City Desk: Guggenheim Liberated from Herr Krens!

It was a good day for art as the Dictator, I mean, Director of the Guggenheim has stepped down! For years, Thomas Krens has spent more time trying the franchise the name Guggenheim (to Las Vegas and Dubai for example) than taking care of the beloved Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building itself. And oh, maybe now it will also contain quality modern art.

I do not know if you ever go to First Fridays, which is highly suggested, but the building itself was looking rough around the edges. The façade was literally crumbling around Krens as he brought cheesy exhibition after passé exhibitions. Of course, the biggest folly of the Krens era was the Guggenheim Soho branch, which is now a Prada store!

Who knows, maybe that was his last great piece, a situationist work in consumer absurdity. Either way, do not let a rubenesque door hit you on the way out Krens!

City Desk: Day 2 of the Sean Bell Case

In a bombshell today, one of the members of Sean Bell’s bachelor party testified he heard police pause between firing upon him and Sean Bell in their car. Hugh Jensen also stated the officers never stopped to evaluate the situation, leading to death of Bell on his wedding day.

The pausing during the shooting is a big hole in the defense’s case that there was not enough time for the officers to asses the confrontation. If they had time to pause and reload (remember, they shot 50 times!), then they would have had time to see this was the wrong party they were after.

Later today, Lieutenant Gary Napoli, the man in charge of the team of undercover police officers at the club, will take the stand. And that is when this will get real interesting.

City Desk: Bloomberg Drives Home Part of PlanYC

When Bloomberg introduced his PlanYC, most New Yorkers sort of giggled, and thought it was all hot air. Globally hot air. Well, say hello to a new part of his initiative for a greener New York: efficiency standards for all corporate car services.

This comes on the heels of setting new standards for all of the city’s cabs last year. By 2010, all cabs and cars must be able to get 30 miles to gallon, which is currently double the acceptable average.

To enable small business owners to update their fleets, the city has come up with a plan to help banks and car dealerships offer deals everyone can afford.

“Their savings they will pay for it, even in the first year, and then get enormous savings for their bottom line,” said the Mayor Michael Bloomberg. “Drivers will make a lot more money with this.”

The mayor is also asking the statehouse in Albany to wave the city portion of the sales tax on any updated fleet that meets the PlanYC standards, but we know how things go up there.

New York City is getting greener, or at least car dealerships are seeing more green. Either way, win/win for air quality.

Sports: Simon Slashed in Trade

The Islanders, who are still in the post-season hunt, finally saved themselves of the biggest distraction on the time: Chris Simon. Simon only recently returned to the team, to a chorus of boos and taunts, after he served a record 30 game suspension. He got the ban for skate-stomping Pittsburgh’s Jarkko Ruutu in December. This thug, even by hockey standards, was only dealt for a six-round pick. Seems nobody wanted a player who spends more time in suspensions than in his jersey.Speaking of trades, crowd favorite Johnathan Vilma, a former Pro Bowl linebacker, as but yet to be traded. After a few stellar seasons, he never found his grove in the NY Jet’s 3-4 defensive set, since he is more a speed than power linebacker. Maybe the Jets can unload Andre Dyson as well, he of Buress-stiff-arm fame.

State Desk: Aubertine Upsets Barclay in State Senate Special Election

In a shocking upset last night, the son of retiring Assemblyman Will Barclay lost to upstart Democratic candidate Darrel Aubertein. The GOP has long been in control of the New York state Senate, but this latest lost now brings their control down to a razor thin single seat. Even worse for the GOP, the district they just lost has been held by a Republican since 1880. You read that right, 1880.

Even more shocking is that Aubertien is a lifelong diary farmer, which little to know political experience to speak of. When a nobody can unseat a political dynasty like the Barclays, there is definitely change in the air. One has to begin wonder if the century long domination of Republicans in Albany will be over this November.

Not a single member of the NY Republican party has ever been in the minority in the state chambers, it will be interesting to watch the general election to see that it never happens. Make popcorn, this will be fun!

City Desk: Day 1 of the Sean Bell Case

While Broadway is usually know for high drama in The City, this week the real life episode of “Law&Order” begins in the Sean Bell case. In case you have been out of the country or under a rock the last year, Sean Bell was the young man gunned down police outside of a strip bar on his wedding day. A total of 50 bullets were flung at him and his friends, still in their car, and no gun was found on the victims.

So yesterday started the long awaited testimony and began with the material witness for the prosecution. First up was Marseilles Payne, who comically called herself: “The second best pole dancer in town.” While she started with a joke, she ended with a completely different story of the events than the NYPD has been promoting:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/

Asked if she heard anyone yell “police” before the shooting, Payne answered, “No, I didn’t hear nothing.”"Once I got into the bushes, I squatted down and put my head in my arms and I waited for the gunshots to stop. There was a pause. I thought the shooting was over.”

Then, she said, “The gunshots started again.”

Payne, who dances under the name Trini Wright, said she knew Bell from their childhood days. She was on her way to join Bell and his two pals, Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield, for breakfast, when one of the officers actually tried to pick her up for a “date.”

Of course, being a stripper in a c-class adult fun joint would mean she has to have credibility issues, something the defense lawyers will highlight. How they plan to do this with a single mom who finds time to volunteer at the city’s homeless outreach has yet to be seen.

But it is crucial for the defense, as her story contradicts the version of NYPD Detective Michael Oliver who said Bell rammed his van while reaching for a gun. According to Payne, no one identified themselves as police, and Oliver opened fire after ramming Bell’s car preventing him from leaving the parking lot.

Between to sides of every story, there is the truth, and currently the truth is looking bad for the defense. Stay tuned.

The Oscars in NYC

The Oscars have arrived. While most associate the awards show with the red carpets galore out in Los Angeles, the official New York Oscar night will be held at the Carlyle Hotel. Here, the cream of the crop of the east coast media industry come to meet and greet and watch their ponies in the race out West.

If you have yet to see any of the movies (Michael Clayton, Atonement, There Will Be Blood, No Country For Old Men and Juno), free up your Saturday! At the AMC theaters in town, there will be all day showings of all Oscar nominated movies! With your all-day pass you get unlimited popcorn and ability to walk out on a movie and not feel like you wasted your money.

Check out the locations for the AMC Showcases:
http://www.amctheatres.com/promos/showcase/