Loew’s Kings Theater (Flatbush at Beverly Road)

Photo: TravelingMango

A deal has been struck to restore the long dormant Loew’s Kings Theater, a 3,200 seat former movie palace in Brooklyn, to a functioning concert venue. After the completion of the $70 million renovation, “The Kings” will once again be the largest indoor theater in the borough, presenting some 250 events annually.

The Kings, as it was known to generations of Brooklynites, opened on Sept. 7, 1929, with a screening of “Evangeline” and a special appearance by its star, Dolores del Rio. One of five so-called wonder theaters built by Loew’s — sister theaters in Jersey City and elsewhere have been converted into churches or restored into entertainment spaces — the 68,000-square-foot Kings featured vaudeville acts and a pipe organ before moving exclusively to movies.

Over the years, as economics began to favor multiplexes, fewer and fewer of the 3,200 seats were filled. On Aug. 30, 1977, the Kings screened its final feature: “Islands in the Stream,” starring George C. Scott. This time, the star did not stop by for a special appearance. Two years later, the theater, owing back taxes, was seized by the city and began to quietly disintegrate. [NYTimes.com]

Corrine Bailey Rae Playing Apple Store Soho on Mar 2, 2010

Photo: Jon Klemm (more)

For updates in real time follow @bumpershine on Twitter.

The new Joanna Newsom album meanders a bit (at 2+ hrs, this is no surprise), but on the whole, I think I like it better than Ys.

Mar 6 on SNL: Zach Galifianakis w/ Vampire Weekend. Mar 13 on SNL: Jude Law w/ Pearl Jam http://bit.ly/9BIwJL

Corinne Bailey Rae live in-store performance at Apple Store Soho on Mar 2 at 7PM http://bit.ly/6mmpfI

Meet Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass at the Soho Apple Store on Feb 26 at 6PM http://bit.ly/6mmpfI

Los Amigos Invisibles playing Rumsey Playfield at Central Park on Jul 31, 2010 http://bit.ly/az9auZ

Broken Bells at MHOW presale sells out immediately.

Does that picture of Pete Cashmore on his Twitter background make you think he is trying to pick up chicks or something?

RT @mashable Our top story today: “YouTube to Drop Support For IE6 Starting Next Month” – http://bit.ly/b4VEh8

RT @mashable Details: The Yahoo-Twitter Partnership – http://bit.ly/dBpFtY

@newyorkology Lots of presales today including Vampire Weekend, Julian Casablancas, Broken Bells & Andrew WK http://bit.ly/cUAgZO

Ted Leo playing short live set and karaoke at Knitting Factory BK on Mar 9, 2010 (record release day) http://bit.ly/cM26uH

Patrick Watson and Doveman, May 6, 2010, The Bell House (Brooklyn, NY). Tickets on sale soon. http://bit.ly/9LkaMh

Why do bands have to be so fucking coy about announcing NYC gigs? #HoldSteadyIsNotPuttingOutANewAlbumWithoutPlayingNYC http://bit.ly/aVupVj

Follow @bumpershine on Twitter for updates in “real time”.

Who says kid’s cartoons aren’t hip? Today Backyardigans segued from “Guantanamera” into something by Fela Kuti.

Meet twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey @jack at the Knicks game on Feb 27, 2010 http://tinyurl.com/knickstwitter & http://bit.ly/aCRLA2

RT @jonnyleather @bellhouseny Tomorrow I’ll be inside of you, spreading good vibes with The Subjects, ARMS, Uninhabitable Mansions and Frances!!!

Not sure if this a new thing, but NLM’s email sig now lists Arcade Fire as a client. No emails yet though.

@jeffmacarthur I also thought about getting the “Navigate” which has an LCD, but it’s 3x the price. http://bit.ly/ammy7o

I just ordered this headphone adapter for my iPod touch http://bit.ly/9lLguH

@newyorkology Konono No 1 playing Celebrate Brooklyn! at Prospect Park Bandshell on Jul 15, 2010 http://bit.ly/bIpJGp

“Get Off Your Knees” tonight (Feb 23) at The Bell House w/ Sara Schaefer, Reggie Watts and Amelie Gillette http://bit.ly/cUi7te

May 8, 2010, Elizabeth Mitchell, Laurie Berkner and Friends, Haiti Benefit at Joe’s Pub http://bit.ly/9cXm3t

Apr 9, 2010, George Clinton & The Parliament-Funkadelic All-Stars @ B.B. King’s. Tickets on sale now http://bit.ly/cuEBhz

Normally, these posts would be posted each day, but I’ve been out of town for the past little while (thanks for not robbing me), so I’ve collected a few days worth of tweets here. Follow @bumpershine on Twitter to get updates as they occur.

“Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark” tickets no longer on sale. TM note reads, “Please note tickets will not be mailed until after July 1, 2010.”

Free Marriage Ref Tickets (Feb 24, 2010): Ricky Gervais, Madonna, Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld http://bit.ly/cOM5oA

Four Snoop Dogg CDs in the mail! It’s like my Birthday and Chanukah all rolled into one!

RT @livenationnyc Just Announced, Julian Casablancas @ Irving Plaza March 24th. Tix are on sale the Friday, Feb 26 @ 10 AM!

LOST: “The Final Episode” – A conversation with Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof (May 20, 2010) http://bit.ly/du8Fl1

Gogol Bordello at Irving Plaza (Mar 9, 2010) goes on sale today http://bit.ly/dwP0Bj

Allman Brothers to stream NYC residency http://bit.ly/beXrsA

Tiger’s “apology”, full of righteous indignation, it’s douchetastic!

The NJ Nets are moving to Prudential Center for the next 2 seasons.

Steve Wynn and The Miracle 3 playing Lakeside Lounge tonight at 10:30PM (Fri, Feb 19) http://bit.ly/cW0qxC

Major news today for two New York retailing icons (well, okay maybe one icon, and one eye sore).

Duane Reade Bought By Walgreen’s

Walgreen Co. (WAG 34.26, +0.18, +0.53%) said Wednesday it would buy the privately held metropolitan New York drug store chain for about $1.08 billion from private-equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners.
…
Walgreen, the largest U.S. drug store chain, currently runs 70 of its own stores in the New York metropolitan area, compared to Duane Reade’s 257. The Deerfield, Ill.-based company said it will decide over time how to best “harmonize” the Walgreens and Duane Reade brands. Duane Reade will continue to operate under its brand name after the transaction closes, Walgreen said.

Why they’d keep the battered Duane Reade name is a mystery, surely Walgreens has better brand equity. New Yorkers would likely embrace a Walgreens. Let’s hope it’s only the name that remains the same. [MarketWatch]

I guess DR’s big marketing push didn’t really turn things around for the ubiquitous drugstore chain.

Pearl Paint Closing Stores Around The Country

The self-proclaimed World’s Largest Discount Art Supplier, Pearl Paint is closing up shop around the country. Of the two Manhattan locations, both on Lispenard Street, the framing shop is in the process of closing and surplus products have been making their way over to the main store across the street. Other stores have already closed. As of today, the Web site lists only six locations – two in Manhattan, one in Paramus, New Jersey, and Los Angeles, as well as two others in Florida. (The corporate offices are located in Fort Lauderdale.) The large Chicago store, which was once rated the best art supply store by NewCity.com, closed down last week, with the San Francisco and Iselin, New Jersey locations following suit this week. [ArtFagCity]

The NYTimes also reports that the Pearl stores on Long Island, in Westbury, NY, Selden, NY, and Cambridge, Mass have already closed. Pearl’s problems aren’t just limited to the East Coast either, the stores San Francisco and Los Angeles are running deep-discount sales like those in the final days of the stores that are now gone.

Mile End Brooklyn (Hoyt and Atlantic)

Louis Riel
Louis David Riel (22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. The third Monday in February is “Louis Riel Day”, a statutory holiday in Manitoba.

Montreal Smoked Meat and Montreal Bagels
Mile End Brooklyn is the name of the recently opened Montreal style Jewish delicatessen in Brooklyn. The first of its kind in the five boroughs, Mile End is a welcome addition to the neighborhood for ex-pats and Brooklynites alike, and it’s doubly exciting for me because I can finally get a real (albeit pricey) bagel in New York. The smoked meat sandwiches (which come with a little kick) are excellent too, they come courtesy of owner Noah Bernamoff who researched and developed his own custom spice rub modeled after the iconic Montreal smoked meat outpost Schwarz’s. Keep track of their daily meat supply (which often sells out) over here.

AT&T Nation with CanadaSM
Get the benefits of an AT&T NationSM and/or FamilyTalk Plan, plus no more long distance or roaming charges for voice calls between the U.S. and Canada. See available plans

The Winter Olympics

Alexandre Bilodeau carved his way into Canadian history Sunday at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

The 22-year-old from Rosemère, Que., became the first Canadian to win an Olympic gold medal at home, finishing first in the men’s moguls skiing final at Cypress Mountain. [CBC.ca]

Music
Tegan & Sara at MHOW (02/15/10) SOLD OUT
Daniel Lanois at Bowery Ballroom (02/17/10)
Po’ Girl at The Living Room (02/26/10)
Basia Bulat at The Mercury Lounge (03/27/10)
Jason Collett, Zeus, Bahamas at Union Hall (04/24/10)
Jason Collett at The Mercury Lounge (04/23/10)
Still Life Still at Bowery Ballroom (02/26/10), at MHOW (02/28/10)
The Sadies, Zeus at Mercury Lounge (02/27/10)
Zeus at Knitting Factory (02/26/10)
Cuff The Duke at Knitting Factory (04/30/10)
Broken Social Scene at Webster Hall (05/07/10)
Japandroids at Bowery Ballroom (04/01/10)
Tune-Yards at Bowery Ballroom (04/09/10)
Junior Boys (DJ Set) at Bowery Ballroom (02/27/10)
Woodhands at Brooklyn Bowl (04/03/10)
Owen Pallett at Webster Hall (04/22/10)
Timber Timbre at Bowery Ballroom (04/14/10), The Bell House (04/16/10)
You Say Party, We Say Die! at Knitting Factory (03/26/10)
You Say Party, We Say Die! at Pianos (03/29/10)
Laura Barrett Town Hall (03/10/10)

(The New) PopTartsSuckToasted.com

(The Old) PopTartsSuckToasted.Blogspot.com

Our good friends over at poptartssucktoasted.blogspot.com woke up yesterday to some hair raising news— the entire site, 5 years of work, was gone in the blink of an eye. Google, in its infinite narrowmindedness, had decided to remove the blog for alleged copyright infringements. Fast forward to today, and PTST is back up and running at its new domain poptartssucktoasted.com. With the assistance of EardrumNYC and Google Reader (insert ironic comment here), Pat was able to recover 70%-80% of his content. Other blogs affected by the Google smackdown included I Rock Cleveland, LivingEars, and It’s a Rap (-via Pitchfork).

PS Hey Pop Tarts, welcome to Wordpress, I’m sure you’re gonna like it, now let’s just hope Kellogg’s doesn’t come after you!

In case you missed it (and if you’re like me, you probably did), Jon Stewart squared off against Papa Bear on the O’Reilly Factor last week (Feb 3-4). Check out the full unedited interview below:

Phoenix Red Carpet Interview at 52nd Annual Grammy Awards (Jan 31, 2010)

Reviews of last night’s show range from “worst Grammys ever” to “boring and irrelevant”, in other words, the show lived up to its reputation. Despite the parade of familiar faces during the televised portion of the show, Grammy history was made last night when both Neil Young and AC/DC picked up their first trophies after 50 and 30 years in the business respectively.

Album of the Year: Fearless, Taylor Swift
Record of the Year: “Use Somebody,” Kings of Leon
Song of the Year: “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” Beyonce
New Artist: Zac Brown Band
Rap/Sung Collaboration: “Run This Town,” Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West
Rock Album: 21st Century Breakdown, Green Day
Pop Vocal Album: The E.N.D., The Black Eyed Peas
Comedy Album: A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!, Stephen Colbert
Country Album: Fearless, Taylor Swift
Electronic/Dance Album: The Fame, Lady Gaga
Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: The Black Eyed Peas, “I Gotta Feeling”
Female Pop Vocal Performance: Beyonce, “Halo”
Male Pop Vocal Performance: Jason Mraz, “Make It Mine”

You can check the rest of last night’s award winners over here.

Phoenix at The Grammys

Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage.com

Phoenix, Steve Earle, Imogen Heap, Levon Helm, David Byrne and Brian Eno, Neil Young, Steve Martin and Loudon Wainwright III, who says the Grammys aren’t cool! Check out a few of the early and non-televised 2010 Grammy winners below.

Best New Artist
WINNER
Zac Brown Band

Best Alternative Music Album
WINNER
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Phoenix

Song Of The Year
WINNER
Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
Thaddis Harrell, Beyoncé Knowles, Terius Nash & Christopher Stewart, songwriters (Beyoncé)

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
WINNER
Make It Mine
Jason Mraz

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
WINNER
I Gotta Feeling
The Black Eyed Peas

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
WINNER
Lucky
Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
WINNER
Working On A Dream
Bruce Springsteen

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
WINNER
Use Somebody
Kings Of Leon

Best Hard Rock Performance
WINNER
War Machine
AC/DC

Best Metal Performance
WINNER
Dissident Aggressor
Judas Priest

Best Rock Instrumental Performance
WINNER
A Day In The Life
Jeff Beck

Best Rock Song
WINNER
Use Somebody
Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill & Nathan Followill, songwriters (Kings Of Leon)

Best R&B Album
WINNER
Blacksummers’ Night
Maxwell

Best Contemporary R&B Album
WINNER
I Am… Sasha Fierce
Beyoncé

Best Rap Solo Performance
WINNER
D.O.A. (Death Of Auto-Tune)
Jay-Z

Best Rap Album
WINNER
Relapse
Eminem

Best Americana Album
WINNER
Electric Dirt
Levon Helm

Best Bluegrass Album
WINNER
The Crow / New Songs For The Five-String Banjo
Steve Martin

Best Traditional Folk Album
WINNER
High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project
Loudon Wainwright III

Best Contemporary Folk Album
WINNER
Townes
Steve Earle

Best Musical Album For Children
WINNER
Family Time
Ziggy Marley

Best Recording Package
WINNER
Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Stefan Sagmeister, art director (David Byrne & Brian Eno)

Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
WINNER
Neil Young Archives Vol. I (1963-1972)
Gary Burden, Jenice Heo & Neil Young, art directors (Neil Young)

Best Historical Album
WINNER
The Complete Chess Masters (1950-1967)
Andy McKaie, compilation producer; Erick Labson, mastering engineer (Little Walter)

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
WINNER
Ellipse
Imogen Heap, engineer (Imogen Heap)

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical
WINNER
Brendan O’Brien
Black Ice (AC/DC) (A)

Check out the rest of the early and non-televised winners after the jump.

“52nd Annual Grammy Awards: Early and Non-Televised Winners” continued after the jump

As a Canadian, I am mildly perturbed by this.

PS This is a real screen cap. Google “Why Can’t” or “Why Can’t I” and see what the top suggestions are.

Jay Reatard at Stuyvesant Town Oval (07/01/09)

Photo: Pop Tarts Suck Toasted

He didn’t get a lot of attention around this blog, but regardless of whether you liked him or not, 29 is way too young to go. Rest in peace Jay.

We are devastated by the death of Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr., aka Jay Reatard. Jay was as full of life as anyone we’ve ever met, and responsible for so many memorable moments as a person and artist. We’re honored to have known and worked with him, and we will miss him terribly. [Matador Records]

Wyclef Jean is a rock star in America, but the man is famous almost beyond comprehension in his native Haiti. He released this statement today (Jan 13) concerning the recent devastating earthquake near Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

January 13th, 2010
STATEMENT BY WYCLF JEAN ON HAITI EARTHQUAKE

NEW YORK—The following is a statement by Wyclef Jean on yesterday’s magnitude 7.0 earthquake outside Port-au-Prince, Haiti:

“Haiti yesterday faced a natural disaster of unprecedented proportion, an earthquake unlike anything the country has ever experienced.

The magnitude 7.0 earthquake – and several very strong aftershocks – struck only 10 miles from Port-au-Prince.

I cannot stress enough what a human disaster this is, and idle hands will only make this tragedy worse. The over 2 million people in Port-au-Prince tonight face catastrophe alone. We must act now.

President Obama has already said that the U.S. stands ‘ready to assist’ the Haitian people. The U.S. Military is the only group trained and prepared to offer that assistance immediately. They must do so as soon as possible. The international community must also rise to the occasion and help the Haitian people in every way possible.”

Many people have already reached out to see what they can do right now. We are asking those interested to please do one of two things: Either you can use your cell phone to text “Yele” to 501501, which will automatically donate $5 to the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund (it will be charged to your cell phone bill), or you can visit www.yele.org and click on DONATE.

Other worthwhile organizations accepting donations for Haitian earthquake relief are: Doctors Without Borders, The American Red Cross, and The American Jewish World Service.

2010 New Orleans Jazz Festival

Some of the interesting artists and headliners at this year’s New Orleans Jazz Festival (April 23 – May 2, 2010) include:

Pearl Jam, Aretha Franklin, Van Morrison, B.B. King, My Morning Jacket, Elvis Costello and the Sugarcanes, Band of Horses, The Black Crowes, Drake, Steve Martin with the Steep Canyon Rangers, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, The Levon Helm Band, Allen Toussaint, Baaba Maal, The Dead Weather and many others.

View the (more or less) complete lineup after the jump.

“New Orleans Jazz Festival Schedule Announced” continued after the jump

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE
1. MICHAEL GIACCHINO – Up
2. MARVIN HAMLISCH – THE INFORMANT!
3. JAMES HORNER – Avatar
4. ABEL KORZENIOWSKI – A Single Man
5. KAREN O, CARTER BURWELL – Where The Wild Things Are

BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
1. “CINEMA ITALIANO” – Nine (Music & Lyrics by: Maury Yeston)
2. “I WANT TO COME HOME” – EVERYBODY’S FINE (Music & Lyrics by: Paul McCartney)
3. “I SEE YOU” – Avatar (Music by: James Horner, Simon Franglen Lyrics by: James Horner, Simon Franglen, Kuk Harrell)
4. “THE WEARY KIND (THEME FROM CRAZY HEART)” – Crazy Heart (Music & Lyrics by: Ryan Bingham, T Bone Burnett)
5. “WINTER” – Brothers (Music by: U2 Lyrics by: Bono)

It’s always an uphill battle when it comes to indie artists and major award shows, so it’s nice to see Karen O and Carter Burwell get recognized for their work on the Where The Wild Things Are original score. While “All Is Love” wasn’t nominated for a “Best Original Song” Golden Globe, it did recently pick up a Grammy nod after Miley Cyrus’s “The Climb” was disqualified in the “Best Song Written for a Soundtrack” category. You can view the full list of the 67th Annual Golden Globe Nominees over here.

In other related news, the YYYs Nick Zinner will be DJing at The Studio at Webster Hall with Telepathe and Walter Schreifels on December 16 (Buy Tickets). View the flyer for The Studio Holiday Party after the jump.

“The 67th Annual Golden Globes Nominations (Karen O, U2)” continued after the jump