The scene outside of the Empire State Building (via)

Our thoughts go out to the families of the people who were allegedly shot outside of the Empire State Building this morning:

The body of an alleged gunman is lying outside the entrance to the Empire State Building after a shooting broke out Friday morning, leaving at least two dead, New York City officials said.

A woman was also killed in the shooting, which occurred as people were lining up to gain entry to the busy tourist destination.

An elevator worker from inside the Empire State Building ran outside and began chasing the alleged shooter, CNN producer Rose Arce said. At some point police, who were apparently inside the building, were alerted and chased and the alleged shooter.

Arce talked to several international tourists who were standing around. "They were completely stunned by what happened and were screaming," Arce reports. -[CNN]

Mayor Bloomberg will be holding a press conference at 11AM EST to talk about the situation, which is developing as we speak. Stream it live here.

Sad day for New York.

A mock-up of the BAM Fishman space inside of BAM Fisher

Over three years in the making and ahead of schedule it should be said, let's give a warm welcome to the newest entrant into the BAM family, the BAM Fisher facility:

Join us this September as we inaugurate BAM Fisher, a new facility designed for LEED Gold certification located at 321 Ashland Place-around the corner from BAM's Peter Jay Sharp Building. Part of a new model for the 21st-century arts center, the BAM Fisher offers affordable ticket prices, subsidized rehearsal and performance spaces, and an expanded roster of talks and education and family programs. The BAM Fisher is a place where artists and community come together-and you, the adventurous audience, are an active participant.

Named in honor of longtime friend and former BAM Endowment Trust Chairman Richard B. Fisher (1936-2004), the BAM Fisher serves as the cornerstone of BAM's 150th anniversary celebration and a commitment to the future through its programming and its design. The building features several spaces:

-Fishman Space, a 250-seat theater
-BAM Fisher Hillman Studio, a rehearsal and performance space
-Leavitt Workshop, a classroom
-Scripps Stage, in the Fishman Space
-Stutz Gardens, on the BAM Fisher Rooftop Terrace
-Sharp Lobby, an exhibition space

The venue has arrived just in time to join the 30th Annual Next Wave Festival, which kicks off on 9/5 and continues into the new year. The space will host five shows as part of the music program of the festival, including: the anthemic piano pop of Ian & Chad on September 28; the"Psuedoacoustic" incarnation of unique soul songstress Tamar-kali on September 29; cellist Maya Beiser performing opera Elsewhere (10/17 - 20); Theo Bleckmann and American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) taking on the songs of compser Phil Kline (10/25 - 27); and Mantra Percussion who will perform with 2x4s and contact mics as part of an exhibition called Timber (12/13 - 15). Tickets for all Fishman shows during Next Wave are on sale.

"Gee, that was easy.
The NYPD has cracked the case of the stolen Salvador Dali painting after it was mysteriously mailed back to New York from Europe, The Post has learned. The $150,000 watercolor-and-ink original work arrived in pristine condition inside a box at JFK Airport yesterday morning, law enforcement sources said. "It seems to be in exceptional condition," said one source. "It was addressed to the gallery and it had a return address, but it appears to be bogus and the name is illegible." [NY Post]

In other news, ArtInfo.com brings us The 25 Wackiest Art-Themed GIFs, From a Dancing Van Gogh to Dali's Marching Elephant

Continue reading "Stolen Dali painting returned"

"These kids were the first to jump in the newly
renovated McCarren Park Pool" - @NYC Mayor's Office

Yesterday was the last day of public school, so today NYC's public pools open, just in time for the second heat wave of the summer with temperatures in the 90s expected through Monday. That includes the highly-anticipated reopening of the McCarren Park Pool, which originally opened in 1936 but fell into disrepair and closed in the '80s.

Of course more recently the abandoned pool became the setting for the hugely popular Jelly NYC Sunday Pool Parties and other concerts, which spurned interest in the facility again... and the city decided in 2008 to turn it back into a pool again, a $50 million project that we'll finally get to see in action today. The McCarren Park pool will be open daily from 11AM - 3PM and then from 4PM - 7PM. Admission is FREE.

Learn more about McCarren Pool's opening from Williamsburg resident Pat Kiernan over at NY1.

Update: Check out the line!

photos by Sachyn Mital

The 2012 Mermaid Parade saw another set of folks in various degrees of nakedness make their way down Surf Ave and the boardwalk this Saturday (6/23). Here are some pictures from the day's festivities. More below....

Continue reading "pics from the 2012 Mermaid Parade in Coney Island"

by BBG

Struck By Lightning's album art for True Predation

As discussed, Struck by Lightning is back with more venomous crusty hardcore on True Predation, the band's new release out TUESDAY via Translation Loss (who just showcased their bands in NYC and Philly. - pics on the way). We previously posted a new track before, but now you can stream the entire LP! Listen below...

Continue reading "Stream all of Struck by Lightning's 'True Predation' (premiere)"

photos by Ryan Muir

The Idiotarod is a shopping cart race in which five "idiots" tie themselves to a (sometimes modified) grocery store shopping cart and run through the streets of a major metropolitan area. The race usually features people in costumes and themed floats. The race, though fun, is competitive, and teams are known to sabotage each other in an effort to win. Forms of sabotage include tripping competitors, throwing marbles or large obstacles in their paths, and the spreading of misinformation, such as false route information.

The Idiotarod is named after the Iditarod, a 1,000 mile dog-sledding race in Alaska. [Wikipedia]

NYC's 6th Idiotarod race took place on Saturday (1/31). Starting around 11:45AM, the race went from 61st & East River Park in Manhattan, over the 59th St Bridge into Astoria, down through Long Island City, over the Pulaski into Greenpoint to Coco66 (the bar where Beirut recently played a secret show), and then finally ended in a playground. There were approximately 20 themed, powerful, and crazy teams (of idiots) running the long (5 miles?) race. They included Danger Zone (with Romulus and Remus gladiator carts and theme music), Wayne Fest (which was 1 Wayne and 4 Garths), Double Dare, Blue Man Group, and Gnomes (note: those may or may not be the official team names). Geese were also a popular theme. An Australian "Sparks" girl was running in stilettos and was very vocal about saving Sparks.

More of Ryan's pictures below...

Continue reading "pictures from NYC's 2009 Idiotarod race"

photos by Tim Griffin and John S. Ra

Soya Milk & Latte (by Tim Griffin)

A brilliant Halloween swept away the gloom from a city that desperately needed some good tidings. I left my home late Friday afternoon in my old, fat Elvis costume, and the streets of Nolita were packed with children dressed as skunks, pixies, angels, and such. I had to stop to watch this mini-parade of cuteness. Store owners filled the little tykes' pumpkins and bags from their own pumpkins and bags with the requisite sweet stuff. I grabbed a cab to take me to a production meeting over at Webster Hall, where I was to be a judge at the $5,000 costume contest. Adults and teenagers in clown suits and monster masks strolled past at lights, and I asked my Pakistani driver what he thought of Halloween. He told me that he never understood it: "Americans are usually so brash and poorly dressed despite the great wealth of the country. But on this day they go crazy and are suddenly creative and very nice." He concluded that it gave him "a great feeling of optimism about us." [Steve Lewis]

More pictures from Friday night's parade below...

Continue reading "more pictures from the 2008 Village Halloween Parade"

Michael Jackson Thriler, Greenwich Village, Oct 31, 2008 (by editrrix)

More pictures HERE, HERE, and HERE.

And check out these pics of Zombiecon/Zombiecrawl HERE.

Video of the Thriller part (as seen in the above photo) of the parade below...

Continue reading "2008 NYC Halloween Parade photos & (Thriller) video"

an actual pizza box

The East Village rocker boys behind Bowery Electric, Jesse Malin and Johnny T, along with Kevin Cole (of Two Boots fame), have teamed up, all in the name of pizza. The rock 'n' roll trio is the force behind The Pizza Shop, located on Avenue A and 7th Street, which officially has its grand opening tonight [June 25, 2008]. The spot has been serving pizza since the 1960s, but the new owners decided to gussy up the space a bit......All the pizza boxes are limited edition prints. According to a press release we received: "Around 1500 of each box style is made and then never reproduced. The first one being a photo of The Clash from 1979 taken by world famous rock photographer Bob Gruen. Each box will have a different image created by well known and local artists featuring their particular style and medium and these boxes are free with a purchase of any pizza." As we mentioned earlier, tonight's the opening, so if you're in the hood, stop by for your very own signed Bob Gruen pizza box!" [PAPER]

Pizza Shop (an actual pizza place, not a club or bar) is right next door to Niagara, a bar that Jesse Malin also owns, and where you'll find the famous mural of The Clash's Joe Strummer on the outside wall.

P.S. for amazing vegan pizza check out Vinnies on Bedford.