From NY Observer

It’s more or less an open secret, but we’ve learned that the Top Chef cast has definitely been living for about two weeks now in a terraced duplex penthouse in Williamsburg overlooking McCarren Park. So far, the chefs have pretty much kept to themselves, said an extremely well-placed source, leaving around 8 or 9 in the mornings for a soundstage in Greenpoint and coming straight back in the evenings….
Though the source would not say which of the two “identical” parkview penthouses the cast is living in, a 1,368-square-foot, 16th-floor unit was sold in April for $1.4 million, according to StreetEasy. (Meanwhile the neighboring unit, 16A, is in contract for $1.295 million.)
According to the duplex floor plans on the 20 Bayard Web site, the first floor has an open-air kitchen, foyer, eating area and living room–with a balcony–and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking McCarren Park and Manhattan. …
So far the cast has remained pretty incognito. Few people from neighboring buildings were even aware Top Chef was shooting in Williamsburg.
‚”No way,” said the cashier at Urban Rustic, an organic market down the street, who is a fan of the show. ‚”That’s awesome.”
So will the cast do any shopping there?
‚”That would be cool, but I doubt it,” the cashier said. “They usually give them a budget.”

From Comedy Central

So, when Rush was backstage at The Colbert Report last week, they played “Tom Sawyer” on Rock Band and now there’s video of it. I kind of expected it to be a funny demonstration of how unlike playing real instruments Rock Band really is, with these three seasoned pros failing the song about 30 seconds in.

Five Leaves Bar
Coming to Greenpoint soon. From Down by the Hipster

This small space on the corner of Bedford and Lorimer is tentatively called The Five Leaves, and will be opened by one of Heath Ledger’s close friends. The late actor, who’s last movie is obviously doing pretty well, was a key backer of the the project and was going to be a full partner. His untimely death put the project in jeopardy, but his father became executor of the estate and because he knew how much the project meant to heath, he released the funds to finish construction. The name Five Leaves is a working name, and comes from Swan cigarette papers that tell you when there are just five left in a package. A bit later, we will take you inside the nautically themed cafe and bar.

More pictures here.

From our comments.

Hi All. Brick Oven Gallery had its last day and served its last pizza on 7.20.08. My Uncle owns the place so I would know. We ended on a good note with all of our regular customers there to help us mark the day. It was sort of bittersweet. We hopefully will be relocating within a month. We just wanted everyone to know we officially closed and are absolutely no longer at 33 Havemeyer St. Thank you to all of our loyal customers and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Aquarium Drunkard just posted a great Beirut show that aired on Radio France. The quality is superb, and there are some surprises including a cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” Grab the whole concert here.

Sonic Youth at McCarren in ’07, image c/o Flickr
Looks like it will be the last concert, um, EVER at McCarren Park Pool—*weep*—but Sonic Youth has just announced a show on August 30th. Tickets go on sale Friday at noon.
There have been petitions floating around at the Pool Parties to keep the venue as a concert space, but we’re not holding our breath. Looks like the kiddie urinal is on its way. The good news is the free shows may be transferred to Bushwick Inlet Park in 2009.
Also just announced, The Felice Brothers are headlining a free JellyNYC Pool Party with Langhorne Slim, Eli “Paperboy” Reed & The True Loves, Deer Tick, and DJ Kool Kear on August 10th.
More information at www.mccarrenpark.com

Freewilliamsburg founder Robert Lanham is one of the most influential and “visible” New Yorkers on the interweb. Of course, the people who generated the list live in Vancouver. Hilarious. See the full list at NowPublic.com

‚”Visibility and connectedness define today’s elite,” said Leonard Brody, CEO of NowPublic. ‚”Today, there are innumerable new ways for one’s voice to be heard. The goal of the MostPublic Index is to measure who is currently most effective in broadcasting their own personal brand online, as well as identify emerging players.”

Julia Allison is going to be pissed she didn’t make the list.

[hat tip Rumproast]

Deerhoof’s Satomi Matsuzaki
On Friday
DEERHOOF / METROPOLIS ENSEMBLE: THE RITE: REMIXED
Prospect Park Bandshell
Doors 6pm, $3
More information at Celebrate Brooklyn.

Celebrate Brooklyn & Wordless Music present DEERHOOF / METROPOLIS ENSEMBLE: THE RITE: REMIXED The mercurial experimentalists DEERHOOF, ‚”the most creative band in indie rock today,” (LA Weekly) forge a distinctive sound out of sophisticated improvisation, fierce dissonance, and weirdly catchy melodies. They’re paired here, via the forward thinking Wordless Music Series, with a world premiere by METROPOLIS ENSEMBLE, led by Artistic Director/Conductor Andrew Cyr. The Rite: Remixed is a collaboration with composers and live electronics producer/performers Ryan Francis, Leo Leite, and Ricardo Romaneiro, who re-conceptualize Stravinsky’s monumental The Rite of Spring through the lens of the latest sounds and technology from electronica. The work combines keyboards and laptops with huge percussion and brass ensembles to create a futuristic, rhythm-inspired sonic tableau.

On Saturday
Its always too crowded, too hot, and the sound sucks, but THE SIREN FESTIVAL begins at noon. This year Malkmus and Broken Social Scene are the big names, but we’re most excited about The Dodos who, all sources say, put on a great live show.
at Coney Island
noon – 9pm, FREE
more information at the Village Voice website
Also on Saturday:
Warm Up feat. Danton Eepron w/ Au Revoir Simone, Dorit Chrysler, and Egill Saabjornsson & Flis
PS1 Contemporary Art Center
3-9pm, $10
From Flavorpill

This week’s Warm Up provides yet another reason to hop a tugboat to Long Island City (as if you needed one). Curated by style-for-the-people outpost agnes b., the electro-leaning bill toes the line between dance music and pure pop, with an oddball spirit that befits the avant-garde surroundings. Theremin player Dorit Chrysler presents an engaging concoction of new composition, balladry, and electronic meandering, while Au Revoir Simone steer things in a more hummable direction with the aid of a few Casiotone keyboards. London DJ Danton Eeprom, meanwhile, brings Warm Up back to its disco-house comfort zone.

more information at the PS1 website

On Sunday
LIARS, FUCK BUTTONS, AND TEAM ROBESPIERRE AT MCCARREN POOL
Doors open at 2pm, FREE
(provided they don’t find anymore bodies)
From Flavorpill:

Noise isn’t supposed to be this pretty. Sure, My Bloody Valentine, Jesu, and a whole mess of pedal-pushers have shown that’s not necessarily true, but Fuck Buttons take the concept to a whole new stratosphere. “Bright Tomorrow” had the blogs beside themselves — a simple, shimmering keyboard melody that boils over into a Yellow Swans-ish barrage of screams and hiss. Working a similar balance between substance and skronk, be it through the triumphant psych-stomp of last year’s self-titled album or the urban tribalism and doom-dub of They Were Wrong and Drum’s Not Dead, the headlining Liars reinvent themselves more convincingly than any other indie-rock band around

more information at mccarrenpark.com