Rapper Nas joined members of MoveOn.org and Color of Change today outside FOX News headquarters to protest what they say is the network’s racist coverage of Barack Obama, black institutions and black people. Color of Change claims about 620,000 people signed petitions against FOX News.

An hour after he was scheduled to appear, the self-labeled Black Republican finally emerged from an SUV in a white t-shirt and jeans. He gave a short speech berating FOX for its “racist smears on Obama and all black Americans.”

“We already knew that FOX is not a news network, they are propaganda machine,” Nas said.  read more »

Mort Zuckerman and company provided their now typical dose of depressing market predictions this morning during Boston Properties' second quarter earnings call.

Our favorite bleak comment came from President Doug Linde, who, in speaking about the challenges facing the average American consumer, said, "We don't see any immediate catalyst for optimism."

Such artful use of business-speak!

Clearly someone's been spending too much time with Mr. Zuckerman, who has taken to using his public appearances to intone about the dire straits of the American economy (not that his statements are without merit. But sometimes, it's just so damned depressing!).

Anyway, there were some silver linings to the clouds darkening the economic horizon.  read more »

That news about Moe Tkacik joining Radar? Never mind.

Apparently Ms. Tkacik has changed her mind and rejected her offer from Radar. She'll leave Jezebel and begin writing for her company's flagship site, Gawker.com.

Reached by Media Mob, Radar editor Maer Roshan who is currently not in the office, told us that the memo he sent out to the Radar staff announcing she was hired—writing that she will "bring her unique style and voice to a wide variety of topics from entertainment to politics, business and economy to world affairs. I'm confident that her strong reporting experience and her uncanny ability to analyze trends and events will allow the site to offer a broader perspective on pop, politics, scandal, and style"—was "probably" premature and claimed that it was not actually written by him, but his assistant.  read more »

Are skyrocketing gas prices nixing your vacation plans? Here's a cheap getaway: Stay home.

NYC & Company is launching a new campaign this week called "Go Local."

"We're somewhat bored with the word 'staycation,'" noted George Fertitta, CEO of the city's tourism agency.

Beginning Thursday, NYC & Company street crews will be hitting up all the major transit hubs, passing out pamphlets about all the events, activities, and attractions happening right here in the five boroughs -- things like the Governors Island Folk Music Festival, Latino Film Fest, and, yes, those makeshift waterfalls that everyone seems to be talking about.

"This isn't a consolation prize -- this is as good as it gets," said Mr.  read more »

Funny lady Amy Sedaris appears to have an ambivalent relationship with New York City.

On the one hand, she seems to appreciate the little urban conveniences that you can't find anyplace else--for instance, last October, she told The Observer about her "good memories" of getting pot delivered to her house--but will just as quickly complain about the noise pollution from the West Village Halloween Parade.

Back in October, she complained to New York magazine “that the people who we moved [to the city] to get away from are coming here and changing it — and not for the best.  read more »

George Lucas is seeing dollar signs for his next project: turning all six Star Wars episodes into 3-D masterpieces. Cha-ching! Acccording to ComingSoon.net, DreamWorks Animations CEO Jeffery Katzenberg said Mr. Lucas floated the project in the past with no results. The team reportedly now has “the technical resources to pull it off.”

Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that any amount of technical wizardry will be enough to transform Hayden Christensen’s prequel performances into anything that could be described as lifelike.

At last week's Netroots Nation convention in Austin, online-politics innovator Andrew Rasiej told Obama deputy campaign manager Steve Hildebrand that the campaign had still not demonstrated clearly to netroots supporters that an Obama administration would commit to online transparency and an open line of communication with them.

(It was perhaps an indication of the campaign's failure to convey that commitment that no more than about 30 people attended that particular panel discussion -- despite it being one of the few sessions during the four-day convention which featured potential powerbrokers in an Obama administration.)

In a follow-up conversation, Rasiej argued, as he did in his remarks to Hildebrand, that the campaign needed to do a better job of telegraphing to online activists that there would be greater openness and more opportunity for them to provide meaningful input in an Obama administration.  read more »

The chair of the Staten Island Conservative Party is reportedly going to back the Republican nominee for Congress, Bob Straniere. [Staten Island Advance]

A columnist in Queens wonders in Michael Bloomberg is facing another big defeat with the Willets Point redevelopment plan. [Queens Gazette]

Letitia James, David Yassky, Velmanette Montgomery, and reps from the Marty Markowitz's and Ed Towns' offices were at the public hearing on Admiral's Row last night. [Brownstoner]

The City Council is expected to vote in favor of the Carrol Gardens "narrow street" rezoning today.[Gowanus Lounge]

Jimmy Dahroug denounces his primary opponent's challenge to his petition. [Spin Cycle]

The City Council race in Middle Village is down to only two candidates -- the two who were separated by only 38 votes in the June 3 special election. [Queens Crap]

According to The New York Post, Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels has a stalker.

Evan Pidhajecky, a 31-year-old Long Island resident, didn't send Mr. Michaels love letters or threaten to commit suicide as Uma Thurman's personal stalker did earlier this year. Rather, he just wanted the SNL producer to admit that he had stolen his material for the show.

In a letter sent to Mr. Michaels in December, Mr. Pidhajecky claimed that Mr. Michaels overheard his private "conversations, singing and/or other utterances" and used it for the show without his permission. To make his case, Mr. Pidhajecky repeatedly called Mr. Michaels at his office and his home asking for a "chat." When the producer didn't respond, Mr. Pidhajecky started paying visits to Mr. Michaels' Central Park South apartment building.  read more »

Developers like Donald Trump and chocolatiers like Alison Nelson aren't the only ones eyeballing real estate in Dubai.

New York magazine reports that at least two Manhattan nightlife impressarios, Pink Elephant owner Josh Kaiser and Star Lounge proprietor Charles Ferri, are both planning to open new posh boites in the emirate.

In fact, I spoke with Mr. Ferri back in May about his Middle Eastern aspirations:

"Dubai is super important right now," he said. "We're looking to do a big, big club out there. They're basically flying me out there for a month."

The new venue would be located in a hotel, he added -- one of the few types of places the emirate permits booze.