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Sorry, Bloomberg, NYC continues to supersize

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:44:00 +0000

Keep drinking, New York. On Monday, just one day before Mayor Bloomberg's controversial ban on supersize sugary drinks was to go into effect, a state Supreme Court judge struck it down.

You can imagine El Bloombito's disappointment. Mike Bloomberg has had stunning previous successes with his health-focused initiatives — a 2008 ban on trans fats in restaurants paved the way for significant changes in food preparation across the country, and led to a large reduction in the amount of a heart-disease-promoting ingredient in our foods. Two years ago, he restricted smoking in the city's parks, beaches and public spaces – and other cities have either followed suit or are now considering similar measures.

Ken Burns wins legal battle against NYC over “Central Park Five”

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:30:00 +0000

After New York City officials issued a subpoena against "Central Park Five" filmmakers Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon in October 2012, they hoped to obtain unreleased footage examining the wrongful conviction of five black and Hispanic men in the infamous, racially charged 1989 Central Park jogger case. The five, who have since been exonerated, nine years ago filed an as-of-yet unsettled $250 million lawsuit against the city; Burns and his team have been vocal in their hopes that the case will be settled soon. City officials -- who did not cooperate in the making of the film -- had planned to obtain Burns' footage and find material to present in defense in the ongoing lawsuit, claiming that Burns and his team shouldn't get reporters' privilege because they were making a "one-sided advocacy piece."

Yesterday, however, Magistrate Judge Ronald L. Ellis of United States District Court in Manhattan ruled against the city, upholding the filmmakers' argument that "Central Park Five" was constructed as independent, investigative journalism. He argued that, “Indeed, it seems likely that a filmmaker would have a point of view going into a project,” but having an opinion does not have to be in conflict with independent reporting.

Alec Baldwin disputes claims he used racial epithets

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 01:44:00 +0000

Another day, another face-off between Alec Baldwin and the New York Post, it seems. Reports Ben Yakas of The Gothamist, the "30 Rock" star got into another altercation with the tabloid on Sunday. Baldwin told the New York City blog that a New York Post photographer assaulted him near his East Village apartment, and that he called the cops to file a formal complaint against him. But photographer G.N. Miller, who is black, went on counterattack, accusing Baldwin of calling him a "crackhead," a "drug dealer," and "a coon."

Baldwin told Yakas, "If you want to paint a picture of me that is a denigrating picture, I've seen that. If you want to put words in my mouth...I've certainly had my moments. But this is not one of them. I don't think I've ever uttered a racial epithet to someone in my lifetime."

“Girls” recap: Ray wants his “Little Women” back

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 03:30:00 +0000

Poor Staten Island. After being battered and nearly eclipsed by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, it has now suffered an even greater indignity: being made into a metaphor by Ray.

If the “Girls” episodes up until now have been about the hazards of striving, this one is about the perils of having actually arrived. First up is Hannah, who, as the episode begins, is being courted by an actual, real-life, buying-the-drinks editor. He's got gray hair. He knows money men. And he'd like her to write a book — an e-book — the kind that must be delivered in a month. Hannah leaves the lunch and, like a newly expectant mother, pukes on the sidewalk.

Meanwhile, Shoshanna is trying to convince Ray that he should invest in more than the mop he is scornfully pumping up and down. She would like him to attend an entrepreneurship seminar given by Donald Trump. “Don't you want to run your own coffee shop one day?” she asks. Ray laughs at this dubious honor, then hands the mop to Hannah, whose e-book deal, however illustrious, has not yet provided her the means to not be mopping Grumpy's floor. “I can't believe I have a friend who signed a book deal!” breathes Shoshanna. “It's so adult and intriguing!” Intriguing enough that Hannah herself may need some guidance. “How fast do you think you can write a book?” she asks Shoshanna.

Forty years later, Garfunkel is still bitter after all these years

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 18:15:00 +0000

Art Garfunkel, 71 years old and still reeling decades later from the breakup of the musical act that made him a household name, is now saying that one of the reasons Simon & Garfunkel broke up was because of Mike Nichols' 1970 film adaptation of Joseph Heller's "Catch-22." In the late 1960s, he says, the two were cast in the film, and while Garfunkel managed to hold onto his fourth-billing role, Simon ended up on the cutting room floor, reports the Guardian.

Garfunkel was speaking at the Paley Center for Media in New York last Wednesday, as part of a screening of Charles Grodin's 1969 Simon & Garfunkel documentary "Songs of America." According to the Hollywood Reporter, both the singer and Grodin implicated Nichols. Recall that Nichols featured Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" and "Scarborough Fair" in "The Graduate," his now-iconic 1967 film that won him an Oscar for best director.

"That was the beginning of their split-up," said Grodin. "You don't take Simon & Garfunkel and ask them to be in a movie and then drop one of their roles on them."

Manhattan without power

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 18:35:00 +0000

As most of lower Manhattan remains without power and cellphone service, the lightless city emanates an eerie, ghostlike feeling -- especially at night.

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