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Al Pacino Coming to Broadway with Merchant of Venice

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:56:45 +0000

The well-received Shakespeare in the Park production of The Merchant of Venice is transferring to Broadway in October. The Public Theater announced today that Al Pacino will reprise his role as Shylock for 78 performances only, beginning October 19th at the Broadhurst Theatre and running through January 9th. You can still see it in the park through Sunday, but come fall New Yorkers can legitimately pay hundreds to see Pacino as Shylock, instead of shelling out money to the Craigslist line sitters . Director Daniel Sullivan tells the Times they’ll have to make some changes to adjust to the smaller, indoor proscenium stage, but thinks “it’ll be nice for [Pacino] not to have helicopters in this production.”

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Al Pacino Coming to Broadway with Merchant of Venice

One Block at a Time: The Times took a fanciful…

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 13:16:07 +0000

The Times took a fanciful trip down South Elliott Place in Fort Greene , taking a look at the colorful characters and storied history of the block and neighborhood. Residents with varying illustriousness on the block range from a mechanic named Tony (but he’s affectionately referred to as “Obama” by the locals due to his affinity for the pres) with a $200 a-month rental, celebrated author Jhumpa Lahiri , and a television director who paid $2.7 Million for a townhouse. It’s charming enough to want to pack your things and start your new Sesame Street life in Brooklyn. Oh, be sure to check out the interactive feature, it’s a blast. [NY Times]

Quicklisting: Murray Hill, $5,495/mo.

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 08:00:00 +0000

2 BR, 2.5 BA, 1,000 sq ft Rental Rent: $5,495/mo. | Sat, by appointment 115 East 34th Street [The Murray Hill]

Quicklisting: Murray Hill, $5,495/mo.

As The Apthorp Turns: Closings Begin at The Apthorp

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:06:26 +0000

The Post reports that after a drawn out process The Apthorp saga is winding down with the first closings.”We expect to close more than $100 million of deals in the first six weeks of closings.” are the words of Prudential Douglas Elliman superbroker Dolly Lenz. The Upper West Side landmark and mammoth rental to condo conversion was purchased for $246 Million in 2007. The developers can’t be anything less than thrilled about this after the threats from tenants and fears of foreclosure. · $100M in Apthorp condo closings expected [NY Post] · Apthorp Coverage [Curbed]

Prison Books As Incriminating Evidence In Triple Murder Case

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:27:59 +0000

One of the men charged with the brutal murders —and sexual assaults—of a Connecticut mother and her two daughters will be heading to trial soon and the NY Times reports on his defense attorneys’ preparation: “The defense said it would request that the names of books that one of the accused men, Steven Hayes, checked out of a prison library before the killings not be admitted as evidence. The books, the defense indicated in one motion, included plots that were “criminally malevolent in the extreme.” Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky were parolees who met at a half-way house and allegedly executed a gruesome home invasion robbery at the Cheshire home of Dr. William Petit, his wife Jennifer Hawke-Petit and their 11- and 17-year-old daughters in July 2007. Dr. Petit was bludgeoned almost immediately and left for dead in the home’s basement, while the attackers assaulted his wife and daughters, forced his wife to withdraw money from a bank, and later burned their house down. Hayes had initially pleaded guilty in April—but then changed his mind a few days later and decided to go to trial. While speculation has been that Hayes allegedly read Truman Capote’s crime classic In Cold Blood , his lawyers’ request notes “books of fiction” as the suppressed items. And Brian McDonald, who wrote a controversial book about the triple murders, said that when he interviewed Komisarjevsky (he did not interview Hayes), Hayes’ alleged accomplice “thought it was not good for Hayes’s defense,” but didn’t elaborate on the books. McDonald also told the Times he would guess the books were “explicit” in the way The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo has explicit violence. However, one former inmate said that prison reading is usually “bland” and would be surprised if there were violent novels available. The Connecticut Department of Correction said it could not release a list of books Hayes checked out due to a court order.

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Prison Books As Incriminating Evidence In Triple Murder Case

New App Brings Delivery To Central Park

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 18:40:00 +0000

Earlier today, the Times tried to kick off a new Manhattan-Brooklyn battle , this time over whether Central or Prospect Park is the superior park. Really, there’s nothing better than spending a lazy summer day in either park. Having said that…iPhone offers a pretty compelling argument as to why Central Park is superior: you can now order delivery there! A new free iPhone application, CityMint, offers to deliver meals to Central Park from seven restaurants bordering the park, with free delivery, between noon and 7 pm on weekends through Labor Day. The app comes with a GPS add-on, which allows deliverymen to pintpoint where you are, avoiding the hassle of you trying to describe your location (“near the big rock?”). Restaurants who have signed on so far include Francesco’s Pizzeria and Restaurant, Aroma Espresso Bar, China Fun, Pinkberry and Big Nick’s Burger Joint and Pizza Joint. Runner/project manager Tim Diamond is hoping they can maintain a 30-to-40-minute delivery time, and weighed in on why they chose Central Park to launch the program: “It’s where people congregate, and it’s where people are actually going to in the summer – when they’re not hiding in movie theaters.”

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New App Brings Delivery To Central Park

Judge Fined, Dismissed for Taking Popcorn

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:24:27 +0000

How low our judiciary has sunk! Back in the day, you had to ply judges with hookers and hot tubs to win in court; now they settle for cheap snack food: one judge’s inability to say resist his favorite variety of popcorn has cost him $2,500 and his job. Alan Rubin, an administrative law judge assigned to the Parking Violations Bureau, has admitted that after dismissing a delivery driver’s parking tickets, he accepted some popcorn from the guy as a thank-you present. Apparently, that’s frowned upon. In a press released obtained by the Times , the Conflicts of Interest Board announced that Rubin accepted “six to eight bags” of the stuff. Rubin has admitted, “After adjudicating the delivery driver’s parking tickets, I told the delivery driver that the invoice named a brand of popcorn that I liked. The delivery driver then offered to give me popcorn for free, in appreciation of my having dismissed the delivery driver’s tickets. I gave two bags of the popcorn to my grandson and brought the rest to my office at [the] Parking Violations Bureau to share with my colleagues.” Rubin had been making $39.47 an hour on a per-diem basis to work in the parking bureau; now that’s all gone, as is his poor grandson’s source of free popcorn.

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Judge Fined, Dismissed for Taking Popcorn

Immigrant Arrested After Wife Writes to Obama

Sat, 19 Jun 2010 18:35:00 +0000

Anyone who believed the Census was just a way for the government to ferret out illegal immigrants may add some fuel to their fire after this story from the Times . In January, New Yorker Caroline Jamieson wrote to President Obama for help with her husband’s immigration issues. A citizen of Cameroon, Hervé Fonkou Takoulo has an outstanding deportation order, but no criminal record, and she wanted help to keep him in the country. Six months later, immigration agents showed up at their door, arrested Takoulo and sent him to New Jersey to await deportation. Immigration officials apparently told him, “We’re ICE and we’re here to arrest you because President Obama sent the letter for a review, and we reviewed it and we denied it.” Jamieson wrote requesting a green card for her husband, to whom she has been married since 2005. He wasn’t granted one at the time of their marriage because he had been in the country on a temporary business visa, and was denied a request for political asylum. She was hoping that Obama could help his case to be reopened. But instead of sending the letter to the secretariat in Washington with a case summary or to the judge in Baltimore, someone passed it on to the fugitive operations unit. Takoulo was released on Thursday night after the Times questioned his case, and officials claim they are investigating how the private letter was used to improperly arrest him. The Obama administration has stated a policy of arrested deportable immigrants only if they have a previous criminal record, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Brian P. Hale said, “ICE has a zero tolerance policy for violations of civil rights.” Though he has been released, Jamieson said, “I’ve been feeling very confused and ashamed as an American citizen…the idea that in the year 2010 I and my family are having the worst and the most barbaric experience — it’s just shameful to me.” The good news is officials have said Takoulo will be granted a work permit after he reports to immigration headquarters on July 1st.

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Immigrant Arrested After Wife Writes to Obama

DOE Won’t Put Bullied 7th Grader In a Different School

Sat, 19 Jun 2010 18:10:35 +0000

After taking beatdowns that put him in the hospital, special needs student Kimquan Green wants out of Middle School 142 in the Bronx. Though two of the boys who punched and kicked the 14-year-old on June 1st have been suspended, he still doesn’t want to return. His mom, Roberta Green, told the Daily News , “He’s scared. He doesn’t like to fight. The school is just no good. I can’t send my children there.” But the Department of Education has apparently been dragging its feet. The DOE requires that parents filing for safety transfer be notified of a new school within 10 days of the school’s learning of the violent attack. However, Green only notified the school of the bullying on May 28th, not enough time for them to transfer her son before the June 1st assault. DOE Spokeswoman Marge Feinberg also said they’re working on finding a good fit with similar special education classes, and that takes time. The school has provided a dean to escort Kimquan to class, though the day after the assault he was threatened by at least half a dozen of his classmates. Green adopted Kimquan and his sister after they were placed with her for foster care, and she apparently sought a safety transfer last year. However, a borough enrollment office told her MS 142 should be “good enough” since his kids went there. A survey taken last year shows only 55% of MS 142 students feel safe in the hallways, and Inside Schools says there is “too much classroom disruption.” Green said, “That school used to be one of the best. [Now] there are nothing but fights.” Just two years ago, the school received a $10,000 donation from Britney Spears .

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DOE Won’t Put Bullied 7th Grader In a Different School

Albany Budget Battle Pits Paterson Against Ravitch

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 09:47:16 +0000

Photograph of Governor Paterson and Lieutenant Governor Ravitch at the January budget presentation from the Governor’s Office Albany lawmakers disagreeing is nothing new, but Governor Paterson’s opposition to his own lieutenant governor’s budget plan— one that includes borrowing to balance the budget—is interesting, given how Paterson fought to have LG Richard Ravitch as his number two. The NY Times reports that Paterson’s stance, “announced at a public meeting of state leaders in the Capitol, underscored the growing tension between Mr. Ravitch and the rest of the Paterson administration, who are fundamentally divided over how to close the state’s $9.2 billion deficit.” This morning, Paterson explained , “My budget plan was released Jan. 19th and his savings plan was released in the end of February. So at the time he wrote it, he knew that I had made it clear that I didn’t want to borrow.” He added, “He was quoted as saying that the legislature can’t cut all of that in this budget plan. We’re going to find out in the next 10 days that the Legislature can cut without borrowing.” Keep in mind, the budget was due on April 1; Paterson wants lawmakers to agree (to something) by June 28 . Ravitch, who has been credited with helping fix things in financial trouble ( the MTA, NYC, etc. ), told the Times he cares about making sure the state’s fiscal health is in good standing, “My recommendations are absolutely as important in my mind as they were when I made the recommendations four months ago. I’m not the budget director; I’m not the counsel. I’m fully aware of that, and I’m not complaining about it. All I can do is offer advice… Would I like to see them do what I suggested or some equivalent things? Yes, of course. I have 12 grandchildren here, who live in this state and in this city. ”

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Albany Budget Battle Pits Paterson Against Ravitch