"Pussy Riot" Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (L), Maria Alyokhina (R) and Yekaterina Samutsevich (C) (Getty Images)

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina, and Yekaterina Samutsevich could be looking at anywhere from 3-7 years of jail time, even though President Putin himself said that he did not agree with the severity of the sentence.

The whole tale is long and sordid, and as much about Russia's own hooliganism over its citizens as it is about censorship, but hey look over here Madonna's shown up!

Madonna, who is putting on a show in Moscow as well as open a Hard Candy fitness club, said about the incident:

"I am against censorship and my whole career I always promoted freedom of expression, freedom of speech, so obviously I think what's happening to them is unfair and I hope that they do not.... I hope they do not have to serve seven years in jail. That would be a tragedy."

Thanks Madonna! Now, if only you could get someone to try and prosecute you for being as inherently provocative as these women were...maybe you could show your butt or a nipple on-stage during another show? Maybe slip a swastika on Putin's head during your concert? Hey, we're just going with your tried and true repertoire, here.

Twilight Sparkle, left, and Fluttershy, right.

While the New York Times Guild battles company chairman Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. over frozen pensions, Times reporters are putting their copy where their mouths are, producing conversation-starting stories despite tighter resources.

Sure, there’s the occasional first-person cat training memoir, but there are also blockbusters like Amy Harmon’s “Navigating Love and Autism,” an intimate portrait of Jack and Kirsten, two college students on the Autism spectrum in love.

“This piece is an important example of why big journalistic institutions like The New York Times are such a vital part of our society,” media reporter Seth Mnookin wrote on his science media blog.

In the comments section, Jack’s father, John Elder Robison (the author of a bestselling Asperger's memoir), praised Ms. Harmon’s reporting as well as the work of staff photographers and videographers.

“Their dedication is most impressive,” he wrote, “and it makes clear why the Times remains The paper of record.”

The Times is so committed to its watertight reporting, in fact, that it did not allow a slip-up about a character on the cartoon series “My Little Ponies: Friendship Is Magic" to mar her otherwise flawless 5,000-word piece.

Describing the therapy Kirsten undergoes in hopes of making her relationship with Jack more stable, Ms. Harmon wrote:

“When she found herself in a bad-mood rut, she had agreed with her therapist, she would visualize Fluttershy, the nerdy intellectual character in the animated children’s show 'My Little Pony' — of which her knowledge bordered on encyclopedic and whose goofiness made her laugh.”

But, as any self-respecting Brony will tell you, Fluttershy is the kind, animal-loving Pegasus pony character. It’s actually Twilight Sparkle, the Ponyville librarian and Apprentice of Princess Celestia, who’s the brainy one.

“As an adolescent with Asperger’s myself, all I can say about this article is they got the pony wrong,” joked Times commenter Ganondox, from Brazil.

It appears the Times’ new commenting system (trusted readers only) is paying for itself already. Today the following correction was appended:

“A previous version of this article misidentified the “My Little Pony” character that Kirsten Lindsmith said she visualized to cheer herself up. It is Twilight Sparkle, not Fluttershy.”

“I hate to get anything wrong, but I confess to some enjoyment in finding the right way to phrase this one,” Ms. Harmon wrote The Observer in an e-mail.

“I heard from one My Little Pony fan by email who praised the story but wanted me to know this for my own edification,” she continued, “and at least one other called the Times and spoke, I gather at some length, with an editor who handles calls from readers.”

The 3,326-square-foot condo is located at the Laureate, a luxury condo at 2150 Broadway. According to the listing, the five-bedroom, 4.5-bath home features a giant master bedroom with his-and-hers walk-in closets, a private balcony, and a huge five-fixture master bath with heated floors. Que Bueno!

With walnut floors, a washer and dryer, a library and so-called "great room," Mr. Weiner and Ms. Vogelstein will certainly have room for their backpacks. And monkeys.

The highlight of the home is the 519-square-foot great room. Located "at the prow of the building," according to listing agent Shlomi Reuveni of Brown Harris Stevens, the giant space connects to a separate dining room and library. Mr. Reuveni could not immediately be reached for comment.

According to StreetEasy, the home was originally listed for $8.8 million.

eknutsen@observer.com

Tara Stacom of Cushman & Wakefield.

“I’m more bullish today than I was in 2007,” said Cushman & Wakefield’s Tara Stacom of  1 World Trade and the outlook for the 1,776-foot tower that will offer 3.1 million square feet of Class A office space. “I did not think one of the first tenants would be a million-plus feet.”

Signing the lease with Condé Nast in May of this year was, for lack of a less hackneyed term, a game-changer for downtown Manhattan, especially as the area emerges not only from the Great Recession but from the malaise that characterized so much of the area since 9/11.

Other media companies have been part of the change, taking the baton, as it were, from the FIRE firms that traditionally power Class A space, in downtown or elsewhere in Manhattan. Spin magazine, the Daily News, American Media (publisher of The National Enquirer among other titles) Mansueto Ventures (owners of Fast Company and Inc. magazines) and Omnicom Group have all signed leases in or relocated to downtown Manhattan (for more on recent relocations to downtown, check out The Commercial Observer’s exhaustive chart, starting on page 14, from the Alliance for Downtown BID and Jones Lang LaSalle).

“We’re seeing interest from tech firms, more creative [firms],” Ms. Stacom said of 1 World Trade Center in particular, echoing the larger leasing trend for downtown. “And, of course, from law firms and government.”

Ms. Stacom believes the Condé Nast move will reverberate in ways yet imagined. “There will be a different mix of retail”—more Marc Jacobs than Brooks Brothers. “Downtown’s recovery has been far quicker than we anticipated. It’s just an extraordinary story,” said Ms. Stacom.

Tallying Tenant Incentives

The tenants have different reasons—an iconic address, the new construction, the architecture, modern amenities—but tenant incentives (T.I.’s) perhaps loom the largest when it comes to the recent shifts in downtown leasing.

While hard numbers for T.I.’s are difficult to nail down, brokers offered estimates. The standard work allowance package being offered at trophy space downtown is $60 per square foot, according to Peter Riguardi, president of the New York region for Jones Lang LaSalle. He believes 10 to 12 months of free rent can also be standard.

“Tenants definitely want a contribution to their build-out,” Ms. Stacom said. She added that if she signs a deal she is currently negotiating at 1 World Trade, the floors below the sky lobby will be 50 percent leased. Those floors are renting for $75 per square foot, and the rest of the tower, which is constructed up to the 77th floor, has yet to be priced but will be more expensive.

Though the pre-2001 vacancy rate was 3.2 (compared with the current 9.2) and neither occupancy rates nor asking rents downtown have rebounded to pre-2001 levels, optimism remains given the spate of media leases. And, as Ms. Stacom points out, the ascendancy of what will be North America’s highest tower is practically as well as symbolically important. “New Yorkers need this—we need the office stock.”

Compared with other world cities, New York suffers from a stunning dearth of Class A space, and much of what downtown had in particular was destroyed on 9/11 (or converted to condos shortly thereafter as companies fled the area). But as factors like the new Fulton Street transit hub, government incentives and continued residential conversions in the financial district merge, downtown has the potential to rival midtown—with that more diverse tenant base, besides.

Tech Plugs In

Mr. Riguardi said he finds the growth in tech the most notable, as that sector shows huge potential. As noted in a recent Jones Lang LaSalle report on downtown, “technology firms currently account for an aggregate three million square feet of demand throughout Manhattan.” And technology’s traditional stomping grounds, midtown south, are crowded to the point of 0 percent vacancy, according to some estimates. Thus, downtown as a prime option.

The open, collaboration-encouraging space that the large floor plates of 1 World Trade and other newer towers, like Silverstein Properties’s 7 World Trade Center, allow is part of the draw for tech and creative firms, but Mr. Riguardi also believes there is simply more need in general for quality space for tech tenants. In New York City, he said, “our product is so dated.”

1 W.T.C.’s Shadow

One World Trade’s automatic cachet was the entire draw for its second-biggest client after Condé Nast—the China Center, a complex consisting of just under 200,000 square feet on floors 64 through 69, which is being built out and rented by Beijing-based real estate firm Vantone.

“The Chinese feel the site represents validation that you are a global firm,” said Mr. Riguardi, who represented Vantone. Xue Ya, president at Vantone, says 1 World Trade was the only address in New York City that is widely recognized in China.

The 20-year lease with two 10-year renewal options was signed in 2009, though the parties had been in discussions since 2004. While work allowances were a concern, the one thing Vantone would not compromise on was accessibility. The firm wanted easy flow from its offices—which includes an events space, a conference center, a private club and a Chinese restaurant—to the ground level.

Ms. Ya suggested that her company’s move was not only strategic, but prescient, particularly given the past decade’s pessimism regarding development at the World Trade Center site. “We believed in the project from day one,” she said of 1 World Trade. “Too many people questioned us.” The firm hopes to create a haven for Chinese business at the landmark address, and Ms. Ya believes the investment in infrastructure is the key driver for the area. “In two more years, everything will change. The government’s investment will create value.”

As 1 World Trade has finally become a physical presence, other buildings downtown have benefited. For instance, SL Green took control of 100 Church about two years ago, and it is now 80 percent leased, according to Steve Durels, the REIT’s leasing director. Three full floors are still vacant, though Mr. Durels said he is in talks to lease “a significant portion” of what remains. He said asking rents were $36 per square foot. Meanwhile, 4 New York Plaza, where the Daily News moved last spring, has reached full occupancy.

As for perhaps the most closely watched prospective tenant for the area, Mr. Riguardi does not believe that Citigroup will make the move downtown. “They are still evaluating lots of alternatives. There is emotion,” he said, “and then there’s economics.”

gvoien@observer.com

The Commercial Observer: So, why don’t you assess your progress over your first 60 days at Brookfield?

Mr. Rudin: It’s been terrific. I wouldn’t quite call this my midterm report card, but I’ve been here for two months, and to the extent that there have been any surprises they’ve all been pleasant.

What kind of surprises?

I wouldn’t even call them surprises, but the quality of the people, the strength of the office, and the individuals in New York and the other people I’ve met, both in New York and around the country, have been outstanding.

How have you been spending your time since joining Brookfield?

One of the things I endeavored to do was get to every office right away, which I did. My last visits were to Denver and Minneapolis, and I accomplished that two weeks ago. And I was very impressed, as I said, by the portfolio and the people.

I’ve been to, in this order, Boston, Washington, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver and, finally, Minneapolis. I would say that, certainly, each marketplace has a different dynamic, but I would say we have top professionals in each of those markets. Each one has a different dynamic depending on where the market is.

When I started, I wanted to get an understanding of the organization, both with and without New York City, and I’ve really gotten the opportunity to understand the capability of the key individuals here. And I happened to join at an opportune time. We really have a tremendous amount of leasing activity throughout the portfolio—so part of my job is not to get in the middle of anything and not foul anything up.

Do you worry that, as you continue working at Brookfield, your allegiances will shift to Canada? Is there any chance of your turning into a Canuck?

Well, I have been to Toronto, and I’m catching up on my hockey rules.

It’s probably not a huge surprise to many real estate brokers here in New York, but I wonder if a lot of people forget just how big Brookfield is? Behind SL Green and Vornado, it’s the third largest office landlord in the city.

We’re a very understated organization, with one of the best portfolios in the city. But I’ll tell you one thing: when I thought about making this change I was coming from a 100-plus-year organization with a very strong culture and going to a 100-plus-year-old organization with a very strong culture. And that’s what facilitated my decision; and now, whether we call it a midterm review or just two months, the transition has been as easy as can be.

And, while I look back very fondly at the years I spent with CB Richard Ellis and its predecessors, this opportunity has proven to be extraordinary in the short term, and I expect even better as we move into midterm and long term.

What is the latest to happen with Brookfield’s mixed-use project on the Hudson Rail Yards near Ninth Avenue? Is there any progress since earlier this year?

We’re going ahead with the platform in the first quarter of next year. It’s been designed and we have most of the approvals in place. We’ve substantially value-engineered it so that it will be coming in at some number well under $300 million.

And with the site itself—while we have been fairly quiet—we’ve had a number of selective and good conversations with people about it. Many of them were unaware of a few things: first, that the cores of the two lead buildings will be on terra firma; also that we can develop and deliver the first building in 2015; and that the deck, as I mentioned, is designed, approved and being brought in at a manageable price.

One thing Ric Clark had mentioned to me earlier this year is that, while many other developers were scrambling at the outset of the downturn, Brookfield immediately contracted a new engineering study at the site, which resulted in a lot of savings.

We definitely put that time to good use. And we’re seeing that, with new technology, it will be safe, secure and also completely value-engineered.

Nearby that site, Brookfield is also repositioning 450 West 33rd Street, the former Daily News and U.S. News & World Report building. What’s happening at the site now?

We’re in the process of developing a scheme for that building. We have an architect engaged to start looking at some different scenarios. That has attracted a lot of attention, both because it sits in the middle of that neighborhood and also because its footprint provides a cost-effective alternative for a lot of different types of users, from financial services to those in the publishing or advertising arenas.

Do plans for that building run in tandem with the plans for the rail yard project, being as they’re so close to one another and that they’re both being envisioned as part of a project to create something of a brand-new neighborhood in Manhattan?

There is a separate ownership, in part, but we think that they’re going to be synergistic. So you have an opportunity to go into a state-of-the-art new product or you have the opportunity to go into a more cost-effective alternative in a building that’s among the most solidly built in the City of New York—and with larger floor plates and ceiling heights in a location that’s only going to be improving with time.

It’s an interesting building. I used to work there.

And, as the world goes around, in my prior life at Edward S. Gordon, I was part of the leasing team for the building many years ago. So it’s déjà vu all over again.

jsederstrom@observer.com

The couple occupied a duplex the genteel Lennox Hill building. The 11-room spread came on the market in February for $10.2 million, but that  was a tad too much space for the buyers, couple-on-the-town Andrew Frankel and Kim Saperstein. According to city records, they purchased the top half of the duplex exactly half the asking price $5.1 million.

Just yesterday, The Times was crowing that combo units were the way to go, but not, apparently, for Mr. Fankel, who works in finance, and Ms. Saperstein. Once they clear out every ledge, mantle, shelf and tabletop of its objects d'art, The Observer reckons there will be plenty of room in the home.

The duplex was listed by Corcoran agents Sharon Baum and Heather Sargent, neither of whom could immediately be reached for comment.

According to a floorplan from their listing, the top floor has a massive 500-square-foot bedroom plus another measuring  but 150 square feet. That would be perfect since Ms. Saperstein is about to become Ms. Saperstein Frankel—the two are engaged to be married, according to Mr. Frankel's office. We see a nursery in the apartment's future.

The home also boasts a wet bar off the dining room, three bathrooms, and a working fireplace in the living room, pretty much what you would expect for the Upper East Side. It is an area the Frankel Sapersteins know well, he living at nearby 200 East 72nd Street and she the even nearer 30 East 71st Street.

Correction: Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this post misstated the price as $5.6 million. The Observer regrets the mistake.

The deal for 76,483 square feet will allow the company to expand to a total of 114,815 feet on the Trinity Real Estate-owned asset’s fourth, seventh, eighth, 15th and 16th floors. Asking rent at the building is in the mid-$40s-per-square-foot range. The deal—which brings the building to 100 percent occupancy—was handled by Peter Fontanetta and Marc Packman of Trinity Real Estate.

“While Hudson Square has emerged as a hub for creative, media and arts tenants, Two Sigma’s expansion underscores the neighborhood’s appeal to a broad spectrum of businesses,” said Jason Pizer, president of Trinity, in a statement. “This area is home to a rapidly diversifying community of tenants and we are delighted to count Two Sigma among them.”

jsederstrom@observer.com

320 West 22nd Street (StreetEasy)

Update: Observer culture editor Sarah Douglas reveals that in an almost too-perfect deal, the buyer of the townhouse is actually a swiss art collector, Ursula Hauser. It turns out Caspar Spescha is her financial planner. Ms. Hauser has a thing for female artists and just so happens to have collected a number of Ms. Sleigh's pieces.

Original Post: The estate of feminist realist artist Sylvia Sleigh Alloway has sold her Chelsea townhouse. The painter, whose husband Lawrence Alloway coined the term "pop art" and was a curator at the Guggenheim, passed away last year.

"That property just has a really good energy, you know?" Corcoran broker Steve Millhollon told The Observer. Mr. Millhollon said that the home is definitely a fixer-upper. "It has tons of potential," he said. "There's a lot that can be done with it."

For those hoping to feel some of that special energy, they should try the backyard. In the listing, which Mr. Millhollon shared with fellow Corcoran agent David Strah, the brokers note that Ms. Sleigh worked extensively from home, painting her provocative works in the 40-foot back garden. "Not all townhouses have a nice garden like that," Mr. Millhollon said.

The 5-bedroom, 2.5-bath Greek Revival gem was built around 1857. Spanning four floors and featuring an oval skylight, four marble fireplaces and a double parlor with twelve foot ceilings, the 3,264-square-foot home is an ornate artist's den.

The property  was originally listed in May of this year for $4.195 million but ultimately sold for slightly less, $3.8 million. Although the home was purchased anonymously using an LLC, the buyer appears to be Caspar Spescha, a Swiss financier whose name appears on the deed. Mr. Spescha could not immediately be reached for comment.

It's what's on the inside that counts. (Jonathan Rose Companies)

At $60 to power a 100-watt light blub, solar energy isn’t cheap. Neither are the locally grown foods at the weekly farmer’s market. But with the help of some coveted stimulus money, environmentally sustainable living is no longer a luxury for 200 Harlem families. A row of 10 apartment building on West 135th Street have just been transformed by Jonathan Rose Companies, the first such project to benefit from H.U.D.’s Green Retrofit Program. 

The stimulus funds helped to “green” the buildings, which house 198 units. In addition to basic upgrades and repairs, the Green Retrofit Program targeted the energy efficiency of the buildings, replacing 32 boilers with 10 high-efficiency boilers and installing rooftop solar photovoltaic panels. In an effort to decrease heater use during the winter, the project increased roof insulation. Low-flow showerheads were also among the sustainable features incorporated into the project.

A ribbon-cutting was held today outside the buildings, located at 107 to 145 West 135^th Street, between Sixth and Seventh avenues. City officials and those from Enterprise Community Partners, who also partnered on the project, joined HUD and Jonathan rose for the event today.

"The renovation of the West 135th Street Apartments is a prime example of the City’s commitment to not only affordable housing, but also to making our communities eco-friendly and sustainable," Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Mathew Wambua said in a release. "Energy efficient renovations such as these maintain affordability of rents by reducing the cost of utilities, easing the burden on hardworking families. HUD’s Green Retrofit grant, along with substantial investment by our development partners, has made a big difference in this community that will benefit Harlem and its residents for years to come."

realestate@observer.com

Numerous predecessors were pointed out, including one official entry by two students to the master planning competition. Now, a China-based reader sends along another from his side of the world, and it looks like almost an exact replica, down to the circular array surrounding the antenna.

The project in question is the Tianjin Post Telecom Tower (pictured), designed by C.Y. Lee, who is best known for the Taipei 101. That was the world's tallest tower from 2004 until last year, when the Burj Khalifa overtook it by a good 1,000 feet.

This tower is far shorter, only 350 feet, or about one-fifth the size of the (now slightly taller) 1 World Trade Center. Still, if you compare the two, the similarities are definitely there. And this one was finished in 1997. If only we knew whether Mr. Childs had spent much time in Tianjin. According to our reader, SOM has done a number of projects in Tianjin, but they are the work of the firm's San Francisco office.

mchaban [at] observer.com | @MC_NYC