Latest news with #J.C.Rice
New York Post
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
These Broadway portraits were stolen from Sardi's restaurant
It's not easy being green. Of the nearly 1,000 celebrity caricatures on the walls of iconic theater-district institution Sardi's, the one pilfered the most, oddly, is Kermit the Frog. 'Kermit was stolen three times. And then we screwed him up to the wall,' Johnny Felidi, longtime maître d' at the 100-year-old eatery, told The Post ahead of Sunday's Tony Awards. Advertisement Another celebrity who had to be screwed at the beloved West 44th Street eatery: Barbra Streisand. After her original 1963 portrait was purloined, it took the 'Funny Girl' 55 years to agree to another caricature. 8 Kermit the Frog, who filmed a scene at Sardi's for 'The Muppets Take Manhattan,' had his caricature stolen three times. J.C. Rice Advertisement 'And you're gonna love what she wrote on it — 'Don't steal this one,'' said Felidi, who has worked at Sardi's for 26 years. 'Julie Andrews was another one that went missing for a long time and then it was allegedly found at an auction,' added receptionist Lydia DeLuca, who spent last summer updating the binder that lists every celeb's name and their location on three floors of the four-story restaurant. 8 Barbra Streisand also had her caricature taken off the wall, so she wrote 'Don't steal this one!' on her second portrait. Jeremy Wagner Bob Hope's was looted as well — and his thief, who was drinking at the bar, was captured on their security cameras. Advertisement 'So we got their credit card information, called them up . . . and of course they get belligerent. And we said, 'We don't want to have law enforcement involved, so just return the caricature.' And they did,' recalled Felidi, a native of Parma, Italy, who grew up in the Bronx. 8 Maître d Johnny Felidi has been at Sardi's for 26 years. J.C. Rice Due to all the star-snatching, the priceless portraits adorning the walls of Sardi's — where the idea for the Tonys was conceived over lunch — are now duplicates of the originals, which are stored in a safe. It wasn't until 1986, after the death of James Cagney, that founder Vincent Sardi decided to start using dupes. Advertisement 'The night he died, they stole his caricature, never to be seen again,' said Felidi. 8 George Clooney, who made his Broadway debut this year in 'Good Night, and Good Luck' had his Sardi's portrait unveiled in April. J.C. Rice The time-honored tradition started when Sardi hired Russian immigrant Alex Gard to create the portraits in the fledgling restaurant in exchange for meals in an attempt to 'drum up business.' Brooklyn native Richard Baratz, a former engraver for the treasury department, is now the artist behind the boldfaced names. 'That's why now you see tiny little lines in his work,' Felidi noted. 8 Denzel Washington, pictured here with his 'Othello' co-star Jake Gyllenhaal, had his Sardi's portrait revealed right before the Tony Awards. Getty Images This season, Baratz sketched the portraits of Broadway A-listers Nick Jonas, Jake Gyllenhaal, Denzel Washington and George Clooney — nominated for a Tony for his debut on the Great White Way in 'Good Night, and Good Luck.' Legendary composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, who has six Tonys and is nominated for another for 'Sunset Boulevard,' also went up this year, after a decade-long wait. Advertisement 'We've had his caricature ready and drawn. It was scheduling conflicts and so we never had our paths crossed enough to do it until recently,' DeLuca explained. 8 Sardi's receptionist Lydia DeLuca spent last summer updating the binder that contains every celeb's name and their portrait's location. J.C. Rice To make room for the newcomers, current owner Max Klimavicius chooses which ones to remove and puts them into their storage facility, which contains around 500 portraits. About 230 others have been donated to the New York Public Library. Many of the famous faces are purposefully placed — and celebrity couples such as Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson and Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward are nestled side by side. Advertisement 'We have Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster together — they're dating,' Felidi said of Broadway's newest it couple. 'When Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith got divorced, we separated them. We have Richard Burton up there, we have Liz Taylor down here so they don't fight.' When Tony Danza starred in 'Chicago,' he got his portrait done — but only agreed to it under one condition. 'He said, 'Please put me next to Sammy Davis Jr. And never take me away.'' Advertisement 8 Celebrity couples, like Sutton Foster and Hugh Jackman, are placed side by side. J.C. Rice Two former employees — who worked at Sardi's before they got famous — also had their images drawn. 'Martin Sheen worked here as a busboy in the 1960s,' Felidi said, pointing to the image of Sheen on the back wall of the first-floor dining room. However, Chevy Chase, who worked there as a doorman in the '70s, still hasn't gotten his hung. Advertisement 8 Sardi's, located at 234 West 44th Street, opened in 1927. J.C. Rice 'Every time he comes here he goes, 'Where's my caricature?' And I tell him, 'Chevy, it's in the office, we're waiting for you to sign it.' And he says, 'Okay, after I finish my meal, I'm gonna sign it.' And he always forgets.'
New York Post
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- New York Post
Parents demand city pull plug on EV charging station across from Brooklyn school
Brooklyn residents are urging the city to pump the breaks on a new electric vehicle charging station set to be built across from an elementary school, insisting possible health risks aren't worth the purported green benefits, The Post has learned. Plans for an EVgo charging station on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 92nd Street in Bay Ridge are cruising along thanks to new City of Yes zoning updates that make it easier to build green energy technology and bypass community board input. EVgo submitted plans to raze the former KFC located at the site, though construction permits had not been filed yet, Crain's New York reported last week. Advertisement Parents fear increased traffic and fires resulting from the new electric vehicle charging station. J.C. Rice Parents worry the charging station would bring more traffic to an already dangerous roads around PS/IS 104, expose kids to potential radiation and bring the risk of fires that are more intense and difficult to extinguish. 'This is not something that should be built across from a school with over 1,000 children,' John Ricottone, a parent and first vice president president of the Community Education Council for District 20, told The Post. Advertisement The ev charging facility was approved without input from the local community board thanks to new zoning rules. banphote – Ricottone is leading the charge calling for further safety evaluations of the site. 'Placing EV stations in such a high-traffic, accident-prone area—directly adjacent to an elementary school—is both reckless and dangerous,' he contended in a letter to the community, school staffers and city officials. There have several hit-and-run accidents and pedestrians hit by cars in the area in recent years, Ricottone said. Advertisement 'The safety of our children and the wellbeing of our community must take precedence over infrastructure that can—and should—be located in a safer, more appropriate location,' he wrote in the letter. The lot was purchased by the Los Angeles-based EV charging company in 2022 for $5.3 million, according to reports. EVgo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
New York Post
17-05-2025
- New York Post
Trio stabbed during knife fight at NYC bar, man arrested
One person was arrested after three men were slashed outside a Manhattan bar during a fight early Saturday, cops said. The fracas erupted around 3:30 a.m. after closing outside Sally's Bar on Lexington Avenue near East 29th Street in Kips Bay, police said. The victims were approached by a group of men who asked them if they had any drugs, a police source said. 3 The fight happened early Saturday outside Sally's Bar in Manhattan. J.C. Rice One of the men then pulled out a pocketknife and slashed the threesome, the source said. One victim, who was in his 30s, was cut in his abdomen, a 45-year-old was slashed on the shoulder and a 46-year-old was cut on his neck, cops said. They were taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition, cops said. Arlo Willner, 20, was arrested and charged with first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault and three counts of criminal possession of a weapon, police said. He has no prior arrests, a police source said 3 Possible blood on a sidewalk outside Sally's Bar on Lexington Avenue. J.C. Rice Matthew Adams, 49, a tattoo artist for 26 years who works in the neighborhood, said too many people are armed. 'It's a shame that people walk around with knives,' he said. 'He already has a stupid mentality. He's carrying a knife, he's looking for a fight.' The neighborhood is usually safe, he added. 3 The three men were slashed outside Sally's Bar, a neighborhood watering hole in Kips Bay. J.C. Rice 'But I'm a New Yorker,' he said. 'Anything can happen anywhere. It's very unfortunate this happened here because you have blood on the sidewalk of a nice neighborhood.' Rachelle Loyear, 50, who works in the security industry and has been living in the neighborhood for 10 years, said she was 'shocked' by the incident. 'I would absolutely walk up and down the street at 2 o'clock in the morning and feel perfectly safe,' she said, adding she may now change her ways. 'I may choose not to do that.'
New York Post
11-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
MSG continues to be house of horrors for Knicks during playoffs
The World's Most Famous Arena has proven again to be a tougher place for the Knicks to post victories than road venues in Detroit and Boston have been so far in the playoffs. Tom Thibodeau's team is a sparkling 5-0 in the postseason this spring away from New York — including two 20-point comeback wins at TD Garden to open this series — but they fell to 1-3 at Madison Square Garden with Saturday's 115-93 spanking by the Celtics. Advertisement 'I don't know [why]. I can't pinpoint one thing,' Josh Hart said after the game. 'The fans are coming out and supporting and showing love, and we've got to make sure that's not wasted.'We've just got to watch the film, we've got to get better, and we know that they'll come out again Monday.' Indeed, the normal passel of celebrities and rabid fans were into the game from the outset, especially welcoming the Knicks back to MSG after the two thrilling come-from-behind wins swiped against the defending champs in Beantown. 3 Dejected Knicks fans exit the Garden during the Knicks' 115-93 Game 3 blowout loss to the Celtics on May 10, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Advertisement But with the Celtics racing out to a 36-20 lead in the first quarter and outscoring the Knicks 48-6 from beyond the 3-point arc through three — and by 60-15 overall — the home crowd was taken out of the game early and barely was a factor. CHECK OUT THE LATEST NBA STANDINGS AND KNICKS STATS 'I mean, it's disappointing to lose, in general. Doesn't matter if it's home or away,' Karl-Anthony Towns said. 'Obviously you want to win in front of your fans, but regardless, wherever we could get a win, we'll take those W's. We just didn't do enough tonight to come out with a win.' The Knicks will try to be better on their home court Monday night in Game 4. They were 27-14 at MSG during the regular season and 24-17 on the road, tied for the fourth-best away record in the NBA. Advertisement 3 Dejected Knicks watch their team get blown out during a watch party outside Madison Square Garden. J.C. Rice Follow The Post's coverage of the Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series. 'I think you look at each game by itself. You say, 'OK, we didn't lose the game because we were at home. We lost the game because we didn't do enough things to win the game,' ' coach Tom Thibodeau said. 'So look at those things. What do you need to do to win that particular game — whether it's home or road? And really, that shouldn't matter. Understand what you have to put into winning.' 3 Knicks fans wear grim expression during their team's Game 3 blowout loss to the Celtics. J.C. Rice Advertisement While Mikal Bridges noted that 'the fans deserve better' from their team and 'it should be easier for us at home,' Brunson pointed out that this marked their first true clunker at the Garden in the playoffs after losing two close games against the Pistons. 'I want to say this is our first loss that wasn't a one-possession game,' Brunson said. 'I don't think it's us not playing well here. This is obviously our home, the best place to play. Tonight, it just wasn't there. Simple as that.'
New York Post
10-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Knicks fans take party outside in bid to beat rival Celtics
It was rocking inside — and outside — the World's Most Famous Arena on Saturday. More than 2,000 rabid Knicks fans gathered in the 33rd Street plaza outside Madison Square Garden to watch Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals on a giant screen – as demand and sky high ticket prices kept many al fresco. 'This is the real New York,' said Christopher Torres, 38, a retail director from Harlem who said the true diehard Knicks fans were outside with him watching the action. Advertisement 'These are the sanitation workers, Fire Department people, the people that run the city, they're out here. They can't afford to be inside. Those prices are crazy.' 4 Ticket demand was so great to get into Madison Square Garden Saturday to watch Game 3 of the Knicks-Celtics series that thousands of Knicks fans who couldn't afford the sky-high prices were more than happy to root the team on outside. J.C. Rice Fans gathered hours earlier within the fenced-in area to score the best views of the large screen airing the pivotal Game 3, with the Knicks up 2-0 over the rival Boston Celtics. Another smaller screen was also available. Advertisement Jeff Kay, 52, a retired police officer from Hillside, NJ, said he arrived 10:30 a.m. at the watch party to score front-row seats. He said he was thrilled to be there but wished his late father was with him to enjoy the moment. 'It's most magical place on Earth, the most magical place on Earth. I wish my dad was here. Unfortunately, I lost him a few years ago. He was a big Knicks fan, and this means a lot to me. I'm sure he's watching down, rooting for us.' 4 The free 'Block Party' event hosted by MSG included a live DJ, face painting for children, opportunities for fans to shoot some hoops and giveaways. J.C. Rice The free 'Block Party' event hosted by MSG included a live DJ, face painting for children, opportunities for fans to shoot some hoops, giveaways and chances to meet former Knicks stars Larry Johnson, John Starks and Latrell Sprewell. Advertisement 'We want to provide our fans with unforgettable experiences both inside and outside of The Garden,' Starks said. 4 Karl-Anthony Towns drives to the basket Saturday in the first quarter of Game 3 of the Knicks-Celtics series. Jason Szenes / New York Post MSG hosted similar events for the first two games of the series played in Boston, which the Knicks won in shocking last-minute fashion, erasing 20-point, third quarter deficits. Secondary market prices nearly two hours before tipoff for the cheapest seats in MSG's upper levels were at least $831 when including $146 processing fees, according to StubHub. Advertisement 4 Retired New Jersey police officer Jeff Kay holds up the back page of Saturday's New York Post previewing Game 3 of the Knicks-Celtics playoff series. J.C. Rice If the Knicks upset the Celtics, they'll reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000 when Johnson and Sprewell still played for the team. The club hasn't reached the NBA Finals since 1999 and hasn't won an NBA championship since 1973, the fifth-longest active drought in the league.
