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adventures in live blogging
adventures in live blogging
Left of the dial…
Yo check it out, a map with all the NPR stations! "If you know where you are, this map can tell you where to tune," says the description. Yes, NPR affiliates are usually relatively simple to detect by employing the two-pronged strategy of "pressing seek" and "listening for telltale overeducated barbituate user voice" but this is for people who need to make absolutely sure they are listening to the right station. (NPR listeners, yes!) It probably wasn't necessary to give those people an extra map to consult while cruising down the nation's interstates, but what do we care we barely leave the house anyway. [Uncommon Goods]
Comment of the Day
Wowsers McGee to Aaron_Altman's lovely and sad Manhattan think piece of a comment.
Wowsers McGee to Aaron_Altman's lovely and sad Manhattan think piece of a comment.
Olympics
The Subversive Message That Landed Hipster Artist James Powderly In Beijing Gulag
Yesterday we brought you the disturbing news that hipster artist Jim Powderly had been detained by Red Chinese authorities. Now we know why. (Also, that Powderly invented throwies.) Yesterday Powderly and his minions unfurled an LED-lit banner in Olympic Park. The lights stayed on for about 20 seconds before police rounded up Jim and his five "citizen journalist" helpers. Even Jim's haters — and one emailed us — are concerned. In the meantime, we learned a little more about some of the international rabble rousers he might meet in jail. More »
Art
FBI to Internet: "Hey, Do Any of These Priceless Stolen Paintings Look Familiar To You Guys?"
When patron of the arts William Kingsland died in 2006, he left a big stack of paintings behind. Guess what, some of them were stolen back in the 60s, Animal New York tells us. Now the FBI is—wait for it—crowdsourcing its investigation of the paintings' origins. They put photos of the paintings on their website. After the jump: do you recognize any of these paintings? Plz halp! Luv, FBI.More »
family matters
Obama's Wacky Half-Brother Will Not Have a Beer Named For Him
Barack Obama has a half-brother who lives in a shack and hasn't spoken to the candidate in years. Just like in The Onion the other day! Ha ha ha! Except this one lives in Kenya and lives on less than a dollar a month and is too embarrassed to admit to people that he's related to the American presidential candidate. Plus side for Obama: George is too far away to embarrass him like Roger Clinton or Billy Carter. Downside: His brother lives in a shanty town on Kenya. Barry Hussein met young George Hussein Obama back in 2006 for the first time since they were children. They haven't spoken since. "I am good with my fists," George Obama reports. All in all, we liked the wacky Onion story better! [Daily Telegraph]
Now That's a Real Bestseller
Earlier, we snarked that being on the "extended" NYT bestseller list doesn't really count, re: David Carr and his August 24th showing on the extended list. But we've just learned that he made the August 31st "regular" bestselling list—at #12 for nonfiction.
Earlier, we snarked that being on the "extended" NYT bestseller list doesn't really count, re: David Carr and his August 24th showing on the extended list. But we've just learned that he made the August 31st "regular" bestselling list—at #12 for nonfiction.
GAWKER STALKER
Latest Gawker Stalker Sightings
Submit your Sightings: stalker@gawker.com
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Andy Garcia & Emily Mortimer
Park Ave S & 24th St
saw andy garcia just now on 24th and park, smoking a cigar and shooting some independent film called "city island" - he looked great. emily mortimer was there too. -
Ira Glass
7th Ave & 26th St
Just saw Ira Glass at 26th and 7th ave. he was wearing an orange shirt, glasses, and that gorgeous salt and pepper hair! a guy with a camera followed him while he bought fruit from a vendor and walked away without anyone (myself included) accosting him (unfortunately). -
Gloria Steinem
61 Christopher St
Gloria Steinem (isn't she 80?) hanging outside The Duplex with the rock band Betty Rules. Looked great. Bunch of lesbians around them. -
Keith Richards
1998 Broadway
Keith Richards stumbling around, unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth, outside of AMC Loews Lincoln Square Theater around 9pm Tuesday night, until one of his assistants guided him into a big ol' Escalade SUV. Maybe he saw The Dark Night in IMAX.
Good Spit
Wendy Williams, on her TV show this morning: "Oh excuse me, I spit on you." Bill Bellamy, guest: "You did spit on me (wipes his face). But it’s all good. She spit on me and it’s good spit."
Wendy Williams, on her TV show this morning: "Oh excuse me, I spit on you." Bill Bellamy, guest: "You did spit on me (wipes his face). But it’s all good. She spit on me and it’s good spit."
horse race
Does Scary New Zogby Poll Mean Obama Is Toast?
A screaming headline on Drudge, and a new Zogby poll showing McCain pulling ahead of Obama by five points means one thing only: media meltdown. Barring an Obama VP pick, this poll is certain to lead tonight on Chris Matthews, CNN and the rest of cable news – even though it's just one single data point that (for now) contradicts other polls, and even though Zogby's methods and accuracy are controversial at a minimum. ("The house of sand and Zog," Mickey Kaus memorably mocked.) It's one number, scarcely different from the last month's worth of data. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be way more worried. More »
The Striped Shirt Convention
Hey, is anyone here preppy? It's OK if you are. Sociological question: where will you (or your "friends") go now that Bella's has closed? [Grub Street]
Hey, is anyone here preppy? It's OK if you are. Sociological question: where will you (or your "friends") go now that Bella's has closed? [Grub Street]
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Alex Bogusky
Whopper-Selling Adman Tells You How To Lose Weight
Alex Bogusky, the it-boy ad wizard who thinks up all those Burger King commercials, is worried about America's fat ass! So he's writing a new diet book called The 9-Inch Diet. Oh sorry, we see that it's "not just another diet book." This one has added expertise: More »
fall TV preview
That slight crisp in the air this morning signals to us that autumn is fast approaching, with its hayrides and pumpkin picking and legion of miserable children tromping off to their imagined doom. But also it means television, sweet and glorious non-off-season TV like Gossip Girl and, um... other... shows. Many other shows! So many, in fact, that you can't—even with the aid of DVR techmologies—be expected to watch them all. But in this increasingly (for the past few hundred years) pop-driven culture, it's important that you are least able to talk about the zeitgeistiest shows out there, so after the jump we'll give you a few key talking points for some of the most buzzed about series soon to be (or, in a few cases, that already are) flickering on your idiot box.
More »
How To Talk About Fall Television (That You Might Not Be Watching)
That slight crisp in the air this morning signals to us that autumn is fast approaching, with its hayrides and pumpkin picking and legion of miserable children tromping off to their imagined doom. But also it means television, sweet and glorious non-off-season TV like Gossip Girl and, um... other... shows. Many other shows! So many, in fact, that you can't—even with the aid of DVR techmologies—be expected to watch them all. But in this increasingly (for the past few hundred years) pop-driven culture, it's important that you are least able to talk about the zeitgeistiest shows out there, so after the jump we'll give you a few key talking points for some of the most buzzed about series soon to be (or, in a few cases, that already are) flickering on your idiot box.
More »
this thing looks like that thing
Copycat Blogger Hate-Loves Sloane Crosley
A blogger recently "reviewed" uber-book-publicist Sloane Crosley's book of essays, I Was Told There'd Be Cake, on her personal blog. "I too am a twenty-something year old self-absorbed, middle-class angst who can relate to quite a few of Sloane’s shenanigans. Oh you know, the standard white-girl fare..." Cute, whatever. But! This very same blogger, we notice, can relate to quite a few of Sloane's shenanigans: she's written essays in the past month on her blog about a.) being a bad vegetarian, b.) being a pack rat, and c.) spending a childhood playing the videogame Oregon Trail. Coincidentally, Crosley's book features essays about each of these subjects. Hatecrush alert! Let's compare and contrast: More »
news analysis
Why Is The 'Other Woman' Always Such A Blabbermouth?
So John Edwards' maybe-babymama Rielle Hunter was a blabbermouth. Have you ever known anyone who had an affair with a married man? How'd you find out? Rhetorical question, yes! More »
From the mailbag
The Catalog Of Workplace Humiliation
Yesterday we told you the nightmarish story of NBC's pooping intern. It was perhaps the perfect embodiment of a mortifying day at work. But we asked you, our employed readers, for your own stories of humiliation on the job, and you obliged. We've picked the five best (worst), which are printed in order of increasing terror. After the jump, read why you should never touch scissors at a library, make fun of hobos, joke about speed, pass out on a plane, or try to catch your boss' towel: More »
Plutocrats
Dear T. Boone Pickens: What the Hell?
The Daily News and the Post today both led with goofy excitable front page stories on Michael Bloomberg's threat to cover our bridges and skyscrapers with hideous power-generating windmills (both front pages: "WINDY CITY"). Both mention that Bloomberg dined with millionaire windpower enthusiast T. Boone Pickens. Page Six also reports on how Rudy Giuliani ignored the advice of Pickens, "a leading advocate for alternative energy," during his failed presidential run. Pickens just did a conference call with Harry Reid. And he just met with McCain. And he's got a book out! The oil billionaire-turned-pseudo-environmentalist is everywhere. And so we ask, upon learning that Obama's met with him too: what the hell? Why is everyone playing nice with the evil old jackass? More »
Books
Devil Wears Prada Author Crowdsourcing Ideas for Her Next Novel
Newlywed, former Anna Wintour underling, and bestselling chick-lit author Lauren Weisberger seems to be crowdsourcing ideas for her fourth book. Is she being serious? Maybe! "As always, I invite you to write in with any story ideas..." More »
China Fears Moby
China has cut off access to the iTunes store after it was revealed that some Olympic athletes have downloaded a pro-Tibet album featuring, among others, tea-swilling bald Lothario Moby. Dear power structure: Please stop affirming Moby's self-importance. [Idolator]
China has cut off access to the iTunes store after it was revealed that some Olympic athletes have downloaded a pro-Tibet album featuring, among others, tea-swilling bald Lothario Moby. Dear power structure: Please stop affirming Moby's self-importance. [Idolator]
Damon Dash
Hip Hop Mogul Faces Foreclosure
Times are hard for celebrities: Rocafella Records co-founder and former Jay-Z sidekick Damon Dash (pictured, with Maybach) can't pay his mortgage! His bank has started foreclosure proceedings on his two apartments after the mini-mogul failed to pay his combined $78,500-per-month mortgage. Times are also hard for celebrity coverage: as you can see, it's been reduced to finding ways to tie in the mortgage crisis with celebrity lifestyles. The media's already expanded the definition of "celebrity" to include politicians and athletes, so playing off real estate trends is a logical next step. There's a massive news hole to fill. First Ed McMahon was foreclosed on, now this! When will it stop? We can't wait to find out! [Newsday. Pic via NYM]
The lion king
'Operation Lowball' Places Kirk Kerkorian Back at Center of MGM Sale Rumors
FROM DEFAMER.COM: If it's not bombs, bees and/or anthrax threatening to engulf MGM in a dense apocalyptic deathcloud, then there's always the Specter of Ownership Past to give the denizens of Constellation Drive a good mortal scare. More »
Games convention 08
Space Invaders Attack World Trade Center At Games Convention
FROM KOTAKU.COM: Let's file this one under "Too Soon." Seen at the "Invaders!" booth, tucked away in Hall Four of the Games Convention being held in Leipzig, Germany right now, was this non-interactive installation of the classic Taito space faring aliens laying waste to the Twin Towers. More »
Midweek Madness
