Monthly Archives: December 2009
The List: Things to Do on New Year’s Eve
1. Fun Run in Prospect Park; Ring in the New Year in a healthy and fun way! Costumes welcome! Runners, walkers and all paces welcome! Presented by Brooklyn Road Runners Club and Slope Sports. 3 mile course. Start at 9th Street, down around the Lake, turn Left on
Center Drive. At the end of Center Drive, turn right back onto West
Drive to the Finish line at 9th Street. Runners, please make note of
your times at the end of the race. There will be an unofficial timing
and this is an un-scored Fun Run. More info at Slope Sports.
2. The 28th annual New Year’s Eve
fireworks spectacular at Grand
Army Plaza .
The free celebration, sponsored by the Brooklyn Borough President’s
Office and held in partnership with the Prospect Park Alliance, starts around
11 p.m. with musical entertainment and hot refreshments. Best locations for viewing the midnight fireworks include anywhere in
Grand Army
Plaza , inside the Park on the
West Drive , and along Prospect Park West
between Grand
Army Plaza
and 9th Street .
3. New Year's Eve at Vox Pop: The Cortelyou Road cafe reopens tonight with a big New Year's Bash.
4. The pub quiz with Scott Turner is just part of Rocky Sullivan's New Year's Eve Extravaganza in Red Hook.
5. Dinner at Bussaco with jazz by Josh Shneider and friends. Second seating includes jazz and dinner. Starts at 8:30 – 11 PM.
6. A full list of special New Year's Eve menus at Fifth Avenue restaurants is on the blog, All About Fifth.
Greetings from Scott Turner: A Little Summation and New Year’s Eve at Rocky’s
Greetings, Pub Quiz Year Enders…
Overwhelmed by Year In Reviews? Best Of? Worst Of?
Even worse, the prognostications for the coming year? And worst of
all, the coming year's predicted Year In Review for stuff that hasn't
happened yet — more Shecky Green than Nostradamus.
Even worse, we get a double-dose: Year in Review and Decade in Review.
This ain't no disco, and it ain't my call to make. The best of the year, best of the decade, is whatever you say it is.
This little summation is just stuff that makes me smile or sticks in my craw — sometimes at the same time.
And what, exactly, is a craw? It's the crop of a bird or an
animal, or an animal's stomach. And, idiomatically, the place where
really annoying stuff goes and sticks. And doesn't come out — not
with the wash, not with scholastic remediation, and not with the
healing qualities Time is supposed to be so good at.
2009…the last year of this terrible decade. We should've known
it would be bad — any decade that lends itself to the spectacle known
as New Year's Eve Spectacles was bound to go off the rails.
yes, yes…it's a new year AND you can see us!
And it did. Spectacularly at the outset and grindingly for the rest of the way. The '00s were mostly the dark days of the Bush era. Really, really dark. At the end, the disappointment (thus far) of the Obama administration's
hold-hands-circle. Dude, you were elected with a huge mandate — end
wars and give everyone health coverage and encourage queer rights and
all the other stuff we talked about!
Also, people now say "dude" more than ever.
Hard to believe this is the same decade as 9/11 and the big tsunami and the end of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
Since he's still in office, it's sadly not hard at all to believe Michael Bloomberg
is mayor. It's cruel to wake from the nightmare of W and still be in
Bloomy's New York — like a sci-fi plot where the character opens her
eyes only to discover by the next ad break that she's still in a
terrifying dream.
Assuming he doesn't buy his way into a fourth term, we'll
discover that we can't even afford to leave the Bloomberg's frightful
nightmare — sky-high rents, box-stores, wrecked subway and school
systems, deference to the wealthy, trite initiatives that ignore the
city's real problems.
If Bloomberg's such a "good businessman," how come the city's in
such bad shape financially? And no, you can't give his alleged
business acumen credit when times were good but, now that times are
bad, blame events somehow beyond the mayor's control.
There were bright spots — political movements and new politicians
that could bend the steel bar enough to make a difference, bands and
movies and t.v. shows we loved, medical advances (though, good luck
paying for them), and technology that has us at the crossroads — this
way, radical new possibilities to improve our quality of life; that
way, a planet so self-absorbedly addicted to Twitter and celebritydom that when we finally look up and see the giant asteroid about to destroy Earth, we won't have time to use all 140 characters to scream.
Of course, humans being humans, it'll be somewhere in the middle.
It always is. We somehow always recover from doing terrible things to
one-another. The worst things possible — genocide, torture, t.v. shows about the Kardashian sibblings — and still we continue.
What we do to each other is one thing. What we're doing to the
planet…that's another story. There's a desperate push to name the
'00s. Could be hard, because we can't even agree on the prosaic
numerical nickname — Zeroes? Aughts? Pre-Teens?. Still, I nominate
this clunker: The We've Known We're Killing Our Planet And
Destroying Humanity One Hummer Meat-Cattle-Raising Acre Rampant Western
Consumer Thirst Slaked But Not Enough By Emerging Factory States At A
Time And We Can't Get Our Shit Together To Save The Only Home We've Got
Decade. It's not as catchy as the Me Decade, but at least it's too long for a tweet — and that's a start.
Upon further review, how about the Toxic Decade. "A lie
told often enough becomes the truth," so the insidious insist. These
last ten years, lies didn't even have to be said that often before we
caved in and took them at face value.
Michael Bloomberg, China's quest to satisfy Western urges, the Kardashians, Bruce Ratner and Jay-Z, W & His Number 1, Enron — the forefront of the Toxic Decade. An incomplete list.
We've fought our way through the Toxic Decade. That says a lot. We allowed it to become this toxic. That says a lot more.
The obvious retort here is "Dude, every
decade's been toxic." True — nuclear proliferation, world wars,
depressions greater than this one, bubonic plagues (that's a lot of
decades ago, but still…). What makes this last one so toxic is that
by now, we should know better. Know better than to wage stupid wars,
pollute the planet, build superblock projects and give wealthy
developers public money to destroy neighborhoods, allow fiscal
corruption to run rampant, piss off the world with hubris and
arrogance, and pull cover after cover over our head instead of letting
the warm sunshine of resistance heat us up.
Fact — fighting the power is more fun than DVDing another season of America's Next Top Model.
So onward to 2010. My one moment of Nostradamual prognostication:
Things are gonna change…
* * * * * * * *
…starting with the best way to celebrate New Year's Eve this Thursday evening:
The Rocky Sullivan's Pub Quiz Quizzin' New Year's Eve Extravaganza!
The Current Weather in Park Slope: Snow, Snow, Snow
Brought to you by the Feldman Family from their local weather tower.
OTBKB Film by Pops Corn: The Best of 2009
Defining any year in cinema is a difficult task. And if one’s personal taste is involved, it can be downright impossible. I’ve rediscovered this truth looking at my 10 favorite films from 2009. It’s a diverse collection of ignored and the celebrated films, notable for their range of parental figures, immoral enforcers, fringe dwellers, educational institutions and questions so difficult to answer that they often remain unsolved. My 2009 favorites, I hope you will discover them as well.
1. Observe and Report – While Kevin James’ light mall cop movie was a surprise hit in January, a few months later Jody Hill’s irreverent comedy with Seth Rogen as a disturbed mall security guard was only noticed only for its notorious date-rape joke. But, for me this was a truly unique work. It aimed to create a new film experience and I walked out of the theater with that incredibly rare feeling that I had actually seen something I’ve never seen before. An absurd take on Taxi Driver-like delusional hero redemption, it’s outrageous, satiric, funny, makes brilliant use of music on the soundtrack and gleefully breaks all kinds of rules of cinematic technique and storytelling.
2. A Serious Man – Trippy yet dramatic, snarky yet sincere, A Serious Man may be my favorite Coen Brothers film. They brilliantly build the narrative tension around a story of faith and karma, wonderfully open to both atheistic and spiritual interpretations.
3. Sugar – When telling an American story, baseball makes the perfect backdrop. This American tale is a subtle meditation on the migratory pattern of a Domican baseball prospect discovering the promised land’s hard truths.
4. The Hurt Locker – I wish it didn’t start with a quote that sums up what the film so perfectly captures. Still, Kathryn Bigelow’s film about war’s corruption of the human soul is a powerful statement and an incredible artistic and technical achievement, anchored by Jeremy Renner’s outstanding performance.
5. Up – A cinematic journey that is as imaginative as it is heartfelt, this animated Pixar offering is thoroughly delightful. One early sequence that depicts Carl and Ellie’s life together is the year’s most memorable, reminiscent of Buster Keaton with its warm comedic touch and aesthetic mastery.
6. Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire – A film that simply does not get a disinterested reaction, Precious pushes all kinds of buttons, yet it’s ultimately a heartfelt tale of inspiration. Director Lee Daniels’ stylized mayhem was finally applied with perfection.
7. World’s Greatest Dad – Death’s false honor is explored in Bobcat Goldthwait’s black comedy. Robin Williams stars as a failed writer father who exploits tragedy to turn his life around.
8. An Education – A tacked-on ending enraged me, but otherwise Lone Scherfig’s film is smart, endearing and offers no easy answers.
9. Antichrist – While the violence, abuse in all forms and talking foxes got all the attention, Lars von Trier’s attack on the senses feels like the Dutch filmmaker’s most personal work. Where will he go with these demons now exorcised?
10. Bad Lieutenant – Port of Call: New Orleans – It may be a weak 10th-slot choice, but this B-movie curiosity piece is full of hammy acting, story dead-ends and bizarre moments. Its lack of quality is somehow also its substance
OTBKB Film by Pops Corn: The Best of the O’s
If you had the ability and perseverance to do sift through the movies the decade we have just lived through, you may find, like I, that the 00s offered a lot of strong films, particularly by American filmmakers. Asked by OKTBKB to compile a list of the best of the decade, I can only offer up my personal favorites. I like to think that many of these films will be long remembered, although some, in fact, have already been positively ignored. Still, these are the films that spoke the strongest to me over the last 10 years. There are many more films I’m sure I have yet to discover, but this is the list I am passionate about today.
1. The Weather Man (Gore Verbinski; 2005) – Critically dismissed and a box office bomb, this study of meaninglessness shocked me with its honest and profoundly sad depiction of how we live our lives today. Brilliantly conceived by screenwriter Steve Conrad, the titular character played by Nicolas Cage is one of the cinema’s most vapid protagonists, a disrespected mini-celeb whose useless existence becomes more and more evident as he balances family problems with a million dollar network job possibility.
2. Mulholland Dr. (David Lynch; 2001) – Lynch’s techniques, once so secular, are now all over the edges of blockbusters and straight-to-video horror. But no one does it like the master, probably our greatest living filmmaker. A meta-mystery, Mullholand Dr. is a bizarre, dreamlike subconscious meditation and a definitive Hollywood satire.
3. Capturing The Friedmans (Andrew Jarecki; 2003) – In a decade during which the face and status of the documentary changed, none so clearly re-defined my view of documentary filmmaking as Andrew Jarecki’s debut film. The portrait of an accused pedophile and his family’s spiral amidst the crisis displays formal brilliance and benefits from incredible, powerful archival footage.
4. Sideways (Alexander Payne; 2004) – Depicting the middle-aged male psyche with painful humor and emotional tenderness, Sideways is a complex character study, superbly performed. Alexander Payne’s film manages to be an entertaining blast and a time capsule of human behavior.
5. Human Nature (Michel Gondry; 2002) – Months before screenwriter Charlie Kaufman was celebrated for his personal, audacious Adaptation script, this hilarious take on a Brave New World-like scenario was also ignored. One of Kaufman’s strengths is that he shoots for the moon with existential searches and raw exposure of human foibles and failures. Riotously funny and absurd, it is a rare, unique film in many ways, including turning off audiences with excessive leading lady body hair.
Below are some additional 00s favorites, organized by fabricated sub-genres. I hope you add to your must-see list if you’ve missed them until now:
The Past Reflecting The Present
Far From Heaven
Revolutionary Road
What’s Happening Now?
About Schmidt
Happy-Go-Lucky
House Of Sand And Fog
In The Valley Of Elah
Little Children
Whale Rider
No Escape From Self
Adaptation
Dahmer
A Serious Man
Pure Cinema
The Assassination of Robert Ford By The Coward Jesse James
In The Mood For Love
No Country For Old Men
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
There Will Be Blood
Crowd Pleasers With Depth
Catch Me If You Can
Little Miss Sunshine
Unbreakable
Mindfucks
Apocalypto
Observe And Report
Oldboy
Planet Terror
No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford
Vox Pop To Reopen For New Years Eve
Vox Pop reopens on Thursday night after being closed down by the NYC Department of Revenue.
I want to thank everyone for your support during this difficult two
weeks while we were closed. We were able to raise the money to get
our doors back open!
weeks while we were closed. We were able to raise the money to get
our doors back open!
But, this doesn't get us out of the woods yet. Being closed for 14
days has cost us dearly in lost revenue (especially through the
holiday) and we still need to move forward with all of our fundraising
efforts to get us on the strongest financial footing possible.
We have an amazing benefit show at Jalopy Theater ( on January 12th.
Mark your calendars and come on down to show your support. t.
Fun Run: Around the Park on New Year’s Eve
Come ring in the New Year in a healthy and fun way!
Costumes welcome!
Runners, walkers and all paces welcome!
2009-2010 NEW YEAR'S EVE FUN RUN
presented by
Brooklyn Road Runners Club and Slope Sports
3 MILE FUN RUN
Prospect Park, Brooklyn
DATE/TIME
Monday, December 31, 2009 —
11:15pm start
NEW START/FINISH LINE
Start/Finish line is at the 9th Street, inside the Park
ENTRY FEE
$20 before December 31, 2009 ($15 for Brooklyn Road Runners Club members)
$25 on Race Day ($20 for BRRC Members)
No refunds and/or exchanges. Race will occur rain, snow or shine.
NEW COURSE
3 mile course. Start at 9th Street, down around the Lake, turn Left on
Center Drive. At the end of Center Drive, turn right back onto West
Drive to the Finish line at 9th Street. Runners, please make note of
your times at the end of the race. There will be an unofficial timing
and this is an un-scored Fun Run.
AWARDS
- A free pair of running shoes (value up to $100) from Slope Sports for Top Male & Top Female finisher!
- Running gloves for the first 250 participants
- Hot chocolate from Cousin John's Bakery
RACE REGISTRATION
(1) Print and mail a race application. DOWNLOAD HERE >> CLICK HERE
OR
(2) Online registration at Active.com >> REGISTER ONLINE
REGISTRATION / RACE NUMBER PICK-UP
Slope Sports
70 Seventh Avenue, between Lincoln & Berkeley
Brooklyn, NY 11217
718-230-4686
Wed. Dec. 30th, 11a-7p
Race Day, Thurs. Dec 31st, 11a-5p
Onsite registration: 10:30-11:00p
BAG CHECK
Bag check is provided at registration area as a convenience. Please do
not bring anything valuable since we are not responsible for lost or
stolen items.
OTBKB Muisc: Still No Plans for New Year’s Eve? Try This…
Maybe your New Year’s Eve plans have fallen through, or maybe you
just kept putting off planning what it was your were going to do or
maybe you just don’t want to empty your bank account to do something
overpriced and under wonderful. But whatever the reason, New Year’s
Eve is tomorrow and there’s nothing on your calendar.
Here’s the last refuge for you last minute types. The Rockwood Music Hall
will be sticking to it’s usual policy on New Year’s Eve. That means no
reservations. There’s no cover charge with a one drink per set minimum
(but a $5 contribution for each band is requested). Not only will they
will have a full night of music, but OTBKB Music fave James Maddock
will be playing during the 10pm to midnight slot. Not only is James a
great live performer but his album, Sunrise on Avenue C, is on the OTBKB Music Top Ten for 2009.
The only downside is the size of the Rockwood; it holds only about
40 people in the main room, which is where the stage is. There’s a
back room which holds about another 25 or so, and it does have a closed
circuit TV view of the stage. So if you want to see James, get there
early, maybe an hour early.
James Maddock, The Rockwood Music Hall, 196 Allen Street (F or V Trains to Second Avenue, use the First Avenue exit), 10pm-midnight
–Eliot Wagner
No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford
January 20: Hollywood in the Heights
The Brooklyn Heights Association (BHA) is celebrating it's centennial in 2010 with a yearlong series of events called Celebrating a Century. The kick off event for this series, Hollywood in the Heights, is scheduled for Wednesday, January 20th at 7pm in St. Francis College's Founders Hall.
Hosted by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker and novelist Peter Hedges (What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Pieces of April, About a Boy),
the event will be a unique and comprehensive look at how the scenic
neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights has been portrayed in film, and
present attendees with a close up look at why so many great films
choose Brooklyn Heights for their setting.
the event will be a unique and comprehensive look at how the scenic
neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights has been portrayed in film, and
present attendees with a close up look at why so many great films
choose Brooklyn Heights for their setting.
The evening will begin with Peter Hedges, a Brooklyn resident, presenting the premiere screening of a film montage featuring
notable clips from films shot in Brooklyn Heights throughout the years.
Mr. Hedges will then lead a panel discussion of film industry
professionals in an intimate and informative conversation, giving an
inside look into the mechanical, technical, and creative aspects of
filming a Hollywood-quality scene on the picturesque streets of
Brooklyn Heights.
notable clips from films shot in Brooklyn Heights throughout the years.
Mr. Hedges will then lead a panel discussion of film industry
professionals in an intimate and informative conversation, giving an
inside look into the mechanical, technical, and creative aspects of
filming a Hollywood-quality scene on the picturesque streets of
Brooklyn Heights.
Murder Rate Down Citywide; Car Theft Up in Park Slope
The murder rate in NYC is the lowest since the current record system began in 1963. As of Sunday, there had been 461; the record low was in
2007, when there were 496 for the entire year.
According to the Brooklyn Paper, crime in the 78th precinct in Park Slope was down in all categories except car theft:
Every crime category was down — and down
big — this year except for car theft. As loyal readers of our police
blotter know, car theft is the unending plague on Park Slope — often
with thieves taking cars older than 10 years. This year, car theft was
up 14 percent, with 97 sets of wheels being swiped. The good news?
There was only one murder, down from three last year, and there were
double-digit cuts in robbery (147 to 125), assault (70 to 57) and grand
larceny (437 to 374). Overall, crime was down 10.86 percent.
big — this year except for car theft. As loyal readers of our police
blotter know, car theft is the unending plague on Park Slope — often
with thieves taking cars older than 10 years. This year, car theft was
up 14 percent, with 97 sets of wheels being swiped. The good news?
There was only one murder, down from three last year, and there were
double-digit cuts in robbery (147 to 125), assault (70 to 57) and grand
larceny (437 to 374). Overall, crime was down 10.86 percent.
New LIRR Terminal Now Open To Public
After nearly six years of construction, the new entrance to the Long
Island Rail Road’s critical Atlantic Terminal at Flatbush Avenue is
finally open to straphangers.
Island Rail Road’s critical Atlantic Terminal at Flatbush Avenue is
finally open to straphangers.
Commuters looking for the LIRR ticket office will find that it has
moved to a new location on the concourse below the ground floor
entrance, where natural light shines through glass that spans from the
road to the ceiling, offering views of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank
tower across the street.
New Year’s Eve Fun Run: New Start/Finish Line at 9th Street
Come ring in the New Year in a healthy and fun way!
Costumes welcome!
Runners, walkers and all paces welcome!
2009-2010 NEW YEAR'S EVE FUN RUN
presented by
Brooklyn Road Runners Club and Slope Sports
3 MILE FUN RUN
Prospect Park, Brooklyn
DATE/TIME
Monday, December 31, 2009 —
11:15pm start
NEW START/FINISH LINE
Start/Finish line is at the 9th Street, inside the Park
ENTRY FEE
$20 before December 31, 2009 ($15 for Brooklyn Road Runners Club members)
$25 on Race Day ($20 for BRRC Members)
No refunds and/or exchanges. Race will occur rain, snow or shine.
NEW COURSE
3 mile course. Start at 9th Street, down around the Lake, turn Left on
Center Drive. At the end of Center Drive, turn right back onto West
Drive to the Finish line at 9th Street. Runners, please make note of
your times at the end of the race. There will be an unofficial timing
and this is an un-scored Fun Run.
AWARDS
- A free pair of running shoes (value up to $100) from Slope Sports for Top Male & Top Female finisher!
- Running gloves for the first 250 participants
- Hot chocolate from Cousin John's Bakery
RACE REGISTRATION
(1) Print and mail a race application. DOWNLOAD HERE >> CLICK HERE
OR
(2) Online registration at Active.com >> REGISTER ONLINE
REGISTRATION / RACE NUMBER PICK-UP
Slope Sports
70 Seventh Avenue, between Lincoln & Berkeley
Brooklyn, NY 11217
718-230-4686
Tue. Dec. 29th, 11a-7p
Wed. Dec. 30th, 11a-7p
Race Day, Thurs. Dec 31st, 11a-5p
Onsite registration: 10:30-11:00p
BAG CHECK
Bag check is provided at registration area as a convenience. Please do
not bring anything valuable since we are not responsible for lost or
stolen items.
The Current Weather in Park Slope: Brrrrrrrr
Brought to you by the Feldman Family from their local weather tower.
No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford
Some Bubbly for New Years Eve?
The Green Grape in Fort Greene will host their annual champagne tasting on Wednesday, December 30 from 5 PM until 7 PM. 765 Fulton Street. They deliver.
Every single champagne at the tasting — and on the list below — is a grower champagne, which means that the grapes were raised,
harvested and vinified by grower instead of
being sold off to a big champagne house.
Here are the champagnes to be
poured. If you can't make it to the tasting you may want to just buy a bottle for yourself for New Year's Eve. The words are from the Green Grape website.
Henri
Goutorbe Champagne Special Club 2002
$90.00
A real New Year's Treat! The 'Club
de Viticulteurs Champenois' began in 1971 as
a way for the smaller growers to join forces
in order to market their wines. With over a
dozen different producers working together
they felt they could more easily compete with
the larger Champagne houses. They created the
'Special Club' bottling with the idea that it
would always be the best of what each
producer had to offer and would always be
presented in the same oddly shaped bottle.
Henri Goutorbe is one of the leading
vine-nurserymen in Champagne and the owner of
Hotel Castel Jeanson in Ay, along with being
one of the great small growers.
The Special Club has malic, yeasty and sorrel
aromas and shows great length. 2002 is a
stellar vintage.
Chartogne-Taillet
Rose, NV
$59.00
Our only rose
champagne,
it is not only fun to drink,
the pleasing pink color makes it festive in
the glass. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes
provide the base to which Pinot Noir still
wine is added to give color. It blossoms
with aromas of strawberries, and, believe it
or not, prosciutto and can stand up to more
assertive foods than our other
champagnes.
Henri
Goutorbe "Cuvee
Prestige",
NV $45.00
This non-vintage version from the great Henri
Goutorbe was best value in the WSJ this
month. The wine, packed with red cherry
fruit, is
bright, generous and has an amazing long
finish.
Jean
Velut Champagne Brut Tradition NV
$40.00
30 years ago Denis Velut's
grandfather Jean established this domain in
the Cote des Bars as a recoltant/manipulant
(small grower) following a venerable history
of supplying grande marque houses further
north. Montgueux is the village where Denis
and Anne Velut's 7 hectares of vines reside
and surprisingly in the context of the larger
region, this is an area planted to roughly
85% Chardonnay due to the phenomenon of it
being highly concentrated in calcaire soil.
Half of the grapes grown here are still sold
to negociant houses and it seems as though
this is the perfect economical balance
allowing Denis the leeway to carefully craft
the very best wines that he can. Just 3000
cases are produced here each year.
Structure is provided by the steely austerity
of the chalk infused chardonnay while the
ripe Pinot provides a fruity lift.
OTBKB Music: There’s A New Rockwood Coming in 2010
The Rockwood Music
Hall
is a small club located on Allen Street about half a block south of
Houston Street. It’s the home base for many local musicians including Leslie Mendelson, James
Maddock and Sasha Dobson.
Sometimes big name acts, including Ryan Adams, Matisyahu and a Norah Jones side
project have played there.
But the place is small. It holds 40 people in the music room, if
everyone is really friendly. Another 25 or so can fit into the back
room.
But the word is that owner Ken Rockwood has taken the space
immediately south of the current Rockwood and will be opening that new
space in early February. From the information I’ve received, it
appears that the new space will be a separate club from the current
Rockwood and hold 300 people. It looks likely to open in early
February.
–Eliot Wagner
Manhole Explosion on Park Slope’s Fifth Avenue
Early Monday morning (approximately 12 AM) there was an manhole explosion on Park Slope's Fifth Avenue near President Street. One tipster says it was between Joe's ShoeRepair and
Moutarde on 5th ave, and an adjacent manhole on President.
The explosion occurred at around 12 am and woke many residents up, who went running to the corner to see what was happening. .
Firemen said it was an explosion
that did not affect the buildings.
At least five fire trucks and many police cars were on hand. No one was hurt but Joe's was searched for fire
damage. At 1.20 AM the
police/firetrucks were still investigating
Photos by: E. Cherilin Stephens
NY Mag: Nouveau Brooklyn with Maggie Gyllenhaal
Thanks to Verse Responder Leon Freilich for sending this my way:
She lives in an old brownstone on Sterling place and calls Manhattan
"the city," is planning to buy bookshelves at Ikea, shovels snow in front
of her house and is, quaintly, married to the man she lives with.
She's Maggie Gyllenhaal, and New York Magazine talks to her as she
prepares to schlep an armful of paperbacks to below her stoop for
intellectual recycling.
No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford
Smartmom’s Charlie Brown Xmas Tree
Smartmom bought her Charlie Brown-style Christmas tree from the
Vermont tree farmers who set up in front of the Park Slope Food Co-op
every year. It was $20, which is a lot to pay for what was more like a
branch. But the gangly tree caught her eye and seemed lovable in its
own — slightly pathetic — way.
As Smartmom walked home, she knew her little tree was a far cry from
the huge, tree that Hepcat’s mom always sets up in her humongous
California living room and decorates with a lifetime’s collection of
vintage ornaments. The fragrance of pine and hot apple cider permeates
the house as a fire roars.
Christmas with Hepcat’s family is a Jewish girl’s fantasy, and
Smartmom loves that her inter-faith children have such holiday’s in
their memory banks of childhood.
Smartmom knows she could never match that level of Christmasness:
she’s Jewish, for Buddha’s sake, and any attempt at Christmas is
fraught with inexperience and ambivalence. But this year, the family is
spending Christmas in Brooklyn. This has happened three times before in
her children’s lifetimes. Turns out, Teen Spirit is thrilled because
all his friends will be home from college and he’s excited to hang out
with them. The Oh So Feisty One has mixed feelings about not being in
California, but she, too, is glad to be near her friends.
Walking up Seventh Avenue with her tiny tree conveniently tucked
under her arm, Smartmom remembered 2007 when they bought a huge
Christmas tree and it was like Rockefeller Center in the apartment
because the Oh So Feisty One kept bringing friends in and out of the
apartment to see it.Smartmom worried that OSFO and Teen Spirit would feel cheated by
this year’s tiny tree. But she tried not to worry about it. She was
already stressing about how to make this as nice a Christmas as the
one’s they spend in California. O the pressure, o the guilt, o the need
to meet everyone’s expectations at this time of year.
When Smartmom got home with her tree, Hepcat rolled his eyes (it
sure looked that way to Smartmom). He wondered how they were going to
get the tiny tree to stand up in the metal tree holder intended for a
much larger tree.
“Don’t worry I’ll figure it out,” Hepcat said sounding alternately
annoyed and excited at a challenge that required a trip into the metal
tool box. When he got his saw out, Smartmom knew things were getting
complicated.
“Don’t worry. I just need to saw off a few branches,” he said.
“But there won’t be much tree left!” she told him.
“Calm down,” he said.
When he went out to Tarzian Hardware for more supplies, Smartmom
realized that this project was becoming a real production. It might
have been easier just to get a bigger tree.
Smartmom waited anxiously for Hepcat to return. Why did holidays
feel like a referendum on her capabilities as a mother and a wife?
Would this little tree be enough for Christmas?
Finally, Hepcat returned, and Smartmom watched as her handy (i.e.
non-Jewish) husband, a genius at solving random engineering problems,
made it possible for her tiny tree to stand. Smartmom gave him a big
kiss as relief pulsed through her.
Smartmom found all their ornaments in a mildewed bag in the
basement. It was like a reunion with old friends. Sadly, she had to
throw out quite a few that were growing mold on them.
Later, Diaper Diva and Ducky came over to join in on the tiny tree
trimming. Smartmom even made hot chocolate. The tree was exactly as
tall as 5-year-old Ducky, and she had a great time decorating.
When Teen Spirit woke up (it was 2 pm), he came into the room and stared at the sweet little tree.
“I know, I know. It’s a Charlie Brown tree,” Smartmom said in anticipation of a snarky remark.
“I like it. I really do. I just think we should put a huge ornament on it so it’ll droop,” he said.
Teen Spirit felt moved to download some of his favorite Christmas
songs: “Blue Christmas” by Elvis Presley, “Fairytale Christmas” by the
Pogues and “Merry Christmas, Baby” by Otis Redding.
Smartmom sat on her new couch
and observed the scene, which was like something out of a Frank Capra
Christmas movie. Her interfaith family was having an idyllically good
time decorating their tiny tree. Ducky was busy cutting out a paper
star and coloring it with red and green crayons. Diaper Diva was
alternately napping and supervising Ducky. Teen Spirit, inspired by his
Christmas playlist, decided that he was going to write a Christmas song
and was fiddling with various chords, melodies and lyrics. Hepcat found
tiny battery-operated lights that fit perfectly on the tiny tree.
And OSFO she took one look at the scene and made a bee-line for a friend’s house.
Tom Martinez, Witness: Christmas Eve
No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford
Leon Freilich, Verse Responder: Crowdy Day
CROWDY DAY
Christmas Day, Rockefeller Center,
Madly where I went,
Joining a flock of slow-moving tourist sheep,
Mutton for punishment.
Courtney Lee Adams, Jr at Banjo Jims Tonight at 9 PM: Join Us
Come see Hepcat's favorite Lower East Side country western swooner, Courtney Lee Adams. Great vocals, smart lyrics and a top notch band.
She says she was born pissed off and in tonight's show she promises to confuse, amuse and abuse. Hecat says: If there's a continum from Patti Smith to Tammy Wynette Courtney fits in there somewhere."
We're going to Banjo Jim's (700 East 9th Street near Avenue C) tonight to hear her at 9 PM. Catch brilliantt guitarist Knox Chandler in V.I.K. for some urban blues at 10 PM.
Promises to be a fun evening in a fun, divey East Village bar.
End Eminent Domain Abuse at Freddy’s bar
In anticipation of the upcoming seige of Freddy's Bar in Prospect Heights, activists are declaring revolt and collecting money for armor plating to protect homeowners an and renters from eviction.
Billionaires Bruce Ratner and Mikhail Prokhorov are on the verge of using the State of New York to seize the neighborhood for a stadium using New York State’s
outdated Eminent Domain laws. They hope to build a stadium named for
Barclay's Bank, for the soon-to-be Russian owned N.J. Nets, and some
housing to be operated by ACORN. We say the banks and foreigners have
taken enough from America, and that ACORN needs to reform its ways and
keep their paws off our bar and neighborhood.
As evictions loom ever larger following the Atlantic Yards
Master Closing which authorizes the state to wrongfully take over the
embattled neighborhood, locals are standing their ground and escalating
the battle to stay in their homes. The threat to the
neighborhood has galvanized us – and to prove it, we are raising funds
for galvanized steel plates to put on neighbors doors to resist
eviction.
Eminent
Domain Revolt is being declared in our neighborhood. We are
overthrowing the rule of the Real Estate Royalty who keep outdated laws
on the books and use the government to do their bidding. We
are up against a real estate company that is the second biggest
political donor and lobbyist spending force in the state. The law must
be changed. Period.
Domain Revolt is being declared in our neighborhood. We are
overthrowing the rule of the Real Estate Royalty who keep outdated laws
on the books and use the government to do their bidding. We
are up against a real estate company that is the second biggest
political donor and lobbyist spending force in the state. The law must
be changed. Period.
Senator Bill Perkins, Chairman of the New York State Senate
Corporations, Authorities and Commissions Committee has begun a crusade
to rid New York State of Eminent Domain Abuse. He has asked Governor
Patterson for a moratorium on Eminent Domain takings until the Columbia
decision against the Empire State Development Authority’s pattern of operating in bad faith, and abusing Eminent domain has been reconciled with the Atlantic Yards decision in the Court of Appeals. And we are behind him 100%.
They will try to take the neighborhood and the bar with Eminent Domain, and we are going to stop them.
Brooklyn’s Prospect Heights,
where Freddy's Bar is located, faces a unique twist: The State of New
York is moving to take properties from families and businesses and,
instead of building a road or a school, the State will hand the land
over for private use by Russia’s richest man, who, in partnership with
billionaire Bruce Ratner is building a stadium to house the NBA’s worst
team. 8 acres of the 22 total acres the State is taking will be for the
stadium. The rest, it has recently been revealed, will be leveled, with nothing required to be built on it for decades.
In addition to telling the New York Times
Eminent Domain Abuse corrupts our democracy, Senator Perkins is also
charging that the half billion dollars worth of bonds, issued for the
building of the stadium were issued fraudulently, in a failed backroom
deal aimed at getting around New York State’s new Public Authorities
Control Act.
OTBKB Film by Pops Corn: End Credits
“What are those words at the end?” one of my daughters recently asked me. I could answer the question perfunctorily and explain union obligations. But let’s look at it more philosophically. The end credits roll provides an opportunity for filmmakers to leave audiences with one final thought, often presented in music, more specifically, generally pop or original scoring.
For the viewer, it provides a moment of brief contemplation to consider what has just been screened. I’ve probably spent months of my life in this state of contemplation during end credits. More often than not what end credit choices have some level of narrative/character relevance, but are not especially interesting. What can you really do with that space, right? But there have been incidents when end credits have quite possibly blown my mind, shoving me out of the theater mouth agape, eyes wide open, invigorated.
The following are three films that truly re-defined what can be done during the end credits.
Cold Turkey (1971, USA), the story of a town that gives up smoking to obtain $25 million from a tobacco giant is a scathing satire. Like Robert Altman’s Nashville, the film is just as relevant today in our American Idol society. Both say a lot about our culture, and it isn’t confirming that America’s Got Talent. Randy Newman, in his first foray into film music, follows the film’s final irony, the billowing factory smokestacks erected with the prize money, with “He Gives Us All His Love” against the backdrop of a dog rummaging through ruins. While contrasting the chaotic, broad style of the film, Newman’s song retains the irony while being simplistic and melancholic. A pitch-perfect move to land the movie’s message in your gut.
Penn and Teller Get Killed (1989, USA), the magician-comic duo’s entry into feature films, was never widely released. As dry and dark as comedy gets, the film is unremarkable until its final sequence when a running gag of escalating practical jokes ends tragically and initiates a serial body count. The ending is stunning, funny and disturbing. Then the film fades to credits over the strains of The Bee Gees’ “I Started a Joke,” a choice that perfectly captures the film while still one last unexpected charge of tragicomic shock. After years of being unavailable, the film was recently released as a Warner Archive selection, available only through the distributor.
Little Sister (1995, Netherlands), an obscure gem, follows a young man who ends his estrangement with his sister and addressing an incestuous incident from their past. The encounter is documented by the brother and, pre-Blair Witch, the film is shot entirely through the POV of a video camera within the narrative. While most movies use exit music to sum up the story (see any Ice Cube credit jam) or themes (the end credits of 8 Mile and The Wrestler practically made the movies themselves irrelevant to me), Little Sister offers an odd ode to youth. It was so unexpected and fresh to hear the Sesame Street song, “Somebody Come and Play,” artist identified on the original 45 as simply The Kids, over this film’s end credits. The song and movie are contemplating, both somehow adding depth to the other. Remains only available as a VHS from Facets Video.
–Pops Corn
The Family of Hospitalized Fire Victims Wish to Thank the Firefighters
I got a note on Christmas day from the daughter/sister of the man and woman who are fighting for their lives at Cornell Hospital after Wednesday morning's fire in a Third Street condo in Park Slope. She had just landed in New York rushing back from a holiday vacation to be in the hospital with her father and sister, who are still in critical condition.
So here goes a big thanks from the family and the whole neighborhood to the firefighters from Ladder
Co. 105, Ladder Co. 122 and Squad 1 who responded to the 2:47 a.m. blaze that
occurred on the top floor of the four-story building. Many EMTs were also on hand.