NewYorkology

Yankees 2009 ticker-tape parade pictures and video

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:22:52 -0500

A massive crowd gathered in Lower Manhattan on Friday morning to celebrate the New York Yankees’ 27th World Series win.

How big was the crowd?
Probably somewhere between “hundreds of thousands” (New York Times) to 1.5 million (Major League Baseball.)

If you missed it, see NY1’s 97-minute parade video online.

Panoramas.dk sent photographer Jook Leung into the canyon to produce a couple Yankees Parade 360-panoramas. (Inset, upper right)

And thanks to @internetweek on Twitter, which pointed eyeballs to MDF’s “Most New York photo from parade.”

More parade pictures:

@nycmayorsoffice’s used Twitpics for the City Hall ceremony.

Down in the crowd, just about everyone says they wish they had a buddy who worked along the parade route. Paul Katcher got an invite, and brought his camera.

Daily News’ photo gallery

My FOX NY slideshow

Associated Press gallery

A fan’s photostream at Flickr - cliffcphoto.

Earlier: Yankees to parade up Canyon of Heroes 11 a.m. Friday
World Series game day: Times Square rally, free food

Yankees to parade up Canyon of Heroes 11 a.m. Friday

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:52:54 -0500

A parade honoring the World Champion Yankees will begin at 11 a.m. on Friday and head north up the Canyon of Heroes, according to a taped message on 311, the city’s official information service.

The parade will be followed by a ceremony at City Hall Plaza.

Update: An early-morning press release from the mayor’s office offered a few more details abut Friday’s ticker-tape parade.

The parade will begin on Broadway at Battery Place at 11 a.m. and continue northbound up Broadway toward Chambers Street. The parade will be followed by a ceremony at City Hall Plaza, at which Mayor Bloomberg will present the Yankees with Keys to the City.

The sidewalks lining Friday’s ticker-tape parade up the Canyon of Heroes along Broadway from the Battery to City Hall are open to all members of the public, and the City will set up a large screen near City Hall Park for members of the public to watch the subsequent ceremony. There is very limited space on City Hall plaza for the ceremony itself. The City will make a limited number of tickets available to the public. Information about how tickets will be distributed will be released on Thursday, November 5th.

Thursday 11:30 a.m. update: A new recording on the city’s 311 line says there will be a lottery from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. today for the public to secure tickets to the post-parade ceremony at City Hall on Friday. “Please call back then.”

Update 11:45 a.m.: NY Waterway said it will add service for Friday: “The Yankee Clipper, a special ferry wrapped with life-size photos of Derek Jeter and other Bombers and used to take fans to Yankees games, will depart Port Imperial in Weehawken cruising to Pier 11 at the foot of Wall Street, close to the parade route, at 9:15 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. The ferry crew will be dressed in Yankees uniforms.”

Update 1 p.m.: The latest press release from the Mayor’s Office says the 2 to 4 p.m. ticket lottery for the 1 p.m. ceremony will also be available through a link on Twitter. The details:

The City will conduct a public giveaway for 500 tickets to the ceremony on Thursday, November 5th from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM through www.nyc.gov/parade and 311. People will also be able to access the entry form through the New York City Mayor’s Office Twitter page: twitter.com/NYCMayorsOffice. New Yorkers 18 years and over will have an opportunity to enter the giveaway by visiting www.nyc.gov/parade or calling 311 and selecting the Parade Giveaway menu option. There will not be an opportunity to enter the giveaway before 2:00 PM, and it will end promptly at 4:00 PM. Entrants may only enter once and request two tickets, and will be asked to give their name, email address and phone number in order to enter. Members of the public can become a follower of the New York City Mayor’s Office Twitter page by visiting twitter.com/NYCMayorsOffice.

Winners of the ticket giveaway will be notified about when and where to pick up tickets. They must present photo identification to pick up tickets and to enter City Hall Plaza. All guests will have to go through NYPD security points, and all bags will be examined. Access to City Hall Plaza for the ceremony will begin early, and attendees will likely not have an opportunity to attend preceding parade.

Update as of 2:30 p.m.: There are multiple reports of the online form failing, but several people (via Twitter) have reported success signing up for the lottery. NewYorkology talked to an operator at 311 (after a 29-minute wait on hold) and was told lottery winners will be selected at random and notified by phone or e-mail between 5 and 6 p.m. this evening. Winners must reply and confirm by 7 p.m. tonight in order to get the tickets. Winners must also be able to pick up tickets three hours prior to the parade’s 11 a.m. start time. Each winner is entitled to two tickets to the post-parade ceremony at City Hall.

Update as of 3 p.m.: The MTA said it will add service on the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North on Friday.

Updates as of Friday, Nov. 6 at 8:50 a.m.: The MTA’s subway advice for the parade urges Yankee fans to avoid the 4/5/6 trains, because they’re normally crowded with regular commuters. “Instead, fans are encouraged to use the 1 line or the R or W lines to Rector Street, or the E to World Trade Center. Fans should also consider taking the 2 or 3 lines to Chambers Street or Wall Street, and the J to the Broad Street station,” according to the MTA press release.

There will be extra PATH trains.

The NYPD has announced parade-related street closures.

The New York City Department of Transportation offers something like parade webcams at three locations: Broadway at Pine; Broadway at Vesey; and one that says Broadway at Greenwich Street, which is actually a block away from Broadway, but could offer pre-parade preparations.

The Mayor’s Office said 37,000 entered the lottery for tickets to the post-parade ceremony at City Hall where the Yankees will be given the keys to the city. Only 500 tickets were available.

The Mayor’s Office also provided a list of the most recent ticker-tape parades through the Canyon of Heroes, along with tonnage of tickers:

Feb. 5, 2008 Giants Super Bowl Victory 36.5 tons
Oct. 30, 2000 Yankees World Series Victory 46.7 tons
Oct. 29, 1999 Yankees World Series Victory 57.4 tons
Nov. 16, 1998 John Glenn & NASA Astronauts Parade 12.9 tons
Oct. 23, 1998 Yankees World Series Victory 43.9 tons
Oct. 29, 1996 Yankees World Series Victory 50 tons
June 17, 1994 Rangers Stanley Cup Victory 20.5 tons
June 10, 1991 Operation Welcome Home 81.1 tons
June 20, 1990 Nelson Mandela 19.9 tons

For updates from the parade route today, see NewYorkology on Twitter.

Earlier: Subway guide for the Giants ticker-tape parade

Image source: New York Yankees 2009 World Series Champions Official Club House T-Shirt

Museums open late for fall/winter 2009/10 in NYC

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:28:40 -0500

Many museums stay open late at least one night a week, often in conjunction with free admission hours, live music and cocktails.

Here are the New York City museums with late-closing hours listed by day of the week:

Mondays
New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex at Grand Central Terminal - 8 p.m. (always free)
Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame Annex - 8 p.m., with last admission at 7 p.m. ($24.50)

Tuesdays
China Institute Gallery - 8 p.m. (free 6 to 8 p.m.)
Society of Illustrators - 8 p.m. (always free)
New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex at Grand Central Terminal - 8 p.m. (always free)
Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame Annex - 8 p.m. with last admission at 7 p.m. ($24.50)

Wednesdays
Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art - 7 p.m. ($10)
New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex at Grand Central Terminal - 8 p.m. (always free)
Museum of Jewish Heritage - 8 p.m. ($12)
Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame Annex - 8 p.m. with last admission at 7 p.m. ($24.50)

Thursdays
China Institute Gallery - 8 p.m. (free 6 to 8 p.m.)
National Museum of the American Indian - 8 p.m. (always free)
Gallery of NY Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center - 8 p.m. (always free)
NY Transit Museum Annex at Grand Central - 8 p.m. (always free)
Waterfront Museum - 8 p.m. (always free, but donations requested)
Museum of Biblical Art - 8 p.m. (recommended admission of $7)
Paley Center for Media - 8 p.m. ($10 contribution)
Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame Annex - 8 p.m. with last admission at 7 p.m. ($24.50)
Museum of Chinese in America - 9 p.m. (free 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.)
Museum of Arts & Design - 9 p.m. (pay-what-you-wish from 6 to 9 p.m.)
New Museum - 9 p.m. (free 7 to 9 p.m.)
Starting Nov. 19: Jewish Museum - 8 p.m. ($12)

Fridays
American Folk Art Museum - 7:30 p.m. with free music (free 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.)
Museum of Modern Art - 8 p.m. (free 4 to 8 p.m.)
International Center of Photography - 8 p.m. (voluntary contribution from 5 to 8 p.m.)
New-York Historical Society - 8 p.m. (free 6 to 8 p.m.)
Bronx Museum - 8 p.m. (free all day)
New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex at Grand Central Terminal - 8 p.m. (always free)
Asia Society - 9 p.m. (free 6 to 9 p.m.)
Morgan Library & Museum - 9 p.m. (free 7 to 9 p.m.)
Whitney Museum of American Art - 9 p.m. (pay-what-you-wish 6–9 p.m., sometimes with Whitney Live music)
Met Museum - 9 p.m., and rooftop martini bar open until 8 p.m. until Nov. 29 ($20 suggested admission)
Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame Annex - 9 p.m., with last admission at 8 p.m. ($24.50)
New Museum - 9 p.m. ($12)
Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art - 10 p.m. (free 7 to 10 p.m.)
First Fridays only: Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum - 8:30 p.m. ($5)
Third Fridays only: South Street Seaport Museum - 9 p.m. (free 5-9 p.m.)

Saturdays
Guggenheim Museum - 7:45 p.m. (Pay what you wish 5:45 to 7:45 p.m.)
Museum of Sex - 8 p.m. ($14.50)
Met Museum - 9 p.m., with a rooftop martini bar open until 8 p.m. until Nov. 29 ($20 suggested admission)
Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame Annex - 9 p.m., with last admission at 8 p.m. ($24.50)
First Saturdays only: Brooklyn Museum - 11 p.m. on the first Saturday of most months (free 5 to 11 p.m.)

Sundays
Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame Annex - 8 p.m. with last admission at 7 p.m. ($24.50)

Other late-night attractions:
Empire State Building - 2 a.m., last elevator goes up at 1:15 a.m. ($18.45)
Top of the Rock - last elevator goes up at 11 p.m. ($21)
Discovery Times Square Exposition Center - 10 p.m., last admission 9 p.m. ($24.50 for Titanic exhibit;
$19.50 for DaVinci)
Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum - 8 p.m. on Sundays through Thursdays; 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays ($28 with online discount)
Ripley’s Believe it or Not Odditorium - 1 a.m., last ticket sold at midnight ($29.34)
Bodies … The Exhibition - 7 p.m. on Sundays through Thursdays, last admission 6 p.m.; 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays with last admission at 9 p.m. ($26.50 weekdays, $27.50 on weekends and holidays.)

Image source: From the “Kandinsky” exhibition at the Guggenheim through Jan. 13.

Vasily Kandinsky, Moscow I (Mockba I), 1916, Oil on canvas, 51.5 × 49.5 cm, The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, © 2009 Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris

Unlike Paris, NYC's free bikes survived the summer

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:23:20 -0500

In Paris, more than 80 percent of the bike-sharing cycles have been trashed or stolen, the New York Times reported over the weekend.

In New York, it’s an entirely diffent story.

Downtown Alliance’s 30 free bikes were used more than 7,000 times this past summer. There were “no thefts and no vandalism,” a spokesman told NewYorkology on Monday.

The free rentals were available in two-and-a-half-hour windows from May 13 through Sept. 30 through Bike and Roll. The catch was that you needed to provide a credit card, which would be billed for the bike if you never returned.

The program may return for summer 2010 if funds are available, a Downtown Alliance spokesman said.

Details on the 2009 Bike Around Downtown program:

- Approximately 7,612 bike reservations were made, an increase of 52 percent over 2008.

- 87 percent of riders were New York City residents; 4 percent were from New Jersey; 2 percent were from Long Island; and 1.2 percent were from California.

- Among the NYC residents 65 percent were Manhattan residents, including 46 percent from south of Chambers Street. Half of all participants described themselves as Downtown Workers.

Picture credit: Brooklyn Bridge bike lane. Amy Langfield/NewYorkology.

Earlier: In demand: free bike program at max on weekends

Met Opera, NYC Opera offer rush seats for $25 or less

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:16:11 -0500

Some of the best seats in the house at the Metropolitan Opera are available for a mere $20 through the Varis Rush Tickets all season.

All regular performances Mondays through Thursdays will offer 150 orchestra seats for $20. The catch is the tickets go on sale only at the Met Opera box office starting two hours before curtain, subject to availability.

An extra 50 tickets are reserved for seniors (65 or over) at the $20 price. The senior tickets are available starting at noon on the day of each performance and may be reserved online or by calling (212) 362-6000.

The $20 tickets are not available for special events, galas or opening nights.

The New York City Opera, which begins its season later this week, again will offer tickets for $25 or less through its Opera for All program.

There are two ways to get the cheap seats at City Opera. On Mondays at 10 a.m., you can buy that week’s $25 orchestra rush seats at the box office, online or by phone (212) 721-6500. Use the offer code OFA1.

In addition to the rush seats, City Opera also sells $20 and $12 tickets for for every performance in the theater’s 4th and 5th ring.

Picture credit: Amy Langfield/NewYorkology.

Shakespeare in the Park '10 'Merchant,' 'Winter’s Tale'

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:36:27 -0500

“The Merchant of Venice” and “The Winter’s Tale” have been chosen as the two free plays for Shakespeare in the Park for the summer of 2010, The Public Theater announced today.

Daniel Sullivan will direct “Merchant” while Michael Greif will direct “Winter’s Tale.” Casts will be announced later.

Normally Shakespeare in the Park stages one play at the begging of summer, takes a break and starts a second. But in 2010, they’ll play in rotating repertory from June 9 through Aug. 1. The same company of actors will perform in both plays.

Image source: Official website for Shakespeare in the Park.

Earlier: Tragic reviews for ‘The Bacchae’ in Central Park
‘Twelfth Night’ in Central Park draws excellent reviews

Amtrak plans to offer free wi-fi on Acela trains by 2010

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:23:39 -0500

Amtrak’s high-speed Acela trains are on track to get wi-fi in 2010 and at least initally, the service will be free, according to the five-year fiscal plan issued Thursday by the railroad.

“Launch is anticipated in the second quarter of FY10. This service will initially be offered at no cost to our customers, though pricing may change depending on customer response, system performance, and costs,” the Amtrak document states. “The goal for this offering is to drive competitive advantage that will result in additional ridership and revenue on Acela trains. As of the end of FY09 the company will have just begun deployment.”

The service could then extend beyond the business-class train: “In addition to Acela, Amtrak is preparing to extend WiFi to other services, depending on market response. Amtrak has budgeted an additional $26.2 million for these investments in the period FY11-FY14, with the first most likely additional WiFi offering to be on the Northeast Regional,” the Amtrak document states.

In July, an Amtrak spokesman told NewYorkology wi-fi was available on some Acela trains for free, while the service was in test mode.

The Acela travels between Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. with only a few other stops along the way.

Image source: Acela route map from Amtrak’s official website.

Earlier: Amtrak confirms wi-fi in test mode on Acela trains
Amtrak sale extends to Dec. 16; $49 to D.C. or Boston

USS New York arrives in NYC for commissioning

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:39:50 -0500

The USS New York arrived in New York City this morning, passing the Statue of Liberty before heading toward the World Trade Center site to offer a 21-gun salute in honor to those who died September 11, 2001.

The USS New York warship is a San Antonio-class LPD (Landing Platform Dock.) Its bow stem includes seven and a half tons of steel recovered from the World Trade Center towers.

The video:

Later today, the USS New York will dock at Pier 88 on the Hudson River to be formally inducted into the United States Navy at a shipboard ceremony Nov. 7.

The USS New York will be open to the public, free of charge from Nov. 4 though 11. The opening times:

Wednesday, Nov. 4 - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 5 - 1 to 4 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 8 - 9 a.m. to noon
Monday, Nov. 9 - 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 10 - 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 11 - 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Pier 88 is located at 48th Street, just north of the Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum.

Downtown, the Tribute Center at the World Trade Center site on Friday opened an exhibit on the USS New York.

Webcams: Intrepid mastcam and Hudson River view
Wired NY view of the Hudson

Picture and credits: Amy Langfield/NewYorkology. Top: USS New York passes Statue of Liberty as a Staten Island Ferry begins a detour through the Buttermilk Channel. Bottom: A Circle Line cruise boat travels alongside the USS New York.

ING 2009 New York Marathon pictures and video

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:28:18 -0500

40,000 people from 105 countries participated in the 2009 ING New York City Marathon today, the 40th time the race has been run here. Meb Keflizghi finished the route with a time of 2:09:15, becoming the first American man to win the race since 1982. Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia, clocked in at 2:28:52, taking first place for the women.

Video and picture credits: Amy Langfield/NewYorkology.

Empire State shines for Halloween, Marathon weekend

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:01:15 -0500

The Empire State Building will change its colors in observance of this weekend’s two big events: Halloween on Saturday and the ING Marathon on Sunday.

The top three tiers of the city’s tallest building will stay orange, black and white all night for Halloween. (Normally the lights turn off at 2 a.m.)

On Sunday night, they’ll switch to orange, blue and white to celebrate the New York Road Runners and the 2009 ING New York City Marathon. The five-borough race begins Sunday morning in Staten Island.

Picture source: File image from Edelman Public Relations.

'Brighton Beach Memoirs' may close Sunday - Playbill

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:35:45 -0500

Update: “Brighton Beach Memoirs” closed Nov. 1 and “Broadway Bound” has been scrapped.

The new revival of Neil Simon’s “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” which opened less than a week ago to pretty good reviews, may close as soon as Sunday, according to Playbill.

Producers issued a provisional closing notice and will decide Monday whether the show will go on, Playbill reported.

But as of Saturday morning, tickets remain on sale through Jan. 30 via the show’s official sales outlet, Ticketmaster.

On Friday, the New York Times quoted one of the show’s producers who said the reviews were not strong enough to boost ticket sales. “Broadway Bound,” another Simon play scheduled to play in repertory with “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” may not begin performances at all, according to both Playbill and the New York Times.

The most recent Broadway grosses, for the week ending Oct. 25, shows the theater for “Brighton Beach Memoirs” was at 61 percent capacity, but with a shockingly low average ticket price of only $21.32.

The semi-autobiographical play, set in 1937 Brooklyn, is both comedy and drama under the direction of David Cromer. Laurie Metcalf, Dennis Boutsikaris and Noah Robbins star.

“Brighton Beach Memoirs” plays the Nederlander Theatre, 208 W. 41st St., map. Regular tickets are priced from $63.50 to $98.50. Premium seats are $148.50. Student rush tickets are $30.

Image source: The official website for “Brighton Beach Memoirs.”

Excellent Broadway reviews for 'Finian's Rainbow'

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:02:01 -0500

The revival of “Finian’s Rainbow” opened on Broadway on Thursday night and tumbled into the surprisingly warm reviews from the critics.

Set in the fictional state of Missitucky, the New York Times notes — approvingly — the plot seems “cooked up by somebody hitting the whiskey bottle a little too hard.” It takes on issues of race relations to easy credit and throws in a wacky leprachaun to boot.

A 24-member orchestra backs the cast, which features Kate Baldwin, Jim Norton, Cheyenne Jackson, Christopher Fitzgerald, Alina Faye, David Schramm and Terri White. The production is directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle. The music credits goes to Burton Lane with lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. The book is by Harburh and Fred Saidy.

“Finian’s Rainbow” has an open-ended run at the St. James Theatre, 246 W. 44th St., map. Regular tickets are on sale through march 28 and are priced from $35 to $115. Premium and aisle seats sell for as much as $250 each. Wednesday evening prices are a bargain for Broadway, ranging from $25 in the balcony to only $57.50 for orchestra.

Children under the age of 4 are not allowed in the theater.

The “Finian’s Rainbow” Broadway reviews:

Daily News - “What makes the show a gem is the beautiful score by Harburg and Burton Lane. It’s wall-to-wall ear candy and director/choreographer Warren Carlyle’s witty staging, joyful dancing and fine cast showcase the music to the max.”

New York Times - “All the comforting pleasures of the genre — infectious song, exuberant dancing, jokes both lovably corny and unexpectedly fresh, and of course the satisfying pairing of a him and a her — are on abundant display in this thoroughly winning production, a welcome picker-upper in an uneven Broadway season.”

Wall Street Journal - “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more musically satisfying Broadway show than ‘Finian’s Rainbow.’”

Hollywood Reporter - “But whatever one thinks of the story, there’s simply no disputing that this is one of the greatest musical comedy scores ever written. Here’s but a partial listing of the classic numbers: ‘Old Devil Moon,’ ‘Look to the Rainbow,’ ‘If This Isn’t Love,’ ‘When I’m Not Near the Girl I Love’ and, of course, ‘How Are Things in Glocca Morra?’”

Variety - “But the humor is surprisingly durable, while the jokes about race relations, suspect banking practices, corrupt politics and rampant consumer lust still hit the target.”

USA Today - “The breezy satire in ‘Rainbow,’ which bowed on Broadway in 1947, may not pack the emotional wallop of, say, a ‘Show Boat’ or a ‘South Pacific.’ But this old-fashioned musical comedy, with its witty, whimsical book and sumptuous score, carries pointed lessons about tolerance, greed and the shared traits that make all living beings vulnerable and valuable.”

Post - “Whether you think this particularly whimsical crock is half-empty or half-full, the songs are pure heaven.”

NY1 - “But the true gold in this show is Kate Baldwin who delivers on all fronts.”

Steve on Broadway - “Sad to say, there’s also the book. The problematic, silly book. As magnificent as the score, cast and choreography make this Finian’s Rainbow soar, the libretto originally written by Harburg and Fred Saidy that’s been adapted by Arthur Perlman (the original adaptation for New York City Center Encores! was written by David Ives) remains as creaky as ever.”

Newsday - “It is interesting, but not essential, to remember that blacks and whites didn’t dance together on Broadway before this show, nor were ethnic stereotypes considered suitable for shuffling satire”

Associated Press - “Carlyle first did the show earlier this year as part of the City Center ‘Encores!’ series, and much of the cast is the same. But all the changes for Broadway have enhanced the musical.”

Bloomberg - “There’s a little bit of everything in the musical ‘Finian’s Rainbow’: Romance and satire, whimsy and cynicism, fairy tale and political diatribe. It is, above all, good.”

Image source: Official website for “Finian’s Rainbow” on Broadway.

Brooklyn Museum opens rock n' roll picture show

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:03:51 -0500

Filled with pop images of the Rolling Stones, Elvis, U2, Blondie, Bob Dylan, Grace Jones, Run DMC and Madonna the Brooklyn Museum on Friday will open “Who Shot Rock & Roll,” a show it’s billing as the first major museum exhibition devoted solely to rock photographers.

“This is Brooklyn Museum’s version of a limited-edition Double LP with gatefolds signed by the artists,” said Matthew Yokobosky, the chief designer at Brooklyn Museum, who edited and designed the exhibition.

“Over 50 percent are original prints,” he told NewYorkology on Thursday during a media preview. That means the images tend to be smaller than a typical museum photographic exhibition since the originals were printed for magazines, newspapers and album covers, Yokobosky said. “It was important to get the vintage prints.”

But if you like your rock big and loud, this may not be your show. It’s possibly more pleasing to the connoisseur, who relishes the vintage, the need to lean in close to the original, sometimes in an is-that-David-Bowie-naked kind of way.

The exhibition features 175 pictures and videos by 105 photographers, including Richard Avedon, Anton Corbijn, Diane Arbus, Annie Leibovitz, David LaChapelle, Bob Gruen, Dennis Hopper and Linda McCartney.

It show starts with William “Red” Robertson’s photo of Elvis Presley dancing on stage, which was cropped at the waist and used as his first album cover, and includes Avedon’s 1967 portraits of the youthful Beatles, a nearly clean-shaven, serious Chuck Berry (image No. 22) without guitar by Jean-Marie Perier and David LaChapelle’s “Lil Kim: F- The Police.”

One section of the exhibition promises “Behind the Scenes” pictures that finally are not about celebrity or image. But without skepticism, that selection includes Amy Winehouse inviting a photographer into her wedding day bed as she slips her fingers down her shorts. Where might you have seen that intimate moment before? In a cover story of Rolling Stone.

The gift shop is packed with books, T-shirts and coffee mugs, along with some music-inspired merch including leather-and-spike bracelets, a solar-powered disco ball, Woodstock paper dolls, and keyrings in the shape of a 45-record adapter.

The show’s audio guide can be downloaded for free from the museum’s website. “Who Shot Rock & Roll” will be on view in Brooklyn through Jan. 31.

Blondie plays the members’ preview tonight.

Picture credits: Max Vadukul, Amy Winehouse, May 18, 2007, 24 × 36 in. (61 × 91.4 cm)
Amy Winehouse, 2007 © Max Vadukul.

Michael Putland, Mick Jagger, taken 1982; printed 1990s, Gelatin silver print
Sheet: 12 × 10 in. (30.5 × 25.4.)

Brooklyn Museum gallery by Amy Langfield/NewYorkology.

Ian Dickson, The Ramones, 1977, Silver gelatin print, 16 × 20 in. (40.6 × 50.8 cm)
Ian Dickson/www.late20thcenturyboy.com

Broadway's 'Next to Normal' to debut a 'Twitter song'

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:12:11 -0500

Broadway’s “Next to Normal,” which in May tweeted its entire show online, today will premiere a “Twitter song,” written in collaboration with its social media followers.

The song, “Something I Can’t See,” will make its debut tonight at 7 p.m. at 92Y Tribeca — and on Twitter.

“‘Next to Normal’ has solicited suggestions from the Twitter followers on all aspects of the new song, from which characters are performing it and where it takes place in the musical’s storyline, to song structure and lyric suggestions,” producers said in a news release. “The song will not be incorporated into the Tony-winning musical.”

Picture credit: The company of “Next to Normal.” Picture by Joan Marcus/Hartman Group.

Earlier: Broadway’s ‘Next to Normal’ to Twitter full performance
Broadway parody: CollegeHumor’s ‘Web Site Story’

World Series game day: Times Square rally, free food

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:03:17 -0500

Tonight at 7:57p.m., the New York Yankees host the Philadelphia Phillies for Game 1 of the 2009 World Series. Here’s the feed from the hype machine:

Times Square today at 12:30 p.m. will host a Yankees Pep Rally. The event will take place on Broadway between 44th and 45th streets. Be there or watch via the Times Square webcams.

The Empire State Building tonight and Thursday will light up blue and white for the Yankees.

There will be free Yankees cupcakes today courtesy of Crumbs and the Cupcake Stop Truck.

Free cheesesteak sandwiches — courtesy of the Greater Philadelphia Marketing and Tourism Commission — today at Shorty’s on Ninth Avenue from 4 p.m. until game time at 7:57 p.m.

First Lady Michelle Obama and the vice president’s wife, Jill Biden, will attend tonight’s game, NY1 reports.

FishBowlNY has pictures of the morning’s front pages, featuring plenty of trash talk.

Ticket brokers say resale prices for World Series tickets are going lower, the Associated Press reports.

Image source: MLB’s official The Emblem Source 2009 World Series Fall Classic Official Patch.