Bwahahahahahahaha…

Though some of us have noted that the past weekend has us a little Halloween’d out (and few things could be scarier than the above photo), some friends and I took in Blood Manor last night to kind of get in the spirit. I give it a hearty two-thumbs sideways, while some of the people I was with thought it pretty spectacular. I don’t know. I kind of feel that all of the Halloween attractions I’ve ever experienced here in NYC only pale in comparison to the extravaganzas I’ve witnessed in the suburbs, but then again, if you don’t know any better then Blood Manor could probably give you a thrill. Some of the sets were cool, many of the actors were good, and they enforce a strict no-touching policy which will no doubt give many visitors comfort and which my friends and I exploited to mixed reaction at several points along the way as we butted heads with various haunts and reminded them, “No touching! No touching!”

I bet it would be fun (and probably really crowded) tonight post-parade.

Well, not the kind of celebrity you’re thinking of.

I think that as I was walking up 87th to 3rd Avenue, I spotted Metrobloggings own Michael Orell. I only met him once, but I have a really good feeling it was him.

If he didn’t have headphones on I would have stopped him, but then I thought that he may have been heading home to let another random girl out of his apartment.

Hey Michael – nice to see you around the neighborhood. Next time, I’ll stop you and say hello.

I fear Halloween in this town. The parade has warm memories, and I

This is so crazy, that I just had to post a link here. Am I the only person in the entire tri-state area who didn’t smell maple syrup last night???

Gothamist has the full story, lots of links, and a ton of reader comments from all over the city. Go read.

[image from 1010 WINS, obviously]

No surprise, New York sells out. Adrants is reporting that Honda is ripping off the “I love New York” logo for a new campaign. Cost: $45,000 to New York state.

According to the Daily News the publicist of the original idea is none to pleased:

“I guess I’ve learned the world isn’t the idealistic place I was raised to believe it was,” said publicist Bobby Zarem, who helped create the original campaign.

“All anybody is interested in is making a buck. It’s cheap and stupid,” he added.

Kinda tacky in my books. I heart NY logo- $45k, selling out-priceless.

Ambling along after work yesterday, plugged into my ipod, I was listening to something melancholy and feeling…melancholy (go figure), and pretty much just reveling in being disconnected from the world around me and lost in the interior landscape of my thoughts.

So I headed towards the subway, and no sooner had I started down the stairs that I was forced into this plane of reality by the feeling of someone grabbing me by the arm.

I turned, probably looking somewhat annoyed, and was met by the sight of a cute blond woman who started to speak, but then hesitated when she noticed the headphones in my ears and the look of surprise on my face. But after a beat, she soldiered on:

Recently saw the new production of Sweeney Todd. And while anyone who knows me knows that I have a rather low threshold for musical theater, I will always make an exception for things of the dark and brooding variety, especially where multiple throat-slashings and the pouring of buckets of blood are involved. Sweet.

The interesting thing about this production is that the actors/singers and the orchestra are one and the same. Meaning, every cast member is also an instrumentalist who takes turns playing when not singing or involved in the action taking place on stage. Sometimes the instruments themselves are integrated into the action, and sometimes not.

Sounds weird, but with the exception of a very few awkward moments (which will probably be cleared up since I believe it

Last year when I moved here from England, my first film gig was a non-paying production assistant role in this film, then titled Lobster Farm. Written and directed by Kevin Jordan (Toronto Film Festival darling), filmed at his family’s Jordan’s Lobsters location, I first learned of what family and living in Brooklyn meant. I also learned what hypothermia meant having to help hold that gigantic Macy’s Parade size lobster in the middle of a blizzard while my hands were frozen and I had been outside in said blizzard for over 12 hours.

Finally, retitled as Brooklyn Lobster this film made on only a $200,000 budget, starring Danny Aiello and Jane Curtain is set for release on November 4th at the City Cinemas Village East, on 2nd Ave between 11th and 12th street. It’s a story that truly feels like what Brooklyn and family mean to me. Frank Giorgio, portrayed by Aiello, is the father of a typical crazy family, trying “maintain his Brooklyn pride” when the bank comes a calling to foreclose on his lobster farm. It’s a story as much about Brooklyn as it is about family and definitely a must see.

Already screened at the Toronto and Hamptons film festivals, it was shown again last night at the Film 101 course which features the creators of these films in a brief lecture/Q&A before the screening. I’ve been told that although my name is on the website with the lowly PA credit, it’s missing from the actual film credits. So check out the website, go see the film, and let me know what the answer is to the credit/noncredit “issue.” I for one will be checking it out just see Aiello work his magic on screen. Man can that guy act.

I can attest to the plight of attractive UESer Melissa Medina as I too have experienced firsthand the wrath of a UES apartment building. Thrice my living room ceiling had to be prepared, I

This is an interesting live competition for desktop artists mimicking MC/DJ and Dance offs contest. I think it would be fun to see even if you aren’t :).