Spring Has Sprung In NYC (Yet Again)

Another spring tease has tickled New York City, as it almost reached 80 degrees today. I'll take it!Folks of all ages, nationalities and, uh, shapes and sizes relaxed on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade today.

R.I.P. Phoebe Snow

Singer/songwriter Phoebe Snow died this morning at age 60, following complications related to a brain hemorrhage she suffered last year. She was best known for 1975 hit "Poetry Man," which led to a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.

Snow more or less retired from the music business soon after to take care of her severely brain damaged daughter Valerie, who died in 2007 at age 31.

I reviewed her 2003 return single "Sahara" for Billboard (at left) and also had the opportunity to meet Phoebe at several music events. She was certainly a passionate woman who freely shared the difficult ordeal of her life. In fact, during one discussion with her about Valerie, I admit she moved me to break down into tears. Today, she joins Valerie. I hope they both find peace.With Ayhan's mamer, June 10, 2003.

Who The Hell Neutered Hottie Matthew McConaughey?

Matthew McConaughey looks oddly fem in this new add for Dolce & Gabbana's The One fragrance. What happened to the uber-macho dude we so love?

Chris Hemsworth Covers May 2011 'Men's Health'

Chris Hemsworth, who stars in the upcoming superhero flick Thor (May 6), covers the May 2011 issue of Men's Health. He certainly delivers the very essence of health. And men. This is one instance where his beautiful sky blue eyes supersede all other masculine attributes.

SHOCKER! President Obama & Sarah Palin Are Fast Friends!

The evidence speaks for itself!! My god, who would have ever thunk it.

David Chocarro: Argentine Dream

David Chocarro, 31, is an ex-baseball player from Argentina turned model/actor, who has starred in a number of Latin telenovelas. See more pics here (and here for Picasa members), plus a video montage of his acting, modeling and commercials, hawking everything from pasta and Panasonic to skin lotion and Gatorade here.

NYC Vintage Image Of The Day: Mulberry Street, 1900

This wondrous expansive photo of Mulberry Street was taken in 1900 20 feet above the center of the street. It was digitized by Detroit Publishing Co., using a photochrom colorizing process.

The street—which borders Little Italy and Chinatown in Manhattan's Lower East Side—was filled with tenement houses built in the early 1800s, as immigrants poured into New York City. It wasn't until 1901 that a formal housing code required interior flush toilets (many landlords abided with one per floor), fire escapes  and ventilation shafts for air and light. The streets, however, remained mobbed with people, since the sidewalks were occupied by vendor stands.

The image at right is more or less the same view in 2010. And below are some extraordinary details of the above shot from its original black and white photo, courtesy of Secondat.

New York Auto Show Forgets That No One Can Afford To Drive

While the annual New York Auto Show is aimed at car enthusiasts looking for geek flash, what matters to most of us is fuel efficiency. With gas prices surpassing $4 a gallon, I could give a catalytic converter about new $80,000+ BMWs Mercedes, Jaguars and other such male menopause fantasies.

The exception to industry coverage focusing on the biggest, baddest road hogs seems to be the electric Ford Focus (below), scheduled to reach 19 North American markets in 2011. The vehicle alleges to go 100 miles from a charge of its lithium-ion battery pack. There's little debate about it: Oil companies must stop paying off politicians and let consumers start driving the market. Electric cars are the future.So long Jeep Cherokee and SUVs!

A Time When It Was Cool To Be Feminine In The Workplace

Yawn: Another Homophobic Republican Politico Reveals Hypocrisy

Rhode Island Republican Rep. Robert Watson said in February that his primarily liberal state had its priorities right "if you are a Guatemalan gay man who likes to gamble and smokes marijuana." Very professional.

It turns out the racist homophobic House minority leader's self-righteous attitude has gone up in smoke. Connecticut cops stopped Watson at an East Haven sobriety checkpoint and sniffed pot and booze. He was found with a bag of marijuana and a wooden pipe in his pocket, while his BAC was 0.05, adding Driving Under the Influence to a drug possession charge.

The jackass responded to the charges by saying they just didn't happen: "While confident I was a safe and sober operator, trace evidence of marijuana was discovered and I was charged with operating under the influence, a charge I vehemently deny." You betcha, buddy! I sure hope his cellmates don't happen to be foreign, gay or blackjack dealers... although if he runs into a drug dealer, I'm sure they'll be fast friends.

When will these "conservatives" ever learn that time will reveal their never-failing hypocrisy?

High Line Encore: A Year Later, A Lot Colder (But Still Inspiring)

It was a year ago to the week that I went to the beautiful High Line Park with Leonard—and what a difference a year makes. No, I'm not talking about how the foliage has grown and matured. Last April, it was sunny, warm, packed with pepes and trees were in full bloom.

This time around, with Donna Mae Moose, Timmy & Bobby, it was cold, windy & gray, with only daffodils & a few tufts of grass offering a hint of life. This zig-zag of warm-cold-warm-cold is certainly nothing new in NYC. It's just tough to accept that never again, following the endless winter of 2011, will it be warm for more than a day at a time in the new Arctic Northeast.

NYC Vintage Image Of The Day: Whitehall Street Pubs

In 1960, there was a wonderfully liberal offering of libation choices at Whitehall & Front streets close to downtown's South Ferry, including Horse Shoe Bar, White Rose Bar and Harmony Cafe.The same lovely view in the late 1950s...

In 1969, the buildings were razed to make room for the 18-story 3 New York Plaza. Oh, sigh...

New York City At Night: Utterly Spectacular Images

Established professional photographer Evan Joseph recently took a spectacular series of images of Manhattan by night, sometimes actually dangling his camera from a helicopter 2,500 feet in the air, employing a homemade stabilization device.

Joseph released "New York City at Night" in October 2010. By all means, buy it here after you breathe in and out with utter awe.