Friday, March 26, 2010

The Short List: The Nose Edition


William Kentridge's production of The Nose ended last night at The Metropolitan Opera, which I was fortunate enough to see. In one critical scene in the second act, the main character enters a newspaper office to request an advertisement for his missing nose. The editor rejects him, saying, if he put the ad in, people would want to put in all sorts of ads for missing body parts into the paper. Then he offers for a writer to write about the unusual story for a small fee.

The point is that papers are selective in what they print, but crazy stories that people can relate to are always a good bet. I think. Also, people with missing noses that become state councilors will eventually confront such nose in an epic Russian mob beat-down, or so the opera tells me.

The point is... there are a number of stories this past week where a reporter has had to follow his or her nose to get at what is really going on. Let's recognize them in a special, nose-themed edition of The Short List.

*How did the press buy the Lazar/ Hikind hype when Greenfield stuck by the party apparatus and walloped the opposition in a relatively easy victory. Maybe because county isn't dead. Or maybe it was because Greenfield was simply a better candidate, as Yeshiva World argues. Or maybe Vito Lopez is the Duke University Blue Devils and pundits should stop betting against him in Brooklyn races.
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*Let's back up to Wednesday to mention a local blogger with a good nose for a story. Miss Heather at New York Shitty probably knows more about hostels in Williamsburg and Greenpoint than anyone (and that's including its elected officials who were not aware of the two hostels on North 6th and several others scattered around the neighborhood before Friday's raid). She sniffed out a story on Wednesday about the glove factory and was ahead of the news curve when it broke in another location on Friday. Not to mention the fiasco on Eagle Street from earlier this summer. Disagree with me if you like, but these buildings stories are what Miss Heather is best at.
Updated: Assemblymember Joe Lentol's office has been quietly collecting information about hostels in Northside Williamsburg and Greenpoint for several months. Lentol was the first official to put out a statement about the raid, expressing sympathy for the long-term tenants of the hostel that was evicted on Friday.

*You may need to hold your nose if you walk on parts of the Gowanus Canal, but don't miss the debut of Characters of Gowanus on Vimeo. It's like surfing the Canal from the safety of your computer, but you should still take a shower afterward. Check out their interview with the Gowanus Canal Swamp Thing!
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*Finally, music snobs, turn your nose up at the DIY Music festival if you must, but the spirit is refreshing and willing, so check it out because there isn't a ton going on this weekend except for basketball. Actually, there might be, so click on the Weekly Culture Picks to see more.

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