To the staff

As part of our continuing efforts to reduce spending, we will be discontinuing the late-night shuttle van service that runs between 620 Eighth Ave., Penn Station and Grand Central. The van will make its last run on the night of Friday, March 21.

This expense cut is made possible, in part, by a welcome development: the increased safety and security of the Times Square area that we have seen over the last several years. This, combined with our move to the new building, which eliminated the need for people to ride to the Port Authority, has led to sharply diminished use of the van, and regrettably it is no longer a service we can afford to provide to the few remaining riders.

Bill Schmidt

Hundreds of Teens Rally in Times Square to Change Pop Culture as We Know It, Feb. 8

While Presidential Candidates Promise "Change," Thousands of Teens Are Enacting Change and Asking the Candidates to Help

NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2008—Representing a movement of more than 400,000 teens, hundreds of teenagers will rally on Military Island in TIMES SQUARE, FEB. 8, 3:30 p.m. ET.

The rally will highlight teens' concerns about the toll today's pop culture is taking on their generation—the largest generation of teens in U.S. history.* The teens oppose the "cool factor" pop culture entertainment associates with substance abuse, violence, premature sexuality, Internet porn and more. The rally, called RECREATE '08, will showcase the thousands of TEEN MANIA teens who are out to RE-create entertainment, fashion, the arts, and the Web into products that build up, not tear down, their generation.

"I want to use film and television to give this generation hope that they can break free from depression, substance abuse and hopelessness in their lives," says 19-year-old Katherine Haller of Baltimore. Haller, an organizer of the RECREATE '08 rally, is currently receiving film and television production experience through Teen Mania's Center for Creative Media.

Fueled by their faith, these Teen Mania teens have sparked a movement of more than 400,000 like-minded teenagers who have gathered at arena events from coast to coast over the past two years to impact pop culture for the good of their generation.

The RECREATE '08 rally in Times Square will feature teens in the act of RE-creating some of their generation's favorite products including:

*

MTV videos
*

Teen-produced TV shows and movie-shorts running on the Panasonic jumbo-tron in Times Square
*

Tag/Graffiti artists
*

Dance and more . . .

CALLING ON THE CANDIDATES
The teens will also issue a list of 8 QUESTIONS for the presidential candidates that reflect their top concerns including: youth exposure to Internet pornography, media glamorization of drugs, sex and alcohol, and the AIDS pandemic.

Following the rally, more than 10,000 teens will gather at New Jersey's Izod Center for a two day RECREATE '08 event featuring: New York Yankee pitcher Mariano Rivera, six-time GRAMMY® Award winner Kirk Franklin, the David Crowder Band, Bishop T.D. Jakes, and TEEN MANIA founder, Ron Luce.

"RIGHT!" the crowd roared back. Chants were amended thusly.

Let's meet the walker-outers! "The reason I wanted to work for this company was that they had great benefits," said a twentysomething woman who has been there since June.

"I hear that there are certain levels of management that support what we're doing," says Steve, a freelance production assistant of two years. "Why? Because many of them started as freelancers."

"I have a feeling people who have been here seven, eight, or nine years are going to leave," said a woman in production at VH1 who has freelanced for eight and a half.

"It's a slap in the face," said two young designers who have been with Viacom for two years. "I'd like to think [walking out] will make a difference, but I'm not sure it will. I'd also like to add that the current edit I'm working on is a big list of accomplishments from this year that goes out to all the employees: 'Look how much money we made.' That's why it's a slap in the face."

"I've been off and on for seven years, since after college. Sometimes I'm staff and sometimes I'm a freelance," said a woman in a fun pink hat. "[The benefits] was the draw for all of us. We're paid less, but at least we're taken care of. What if I get hit by a fuckin' car?"

Said a design project manager who was affected by the cuts even though he is technically management and exempt: "When I had the initial meeting, it came as a shock, so I didn't come in on Monday and updated my resume. Since then they've negotiated with me personally. The line from management was no negotiations with anyone, but in reality that's a bit different." He added that he got a good response from the resumes he sent out; some companies even offered him staff status "off the bat."

"My main advice to the kids on my team is to not take whatever a corporation does on a personal, emotional level. But I would not advise them to stay here if they could do better elsewhere." (Many of the other workers there said that they, too, were looking for other work.) Did he have any final thoughts on the matter? "I think Viacom is a soulless corporation who doesn't give a shit."

TIMES SQ. NUDE DUDE: PART 2 [New York Post]

According to the Times, "Matthew Jones of Brooklyn lingered on the corner of 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue in the early morning of June 12, 2004, gabbing with friends as other pedestrians tried to get by," and then a HERO COP arrested him for "disorderly conduct."

Jones tried to get the charge dropped, then he pleaded guilty, and now he's trying to overturn his conviction (just like Larry Craig). So far, the Court of Appeals seems receptive to his argument, which is basically that everyone else does it, though we see no reason why they shouldn't also arrest everyone else in Times Square. As Nick Confessore describes them:

Just before 5 p.m., near the corner where Mr. Jones was arrested, stood the following assemblage: a man eating clams out of a Styrofoam container; two men smoking cigarettes together; a man waiting for a woman to finish a phone call; a guy looking at a map; a young woman sending a text message; two men handing out tour brochures; and a family of five, including an infant in a stroller, who stopped to look at the brochures.

A Times Square Pedestrian Is Giving No Ground [NYT]

Welcome to Times 'Bare' [NY Post]

The Playpen, which closed on August 1st, had it all—straight and gay video peeps, plus wall-to-wall porn, with categories ranging from "barely legal" to "shemale" to "animal." Plus! Live, nude girlie shows, albeit behind glass and costing $35 for five minutes (we hear). Actual vagina!

The Playpen's marquee also featured a neon skyline that included the Twin Towers, which they never bothered to remove after 9/11, presumably to show the terrorists that they might be able to destroy our buildings, but they could never crush our reluctance to spend money on cosmetic changes.

But after thirteen years, the Playpen era is over. What other venerable porn institutions has 693 Eighth Avenue housed? Well, there was the Adonis, a notable gay theater, which was closed in 1994 due to rampant sexual activity. Before that, it was the Cameo, which also featured the cinema of the three X's.

The reason for the closure is totally boring, yet chilling: The building, a theater that opened in 1916 and has much of its original stylings intact, was sold in 2003 and will finally be put to good use as either the luxury condo or hotel that developers always knew it could be. Or maybe a condo-hotel!

Currently, city preservationists are asking that the Tishman Realty and Construction stop the demolition of the building, which could happen any day now, citing its architectural significance. Playpen joins Paradise Alley, also on 8th Avenue, and the Noose fetish shop in Chelsea, as the latest porn store to shut up shop.

But we know what you're wondering: "Where will I get my live-girl and porn fix the next time I'm in Midtown? The Hawaiian Tropic Zone restaurant and Hooters just don't cut it." For the record, the remaining live-girl peeps can be found at 781 Eighth Avenue, 687 Eighth Avenue, and 42 W. 33rd Street. Pay a visit before they're gone too!

[Image thumbnail of a photo by Dave Gorman]

That giant hole on 42nd and 8th used to be a parking lot where, according to my uncle, you could get a really cheap blow job. That's what he supposedly did the first time he stepped foot in NY back in the 70s. Actually, the first thing he did was get robbed at knifepoint, but that wasn't as pleasant.

Anyway, I live a few blocks south and I usually only have to deal with crackheads on my doorstep. But I remember one very special weekend last October when I returned at 3 in the morning and these two black guys and this black girl walked up to me. They looked pretty normal, just kids out having a good time. But then one of the black guys asked if I wanted to go upstairs with the girl, as she most certainly wanted to go up with me. Very flattering, but I said No.

The next day, my friend Mike was smoking out front. It was around 5 in the afternoon, so no crackheads yet. But this slim Asian woman walked up to him and said, "I from Korea. Tonight my last night in America. You walk with me?"

Mike said "No, I just want to smoke my cigarette." And I guess that was it.

Two nights in a row! And we weren't even looking for it! Haven't had that luck since...

Happy Butts Get Covered Up in Times Square [AdAge]

The agency responsible for the campaign claims that "the ad was to graphic to run in luxury print titles, but look for it on websites such as Gawker, Salon and FoodandWine.com."

It's true, we'll run anything! Still, it's going to be hard to concentrate on work when we're staring at gigantic asses all day. Expect most of this summer's posts to be written by my cock.

Moons Over Manhattan [AdAge]

"I think this city is going to become a sadder, duller place," said Dalton Silvano, who cast the sole dissenting vote and is in the advertising business. "Advertising is both an art form and, when you're in your car or alone on foot, a form of entertainment that helps relieve solitude and boredom."

Streets Are Paved With Neon's Glare, and City Calls a Halt [NYT]
[Photo: 45street]

But wait — that's not the only upside of these new loos, the Times reasons: "In Manhattan, chances to get rid of that morning coffee are few and far between." Ugh, we totally KNOW! At least now, the people who work at 4 Times Square will have a place to do that without everyone in the next stall, like, overhearing.

Charmin to New York: Go In Style [NYT]

Destination: Times Square.
Guides: Bob Castrone, internet funnyman employed by Times Square-based media conglomerate; Kate Garrick, book pimp, gal about town.

If I really want to know this city, I'm going to have to start at the heart of it all. What better place than "The Crossroads of the World"? Visiting "The Square" (that's what everyone calls it, right?) is like seeing my television come to life. There's the Good Morning America studio, the TRL studio, the other bigger televisions. It's almost like I'm the one who's on TV. I think I just blew my own mind.

But I really want to experience this place the way "real" New Yorkers do. So I asked my friends Bob and Kate for some advice. Bob works for VH1, and he gets to go to Times Square five days a week. How awesome is that?

"It's a huge pain in the ass," he raves. "Times Square is not fun."

Hey, all these people filling up the sidewalks can't be wrong. Kate is equally impressed by the crowds. "One time, it took me twenty minutes to walk from 47th Street to 42nd. Twenty minutes." I guess that's what they mean when they say "hustle and bustle," right?

"Wednesdays are the worst," Bob gushes, "because of the matinees. Busloads of middle-aged women walking at half speed, asking street vendors where the Winter Garden theater is." Now that you mention it, I do regret that I never got to see Cats on Broadway.

There are so many great places to eat, too. I love Sbarro, but I know that when it comes to Italian, some folks do prefer the Olive Garden. How about that Martian space cafeteria? This place really is like an amusement park.

"The secret is to head down to 9th Avenue and Hell's Kitchen," Bob explains. "Tourists are scared to go there because it has the word 'hell' in the title." Interesting. Is that where the Red Lobster is?

Kate says that when she entertains out-of-town visitors, "I always take them to the revolving bar on top of the Marriott Marquis. It's really cheesy in a fantastic way. Beyond that, I never go down there." How cool would it be if every bar in Manhattan revolved? Can you imagine?

Wow, there really are a lot of frickin' people down here!

Now that I've seen this place up close, I do have to admit that it all looks sort of familiar. It actually reminds me of the Meridian Mall in Okemos, Michigan, but with homeless people instead of skateboarders. It's like America came to New York, dropped all its stuff in the middle of 44th Street, and then got in line at the TKTS booth.

Seriously, where the fuck did all these people come from?

"So Bob," I finally ask, "even if you didn't work here, you'd probably still hang out in Times Square all the time, right?"

"Huge crowds, expensive food, and people who are only in the neighborhood because they saw it on TV? If I wanted that I'd go to the Meatpacking District."

Really? I heard that place rocks.

Attention, real New Yorkers: Help The New Guy find his way in this big, bad city. Send destination suggestions to newguy@gawker.com.

[Photo: Alexis Tirado]

Newsflash! Times Square Enters Second Life [Adrants]

And appropriately enough, the previous occupant of the News Corp jumbotron was the currently struggling NBC.

Share Your Secret [Official site]

New Secret Billboard Has the Smell of Truth [NYP]

If you were wondering, Kevin Federline feels "good about the penny," as he announced to a crowd of at least 25 people who gathered in Times Square yesterday. As captured by our brilliant intern-cum-videoslave Scott Kidder, the occasion was marked by inexplicable skywriting, a penny-encrusted truck, and spastic publicist control of the "crowd" (consisting mostly of depressed cameramen), and a post-promotional smoke.

The most noteworthy part: in whatever southern thug accent he's trying to adopt, K-Fed shouts, "Let's do it big, 9-6!" Behold the tragedy of early-onset Alzheimer's.

Earlier: Kevin Federline in NYC to Campaign for Negligible Amounts of Currency
We're Still Stuck on the Stupidity of K-Fed's Media Event

***MEDIA ALERT***
***INTERVIEW / PHOTO OPPORTUNITY***

SIR RICHARD BRANSON AND KEVIN FEDERLINE TO SAVE THE U.S. PENNY FROM ANNIHILATION!

The man can't touch his own baby or make sure his wife brushes her damn hair, but losing the penny? That will not stand. Interestingly, one can schedule an interview with Branson, but not Federline — wisely, he is not permitted to speak. More details on this momentous occasion after the jump.

—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—
Branson and Federline Lobby for Penny Awareness - Virgin Mobile USA Campaign Highlights New One-Cent Text Messaging Offer and Charity Penny Drive

WHO: Virgin Founder and Chairman Sir Richard Branson, performer and rapper Kevin Federline and Americans for Common Cents Policy Director Matthew Eggers unite to prove the value of the penny in face of its possible legislative elimination.

WHAT: Branson, Federline and Eggers show their enthusiasm for the nostalgic coin by highlighting the value of the penny and being the first to sign the "Save the Penny" petition to be presented to lawmakers in Washington D.C. Representatives from Virgin Mobile will be gathering signatures for the petition and collecting pennies for charity to show that the penny, alone or in numbers, carries weight and makes a difference. To demonstrate the power of one penny to its customers, Virgin Mobile introduces new Penny Texting, which offers 1,000 text messages for just $9.99 per month. And on a larger scale, all of the pennies collected on the "Save the Penny" campaign trail will be donated to The RE*Generation, a charitable movement dedicated to connecting young people with organizations working on the front lines of activism.

WHEN: Wednesday, June 21
Media Check-in: 1:00 p.m.
Presentation: 1:30 p.m.

SCHEDULED INTERVIEWS WITH SIR RICHARD BRANSON START AT 2:30 PM. MADE BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.

WHERE: New York City, Times Square

For more information please contact:
LaForce + Stevens
[xxx]

Not that we have anything against Carey's vocal talents. But her presence presents a serious logistical issue. It's going to be damn cold out there; how will Carey dress for the occasion? You certainly can't expect her to perform with her flesh covered! And as the ball drops, she'll no doubt whip out her own, bright bulbs to compete for attention — sending millions of Americans into the new year with irreparable ocular scarring. Thanks, ABC.

Carey to Play Times Sq. on New Year's Eve [AP]

Finally, a Naked Cowgirl has arrived to join the Naked Cowboy in Times Square. Rejoice! They can play and frolic and live happily ever after. With lots of Naked Cowchildren.

Or can they?

We're told Cowboy is nowhere to be seen this morning, now that Cowgirl has finally shown up. Will they miss each other for days and weeks at a time? Will there be misunderstandings and delayed cabs and missed subways and all sorts of other circumstances conspiring to keep them from their happy destiny? But will they finally recognize their love and embrace dramatically — say, at midnight on New Year's Eve, as tens of thousands cheer around them?

We suspect so.

And we totally deserve a "story by" credit on that one, Nora Ephron.

Earlier: Naked Cowboy

When you're driving a black SUV full of cocaine and Belvedere vodka through Times Square, you're practically guaranteed to run into Damon Dash.

SUV Drags Cop Thru Times Sq. [NYDN]
Midtown Road Rage [Gothamist]