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urban anthropology

The Top 50 New York Eccentrics


Being an eccentric in New York City was once much easier. In the 1970s, the city was crumbling into bankruptcy and awash in crime, and rents were cheap. Painters, performance artists and other quirky types could afford lofts in SoHo. They could take off their clothes in nightclubs and feel perfectly at ease. Today, an increasingly bourgeois New York is comfortable mainly for the polished and the well-to-do. Precious few real eccentrics can afford to remain in the city, even if they wanted to be surrounded by so many squares. Those still here remain a fascination for New Yorkers who pine for the old city even as it disappears. So last month we asked Gawker readers to help us track down some of the most bizarre characters remaining in New York. And you found plenty! With the weekend and Gay Pride parade nearly upon us, the time seems right to show you the results (not that gays are eccentric or anything!). Here are Gotham's 50 greatest modern eccentrics — people like Black Cherokee, the Time Keeper and Toth. Cat-Head Couple, Versace Liberace and Earth Angel. Half before the jump, half after. More »

10:00 AM on Fri Jun 27 2008
By Ryan Tate
22,039 views, 103 comments

Latest by riskybusiness: @Jack Szwergold: +1 to you, sir, on remembering the "8 fake Duracell" guy. He's the best. more »

Julia Allison To Brooklyn? She lost her $125k/year Star gig, now the protocelebrity is eyeing a low-rent borough: "I think I want to live in Brooklyn. I never thought I'd say that." [Julia Allison]

49 comments

protocelebrities

Julia Allison Out At Star

It's another sad breakup for Julia Allison. The fameball's sweetheart, six-figure gig as editor-at-large for Star magazine has come to a close, the Post's Keith Kelly is reporting. A few months after a fling with AM New York, the self-promoting young dating columnist was hired one year ago by Star under the tenure of American Media editorial director Bonnie Fuller. Her work for the tabloid consisted not of writing, but of showing up on cable news shows to talk about, say, the Texas polygamists ("I was sitting there seriously disturbed"), or about singer Britney Spears' love life ("the guy is a user, a loser and a mooch"). With Fuller gone, save for her own editor-at-large gig, Allison's yearlong contract was allowed to expire. Star isn't talking publicly about exactly why that is. More »

8:27 AM on Wed Jun 18 2008
By Ryan Tate
10,008 views, 118 comments

Latest by Hey_mikey: I think Julia should get on the plane with Viktor Laszlo. Things would never have worked out between her and Rick, I mean, Star... *cue theme* more »

struggling writers

Perez Hilton Not Getting Laid Much

The Los Angeles Times interviewed internet gossip belcher Perez Hilton for the "How I Made It" feature in its business section. The newspaper does its best to puff Hilton up, saying he charges "up to" $54,000 for a one-day ad package and noting he once wrote for Star magazine — without mentioning that Hilton was fired from that same job, per the LA Times' own reporting. The not-so-subtle message to readers: If this guy in bunny slippers can make $50k per day off his crayon-illustrated website, why is the recession kicking your ass? That's OK, since Hilton takes himself down a peg, by talking about his sex life: More »

12:06 AM on Fri Jun 13 2008
By Ryan Tate
8,457 views, 47 comments

Latest by Trai_Dep: Contemplating sex with Perez would make even abused altar boys nostalgic for The Good Old Days. more »

protocelebrities

Hunky Art Installers Titillate Gays And Cougars

Rich ladies and the gallery staff who tend to them: Know of a particularly dreamy "art handler?" You know, a guy you might call if you want something particularly well hung? Or perhaps you're just looking for a brawny type who knows how to properly mount something of yours. In either case, the DreamHandlers Art Handlers of the Year calendar should be of interest to you, either because you'll be nominating someone or buying up the debut release. It will feature 12 steamy art wranglers, one for each month, and nothing says they have to be all men, although Art Fag City notes "a product like this has been on the lips of woman and gay professionals for what seems like an eternity." Here are the rules More »

2:29 AM on Thu May 29 2008
By Ryan Tate
3,871 views, 21 comments

Latest by raincoaster: @Mike_Jahn: I think I need to move to Chelsea, then. Sounds like my kinda place. more »

the internet

Worst Overshare Anywhere Ever

You'll recall Harvard junior Lena Chen as one of our official compulsive oversharers. She's a sex blogger whose ex leaked naked pictures of her once. Now, in addition to the sex blog, she's got a more personal blog intended to correct the fact that Chen is "famous on the internet for all the wrong things." This makes it the perfect venue for pictures of... well, I'll just say it: of Chen right after getting "a facial." Demerits to Chen for posting the photo to the wrong blog, thus making it horribly oversharey. But points to the protocelebrity for the following: Releasing the sex pic herself so it can't be used against her; writing a brief caption that frames the picture as both more feminist and kinky than it appears; chipping away at the shame around a taboo sex act (end facial oppression!) and, most importantly, putting the fear of obsolescence into Julia Allison, the former Georgetown sex columnist now pulling down six figures as a Star editor at large. [Chicktionary]

1:01 AM on Wed May 28 2008
By Ryan Tate
24,595 views, 147 comments

Latest by n/a: @ronaldpagan: She probably doesn't have friends close and honest enough who can tell her posting this picture is not ok. Or she's beating blowee to the punch. Or she has a crush on the best friend of blowee so she more »

research project

23 Unidentified Modern Eccentrics

Last night, Ryan trailed Gawker's latest research project: the ultimate guide to New York's modern eccentrics. Thanks for all your suggestions in the comments; here are the nominations, 23 of the city's most obviously bizarre characters—including "Elegant" Eliot Offen, the Green Lady, Mr. Purple and the Earth Angel, but not counting the socialites and proto-celebrities who usually clog up these pages. We'll do some digging for photographs over the weekend. Any pointers—names, further description, links or images—would be much appreciated. More »

3:00 PM on Thu May 1 2008
By Nick Denton
8,410 views, 91 comments

Latest by shutupitsmine: Where's "SIGN THE PETITION" lady? She was always on 6th Ave near Barnes and Nobles. I can still hear her "SIGN THE PETITION" song for the animals. more »

protocelebrities

Emily Brill's Madonna Video Is 40 Minutes Long

Reading socialite Emily Brill's blog feels a lot like being her free therapist. One minute she declares her love for you, another she's lashing out. You listen to her narcissistic hyperbole, her daddy issues, her body issues. And, tonight, you watch a 40-minute music video set to the Madonna song "Ray of Light," with Brill belting out the lyrics herself, and read about how "This is a video about resurrection. Or maybe even feeling fully alive for the first time." The video, like Brill's other moments, is as hard to look away from as it is tedious, particularly if you've never been a media mogul's disaffected daughter. The actual moving pictures part runs roughly six minutes; the rest of the video is silence interspersed with Brill and Madonna singing, sort of a hidden track for the YouTube era, I guess. Watch it after the jump. More »

9:54 PM on Mon Apr 28 2008
By Ryan Tate
2,137 views, 21 comments

Latest by Theda_Bara: This made me long for that ScarJo video. more »

feuds

Julia Allison Threatens To Expose A Critic

Julia Allison is sick and tired of the anonymous online critic who maintains a blog devoted entirely to criticizing her. "This woman checks my tumblr, my flickr, my vimeo, my twitter... as well as all of the things my girl friends post, and spends a good portion of her time (time which could otherwise be spent engaged in fun and useful activities, such as tennis, horseback riding or archery!) penning long, bitchy, link-ridden items 'analyzing' my life." Which sounds a lot like a the job description of a Gawker blogger, except the woman in question is anonymous and probably doesn't get paid. Which is outrageous! Star editor-at-large Allison said she knows the identity of her critic and is wondering what to do with it: More »

6:13 AM on Tue Apr 22 2008
By Ryan Tate
12,019 views, 165 comments

Latest by n/a: My husband works for Star (well, the company that owns them, actually) and has never heard of Julia Allison... which I think is hysterical. He's so oblivious. Well, that and she's really unimportant. more »

fameballs

Julia Allison's German Fame, Translated

Less than a week after hopping the Atlantic and making it into the print and online editions of the British Guardian, fameball Julia Allison is now featured in the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine. The article is headlined "Who's blogging so late through the night and wind?" according to the Google translation (in reference to this, more in the comments). There's a proper translation, from an actual German speaker, of the article's first paragraph after the jump. If you care. And also an indication Allison actually ate some poor innocent "media person." More »

8:19 PM on Mon Apr 14 2008
By Ryan Tate
2,250 views, 69 comments

Latest by Sweden: @crotchety: Fair enough. I guess it was just Tuesday Snarkiness on my part. I'll gö båck to the Swedish Intertubes nöw, thänk yöu very much. more »

protocelebrities

Julia Allison Goes Global

The British press succumbed to the charms of self-promoting media personality Julia Allison. And it's not some filthy tabloid like the Sun that's begun writing about the titillating Star editor at large — Allison elbowed her way into the pages of the Guardian, considered something of a highbrow read among America's left-wing bloggers. The paper's Peter Preston, noting that Allison doesn't actually write anything for Star, said, "Calling her some kind of 'editor' rather than PR pedlar... gives her a sheen - and, since she's good, it polishes a Star or two as well. Full marks for ingenuity." Gosh, what other British scribbler intellectualizes Allison that way? Oh, right, that guy. (Click the thumb for a full-sized scan of the print Guardian.)

8:18 PM on Thu Apr 10 2008
By Ryan Tate
3,090 views, 77 comments

Latest by SecureLocation: One last time: Who the fuck is Julia Allison? more »

casting call

Julia Allison, The Movie

It's either a belated April Fool's joke or a stroke of genius: College Humor-ists Sam Reich and Ricky Van Veen have just completed a script called "Jakob and Julia," at least according to a post on Reich's Tumblr. If you look closely at the photo of the script (reproduced after the jump), you can see it is addressed to "__???____ Agency" at a Beverly Hills, California zip code. This implies a screenplay (as opposed to a Broadway musical) about, of course, the doomed relationship between Star editor-at-large Julia Allison and Vimeo co-founder Jakob Lodwick. This raises so many questions: Real or fake? Movie or TV pilot? And, most critically, which Hollywood stars should play Julia and Jakob? Post your answers in the comments. After the jump, videographer Loren Feldman's December 2007 dramatization of the Julia-Jakob relationship. UPDATE: Plus a short email from Ricky Van Veen. Sounds like a joke. More »

10:23 PM on Wed Apr 2 2008
By Ryan Tate
3,494 views, 29 comments

Latest by Steverino: Sorry, guys, they already made this movie: + Watch video more »

urban anthropology

Inside Julia Allison's Apartment

The best part of the video attached to the previously-mentioned Julia Allison story in the Times is when the Star editor-at-large gets ready for a date inside her apartment. Check out the wall decorations: Julia changes in front of a Warhol-style painting of... Julia Allison. Four Julia Allisons to be precise. Then, in front of a mirror in the hallway, you can spy yet another piece of Julia Allison-themed artwork behind her as she flips her hair (also seen here). But, hey, I'd be pretty into myself too if I was pulling down six figures for showing up in front of television cameras, as is the case with Allison, according to the Times: More »

7:35 PM on Sun Mar 30 2008
By Ryan Tate
12,526 views, 150 comments

Latest by TMDoc: an ass-hat, she haz it more »

protocelebrities

Mary Rambin's Secret Reality Show

So you already knew about Mary Rambin's forthcoming reality show with fellow famous-for-nothings Julia Allison and Megan Asha. But did you know about her old, canceled, kind-of-sad reality show for ABC, One Ocean View? No? Well, don't feel bad, Google didn't know she was in it either. And Mary doesn't seem to talk about it much, probably because it was cancelled after just two episodes and, conveniently, her last name was never attached to the credits. But looking at photos and video from the two-year-old-show, it's not hard to figure out who the 24-year-old socialite handbag designer was. And then suddenly reading old reviews of a canceled show becomes a little fun! Also, there's a preview video with lots of Mary: More »

2:46 AM on Thu Mar 27 2008
By Ryan Tate
4,445 views, 23 comments

Latest by n/a: @VirusWithShoes: We're both going to hell for thinking the same thing. Mary is the one spoiler. more »

lou dobbs

Hillary Dobbs' Immigrant Pony Destroying American Careers

CNN host Lou Dobbs' daughter Hillary is a Harvard sophomore and, if she keeps winning events, an Olympic horse rider. She and her mare Corlett just won their "second consecutive [Winter Equestrian Festival] Challenge Cup Series title," meaning they have collectively deprived other horse-riding plutocrats of a total $60,000 in prize money and untold sums in horsey endorsement opportunities. In a few days, Dobbs will begin Olympic selection trials, where she hopes to shut out other competitors to become, at 19, one of the youngest Olympic riders ever. Corlett, outrageously, is a German-bred horse, and at just 11 years old she probably isn't even a documented immigrant laborer. At some point, after she's done stealing the jobs of real All American ponies, Corlett is going to get old and useless, and then what? I suppose she'll want to collect unemployment, or welfare or, worse yet, just live off the charity of grandaddy Lou. Of course Corlett is destined for the glue factory instead, as evidenced by the following video in which Dobbs reminds us of how immigrants are ruining America: More »

11:32 PM on Tue Feb 26 2008
By Ryan Tate
1,753 views, 10 comments

Latest by Knucklehead Babylon: Hey Hillary, get back to me when you've finally won your fifth GOLD EATING championship. Then we'll talk. more »

erica birmingham

Harvard Duchess' Party Midgets Of Terrifying Awesomeness

Julia Allison, the provocative but usually dignified sex journalist, really needs to think twice about inviting former Harvard "Duchess" Erica Birmingham to her 27th birthday party, and not just because the photo of Birmingham drinking Bud Lite in a tank top that surfaced earlier today. A classmate of Birmingham, who once shared a villa with her in Mexico, wrote in about her notoriety on campus, including "awesome or terrifying" parties involving midgets and dirty parrots. Her email — UPDATE: plus Birmingham's response and another email — after the jump. More »

10:22 PM on Thu Feb 21 2008
By Ryan Tate
6,627 views, 72 comments

Latest by Ascender: Indeed, thanks for the shout out to my alma mater, UW-Madison up top. Seriously, she just acts like all the other East Coast sorority skanks at my old school...and partied no less hard than the rest of campus, so more »

andrew parker

Emily Brill's "Trust Fund Sluts" Porn Connection

Socialite media upstart Emily Brill has a big secret project in the works, and she's not sure how she feels about it, writing that the "hush hush" endeavor was "a very tough decision... it took every bit of strength I had." Could it have something to do with the debutant porn producer she's been hanging around with? More »

9:52 PM on Thu Feb 21 2008
By Ryan Tate
4,929 views, 9 comments

protocelebrities

Former Duchess of Harvard Responds!

Former so-called Harvard Duchess Erica Birmingham sent us an email, in which she displayed remarkably good humor. She also sent, at our request, a non-beer pic! "Saw your post about me and that random (and admittedly bad) picture. I actually had no idea Julia Allison wanted me to come to her birthday party so thanks for letting me know! And, all it cost was some generic insults in a public forum. For the record, I know that article in The Crimson is pretty ridiculous, and I'm not quite the hero of the Gawker class, but I am surprised to generate so many page views." We asked her what she was up to these days, and she gave us an update!
More »

2:30 PM on Thu Feb 21 2008
By Sheila
10,480 views, 117 comments

Latest by plunk: I would rather read a new post every day about a random rich Ivy party-prep than read anything about Jullia Allison, ever again. more »

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