DO NOT call fans of New Kids on the Block "digital groupies." Unless you want to get them riled up. In which case, put it right in the headline. They go crazy about that stuff. 14
The End of the 00s: The Life of the Party, by Doree Shafrir @12:00 PM
It was 2004. We lived in Philadelphia. I'd bought a house in June on South 13th Street, in a neighborhood that had at one time been nearly all Italian but was now a mix of Mexicans, gays, Vietnamese, and Urban Outfitters employees. Real estate was cheap. I had an adjustable-rate mortgage. I rented out the downstairs apartment to a costume designer with bad credit and Moe moved into my second bedroom upstairs. I worked at an alt-weekly and rode a bike. READ MORE 10
Doree Returns (To Gawker) @8:41 PM
OMG! Following in the footsteps of her mentor, Doree Shafrir—who we all love—is RETURNING TO GAWKER. Hopefully she will bring back the dildo with her!
UPDATE: OOH! And also Richard Lawson! It's like nostalgia or something! Something GOOD!
ALSO: It should be made clear that Doree is only returning as a two-day-a-week contributor. A two-day-a-week contributor, okay? It is apparently very important that we clarify: Doree Shafrir back at Gawker as a two-day-a-week contributor. We hear those days are Thursday and Friday, but whatever days they are, it will only be two of them. 118
How to Cook a Latke @11:50 AM
Here's how not to cook a latke: Buy them from Russ & Daughters where the "homemade potato latkes" are $2.99 each, or 10 for $25. TEN LATKES FOR $25? Are you high? Do you know what is in a latke? Also, a reheated latke is a bad latke. Fact! So here, have a seat—no, over there, by the menorah. Have a piece of gelt. Make yourself comfortable. READ MORE 87
Of Dogs And Laughter @4:40 PM
"The stuff that happens in early childhood, before you're three years old, you know, that's who you're dealing with when you're dealing with petulant adults, is somebody wasn't smart enough with their three-year-old. And who really knows how to get everything right with a three-year-old? So, you know, that's the history of violence and insanity in the world at large: mothers who can't really comprehend what they're doing to a three-year-old. And why would they be able to? Probably people not getting more sane anytime soon."
—Comedy legend Merrill Markoe talks to Doree Shafrir about movies, dogs, and, uh, comedy. It's very good! 1
Carroll Gardens, Then And Now @1:13 PM
"Unlike many of the burgeoning brownstone revival districts of Brooklyn—Brooklyn Heights, to begin with, then Cobble Hill, then Boerum Hill, now Park Slope—the Carroll Gardens neighborhood (Carroll Park, two blocks away, provides the name) did not require a renaissance," proclaimed New York magazine on Dec. 31, 1974. "Since its first occupancy by Italian families, it has remained in single-family occupancy, by and large. An unrenovated house on President Street might be bought for about $50,000, if (and this is a very big if) one came on the market."
Today, the vestiges of this once almost wholly Italian neighborhood are in the social clubs, behind anonymous doors; restaurants like Sam's, at Court and Baltic; and Damian Hair Styling, the wood-paneled barber shop on Court near Third Place; and the Scotto Funeral Home, at Court and First Place, opened by Patsy and Rose Scotto in 1926. READ MORE 15
Sometimes Revenge Is Best Served Immediately @10:08 AM
New York Observer owner Jared Kushner: You are laid off, Doree Shafrir.
Doree Shafrir: Then I will write in the New Yorker, so why don't you suck it? 8
Hiram S. Thomas, The Troublesome Colored Man of Fort Greene @2:16 PM
"The residents of Fort Greene Place, between Hanson Place and Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, have been greatly perturbed of late, as it was whispered among the neighbors that a colored man had purchased a house in that very select block." Thus began an article in the October 1, 1894 edition of The New York Times titled "They Want No Colored Neighbor." READ MORE 12
This Technically Should Not Count As A Hipster Grifter Post @1:29 PM
Doree Shafrir got the worst birthday present ever. 8
How's your mother? @1:28 PM
Our pals Doree Shafrir and Jess Grose have been hogging all the press oxygen in the last few weeks with the release of Love, Mom, their collection of funny e-mails and IMs from moms just like yours. Maybe you saw them in Friday's Times? Today, the New Yorker's Lauren Collins gets the fever. 3
