How Much Is That…Fishstick in the Window? Bansky Opens The Village Pet Store

You’ll never think of little Fido the same way.  At least, that’s how British graffiti artist Bansky wants you to feel after witnessing the bizarre collection of oddities at his first New York exhibit, The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill.  If you’re repulsed by the fact that the words “Pet Store” and “Charcoal Grill” are in the same sentence, you should be.  The exhibit features a host of animatronic creatures, including, yes, fishsticks swimming in a fishbowl, a leopard fur jacket perched on a tree branch, a breathing monkey with headphones watching television, chicken nuggets dipping themselves in sauce, a mother security camera feeding her baby camera children, and a rabbit testing cosmetic products on itself.  In case you don’t understand (and hey, we don’t blame you), this is Banksy’s statement against society’s treatment of animals.

The walk-though exhibit (the entire retail space is actually the exhibit) takes approximately ten minutes to view.  It is open to anyone free of charge, but be prepared to wait in line.  And hurry!  It closes permanently Friday, October 31.

The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill

89 Seventh Avenue South

New York, NY

10 A.M. to midnight

Breaking News: Provincetown Playhouse Protesters Gather at NYU

 

 A group of protesters from the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation has gathered at about noon today in front of the NYU Law Building, at the intersection of MacDougal and West 4th Streets.  With posters and chants declaring, “NYU!  Shame on you!” and “Preserve, Don’t Demolish!”, the group is voicing its opposition to NYU’s plans to convert the culturally significant Provincetown Playhouse (which is now actually used for apartments and offices) to a new law facility.  With almost unanimous support from the Community Board to begin construction, NYU has vowed to preseve some original features (such as theatre seats), and the facade and some interior walls of the building (approximately 6% of the total space).  But the Society for Historic Preservation believes this is not enough, and is pushing for NYU President John Sexton to halt the plans and for the city to landmark the building.

Do you have a solution to this contentious issue?  Please comment and be heard!

Update: By the way, The New York Times and the Washington Square News picked up this story, but not before Mazza First Hand Source did – we were on the frontlines, first on the scene!

Breaking News: Controversy, Conspiracy, and Conflict as Dan Rather Speaks at NYU

 

The panel discussion at the NYU Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute among media all-stars Dan Rather, New York Times Managing Editor Jill Abramson, Associated Press President Tom Curley, and PressThink blogger Jay Rosen proved to be a fascinating and exciting event.  The discussion touched upon the topics of “The First Amendment, the Freedom of the Press, and the Future of Journalism,” and each member of the panel offered a distinct and profound perspective.

That is not to say that there weren’t moments of tension, and even a couple when it got downright ugly.

When the discussion was opened up to questions from the audience, a man - somewhat curiously- ran to the microphone to be first in line.  Well, it turns out he had a motive: he introduced himself as a representative of wearechange.org (warning: beware of extremism), and launched into a series of accusations against Rather.  He began with, “Mr. Rather, on September 11, 2001 you claimed…” and continued confronting Rather about his apparent statement regarding the possibility of bombs in the World Trade Center attacks.  The audience quickly began to murmur, and moderator Gil Klein attempted to interrupt the speaker.  Rather said, “I’m sorry, I don’t hear a question in this.”  Finally the man asked, “Mr. Rather do you believe those statements you said?”  Rather responded that they were not a “belief” he held, but simply an observation he made.  He ended by saying, “I’m not sure how this question relates to the topic of this panel discussion.”  The man was not satisfied, and continued to shout at Rather, even as he was being pushed away from the microphone. 

Dan Rather

The shocked panel and audience had barely recovered when a second man approached the microphone.  He asked the panel about the elusive and controversial Bilderberg Group, again launching into an attack regarding conspiracy theories.  The panel chose to ignore the question, though the man continued to ask more pressingly, declaring, “Whenever I try to talk about it, I get death threats!”  Abramson finally broke the silence, stating that she knew of the group but did not wish to discuss it at the panel.

 

The discussion moved on, with Rosen comparing established mainstream journalists to a “tribe,” and Rather responding, “Had I known we were a tribe, I would have brought my headdress and my wigwam.”  But the analogy proved effective in describing the journey of traditional media “migrating across the river to the promised land” where new media already resides.  Clever.

Interestingly, Rather refuted claims that the newspaper is dying, pointing out that the same argument was made in the advent of radio, and then again in the advent of television.  The newspaper has survived the development of new technology, and so it will survive this time, he argued.  Yet one is still left feeling like newspapers will have to adapt like never before to make it through these latest obstacles.

Though he originally entered the panel seeming like the underdog, Rosen ended up having the last word, offering hope that professional and amateur journalists (pro-am) can someday work together in the media.

Even when the discussion officially concluded, the drama continued: the two infamous conspiracy theorists/question hijackers had brought cameras, and followed the panel members as they headed for the elevators.  They proceeded to harass them and ask them questions regarding their respective conspiracies.  An NYU facility employee suddenly exploded at one of the men, spitting on him and slapping his camera.  Then both men attempted to escape down the emergency exit stairs, before being chased and yelled at by NYU employees.  Meanwhile, Rather and his assistants disappeared into one of the elevators.  Even though the tactless conspiracy theorists kind of deserved it, there’s a good chance that the angry NYU employee will get in trouble for this.

It looks like freedom of speech was certainly the focus of this eventful night!

 

Dan Rather, New York Times Managing Editor Jill Abramson, Associated Press CEO Tom Curley, and PressThink Blogger Jay Rosen Convene at NYU

If you’ve ever wanted to meet with the world’s most powerful media representatives in your quest for global domination (and I know a lot of you out there have that somewhere on your to-do lists, in between watering the plants and buying milk), then consider stopping by the NYU Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at 6:30 on October 16.  Why?  Because that’s where it’s at.  Former CBS News Anchor and current HDNet reporter Dan Rather, New York Times Managing Editor Jill Abramson, Associated Press President and CEO Tom Curley, and NYU’s very own journalism professor and PressThink founder Jay Rosen will be featured in a panel discussion, “The First Amendment, Freedom of the Press, and the Future of Journalism.”  The roundtable is sponsored by the National Press Club, the Foreign Policy Association, and the NYU Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, and moderated by veteran correspondent Gil Klein.

The choice of panelists could make for an an interesting night: in 2005, amid controversy over the Killian documents, Jay Rosen wrote an open letter to Dan Rather criticizing his attitude toward bloggers, and recommending that he create a blog himself.  It is unclear whether this issue will be brought up during the discussion.

The event is free and open to the public.

Check back later with Mazza First Hand Source for a complete report on the discussion.

The NYU Arthur L. Carter Institute for Journalism

20 Cooper Square

New York, NY

 

The Battle of Long Island: McCain and Obama Meet for Final Debate Showdown in New York

The original Battle of Long Island - you know, the one you learned about in history class, from way back in that memorable year of 1776 – was the largest battle of the entire Revolutionary War.

History is repeating itself tonight at 8:00 with the largest battle of the War for the White House: the final presidential debate of 2008, held at Hofstra University in Garden City, New York, just outside New York City.  Indeed, much is at stake in this final chance for the candidates to show their stuff – in Obama’s case, to maintain the considerable lead he has over McCain in the polls, and for McCain, to “recharge his candidacy.”

NYU students will be partnering with Current TV and twitter.com for liveblogging during the debate, at locations including Hayden Hall.

 

Maya Angelou to Speak in NYC

 

Best-selling author, educator, poet, playwright, actress, producer, director, and civil rights activist (basically, Renaissance woman extraordinaire) Dr. Maya Angelou will speak at the Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University in Manhattan from 8:30 to 9:30 on Friday, October 10th.  Her speech will focus upon social justice, democracy, and leadership.

Check back later with Mazza First Hand Source and Bohemia! New York for the full report.

Lipstick Jungle and Lipstick on a Pig

 

 

 Attention, starstruck NYU students and other various part-time stalkers!  The victor in the Great 2008 Battle of the Sex & the City Knockoffs, NBC’s Lipstick Jungle, has announced it is reserving space on the streets of Soho for filming.  Stars Brooke Shields, Kim Raver, and Lindsay Price (whose character’s name is Victory – coincidence?  Subliminal messaging?) can be seen in fashion-forward outfits around Prince, Thompson, Sullivan, Broome, and West Broadway.  It also appears that NBC has reserved space, specifically along Greenwich Street, for filming next week.  We’re sure New York is happy to see an influx of TV shows film here (Ugly Betty, 30 Rock, Gossip Girl, Life on Mars, Fringe, Damages, and mainstay Law & Order, to name a few), thanks to Governor Paterson’s new tax credit.  But something tells us New Yorkers will be quick to complain about the inconvenience of a TV set interrupting their commute.

 

Now that Cashmere Mafia has bitten the dust, and Lipstick Jungle has emerged victorious, we can move on to another (insert Valley Girl voice here), like, totally more important battle: the one between Senators McCain and Obama for the office of U.S. President.

NYU bloggers and/or political junkies congregated in University Hall Tuesday night for “Hack the Debate,” hosted by Current TV, the NYU Debate Team, and the Political Union.  Current TV partnered with twitter.com for the event, allowing debate viewers to post live blog comments, many of which were featured onscreen during Current TV’s broadcast. 

We’ve compiled our picks for the most interesting comments, just for you:

teri_pdp if he’s such a maverick, why is McCain a Republican? Why not an Independent?

jayrosen_nyu Note Four: Obama has a hidden advantage in that he doesn’t begrudge McCain’s right to be on the same stage with him. McCain does; it shows.

jayrosen_nyu Neither McCain and Obama is good at EXPLAINING problems. They have a wonk’s assumption that everyone grasps the problem, so talk solutions.

imdanyl Good pt: McCain wants to buy all a house, Obama wants to give free heath care yet the country is BROKE. Neither get this issue still.

bcrane McCain is the only candidate to present something new during the debate…unfortunately, gov. buying up bad mortgages

disavian McCain’s plan of buying up bad mortgages must have small-government repubs (assuming they still exist?) shitting bricks.

freeulysses Obama/Biden: millions in tax cuts to the 40% that don’t pay any taxes anyway. Because voters want fatter wallets, not sacrifice

 slestak If McCain knows how to get bin Laden, why the hell hasn’t he told George Bush yet?

Ben Folds, Estelle, Mayor Bloomberg, and the Rockettes Rock Terminal 5…But Not the Same Terminal 5

  

Somewhat confusingly, New York is now home to not one, but two very large buildings called Terminal 5 – both of which hosted major events in the same week.  One is a music venue that opened last year on West 56th Street in Manhattan.  The other is a JetBlue terminal at JFK Airport that launched September 23, 2008, with an official opening scheduled for later this month.  Of course, Mazza First Hand Source was on both scenes to keep you covered.

Grammy-nominated UK perfomer Estelle was the surprise featured entertainer at the Opening Party for JetBlue’s Terminal 5, singing about flying to exotic locales with her American Boy, Kanye West.  (Hey, Estelle, you might want to rethink traveling with Kanye in airports).  The party featured a bizarre an eclectic collection of attendants (and we don’t mean the retired flight attendants, who were there modeling their original vintage uniforms – classy!).  We’re talking about the fact that the Rockettes were already decked out – or should we say, decked-the-halls out, in Christmas gear.  (Is it that time already?  It seems to get earlier every year.  It’s not even Halloween yet, folks!)  Oh, and Mayor Bloomberg was there, too.  Aside from the celebrities, JetBlue also invited its own employees and former employees of the now-defunct TWA, which once called the iconic JFK terminal home.

 Despite the party and ribbon-cutting ceremony, the terminal will not be open to the public until October 22.  In the mean time, construction crews are at work on a collection of restaurants and stores – including Muji and Lacoste.

 Meanwhile, Ben Folds was rockin’ the urbs in Manhattan at the other Terminal 5, jamming out to a packed house.  The September 30 concert coincided with the release of his latest album, “Way to Normal,” and Folds played many songs from the new album in the evening’s set.  The majority of the crowd was hearing these songs for the first time, but remained receptive to Folds and to his opener, Australian songstress Missy Higgins.

Dodge Poetry Festival is “The New Woodstock,” Gives Reason to Rhyme

Check out the latest post on our affiliated culture blog, Bohemia! New York , about this year’s Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, the largest poetry festival in North America.