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March 28, 2006
SHOW OF THE WEEK
Man it's been a long time since I've been to The Mercury Lounge. One of my earlier visits to the Houston St. venue was in the summer of 2001 at the invitation of a friend who wanted me to see a high school friend's band. If I'd known what a phenomena The Strokes were going to become, perhaps I would have stayed. On the other hand, the fact that The Mercury Lounge's A/C was malfunctioning that evening resulted in temperatures that must have exceeded one hundred degrees; it was too much. I'm not really one to suffer for others' art. Multiple visits have occurred in the interim to catch my brother when he's in town.
This Friday there will be an appearance by The Spinto Band, in from Philadelphia. They're a talented bunch and a hell of a lot of fun to listen to. Although almost a year old, the album Nice and Nicely Done remains one of the most unexplainably underrecognized albums I listen to regularly. A full example of their work can be found at the 2 minute mark into the KAC Podcast (Episode 10), available for free at the iTunes music store.
Friday's show at The Mercury Lounge opens with Human Television and Aeroplane Pageant. The Spinto Band will probably go on around 10:30 p.m. Doors open at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at Ticketweb here.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 2:51 PM | Music | Comments (0) | TrackBack
A SECOND FOR THE BOOKS
Last week I went to a reading/demonstration by Megan Nicolay, author of Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt. The Brooklyn resident has put together a great how-to guide on turning ordinary t-shirts into works of sartorial art. The book is primarily aimed at women, but fortunately I have a few friends interested in cutting their shirts to ribbons.
The event at the Park Slope B&N was well attended and I suspect Ms. Nicolay is going to meet with even greater success someday than she already has. Plus, you always have to love an author who has her mom show up for her booksigning. Generation T is stuffed with interesting trivia about possibly the least interesting item of clothing ever. It's a great gift for any creative women you might know.
The GO-Brooklyn preview of her book and the woman is available here.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 9:59 AM | Books | Comments (0) | TrackBack
ONE FOR THE BOOKS
One should never be surprised by talented people; and yet, it still happens. Joe Tavano, or "Joey T." as I know him, continues to come up with little unexpected developments. The multiple Emmy Award nominee--and I believe he's won a few--is having a book published this June. It's a children's book called A Dachsund's Wish and illustrated by Ji Yu. Some early capsules from Amazon.com:
"If you have a dachshund, read this book. You’ll love it. If not, read it anyway...a really good book." —Philip Gonzalez, coauthor, The Dog Who Rescues Cats: The True Story of Ginny"Joe Tavano has succeeded in the impossible: getting inside the mischievous and madcap mind of a puppy dachshund." —Michael Crewdson, author, Carnivorous Nights: On the Trail of the Tasmanian Tiger
"Kids will find this story irresistible while they learn valuable lifelong lessons...A must-read for elementary students." —Mary Wanzer, elementary school teacher, S.U.N.Y. adjunct professor
"Exudes a warm, loving feeling...[and] encourages self-acceptance, understanding, and tolerance of others." —Adrian Milton, The Dachshund Friendship Club
"The oldest and most satisfactory message in the world: It's good to be who you are." —Eva Ibbotson, author, Which Witch?
Wow, who knew there was such a thing as The Dachsund Friendship Club? Must be good work if you can get it. The DFC is actually going to be holding a Spring Fiesta in Washington Square Park on April 29th this year at noon, where they will be singing "The Dachs Song". You know what? I'm going. That is going to be awesome!
Posted by Lexiphane at 9:16 AM | Books | Comments (0) | TrackBack
CONGRATS II
Last week I noted Jen's absence from Gothamist.com for a few days [see CONGRATS, 3/24/06] on the occasion of her marriage. The New York Times filled in the details this Sunday.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 8:44 AM | Current Events | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 24, 2006
AWESOME
Last night I went to a preview screening of the new Beastie Boys concert film Awesome: I Fuckin' Shot That. The movie is the result of the distribution of handheld cameras to 50 audience members of a October 2004 performance at Madison Square Garden. My review of the movie is somewhat mixed.
On the whole, Awesome: IFST is a must-see for Beastie Boys fans. Seeing the movie in a theater is like getting walloped upside the head with a rosin bag full of powdered adrenalin. Although I imagine the first-night fans were the most hardcore BBs fanatics, there was a good deal of cheering between songs and singing along. And a cameo by rap pioneer Doug E. Fresh is a singular highlight.
There were two major downsides however. One is the cinematography. Watching an hour and a half of jostled handheld camerawork is fairly nauseating. I was sitting in the third row of the theater, but I highly suggest others sit as far from the screen as possible to minimize this effect. The other negative is the inclusion of about 15 minutes of instrumental pieces that were part of the concert. Dressed in cheesy 70s-era tuxes, the Boys look like members of a bad wedding band. I know these songs are included to reinforce the band members' bona fides as legit musicians, but they suck almost every bit of energy and momentum from the film. A smaller downside is that the volume was not nearly loud enough. Earsplitting wasn't necessary, but it seemed strange watching a concert film at such a relatively subdued level.
Awesome: I Fucking Shot That opens nationwide March 31st.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 3:30 PM | Film | Comments (0) | TrackBack
AND THEN THERE WERE TWELVE
Standout teams featuring consensus Players of the Year--J.J. Reddick (Duke) and Adam Morrison (Gonzaga)-- were eliminated from the NCAA tournament last night. Altogether, it's not a complete surprise. Both teams leaned heavily on both players performance-wise to get as far as they did throughout the season. Tournament play generally requires team efforts. Tonight the Georgetown Hoyas (#7 seed) take on the Florida Gators (#3 seed) at 9:40 pm. Along with Wichita St., Georgetown is the lowest seeded team remaining in the field. The team's success thus far has been based on very balanced scoring among all its starters, but recently sophomore Roy Hibbert has been making his presence felt in the paint. The Washington Post profiles him today here.
The 19-year-old Hibbert is a college basketball rarity, a big man who is comfortable with his back to the basket. But a common perception is that a low-post center has no place in the Princeton offense, that a high-post center -- a player who can make shots from the top of the key, like 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Jeff Green -- is what's needed. But as Coach John Thompson III said, "So much for that notion."
Hibbert seems rail thin for a man weighing in at 283 lbs., but the fact that he's 7'2" may have something to do with that. And at only 19 years of age, the sophomore should only get bigger, stronger, and more experienced. There was talk of him entering the NBA draft earlier in the season, but Hibbert silenced such notions stating simply that "My parents sent me to Georgetown to make sure I get an education, so I'm staying for all four years to get my degree."
A preview of tonight's game is available here. An earlier profile of Hibbert as a developing college player is available here.
Trivia: Joakim Noah, the standout player on the Florida Gators, is the son of former French tennis star Yannick Noah. The younger Noah attended John Thompson Jr.'s summer basketball camps when he was in high school and remains close friends with Patrick Ewing Jr., a red-shirted member of the current Georgetown team after transferring to the school.
N.B. NYC residents may want to check out the bar Proof on 3rd Ave. between 19th and 20th Sts. this evening. That's the official gathering place of the Metropolitan Georgetown Alumni Club for tonight's game. Can't say I'll be there, but I may be in the neighborhood.
Posted by Lexiphane at 2:38 PM | Sports | Comments (0) | TrackBack
CONGRATS
Visitors to Gothamist.com may notice an absence of posts by Jen Chung for the next few days. That's because the young woman is off to a distant state to get married. So Internet readers' temporary loss is to her long-term gain. Congratulations Jen and the same to her now-or-near-future husband.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 2:26 PM | Current Events | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 23, 2006
SOUTHPARK ON STEROIDS
The New York Times has a review of the book Game of Shadows by Mark Fainaru-Wadu that examines the steroids scandal that tainted Barry Bonds' performance over the past several seasons.
"Game of Shadows" grew out of that groundbreaking reporting and is based on interviews with more than 200 people and hundreds of pages of documents, including the secret grand jury testimony of Mr. Bonds, Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield and the track star Tim Montgomery; confidential memorandums detailing federal agents' interviews with some of the principal players in the case; and unredacted versions of affidavits filed by the Balco investigators.
When an excerpt from the book dealing with Mr. Bonds appeared in Sports Illustrated two weeks ago, it created a furor, renewing the outrage over steroid use in baseball that had flared a year ago after the publication of Jose Canseco's sensational book, "Juiced." This time, there were calls for more Congressional hearings and demands that Bud Selig, commissioner of Major League Baseball, appoint an independent investigator to look into allegations made in "Game of Shadows" — in particular allegations about Mr. Bonds, who holds the single season home-run record (73) and who, with a career home-run total of 708, is closing in on the sacred numbers of Babe Ruth (714) and Hank Aaron (755).
There are a few salient points I'd like to bring up about this story. First is that steroid use was not against the rules in Major League Baseball when these offenses were allegedly committed. If anything, the possibly steroid-fueled home run race between Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa a few years ago was probably to the great benefit of MLB in the disastrous post-strike years, drawing fans back to the game. Second is that there is a difference between "the rules" and sportsmanship. If one is hiding or embarrassed to admit one's training methods, one is probably cheating in the sportsmanship sense of the word. Third is the absolute ridiculousness of Congress deeming itself responsible for micromanaging the rules and regulations of Major League Baseball, not to mention holding hearings on that topic. A lot of people felt Mark McGuire embarrassed himself before a committee. I felt that Congress was embarrassing itself even addressing the matter.
South Park had an episode about steroid use in the Special Olympics. One of the contestants summed everything up pretty succinctly:
Oh my God. You, you're right, Timmy. You're totally right. [walks up to the mic and begins talking] Everyone, can I have your attention, please? [everyone falls silent] I'm afraid I have to give back my medal. The truth is, I haven't been playing fair either. I've been using st-steroids. I was willing to do anything to be the best, and the steroids made me blind to the people I was hurting. [a shot of Nancy, injured and taped around the head. She smiles] A good friend even tried to talk me out of it, and I wouldn't listen to him. [a shot of Timmy, who smiles and shows off his silver medal. Others around him wear bronzes.] Taking steroids is just like pretending to be handicapped at the Special Olympics. [a shot of a chastened Cartman before the baseball players] Because you're taking all the fairness out of the game. But I know now that even if you do win on steroids, you're really not a winner. You're just a p-pussy. You're just a [shot of Mark McGuire] big fat p-p...p...pussy, and if you take steroids, the only decent thing to do is come forward and say, [shot of Barry Bonds] "Remove me from the record books, because I am a big, stinky p-pussy-" [shot of Jason Giambi] "-steroid-taking jackass." [Giambi nods ever so subtly] That's how I feel about myself, and why I must decline this medal and my place in the history books. And if you'll let me, I'll be back next year. To compete with honor.
To Giambi's credit (although I'm not accusing him of steroid use in past seasons, ahem!), he took some time off from the game and returned to the Yankees to perform very well in a more slimmed-down state. The Times has a separate article details the allegations of Yankees Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield in the book.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 12:58 PM | Television | Comments (0) | TrackBack
PYHRRIC VICTORY FOR WOMEN
After decades of educational reform to equalize the playing field for women, it appears they are now reaping the bitter harvest of those efforts' success. While women on a whole achieve more than men in secondary education, the desire for gender balance at the college level presents a much harder challenge to distaff applicants.
Few of us sitting around the table were as talented and as directed at age 17 as this young woman. Unfortunately, her test scores and grade point average placed her in the middle of our pool. We had to have a debate before we decided to swallow the middling scores and write "admit" next to her name.Had she been a male applicant, there would have been little, if any, hesitation to admit. The reality is that because young men are rarer, they're more valued applicants. Today, two-thirds of colleges and universities report that they get more female than male applicants, and more than 56 percent of undergraduates nationwide are women. Demographers predict that by 2009, only 42 percent of all baccalaureate degrees awarded in the United States will be given to men.
We have told today's young women that the world is their oyster; the problem is, so many of them believed us that the standards for admission to today's most selective colleges are stiffer for women than men. How's that for an unintended consequence of the women's liberation movement?
I suggest that any men bitching about affirmative action bear in mind that you might not know it, but you're a primary benficiary. Universities and colleges skew the process in your favor in order to keep their campuses from turning into de facto women's colleges. As for Asian women, well, I just feel bad for you; you're screwed.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 12:44 PM | Current Events | Comments (0) | TrackBack
HOW TO GET ADOPTED BY A PET
The New York Times has a good look at the hoops that potential animal adopters must jump through to take possession of unwanted animals.
Even as adopting a stray dog or cat — rather than buying one from a store or breeder — has become politically fashionable, a badge of pride for some because of the millions of animals that are euthanized each year, the hurdles that some humane societies and rescue groups make potential owners leap — including multipage applications, references, background checks, interviews and home visits — can make the process feel nearly as daunting as adopting a child.
This is no joke. I adopted a cat from the Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition (BARC) last spring and was surprised at the strictness of the policy. I had to provide multiple references, agree to a home visit, have a signed letter from my landlord agreeing to pet ownership, my pet history along with vet contact info, and sign a contract that I wouldn't ever have my cat declawed and that if I ever wanted to transfer him to different owners I would return it to the BARC shelter first.
None of those wound up being necessary. The fact that I showed up at the shelter on my second visit with all the necessary information and letters seemed to impress them enough that I had my shit together and I actually had to demur from taking my cat home that evening--I hadn't purchased a lot of the necessary supplies, like a litter box. The BARC shelter clearly cares about its animals. They supplied me with a bag of food and a cat carrier for free when I picked Collins up. They also gave him to me already neutered and with the necessary vaccines preventing feline leukemia and other pet ailments--all for a minimal fee.
I understand that the thoroughness of the application process prevents impetuous pet adoptions, but it can be a barrier to the care of unwanted animals. On the whole, I'd say if you can't go through one day of work to adopt a cat or dog you're not ready to own a pet. Still, be ready for some scrutinizing if you want to go through the process.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 12:18 PM | Current Events | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 22, 2006
LIBERTE, EGALITE, ET iPods
This is interesting.
French lawmakers approved copyright legislation on Tuesday with a novel approach to the idea of digital freedom of choice: requiring online music vendors to make songs available for use on any digital player.
The issue at the heart of this matter is that music downloaded from the iTunes website is in the AAC format, which plays on iPods, the format does not function on any other players that almost uniformly support the MP3 compression format. iPods do, however, play MP3 files. The advantage of the AAC format is that it provides higher sound quality and smaller file size; it is no doubt superior.
Nonetheless, I own an iPod I rip all of my CDs in the MP3 format and only download from sites that provide the same. I don't, and will likely never, download music from iTunes strictly because of its incompatibility issues. If I ever wanted to switch to a different platform, I would hate to have a lot of my music rendered unlistenable. Apple's decision to adopt a proprietary format is thus costing itself business. I'd rather buy CDs from Amazon for a few more dollars and rip them or download from an alternate site than hold myself captive to a proprietary format. That is my right as a customer; but also Apple's right as a business model.
There is no lack of customer choice in the marketplace. One can buy a plethora of digital music players that support a variety of formats--Sony also has a proprietary format that I'm betting will lead to its ultimate failure in the marketplace. Apple has the advantage of superb hardware and an excellent software user interface. It likely put a lot of money into designing both of these. Allowing the company to recoup some of its costs by making itself the vendor of choice for online music purchasers seems reasonable.
Only the French or the most annoying U.S. legislators would deem themselves worthy of screwing with the best thing that's happened to the music industry in years. The introduction of iPods has no doubt more people listening to more music that they want to hear as an alternative to the awful dreck pushed through radilao airwaves. I've got a word for French legislatures: "laissez faire". They should look it up if they're no doubt unfamiliar with it.
For a fuller explanation of what AAC (or MPEG-4) is, check out Wikipedia. MP4 files incoroporate digital rights management (DRM) code, which is what makes them so limited regarding interoperabiltity. MP4 is basically an anti-piracy format as much as it is a proprietary format. It also supports video files, that is an essential component to the recent introduction of Apple's iPod Video model. The outlawing of an MP4 format with its anti-sharing provisions would essentially render Apple's iTunes' downloading format completely unattractive to content providers and be a deathknell for the company's business model. Not to mention, a serious obstacle for the advancement of commercial online music distribution, versus ad hoc piracy.
An online examination of the limitations of MP4s versus MP3s is available here.
While I do recommend users of iTunes and other similar programs to "rip" their CDs in the MP3 format for maximum interoperability and legal or "friendly" sharing, I also recommend that they go into the Preferences Menu of iTunes and select the 192Kb/sec sampling rate for the highest possible audio quality. It takes up more storage room, but is worth it to anyone who wants the most out of their transferred music.
For some historical perspective, imagine if a government had required the continuation of musical production on 8-track tapes, casette tapes, LPs, or Edison-era wax cylinders. Audio format is an evolving situation of changing and improving formats. Legislation requiring mandated formats stretches the definition of idiocy and constrains innovation.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 2:49 PM | Science & Technology | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 21, 2006
CATCH A THIEF?
The FX Network has presented some absolutely outstanding dramas over the past few years. I'm a big fan of the Dennis Leary vehicle Rescue Me, which is a brilliant mix of comedy and pathos following the work and lives of NYC firefighters. While I haven't been watching The Shield, I've heard good things about it from people I respect and it's apparently good enough to attract character performances from actors like Glenn Close. The Donnie Wahlberg-starring show Boomtown was unfortunately canceled after only one season.
March 28 marks the debut of a new series on FX called Thief that seems to follow the channel's pattern of interweaving the personal and professional lives of people in unusual occupations. In this particular case the occupation is a gang of heisters. I'm going to give this show particular attention because it stars Andre Braugher.
Since Braugher absolutely inhabited the role of Det. Frank Pembleton in the defunct NBC series Homicide, I've marveled at the paucity of televised roles he's received. I hope that the recent launch of Sleuth TV, which airs repeats of Homicide daily, will wake up casting agents to the latent acting treasure available in Braugher. His presence alone should make watching Thief a worthwhile event.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 2:08 PM | Television | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 20, 2006
SWEETNESS
For those of you who didn't catch it, the Georgetown Hoyas advanced to the round of 16 last night, defeating the #2 seeded The Ohio State Buckeyes rather handily. The lopsided 18-point victory on what was essentially Ohio State's home court saw everything falling into place for the Hoyas.
Georgetown tried to run the final seconds off the clock, but the shot clock was slightly ahead of the game clock. With 6.2 seconds remaining, Green nonchalantly shot a three-pointer from the left side to avoid a shot clock violation. Naturally, it went in."I looked over at Coach and he just smiled and gave me a thumbs-up," Green said. "It was one of those days."
Georgetown has little time to savor its victory. To advance to the Elite 8, it must face #3 seed Florida. And if they manage to get past the Gators, they will face #1 seed Villanova or #4 seed Boston College. To get to the Final Four, Georgetown definitely has the toughest row to hoe of any of the other brackets and it is the lowest-seeded team remaining in the NCAA tournament aside from the Bradley Braves (#13 seed) and Wichita St., which is also a #7 seed. An updated bracket is available here.
N.B. With three consecutive losses to open the tournament, many were already proclaiming the Big East Conference overrated after it received a record eight bids to the NCAAs. Two rounds in, however, the Big East has four teams remaining--twice as many as any other conference. The Big 10--the highest RPI-rated conference in the country--has zero teams in the Sweet Sixteen after Georgetown dispatched the conference's champions. There's no guarantee that any of its teams will advance to the Final Four or a national championship, but the Big East appears to be holding its own and the possibility of a G'town-Villanova matchup to get to the penultimate round must have tv execs salivating. For historical context, see here.
Posted by Lexiphane at 1:04 PM | Sports | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 19, 2006
HAPPY BELATED ST. PATRICK'S DAY
Anyone who's ever gone out on St. Patrick's Day in NYC ultimately regrets it. It's an ugly affair with inexperienced drinkers overimbibing and making asses of themselves. Generally, it's a good day to stay home. This year, however, I decided to seek haven from metropolitan crapulousness outside of the city, in Boston. There, I spent an afternoon in the belly of the beast, watching basketball games in a bar in the bowels of Fenway Park. I felt like an infidel who'd snuck into Mecca and was constantly on the verge of being found out.
The trip to Boston may seem counterintuitive, but Beantown actually has a much more sedate SPD's atmosphere. There's no parade, so people don't start drinking at 10 am; and perhaps the city's Irish bona fides are so established that there's no reason for overcompensation. I found the whole atmosphere very agreeable, whereas in NYC it's pretty contemptuous.
The only bad thing about Boston is the decision to take the Chinatown bus there. On my way back I was seated in the rear of the bus, between the "bathroom" and a hyperactive 22-year-old kid who wouldn't stop talking to the girl seated in front of us, presumably a friend. It was like being trapped in the back seat of a smelly little clown car with a coked-up circus monkey. For 4 1/2 hours. At that point, my Irish luck had completely run out.
I hope everyone else had a great St. Patrick's Day and will forgive me for not informing them sooner if they live in Boston and I didn't get in touch. It was a very off-the-cuff decision.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 1:33 PM | Food & Drink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 14, 2006
MARCH GLADNESS
Two days ago was Selection Sunday, when the NCAA Selection Committee chooses the 65 teams that get to go to the Big Dance. Although Georgetown finished off poorly in the late season, by faltering late in the regular season and losing in a fiasco to eventual Big East Champions Syracuse in the semi-finals, the Hoyas earned themselves a 7th seed in the Minneapolis region and a match against 10th-seeded Northern Iowa. If they make it past the first round, the Hoya squad could take on 2nd-seeded Ohio State.
The bracket is a brutal one. If G'town can manage to get past the formidable Ohio State team, they'll wind up meeting Big East familiars Villanova. The game against Northern Iowa will be on Friday, with a hopeful second game on Sunday. An account of the selection proceedings at the Leavey Student Center is here. Brackets for the whole tournament are available here.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 11:50 AM | Sports | Comments (0) | TrackBack
WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS
Last week I asserted that Darryl Littlejohn was unlikely to be found the murderer of Imette St. Guillen [see GOING OUT ON A LIMB, 3/10/06]. It now seems that the NYPD have solidified its case against the primary suspect:
Conclusive DNA evidence shows that blood found on plastic ties used to bind the graduate student who was sexually assaulted, strangled and dumped in a forlorn marshland in Brooklyn two weeks ago belonged to a bouncer at the Manhattan club where she was last seen alive, the police said yesterday.
Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said Darryl Littlejohn's blood matched that found on ties used to bind Imette St. Guillen. Despite the positive match, described as a trillion-to-one certainty, the bouncer, Darryl Littlejohn, 41, a career criminal who has been the focus of the investigation for a week, was not charged yesterday in the murder of the student, Imette St. Guillen, 24, whose savage killing has horrified the city.
That seems fairly legally damning; and if the case, I hope that Littlejohn is prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Separately, I've heard from people close to the family, that the Dorrians have been inundated with ugly phone calls at their establishments and some are calling for the citywide revocation of all of their liquor licenses.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 10:52 AM | NYC | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 12, 2006
TIME TO HIT THE HIGH NOTES
HBO's series "The Sopranos" is rarely disappointing in its content, but consistently disappointing with the the multi-year hiatuses it takes beween "seasons." It seems hard to believe, but the series returns to HBO with a new episode this evening. For those who watch the show and have vague and foggy memories of the end of the last season, it concluded with Christopher Molitsanti's near-self-murderous meltdown before he drew back from the edge and adhered himself to crime boss Tony by having his fiancee executed pathetically on a forest floor covered with leaves. Tensions between the NJ family led by Tony Soprano and the on-the-make Johnny Sacramoni are so thick that the last season ended with the fuse one inch away from a virtual keg of TNT.
Tom Shales, TV critic for The Washington Post, has good things to say about the beginning of the new season.
So eagerly awaited that the term "eagerly awaited" is a ridiculous understatement, "The Sopranos" begins its sixth and reportedly final full season tonight on HBO, and advance viewing of the first four installments suggests that television's greatest drama series has only gotten greater.Twice within those first four new episodes, Tony the clan patriarch and godfather asks: "Who am I? Where am I going?" The questions are elemental, even kind of corny, but millions of viewers will be on the edges of their couches, breathlessly following Tony on his quest for the answers.
Tony's journey, which will occupy 12 weekly episodes this year and an additional eight starting in January, already has been one of the most rewarding and enthralling in the history of the medium. But wait, it gets better. Or, in terms of putting a viewer through the proverbial emotional wringer, it gets worse. It might even call for some newly minted accolades, because it truly is a television landmark that leaves lots of other landmarks in the dust.
A page is available with a recap of Season 5 scenes and a preview trailer of Season 6 are located here. The infurating dilatory production nature of the show notwithstanding, it's hard to imagine not getting sucked back in. The Season 6 premiere airs tonight at 9 p.m. ET.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 12:40 PM | Television | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 10, 2006
BLUE AND GREY AND ORANGE CLASH ON 34TH ST.
After an improbable win over #1-ranked UCONN yesterday, the Syracuse Orangemen advanced to the semi-finals of the Big East Tournament where they will face--wait for it--the Georgetown Hoyas.
In a year of resurgent Big East action, ESPN really couldn't ask for more than a meeting between Jim Boeheim and the son of his arch nemesis, John Thompson, Jr. JT III is the relative new kid on the block after wearing Princeton orange. Boeheim finally won Syracuse orange National Championship status in 2003 after Thompson retired. The win over UCONN probably secured Syracuse a ticket to the Dance. Georgetown is looking to improve its seed. More important is a northeastern grudge match that probably rivals Duke-UNC in its intensity.
When Georgetown ended a 57-game winning streak at Syracuse's home court, Manley Field House that was the final basketball game before the structure was closed to basketball in 1980, John Thompson Jr. famously remarked "This house is closed", sticking a dagger in the hearts of Syracuse fans everywhere. The Hoyas and the Orangemen meet tonight at 7 p.m. ET in Madison Square Garden. ESPN televises nationally.
UPDATE: Anyone who saw the game knows that G'town surrendered a sizeable game-long lead with 39 min and 30 second to Syracuse in the last seconds of the semi-finals in what will go down as one of the hugest choke-artist performances in the history of the Big East tournament. That's all I'd like to say about it at this time.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 3:03 PM | Sports | Comments (1) | TrackBack
GOING OUT ON A LIMB
Obviously, Darryl Littlejohn, the bouncer/doorman at The Falls, may not be the greatest guy in the world. His lengthy rapsheet, including multiple violent felonies, would indicate that he should--and is--be a prime suspect in the murder of grad student Immette St. Guillen. Nonetheless, I don't think he did it.
Why not? I find it hard to believe that someone would abduct a woman from an after-hours environment that included probably less than a dozen people. Such a witness-intensive environment would assume total idiocy on behalf of the perpetrator. I doubt the crime occurred at or immediately after The Falls. Second, the varying and inconsistent stories coming out of The Falls indicate panic-driven ass covering. Third, the cops have not presented any evidence yet linking Littlejohn to the crime. The carpet fibers from his van weren't a match. He wasn't ID'd in a lineup from an investigation of a previous rape investigation. And most importantly, there has been no public release of stills or video of security cameras inside or outside The Falls showing Littlejohn and St. Guillen interacting. According to either of the varying accounts, these should be available. Given my familiarity with Dorrian family establishments, I'm almost 100% sure that The Falls has video surveillance. That the NYPD and the DA are releasing every bit of information that casts suspicion on Littlejohn, it seems like any video evidence in existence would have already been leaked. Its absence is suspicious in favor of the defense.
Obviously this is amateur-hour defense lawyer play-acting. And Littlejohn is an obvious suspect given his past. Nonetheless, I've yet to see a shred of solid evidence linking the man to this terrible crime and his public excoriation seems to be based solely on hearsay.
Aside: On a side note, I attempted to defend the Dorrian family in the Comments section over at Gothamist.com. Whatever the circumstances surrounding this crime, an entire family doesn't deserve to get dragged through the mud.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 10:12 AM | NYC | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 9, 2006
LISTEN ALL YOU NEW YORKERS
I am not a fan of huge arena-style rock concerts. It's hard for the energy level to reach a point in a giant cavernous hall that you feel like there's a real connection between a band and 20,000 or so fans. That was not a problem in October 2004 when the Beastie Boys took the stage at Madison Square Garden. For two hours it seemed like the roof was either going to be blown off the place or the entire arena would be crashing down through 34th St. into Penn Station. The Boys know how to put on a show; and as they hit their 40s touring for an album (To The 5 Boroughs) that was a post-9/11 tribute to their hometown, the MSG concert had the feeling of a sendoff for a band that had been rocking the town faultlessly for 20 years.
I have a friend who is such a huge BBs fan that he as gone as far as stalking them down near their Lower East Side studio. Upon leaving that October show, we excitedly speculated on the possibility of a DVD releas of the concert. The Beastie Boys have done us one better. On March 23rd at midnight, theaters nationwide will begin screening Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!, a full-length concert film recorded with handheld cameras and presented in full ear-blowing stereo. It should be the next best thing to having been there. Full release is scheduled for March 31st. Watch the trailer here. Screening locations are available here.
Hat Tip: Thanks to JC for keeping me on top of breaking BBs news.
Posted by Lexiphane at 9:42 AM | Music | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 7, 2006
NEW BATTERY
At the south end of Manhattan, the Battery Marine Terminal sits like the red-headed (and much older) stepchild to the brand new Staten Island Ferry Terminal. The tarnished Beaux-Arts structure should have a patina of old New York on it; instead it's got a slapped-on coat of institutional-green paint. Its architectural style is in stark contrast with the Bauhaus modernism of the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. The BMT used to be the point of embarcation for people heading to Governor's Island. Since that harbor landmark's decomissioning as a Coast Guard facility, the BMT has been sitting as a deteriorating historic curiosity.
The New York Times reports today that the New York City Development Corp. wants to renovate the building and turn it into an upscale public market.
Dozens of market stalls might fill the grand public hall where commuters in the early 20th century waited, under the fierce gaze of grotesque dolphins perched atop 30-foot-tall columns, to cross the harbor to 39th Street in South Brooklyn. A wine or coffee bar might be placed at one end, a demonstration kitchen at the other. Diners could sit out on a monumental loggia overlooking South Street and Battery Park."What New York is really missing is a great market hall in a historic building," said Kate Ascher, the executive vice president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, which is looking for a developer to undertake the project. She added that the hall should have a "very public use" because a lot of public money has gone into it.
This is an excellent idea. Following 9/11 and the exodus of many banking firm jobs across the river to lower-taxed NJ, a lot of Financial District office buildings have been converted to condos and rentals. The limitation of the neighborhood is that it lacks a lot of the necessary amenities required by full-time residents. The residential pioneers of this transformation are young i-bankers, who don't seem to need anything other than a 5-minute commute, 24-hour food delivery services, and Wi-Fi in their buildings so they can keep working the six hours a day they're outside of the office. That doesn't make a neighborhood. The addition of a public market could really diversify the population of Manhattan's oldest neighborhood.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 10:31 AM | NYC | Comments (0) | TrackBack
MORE DEVELOPMENTS AT THE FALLS
Last week I wrote about how the investigation into the murder of grad student Immette St. Guillen had begun to focus on The Falls [see LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE, 3/1/06], a SOHO bar/restaurant that a friend manages. Over the weekend, the police announced that they were currently focusing on the actions of one of the bouncers at the establishment.
A bouncer questioned by police in the brutal rape and killing of a New York City graduate student asked for a lawyer Monday as authorities planned to search his Queens home, NewsChannel 4's Jonathan Dienst reported.Two law enforcement officials described the 41-year-old man, who has an extensive criminal record, as a potential suspect. The bouncer was on duty at The Falls when Imette St. Guillen disappeared on Feb. 25, said the officials, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no one had been charged in the high-profile case.
NewsChannel 4 reported that the search warrant for the bouncer's home came as a result of phone records that put him at his home hours after he left the bar. Investigators also said a later cell phone record that day puts him near the Brooklyn lot where the victim's body was found.
I hope they catch whoever perpetrated this crime, but it makes me a little ill to think it could have been one of the bouncers. While intimidating looking, most of these guys are really nice when you get to know them. And from my experiences at The Falls, I'm pretty sure I know which ones are definitely not suspects. It would just be inconceivable.
That said, the owners and I'm afraid the manager are going to find themselves in serious legal hot water if it turns out they hired an ex-con with a rap sheet including violent felonies to secure their bar. That is a serious screw up.
On a technological side note, the WNBC article linked to above notes that police traced calls made by the bouncer suspect to Brooklyn. I didn't realize that it was possible to retroactively geographically pinpoint the location of mobile calls. That's kind of freaky.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 9:26 AM | NYC | Comments (0) | TrackBack
FDNY'S BUSTER KEATON ACT
Being a NYC firefighter involves taking incredible risks on a regular basis. Putting out a manhole fire would probably not be considered one of those high-profile risks. It turned out to be, however, Saturday night when a substreet fire ignited an explosion so powerful that an SUV parked over a manhole was thrown into the air. The multi-ton vehicle then landed on a firefighter's head. What should have been a freak tragedy though, took a turn for the miraculous. Firefighter Marc Kroneung crashed through the driver's side window--designed to shatter on impact--and found himself standing inside the overturned car when it came to rest. Since he was wearing his helmet, he only needed to receive five stitches. They will be telling that story around his Bronx firehouse for decades.
Hat tip: Gothamist.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 9:02 AM | NYC | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 3, 2006
TIME FOR A NEW BLACKLIST?
Actor Billy Zane's most memorable role recently was guesting on the second-rate WB show "Charmed" last year, so he's desperate for work. And since Gary Busey was in a near-fatal head-injuring motorcycle accident about a decade ago, it's widely acknowleded that he's basically insane. Still, what the hell are the two of them doing in the Turkish-produced film Valley of the Wolves--Iraq [Kurtlar Vadisi - iRaq]?
I haven't seen the film, but the trailer presents U.S. soldiers as murderers and bloodthirsty executioners. Other reviews bring up the fact that Busey's character raises the old and hoary stereotype of a Jewish doctor harvesting the organs of Iraqis for sale and profit to Israeli and Western recipients. Zane's character is played as a sanguine mastermind who patrols the streets of northern Iraq chauffered in a black limosuine and wearing a crisp white suit.
The movie, which is playing in sold-out theaters in Germany to packed audiences of Turkish immigrants who cheer the deaths of U.S. soldiers, is something I'd like to see as well. Remember when movie stars like Jimmy Stewart put their careers on hold to serve in the military during WWII (Stewart was a bomber pilot in Europe, hardly safe duty)? Apparently now some actors can't even restrain themselves from making propaganda films posing U.S. servicemen as butchers.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 8:13 AM | Film | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 2, 2006
WORST CASE SCENARIO
Unlike a lot of civil libertarians, I don't have a huge problem with the USA Patriot Act. Certain steps have to be taken during war that we aren't comfortable with in a placid geopolitical environment. Although I don't think many of those steps are as extreme as many do, I was disappointed to read that a federal judge has ruled that Patriot Act e-mail searches apply to non-terrorists.
Two federal judges in Florida have upheld the authority of individual courts to use the Patriot Act to order searches anywhere in the country for e-mails and computer data in all types of criminal investigations, overruling a magistrate who found that Congress limited such expanded jurisdiction to cases involving terrorism.
Sorry, this is total bullshit. If the government wants to widen its temporary expansion of legal surveillance powers, it better be doing it for the right reasons and the ones sanctioned by voters. I occasionally hear redneck crystal meth manufacturers described as terrorists and necessitating Patriot Act invocation, but that is ridiculous. Let's keep our eye on the ball or throw those spyglasses right out the window. Peeping into the neighbor's bedroom while we're supposed to be watching the back door isn't just lackadaisacal and irresponsible, but negligent and dangerous.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 2:17 PM | Politics & Policy | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 1, 2006
LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE
The story taking up the front pages of NY's dailies this week is the brutal rape, torture, and murder of NYC grad student Imette St. Guillen.
Shortly before beautiful Manhattan grad student Imette St. Guillen was brutally murdered, her best friend called her to try to coax her into going home and ending her night of partying.But instead of heeding her friend's advice, Imette went to another bar — and was found dead 17 hours later, nude and violated, wrapped in a cheap flowered quilt, bound hand and foot with a sock shoved in her mouth, her hair lopped off and her face wrapped like a "mummy" in clear plastic packing tape.
As horrible as this crime is, I also felt pretty bad for the owners and workers at Pioneer Bar, the Bowery haunt where St. Guillen remained after her friends went home and the place most named in news accounts. The establishment seemed on the verge of overnight infamy, despite the fact that St. Guillen last spoke to her friends from "another bar" that remained unnamed.
Now, news station 1010 WINS is reporting that the previously unnamed bar is The Falls, located at Cleveland Place on Lafayette St. just below Spring St. That's not good. A friend of mine is the manager of The Falls and the bar/restaurant is owned by members of the Dorrian family. If that name rings a bell it's because the family's flagship restaurant is Dorrian's Red Hand on the Upper East Side. In 1986, "Preppie Murderer" Robert Chambers lured 18-year-old Jennifer Levine out of Dorrian's and proceeded to allegedly rape and strangle her to death in nearby Central Park. The case was a NYC media firestorm in the mid-1980s.
Now there's a second high-profile rape and murder of a young female student originating at another of the Dorrian family's establishments. The press are going to have a field day with this and will be bending over backwards to equate the two crimes. It's going to get ugly.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 6:11 PM | NYC | Comments (2) | TrackBack
FREE SPEECH OR TERRORISM
I'm normally a free speech absolutist, but The New York Times details a trial currently going on against the owners of a web site, Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty, who highlight targets and advocate violence against people involved in scientific experiments utilizing animals. The defendants claim that they're simply trying to shame people involved in the practice and have no affiliation with those who commit violence furthering their cause, but prosecutors believe otherwise. Apparently, there is no level to which the animal rights activists in question won't stoop:
They also said the group members sought to terrorize their targets by posting their children's names, ages, schools and after-school schedules.
and
They also played a videotape of a raucous protest outside the home of one of the group's targets, which pictured Lauren Gazzola, a defendant, bragging that the police had been unable to protect the victims of pipe bombings and vandalism attacks.
"The police can't help you!" Ms. Gazzola, of Connecticut, screamed through a bullhorn.
Uh yeah, that's seriously f'd up.
Prosecutors produced an assortment of conversations, speeches and e-mail messages in which group members expressed glee in the violent attacks, often using the word "we" to claim credit for them.
Huntingdon Life Sciences, the company and its affiliates that are targeted by the extremist group, is performing necessary and required legal services for its clients.
Huntingdon executives say their company uses the most humane methods possible when testing animals for the food and cosmetics industry. But the Food and Drug Administration requires that drugs be tested on animals before it will grant approval, and testing laboratories like Huntingdon are hired to carry out those experiments, often injecting test animals with a substance, then killing and dissecting them.
[emphasis added]
It is unclear why the Times needed to add the "But" separating the two sentences in the above quoted passage. There is nothing contradictory about the two sentences whatsoever. "In fact" would have been a more useful conjoiner in the context of the article. The only reason for the use of the word "but" would be to gainsay the prior statement that Huntingdon behaved as humanely as possible in its business. That's some pathetic editorialism snuck into a news article via poor diction.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 2:37 PM | Politics & Policy | Comments (0) | TrackBack
PIXIE STICKS
Sheesh! An eight-year-old second grader in Philly brought 18 bags of cocaine to school with her and passed them around--with many of her fellow students tasting, although not snorting, the drugs before their presence in the classroom was discovered. I can think of few more horrifying predicaments for a teacher than a class of 30 coked-up second graders. Heroin is obviously the drug of choice for nap time.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 1:08 PM | Current Events | Comments (0) | TrackBack
MARDI GRAS MADNESS
All New Yorkers have to deal with some good ol' fashioned craziness every once in a while. Last night was my turn. On my way home from babysitting duty last night, I stopped at my local bodega and was perusing the Daily News cover story of the horrific rape and murder of a John Jay grad student on the news rack out front. I couldn't help noticing a somewhat wild-eyed middle-aged guy standing on the corner eyeballing me as I went inside to get a soda. On my way out, the man started to follow me across the street exclaiming "Great! That's great!" I kind of nodded in agreement and took out my keys so I could get into my apartment quickly when the time came. Then I stopped on the corner and pulled out my phone to pretend a call, hoping the guy would just keep walking or if he really was following me. At this point, Mr. Crazy, who was about 5'10", 230 lbs, and a had a red ruddy face that looked like he'd spent about 3 decades too many at the bar, started screaming "You know what you did! You know what you did!" and punched me in the face. I stayed on my feet but was completely stunned as he grabbed my keys out of hand. He continued to advance on me as I asked him "Yo man, what the fuck?!" and I stupidly walked backwards into 5th Ave. where I'm lucky I didn't get run over. I quickly retreated back inside the corner store and called 911. My assailant calmly walked down the avenue, my keys in hand, before turning off onto a side street.
The cops showed up surprisingly quickly--I'd say in about 90 seconds--and we did a ridearound of the surrounding blocks looking for the guy, but he was nowhere to be found, leading me to believe he lives somewhere in the neighborhood. Supposedly, I'll be hearing from a detective in the next few days for a followup investigation, but I'm not too optimistic. In the greater scheme of things I think I got off pretty easy. The cops wanted to take me to the hospital, but I declined. My face hurt like I'd just been punched in it, but there was no blood or lost teeth. I still had my wallet, cell phone, and was happy yesterday was the first time I'd walked out of my house without my iPod in months. Getting a locksmith to visit your house around midnight and drill your deadbolt, however, is absurdly expensive, and I mean outrageously shockingly absurdly expensive.
Getting mugged is infuriating, but somewhat comprehendable. Getting asaulted by a total lunatic is upsetting on a whole different level. It didn't occur to me until an hour later that Mr. Crazy probably watched me reading the article about the young woman's murder in front of the bodega, logically put two and two together, and deduced that I was the killer. He was just there to dispense a little street justice. What are you gonna do? I'll be keeping my eyes open, because that psycho's gonna be paying for my new lock via blood, treasure, or jailtime if I have anything to do with it. And yes, I'll be letting the cops issue the beatdown; I'm not stupid.
UPDATE: Cop friends informed me that what I went on wasn't "a ridearound", but "a canvas" when looking for the guy that assaulted me. Trying to keep myself legit.
Tagged:Posted by Lexiphane at 11:07 AM | NYC | Comments (2) | TrackBack
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