Items tagged with 'whoa'
NY Post gives harsh thumbs down to local kid film critic
You've probably seen Jackson Murphy, a local 11-year-old, do movie reviews on YNN. He goes by the name "Lights Camera Jackson." He started reviewing movies when he was seven.
Murphy's gotten a lot of attention for his reviews. He's won an Emmy. He's interviewed Jane Lynch (you know, from Glee). And in July, he appeared on the CBS Early Show (embedded above).
That CBS appearance set off NY Post film critic Kyle Smith. From his almost-800-word piece:
Leave aside that our latest cultural commentator is too young to see PG-13 movies. Forget the shouty nonsense he thinks equals a movie review. Let's get to the real issue: me. Am I jealous? As Jackson would put it, "Of COURSE!"
Being a movie critic these last five years has been like Act 3 of a slasher flick. What happened to all my friends?
If there are beaming 11-year-old stage monsters who can do my job well enough to be on national television, WHY DIDN'T I GO TO LAW SCHOOL?
Dude. A little touchy, huh.
Smith's piece did include this bit we hadn't known: Jackson Murphy is the son of former WTEN sport anchor Dan Murphy.
[via @Metroland]
Madison Ave row house collapse
The side wall of a row house at 600 Madison Ave in Albany collapsed Friday afternoon. There had been excavation going on in the empty lot next door when the wall came down. All the tenants were reportedly out of the building when it collapsed. [TU] [WNYT]
The street was closed from Robin to New Scotland.
Friday evening crews were on the scene preparing to demolish the building, which is across the street from Washington Park. The lot next door was vacant because the building that had been there burned down in 2007. Here's Google StreetView of what the row had looked like. The excavation was for construction of a new building. [CBS6]
A bunch of photos are after the jump.
Earthquake?!??!
Update 2: The quake's magnitude has been revised to 5.0.
Update: The US Geological Survey reports there was a magnitude 5.5 earthquake near Ottawa, Canada at 1:41:42 this afternoon (local reports from Ottawa). That's relatively strong. The quake's epicenter was about 245 miles from Albany. There are reports it was felt as far away as Manhattan and as Columbus, Ohio.
____
There appears to have been an earthquake in the Capital Region this afternoon around 1:45.
We felt our desk shake for a good 5-10 seconds. Twitter was then filled with local reports of shaking -- from Albany, Colonie, Clifton Park, Glenville.
Updates as they come.
It's hot. It's chocolate. It's bacon.
After hearing that Uncommon Grounds (Saratoga) got a bottle of bacon-flavored Torani syrup, Emily decided she need a bacon hot chocolate:
Disclosure: Yep, we gave away a UG prize basket during birthday week.
Sit down!
A recent post by Silva at DelSo about rude diners at an upscale Albany restaurant made us laugh -- and cringe. From "10 Things Restaurant Guests Should Never Do":
3. When your party arrives an hour earlier than your reservation, please make yourself comfortable at the bar and enjoy yourselves. This does not include standing on a booth to take photos of your group. Believe me, your faces are indelibly engraved on quite a few memories after your behavior - no photo necessary.
By the way: Are you reading DelSo? It's one of our favorite new local blogs.
photo: Flickr user KungPaoCajun
Fried
From the "who ever thought we might need a law for that" file: a state senator from Central New York has proposed legislation that would make it illegal to possess "embalming fluid with either the intent to use such embalming fluid or knowledge that some other person intends to use such embalming fluid for purposes of human ingestion or inhalation."
Yep, that would by people who are not dead.
You know, it's like naked theater-in-the-round
The New York Law Journal reports that a New York State tax appeals tribunal ruled this week that Nite Moves, the strip club adult juice bar on Route 9 in Latham doesn't qualify for a sales tax exemption for the "dramatic arts."
The ruling is posted online and it's actually kind of interesting. The owner of the club hired a cultural anthropologist from the University of Maryland as an expert witness (yes, she visited the club and examined videos). From the ruling (emphasis added):
Dr. Hanna described the exotic dance routines variously as:
somewhat "risqué" or "naughty" adult play, a fanciful teasing that transgresses social decorum and dress codes in an ambience (sic) ranging from sedate to carnival-like. Exotic dance is erotic fantasy and communication with a display of nudity, disclosure of more skin and different movements than are seen in public, the use of high heels (often six inch stiletto platform shoes) and incorporation of jazz-like, improvisatory movements in routines (Exhibit "7," p.7, ¶ 4).
Dr. Hanna stated, based on her review of the three DVDs that these naughty, risque, playful, teasing, erotic, nude performances at Nite Moves were "live, dramatic choreographed performances" (Tr., p. 94 [lines 14-15]). Dr. Hanna concluded that:
the presentations at Nite Moves unequivocally were live dramatic choreographic performances. They are in a theater that shows only dance routines. The theater actually is a little bit like an off Broadway theater. It's small and it's intimate, it's like theater-in-the-round (Tr., p. 94 [lines 13-19]).
Yep, it's like theater-in-the-round. As the New York Law Journal reports, Dr. Hanna's findings actually persuaded an administrative law judge last month, but the tax appeals panel wasn't buying it.
The ruling also includes details about the economics of the club (the dancers are independent contractors who "rent" the facility).
Update: WNYT reports the club owner says he'll appeal the ruling.
[via AP/WTEN]
SEC: Albany firm invested in "sexually-themed charter cruise venture"
From the SEC complaint against Albany investment firm McGinn, Smith & Co., which alleges the firm raised more than $136 million for fraudulent investments (emphasis added):
The Defendants also used offering proceeds to make unauthorized investments in and unsecured loans to speculative, financially troubled McGinn Smith Entities, to make MS & Co.'s payroll, to pay commission and transaction fees to McGinn Smith Entities, to make interest payments to investors in other entities, to support McGinn's and Smith's lifestyle, and to procure strippers for a "sexually themed" cruise.
Oh, wait. There's more:
78. McGinn, MS Capital and MS & Co. also deceived investors into unwittingly investing in a sexually-oriented charter cruise venture created by McGinn. In February 2008, MS & Co. launched a $3,250,000 note offering for an entity 50% owned by an MS & Co. affiliate called CCV. The PPM stated that CCV "is engaged in the business of procuring whole ship charters and selling the berths to various affinity groups." The PPM stated that the net proceeds of the offering would be used to charter a ship and to "underwrite the marketing, sales and administrative expenses associated with selling [the] berths for the cruise."
79. The PPM did not disclose that CCV operated under the name YOLO (You Only Live Once) Cruises, that the affinity group was sexually oriented, that strippers and go-go dancers would be procured to entertain passengers, that investor money would be used to buy insurance for these individuals and that YOLO was run by a woman with whom McGinn was romantically involved.
YOLO would appear to be this cruise company. No, that link is probably not safe for work.
Carl Paladino is one of those people who won't stop forwarding crap
WNY Media -- a news site in the Buffalo area -- has posted on a bunch of emails reportedly sent by Carl Paladino (the site seems to be getting slammed with traffic right now). Many of the messages are forwards. And they contain some nasty stuff: racist jokes, a woman and a horse, uh, you know. "Dramatically unsafe for work" is the way WNY Media describes them.
Paladino's campaign has released a statement responding to the emails. A snip, via Daily Politics:
Carl Paladino has forwarded close friends hundreds of email messages he received. Many of these emails he received were off color, some were politically incorrect, few represented his own opinion, and almost none of them were worth remembering.
Earlier on AOA: Who is Carl Paladino?
"I'm as mad as hell!"
With Carl Paladino seemingly basing his campaign for governor on this clip from Network, we figured it would make for interesting viewing this morning.
It should be noted that Network is a dark satire and the Howard Beale character (the one who yells "I'm as mad as hell! I'm not going to take this anymore!") is literally crazy.
By the way: If you haven't seen Network, you should definitely watch it. It's a fantastic film. It won four Oscars.
Also: After the jump, Warren Redlich's video on why he's not qualified for higher office. The Guilderland resident has set up a long-shot bid for governor.
Earlier on AOA: Who is Carl Paladino?
Paterson up in the one poll he'd probably rather not be
The Boston Phoenix has ranked David Paterson #12 on its list of the "100 Unsexiest Men of the Year." The governor's ranking is up (or, uh, down) from #81 last year. In the politics category, Paterson is between Mark Sanford and Rod Blagojevich.
The Phoenix comments that Paterson looks like "the offspring of Stevie Wonder and Mel Brooks." Ouch.
Tiger Woods was #1 in the rankings.
photo: Runner's World
Reaction to the legislative assault on salt
All this should probably taken with a grain of... well... you know.
As you might have heard, state assemblyman Felix Ortiz (D-Brooklyn) has proposed a bill that would ban restaurants from using salt in the preparation of food.
That hasn't exactly gone over well. A quick spin around the table for reaction after the jump.
Also: a scan of Ortiz's other fun-filled legislation.
Made in Schenectady: personal care for your derriere
Earlier this week saw mention of a product called MB3 on Twitter -- and it seemed to have a local connection. Hmm... what's MB3? So we checked out the web site. From the product page:
MB3 is a soothing external perianal cleansing lotion designed to achieve that "bidet fresh" feeling on the go. When applied to toilet paper for the final wipe, MB3 will leave you clean, comfortable, and confident.
OK, so we have to admit we thought at first this might be a joke. But it seemed to check out. So who was, uh, you know, behind this product?
The answer: Steve Markham . He's a remodeling contractor (by day) in Schenectady -- and now a personal care product developer (by night).
We emailed Steve a few questions and he bounced back answers about the origin of the idea, getting his start at a business incubator in Schenectady, and his home-brew setup for MB3.
Albany Song!
After hearing Albany's new "theme song" on CBS6's site this morning, we were... uh... well... you're just going to have to listen for yourself:
You know, the singer has a great voice and it's... peppy. But it kind of strikes us as the sort of jingle you'd hear in a TV spot for an electronics store.
We would like to offer an alternative in the form of We Are Jeneric's "O Albany, We Hope":
Bonus: After the jump, the cheese-tastic We-Are-the-World-style Albany theme song from the tricentennial in 1986.
[via CBS6 and @KatelynBuress]
"What are you doing now?"
There's an app for that?
That piece above is by artist Dan Burkholder. He made it using an iPhone. Really.
It's part of an exhibition that opens tomorrow night at the Martinez Gallery in Troy as part of Troy Night Out.
The exhibition's title takes a cue from sites such as Twitter and Facebook: "What are you Doing Now?" It features 18 local artists providing an example of their most current work, using a range of media -- including the iPhone.
The Martinez Gallery is at 3 Broadway in Troy (that's the Cannon Building). In addition to TNO, it's open Wednesday through Saturday 2-5pm.
Overheard on the bright side
Two acquainted women run into each other at the Washington Ave Ext Panera:
Woman One: How's ________?
Woman Two: He's good! Eight brain surgeries, but he's great!
Everything truly is relative.
image via Flickr user brain_blogger
Stop picking your nose
Well, alright, then.
Emails CJ:
I thought perhaps I had hallucinated this billboard when I saw it last weekend, caught without my camera, and I despaired for my sanity when several attempts to view it during the week presented me with no such public-spirited reminder. But yesterday afternoon, there it was again, tucked in among the countdown to Christmas and ads for a nightclub -- a special request from Lamar for drivers along I-787 to stop picking their noses.
(This is one of the new electronic billboards along I-787, just north of the Corning Preserve boat launch.)
Now that New York State has a ban on texting-while-driving, we can only hope our legislators will take up the issue of a picking-while-driving ban.
(Thanks, CJ!)
photo: Carl Johnson
Ask Ashley
The New York Post has a new advice columnist: Ashley Dupre. Yep, that Ashley Dupre. As the Post promises: "Spitzer's babe answers all your love-life questions!"
Dupre answers five questions in her inaugural column. Among them: "Are there telltale signs a man isn't happy in his marriage?" From her answer (emphasis added):
Girlfriends do that for the most part. But I think that wives with children have so much pressure on them, the natural thing is for the kids to take priority. The husband feels secondary and in one form or another may seek out that required special attention outside the marriage.
Or so she hears.
Also among the questions: "My boyfriend wants to know how many men I've slept with. Do I give an honest answer?"
Earlier on AOA: The spitzering: one year later
Santa Speedo Sprint 2009 photos
It's 25 degrees! Jump for joy!
This year's ASAP Santa Speedo Sprint was a great time -- lots of scantily-clad, sprinting Santas, a cheering crowd and more than $13,000 raised for the Albany Damien Center.
There are many photos -- and some video -- after the jump.
That's Angelina and that's Albany
You can see the State Library in the background on the right.
The trailer for Salt, the Angelina Jolie spy movie that filmed in downtown Albany back in April, was posted online today. And you can make out Albany very clearly in some of the shots. (It looks like they digitally added the Washington Monument and a few other DC buildings to make it look like the Beltway.)
The full trailer is embedded after the jump. Albany's cameos start at about the 1:17 mark.
We also pulled another screengrab of a shot from I-787. It looks like the footage has been flipped horizontally. How can you tell? The interstate signs are backwards. We're guessing they'll fix that before the movie's released next year.
(Thanks, JMc and others!)
More shaking in the Hill Towns
The quakes have been clustered near Berne
There were two more earthquakes near Berne last night, according to the seismographic network that monitors this area. They were described as "micro earthquakes," though one of them was 2.9 -- which is relatively strong for this area.
These little quakes have almost become common in the Hill Towns. There have been 20 there since February.
[via WTEN]
Rainbow weather
There's a pot of gold out there. Somewhere.
Yesterday's late afternoon rain showers -- and subsequent break in the clouds -- produced a bumper crop of rainbows around the Capital Region.
The local Twitter stream yesterday was full of rainbow sightings -- over the ESP, at RPI, over the county court building in Albany, on Henry Johnson, in Delmar, at Stuyvesant Plaza (a full double arc), at Crossgates, at Colonie Center, and over Central Warehouse.
Barry took the photo above at UAlbany. You can just make out the double rainbow in the upper left corner.
(Thanks, Barry!)
photo: Barry Trachtenberg
Not so smart
Wow.
Jennifer sent along this photo, which was taken yesterday in Washington Park. This would be a comically bad parking job just about anywhere, but near the always parking-deficient Center Square it might have caused an angry mob.
As Jennifer wrote in the email's subject line: "Smart Car, Stupid Driver."
Our first thought on seeing the photo was: "You could probably park another Smart Car in the space between the car and the curb." Not content to just speculate, we attempted to test this guess using the photo. The result is after the jump.
President Obama at HVCC
Unfortunately, there was no time for a coffee break.
AOA was at Barack Obama's speech today at HVCC.
Here's a look at some of what we saw from our little corner of the bleachers...
Air Force One landing at ALB
Wave to the President!
Pete Casellini snapped this pic this morning as Air Force One landed at Albany International Airport.
(Many thanks, Pete!)
Update: Check out more photos of Air Force One by Paul and Amy...
... said Kaitlin about Viva Kaitlin!