breaking

Manhattan Crane Collapse Devastation

Hamilton Nolan · 05/30/08 08:24AM

At least two people were killed when a construction crane collapsed on Manhattan's Upper East Side shortly after 8 a.m. this morning. In this clip—with breaking shots of what can only be described as carnage from the scene—a reporter explains the crane's unfortunate configuration: it was actually hanging all the way over the street below, like a "gondola." Its collapse damaged at least 18 floors of a nearby apartment building. This is the second major crane collapse in the city in as many months. Click to watch the clip.

Traumatized Fox News Employee Sues Over Bedbug Attacks

Hamilton Nolan · 05/28/08 12:07PM

The victims of the Fox News bedbug infestation are fighting back! Former Fox employee Joan Clark has filed a lawsuit claiming that she has post-traumatic stress disorder from being attacked by bedbugs multiple times at the Fox News headquarters. She says she was bitten by the voracious creatures last October, last November, and just last month. She even claims that her entire department was relocated in a futile attempt to escape the bloodsucking insects! The building owner and maintenance company are named in the lawsuit, and Clark has filed a Worker's Comp claim against News Corp. itself. The full press release detailing her suit is below. We've contacted Fox (which may already be planning its revenge) and Clark's lawyer's for further info. THIS STORY IS FAR FROM OVER.

The Witch Is Dead

Nick Denton · 05/13/08 02:40PM

Bonnie Fuller, the Canadian mother-of-four who defined both the celebrity weekly and the celebrity magazine editor, is to leave her job. As the demanding editor of Us Weekly, Fuller was the most sought-after executive in the magazine industry; but she traded in her reputation for a richer deal at David Pecker's American Media. Fuller did improve group flagship Star, but it wasn't enough to dislodge Us Weekly, which continued to thrive under Fuller's successor, Janice Min. It became apparent that the peppy formula was stronger than the personal magic which Fuller had sold to American Media's Pecker. Marginalized at her new employer, Fuller spent her last couple of years in increasingly bizarre efforts to promote Star and her own flagging brand, appearing on game shows such as Identity (see screencap) and damning in blog posts the trashy celebrity culture that she had done so much to promote. It was a brutal fall from grace; and now Fuller cannot even claim to be seeking a quieter life. Her book, The Joys of Much Too Much, extolled the virtues of a hectic but full career and home life, over the simplicity and tranquility from which she will now suffer. (After the jump, American Media's press release.)

The Times' Stealth Layoffs

Nick Denton · 05/07/08 10:54AM

The New York Times-reeling with the rest of the newspaper industry as advertising dollars and readers shift to the web-has completed its first ever newsroom layoffs. Editor Bill Keller told staff this morning that the newspaper had completed the cull of about 100 reporters and editors it began earlier this year.

Once Again, Life Rewards Assholes

Pareene · 05/05/08 04:59PM

Bear Stearns might lay off 10,000 employees as it's subsumed by JP Morgan. But it's the Wall Street kind of layoff, where you get nine months pay and one-third of last year's bonus. Why the hell are we bloggers again? [Dealbreaker]

Shepard Fairey, Blind?

Hamilton Nolan · 05/02/08 04:06PM

Shepard Fairey, a.k.a. OBEY, the artist and graphic designer who plastered the world with "Andre The Giant Has A Posse" posters and is perhaps the biggest thing ever to happen to wheatpaste, is reportedly going blind. Fast. One source says he could lose his vision by the end of the year. Bucky Turco at Animal NY has the scoop. Sad news.

Managing Editor Of Wall Street Journal To Resign After Murdoch Takeover

Nick Denton · 04/21/08 09:15PM

Rupert Murdoch's takeover of the Wall Street Journal has been swift and smooth-till now. Marcus Brauchli, the modernizer who sought to reconcile the storied business newspaper with its new owners, is reported to be quitting his position. Sources at the Journal tell Time that Brauchli is submitting a letter of resignation, with his departure to be announced as early as Tuesday morning. It's a surprise.

40-Pound Beaver Is Rescued From East River

Pareene · 04/18/08 03:23PM

We can't actually improve on that headline. Kudos, City Room. But yes, a giant beaver was pulled to safety this afternoon by NYPD scuba units, who "were patrolling the United Nations in connection with the visit of Pope Benedict XVI and said the beaver appeared to be struggling to swim." Also: "It was not known if the beaver was male or female. ('It has pretty big claws,' Lieutenant Harkins said.)" [NYT]

Tragic Kids TV Star's Heartbroken Boyfriend Found Dead

ian spiegelman · 04/13/08 02:22PM

Natasha Collins-the British former model who starred in the TV show See It, Saw It, and who a coroner's report revealed was scalded to death in her bathtub in January while she had more than five times the lethal dose of cocaine in her system-left behind a fiance who went missing in London six days ago. His body was found today "in a remote spot at Paddington railway station. Officers said he was not struck by a train." The boyfriend, children's TV presenter Mark Speight, disappeared days after appearing at Collins' inquest looking "drawn and gaunt."

Katie Couric Leaving: Report

Ryan Tate · 04/09/08 07:22PM

After barely 18 months on the job, Katie Couric is reported to be on the verge of leaving CBS. The Evening News anchor is costing her network $15 million per year, and she is likely to exit CBS well before her contract expires in 2011, possibly early next year, the Wall Street Journal is reporting. A parting of ways will mark the embarrassing end to CBS' big bet that viewers wanted to move beyond staid news anchors to sunnier fare, like Couric's fireside interviews and lighthearted banter.

Microsoft to Yahoo: Shit or Get Off the Pot

ian spiegelman · 04/05/08 01:53PM

"Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) and Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) continue to play the cat-and-mouse game out in the open, even on the weekend: MSFT has send a letter to Yahoo board, and has set a three-week deadline for Yahoo to accept its current $31 a share offer or Microsoft will take its case to Yahoo shareholders. This could also mean a lower offer from Microsoft in case of a proxy war."

Breaking Political News

Pareene · 04/04/08 04:41PM

Richard took off for the day, just in time to miss the shocking news that nice young actress Heidi Montag is not registered to vote. Radar helpfully points her to voter registration sites so that she may help lead John McCain to victory. [Radar]

SIREN!

Pareene · 04/04/08 02:52PM

OMG! The Clintons are making lots of money! Or... something? We don't know what it means but it's SHOCKING. [Drudge]

TUMBLR IS DOWN

Pareene · 03/26/08 05:01PM

OMG! Where will former Gawker employees and their mothers express themselves? Twitter?!

CNN: "A Vest is Like an All-Day Hug"

Pareene · 03/20/08 03:17PM

Fantastic news! CNN Anchor Don Lemon was finally given permission by his new boss to wear a vest! Everyone at CNN is so excited about this that they spent like 20 minutes talking about how great vests are, and Lemon also showed off his reading glasses. Then he said an amazing aphorism that we are having embroidered on the dress shirt we've just torn the sleeves off of.

Page Six Shutters Web Site After Three Months

Nick Denton · 03/20/08 01:14PM

History is repeating itself. During the last internet bubble, Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation used its Page Six brand to launch a new entertainment website, Pagesix.com. The property has had an even shorter life this cycle: Pagesix.com, which was largely independent of the newspaper's Page Six print column, is being shuttered immediately; it had been live only since December. The URL already redirects to the New York Post's main website, and the site's staff have had their access to email cut off. Managing Editor, David Boyle, told the site's Los Angeles staff. "Given the difficulty in the economy, it was not the right time for this launch," said Jennifer Jehn, one of the site's managers. A total of 18 editorial and support staffers will be let go and three reassigned within the New York Post.

Anthony De Rosa · 03/15/08 01:57PM

Loren Feldman, who makes quirky tech commentary videos for 1938 Media, once made a video so brutal about Julia Allison that she admitted it made her cry.

Is Ashley Dupre 32?

Pareene · 03/13/08 06:32PM

New York reports that "two separate public identification records reveal that the only Ashley Youmans (the real name of "Kristen," a.k.a Ashley Alexandra Dupré) from the Jersey Shore (or anywhere in New Jersey) is actually 32." As we briefly mentioned earlier, we got an email yesterday that said, without supporting evidence, that "Ashley is 32 not 22." One of the reasons we didn't alert everyone to this fact was that all her old high school classmates quoted in the Daily News and the Post were between 22 and 23. Was she held back ten years or does everyone in Jersey lie about their age? Also, her mom made a point of saying Dupre wasn't 32 (or 42). Is that suspicious? It is a mystery! [NYM]