Noted

A statement from Mickey Leigh:

"It has been brought to my attention that Linda Cummings, using the name 'Ramone,' has recently been in the media joining with the Palin family and the McCains to attempt to aid their campaign for the Presidency. As a President of Ramones Productions, and brother of Joey Ramone, I just want it to be clear that Linda Cummings does not represent the political views of the Ramones. Surely, as for Joey Ramone, the only Ramones song he would sing at a Republican campaign event would be 'Glad To See You Go!'" (Brooklyn Vegan)

Ohh..."Glad to See You Go." Yes!

The renovation of St. Brigid's is under way; permit to demolish the church has been removed

You may remember that, despite the $20 million anonymous donation to save St. Brigid's on Avenue B and Eighth Street, the Archdiocese of New York still had the demolition permits on file as of September. No more. Edwin Torres, chairman of the committee to Save St. Brigid's, told his supporters last month that the permits had been withdrawn. Phew. Meanwhile, the renovation begins/continues. We've seen several workers there during recent walks by the 160-year-old church.

Torres said that the Archdiocese has retained architects and other professionals necessary for the renovation. The first step, though: asbestos removal. No word on how long this could take...Aug. 15, 2009?

Warning to fans of the old Rififi space: Please cover your eyes

The transformation of the Rififi/Cinema Classics space (former home to comedy, music, burlesque and dance, etc.) on 11th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue continues. Soon this, uh, very pinkish facade will be home to the thrift/consignment shop Buffalo Exchange.

The Day of the Dead Ride

Yesterday marked the Day of the Dead Ride in the East Village as the group celebrated cyclists -- both present and past. According to times-up.org, "We will bike and dance our way through the East Village, visiting ghost bikes, honoring the memory of those who have been killed, and demanding safe streets so that future riders can ride peacefully in a sustainable city." New York magazine reports there are 35 ghost bikes in the five boroughs.

Here, the group remembered Brandie Bailey, who was struck and killed in May 2005 by a private sanitation truck on East Houston Street near Essex Street. She was 21.

Henry Street, 2:50 p.m., Nov. 2

On 11th Street today

Fall Community Day at the 11th Street Community Garden between Avenue A and First Avenue from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

It's also a chance to see the construction taking place along the south side of the street between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Meanwhile, on 11th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue, this sucker is going up on the north side...

Not to mention the many fro-yo shops...

From a New York Times article today titled "Some tourists don't need advice":

A young couple from Zaragoza, Spain, said that what made their trip was the decision to stay in the St. Marks Hotel in the East Village, as opposed to a more traditional Midtown location. “The St. Marks is not a grand hotel,” said Jesús Longares, a 32-year-old engineer. “But it is in a fascinating area. There are many contrasts. You can see a store specializing in comics, and then a boutique for Goths.”

In honor of the New York City Marathon today

Two scenes from the 1976 classic Marathon Man:

Sale Saturday (and Sunday)

The next few Saturdays and Sundays in the school yard on Fourth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C.

Noted

Third Avenue near 11th Street.

A few scenes of Halloween

Some "Horror Business"

The Misfits, 1983. "Some Horror Business/"We are 138"

Now for something really scary

The horror: 14th Street and Ninth Avenue late on a Saturday night. A Chelsea resident chronicled the "intolerable noise." Indeed, what a horror show.

About that Obama/Luke Skywalker vs. McCain/Darth Vader video

Four weeks ago (Christ, where did October go?), I had a post on the Obama/Luke Skywalker vs. McCain/Darth Vader battle in front of the NYSE on Wall Street. It was obviously some pro-Obama propaganda. Sure enough, someone involved with the project sent along a note telling me that the final product was ready. So now you can watch the two light-saber battle (can this be a verb?) their way around some familiar NYC landmarks:



This is all fine. But, as an ethical journalist, I can't allow a pro-Obama bit to go by without hearing from the other candidate. I need to put my politics aside and be fair. So, in that spirit:

From coffee to compost

The former Alt Coffee (later Hopscotch) at 137 Avenue A will be the new home of Sustainable NYC...who's relocating from up the block at 147 Avenue A...Wonder if Sustainable NYC will have the "No OD's Allowed" sign in the bathrooms like Alt Coffee.

For one brief moment...

I saw the "Salsa" sign illuminated at Burritoville on Nassau Street yesterday. First time I've seen it on since the whole Burritoville empire shut down. And I got a little excited -- maybe they reopened!



Uh. No.

Baby it's you

Rosemary's Baby begins a one-week run today at the Film Forum. Will McKinley writes an appreciation of the Roman Polanski classic in this week's issue of The Villager. As for me, I love the intro...

Revisting a classic (movie, not post) for Halloween

I posted this, uh, post originally on July 31...it seems more approprate now for Halloween:


A CLASSIC! (And it's APPROVED by Bela Lugosi's estate!)

Here's how allmovie descibes this 1942 CLASSIC:

Bowery at Midnight casts Bela Lugosi as Professor Brenner, a psychology instructor at New York University (which looks a lot like Berkeley in the exterior shots!). When not enlightening his students — most of them buxom Monogram starlets — Brenner is engaged in charitable work, running a mission in the Bowery. In truth, however, the kindly professor is a fiend in human form, who uses his mission as a front for a vast criminal empire. When Judy (Wanda McKay), one of Brenner's students, stumbles onto the truth, she's targeted for extermination by the Dr. Jekyll-and-Mr. Hyde prof.

Can't wait for the remake, in which the kindly NYU instructor is a fiend in human form who uses his mission as a front for a vast condo/hotel development! (I shouldn't joke...)

Anyway, someone on YouTube was nice enough to upload the entire 60-minute movie, though they disabled the embed function. So you'll need to go here to watch some of it. I highly recommend that you do.

Light, camera...

In the stairwell at the Manhattan Center on 34th Street.

Shadows at the Last Shadow Puppets show

At the Manhattan Center tonight on 34th Street. Yeah, the band was good too.