There will not be a single judge returning to American Idol year-over-year; Randy Jackson has been practically axed from the cast, reports TMZ, with his role reduced to that of “mentor.” Mr. Jackson has been with the show since its first season in the summer of 2002; more recent additions Steven Tyler and Jennifer Read More
The eerie, uncannily similar-looking roommates of Kristen Wiig’s Bridesmaids character–who torment her with whinging Cockney accents and showing off infected tattoos–have made life imitate art. Read More
Goldman Sachs is rethinking its plans to market a bond offering backed by royalties from songs written by Bob Dylan and other recording artists, the Financial Times reported last night.
The deal would raise cash for Sesac, a privately-held Nashville company that owns the exclusive rights to the public broadcast or performance of music by Mr. Dylan, Neil Diamond and Rush, among others. According to reports earlier this month, the company was working with Goldman on a $300 million offering backed by the royalties it receives from its rights to the music of those artists. Read More
Continuing in one of the worst trends of this summer, a Pathmark employee identified as a 23-year-old ex-marine took his own life today after reporting to his job and shooting two of his coworkers, WABC reports. Read More
Robin Williams, erstwhile star of Mork & Mindy, is set to return to television in a series created by David E. Kelley, the famed dramedy auteur who’s lately crafted star vehicles for William Shatner and James Spader (Boston Legal) as well as Kathy Bates (the less well-loved Harry’s Law). The series is to star Mr. Read More
Marlborough Contemporary London, which opens this October, has announced the details of its first exhibition, which will be a solo show of work by artist Ângela Ferreira. Read More
The commenters at Hacker News realized something quite entertaining: Google employees at the search giant’s various international HQs have taken to lining up outside of the offices when it’s time for the street view cameras to record mapping data for that address. Read More
Nothing ruins holiday plans like being stuck in traffic, but it looks like New Yorkers pretty much have no choice. The city will suffer the worst backups in the nation tomorrow, according to Seattle-based traffic monitoring firm INRIX.
Los Angeles typically takes the crown, but as everyone flees the city one last time for the summer, historic data shows we are in for some serious delays. Coming in third is our neighbor to the north, Bridgeport, Conn., which, being trapped between us and Boston on the I-95 corridor, gets it from both sides. Read More
Way back in 2002, a Chinese political dissident named Wang Xiaoning was arrested for publishing pro-democracy materials using his Yahoo account. When the Chinese government went to build a case against Mr. Wang, Yahoo rolled over like a trained dog, coughing up Mr. Wang’s records, which China then used to convict him of “subversion.” It was all very Orwellian. But, finally some good news: Mr. Wang has finally been freed. Read More
Building Long Island City’s Court Square neighborhood. [NY Times]
Bronx tenants battle 65 percent rent increase over 4 years. [NY Daily News]
Designer disowns CitySpire penthouse, piles on the insults. [NY Times]
Water fight! Last chance to swim in McCarren park Pool. [Curbed]
Sake snobs? Now there are sommeliers for the Japanese rice drink. [DNAinfo]
Landlords can raise the rent after a tenant signs a renewal. [NY Times]
Nets scout Red Hook for training site. [Crain's]
Big turtle from Florida caught off Brooklyn pier. [NY Post]
Coney Island thinks it should get Staten Island’s observation wheel. [Bklyn Daily]
MTA removes more trash cans from more stations. [NY Post]
Barclays encroaching: Pacific Streets expunged from subway signs. [AY Report]
Crowing rooster disturbs the slumber of Bronx residents. [NY1]
British couple finds medieval well beneath their living room. [NY Daily News]
