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When Elephants Fly: Dumbo Gets Two Macho Sports Tenants

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 08:50:49 -0500

The day Dumbo gets an extreme sports tenant will be the day elephants fly, or so we once thought.

Tough Mudder ("not your average lame-ass mud run or spirit-crushing 'endurance' road race," says its Web site) has signed a one-year lease for 2,214 square feet of office space at 55 Washington Street. Trilogy Lacrosse has taken 1,072 square feet in the building for three years.

"We typically get creative tenants," said Two Trees' Caroline Pardo on the...

On the Market: Ratner Talks Frankly; Co-opers Sending Nannies to Work Shifts? Blasphemy!; Paris Hilton Sneaks into Port Authority

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 08:33:42 -0500

With Watson's Jeopardy win, how long before robots replace brokers? [Brick Underground]

Email could become binging in real estate deals [Times]

Enjoy the spring weather--it'll be gone before Monday [Journal]

Bruce Ratner recounts the woes of Atlantic Yards [News]

Let the Coney Island condo boom begin [Curbed]

Park Slope pariahs! Nannies being used to work co-op shifts? [Times]

Timberland coming to Herald Square [Real Deal]

Creating a bigger Bed-Stuy historic district in fits and starts [Brownstoner]

Day of reckoning coming soon for...

Morning Read: Keep Making Fat Jokes

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 08:08:09 -0500

Andrew Cuomo is expanding the scope of his office.

Democrats have been quiet about the race to replace Chris Lee.

Legislative leaders were noncommittal on Cuomo's independent redistricting plan.

His plan will unite "communities of interest."

The bill places pressure on Senate Republicans.

Mike Bloomberg proposed a budget that was the same size as last years.

Mayor Bloomberg blamed Albany.

The DN confronts Paul Egan: "Why do you want to talk to me, so you can keep making fat jokes?" he...

Elsewhere: Under the Bus

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:17:31 -0500

The "Mayor Edward I. Koch Municipal Building"-does it roll off the tongue?

Someone is seriously underestimating how well we know Bloomberg.

Bill Clinton told New Yorkers at the Wired for Change conference today that he sent a grand total of two emails while in office. Hmmmmm.

Comptroller DiNapoli thinks pension schemers should learn from Hank Morris's mistake.

Rep. Peter King wants the U.S. to block a proposed...

You Must Remember This: Piers Morgan Made Who Wait?

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 18:25:56 -0500

Who will finally be on Piers Morgan Tonight--if he doesn't get bumped, again?

What's Martin Scorsese's next collaboration with Leonardo DiCaprio?

What highly ironic situation befell the author of The Help?

How is The Social Network's studio trying to get you to read more?

And how did the real social network get with the times today?

What media-savvy pop stars are the impetus for Vogue's new app?

What basketball stars are soon to be immortalized on the Broadway stage?

ddaddario@observer.com ::...

John Legend Gets Scared of the Hairstyles at Le Bain

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 17:45:49 -0500

Jeremy Scott's show at Milk yesterday had a lot of colors: bubblegum, magenta, tangerine, algae, ruby, soft lime, phoenix orange, neon lemonade.

By the time the designer and his crew had migrated to to Le Bain, however, the colors had drained -- the crowd, sandwiched together, wore mostly black and the bar was as dark-lit as it could be. As expected, Misshapes played New Wave standards. Leigh Lezark was wearing a Jeremy Scott skeleton dress....

The Bird Cage: Robin Williams Re-Tires to Rushmore Roost

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 17:04:46 -0500

Robin Williams will make his Broadway acting debut next month, in the highly anticipated Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. Since the star sold his Manhattan home over a decade ago, he will need a new place to stay. Having struck out on Central Park West, Williams has landed on the other side of the Upper West Side, according to the Post, picking up a pad at Gary Barnett's legally challenged Rushmore.

Jennifer Gould Keill...

Bloomberg Releases Preliminary Budget for FY12

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 16:55:39 -0500

Mayor Bloomberg released his preliminary budget today which aims to close a $4.58 billion deficit without increasing taxes.

Bloomberg's budget outlines a plan to soften the worst of the blows suffered from state funding cuts to education and city services. The plan increases education funding to compensate for some of the loss while relying on modest cuts to city-funded services, changes to the State budget, and a growing economy to make up the difference.

...

Arianna Huffington Does Not Despise Children

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 16:46:55 -0500

As we reported Monday, Arianna Huffington spoke last weekend at a Columbia Spectator journalism awards dinner and casually offered everyone in the room a job. While we're not sure she'll get back to anyone (especially in light of the newly merged company retaining Booz to reportedly hash out layoffs, not hirings), she's at least making an effort.

We hear that the high-schooler for whom Huffington said she'd reimagine Patch as a network of high-school papers--sister...

Tumblr's Fashion Cred Sealed

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 16:18:19 -0500

The legion of fashion bloggers, the party with PAPER on the roof of the Empire Hotel, partnering with Vogue--Tumblr has been all over Fashion Week, blogging, reblogging and getting its picture taken.

The design-friendly startup also beat New York's Fashism as well as FashionGPS, ShopKick and BigLive in a popular vote on Twitter for "Next Big Thing in Tech" at the Fashion 2.0 awards (DKNY swept most of the other categories by campaigning shamelessly).

Meanwhile, nerdy...