November 6, 2009

Roddick Condo Hunting in Brooklyn?

Just saw this Page 6 item...Andy Roddick and wife spotted at J Condo in Dumbo!

October 22, 2009

Matt Damon Does Red Hook

We were taking a ride around Red Hook yesterday to scout for development projects when we passed by a film shoot going on right outside 160 Imlay Street. Turns out it wasn't just any old film shoot. As we rode up, Matt Damon was preparing to run through a man-made rain storm as part of his role as a congressman in The Adjustment Bureau. We wish we'd had a better camera on us, but we were able to snap some fun shots anyway.

September 28, 2009

Confirmed: Björk and Barney Take the Heights

bjork%20barney%20buy%20092009.jpg The rumor about Björk and Matthew Barney buying in Brooklyn Heights was true! The singer and artist bought a sprawling apartment in a transaction that was recently recorded in public records. (No, we're not going to publish the address.) This much can be said, however: It was a multi-million-dollar purchase at a coveted address. Welcome to the borough!
Björk Moving to Brooklyn Heights [Brownstoner]

September 22, 2009

Brooklyn's Nod from the Daily Mail

The UK's Daily Mail ran a story this weekend pointing to Brooklyn as New York City's hot spot—a well-intended, albeit embarrassingly ill-informed, accolade from across the Atlantic. Ed Costa quotes Sarah Jessica Parker on how Manhattan has changed for the worse, and continues to list the celebrities who have filmed in or moved to Brooklyn. Besides his red-carpet fawning, Mr. Costa makes a couple references to the Williamsburg Savings Bank. Sigh. One Hanson Place is iconographic, sure, but it seems like Mr. Costa's approach to understanding Brooklyn was to look at a Google satellite image and read Us Weekly.
Brooklyn Is New York's Real Gem [Daily Mail]
Image by Colin Brice

September 17, 2009

Jay-Z Slept Here

New York Magazine reports (and Curbed picks up) that the new single off Jay-Z's current album references his former "Stash Box" at 560 State Street." I used to cop in Harlem, all of my Dominicanos. Right there up on Broadway, pull me back to that McDonald's. Took it to my stash box, 560 State Street. Catch me in the kitchen like a Simmons with them pastries." The magazine goes on to say that 560 State would be an ideal location for a stash box, given its proximity to the intersection of Flatbush, Atlantic and Fourth Avenue. It sounds like Jay may be exaggerating the extent of his activities at his former address, however. One neighbor remembers him as a cordial and respectful neighbor. GMAP

August 31, 2009

Remembering Michael Jackson

The Michael Jackson memorial birthday party hosted by Spike Lee took place on Saturday, despite the gloomy weather, and The New York Times reports "It went over without a hitch." Guests included Reverend Al Sharpton, comedian Tracy Morgan, and radio personalities Ed Lover and Free, as well as DJ Spinna, who played classic MJ tracks. "It was a Brooklyn family affair where, for once, being packed like sardines felt like a privilege," said the Times. The Times also reports in a separate article, that the MTA will not be honoring the late king of pop by renaming the Hoyt-Schermerhorn station after him. The request to rename the station, where Jackson shot the music video for "Bad" in 1987, which was directed by Martin Scorsese, began with City Councilwoman Letitia James and has gathered momentum. Supporters of the idea have been rejected on all counts: the MTA will not rename the station, mount a plaque, nor allow a memorial of any sort. So now MJ fans are investigating the possibility of raising funds to purchase naming rights to the station, as Barclay's has done with the Atlantic-Pacific station ($4 million for 20 years). This solution seemed more possible than the others, based on the MTA's response; "I would defer on commenting on any hypotheticals," said Kevin Ortiz, a spokesman for the transportation authority. But he added: "We are in the middle of developing some guidelines and protocols and helping us move forward with what we feel is a viable revenue source."
In Celebration of MJ [The Local, NYT]
Spike Lee Throws MJ Birthday Bash [NY Daily News]
Compromise for the MJ Subway Station [City Room, NYT]
Image from "Bad" video, 1987

August 19, 2009

Björk Moving to Brooklyn Heights

We first caught wind of this rumor last week and have finally gotten enough confirmation that we feel comfortable posting it: Avant-garde pop star Bjork and artist husband Matthew Barney are in contract on a rather phat pad in Brooklyn Heights. In the name of privacy, that's all we're gonna say and ask that commenters refrain from posting the address if they know it. Stick to welcoming two more world-class artists to Brooklyn.

July 15, 2009

Brooklyn Heights Streets Clogged With Twilight Fans

Unlike when we rode through earlier in the day, Brooklyn Heights was firmly in the grip of Rob Pattinson fever by late afternoon yesterday. There must have been well over a hundred onlookers on Middagh Street waiting to catch a glimpse of the Twilight star when he made his way out of his trailer that was parked between Henry Street and Cadman Plaza West. We didn't stick around, so we have no idea how long they had to wait. Has there been any backlash in The Heights over the amount of film shoots that take place there?

July 14, 2009

Closing Bell: Waiting for R Pats in The Heights

As the Brooklyn Heights Blog has been reminding us all, today was the day that Twilight heartthrob Rob Patinson was supposed to make an appearance on location for the filming of Remember Me. When we rode by this morning, though, there was no sign of him. It looked like most of the action will be taking place on Willow Street around Cranberry.

July 13, 2009

SJP Slope Rumor Dead and Buried

This weekend the Times officially quashed the rumor that Sarah Jessica Parker bought Jennifer Connelly's old mansion at 17 Prospect Park West (pictured above before the current renovation that has the building shrouded). The real buyers are a Google employee and his family. The brood is uprooting from Manhattan because of how family-friendly the Slope is: “I hear people complain about the strollers in Park Slope,” the Google engineer said in an interview. “But try taking a stroller out in SoHo. SoHo is not exactly family-friendly.” The story also works in a couple ~~sanctimonious~~ subtle digs on Brooklyn ("In the last few days, real estate and entertainment bloggers and columnists have been twittering en masse over rumors and reports that the ultimate Manhattan girl, Sarah Jessica Parker, and her husband, Matthew Broderick, had decided to abandon Manhattan, and their 20-foot-wide West Village town house, for a larger place in what, truth be told, is still an outer borough") and blogs (an SJP spokesperson said "none of the scores of entertainment and real estate Web sites that picked up the story bothered to call to ask about Ms. Parker’s real estate plans"). One detail the Times did leave out: We wrote back on Wednesday that from what we'd heard the rumor wasn't true.
A Wrong Guess [NY Times]
SJP Bringing Park Slope to the TV Masses [Brownstoner] GMAP
Sarah Jessica Parker to Slope? [Brownstoner]

February 17, 2009

Norah Jones Steps Up in Cobble Hill

Brownstone Brooklyn just landed another celebrity homeowner: Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Norah Jones closed on an 1843 townhouse in Cobble Hill at the end of January. (We're not telling you the address.) Jones paid an astonishing $4,990,000 for the restored 4,100-square-foot house, a price that's hard to fathom even just a few months later (unless, maybe, it includes the parking lot next door). The just-below-asking price was agreed to in early December, well into the depths of the current financial crisis, after the 25-foot-wide house had been on the market for almost six months without a price reduction. She did get a pretty swanky pad for her hard-earned dollars: the parlor floors looks killer, though the nouveau-Tuscany vibe of the renovated kitchen isn't really working for us.

October 22, 2008

The Fort Greene Unlimited

The strollers and kiddie-extras were out in Fort Greene in full force yesterday as actor Jason Schwartzman filmed a scene from his upcoming HBO series Bored to Death at local organic spot Smooch. Schwartzman plays a Brooklyn writer who, on the rebound from a relationship, decides to become a private eye. Filming in Brooklyn was there, and has lots of photos on the link.

October 7, 2008

Stars in the Park

Exciting times in Fort Greene Park. According to blog Filming in Brooklyn, Glenn Close and William Hurt were shooting scenes for the USA series Damages up by the monument yesterday, as well as along Dekalb Avenue earlier in the day. Nice scoop, but next time bring the telephoto! Check out a bunch more photos over on FIB.
Can’t Get “Close” To You in Fort Greene Park [FIB]

July 14, 2008

Eternal Sunshine of the East Williamsburg Kind

Is French filmmaker Michel Gondry calling Brooklyn home nowadays? Peut-être. Last week a house on Orient Avenue in East Williamsburg changed hands for a little over a million bucks, and the buyer was ID'd in public records as Gondry. The buyer's address on the deed pointed back to a Beverly Hills management firm. Gondry was directing a Microsoft commercial in Brooklyn last week and has shot other stuff in the borough, most notably 2005's Block Party in Clinton Hill. According to an article in the Times from a couple years ago, Gondry moved to an East Village apartment in 2004.
Image from the Times, doctored with Property Shark photo.

June 25, 2008

Closing Bell: Denis Leary, Firemen Extras Invade Dumbo

In case you were wondering what all the commotion was in Dumbo today, Denis Leary's firefighter drama for FX called Rescue Me was filming for most of the day at Front and Jay Streets in front of Pedro's.

April 11, 2008

Tony Soprano Doing Dumbo?

While Liv Tyler may be passing on Brooklyn, it's looking like James Gandolfini may be putting down roots in the borough. He's been spotted on a number of occasions recently in Dumbo. Yesterday, the Sopranos star was out walking his dog and grabbing a coffee on Front Street, according to the tipster who sent these photos in. A search of property records yields nothing. Theories?

April 10, 2008

Closing Bell: Liv Tyler Moving to Brooklyn—Or Not

Liv Tyler was house hunting in Brooklyn this weekend, says UK-based Hello Magazine. According to the tabloid, the story goes thus: Tyler, her husband and their kid, who live in the West Village, "spent the afternoon browsing townhouse-style properties in Brooklyn, including one three-storey, red brick edifice with high ceilings that Liv seemed particularly interested in. On the market for $16 million, the 8,000-square-foot property features period details like doors with etched glass and grand fireplaces, plus views out over the Hudson and the Statue Of Liberty." It's an especially fascinating story since the house described in the story is 140 Columbia Heights, which Tyler reportedly considered buying a few years back and which subsequently sold to someone who is not named Liv Tyler. According to a Brooklyn Heights broker who worked with Tyler a few years back, the actress was in touch a few weeks ago to discuss several Brooklyn listings but Tyler has probably (once again) decided not to move from Manhattan. The broker did not know whether Tyler was house hunting in Brooklyn this weekend, but had this to say about the Hello report: "The townhouse pictured is not 140 Columbia Heights, though the text description is. I’m not sure what property is pictured, but I believe it to be a Manhattan listing."
Liv Tyler Takes Her Boys House-Hunting in New York's Brooklyn [Hello]
Photo by Hollywood Kids.

March 17, 2008

40 Acres Former HQ Now For Sale

A couple of weeks ago we reported that 40 Acres and a Mule, Spike Lee's production company, had moved out of its Fort Greene headquarters of the past 22 years. Now, it turns out, the owner has put the three-story former firehouse on the market for a staggering $6,000,000. We realize the place has the fame factor going for it, but you'd have to be pretty star-struck to shell out $1,000 a foot for something that doesn't even have much interior charm going for it and is across the street from the hospital entrance. The aggressive asking price also kinda makes you wonder wonder whether Spike decided to leave or was forced to.
124 Dekalb Avenue [Citi Habitats] GMAP
Spike Pulls Plug on Dekalb HQ [Brownstoner]
Spike's Gone But 40 Acres and a Mule Lingers On [Brownstoner

March 6, 2008

Spike Pulls Plug on Dekalb HQ

It's official: Spike Lee has moved his 40 Acres and a Mule production company out of its long-time headquarters at 124 Dekalb Avenue. A reader noticed movers coming and going last week and the drive-by this morning confirmed that the company's big red flag had been taken down. A call to 40 Acres a few minutes ago revealed that the company has consolidated its activities into one location. And, luckily, it's not on the Upper East Side, where Lee decamped several years ago with his family. It's just a block away at 76 South Elliott Place.
Spike's Gone But 40 Acres and a Mule Lingers On [Brownstoner] GMAP

November 6, 2007

Correction: Michelle Williams NOT Leaving Brooklyn

False alarm. Apparently, Page Six (and all the blogs that piled on) got it wrong last week: Brokeback Mountain actress and Boerum Hill rez Michelle Williams has no plans to leave Brooklyn in the wake of her break-up with husband Heath Ledger. A source close to the actress tells us that while she's unlikely to stay put in the house they bought together (you know, too many memories), Fort Greene's as far as she's looking to go.
Lonely House [NY Post]
Photo by xon pan

October 29, 2007

Michelle Williams Wants Out of Brooklyn

Another A-lister is fleeing Brooklyn, according to today's Page Six. The gossip column reports that Michelle Williams is likely to follow in the footsteps of her ex, Heath Ledger, and move to Manhattan because the Boerum Hill house she and Ledger bought a couple of years ago too big for just her and her baby. Further proof that Brooklyn is, like, totally over as far as the cool kids are concerned?
Lonely House [NY Post]
Photo by Hollywood Kids

December 28, 2006

Pinpointing Biggie's Crib

A reader steered us to the photographs from a 2003 exhibition at the Robin Rice Gallery in the West Village. The photographer Micheal McLaughlin took a number of atmospheric black-and-white photos of Brooklyn scenes and landmarks, including the childhood home of Biggie Smalls and the Brooklyn Heights apartment of Truman Capote. We know that Capote's place was on Willow Street and we've always been under the impression that Biggie lived on St. James Place in Clinton Hill. Can anyone i.d. the exact address of this apartment building?
BKLYN: Micheal McLaughlin [Robin Rice Gallery]

February 14, 2006

Ledger and Williams Opt to Own, Not Rent

house Australia's Daily Telegraph has the goods on the house that Academy Award nominees Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams have purchased in Boerum Hill. According to the article, the Brokeback Mountain stars paid $3.5 million (AUS $4.7 million) for the four-floor house "two blocks south of Smith Street" last year after getting to know the neighborhood while renting a nearby townhouse. Ledger, who's had a rocky relationship with the paparazzi in Australia, has found Brooklyn's residents to be a good deal mellower. "He's very nice and they're very sweet people," said his neighbour Margaret Cusack. "We got to go to the premiere of Brokeback Mountain – he gave us tickets."
Heath's Home is Away [Daily Telegraph (AUS)]

February 8, 2006

Brooklyn's Hollywood East Makeover Continues?

liv + house
While her publicist is denying she's going anywhere, actress Liv Tyler is rumored to have toured the most expensive brownstone in Brooklyn recently. Initially listed with Brown Harris Stevens last spring for $20 million, the five-story, 8,000-square-foot house overlooking the promenade first had its price dropped to $16 million ~~before being taken off the market~~ and now appears to be listed with Corcoran for $14.5 million. We wouldn't be surprised if in the end someone shells out this kind of money for the house. Hard to beat the location, that's for sure.
Giving It All Away [NY Magazine - 2nd Item]
$20 M House in Backslide [NY Observer]
Columbia Heights Mansion [Corcoran]
Seven Figures is for Wimps [Brownstoner]