’m in serious trouble.

What about advice for older actors? Hang in. I think it’s one of the blessings that comes with aging and getting older. I never say ‘getting old,’ because there’s a finality to that. I’m just getting older and so are you, every day. So I’m still one of the mob. Acting is a fantastic pastime. It beats knitting, you know? And it’s way out in front of Florida. With all of the problems we have at BAM and everyplace with throwing human beings together and having them play serious emotions every day and tearing their insides out to try and get the part right – it’s hard work, but it takes your mind off the fact that you’re 80. Or 81, or 82, or 83. You know what I mean? It keeps you walking with the gang; it keeps you right out in front of the parade. That’s a blessing. My profession is a blessing when you leave your 70s.

Is there another career you could see yourself having? Yes, being uncontrollably wealthy. I think that would be a wonderful career. To wake up every morning and think, “What can I do with my money today to make somebody happy, including me.” I’d love that. I don’t know that I would but that’s the first thing that comes to mind: to be IN-DE-PEN-DENT-LY wealthy. So my self-esteem shoots up and I can take anything. Somebody can so fuck you and I can say, “Thank you very much.”

What are some roles you’re most proud of? A Delicate Balance. My own show – extraordinarily pleased and proud of, that I was able to get that together with the help of one of the best helpers in the world. George Wolfe shines as a director. In my estimation the most important person in the room is the director. You know those photos you see of fathers picking up their kids and putting them on their shoulders? That’s what George Wolfe did for me. And Gerry Gutierrez, who died too soon. Hal Prince. Being in any way connected to Hal Prince in the theater was a joy. Noel Coward, certainly. And going way back, Harold Clurman, the best director in the whole wide world.

So I’m very particular now that I’m grown up. And I even slightly understand Beckett. I think maybe you have to be as old as I am to understand him. I don’t think you can fake anything onstage but if you could fake an author I think he’d be a good one to fake. [Laughs] Because everyone in the audience is having trouble too! So you can kind of join forces with them. They come back and say, “God, this is hard to understand.” And I say, “No shit, Dick Tracy.” We’re all in this together; that’s my closing line to the audience. And boy does that make sense to me.

Is there any role you were so unhappy with you didn’t want to do it? I always remember the story of the woman who understudied Lena Horne in some Broadway musical. And she was told she was going to go on that night because Lena had lost her voice. And the understudy said, “Oh, wonderful!” She said she just needed a certain kind of eye shadow she had to pick out herself. And she was going to go out to one of the drugstores on Eighth Avenue and she’d be right back. And she went to Philadelphia instead. Isn’t that a great story? And it’s true. I understand it perfectly. I love the fact that she went to Philadelphia. What a story. And that’s an example of Beckett’s unhappiness being the funniest thing in the world.

Is there any role you’d want to go back and revisit? No! If I have a good success with a part, the curtain comes down on closing night and it is gone! You could ask me the next day to say a line from the play and I couldn’t tell you. When the curtain comes down it is down and it is lockdown, asbestos and all. And don’t want to do it again. If someone asked me to do A Delicate Balance again, I would love to do it and hear the applause and know that I could play that part but I wouldn’t want to relearn it. You try to remember something that was good and you’re worried you can’t do it again. And why not do something new every day of your life? Change! Change!

Do you make changes to the cabaret show? Yes, I never do the same version twice. Rob Bowman my musical director and I wrote a show and then when they asked me back at The Carlyle I wrote a new show. It really worked. Did you see it?

I did not have the opportunity. Well, I’m doing it again in September 2009, so come and see it. I’m trying to talk Mandy Patinkin, who I think is one of the biggest talents in the world, to perform at the Café Carlyle and I think I’m succeeding. I’m telling him how I was able to do my show there. He thinks he’s too big a person, too big a voice to do it there. They think everybody’s Mabel Mercer in those places but it isn’t true. He may do his own show there. Anyway, anything else?

That’ll do it. My favorite line of this interview is, “We’re all in this thing together.” I am looking forward to looking forward to going to the theater to do Endgame. It’s okay, it’s not a distasteful thing. I want it to be more joyful. I want to want to go to BAM at 5 p.m. every night.

And you think you’re getting to that point? A little bit.

Well, it’s definitely worth the trip for the audience, I can tell you that. Oh, thank you. I hope so.

Beer Bike Pedals Into Town

Amstel's Beer Bike

As far as marketing ideas go, this one may just take the beer-battered cake. May 15th marks a Dutch invasion of the Upper West Side in celebration of Dutch heritage, and the Amsterdam-brewed Amstel Light has kicked in with a takeover of Amsterdam Avenue on that day. They'll be giving away 150 bicycles (which should never be driven after imbibing their brew), offering up drink specials, and doing other things that aren't nearly as amazing as their "unique 10-person "Beer Bike"! Best worst idea ever? Come watch the drunks fall off one by one. (Hope Amstel got insurance!)

This all takes place on Amsterdam Ave. bet 73rd & 74th St. starting at 2 p.m., with drink specials at pubs all along Amsterdam Ave (72 St.–86 St.) from 5:00–8:00 pm.

Map of the Day: Dwindling Local Supermarkets

Map via The NY Times

Because of rising rents and lowering profit margins, supermarkets city-wide have been disappearing, according to a recent study. New York's boroughs have been especially hard hit, forcing low-income residents like Fort Greene's Della Dorsett to power her electric wheelchair several blocks uphill along Myrtle Avenue, "returning home with plastic bags dangling from handles and nestled between her feet." Something to think about next time the lines jam up at Whole Foods.

The Department of City Planning says that as many as three million New Yorkers reside in communities without enough supermarkets and limited access to fresh food, where some do their grocery shopping at discount stores or pharmacies. Jimmy Proscia, co-manager of a Key Food in Flushing, tells the Times that his competitors cut costs by hiring nonunion workers, while big-box stores buy in bulk and undercut the supermarkets.

According to the food workers union, only 550 decently sized (10,000 square feet) supermarkets are left in New York City. Labor unions and community boards are fighting the decline one supermarket at a time, and the city is moving to increase the number of carts that sell fruit and produce in low-income neighborhoods.

Eugene Mirman Stands Up Against His Neighbors

Today, in the wake of the CB6 meeting that took place last night, Eugene Mirman tells us what he really thinks of his nagging neighbors; sentiments that are surely being echoed from his speech last night. Put in some earplugs and read carefully Crow & Co.

I feel bad that some people are genuinely bothered by the noise outside the bar — and Union Hall has done a lot to remedy the situation. I don’t live on Union Street, but I live around the corner, about as close as John “I Called 911 Because I Thought Their Assembly Permit Was Expired” Crow.

Many of the people who spoke at the meeting were rude, entitled, self-righteous and over dramatic — though one woman seemed very nice and reasonable, and I felt particularly bad for her. Two people claimed the noise was killing them — not figuratively — but literally. Maybe Brooklyn isn’t the best place for someone who has a life-threatening allergy to bar noise?

Also, Union Hall does not have people shouting till 4 in the morning 7 nights a week. Sundays and week days, the bar often closes by 2 and is quiet for the last several hours. I also live above a restaurant/bar. It moved in after me. It can be very loud, but before I’d try to shut a business down, I’d maybe move — because I’m not a crazy, self-righteous asshole who believes the world revolves around me — which is odd, because I’m famous and should feel that way.

Mirman was filming at the meeting last night, which he tells us is for "a documentary with Gigantic Pictures on me going back to Russia for the first time since I immigrated here. We wanted to get footage of democracy in action. Which we got."

Photo of Eugene Mirman and Alina Simone at Union Hall by Bryan Bruchman.

Union Square Pavilion Restaurant a No-Go, Judge Rules

A State Supreme Court judge has issued a “preliminary injunction” prohibiting the city from turning the 78-year-old Pavilion in Union Square park into a restaurant. Last week the court ruled that the $21 million overhaul to the north end of the park could proceed while a lawsuit brought by community groups moves forward, but temporary stalled work on the Pavilion.

Opponents object to what they see as the privatization of park space and insist the city needs approval from the state legislature before moving forward. The new ruling lets the city renovate the Pavilion and rehabilitate the bathrooms, but halts plans to lease it out for a restaurant. Parks advocate Geoffrey Croft was pleased today’s ruling:

The Court indicated that the Union Square Community Coalition is likely to ultimately prevail on its primary claim in the lawsuit – that restaurant use of the Pavilion would require approval of the New York State Legislature.

Croft tells us the city still plans to make 1,860 square feet of the Pavilion amenable for a restaurant kitchen while the lawsuit proceeds, but he says that could turn out just fine for the community, “because when the case is decided in our favor we can use that renovated space for public recreation.”
Photo of Union Square Pavilion courtesy Wallyg.

Obama Talks to Tim Matt Lauer

This morning, both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama appeared on the Today show, an early morning pre-primary day media blitz, as it were. While it's unclear which Democratic presidential candidate will be victorious this fall, one thing was clear: Obama kept calling Matt Lauer "Tim."

The first time Obama appeared, he did greet Lauer as "Matt," but then he refers to him as "Tim." Lauer ignored Obama's gaffe the first two times, but by the third time, Lauer said something along the lines of, "I know you are tired, sir, but this is Matt." There was some joking that at least Obama got the right network, but will the Clinton “War Room” pounce on the gaffe and the video dominate the news cycle until tomorrow’s primary?

Was Obama tired from roller-skating? And who is this ‘Tim” – did the junior Senator mean Russert (who interviewed Obama yesterday) or did he think he was talking with another shady ‘60s radical from Obama’s mysterious past? Let's face it: You do not cross Matt Lauer--remember what happened with Tom Cruise?

At any rate, Time's Mark Halperin has a scorecard of Obama's and Clinton's messages on all three morning shows.

Man-Made NYC Waterfalls Rising Up on East River

Photo courtesy Vidiot.

Work on this summer’s NYC Waterfalls project seems to be flowing forward, as the photo above indicates. The $9-$10 million project will bring 4 man-made waterfalls, ranging 90 to 120 feet, to the East River and New York Harbor. Presented by The Public Art Fund, the waterfalls are the creation of Danish–Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, who’s currently enjoying a retrospective at MoMA.

The falls will be located under the Brooklyn Bridge, between Brooklyn's Piers 4 and 5, near Pier 35 in Manhattan, and off Governors Island. The Circle Line Downtown and New York Water Taxi will both be offering several different guided tours (some of them free) to gawk at the falls. They’ll also be visible from several points in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Governors Island, where the free ferry will also afford a close-up view.

But what about the environment? The city says the falls will protect fish and other aquatic life by filtering the water through intake pools suspended in the river. And Con Ed has been contracted to provide electricity generated from renewable resources. So now the only thing to worry about is how many yahoos will be trying to go over the falls in a barrel.

The city projects tourism revenues to increase by $55 million during the waterfalls’ duration, which will begin at an unspecified date in late June, flowing through mid-October. For more, Gowanus Lounge has a look at work underway on the waterfall between Piers 4 and 5 in Brooklyn.

Bees Hunt for Upper East Side Real Estate

The Gothamist Newsmap indicated an "unusual incident"at 75th Street and 2nd Avenue in Manhattan yesterday. The Emergency Service Unit officers responded, but they reportedly "hung back a bit" because the unusual incident turned out to be a swarm of bees!

A witness told WNBC the bees "were swarming all around like debris, a whirlwind type of thing," around a newspaper box for the Learning Annex. Jim Fisher, who volunteers at the Bronx Zoo, arrived on the scene and, per WABC 7, managed to calm things down:

Fisher used water to wet the wings of the swarm to prevent them from flying off, then used a whisk broom to sweep the bees into a cardboard box. Once the queen bee was inside, the rest of the bees followed her pheremones into the box.

Fisher says the bees had been on the box for about an hour and likely landed in desperation, having come from a nearby hive that had split its population in two. Half flew off with the new queen bee in search of a new home, while the other half remained with the existing hive and the old queen bee. It's behavior that's not unusual this time of year, Fisher said.

Awesome! There were about 5,000 bees, weighing about a pound in total, which is considered a small swarm. Fisher says there's another half of a hive out there, somewhere.

The Queens County Farm Museum has a honey bee program (where children "learn about the life-cycle of honeybees, their products, and how they help us") and there are also programs for groups of adults. And these bees do have a new home--with a beekeeper north of the city.