the coolest singles event around is back for their holiday party. and it’ll be better than any office party you’ll be at this year. check out the facts here!

Brooklyn Heights Starbucks Rocked by Man-Slap

perhaps an answer to my previous question:

Sources: Men Arrested Trying To Repaint Bedford Bike Lane

after watching this video of an entire bike lane in brooklyn heights blocked by parked cars:

and reading this article about how nyc continues to eliminate bike lanes:

UPDATE: City To Remove 14 Blocks Of Bike Lanes On Bedford Ave.

i have to wonder what nyc has against biking? is it our cool helmets? i know. you’re totally jealous of me, aren’t you?

look, i love jay-z and alicia keys’ “empire state of mind” like any hip-hop-loving, brooklyn-loving, fun-loving guy out there. but all these reports that “empire state of mind” will replace frank sinatra’s “new york, new york” as the ultimate new york anthem? total bullshit.

ironically, it has nothing to do with the main image differences between frank sinatra and jay-z. it has nothing to do with the quality of the lyrics in either song, or that one will only be heard on the oldies station now, while another will be on multiple radio stations for years to come. no, there’s one reason and one reason alone that “new york, new york” is the superior song:

the group sing-along factor.

seriously – if you’re going to call something an anthem, you need to be able to sing it loudly in groups of total strangers. and you just can’t do that with “empire state of mind.” how many times have you heard “new york, new york” being sung loudly in public? stadiums, bars, weddings, and various other events – the song’s been belted out at all of them. it’s what makes the song a success. it’s what allows it to win the game.

listen to both options below and let me know: what’s your pick?

if you remember, mtv is planning on remaking the bbc series skins into their first scripted series. and judging by brokelyn’s scoop that mtv’s holding an open casting call for teens between the ages of 15-18 years old with no experience, mtv is still planning on destroying all that was good and great about the original show.

however… the show will be set in baltimore! maybe omar and the folks from the wire will come over and kick their asses.

and i happened to be there to document it all!

that’s right – martha stewart stopped by the brooklyn flea in dumbo sunday afternoon, to film some scenes for her show. we weren’t allowed to get too close, but she was super nice, and i got to pet her dog (carlos!). if you want a more play by play of her day there, head over to brokelyn.

in the meantime, check out these pictures of martha i snapped on my iphone after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

margaret cho made a surprise appearance at “tearing the veil of maya” at union hall in brooklyn last sunday. and guess who was there to meet her?

dream. come. true.

it was a strange setting. there were probably about 60 people in the audience. no one expected to see her. she brought along the amazing john roberts. the audience didn’t really seem to appreciate or understand either of them. and then, 16 minutes later, it was all over. margaret stayed behind and no one really went and approached her. except, of course, me, who had a lot to say.

i’ll spare you the sappy details, only to say this: margaret cho is a personal hero of mine and having the opportunity to speak with her and thank her for all that she has done for me and my community is a moment that i’ll remember for the rest of my life.

oh, and guess who also had his flip cam during her set?

you’re welcome!

[photo via metromix]

my friends over at fuckedinparkslope, brokelyn, and brooklyn based put on a damn good party last night at the first ever bkmeatup. i’d say over 500 people flooded the bell house. and of all those people, i think about three were gay boys. including me. oh well! you straight people deserve to get laid every now and then.

in case you missed the event, you can catch photos here, here, here. or if reading is more your thing, i’d head to fuckedinparkslope for a nice recap. or or glamor magazine’s blog, which also has a great first-person account of the night. or, if yoy can hit up the missed connections and see how everyone else fared.

oh i almost forgot! there was also a wet t-shirt contest. for men! (see? there was something for me!) check out the video thirtysecondlife put together.

BK Meatup Wet T-Shirt Contest: Sept 30, 2009 from Effed in Park Slope on Vimeo.

so major props, again, to my friends over at fuckedinparkslope, brokelyn, and brooklyn based for putting together an amazing event. i can only imagine that there will be plenty of bkmeatups in the future. i’d suggest following them on twitter to see when the next one pops up. who knows… maybe they do something for the gays…

these days, it seems anyone out there writing a blog eventually gets a book deal. which is why i’m not surprised about news that one of my favorite blogs out there, design*sponge, just inked a book deal. luckily, design*sponge actually brings something different and exciting to the table, so their blog won’t be, say, about crapping your pants in public and having sex with midgets.

so congrats design*sponge! i can’t wait to buy your book next year and put it on my coffee table!

my friends over at fuckedinparkslope have teamed up with brokelyn and brooklyn based to bring us the first ever bk meatup – a meat market/meet up happening tomorrow night at the bell house form 7pm – 11pm. tickets are $10, and the team promises a lot of exciting perks (drink specials, food, giveaways, etc). oh, and a ton of awesome singles, both male and female, gay and straight.

you can see all the details here and here. and i’ll be there, so that’s pretty cool too, huh?

sadly, i don’t think they can promise there’ll be anyone there as awesome as these fine fellows:

vh1 is celebrating the 25th anniversary of def jam records in this year’s vh1 hip hop honors show, which airs on tuesday, october 13 at 9pm. and once again, vh1 will take over the brooklyn academy of music, like they’ll do in september for the diva’s live show. go brooklyn!

of course, it doesn’t hurt that the lineup for this year’s show is pretty unbelievable. i can’t wait to walk the 15 blocks or so down to bam and check it out. here’s the press release:

The sixth annual VH1 Hip Hop Honors show will commemorate the 25th anniversary of Def Jam Records, as talents from across all artistic genres come together to celebrate this significant milestone in American hip-hop music. Eminem, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, Fabolous, Ludacris, DMX, Mary J. Blige, Redman, The Roots, Method Man, ONYX, Public Enemy, Warren G, Kid Rock, Chris Rock, Jimmy Fallon, Brett Ratner, Trey Songz, Ja Rule, Gym Class Heroes, and Scarface are scheduled to show up and show out to celebrate the label that served a catalyst for this American musical phenomenon.

VH1 Hip Hop Honors 2009 will be taped from the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Howard Gilman Opera House in Brooklyn, New York. 30 Rock’s Tracy Morgan returns as host for the 3rd year, as he will be joined many of hip-hop biggest luminaries. The VH1 Hip Hop Honors 2009 broadcast will premiere on VH1 on Tuesday, October 13 at 9PM ET/PT.*

Def Jam has launched the careers of some of the biggest names in music history and has inspired other emerging labels and artists. Special homage will be paid to the architects of the label, Rick Rubin, Russell Simmons, Kevin Liles, Lyor Cohen, Julie Greenwald, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and Antonio “L.A.” Reid (Chairman Island Def Jam Music Group). Presenters and performers honor the history and the legacy of Def Jam Records through never-seen-before interviews, archival footage and special musical performances of some of Def Jam’s greatest hits. It promises to be a night that will showcase how Def Jam came and remains to be one of the premier record labels of hip-hop music.

Hip Hop fans can go to HipHop.VH1.com now to comment on this year’s line-up and to weigh in on what they’d like to hear at this year’s celebration. Additionally, on Monday, September 14, VH1 will launch the full show site at HipHop.VH1.com with artist profiles, exclusive online programming, show information and more. Additional VH1.com and VH1 Mobile efforts for VH1 Hip Hop Honors will be announced in the coming weeks.

VH1 Hip Hop Honors is executive produced by Lee Rolontz for VH1 and Jac Benson for Blacjac Entertainment. Louis J. Horvitz will direct. Nelson George and Fab 5 Freddie are co-executive producers.

pretty awesome, right?

are you excited for the show? something you’d check out? or does this spell trouble to you?

the thursday night movie series that happens all summer long at brooklyn bridge park has made it to the cover of the new yorker. probably my favorite cover they’ve done in a while. my roommate may have to watch it if her issue disappears this month…

because apparently, it’ll get stolen.

this video was taken recently at the ymca three blocks from my house. the owner apparently left the bike out there for only a few minutes, and although they have surveillance video, police say there’s nothing they can do.

disgusting.

a few weeks ago, my friends and i spent about 45 minutes watching jason schwartzman running up and down the street. we were on 10th street between 8th avenue and the park (a mere two blocks away), and it was about 2am. it was a strange scene, one that made us wonder a few things:

1) who knew jason schwartzman was so short?
2) why is he running (we decided he was late to a party, and then realized he left his wallet home, so was running back to get it)?
3) who knew jason schwartzman’s voice was so high?
4) what the hell were they filming and why the hell were we still watching it?

we couldn’t get solid answers to the majority of our questions, but we did know that we were still watching the scene unfold because we had nothing else to do. so we did what we thought was the right thing to do to get the answers we needed: we asked a crew member. “excuse me, sir, what are you filming?” his response?

“bored to death,” he said.

so we had a good chuckle, laughing and laughing about how boring the scene was and how witty he was. and then we asked again, “no, seriously, what’s the name of the project?”

“bored to death,” he replied. “it’s a new showtime show.”

our super cool street cred? totally gone at that moment.

needless to say, the first trailer for bored to death is out, and it looks awesome. i’m so proud to live in brooklyn.

take a look and let me know what you think:

will you be watching?

every once in awhile, a blog out there posts something so great and so perfect, there’s nothing else for me to do but share it. so here it is – the latest “re-post,” this time from amanda over at fuckedinparkslope.com. enjoy!

Happy 12th Anniversary, The Gate—Now Suck It

Saturday, May 23rd, marked Fifth Avenue’s mainstay, The Gate’s 12th anniversary. The Gate, known for it’s huge beer selection and prime outdoor patio, is a nice enough bar with good ambiance and decent music.

But here’s the deal: I am sick and fucking tired of its beer snob bartenders.

I will be the first to admit that I’m not well-versed in the art of beer, and I know that some people take it very seriously. But goddamn, if a bar doesn’t have Stella or Heineken, I am out of ideas.

And I would hope that as a nice bartender, if I ask you for a Stella and you don’t have it (FOR EXAMPLE), you could, I dunno…suggest a comparable one?! I mean, if you LOVE beer so fucking much, don’t you think you’d want to introduce a poor, dumb girl (i.e. me, in this scenario) to a more high-brow selection of brew?

The conversation could go something like this:

Me: Hey, do you have a beer that doesn’t sound scary and weird?
You: You’re a dumbass for trying to come up in here, but how about a Heffewienerschnitzelbrau? It tastes kind of like Stella, except it’s infused with the nectar of the Gods and that’s why I can be so self-righteous about it.
Me: Oh, awesome, let me have that!
You: Great, enjoy!

Yeah, not so much. The bartender blew me off (even though they weren’t that busy), and suggested that I read the chalk board menu. You know…the one written in tiny, tiny letters, partially obscured by their anniversary balloons in dim lighting? Yeah, that one.

Happy anniversary, d-bags. I’m heading to Bar Reis.

go out and support murph’s morsels!

my friends over at fucked in park slope finished out their astonishing four-part investigative series into the perils of the atlantic center target in brooklyn, ny.

check it out!

FIPS Undercover IV: Target = Sux (Brooklyn, NY) from Effed in Park Slope on Vimeo.

let it be noted: they’re also starting a petition, but you’ve got to comment on their post. what are you waiting for? head over there now and show your support!

that’s right motherfuckers. tomorrow is the night! the brooklyn birthday bar crawl. and it’s going to be off. the. chain.

we’re up to 80 or so people. and we’re aiming for 100, so get your shit together people!

major props to my friends over at fucked in park slope for helping spread the word. hope to see you all there!

e-mail me at ninedaves@gmail.com if you want to meet up! or follow the tweets!

thanks to gothamist for pointing it out!

PARTAAAAAYYY!!!

i’ve been a huge fan of fuckedinparkslope.com for some time here. but when one of their new writers, amanda, posted about needing a new roommate, they quickly became the best blog in the world.

first, let’s start of with the title of the piece:

OBNOXIOUS ASSHOLE NEEDS A ROOMMATE

i mean… you had me at hello.

now let’s quickly look at her usual potential roommate options:

A.) Men—No, too messy.
B.) Gay Men—No, too dramatic.
C.) Women—Yes, but probably crazy.
D.) Gay Women—Maybe, but definitely crazy.
E.) Someone I know—Preferred.

i mean, dead on.

but it gets better.

from there, amanda goes on and lists the types of people she DOESN’T want as a roommate. i’m telling you, it’s hysterical. for example:

3. I’m Not Slutty, I’m Confident Girl: You are an independent woman, or so you keep saying. There is an endless parade of gentlemen callers streaming in and out of your bedroom each weekend. You make sure that every outfit you wear showcases your cleavage, you get blackout drunk and bring strangers home, but it’s only because you love sex, and what’s wrong with a lady enjoying sex? You call yourself a feminist even though the notion of actually respecting yourself and body has never occurred to you. Past roommates have considered installing a toll booth not unlike the ones at the entrance of the subway to help offset the costs of buying gallons bleach and Lysol to clean the bathroom because they’d prefer not to contract STDS from you and your assorted Romeos after you’ve used the toilet.

and that’s just one of them. there’s a bunch more. but for the rest, you’ll have to head over to fuckedinparkslope.com and read yourself.

man amanda. i wish i knew someone who could help you. you sound amazing.

so save the motherfucking date.

details coming soon…

that super cool moma installation happening right now at the brooklyn atlantic ave/pacific street subway station?

yeah, that d-bag poster boy has gotten his hands on it.

daily intel has the photos.

UPDATE: now there’s a lot of questions out now about whether or not the moma was in on the vandalization.but don’t worry – moma denies everything.

in an effort to get new yorkers to visit, the museum of modern art has taken over atlantic ave/pacific street subway station in brooklyn. splattering the station with reproductions of over 50 works of art from the moma collection, the installation will be up until march 15. check out images of the advertisement, featuring famous pieces from pablo picasso, andy warhol, and vincent van gogh, here and here. and for more information about the installation, head over to the official website.

my friends over at fucked in park slope are at it again.

check out their third undercover video investigation of the brooklyn target below.

FIPS Undercover III: Target = Sux (Brooklyn, NY) from Effed in Park Slope on Vimeo.

you know. your average thursday afternoon.

all 155 passengers survived, thank god.

and i could see it there, floating in the river, right from my building.

read everything about it here.

for those of you not familiar with the park slope food coop, let me tell you the deal. like most food coops, you have to be a member to shop there. and in doing so, you end up having to volunteer there for a few hours a month. pretty simple, of course.

however, the park slope food coop folks are crazy. they’re totally nuts. cult-ish, if you will. i’ve met plenty of people who have escaped their clutches just barely, and warned me against going there. but even i am afraid of exposing their secrets. they might find out where i live!

anyway, through all of the years i’ve lived in park slope, i’ve never seen inside the food coop. until now, when one member(’s friend) stepped inside with a camera. the space looks nice enough, even if the video is just countless aisles of food. still – it’s crazy! beware!

take a look below.

jd ordonez, current cast member from the real world: brooklyn tells hx: “i can honlestly say i’m the first gay cast member to not have sex in the real world house. i mean, i dated someone briefly, but we were more friends than anything else, and we never had sex. i didn’t really have any love life.”

welcome to brooklyn,. jd. story of my life.

would that person you dated happen to be anderson cooper?

fucked in park slope has the second part of their two part investigation into the horrors of the brooklyn target. it’s a must see, as is just about everyone on their amazing blog.

FIPS Undercover II: Target Sucks (Brooklyn, NY) from Effed in Park Slope on Vimeo.

and in case you missed it, check out part one here.