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While some say co-ops have seen their day and are now fading from the forefront of the luxury market, don't count the standard blue-blood abodes out yet! Songwriter Denise Rich has put her co-op on the market for the staggering price of $65 million, The Post reports, making it the most expensive co-op on the market.
Evidently, the 20-room spread at 785 Fifth Avenue is too big for Ms. Rich, who lives in the apartment alone. With seven full bedrooms and 11 baths, we're inclined to believe her.
Were the 12,000-square-foot place to sell at or even close to its asking price, it would supplant Rupert Murdoch's triplex penthouse at 834 Fifth as the most expensive co-op ever sold—by almost 50 percent. The media mogul paid $44 million in 2005. The deal also outdoes fellow Park Avenue doyenne Courtney Sale Ross, who has listed her 30-room duplex, which has been on the market for $60 million for years.
According to the listing by Corcoran agents Noble Black, Chazz Levi and Bonnie Pfeifer Evans, the co-op is "the largest-ever offering of a Penthouse on Fifth Avenue." In addition to the mahogany doors, 11-foot ceilings, library and professional recording studio, the home features two wrap-terraces and a roof space with room for 200.
Basically, you could die in this place and no one would find you for years. But that would never happen, of course, because we're certain a daily maid service comes through to polish the billiard balls and buff the marble floors until they shine like the top of the Chrysler building.
eknutsen@observer.com
Republican State Senate candidate David Storobin accused his Democratic opponent, City Councilman Lew Fidler, of favoring LGBT groups over Jewish groups in their home district.
In an interview last night with Zev Brenner on his Talkline radio show, Mr. Storobin listed his accomplishments, including starting a Jewish club at Rutgers Law School, organizing a rally for Israel and speaking out and writing about Israel, and contrasted that with the record of Mr. Fidler.
"While I was doing that my opponent was organizing rallies not for the Jewish community but for the gay community," he said. Read More
Peter Vallone comments on his redistricting comments.
Gatemouth analyzes the redistricting situation.
Governor Cuomo's criticism of the latest maps: "Undue Political Influence"
He also says redistricting is a "complicated topic."
Don't expect independent redistricting reform this cycle.
Some are looking forward to the next decade's redistricting process.
Read More
Matt Johnson, who formerly showed at Taxter & Spengemann, which closed at the end of last year, is now represented by Chelsea's 303 Gallery. The artist announced the news this afternoon on his Facebook page. Read More
Hey, hey, up she rises... (Port Authority)
The law firm Chadbourne & Parke is rumored to be checking out space at 1 World Trade Center. A report in The New York Times today hinted that a deal is close, but brokers familiar with the firm pointed out that a lease was far from done.
The Times wasn't the first to reveal that Chadbourne has been looking at the 2.6 million-square-foot skyscraper being developed by the Port Authority. Last year, the New York Post's ace real estate columnist Steve Cuozzo pointed out that the firm was one among a handful of law firms considering the building.
The law firm is in the market for between 250,000 and 300,000 square feet and is looking at space in the symbolic 1776-square foot tower's upper tier or midrise. Condé Nast, which signed for more than 1 million square feet last year, is going to occupy much of the building's base floors. Two weeks ago, the publisher decided to add another 133,000 square feet on 42nd through 44th floors of the 104-story tower.
The deal with Chabourne surprised some brokers that are familiar with the firm, as well as the tastes in general of high-end law offices that have long been in Midtown as Chadbourne has.
The firm currently has space at 30 Rockefeller Center, but renewing there was made impossible last year when the accounting firm Deloitte signed a large 400,000-square-foot lease to relocate to that property when its current deal at the World Financial Center expires in 2013. According to written reports, NBC, Rockefeller Center’s largest tenant, will also expand into space at 30 Rock, eating up other portions of Chadbourne’s space.
Still, Chadbourne’s decision to move downtown puzzled one seasoned broker familiar with both midtown and lower Manhattan. “Most times, the partners at a big law firm live in Connecticut or Westchester or on the Upper East Side and they don’t want to commute all the way downtown,” the broker said.
Still One World Trade Center, which will be completed in 2013, is one of the few newly constructed office buildings in Manhattan that will be ready in time for the firm’s relocation. “Brand new office space is something that more and more tenants want,” the source said.
DFA Records' co-founder and retired LCD Soundsystem bandleader James Murphy has always exhibited a certain stripe of self-awareness that other musicians could probably take lessons from. In one of two films to feature Mr. Murphy at this year's Sundance Film Festival—the other one being the documentary about his band's final concert—he has a cameo role as a guy stuck between two obnoxious, aging hipsters in a taxi.
Via Pitchfork— naturally—upcoming feature The Comedy is about someone who "whiles away his days with a group of aging Brooklyn hipsters, engaging in acts of recreational cruelty and pacified boredom." In the following scene, Mr. Murphy is trapped in a taxi with two of the worst people alive, made even worse by the probability that these "characters" actually exist.
The clip:
Also worth noting in James Murphy-related news:
The DFA online store opened today, featuring a wonderful tribute to Hipster Runoff—which, if you don't know what that is, the explainer's right here if you dare—in the form of "'Relevant'" Blue DFA T-Shirts.
James Murphy: Retiree/Funny Guy.
fkamer@observer.com | @weareyourfek
You brought this on yourself, Internet
Today, Rebecca Greenfield wrote a piece for The Atlantic Wire titled "Why The 'S--- Girls Say' Meme Will Never Die." This statement flies in the face of most other bloggers' theory/desperate hope that "The Shit ____ Say" (Insert ethnicity, gender, sexual preference, location, religion, self-identification, or combination of the above into that blank spot) has already hit an saturation point in viral culture and will soon be as passe as Chocolate Rain parodies. "'Shit Girls Say' will live on because anything can be fitted into its mold and still entertain," Ms. Greenfield writes. "The meme only requires finding a type and having them repeat common sayings that the rest of the world will recognize and find borderline offensive yet amusing." Ms. Greenfield also makes note that the trend has already started adapting to TV and film characters: Shit Liz Lemon Says was put out by NBC, and a Maggie Smith/Downton Abbey version:
And while listicles of the best/worst versions of any meme can be as ubiquitous (and annoying) as the content in question, the sheer number of parodies that have popped up in the month since the original Shit Girls Say video premiered means that some of the more niche versions remain woefully under-seen.
So here is the definitive list of the 10 most random and obscure versions of Shit Girls Say. Until tomorrow, when "Shit Gay Hipster Mormon Yogis Who Love Buffy Say" drops and blows the rest of these suckers away.
10. Stuff Preachers Say (When dealing with religion, "Shit" is invariably turned to "Stuff." So as not to offend God.)
9. Shit Southern Gay Guys Say The double-parody is always key, albeit being a tad desultory.
8. Shit Meat Eaters Say There's a whole sub-subculture of the Shit Vegans/Vegetarians Say theme. One obvious PETA member took offense, and the result is maybe the most unintentionally funny one of the bunch. 7. Shit Indian Girls Say There are so many variations on ethnicity of women saying shit, but they basically all follow the same formula. No matter what your religion or birth country, all women love Facebook and Twitter, text constantly, want to get married, worry about their weight, and whine constantly. See also: Shit Jewish Girls Say, Shit Asian Girls Say, Shit Spanish Girls Say, Shit Black Girls Say, etc., etc. 6. Shit Lana Del Ray Says Funny only because Lana Del Ray hasn't been around long enough to develop any trademark phrases, so she ends up just sounding like Droopy Dog while talking about trailer parks. 5. Shit Traveler Blogger Say Bravely turning a satirical eye on a very relevant cultural archetype. 4. Shit Delaware Says We like to take the title literally: This is actually what the state of Delaware would say if it could talk. "I'm so bored!" 3. Shit Morally Confused / Overwhelmed Moms Say So much better than Shit Babies Say. 2.Shit Slytherins Say to Gryffindors There are a lot of "Shit ___ Blank Say to ___ Blank," but we chose this one because it has the added bonus of obsessive Harry Potter fandom. 1. Shit People Say About Shit People Say Videos Screenplay adapted by Charlie Kaufman.
As The Observer was led through the bowels of the Met, silent except for a distant industrial hum, we had no way of anticipating the scene that would confront us when we emerged in the main lobby. As we were ushered into the space, hundreds of voices echoed off the walls, creating an almost deafening cacophony. It was the premiere of NBC’s new show Smash, and even our jaded jaw dropped.
So many stars turned out for the event (joined by what appeared to be every single NBC employee) the red carpet wound around an entire corner of the room. Bernadette Peters, Olivia Chantecaille, Sarah Jessica Parker, Abigail Breslin, Tony Danza, Dree Hemingway, Victor Garber, Uma Thurman and Matthew Settle braved the rainy weather to attend the show.
The show’s star-studded cast, with Megan Hilty, Katharine McPhee, Anjelica Huston, Debra Messing, Brian d'Arcy James, Jack Davenport, Will Chase and Christian Borle posed for photos, clearly enjoying themselves.
The show is about the making of a Broadway play based on Marilyn Monroe’s life, a character revered (or at least respected) by both accompolished and aspiring thespians. Cast member Jenny Laroche, a former radio city Rockette who is part of the ensemble cast, was excited to weave the story of Norma Jeane into the show. “She was such a passionate person, who believed in love and loving what you do, and she’s just so womanly and we get to bring that to smash and bring it to TV,” Ms. Laroche explained.
The Observer spoke to the show’s executive producers, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. We asked whether SMASH was trying to court the Glee audience. “What people are not recognizing is that Glee is a comedy. Every year its been up for all the awards at the Emmy’s and the Golden Globes, its been in the comedy category, and we are the drama,” Mr. Meron said of his new show. “So it’s apples and oranges. They’re a high school glee club, we’re a Broadway musical.”
After the well-choreographed red-carpet waltz, guests were led into the Met’s theater for the main show. Grabbing one of the last seats in the house, The Observer watched as the idea of a Marilyn musical was born. Ms. McPhee’s acting exceeded our expectations, and Ms. Messing plays the role of a harried Broadway songwriter well.
After seeing clips from upcoming episodes, The Observer followed the crowd through the ancient Egyptian exhibit into the Temple of Dendur. Hundreds of candles lined the mini-moat surrounding the temple, flickering in the water’s reflection. A buffet featured a sumptuous spread with shrimp, lobsters and steak was soon swarmed by guests eager to feed.
After tasting the delicacies and surveying the scene for a spell, The Observer walked back through the sarcophagi and ancient funerary figures, taking leave of the museum for the evening.
After some confusion, it's finally been decided when Republican and Democratic candidates will be voting for their nominees in 2012.
A judge's ruling set the primary date for June 26th, but only for federal offices: U.S. House and Senate races. There will be pressure for the other 2012 primaries, outside of the April 24th presidential primary, will follow suit.
It is still possible for Albany to keep a September primary date for state legislative races, but that would cost money and such a plan could face opposition from a governor that prides himself in fiscal restraint.
Starting today, we give ourselves the ability to reactively withhold content from users in a specific country — while keeping it available in the rest of the world. We have also built in a way to communicate transparently to users when content is withheld, and why.