1 Adam-12, 1 Adam-12, we have a helicopter down in the Hudson River

Five people were onboard what is being called a private helicopter (earlier reports said it was a FOX-5 news chopper) that landed in the Hudson River today near the Upper West Side (Think 79th St.). All five were rescued and the investigation continues. It's another Sully miracle!

For more follow the magic link.

Late night open thread

Let's get this guy on Chopped stat! Let's see how badly chef Alex Guarnaschelli wants to criticize Mr. Klindt for poorly incorporating the gummy worms into the eggplant.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

The question here isn't why the nightclub 'Circle' had to pay a $20,000 fine...

No, they had to pay that after the attorney general investigated clubgoers complaints about the doormenz and staffs favoring Koreans over non-Koreans. Paying bottle service, being denied entry, enforcing dress codes arbitrarily and forcing, again, non-Koreans to make reservations. You can't discriminate. It's simply wrong. We don't care who is doing it. It's not just people from a certain geographic region south of the Mason Dixon line in a place they used to call Tennebamasippi. It's right here, right now. Shame on Circle.

The question in all this is who the hell still goes to Circle?

Late night open thread

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with ELVIS COSTELLO!

You like treats don't you? Of COURSE you do. Really great versions of song you may not have heard covered before can be wonderful treats. Oh hey, here's one of them now. Elvis Costello, who has dinner at Johnny's house whenever he's in town, (Hey it worked for Bobby Brady) really puts gorgeous new face on a classic by The Animals. Pure sumptuousness for the earholes.

Elvis Costello with 'Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood'

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE ORLONS!

Setting the Wayback Machine for 1962 for a song so obscure a scouring of the intertubes doesn't bring us back any live video. Most of the smattering of clips of this one are actual record players playing wax.  So get a smart cocktail and some attitude. It's time to strut around your house dancing like there's no tomorrow party cats and kittens. Don't spill no nothin'.

'Not Me' by The Orlons

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with BLONDIE!

Hearing this song around 6pm tonight on the iTunes Johnny just knew it was going to play off the Music Series for another week. There are a lot of Blondie fans and a couple critics who will tell you this is their best song. It's sure way up the list.

Blondie with 'Shayla'

Scenes like this used to help define that authentic city living vibe

Yet you rarely see this anymore. A lament for clotheslines.

Late night open thread

Fred's day just got interesting.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Boy this Fulop inauguration is getting quite the guest list; The big man signed on to speak

The Governor himself will speak at Mr. Fulop's inauguration as well as U.S. Senator Bob Menendez. That should be a sight that will be much photographed and long remembered, this outdoor inauguration in front of city hall. It's a great idea and good for everyone on stage for again putting differences aside in an adult manner.

Which brings us to this. We realize you may have issues with the governor, some people even say his mild-mannered ways come across as brash or insulting. You may have policy differences. You may be angry he'd even consider putting the right to get married to whom you choose on the ballot instead of fighting in favor of the right side of history. You may think something he did or didn't do after Sandy makes you mad at him.

Steve Fulop's inauguration is not your place nor time to shout or protest at Christie. Strangely enough Steve Fulop's inauguration is about him. Imagine that. He deserves his day. Respect that. Jersey City is not some backwater like East Stroudsburg (we needed a new foil, they'll get this insult by telegraph by Saturday). We are a diverse city with diverse opinions that bring us together rather than tear us apart.

That's on July 2nd when the replant they trees.

Late night open thread

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Bloomberg's office equates sparklers with weapons of terror

The New York state legislature passed a bill that would allow sparklers, those devious weapons that take so many lives and couldn't possibly be turned into anything other than a hot sparkling wire, between from June 1st and July 5th, as well as between December 26th and January 2nd.

Bloomie loses his mind seeing this as a veiled attempt to allow terrorists into NYC, even though the law exempts NYC, sparklers = terror.

Don't believe Johnny, no please read it for yourself:

“While this bill excludes New York City, legalizing these devices everywhere else in the state would, as a practical matter, have the same effect in the five boroughs,” Joseph Garba, the mayor’s state legislative director, said in a memo obtained by the NY Post. “A recent attempt to harm innocent lives provides a frightening example of how legally purchased... fireworks can cause dramatic harm and even kill.”

Yes the Times Square bomber who failed miserably bought some M-88 firecrackers in Pennsylvania to try and turn those into a bomb of some kind. So what does stopping sparklers have to do with fireworks that explode? Nothing of course but as you know Michael Bloomberg sees terror behind every 20 oz. Big Gulp. They called sparklers "devices" which makes you wonder just how overboard you have to go before the people just tune you out completely.

Steve Fulop cancels the Jersey City reval

And well done there. A common sense decision and a good one. As he said he would do, Mayor-elect Steve Fulop yesterday ordered the West New York company conducting a citywide property revaluation to halt work immediately and threatened to audit the firm’s work because of its ties to a former city business administrator.

“I will not allow this back-door tax hike planned by the Healy administration to take place,” he said.

Good for you. You did what you said you do and it was completely consistent with how you've voted previously.

The mayoral ghost of Jerry Healy had no comment.

Think Fulop can't do this? Think it's too late? Rube!

Fulop insists he has the authority, or will on Monday when he becomes mayor, to stop the reval.

“They haven’t completed their work and the city hasn’t finished paying . . . which we won’t, as there are a million questions,” he said. “I don’t suppose they will proceed without being paid.”

No word on where Fulop stands on sparklers.

Late night open thread

If you saw a heat wave, would you wave back?
 -- Steven Wright

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Construction on I-278 east between 7th Ave. and 3rd Ave. with the left lane closed and a big backup

There, we just paid for the Jersey City Desk Traffic Copter for another year. Arcane tax deductions RULE!

Bloomie and his sidekick Ray Ray had a meltdown yesterday like children being told to put their toys away

First things first, nearly 70% of New Yorkers support city council installing an Inspector General to oversee the department. With the way Mayor Bloomberg has called the NYPD his "personal army" and NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly has run amok on #OWS, his stop and frisk program and the horribly botched Muslim surveillance that seemed to start in New Jersey (still not part of New York) it is high time to add a layer of accountability between Bloomberg and Kelly and the citizenry.

Accountability? Bloomberg laughs at your stupid head. HE is the accountability:

"Yes there is. It's called the Mayor...The police commissioner in our city works for the mayor serves at the pleasure of the mayor..."

Next sentence:

"I can just tell you I'm not a professional in this.."

No shit.

See Kelly and Bloomberg are saying unless they can profile, unless they can run spying operations far and wide, unless they can basically go about their business as THEY please with zero oversight, we're all dead people:

This is life and death, this isn't playing some game… 

Kelly really took things to unbelievable heights in his temper tantrum calling the bill:

'Full Employment for Plaintiffs Attorneys Act'…Take heart Al Qaeda wannabes." 

Bitter much Ray-Ray? This is the problem with people like Bloomberg and Kelly who are used to getting their own way and really aren't into answering for their actions. They think they're special. They think some oversight shield comes with their jobs. Wrong. Hell, when told that his canard of saying lawyers will make lots of coin for their clients if the Inspector General bill passes was wrong and the new bill allows for NO monetary relief, Bloomberg in typical Bloomberg style said:

"It doesn't matter..."

Yes, Mayor Mike, it does. And the city council WILL pass the IG law which if you really don't think allows you to do your job the way you see fit you can leave early. The third term was a mistake anyway.

Dear guy in the red Ford Explorer on Marin Boulevard

On hot days having your windows or top down on your ride playing loud music is an American tradition. It's practically a birthright. With the choices of hundreds if not thousands or great jams you can play to look and sound uber cool with the volume up, The Run D.M.C. song 'Christmas in Hollis' is simply not one of them.

Coolness DENIED!

Late night open thread

Sometimes you're in the right place at the right right time for a potentially great picture. Well, not like Ansel Adams great but a great picture to have and share. Well such a moment happened to Johnny tonight.

The name Bill Buckner is tossed around a lot when a mistake is made. OK, when a mistake on a grand scale is made. We think Billy Bucks got a raw deal. Things happen. So Johnny and Mrs. Johnny have just enjoyed the fantastic play, 'Lucky Guy' with Tom Hanks, Maura Tierney, Peter Scolari and a brilliant cast. As Johnny is trying to avoid the sidewalk crowds getting autographs by walking in the street around them. It was at this moment Tom Hanks had finished signing playbills and posing for pictures and made the turn for his waiting car. He looked right at Johnny. He waved at Johnny. It was the perfect set-up. Some paparazzi don't get chances like this. Johnny gives a lot of people a lot of shit on this site so take your chance here to guffaw.

If this picture were a football team it'd be the Buffalo Bills...

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Mr. Fulop, what about this $750 from Birdsall?

Look we'd expect the disgraced and now bankrupt company who gave out secret donations like grandparents give out candy to have greased the palms of outgoing Mayor Healy to the tune of $4700 (for Healy and his team). We'd expect crooks like former FuHo Mayor Peter Cammarano and former Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell to be on the list for these secret donations, they loved taking money they shouldn't have and served time for doing it.

Everyone questioned in the Star-Ledger story on Birdsall's secret cash not appearing on any campaign donation filings had an excuse as for why it was there. Hudson County Executive Thomas DeGise got money and said he made no promises. North Bergen Mayor and state Sen. Nicholas Sacco said through a spokesmodel that Sacco had no knowledge money was allegedly donated in an improper way, and if that proves to be the case, the money will be donated to a charity.

We're beyond being able to shame Mayor Healy, he's done in a week. But Mr. Fulop would you kindly tell us what the secret campaign money went to? See you're sitting there having taken two and a half shares of the money (Because state law prohibits giving more than $300 to many politicians, Birdsall had its employees write personal checks to candidates and then later reimbursed the staffers with salary bonuses and lied to the state on disclosure forms) and since in this past election you were all about the need for a transparent government and how Jersey City needed to put and end to, in your words, "pay to play"we're wondering about you taking Birdsall's money.

We don't want to hear that no favors were granted. We heard that from Healy. We don't want to hear another "Well of course candidate X had no idea this money came from where it did, we'll donate it." No, what we want to hear is how you wound up with these donations Steve. Not in a press release, not in a statement from a lackey, but from YOU Mr. Reformer.

For the new face of all that is good and right with Jersey City and by extension Hudson County politics that $750 looks like a millstone around your neck.

Late night open thread

Looking east at the sunset.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

A raven has come to the Jersey City Desk offices

And those out of town, across the miles of Hudson County have asked for word on just what Mr. Fulop has been up to. Here's our raven back to you.

Up might just be a key word as Fulop has announced a great block party before his swearing in on July 1st. He also reached even greater heights, rappelling down JC skyscrapers all for charity. How Superman is that? Swims the Hudson River for charity, rappels, has the first open inauguration since the 1980's. No wonder Cory Booker needs to leave the area. He's being usurped.

Yes friends these are the headlines. All the attention is being paid to these wondrous events and nobody seems to care how Fulop is doing official business. We're fine with Dan Levin looking at city departmental operations, that's a home run but this undercurrent of just who else is consulting does raise questions. Tapping stop and frisk fan Larry Mone along with disgraced former NAACP President William Braker to the public-safety committee raises questions.  Mr. Fulop said he's against stop and frisk so why Mone? Remember, Barack Obama a young pragmatist like Fulop, said a lot of things different about the NSA and PRISM too when he was a candidate. Was state senator Sandra Cunningham's addition to the team a way of mending fences as she wouldn't endorse Fulop in the general election?

While many concentrate on bread and circuses surrounding events July 1st, The Jersey City Desk awaits July 2nd more.

Late night open thread

Keep off of the moors down in there Bayonne tonight. With this Supermoon the werewolves will be the size of, uh, er, um, well, pretty goddamn big werewolves.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Jersey City can go fish!

In fresh water. In water untainted by whatever slurry makes up the Hudson River on any given day. If you're a resident of the Heights good fishing is just a stone's throw away. A discontinued reservoir, Reservoir 3, is located at the corners of Summit Avenue and (wait for it) Reservoir St. and offers 8-acres of fun with bobbers.

Jersey City Recreation Department's Anthony Gray, said the serene 8-acre body of water is teeming with catfish, bass, and sunnies.

Gray says the recreation department has run an after school program at the reservoir for the last six-years teaching youngsters how to fish. Now, that experience is open to anyone interested free of charge.

And they supply the bait and poles? Holy man, why aren't you fishing Jersey City? Johnny's gotta take his pole he put away (In Michigan you have to own a fishing pole, it's like the law and stuff) in storage and get over there one of these mornings.

Dear NYC, all your base are belong to Steve Fulop!

Mayor-elect Steve Fulop sat down for an interview with Crain's New York Business and said we can soon look for an ad campaign to poach not only potential businesses to head over to Cool City, Fulop is targeting people moving to JC instead of say Brooklyn:

For a certain strata of New Yorkers, the trajectory is to decamp to Brooklyn from Manhattan after having kids and getting priced off the island. Mr. Fulop says Jersey City should be giving Brooklyn a run for its money. "I want to see someone who has outgrown Manhattan to look at Jersey City before they look at Brooklyn," he said.

But poaching a business or five IS on the list of things to do:

"We're a competitive alternative to having your office in New York," Mr. Fulop said. To burnish that option, he plans to restructure the city's tax abatement program to offer steeper incentives. His plan is to spur development in the Journal Square area and to "make the waterfront competitive with what's across the river." The tax abatements will be scaled back, away from the waterfront, he said.

It is nice to see the tax abatements will be allocated differently around town but we've heard these Journal Square promises before. Read the article and see what's what with this rebranding of Jersey City in Fulop's eyes.

Late night open thread

Every so often Johnny gets emails from the people who for some reason feel they are comfortable asking Johnny questions about the real world. Like they know Johnny is there to help if they ask. Such is the case with we'll call him A.Mc. for anonymity. A. Mc. sent Johnny a question he was having an issue with in his relationship:

"Johnny, what should I do if my girlfriend starts smoking?"

Well A.Mc. is she already smoking? Are you just worried it might happen? Johnny's advice would be to slow down and maybe use some kind of lubricant.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with LED ZEPPELIN!

Because ROCK that's why.

Led Zeppelin with 'When the Levee Breaks'

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION!

You saw that right, Atlanta Rhythm Section baby. "I wonder which of their many Top 40 hits Johnny might play," you quietly contemplate before realizing it can only be the lounge-worthy 'Imaginary Lover,' a song you've been avoiding for far too long.

A quick note here that might help explain the title of this song. Look closely at the guys in the band. Johnny bets they had a whole lot of imaginary lovers, Hey-yo!

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE DRIFTERS

A warm summer evening with a light breeze, a Supermoon of some kind in the sky and The Drifters harmonizing about Spanish Harlem. There's just something rewarding about that.

"Officer, they're looting the Food King..."

And here in Jersey City they're tearing apart the famous Colgate Clock. Outrage! Anger! Upsettedness! That is until you realize it's being taken apart so it can be reconstructed with new LED lights and a new steel frame with a better foundation.

As science proves, New Yorkers cannot tell time when they get to Battery Park or drive on the West Side Highway. Watches and cell phones stop working and the only way these good people can tell time is looking across the river at the new, easier to read Colgate Clock.

Late night open thread

Old car ad night here at "The Desk."

Ahhhh, the 1970 Pinto. But before we get to the car itself let's look at the beginning of the ad. Meet the Pinto, just born. From where, the ground? Do little horses now pop up from the ground after they hatch? Also, in a one minute ad for your new car having the first 20 seconds only showing Seabiscuit and amber waves could be a dodgy plan. But look at it. Pinto, the new little carefree car from Ford. As carefree as you can be trying to claw your way out of a burning vehicle after backing into a pole. And while we're on the topic, move the horsie back, one swift kick to the back bumper and he's crispy critters. It's got a wide stance which gives it that dumpy can-of-Spam-on-wheels look Ford must have been striving for. This car just wants to run and run and run. So will you, but don't run too far before the stop drop and roll part of your 1970 Pinto test-drive.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

In West Orange you can not only fight city hall, you can publicly ridicule them while you do it

This here is sheer gold. You'll want to read it again and again. Certain entities such as city and township governments might not know their way around this brave new world of internets, Twitter, Facebook, Vine and on and on. The Township of West Orange seems to be one of these places. It seems they didn't like the fact someone had registered the domain westorange.info and it was directing people to places they didn't like. So local governments thinking they can do as they please by sending a firmly worded letter sent one to Jake Freivald owner of westorange.info and told him in no uncertain terms he was to stop using that domain and take it offline forever. Jake Freivald is no dummy. He knows his rights. But just to make sure he got his message across he hired Stephen B. Kaplitt to send the Township of West Orange HIS reply to their demand. Zorak from Space Ghost would call it a red-assed beat down. Click that link party cats and kittens, like we said, sheer gold.

Late night open thread

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

You know 'em, you love 'em, you just can't live without 'em -- It's a News Roundup Wednesday

*So Steve Fulop, what have you or anybody else on your ticket done to create wealth and opportunity in Jersey City? Don't give us that lame "But we haven't even been sworn in yet," mope. Look at go-getter city councilman elect Michael Yun, he's already made somebody a millionaire.

*Speaking of Fulop, he's planning on putting more cops into the next recruitment class.

*Some businesses down on the shore have taken to putting lines up on their business to show how high the water from Superstorm Sandy got.

*Fully 10% of the bridges we drive on in New Jersey are structurally deficient. Wanna know which ones? Oh and a note to Mr. Christie. Know when things went south for a formerly popular governor in Michigan named John Engler? When he stopped paying for road repairs (after dumping the mentally ill in hospitals out on the streets but that's a story for another day) and to this day carries the nickname "Pothole John" around the Mitten. Things went south in a hurry too. Just saying.

*We'll end with a story commanding a very high 'cool quotient' today. NPR visited a Jersey City recycling plant and you can learn a lot from watching the animated gifs of the process. Johnny learned that his bottles for his beloved Diet Snapple (Raspberry or Peach let's not fight) may come from this very recycling center. Of course none of this will have mattered when the Sun has exhausted the hydrogen in its core in around 5 billion years and becomes a red dwarf, but we can all feel good for now.

Late night open thread

You can start booking trips to Brazil, the USMNT looks well on their way to clinching a spot in the World Cup next year with their third straight win in June (added to the big win over Germany in May). Maybe the USA will get put into a group with sadsack England again.

Victory!


Time for Jersey City, After Dark

A wee it of NY Rangers news today

The CBC is reporting that the Rags will sign former Vancouver head coach Alain Vigneault to a 5 year $10 million contract and an announcement is imminent. Out is Tortorella who actually won a Stanley Cup in Tampa Bay but whose tough-guy act had run its course at 34th and 7th. Vigneault came within a game of winning with the Canucks falling in game 7 to Boston. Former Rangers defenseman Ulf Samuelsson, one of the dirtiest SOB's to ever play the game, may well wind up behind the bench as well.

Late night open thread

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

In French, the word for "boot" is "botte"

And in today's French lesson can you use the word "botte" in a sentence?

Johnny will try:
"L'autobus a été garé illégalement ainsi la ville a mis une botte là-dessus."
(The bus was parked illegally so the city put a boot on it.)

Try and translate this one on your own: "The driver is frantically calling for help as his bus sits with a boot on it."

Late night open thread

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Happy Father's Day to all the fellers out there

Here's to you; the dads, uncles and brothers of America (and Delaware too). Enjoy your day.

Late night open thread

Did you know that in the 1959 classic film Some Like it Hot Tony Curtis couldn't sustain the high-pitched voice required for Josephine, so much of his lines as a lady were dubbed by Paul Frees? Frees had quite a career doing cartoon voice as well including Boris Badenov, Morocco Mole, Squiddly Diddly, and the Burgermeister Meisterburger.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

You kids go outside and play

And if you're going to go swim in the Hudson River wait at least a half hour after eating. A beatiful day has found us so get out there and have some FUN today!

Late night open thread

Take the highway to the end of the night.
 -- The Doors

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with MOTT THE HOOPLE!

We here at the Jersey City Desk Music Series take our piano playing seriously. The piano has a proud and important history within the annuls of rock and roll. Elton John, Billy Joel, Jerry Lee Lewis, Randy Newman, The Captain of Captain and Tenille fame, Stevie Wonder, Ben Folds, Little Richard and on and on. We've always loved to Ian Hunter's into and winding trail of 88's on this classic track, 'All the Way From Memphis,' kicking things off tonight (We're throwing in the accompanying racist Felix the Cat cartoon at no charge).

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE ROLLING STONES!

50 years worth of Rolling Stones. Thats a pretty good run. If you can do anything, even just staying alive, you're doing something right. If you can make those 50 years sound good, even better yet. Here's one from Johnny's archives. Never really on the radio, never celebrated, just a Stones song he really loves. Maybe it's Keef skiffing that reggae part. Anyway, The Rolling Stones with 'Send it to Me'

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with XTC!

See, something good DID come out of 1982. XTC with 'Senses Working Overtime' which still sounds fresh today.

Please power down your electronic devices before takeoff

Except for Delta Airlines Captain Jerry Walsh who is allowed to get out his camera (cell phone cam?) and take this amazing picture of the new One World Trade peeking out above the clouds while the city goes on about its business unseen. Not only can he steer the plane with his knees, he's got a real good eye.

Late night open thread

It always rains on tents. Rainstorms will travel thousands of miles, against prevailing winds for the opportunity to rain on a tent.
 -- Dave Barry

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

We're going to get out ahead of the Weather Channel and name today's thunderstorms

This morning and this afternoon is Thunderstorm Martini and tonight's rain event is Thunderstorm Bathrobe. Since the Weather Channel tries to give any breeze much more than a fart a name, we decided to beat them to it. So be wary Hudson County and the surround, A Martini and a Bathrobe can make for one tough day at the office. If we can crowdsource upwards of $8 dollars for shipping and handling we can name the one tomorrow Thunderstorm Slippers.

Like Hank Williams once sang "Oh the rain is slowly falling..."

Ole Hank must have been talking about New Jersey because after 4 inches of rain last week sopping the gardens in the Garden State, there's more rain on the way....a LOT more. A possibility of 3 inches of rain today and tonight, a possibility of tornadoes in our southern counties and a high probability of flooding comes with these storms. Be prepared and look in on neighbors. You've got about a half hour before it hits.

Late night open thread

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Our final score: Fulop 7, Independents 2, Healy 0

Maybe that's why Beth Mason over in Hoboken attempted a clumsy backtrack and threw a pittance of cash and prizes towards His Excellency Steve Fulop a few days ago. She could see what was coming.

As we said last night the last Healy backers are gone. With the exception of Ward C, where Healy-then-Fulop ticket member Nidia Lopez lost to Rich Boggiano, and in Ward D where Michael Yun dusted Healy supporter Sean Connors (he once called Steve Fulop "un-American") Team Fulop won every ward. Fulop's at-large candidates, Joyce Watterman, Daniel Rivera and Rolando Lavarro ended the council career of Viola Richardson and defeated Sean Connelly. In Ward A Frank Gajewski, part of the Fulop team, bested former superintendent of schools Charles Epps (Those girls are evil). Ward F is stuck with the unfortunate wordsmithing of Diane Coleman. Ward B wasn't even close with Khemraj “Chico” Ramchal defeating Esther Wintner.

So there you go. Things are going to look a lot different July 2nd after the hangovers subside. Certainly Fulop will get just about anything he asks for. On paper (or computer screen) that looks and sounds great. But this IS Jersey City and of course anything is possible. We think Fulop will get a honeymoon but what length we can't say. We do think the first two or three initiatives and whether they are divisive or common-sense fixes will help set the honeymoon timeline. There's a huge budget mess right off the hop, just like a stinking fish left by Healy in Fulop's chair June 30 on his way out the door.

It's Jersey City and anything is possible.

Late night open thread

We'll have more on the runoff elections tomorrow but the last vestiges of Jerramiah Healy have been washed away.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

It's not storm runoff today friends, it's a runoff election

Make sure you get out there and vote today as the polls in the runoff elections are now open for business. The polls will be open until 8pm tonight. Every Ward but Ward E is up for grabs as Candice Osborne won Ward E outright May 14.

Just what council makeup will His Excellency Steve Fulop have when he takes the Cardboard Throne, made from all the discarded bank-money bands from the cash handed over in bribes to the Mad Mayor Hague? We'll know after 8pm tonight.

Those with polling problems are asked to call:
(201) 369-7745
(201) 369-7746
(201) 369-7747
(201) 369-7748
(201) 369-7749
Voters encountering machine malfunctions can call:
(201) 369-7794
(201) 369-7797
(201) 369-7799

Late night open thread

American movie titles often don't translate well when used overseas and are often renamed some of the damndest things you've ever heard of. An example of which would be that in France the film Home Alone became Mom, I Missed The Plane.

In China, Boogie Nights was renamed: His Great Device Makes Him Famous. That's much better.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

It's Monday, let's blow stuff up!

Well let's let others blow them up and watch. The formerly tallest building on Governor's Island was taken down by a controlled series of explosions yesterday morning. Soon a park will rise where the building fell. Here's what the demolition looked like up close:


Cooooool!

Late night open thread

Famous last words edition:

"I am about to take my last voyage, a great leap in the dark."
-- Thomas Hobbes 1679

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

It was a perfect day and then the Philadelphia Flyers happened -- Nobody wants to go see this

Spell check can be your friend only if you allow it to point out bad words you're about to tweet out to dozens of Flyers fans which will then be seen by millions. At least we hope it was a typo. If not, ewwww, seriously, so gross.

Summer Breeze

82º with the odd cloud cooling things for a few seconds while a light breeze blows those cottonwood fluffies about harkened (harkened!) Johnny back to his formative days riding bikes in Ortonville MI. Walking along the water elicits many of the same smells as growing up on a lake. Tis but June 9, but a perfect summer day it is.

Late night open thread

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Some pictures from today's Big Apple Barbecue in Madison Square Park

And should some of these pictures make you hungry, it runs from 12-6 tomorrow. One of NYC's signature events each year.

Late night open thread

Vacation begins when your dad says, "I know a short cut."

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE CLASH!

Thought it's been said many time many ways, the people will not have their rights taken and do nothing. At some point they will and do make a stand. If you think differently read a history book. Heads turn up on sticks after people have had enough. If you're not mad you're not paying attention.

The Clash with 'The Guns of Brixton'

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with MARCIA BALL!

Since Marcia Ball is performing at the Big Apple Barbecue tomorrow what better time to get her on the Music Series for the first time. Johnny has been lucky enough at catch her back in Ypsilanti at the Frog Island Jazz and Blues Festival a couple times. Marcia Ball singing the praises of 'Mobile' tonight.

You can SO eat pork and drink beer to this.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with JEFFERSON AIRPLANE!

We were sad to see Jefferson Airplane drummer Joey Covington passed away in a car accident a couple days ago in California. We're losing so many of the good ones. Here's Jefferson Airplane with 'Somebody to Love' from 1970.

Fare thee well Hoboken

If you live in a low lying area of Hoboken, which would be most of it, the city says you might want to move your cars to higher ground and are offering up discounted rates to make it so at two municipal garages. Dawn Zimmer is a mayor with a plan:

"We've activated our emergency response team, our CERT team," Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer said.

She assures residents that the city is doing everything it can to warn and help them.

"Working with our chiefs and just making sure getting all of our barricades pre positioned," she said. "If we have to close the roads, we will close the roads."

We hope the bathtub doesn't overflow this time friends but be prepared, it might.

Here in Jersey City the city is planning on barricading access to certain problem streets that may begin to flood. If this happens sources tell Johnny the JCPD will head to that flooded area and use cool cop weapons and guns and shoot at the offending waters to get them back into the Hudson.

Too much pork for one fork? We'll just see about that

Weather got you down today bunky? Well this storm is supposed to pull out of here early tomorrow morning leaving us with temperatures in the low to mid 70's which is perfect for this weekend's Big Apple Barbecue in Madison Square Park. The top pitmasters from all over these United States will be bringing their special rubs and sauces and cooking it all up for you. Hit that website up above for more info. The fabulous Marcia Ball will be performing on stage Saturday at 4:30 which is well worth the FREE price of admission (gulping pigs extra). Come one come all and leave no fingers unlicked!

Late Night open thread

Movie mistakes night:

In the movie Back to the Future, When Marty is writing the letter to warn Doc before he goes into the future, the word "disaster" is the only word in the last line. Yet when Doc shows Marty the letter when it has been all taped up and yellowed 30 years hence, "terrible disaster" is the last line. Also, the handwritring in each letter is different (i.e. Marty's signature). They are two different letters.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Sounds like Governor Christie's teevee gets Comedy Central just fine

Sources now say "The Governor" may name an interim senator to Frank Lautenberg's seat. Jon Stewart is even moar powerful than Johnny had imagined. If you haven't seen last night's Daily Show where Stewart uses Christie's own words on what kind of person would hold an expensive election one month before the general election was fabulous. Note the questions as far back as 2009 were exactly in reference to what he'd do if Frank Lautenberg passed away while in office:

OK, sounds like we need to discuss this Tropical Storm Andrea

Hey we're getting an 'A' storm and not the lower alphabet lettered storms like Sandy and Irene. Tropical Storm Andrea is expected to being its long drenching trek up the east coast today from the greater Boca Grande Florida area (Hey Miller's Marina, The Pink Elephant and the Laff-a-Lot it's been a while!). The first parts of the storm may arrive later tonight and Friday and Friday night being complete washouts. A possibility of four inches of rain from this storm is what makes it so dangerous. Water water water and 40 mph winds. If you live in a low lying area, or you need to MOVE THE PATH TRAIN CARS TO HIGHER GROUND hint hint, now is the time to prepare. Keep and eye to the sky and an ear to your teevee or radios.

Late night open thread

TIme for Jersey City, After Dark

Anyone surprised at A-Rod showing up again in a list of drug cheats?

Or Ryan Braun in Milwaukee or ANY of the other cheats about to be named and suspended by Major League Baseball? We've known since Barry Bonds allegedly went from a 7 1/4 hat size to an 8 in one offseason. We've known since Sammy Sosa suddenly forgot how to speak English before Congress. We've known since Rafael Palmeiro lied to Congress. Mark McGwire admitted to it. There are no surprises anymore as so many have been caught juicing or offering up such ridiculous defenses you just know. Like Amanda Bynes swearing up and down she doesn't smoke the reefer.

Which makes ole' A-Rod sound like an even bigger fool when after being named by Sport Illustrated in 2009 said famously:

"The only thing I ask from this group today and the American people, is to judge me from this day forward. That’s all I can ask for."

OK, here we go. In the words of Robert Shaw in The Sting "Not only are you a cheat, you're a gutless cheat as well." How long did you wait after saying those words did you head back to Dr. Feelgood in Miami? Well Dr. Feelgood took copious notes and he's ready to spill on you and your "not Tic-Tacs". You made millions by cheating to get an advantage on other players. How proud you must be. Johnny cares not who else did it, he'd broom their sorry cheating asses too. Hopefully your time in New York and anywhere else is done. The Yankees will probably never get their "investment" in you back ever even if they sue for the unused portion of your contract.

Thus far Bud Selig has been an absolute failure as a commissioner. He now stands on the precipice of where baseball goes from here. Are there long suspensions and some even 100 game suspensions (we'd hope without pay) coming for some big names? Or will the bigger punishments come against the smaller names like Mets minor leaguer Cesar Puello or the Yankees Francisco Cervelli who also may be suspended in all this. Which is it Bud? If it were up to Johnny he'd channel his inner Kenesaw Mountain Landis and broom them all for good. Probably a big reason he's not in charge.

Late night open thread

This fall will see the re-release of The Wizard of Oz in a remastered 3D version of the 1939 classic. This new IMAX 3D is so good the poppies will put you to sleep and it will actually snow to wake you back up. SCORE!

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Famed music venue Maxwell's in Hoboken will be closing at the end of July

The famed FuHo club has a long history of being a go to spot for Hudson County rock and rollers for a very long time. Todd Abramson the Maxwell's booking agent and co-owner said they could have renewed their Hoboken lease but decided it was time to leave with the changing nightlife trends of the Mile Square City. Said Abramson:

"But after much thought, given the changing nature of Hoboken and the difficulties of trying to run a business in this town, we decided it was time."

So long Maxwell's, but before you go maybe you could get with Roose Bolton and Walder Frye and have a couple wedding events in there before you close.

Late night open thread

We wonder if this guy has a 'Minor League Guy' baseball card. Nice job giving it the old middle school try Cardinals.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Our best wishes to the family and friends of Senator Frank Lautenberg

Senator Lautenberg passed away today of viral pneumonia. He was 89 years old. More on this breaking story here.

Late night open thread

"Save a boyfriend for a rainy day - and another, in case it doesn't rain."
 -- Mae West

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Co-op nastiness in Park Slope, one resident calls neighbors "Skanky Italians"

And the Jersey Shore wasn't even on teevee at the time Hey-o!

Now with a headline including the words "skanky Italians" we know you wanna know what's going on here. We'll tell you a little and let you go read the rest. But know this, we're dealing with the quality of person who flips you off to your front door thinking nobody's home only to have it caught on camera and then allegedly calling the family they are feuding with's children (children!) "mongorillas" as they are mixed-race kids. A read of the article really helps reinforce the reputation young 'professional' Brooklynites hating anyone who isn't them.

Yes yes, it'll get your blood boiling on a hot June Sunday, follow the link and get your outrage on.

Late night open thread

What sad news. Jean Stapleton, Edith Bunker of All in the Family fame, passed away at age 90 on Friday. Of course she was more than Edith Bunker and had a wonderful and full acting career but when you create a character who is one of the 20 best in teevee history, that's just how you'll be remembered. The late Jean Stapleton as Edith Bunker and the famed "Cling Peaches" scene.


Time for Jersey City, After Dark

New York City, in living color

Via Gothamist, how about these amazingly clear colorful moving picture images from NYC circa 1939? Pretty cool stuff. If you look at some sports video shown on ESPN from three weeks ago it looks older than this. Great video, everything looks jake.

Late night open thread

A guy complains of a headache. Another guy says "Do what I do. I put my head on my wife's bosom, and the headache goes away." The next day, the man says, "Did you do what I told you to?" "Yes, I sure did. By the way, you have a nice house!"
 -- Henny Youngman

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE CRAMPS!

When the weather gets hot the fuse gets short. If you're having a bad day or the heat has just got you ready to uncoil, how about you do it with The Cramps as you sing along to the oh so pitch perfect commentary on society with a side of mental instability.

They always get some smile
They always stand like this
They always tell ya who is what
Well what I say is this
'People Ain't No Good'

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE DOORS!

We sure were sorry to hear of the passing of Doors keyboardist and really good guy Ray Manzarek a few days back. A very talented keyboard player who if you ever heard them on radio or read them in books had some excellent anecdotes on the band and Jim Morrison. We'll go with the classic 'Light My Fire' not because it's the best Doors song but Ray really lets fly. Rest Well Mr. Manzarek.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with BOB DYLAN!

June 1st, hurricane season begins today. What are the chances New Jersey, what ARE the chances? Closing the Music Series for another week with Bob Dylan and 'Hurricane'