That 'Carrie' show

That "Carrie Diaries" shoot has been going on this evening on East Seventh Street near Second Avenue... action for the "Sex and the City" TV prequel is mostly outside Café Della Pace at the moment... might be here for awhile. Pull up a seat!

Movie night is a go in Tompkins Square Park

Being a Thursday, it always rains. And it did today! But! The free film ("O Brother Where Art Thou?") in Tompkins Square Park tonight is a go... not much of a crowd yet. (As of 7:30.) In fact, the film's star, George Clooney, is just standing there. Somewhere.

Today in East River alligator sightings

EVG reader Jenn Houser spotted this scene this morning near the Williamsburg Bridge.

In town to audition for the East River floating pool?

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

Huge rent hike chases Bleecker Street Records from Bleecker Street (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

"Wild Style" reunion next week at East River Park (BoweryBoogie)

"Stylish Parisian it girl" buys on the Bowery (New York Post)

The scene on Lower Manhattan about 400 years ago (Ephemeral New York)

The theater drawings of Anthony F. Dumas (Off the Grid)

Cool East Village cats (Gog in NYC)

The United Palace Theater returns to its roots (Curbed)

Remembering South African jazz singer Sathima Bea Benjamin (Living With Legends: Hotel Chelsea Blog)

Penny Pollak on the open mic and the big screen

For the past six years on Tuesday nights, Penny Pollak has hosted Penny's Open Mic at Under St Mark's Theater.

This coming Tuesday she is hanging up the mic (the show will go on without her, though).

Pollack is heading into production on her feature film with director Tony ("American History X") Kaye. She stars in "ABIGAIL: A Comedy About Suicide," which explores the themes she used in her one-woman performance titled "No Traveler (A Comedy About Suicide)." (The play debuted in 2010 during the Horse Trade Theater Group's Frigid New York Festival.)

Here, Pollak, a writer, actor, fire-breather, shares some thoughts on her years hosting the open mic as well as prepping for her film work.

Was it a difficult decision to end Penny's Open Mic after six years?

As much as I will miss the mic, the timing couldn't be more perfect. The way everything has fallen into place with my film, I couldn't be happier to work full time on it and see it come to life.

Also knowing that an Open Mic on Tuesday nights at Under St. Mark's will still be going with the same spirit puts my heart at ease. My house band Dan Ricker and Mike Milazzo with Kaitlin O'Connor will be hosting a new open mic in the same slot called The Open Mic Downstairs.

What have you taken away from that time?

I’ve made the dearest and closest friends I could ever meet, seen countless amazing performances. I’ve gotten to watch artists I respect take risks and had the opportunity to experiment myself and grow as an artist.

How is "No Traveler" evolving for the screen? This is more than a performance film?

It's a feature film called "ABIGAIL: A Comedy about Suicide." It explores the themes used in my play "No Traveler" but is a completely different story. We are in talks with an incredible ensemble cast and I’m very excited to be playing the lead.

How did Tony Kaye get involved?

I met Tony at my open mic. As well as being brilliant director he is also a very talented singer/songwriter. At the time he was making "Detachment" with Adrien Brody where there is a scene involving suicide. He came to see my play and immediately saw the potential for film. We would meet every week for quite a few months where he directed my writing into a whole new direction. We’re producing it under his company Above The Sea Productions.

Will you be filming in the East Village and Lower East Side?

The story takes place in the East Village so most of the filming will be here.

How do you plan on capturing the neighborhood?

As honestly as possible. I’ve lived and worked here since I moved to NYC and the neighborhood has shaped my life in a very deep way.

What is the timeline for production?

I’m leaving for LA right away to help finish pre-production and we hope to start filming as soon as possible.

Construction gear coming down from new residences on Seventh and A

[Bobby Williams]

On Wednesday, workers started removing the scaffolding and construction netting from 130 E. Seventh St. at Avenue A...


[Yesterday morning]

Since fall 2011, the building that houses 7A on the corner has been undergoing renovations... including converting some existing commercial space to residential use and reconstructing a portion of the existing penthouse, per the DOB. Public records show that the University of the Streets sold the building to Park Corner Development, LLC in September 2011 for $5 million.


[Yesterday afternoon]

No word if this units will be rentals or condos or something else...

Anyway, look for the rest of the sidewalk bridge to come down soon enough ... and maybe the 7A sidewalk cafe will see the sun again.

Last free Thursday night movie in Tompkins Square Park for the summer

Tonight marks the end of the free music-movie nights in Tompkins Square Park for the summer. This evening's selection: O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the Coen brothers movie starring George ("Grizzly II: The Predator") Clooney. (This was originally rained out on June 20.)



There's also free pre-movie music from The Dapper Dans.

Where did the summer go?

Today in helpful warnings on East 11th Street

Between Avenue A and Avenue B...

Today's sign of the apocalypse

Oh! "The Carrie Diaries" will be filming around the neighborhood today... signs are up along East Seventh Street, and perhaps elsewhere... crews for the CW prequel to "Sex and the City" were shooting on Essex Street Tuesday...

It revolves around the eponymous Carrie , a shy high-school girl who uses her newly discovered telekinetic powers to exact revenge on those who tease her during her senior year of high school in the early 1980s and part of her life in New York working as a writer.

Let's star in a movie!

You may have seen some sort of film shoot going on today on East Seventh Street between Avenue A and First Avenue... we walked back and forth dozens of times thinking it was connected to "The Smurfs," which filmed right here back in the heady days of April 2010.



Oh! Oops!



Anyway, we have no idea what this was all about. Maybe you do?


[Next stop — Cooper Union!]

Photos by Bobby Williams

Happy Birthday Joe Strummer

Joe Strummer was born on this date in 1952... he died in 2002 of an undetectable heart arrhythmia. And I would have mentioned this even if the mural in his honor was not blasted away by workers on Monday on East Seventh Street and Avenue A.

As I reported Tuesday, the same artists will replicate the original mural... Serena Solomon at DNAinfo had some more information about the timing of all this.

Helm Management, which manages the building at 132 E. Seventh St., will take three to four weeks to replace the brick wall.

After that, Niagara co-owner Jesse Malin said that graffiti artists Dr. Revolt and Zephyr will return to recreate the Stummer mural.

Roberta Bayley took the above photo of Strummer on East 14th Street near Avenue C. Find more of her work here. [H/T Alex at Flaming Pablum]

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[Looks like fall, feels like summer]

City temporarily removes Jim Power's 9/11 mosaic on Astor Place (DNAinfo)

Penny Arcade on the vanishing downtown scene (The Observer)

Video! "Where You Been So Long" by Eden and John's East River String Band with Robert Crumb (YouTube)

New York is the most rude and arrogant state! (New York)

Remember Loew's Avenue B (Off the Grid)

A new anonymous Twitter account arrived today...

I feel so empty inside. @evgrieve

— 51 Astor Place (@51deathstar) August 21, 2013

New Bowery shanty (BoweryBoogie)

Controversial LES property owner buys more LES property (The Lo-Down)

A few more lost record stores (Flaming Pablum)

Thompson Street laundromat disappears (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

At the annual Johnny Ramone tribute (Rolling Stone)

From a reader:

"My partner and I found an obviously abandoned or lost housecat (had a collar on, box trained) at a construction site next to Bar 169 on East Broadway yesterday. We took her home as she was emaciated and needed some TLC."