Weinergate: Press Having A Field Day WIth Weiner Roast Headlines

Come on, wiener is one of the funniest words in the English language. Combine that with New York Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner's little conundrum and the headlines & punch lines are just bulging with hilarity. I don't blame the press for having a fucking field day with this one.Weiner: "I'm sorry I was a little stiff yesterday" (Fox News) 
The Anthony Weiner Mystery: A Tough News Package to Handle (Time)
Eric Cantor says Anthony Weiner should ‘come clean' (Politico)
Anthony Weiner: It's A Prank But Doesn't Know If It's His Crotch (NPR)
Did Anthony Weiner's Weiner Get Hacked or Another Politician Caught With Pants Down
Weiner's Penis Photo Dispute to Be Settled in Small Claims Court (Fox Nation/Ann Coulter)
The Swelling Controversy Surrounding Rep. Anthony Weiner
Weiner Story Not Likely To Peter Out Very Soon
Weiner Growing Testy Over Questions Related To Twitter Scandal
Weiner Should Bare It All
Jon Stewart: "This gentleman and this picture both lean to the hard left."
Weiner Pulls A Twitter Boner
Weinergate: The Plot Thickens 
Weinergate Rises To New Heights

NYC Vintage Image Of The Day: Just Another Shopping Day On The LES

 Almost as crowded as Whole Foods Market, huh? Image undated.

Beu Sisters 'Collection of Beu-tiful Music' EP Launch Party Tonight!

Wicked and wild time tonight with the Beu Sisters. Stand by for full coverage!

Chris Evans Launches Gucci Guilty Por Homme

Chris Evans is leading the launch of new men's fragrance Gucci Guilty with actress Rachel Evan Wood, which we're told "oozes masculinity." Game, match, set!

More specifically, Gucci offers, "The juice has top notes of sparkling Italian lemon, pink peppercorn & lavender. The dry down features hallmark Giannini note patchouli and cedarwood. Gucci Guilty is the perfect exterior for the image of the man who wears it: a sexy, fearless, risk-taker." Now that's just nasty good!!

Check out the naughty "director's cut" minute-long video for the ad campaign below, starring Chris Evans and Evan Rachel Wood. Directed by Frank Miller. Soundtrack by Bat for Lashes.

The Men Of HGTV: Awfully Good With Their Tools

It's no secret that I'm a huge follower of HGTV... and while my favorite shows tend to have female hosts "Property Virgins" with Sandra Rinomato, "Dear Genevieve" with Genevieve Gorder and all-round good co-host Sabrina Soto), it's the men of HGTV that make it an eye candy destination. Here are the cable network's top four dreamy boys. Hand me that hammer and let's get busy.1) Canadian Scott McGillivray hosts "Income Property" on HGTV. He has also been a co-host on "All American Handyman" with mean gruff Mike Holmes. Scott is a trained carpenter and previously worked on "From the Ground Up with Debbie Travis," another fave of mine. He majored in Marketing Management in college. Of course, it goes without saying that he has the best hair on HGTV... with a million-dollar smile to match. Dreamy!2) Before winning HGTV's first "Design Star," David Bromstad was an illustrator for Disney Studios. Today, he is arguably the best makeover master on the network. His "Color Splash" was a huge hit out of the gate, though the show moved to Miami full-time last season and has since lost a good deal of its mojo. The openly gay host is a joy to watch: inspiring, sexy and remarkably creative.3) John Gidding, born in Istanbul, Turkey, had quite a ride before hosting his own HGTV show. The former architect was educated at Harvard and Yale, then became a runway model for Armani, Gucci and Hugo Boss, as well as posing for romance novel covers. Today, he hosts "Curb Appeal: The Block," which, while mildly entertaining, is worth the 30 minutes to see this openly gay cutie in action.4) Carter Oosterhouse is a former model born in Michigan, who gained fame on TLC's "Trading Spaces" before hosting his own "Carter Can" on HGTV and "Red Hot & Green." But because every show focuses on being green, despite the cost to design, I've given up on watching this handsome stud. Damn shame, too, because seeing him in action—with that divine hair—was once a design masterpiece in itself.
Let's give the ladies some credit, too! See them after the jump.

FASCINATING: Where NYC Subway Cars Go To Die... And Live Again

Photographer Stephen Mallon captured these breathtaking images of the new life that comes to retired NYC subway cars, which are dramatically dropped into the ocean to become artificial reefs for sea creatures.

The city decided a decade ago to donate the old cars so that mussels, barnacles and even sharks could glom on and weave in and out of the structures off the Eastern seaboard. His images are from 2008-2010, with cars ending up off the coast of Virginia, Delaware and Maryland.(Photos: Stephen Mallon/Works Artists/Frontroom Gallery)

NYC Vintage Image Of The Day: Edward Hopper's New York

Popular legend has it that Edward Hopper painted his iconic 1942 "Nighthawks" based on a diner at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Greenwich Street (Mulry Square) in New York's Greenwich Village. It has since been revealed that no diner ever existed at the location—a gas station was on the corner from the 1930s-1970s—and that the painting is actually a hodge-podge of Hopper's memories.

Here's Hopper's lesser-known "New York Restaurant" from 1922.
"New York Movie," 1939

"Room In Brooklyn," 1932.
"Williamsburg Bridge," 1928.

And, of course, there have been hundreds of parodies of "Nighthawks." Four of my faves are below the jump, while you can see a massive collection here.

World Trade Center Site: Still A Whole Lot Of Nothing Much To See

When you go to the World Trade Center's official webbie and click on "progress," the first line is, "There is a new spirit at the World Trade Center site." Yes, indeed... but I'd rather see building than good intentions.

According to the site, at first building 1 World Trade Center, steel has risen to the 68th floor, glass has been installed to the 41st floor and concrete floors have risen to the 62nd floor. Claims are that a floor a week is progressing upward.

The two concrete holes you see in the photos below are the imprint of the original WTC, which are now going to be vast cavernous reflecting pools, tagged the National September 11 Memorial & Museum—forever reminding us of what once was, instead of taking a step into the future. I find that utterly gruesome.

1 WTC was supposed to be opened this year, but the latest delays have now pushed that to January 2014. Sadly, because of politics, finances, legalities and constant compromises on behalf of demanding families who continue to grieve 10 years on, I'll believe it when I see it. As for the remaining three high-rises in the grand plan, I remain wholly pessimistic that they will reach the sky during my lifetime.
See The New York Times' detailed progress report below the jump.

God Guides Boat With Its Own Beacon Of Light

View of New York's East River, from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.  
Taken with Nikon D5000, edited with HDRtist Pro digital software.

'Men In Black 3' Filming Turns Back Time In Brooklyn Heights

The third installment of Men in Black takes Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones back to the 1960s to hunt down aliens, with Josh Brolin playing the younger version of Jones. Men In Black III (ugh, in 3D) hits theaters May 25, 2012.

The cast has been filming in Brooklyn Heights (along with Cobble Hill, Coney Island and Williamsburg) for the past several days, taking the neighborhood along for the ride as subway signs at Borough Hall have been magically transformed into those that appeared from the 1940s to the 1970s.
Tonight, ironically walking back from seeing a movie, filming was taking place with dozens of '60's-era cars rolling down Court  Street. No sign of the stars, but we did see aliens lit up like skeletons roll down the street on a bicycle.

NYC Vintage Image Of The Day: MYSTERY SOLVED!

Today's NYC Vintage Image depicts "Brooklyn Circle" in 1904. The picture is so beautiful that I decided to post it, despite the fact that I could find no references to exactly where it is/was—or what it looks like today.

Mystery solved! Longtime New York resident and pal Leonard reveals that the colorized photograph is in the Prospect Park West area of the Park Slope neighborhood (where he once resided, albeit post-1904, ahem).

The large red brick Venetian revival building (back right), is The Montauk Club at Eighth Avenue and Lincoln Place, which was designed by famed New York architect Francis Kimball, who was inspired by a palace on Venice’s Grand Canal. The Club House—where gentlemen came to drink brandy, smoke cigars and schmooze—was completed in 1891 and its Venetian gothic architecture, carved mahogany woodwork and beautiful stained glass windows remain signature features today.

In 1996, the clubhouse was converted to condominiums with the membership retaining the parlor and second floor for club use. Below is a recent 4,000 square foot unit that was on the market.
The surrounding neighborhood along Prospect Park West was known as the Gold Coast in the 1890s, with its beautiful Victorian homes. Sadly, the curved Brooklyn Circle no longer exists. It was eventually straightened to line evenly with Prospect Park West.

NYC Image Of The Day: 'Brooklyn Circle,' 1904

Today's New York Vintage Image is a pure mystery to me. I found this lovely neighborhood pic of "Brooklyn Circle," taken in 1904... and yet I can find out no information about where this is... or was...Here's a close-up of some of the photo's elements...More close-ups of the original shot, albeit fuzzy, are after the jump.