The Rat Pack - Photograph Exhibition at the Milk Gallery (March 16-28); Photos by Sid Avery and Bob Willoughby

The Rat Pack images from LIFE.com

Never before seen photographs of The Rat Pack with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Dean Martin will be on display at the Milk Gallery from March 16 to March 28. These photographs will include what the Reel Art Press calls "Frank Sinatra's legendary clique ... The never before seen images, discovered only last year, include work by famed photographers Sid Avery and Bob Willoughby. The exhibition captures the glamour and excess of life in the fast lane during the fifties and sixties - from Vegas to Hollywood, to the set of Oceans 11 and the stage of The Sands, it’s Frank, Dean, Sammy, Marilyn and JFK at their best."

The exhibit will feature vintage prints and limited edition prints, with the majority of the images previously unseen and have never before been available for purchase. The images are by photographers Sid Avery and Bob Willoughby. The opening will be on March 15 and is an RSVP only event; however, the exhibit will be available to the rest of the public from March 16 to March 28 (details below). It is an event not to be missed!

For a preview of some of the photographs at the Milk Gallery: The Rat Pack exhibition, click the link here.

Coincidentally, Channel Thirteen and WLIW (21) will be airing THE RAT PACK: LIVE AND SWINGIN' Sunday at 8 pm on WLIW and Monday at 1:30 am on Channel Thirteen and 2:30 pm on WLIW.

DID YOU KNOW?

• The name "the Rat Pack" was originally referred to as a group of actors that originated with Humphrey Bogart.
  

• How did the name "The Rat Pack" come to be and how did Sinatra become part of that group? According to Max Rudin, who wrote an article for PBS, he discovered that Sinatra had moved his family to LA's Toluca Lake to Holmby Hills, just blocks from Bogart's house, and Sinatra was inducted into Bogart's group of film star's drinking buddies. The story goes that when Bogart's wife, Lauren Bacall, saw the drunken crew all together in the casino, she told them, "You look like a goddamn rat pack."

• After Bogart died, Sinatra liked having people around him and then assembled his own group. Frank Sinatra, Joey Bishop, Sammy Davis Jr, Dean Martin, and Peter Lawford rounded out the five-buddy group that was known as the "summit or the clan", but referred by journalists as the Rat Pack. The group was an ensemble of an ethnically diverse group of singers - one black, one Jew, two Italians, and one feckless Hollywoodized Brit - with a varied background - three of them second-generation immigrants, four raised during the Depression in ethnic city neighborhoods. These group of entertainers went to Las Vegas to shoot a movie (Ocean's 11) and do two nightclub shows. Their stage act took off and their careers spring boarded from there to more movies, records and business deals.
  

• The Rat Pack, with its known leaders - Frank, Sammy and Dean - also had other followers known as the Rat Pack Mascots which included Marilyn Monroe, Angie Dickinson, Juliet Prowse, and Shirley MacLaine.

• According to wikipedia, Peter Lawford, member of the Rat Pack, was a brother-in-law of President JFK and the group played a role in campaigning for JFK and the Democrats, appearing at the July 11, 1960 Democratic National Convention in LA. However, Sinatra's relationship with Lawford suffered as a result of JFK staying at a rival's house - Bing Crosby.
  

• The Rat Pack Live and Swingin included Johnny Carson, who was an emcee and sub for Bishop who was out of the show due to a bad back. If you watch the episode on tv tonight (times mentioned above), you'll see the young Johnny Carson singing along with Frank, Dean and Sammy in the group's only televised concert at the Kiel Opera House in St. Louis. The event was a closed-circuit broadcast done as a fundraiser for Dismas House (the first halfway house for ex-convicts).
  

Even though I was not born during The Rat Pack's time, I can still appreciate their music. In contrast to today's music with the electronics and voice altering machines, Frank Sinatra and his crew had a unique voice that stood on its own.

To see the exhibit, visit The Milk Gallery at the address below

Milk Gallery
450 W 15th Street
New York, NY 10011
Exhibit open everyday from 10 am - 6 pm

For a preview of images from the Reel Art Press/Milk Gallery Rat Pack exhibition, click here.
For more info on the PBS article regarding the Rat Pack, read here.
For Rat Pack images from LIFE.com click here.

Milton Friedman on Phil Donahue's Show in 1979 (parts of it on cnbc)

If you've watched CNBC lately, you might have seen bits and pieces of Phil Donahue's interview with Economist Milton Friedman in 1979. Milton Friedman? Yes, you may have remembered learning about him in high school. Well, that 30 second commercial caught my eye, enough so, that I wanted to see the interview of Friedman for myself to see if there is anything to gleam from it. Interesting enough, Friedman talks about the Great Depression, private enterprise, government intervention, Chrysler, greed, capitalism, Ralph Nader and more. Sound interesting? I thought so.

Here is part of the clip that you see on cnbc of Milton Friedman and Phil Donahue in 1979.

For the entire interview:

Part 1 (New Deal/Great Depression/Chrysler/Pollution/Ralph Nader) ,
Part 2 (automobile industry/oil),
Part 3 (free trade/concentration of industries),
Part 4 (GM),
Part 5 (min wage)

Who is Milton Friedman? Economist, Professor, Nobel Prize Recipient in Economic Sciences, Economic advisor to Former President Ronald Reagan, just to name a few.

For more, take a look at wikipedia.

Agent Anything? Only in New York can you hire a random college student to do your bidding!

AGENT ANYTHING! This is awesome - I can hire a college student at any given hour to run my errands or do "whatever" it is that I want - yes, ANYerrand, ANYtime, and ANYwhere. This is better than Netflix and Fresh Direct, but is it better than asking your minions at work to do your bidding for free? Well, at least we know Agent Anything will be guilt free (assuming you are a decent human being). So how much are you willing to pay someone to do your bidding?

Urban Daddy recently tested out a few agents and their results were hilarious. You have to go to their site and read it. If you're lazy, here is a quick summary.

• Mission: Stand-in line at Shack Shack to order burgers and concretes and have them delivered ; Cost: $15, 11:32 a.m. - Burgers were still warm and Concretes were not melted.
  
• Mission: Personal Masseuse. Cost: Initial bid was at $60 and was negotiated down to $45 (not sure if negotiating is normal or not since you're supposed to name your own price -- but apparently so)
  
• Mission: Blind Date Escape; Cost: $24.99 - person came in scrubs!

After taking a look at Agent Anything's Website, they claim their agents can do ANYerrand, at ANYtime, and at ANYwhere. Need someone to hand out fliers for your new business? or someone to walk your dog? or someone to help you paint your room? or how about stand in line at Ippudo or Clinton Street Baking Company to grab you a seat? Sound tempting? Well, it can be easy -- visit the Agent Anything website and POST your mission!

When posting your mission, you have the opportunity to say how much you are willing to pay an Agent to do it. And if someone selects the mission, your credit card won't be charged until after you say the mission is accomplished (or after 48 hours if you don't respond). Not a bad deal. This is like a mixture of eBay and Craigslist combined -- its the new future of legit/legal personalized customer service!

If you don't have a mission to post, but want to "run" a mission and be a 007 agent for the day, then you can elect to do that too! Oh wait, sorry, this is only available to students! Very clever Mr. Agent Anything business developer because it will keep costs low for your clients. :D But, also a good way to encourage the youth group to work in a time when employment is low (and the agent anything website even provides a usatoday article talking about low youth employment rates! touching, very touching) So, if you're a student, check the existing Agent Mission postings to see if anything is suitable for you!

As of today, Agent Anything is offering a free agent to pick up Ben & Jerry's ice cream for you (so long as you pick up the ice cream bill). Why? Because they were inspired recently by Jerry Greenfield who gave an "incredible, hilarious, and inspiring talk to small business owners" that they started loving Ben & Jerry's for their strong values and their commitment to giving back to the community. So this is Agent Anything's way of giving back and showing their support of the Ben & Jerry's values!

As an aside, the background story to Ben & Jerry's is quite amazing -- if you get a chance, there is a one hour Biography show on the development of Ben & Jerry's that is inspiring to anyone who wants to start a business from scratch and with little to no money.

By the looks of it, Agent Anything has had a little over 900 clients (I am sure most of these are friends that signed up, but haven't had any mission postings yet since most have 0 pending missions, 0 running missions and 0 accomplished missions) and over 1,200 agents willing to do your bidding (and it seems that most of these agents are new too!)... With that said, this is a new and ramping up business -- and I have to admit, very creative. I wish the founders much success as it is a mutually beneficial tool for the community at a reasonable price (yes, your price!)!

Good luck!

p.s. Agent Anything is currently available in New York and New Jersey, only.

p.s.2 For some reason, I think I've heard of a similar company like this that started a year ago -- however, after a google search, I am unable to find them. So, I just hope Agent Anything builds up their SEO to capitalize on their catchy "agent anything" name and quality service.

Crisp: The New Falafel in New York City

Photos above were taken with the iPhone 3Gs.

One bite of this falafel sandwich and you'll know why this place is called "CRISP"... Similar to Tony the Tiger's "They're G-G-G-reat" saying, Crisp should have their own motto of "ccrrrunncccchhh, ccruuunnccchhhh" because that will be the sound you hear after that first scrumptious bite. Crisp's falafels are all made with organic ingredients and are freshly baked, everyday!

Their menu offers a variety of options to add to your falafels - have it with peanut sauce (the African way), or with cilantro pesto/avocado/salsa (the Mexican way), chili sauce/eggplants (the Asian way), or just the plain old regular way -- with hummus/salad (the Crisp way). Either way you have it, you'll get that crunchy bite every time! As an added bonus, your order will be packaged in what the company calls "the handbag". At first, my friend and I thought it was such a waste of a cardboard box (but that is only because we didn't realize the potential of the bag)... If you rip along the perforated line, you'll notice the sandwich will be held in place -- a perfect way to hold your sandwich upright while you "pause" from your sandwich. :D Such an ingenious idea -- I wish I thought of it!

If you don't like falafel sandwiches, you can either order a salad or make your own hummus platter.

Ok, now, back to my review... I'm a harsh critic -- i thought the sandwich was good, but lacked flavor ... I went the traditional route by ordering "the Crisp" because I wanted a reminder of the foods I ate in the Middle East; however, it came up short in my opinion. The hummus would have flavored the sandwich had it been spread evenly within the pita, but of course, the hummus was only at the bottom of the pita -- leaving my last remaining bites to be tastier than my first. Aside from this semi-negative comment, while eating this you'll feel as if you're eating something healthy, afterall - there are a lot of vegetables in this thing. Ah, vegetables -- p.s. this is a VEGETARIAN restaurant!

Prices:
Sandwiches: $5.75 - $8.75;
Salads - $7.25 - $10.25;
Make your own Hummus Platter - $7.75

Now, the question is -- is Crisp better than Mamoun's? That's a difficult decision.

Crisp Pros:
- healthy (falafels are baked)
- ingredients are organic (ok, organic is a very loose term by FDA standards)
- cool packaging
- falafels are crunchier and sandwiches may be slightly bigger than Mamoun's

Crisp Cons:
- only vegetarian food options
- menu is pricier than Mamoun's

But, at the end of the day, I have to say, I still enjoy Mamoun's over Crisp. Its a difficult decision, but for someone who likes the option of having meat, I'd prefer Mamoun's. On a mano-a-mano (aka Falafel sandwich comparison)... i might only slightly prefer mamoun's over crisp (though it is oilier) ... I think I may have to pay Mamoun's a revisit to retest this decision (or Rainbow which i just added below) ... :P

If you'd like to try either of these places, here is a listing of their locations:

Crisp: 110 West 40th St. Bet 6th and Broadway / 684 3rd Avenue Corner of 43rd

Mamoun's: 119 MacDougal St / 22 St. Marks Place / 85 Howe St (New Haven, CT)

At any rate, happy eating!

*** UPDATE *** I was just reminded of another falafel place in the city by a reader -- its called Rainbow, its a HOLE in the wall (u can walk by it and would miss it, except for the long lines that form outside of it during lunch time)... its on 17th Street between Broadway & Fifth ******


Did you know?:

Per wikipedia, Falafel is a ball or patty made from ground chickpeas and/or fava beans. Falafel is usually served in a pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flat bread known as lafa. The falafel balls are topped with salads, pickled vegetables and hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces. Falafel balls may also be eaten alone as a snack or served as part of a mezze.

Generally accepted to have first been made in Egypt, where the dish is widely known as طعميةta'amiya) in the Cairo dialect, falafel has become a dish eaten throughout the Middle East. The Copts of Egypt claim to have first made the dish as a replacement for meat during Lent. The hearty fritters are now found around the world as a replacement for meat and as a form of street food.

News: 15 Major Fast Food Failures

I saw this on CNBC and found it interesting that big fast food chains have had some interesting food product blunders -- McDonalds surprisingly has had a few -- ever hear of a Hula Burger created to cater to Catholics (probably not since most of us weren't born yet) or the McDLT sandwich - a lettuce and tomato sandwich with NO patty? or what about the Arch Deluxe, a burger created for adults with a special bun and peppered bacon?; or what about the possibility of ordering a 100x100 at Inn-N-Out? Too bad we can only order a max of a 4x4 (still huge!); or what about the Noid, the mascot at Dominoes, that created the trademarked phrase, "Avoid the Noid" or, should I say avoid Dominoe's altogether?

Anyhow, have fun reviewing some of these previous fast food campaigns by clicking here and see if you recognize any of them!

Happy Eating!

Google is testing Cars that can Drive on their own in San Francisco!

Google is no longer that small little search engine that helps you find anything you want... Google has created a software program that allows technology to drive a car. What?!?! Yes, remember the cool cars in i.Robot and Minority Report that drove themselves? well, that may soon become a reality. Who knows, maybe the idea isn't so new -- considering GM's EN-V concept car is designed to avoid accidents by automatically swerving around other cars by communicating with them.

Ongoing car tests at Google have shown that their software program is working -- but don't get too excited yet -- it won't move along as fast as you would like... according to the New York Times, under current law, a human must be in control of the car at all times, so laws must be changed before robot driven cars will be on the road -- (wait, does that mean the test cars were already in violation? tangent. :D )

Wow, first the Internet and now Robot drivers - we are an advanced civilization for sure!

For more information, read the New York Times article by clicking here.

A cool excerpt from the article:

"Robot drivers react faster than humans, have 360-degree perception and do not get distracted, sleepy or intoxicated, the engineers argue. They speak in terms of lives saved and injuries avoided — more than 37,000 people died in car accidents in the United States in 2008. The engineers say the technology could double the capacity of roads by allowing cars to drive more safely while closer together. Because the robot cars would eventually be less likely to crash, they could be built lighter, reducing fuel consumption. But of course, to be truly safer, the cars must be far more reliable than, say, today’s personal computers, which crash on occasion and are frequently infected."

New York Fashion Night Out 2010 -- Part of a Global Fashion Night Across the World: Tonight - 09/10/10 - in New York -- Starting at 6 PM tonight!

Want to find out who the biggest fashion names are today?... find out who is participating in it tonight ! You don't have to be a model to participate -- everyone can share in the fashion party tonight!

Thanks to Vogue -- Fashion Night Out is happening across the world -- United States -- Spain -- Russia -- China -- Greece -- Japan -- Portugal -- Germany -- India -- Italy -- Taiwan -- Turkey -- Australia -- United Kingdom -- France -- South Korea ...

GOAL: Get everyone out and SHOP! Reinvigorate the retail market , revitalize the fashion industry, and ring the cash registers! -- and lets not forget, BRING ON THE FUN!

There are a lot of stores throwing a big bash! Food, Drinks, Music -- all for the fun of having a Fashion NIGHT out... So check out this website and tailor your own Fashion Night Out with your friends! It's just not the retail stores, the party is everywhere -- restaurants, hair salons, ice cream shops, photography places... everywhere... so check out this site... and tailor your night to your fashion sensibilities!

http://www.fashionsnightout.com/night-out/

UPDATE: Check out this article from Reuters for more information.

Did you know? Bagel Tax Enforcement

I was just watching the 11 pm nightly news and I learned there is a bagel tax. Did you know -- if a bagel shop cuts your bagel - its considered a "prepared meal" and is therefore taxed. If its not cut, its considered a "baked good" and is not taxed, or tax exempt. So here's the review if you missed it -- prepared meals - taxed; not prepared meals - not taxed. Interesting? I thought so.

Other interesting tidbits I learned from the Channel 2 11:00 p.m. news:

What is taxed?
Someone pours your coffee
Someone scooped a pint of ice cream for you at Haagen Daz
Buy a sliced piece of cake

What is not taxed?
Pour your own coffee
buy that same pint of Haagen Daz ice cream in the grocery store
buy the whole cake

The Health Department Closes more Chinatown Restaurants

According to Grub Street, The Health Department has put its padlocks on more restaurants in Chinatown. Previously, we've seen Great N.Y. Noodletown close temporarily and reopen a week after... but who was struck by the NY Health Department's hammer?

New Bo Ky Restaurant - I am not surprised. I tried this restaurant a few months ago and its horrible -- not to mention EXTREMELY smelly. According to Grub Street, "violations include food stored at improper temperatures, live roaches, and “food worker prepares food or handles utensil when ill with a disease transmissible by food, or have exposed infected cut or burn on hand.”

Other restaurants tagged, "you're it" included ...

GOLDEN HOUSE CHINESE RESTAURANT
SWEET SPRING RESTAURANT
GAO XIN SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
LIU, WEN YING
CHANG WANG RESTAURANT
BANGKOK EXPRESS NO. 1

Unfortunately, I have not tried most of these restaurants. For more info, check here.

New Restaurant Row on Kenmare Street

Over the last year, Kenmare street has transformed itself from psychics, bodegas, auto mechanics (aka no-man's land) to a hip, cool and trendy area offering a host of new high-end restaurants, nightclubs and after-hour lounges. For New York foodies, this will be another stomping ground rivaling other neighborhood restaurant strips like that of Bond Street and pockets in Lower East side and West Village. However, I will say, it already seems like a high-end/fine dining area comparable to Bond Street and will likely deter any budget foodies from participating in this new revival... but one never knows! With that said, Kenmare's new row of restaurants begins at the base of Kenmare and Lafayette Street with La Esquina and stretches east to Elizabeth Street with the opening of J&S Hall expected to open later this year.

Already a few restaurants have opened, including Clubby Kenmare restaurant, Tavertine and Village Tart. Some notable chefs including Michael White (known for Marea and Convivio have developed a large Italian foodie base) and Jimmy Bradley (The Red Cat) is anticipating opening their new hot spots later this year.

Below are abbreviated restaurant reviews from the New York Post:

1. Tavertine - Mediterranean-inspired Italian food
9 Kenmare St.travertinenyc.com; 212-966-1810

* Food: Mediterranean-inspired Italian, like a burrata and zucchini appetizer ($13) and pistachio-encrusted lamb ($29).
* Décor: White marble, dark wood, creamy silk drapery, green tile columns.
* Scene: Women-who-shop, neighborhood regulars and the beautiful people.
* Downstairs: XIX, a bar operated by Jesse Keyes of Hotel Griffou, opens next month.

2. Kenmare
98 Kenmare St.212-274-9898

Nur Khan of Rose Bar and Paul Sevigny of the former Beatrice Inn opened Kenmare in April as “a space where [friends] can come and we can hang out and talk and have a drink at 8 at night,” Sevigny told The Post.

* Food: Chef Joey Campanaro serves lovely comfort food like meatball sliders ($5 each), fried zucchini blossoms ($12), and roasted chicken with butter beans and escarole ($19).
* Décor: Boho Mediterranean — pink walls, low light and a screen of bronze palm fronds.
* Scene: Beautiful women, power-playing men, Europeans in suits, women with statement jewelry and long, straight blond hair.
* Downstairs: The underground lounge is a perpetual “private party” — i.e., unless you know somebody, chances are you can’t get in. We spotted a hall of mirrored bathrooms, a bronze deejay booth and a beam from the Williamsburg bridge embedded in the stucco.

3. Osteria Morini opening next month 218 Lafa-yette St.

Midtown phenom Michael White and partner Chris Cannon will finally open a downtown outpost in fall, bringing star wattage to the street. The menu will consist of cuisine from Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region — a more rustic approach than White is known for at Marea, Alto and Convivio.

The casual 100-seat restaurant will be crafted from materials sourced from vintage Italian restaurants, flea markets and farmhouses.

4 . Village Tart
86 Kenmare St.; villagetart.com; 212-226-4980

Lesly Bernard of Tillman's opened The Village Tart in February with pastry chef Pichet Ong. The adorable corner café serves pastry-inspired dishes like pizzettes with crusts that are a cross between pastry and pizza dough, and salads with crumbly pastry croutons.

The space was a dry cleaners until Bernard renovated it to create a small, antiquated café that blends with the Old World feel of the area. “The neighborhood spoke to me enough that I didn’t want to create something cacophonous," Bernard says. "Once you say, ‘I’m going to fit in instead of making a whole new look,’ the design came easily.”

* Food: Pizzette with bacon onion jam ($11) and the pear brie tart ($5.50).
* Décor: British tea shop filled with mirrors and bric-a-brac.
* Scene: Couples, foodies who follow Ong, neighborhood folk.

5. La Esquina
114 Kenmare St.; esquinanyc.com; 646-613-7100

Despite serving up consistent food over the years, co-owners Derek Sanders and James Gersten recently brought in chef Akhtar Nawab to spice up their menu.

* Food: Nawab's goal is to “not lose the Mexican street food sensibility and impart a little more finesse, a little more care. The tacos are so basic in so many ways, so it screams for great ingredients.” Try the new Michoacan-style carnitas taquito ($10)with pork marinated for a day and a half, and the pork chop with plantains (above, $28).
* Décor: Three different spaces: the street-front taqueria, the small café in back and the basement brasserie/bar.
* Scene: Hipsters, creative types, beautiful people, fashion folk.

6. J&S Food Hall
opening in fall 153 Elizabeth St.

Chef Jimmy Bradley and partner Steven Eckler plan to open the 65-seat contemporary American eatery in the lobby of the yet-to-open Nolitan Hotel.

“The food is Jimmy Bradley food,” says the chef. “It’s American contemporary cuisine, or whatever the hell I feel like making.”

“Kenmare Street is a similar neighborhood to what Chelsea was when I built there,” says Bradley. “We’re excited about a new neighborhood that’s in a growth period. It sure beats the hell out of working in a neighborhood that's in decline."

New York Summer Streets -- The Experience -- go next weekend!

This past Saturday, I explored NYC Summer Streets, an event that opens up public streets to people who want to bike, run or walk along what is normally congested and highly trafficked streets. From 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. people can plan a trip anywhere along the designated route from Brooklyn Bridge to 72nd Street on Park Avenue and connecting streets. There are also connections to the Hudson River Greenway, Harlem and governors Island.

Freebies are located around the these rest-stops -- corner of Spring and Lafayette, 25th and Park and 52nd and Park

-- One free hour bike ride courtesy of Bike and Roll. Last rental will be at 11:30 a.m.

-- Free rollerblades, courtesy of Rollerblade

Or, if that is not exciting enough for you -- Dip in the recycled dumpster pools on Park Avenue and 40th Street. Space at the pools will be limited. Bracelets for timed admission will be handed out on a first-come, first-served basis; Take a fitness class by Crunch; Do Tai Chi or listen to some live music; Take your kids to the children's rest-stop - do yoga with them or other children activities.

So get out and enjoy the sunlight! Your last chance is August 21 from 7 am to 1 p.m.

For more info, you can check out Summer Street's website

Grimaldi's Getting Evicted?

How many times have you taken the A,C or 2,3 train to Brooklyn for Grimaldi's pizza? I have a few times, and I'm guessing others have gone there more than I for this beloved pizza. So is it true ? Is Grimaldi's being evicted? According to the WSJ article, it appears so!

The eviction process began in April, when the landlord, Dorothy Waxman accused Grimaldi's tenant, Frank Ciolii of not paying the rent and city taxes. Papers were serviced in July and the two will be at the Brooklyn Supreme Court duking out the details. According to the article, more than $40,000 in rent is due and it will be up to the judge to determine Grimaldi's faith. Either way, Mr. Ciolli has lost his right to renew his lease and even if things go his way, he will either leave in the fall when his lease is up or renegotiate a new lease with the landlord.

But, Grimaldi fans do not cry, at least not yet, Mr. Ciolli plans to open a pizzeria on Sixth Avenue and 20th Street in Manhattan. Additionally, check out Grimaldi's website for their other pizza locations. So one way or the other, you will have your Grimaldi's pizza.

For more info on this story, read the WSJ article.

Missing Ansel Adam Negatives Found and may be worth over $200 million!

A man named Rick Norsigian bought two boxes from a garage sale for $45 (talked down from $75) in 2000, and he may be holding some extremely valuable Ansel Adams lost negatives. Art, forensic, handwriting and weather experts teamed up to evaluate the negatives and concluded that the 65 glass plates were photographic negatives created by Ansel Adams more than 80 years ago! If authenticated by Adam's descendants, art dealers say this could be worth more than $200 million! In a recent auction, Sotheby's sold a large number of Ansel Adam prints -- with one print grossing $722,500! I can't even imagine what rare negatives will run for... wow! I don't know about you, but I'm going to check out every garage sale that I happen to come across! :D

To read more about the discovery, read the article on CNN Entertainment.

For more information on the recent Sotheby's auction, check out my Polaroid Collection blog posting.

btw, in the article, it mentioned that the negatives will be displayed in museums -- um, hope it makes it out to New York!

Twilight Fans: Did you watch Eclipse with the cast?

Summit Entertainment announced that approximately 20 cast members of Twilight's Eclipse will be secretly appearing in movie theaters this July 4th weekend and will watch the movie with their fans. Which theaters? What dates? When? Don't know which dates or specifically what time they will be appear at the theaters (why ruin the fun), but if you live in one of these cities, you may be in luck!

Atlanta, Chicago, CLIFTON, NEW JERSEY, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Kona, Hawaii, Las Vegas, LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK, Los Angeles, MANHATTAN, NEW YORK, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, Orange County, CA, PARAMUS, NEW JERSEY, Phoenix, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington D.C./Northern Virginia. (per the Eclipse Website and Fandango)

Eclipse is the third book of the Twilight Saga -- where new vampires are created, where "werewolves" join forces with the Cullen family to fight other vampires, and where you will watch one of the biggest fights in Twilight series; oh, not to mention you will witness the love story between Bella and Edward evolve! This will be the "darkest" of the three movies and will be one of the most interesting you will watch (or at least this is one of my favorite books of the series!)

We know Twilight fans continue to love Stephanie Meyer's books and the movies are also receiving the same acclaim -- especially as you see the box office receipts continue to climb -- the movie is estimating to have pulled in $161.7 million since the five release, topping the charts for this July 4th weekend (competing against The Last Airbender and Toy Story 3). In comparison, Twilight's two previous movie releases (over five days) -- The Twilight Saga: New Moon's had $164.7 million first weekend and even the first Twilight's $80.1 million debut per Box Office Mojo). And, it will continue to climb!

So, enjoy the movie, Twilight Fans and hope you are one of the lucky few who watch it with a cast member!

For an exclusive interview with Twilight's Ashley Greene per Fandango, click here!

If you don't want to pay $13 for a movie ticket to see this movie, SAVE YOURSELF SOME MONEY and read this posting to learn how you can watch a movie in New York for $6 (yes, that's unheard of!)

UPDATE: I just watched the movie and I think you'd feel better if you paid $6 for the movie as opposed to $13. I'm a big Twilight Book Fan and also a believer that the imagination is more creative than any movie you can watch -- so watching it on the big screen was different, and sadly, in my personal opinion, any movie you've previously read, is usually more fun to read than to watch on the big screen. However, that still doesn't keep me away from the theaters. :D Just set the expectations low. :D

Happy July 4th in 2010!

Happy July 4th!

How are you going to spend your July 4th this year!?!?!

Whatever you do ...

Drink responsibly, eat merrily, and enjoy yourself!

If you're not sure what you are going to do, you can check out the Macy's July 4th Fireworks, and check this page for NYC activities on July 4th.

Here are some interesting and fun facts about July 4th, aka Independence Day from The U.S. Census Bureau (yes, those survey you fill out do help! jk)

On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As always, this most American of holidays will be marked by parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues across the country.

309.6 million

The nation's estimated population on this July Fourth.
Source: Population clock

Flags - $3.0 million

In 2009, the dollar value of U.S. imports of American flags. The vast majority of this amount ($2.5 million) was for U.S. flags made in China.
Source: Foreign Trade Statistics

Fireworks -- $209 million

The value of fireworks imported from China in 2009, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported ($217 million). U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, came to just $42.9 million in 2009, with the United Arab Emirates purchasing more than any other country ($14.5 million).
Source: Foreign Trade Statistics

$331.4 million

The value of U.S. manufacturers' shipments of fireworks and pyrotechnics (including flares, igniters, etc.) in 2007.
Source: 2007 Economic Census

Fourth of July Cookouts: More than 1 in 4

The chance that the hot dogs and pork sausages consumed on the Fourth of July originated in Iowa. The Hawkeye State was home to 18.9 million hogs and pigs on March 1, 2010. This represents more than one-fourth of the nation's total. North Carolina (9.1 million) and Minnesota (7.2 million) were the runners-up.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

6.5 billion pounds

Total production of cattle and calves in Texas in 2008. Chances are good that the beef hot dogs, steaks and burgers on your backyard grill came from the Lone Star State, which accounted for about one-sixth of the nation's total production. And if the beef did not come from Texas, it very well may have come from Nebraska (4.6 billion pounds) or Kansas (3.9 billion pounds).
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

Please Pass the Potato Salad

Potato salad and potato chips are popular food items at Fourth of July barbecues. Half of the nation's spuds were produced in Idaho or Washington state in 2009.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

Expensive Movie Outings No More -- AMC Theater / Regal Cinema Deals!; $1 Each for Popcorn or Drink this July 4th Weekend

I went to see a movie a few weeks ago and was just shocked at the price (yes, I thought I would be numb to it already ... but no, sticker shock is still prevalent in NYC...). Guess how much one ticket costs? $10? Nope, that was "soooo, 5 years ago.!! Guess higher. $13! Yes, $13 for a movie. Matinee? You're in New York -- only Broadway shows have matinees, so you're out of luck -- or are you?

MATINEES DO EXIST in New York! You can watch a movie for $6 at AMC Theaters (i.e Kips Bay, Lincoln Center, Time Square Empire 25 -- everyday before noon). The days vary for each theater (i.e. includes/excludes weekends), so click here to see if the theater near you is $6 and for which days.

Want more?

So, this is what I found out for you New Yorkers who want to watch a movie, but don't want to spend your lunch money on a two hour experience.

AMC Gold Experience Tickets
$34.99 - If you can't do the math, that's $8.75 per ticket
No Restrictions/ No Expiration (from Costco)
Includes S&H

AMC Gold Experience™ tickets are good at any AMC theatres, Loews theatres, Cineplex Odeon theatres, Magic Johnson theatres and Star theatres nationwide, excluding Canadian theatres.

Present ticket at box office to exchange for the movie and time of your choice. Tickets are valid any day of the week. Tickets do not expire.

Visit www.amctheatres.com for showtimes and locations nearest you.


Regal Entertainment Group
Premiere Super Saver Tickets
$32.99 - $8.25 per ticket
No Restrictions / No Expiration (from Costco)
Includes S&H

Premiere tickets are valid for any movie, any day, any time at any Regal Cinemas, Edwards or United Artists Theatres nationwide - without ever expiring. There is a surcharge fee for all IMAX, Large Format or 3-D Films and Manhattan, NY locations. Regal Entertainment Group is the largest motion picture exhibitor in the world with over 500 theatre locations in 39 states.

Visit www.regmovies.com for showtimes and locations nearest you.

Only caveat is -- you need to have a Costco Card. If you don't have it, I am sure someone in your family or one of your friends has it. So ask them! They'd probably be happy to get in on the deals!

Add popcorn and a drink to that $13 ticket -- you're looking anywhere around $20-$22 per person. So, do you want some deals with popcorn and drinks? Of course you do!

For this weekend only, you can get popcorn or a drink for $1 at AMC Theaters on July 4th. Yes, you read that right - $1 for popcorn or $1 drink, or splurge and get both! I just stumbled upon this on the AMC website.

Click on this link here: AMC $1 popcorn and $1 drink.





And for any other days, Costco has this deal.

2 AMC Tickets, 2 small drink vouchers, 1 small popcorn
$29.99

Take advantage of the All-in-One AMC Movie Bundle. 2 AMC Gold Experience™ tickets (unrestricted), 2 Drink Show Snacks® vouchers and 1 Popcorn Show Snacks voucher all together in one envelope. Perfect for date night, holiday gifts, employee incentives & rewards. Save up to 35% off in-theatre prices!



If you've made it this far, that means you're still looking for deals. So here are a few other, ODDS & ENDS for savings that I know of.

- Check your place of employment to see if there are any movie ticket discounts. Beware, some of these tickets will have an additional $1 or $1.50 surcharge at the movie theater box office for NYC. But cost anywhere around $10.

- Regal Cinemas Super Saver Tickets, variety of deals, but would need to buy a pack of 50 or more to get the deal (um, hello Costco!)

Sotheby's Rare Polaroid Collection Auction Comes to a Close

After two days of auctioning over 1,200 photographs, the Polaroid Collection raised approximately $12.5 million, which was above the $7.2 to $11.1 million they had expected for this auction. The top 3 highest grossing prints from this auction were photographs by Ansel Adams: (1) Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite National Park - $722,500, (2) Moonrise Hernandez, New Mexico - $518,500, and (3) Aspens, Northern New Mexico - $494,500 (see photos below). If you didn't have a few hundred thousand dollars to spend, some of the prints sold for a few thousand or less. The least expensive print sold was a polaroid by Pirkle Jones for $750 (see photo below).

Photo above is by Robert Rauschenberg, more details can be found below.

ANSEL ADAMS (HIGHEST PRINT SOLD IN THIS AUCTION)

1902-1984

CLEARING WINTER STORM, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

300,000—500,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 722,500 USD

38¾ by 52 in. (98.4 by 132.1 cm.)

mural-sized, flush-mounted, framed, 1938, probably printed in the 1950s or 1960s

ANSEL ADAMS (SECOND HIGHEST PRINT SOLD IN THIS AUCTION)

1902-1984

MOONRISE, HERNANDEZ, NEW MEXICO

300,000—500,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 518,500 USD

39¼ by 56 in. (99.7 by 142.2 cm.)

mural-sized, flush-mounted, framed, 1941, probably printed in the 1950s or 1960s

ANSEL ADAMS (THIRD HIGHEST PRINT SOLD IN THIS AUCTION)

1902-1984

ASPENS, NORTHERN NEW MEXICO

150,000—250,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 494,500 USD

30½ by 38 7/8 in. (77.5 by 98.7 cm.)

mural-sized, flush-mounted, framed, 1958, probably printed in the 1960s

PIRKLE JONES

1914-2009

ARCHITECTURAL STUDIES

500—1,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 750 USD

each 4½ by 3½ in. (11.4 by 8.9 cm.)

2 unique Polaroid Type 52 prints, including William Westerfeld House, San Francisco and High-Rise Building, each with credit or the photographer's initials, date, and notations in pencil or ink, and number stamps, on the reverse, 1958

side note: Pirkle Jones was Ansel Adams assistant for six years! You'll also see that he also had some of Ansel's work, which was auctioned by Sotheby's in October 2006 (see below)

No matter how much money you had to spend, dealers of this art had to be careful of which prints they bought. In this auction, there were several similar photos produced by Ansel Adams that differed ever so slightly (warmer tones, tiny holes, quality of preservation, size). So, if you were not careful, you may have bought a less desirable print. A few of the same scenic prints included, Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico (see below), The Tetons and Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming (see below), and Sierra Nevada from Lone Pine, California, to name a few.

ANSEL ADAMS

1902-1984

'MOONRISE, HERNANDEZ, NEW MEXICO'

30,000—50,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 104,500 USD

15½ by 19½ in. (39.4 by 49.5 cm.)

mounted, signed in pencil on the mount, a Carmel studio stamp (BMFA 11), title and annotation in ink, on the reverse, 1941, probably printed between 1973 and 1977 (400 Photographs, p. 175; Classic Images, pl. 32; Ansel Adams at 100, pl. 96; Morgan & Morgan, pl. 63; Examples, p. 40)

Though not entirely comparable, the same photograph and similar size to the $104,500 print was sold in October 2006

for a much higher price of $609,600

.

October 2006 auction

PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF PIRKLE JONES

ANSEL ADAMS 1902-1984

'MOONRISE, HERNANDEZ, NEW MEXICO'

150,000—250,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 609,600 USD

14 3/8 by 19 1/8 in. (36.5 by 48.6 cm.)

mounted to Strathmore board, signed by the photographer in pencil on the mount, matted, 1941, printed in 1948

ANSEL ADAMS

1902-1984

THE TETONS AND SNAKE RIVER, GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING

250,000—350,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 350,500 USD

39 by 50 7/8 in. (99.1 by 129.2 cm.)

mural-sized, flush-mounted, framed, 1942, probably printed in the 1950s or 1960

ANSEL ADAMS

1902-1984

THE TETONS AND SNAKE RIVER, GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING

200,000—300,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 326,500 USD

39½ by 51½ in. (100.3 by 130.8 cm.)

mural-sized, flush-mounted, framed, 'Property of Polaroid Corporate Archives' stamp on the reverse, 1942, probably printed in the 1950s or 1960s

For a list of other prints sold by Sotheby's, see the Sold Lot Archive for the Polaroid Collection.

side comment: Now the question is, when will the public ever see these prints again? I have no idea, but seeing them firsthand at Sotheby's was truly a rare experience... I hope some of these prints will resurface in museums or galleries. Until next time...

--------------------------------------------------------------

ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG

1925-2008

NORTH CAROLINA (FROM THE BLEACHER SERIES)

20,000—30,000 USD

Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 116,500 USD

21½ by 26 in. (53.9 by 66 cm.)

unique bleached Polaroid Polapan print, mounted to aluminum, signed and dated in silver ink on the mount, in a frame designed to the artist's specifications, a Selections 6 exhibition label on the reverse, 1991