newyorkcandy

English Premiership going global [tho probably not Derby and Fulham, eh?]

2008-02-07T06:01:00.003-08:00

Clubs to play 39, not 38, games a season - with one of their matches to be played overseas.

Read full Guardian story here
http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2254032,00.html

Can't Live Without My Radio - LL Cool J

2008-02-07T06:01:00.002-08:00

You know how it is. LL couldn't live without his radio. I couldn't live without the blog. This clip's from Krush Groove (1985). Another old school classic that adds more weight to the theory that hip hop as a reactionary force, a brightly shining musical light, and, lest we forget, an educational tool, has, in 2008, gone the way of the dinosaurs.

Giant steps - into somewhere he shouldn't. But had a great time anyway.

2008-02-07T06:01:00.001-08:00

[Is it just me, and our four-year-old computer machine, or has the Internet gone pop-up crazy recently? Something to do with Microsoft reprogramming? Solar flares? That U.S. satellite that's about to flame down from the sky and flatten my 35th St. mansion? Beats me. We've installed new anti-virus software, and still ... POP! POP! POP!]

Here's one of many heartwarming stories from this week's New York Giants celebrations following their pretty incredible Super Bowl triumph over ... another team, forwarded by Hell's Kitchen's foremost blogger, The Girl from Tenth Ave. I thank her much. Yes, it's long and unparagraphed, but you should enjoy it.

Hello everyone, I know many of you have heard about my story so far but for those of you that haven't......Take the time to read below (it's long but worth it) and look at the pictures and watch the videos. I had the best day of my life yesterday and it is one of the funniest stories you will ever hear.So I got home from Arizona late Monday night after seeing the Giants win an amazing Super Bowl. I had an unbelievable weekend and I didn't think it could ever be topped....until yesterday.Around 11:30 yesterday morning I decided to go and checkout the Giants ticker-tape parade. I figured I would just go for an hour or so and then head back home to get some work done. Little did I know it would turn into an 8 hour affair. I received a pass to get onto the City Hall grounds (Thanks Mr. Karafiol) which got me relatively near the action. Once I realized that my designated section was actually pretty far away from the stage, I decided to move a little closer. I then snuck into the press section directly in front of the stage. I was sporting my Eli Manning Super Bowl jersey with a Giants hat and around my neck I had my lanyard and ticket stub from the Super Bowl. That is what saved me all day. The lanyard looked very "professional" so I was able to sneak into the press area. Once the ceremony was over and the Giants started to move off of the stage, I creeped up to the stage. I then looked behind me and John Mara was there with his wife (the majority owner of the team). I then kind of blended in with his family as they were walking out and next thing I knew I got through the first security checkpoint. There were three more security checkpoints and with each one I got more and more nervous. I simply just walked aside Mr. Mara and his family (which was about 20 people deep) so it wasn't hard for me to blend in really. Next thing I know, they are guiding us to the other side of City Hall where there are four luxury buses waiting. I just kept walking along and next thing I know I had two of the four buses to choose from. I wanted to find the players bus but I didn't want to press my luck so I stayed with what worked. I just kept following Mr. Mara. I actually got on the bus directly in between him and his wife. I then sat down on the bus and just kept my head down. I didn't make eye contact with anyone or speak to anyone, I was so nervous. Sitting next to me was David Tyree's mother (he was two rows back with his son) and one row in front of me to my right was John Mara and his daughter (who happens to be gorgeous) As we are pulling away from City Hall, the streets are lined with Giants fans cheering for "us" and we had a police escort the entire way to Giants Stadium. That's where things got interesting. We got off the bus and were escorted directly into the Stadium tunnel. This is where I thought I was going to get caught. I had no idea what to do next. All of the players went in the locker room and all the Mara's said they were going up to the owner's box for the ceremony. I had to make a decision. I then saw David Tyree walking in with his little son and decided I would act like I was with them. I walked right behind him and got right into the locker room. So now the real fun starts. I'm hanging out as if I'm a player while all the guys in the locker room are just getting each other's autographs on the game balls and on their jerseys. This was my time to shine. I walked around and took some pictures of some of the lockers and then I got to Eli's. I asked Eli if he could sign my ticket stub from the Super Bowl, which he did. I then asked him to sign my Super Bowl jersey, which he did. I was then ecstatic and didn't know what to do. I even had people coming up to me asking me for my autograph. They must have thought I was Lawrence Tynes (the kicker) or something. I stopped getting autographs at that point other than Brandon Jacobs signing my hat. By then all of the players were being called onto the field for the ceremony. So I figured...why not go with them. I walked right out into the tunnel with them and as they announced the players coming out, I just stood there shaking, thinking I was bound to get caught. I look to my left and Tom Coughlin is literally about 6 inches from me holding the Lombardi trophy (see great picture). Then I just went for it....I walked out there like I was on the team. I came out and there were probably 20-30,000 fans at the stadium all screaming and going crazy. I tried to take as much video as I could but I was so nervous/scared/excited at the same time. My favorite picture of the whole event can be found at <http://www.nj.com/giants/> www.nj.com/giants/ where I am directly behind Tom Coughlin running around the field. I watched the whole ceremony from literally right in front of the stage.After the ceremony, I had to try to sneak back in to the locker room. I then saw a couple people of the Mara family (there were so many of them) that must not have gone up to the luxury box and once again I just acted like I was a family member. Next thing I know, I make it through two more security checkpoints and I'm right back in the locker room. This is where it was awesome. All the players were just dancing around and having a good time. Many of them were cleaning out their lockers and throwing things away. This is where I took all the pictures with the players. I could care less if I got caught at this point. I was just a lucky Giant fan that happened to sneak his way into the press section, then on to the owners bus, onto the field and into the locker room, all while going unnoticed. I then walked around the locker room and got every single player to sign my hat and I even got Gibril Wilson's game sweatshirt from him that he signed for me. So I walked away with an Eli Manning signed Super Bowl ticket, an Eli signed Super Bowl jersey, a hat signed by the whole team, my City Hall access pass signed by Strahan (which is going to Mr. Karafiol as a thank you) and Gibril Wilson's signed game sweatshirt. All more importantly I walked away with the great memories of the entire weekend and I was lucky enough to live them first hand. Thank god I have the pictures to prove it because I knew none of you would ever believe me. I had an angel looking down on me yesterday making sure I had an unbelievable day and I know that angel was my sister Jaime. I can just picture her now...........smiling from ear to ear and being so happy for me.Enjoy the pics.Joe

Normal service resumed

2008-02-07T06:01:00.000-08:00

My old email password came back to me in a dream (seriously), so I'm back on my Hotmail account. Nudge, nudge. DC@hotmail etc, nudge nudge. Knoworram sayin? Still, if you're more comfortable sending to gothamdave, that's cool, too. Just that it might take a bit longer for me to reply. xxx

All emails to me at gothamdave@gmail.com

2008-01-20T17:15:00.000-08:00

My Hotmail account is kaput for the moment. Personal emails should be sent to gothamdave@gmail.com until further notice

Hurricane - Bob Dylan

2007-12-31T14:30:00.000-08:00

Mr Soft - Cockney Rebel

2007-12-31T14:24:00.001-08:00

Oblivious - Roddy Frame with Neil Finn

2007-12-31T14:16:00.000-08:00

Public Image - PIL

2007-12-25T18:22:00.001-08:00

Nice 'n' Sleazy - The Stranglers

2007-12-24T18:58:00.000-08:00

Amsterdam - Jacques Brel

2007-12-24T17:31:00.000-08:00

Big Bottom - Stump

2007-12-24T16:41:00.000-08:00

Female of the Species/Neighbourhood - Space

2007-12-23T21:38:00.000-08:00

Neighbourhood

Extras - bloopers

2007-12-10T15:17:00.000-08:00

The Office - bloopers

2007-12-10T15:03:00.000-08:00

Jigsaw Falling into Place - Radiohead

2007-12-10T14:59:00.000-08:00

United go retro in memory of the Babes who died at Munich

2007-12-07T08:07:00.000-08:00

from The Guardian

Manchester United have been given special permission by the Premier League for their players to wear a retro 1950s kit for one game only, as part of their commemorations of the 50th anniversary of the Munich air crash, in which 23 of the 44 people on board died. Sir Alex Ferguson's team will be allowed to wear the specially designed shirt, bearing none of the usual sponsor names or logos, when they face Manchester City at Old Trafford on February 10, four days after the anniversary. Read full article here

Read Times Online story here

'... it will not be sold either beforehand or afterwards, with the club’s idea that all of those worn in the derby match on February 9 will be donated to assorted guests, including the survivors of the tragedy and the families of the victims. The desire to avoid profiteering is such that designs for the kit are to be kept secret, with the club declining to say whether it will feature the original badge or the “phoenix” design that was worn at the FA Cup final against Bolton Wanderers in May 1958 as a mark of the club’s rebirth....'

Girl from Ipanema - Tom Jobim, Frank Sinatra and Andy Williams

2007-12-07T06:18:00.000-08:00

Classic rendition as musically brilliant as it is hilarious for Frank's wrestling with the pronunciation of Ipanema, and his huge clouds of ciggie smoke. It's eepaneema, Boss, not erpanayma nor eepanayma. But, hey, whatever you want to do!

Hard to top this version, too. Remember counterpoint?

Antonio Carlos Jobim died 13 years ago tomorrow in New York City. He was 67. We miss you, Tom.

A Hotel With Way More Than Five Stars

2007-11-12T05:23:00.000-08:00

from the New York Times' UrbanEye

The Chelsea Hotel may or may not be going the way of CBGB (soon to be the site of a John Varvatos boutique), but it will always have Sid and Nancy. At least as long as Ed Hamilton, a short-story writer and 12-year hotel resident, is around. His new book, “Legends of the Chelsea,” recalls famous residents like Jack Kerouac, Dylan Thomas and the drug-addled punkers, as well as their lesser-known contemporaries like Hiroya, a painter of bunnies. Hamilton, who runs a blog on which the book is based, will read from it tonight at the Half-King; don’t be surprised if some neighbors show up.
“Change at the Chelsea, Shelter of the Arts,” by Lisa Chamberlain
Cityroom on CB’s new fashion tenant
“Chelsea Mornings,” by Jeff Giles
“Blogging the Hotel Chelsea,” by Adam Cohen
“A Year in the Life,” by Lisa Chamberlain

'Versus Dark Zwei' - Hauschka

2007-11-11T08:28:00.000-08:00

Opening act Hauschka and his 'prepared' piano stole the show at last night's Worldless Music Series soiree at the New York Society for Ethical Culture - and not just for the geometric hairdo (very Dusseldorf), baggy suit and ratty, blue CBGB-OMFUG T-shirt. Sehr cool.

2007-11-11T08:12:00.000-08:00

Tough guy's tears for Norman Mailer

2007-11-11T08:07:00.000-08:00

Mailer dead at 84

from the Telegraph, UK

' ... On New Year's Eve 1989, I gave a party for 500 at Mortimer's, then New York's in place. Norman and Norris were guests of honour. He took me aside and patiently taught me the art of head butting, to which he challenged people he did not wish to fist-fight, mostly those he was angry with but still liked. When I asked him about brain damage he was nonplussed: "But writers have stronger heads than normal people...' Read full article here

'Atlas' - Battles

2007-11-09T09:58:00.000-08:00

New York band Battles appear on Later with Jools Holland on BBC2 in the UK at 11.35 pm tonight.

Paint job

2007-11-09T06:21:00.000-08:00

Photo by author. Click on photo to enlarge.

Mum’s the Wordless

2007-11-09T05:40:00.000-08:00

Here's what NYCandy's doing this weekend!

from the NY Times UrbanEye

The Wordless Music series, which typically pairs inventive indie rockers with game chamber acts, brings in the Icelandic group Mum this weekend. Their “mix of staticky electronics and kitchen-sink instrumentation is both homey and abstract,” Ben Sisario writes. You can hear them do a “quiet” set tonight at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle, and a regular one tomorrow at the New York Society for Ethical Culture. Read more here

Hear Mum at MySpace here

Watch Mum's video for Will the Summer Make Good for Our Sins?