Talking Tiger Woods, economic troubles, and Mayor Brown’s struggles…

Hour One:

BillO August_27_2010_09_05

Hour Two:

BillO August_27_2010_10_05

As of 9:30am the building at 120 South Park was still intact (see history). That was good to see. This morning started off, for me, with a text message from Rocco Termini saying that he would provide one of his engineers to the people behind the preservation effort. Good news. I also received an email of support from Roger Trettel, a developer who is working on a project just down the street. More good news. I found it numbing to learn that various developers had attempted to purchase the old blacksmith building over the years, to no avail.

Tim Tielman is now working on getting the message through to Judge Nowak that there is an engineer who is willing to go into the building in order to conduct a secondary evaluation of the property. Without access to the building there is no hope. Now the issue is in The City's court... as usual. I find it mind boggling that there have been proven developers with excellent track records waiting in the wings to tackle a project at that corner. Not only were they not successful in obtaining the building, the owner refused to do anything but let it fall apart.

The Landmark Preservation Board should be on this case now. The group can help to stop the demo. They can force the owner's hand if they want to. The City has the power to force his hand as well... if it wants to. The City has the ability to demand that the owner shore up the building to make it safe (if a third party engineer gets access), and if the owner does not follow through with the necessary repairs then a lien can be imposed. Maybe that's the loophole that is needed. Make the repairs so demanding (and the lien) that the owner does not want to hold on to the building and would rather sell it. That would be the way to get it out of the owner's hands and into the hands of one of the developers that would actually reuse the structure. 

Unbelievably, things are looking up. There needs to be a tactical plan put together if the stars do align. It looks like we might have the afternoon to get the engineer inside. The engineer is ready to go, and developers are sounding off on the need for a plan if the emergency demolition is averted. More on all of this shortly.

Some of us won’t admit it, but are you good at getting lost? Well there’s a new attraction that opens up today in Niagara County that guarantees to get you lost, but all while having fun. YNN’s Jon Dougherty explains.

Some of us won’t admit it, but are you good at getting lost? Well there’s a new attraction that opens up today in Niagara County that guarantees to get you lost, but all while having fun. YNN’s Jon Dougherty explains.

Williamsville native Charlie Haykel may not know who is going to win the Emmys on Sunday.

That’s my job.

But as a producer of the NBC telecast, the St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute graduate knows what host Jimmy Fallon is going to be doing.

In a telephone interview from Los Angeles, Haykel said Fallon is going to emulate the act of last year’s critically-acclaimed host, Neil Patrick Harris, and be actively involved beyond the monologue.

“Last year, Neil said ‘if I’m going to be the host I’m going to do it in the Johnny Carson, Steve Allen way in which it is my party,’” explained Haykel.  “He was out there more. Instead of having an announcer announce who is going to be up on stage, Neil said ‘let me do it.’ It really gives the show a more cohesive flow.”

“Jimmy has completely embraced that… Jimmy and Neil are pretty similar in that they both are really likable. Their comedy is fun and good-natured. Jimmy is going to be Jimmy, which is a really nice, accessible and personable guy. And he’s that way in person.”

Haykel said the plan is for Fallon to open with a musical number and be involved in two bigger set comedy pieces.

Surprise, surprise. The opening number will involve the cast of the Fox hit musical comedy “Glee.”

It is pretty easy to predict what shows the telecast is going to highlight besides “Glee.”

Haykel said executive producer Don Mischer – who essentially is his business partner – is planning a tribute to three groundbreaking series that ended their runs in May: ABC’s “Lost,” Fox’s “24” and NBC’s “Law & Order.”

And naturally there will be an appearance by Betty White, who already won an Emmy for hosting “Saturday Night Live” and has achieved icon status.

“That would be a safe bet,” said Haykel of White’s appearance. “We plan to give her some business. She is ubiquitous. I couldn’t keep that schedule up and I’m half her age.”

However, he notes there isn’t much time to do too many creative things since 27 or 28 awards are given out in three hours.

“The biggest challenge as a producer with all those awards given out is how do you  make it entertaining?’” said Haykel.

The show’s goal is simple.

“The hope after three hours is people should realize there is a lot of good television on the air,” said Haykel. “And they will want to watch programs that they didn’t know about.”

Some likely winners – including AMC’s “Mad Men” and HBO’s “True Blood” – don’t exactly get big TV audiences.

“But the buzz is out there,” said Haykel. “They are very out there in popular culture.”

Haykel said he learns what TV shows are getting buzz from his successful high school friends back in Western New York.

“If I really want to know if something is in the zeitgeist I’ll ask them if they know about it,” said Haykel. “If it is a show like ‘Mad Men,’ they generally, obviously  know about it.”

The producer realizes that last year’s Emmy telecast with Harris as host will be tough to beat in entertainment value.

“Don said that was it was the best reviewed show he’s almost ever produced,” said Haykel. “The reviews were amazing. We’re not big fans of high expectations.”

Now on to my dozen predictions:

Best Drama: “Lost” in its final season in an upset over “Mad Men.”

Best Comedy: “Modern Family.”

Best Actor in a Drama: I’m torn between the under-rated Jon Hamm of “Mad Men” and Michael C. Hall of “Dexter.” Go with Hamm in the night’s major upset.

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama: Terry O’Quinn of “Lost.”

Best Actor in a Comedy: Alec Baldwin of “30 Rock.” Again.

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy: Chris Colfer of “Glee.”

Best Actress in a Drama: Julianna Margulies of “The Good Wife.”

Best Actress in a Comedy: Edie Falco of “Nurse Jackie.”

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama: Buffalo’s own Christine Baranski of “The Good Wife.”

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy: Jane Lynch of “Glee.”

Best Miniseries: HBO’s “The Pacific” is the one sure thing.

Best Musical or Variety Show:  Wouldn’t it be a great moment if “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” won? O’Brien winning over comic heavyweights Colbert, Stewart, Maher and “Saturday Night Live” on the network that gave up on him. And on a show hosted by Fallon, who only kept his late night  time slot because O’Brien refused NBC’s offer to start “Tonight” after midnight when it really would have been “Tomorrow.” It would be one of the most delicious award show moments in history. But sorry, “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” spoils the fun and wins.

pergament@msn.com  

Guest host Jim Ostrowski:

WECK_August_26_2010_11_05

The suspect accused of gunning down four people outside the City Grill is being held without bail after pleading not guilty. 23-year-old Riccardo McCray faces four counts of second-degree murder in connection with the August 14th incident. The case now heads to a grand jury, with the next court date is scheduled for next Wednesday. McCray surrendered to police Wednesday at Channel 4 after an intense manhunt. Authorities say the shootings may have been targeted, and at least one may have been execution-style. Investigators believe the gunfire broke out after a fight between rival gang members.

Buffalo Police have released surveillance photos from a robbery at a Bailey Avenue bank. The heist occurred at about 11:30 a.m. yesterday at the HSBC branch in the 31-hundred block of Bailey. The robber entered the bank and handed the teller a note requesting an undisclosed amount of money. Police believe the suspect fled on a bicycle. The suspect is described a black man with a medium build who was wearing all black with a black and red logo Yankees hat. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Confidential TIPCALL Line at 847-2255.

The Orchard park businessman accused of beheading his wife had to be dragged out of court because he wouldn’t stop yelling. Forty-five-year-old Muzzammil Hassan first had to be involuntarily brought into the courtroom by law enforcement after he refused to enter. After just a few minutes of ranting that the judge was “voodoo” and “evil,” he was removed by a half dozen sheriff’s deputies. Hassan is accused of killing 37-year-old Aasiya Hassan on February 12th of last year, a week after she filed for divorce. Jury selection is slated to begin on September 8th.

A Newfane man is dead following a freak accident on a lawnmower. 62-year-old Leroy Gommer was helping his 71-year-old brother-in-law pull a lawnmower out of a pond Wednesday night. Investigators say Gommer was sitting on his large lawn tractor when it tipped over into the pond, pinning Gommer underneath. The brother-in-lawn tried hooking a chain to a pickup truck to try and lift the lawnmower out but it was not successful. Ambulance workers responding to the scene were not able to revive Gommer.

Erie County Sheriff’s deputies pulled a body from the Niagara River last night. Buffalo police say they received word of an apparent drowning near Harry’s Harbour Place off Niagara Street at about 7 p.m. The body was spotted by a boater, and authorities believe it belongs to an individual for whom they’d been searching. Foul play is not suspected and police believe the victim accidentally drowned.

A Cattaraugus County man will spend five years behind bars for an attempted abduction. Prosecutors say 28-year-old Eric Allen of Little Valley was handed that sentence yesterday after pleading guilty back in November. Authorities say the attempted kidnapping happened in the City of Salamanca.

Two planes bound for Rochester had to diverted to Buffalo after an explosion near the Rochester airport. AirTran and American Eagle flights touched down in Buffalo at about 1 p.m. yesterday. A hydrogen tank burst into flames at a Monroe County fueling station.

A independent counsel report says that Governor David Paterson may have misled investigators when he testified that he intended to pay for World Series tickets. It’s now up to the Albany District Attorney to decide whether to prosecute the governor for perjury. Aides to Paterson obtained five tickets to Game One of the 2009 World Series in Yankee Stadium, and The state’s Commission of Public Integrity concluded Paterson lied during testimony about the tickets.

Anger and frustration is mounting among the state’s Native American nations as the start date nears for collection of cigarette taxes. Following a meeting among the six Iroquois tribes earlier this week, tribal leaders are still deciding on ways to mobilize if the state decides to implement the collections on September 1st. A lawsuit has already been filed to prevent the tax, and the Onondaga Nation has decided to move its operations from Angola to get around the law.

The Empire Center updated its list of salaries for local, county and state government workers on Thursday. The highest county and regional salaries were from Lewis, Rockland and Suffolk counties. The center says releasing the information from the State Comptroller’s Office allows them to promote a more transparent government throughout the state.

When faced with the decision to act against homelessness, it is important to realize that not acting is a decision as well; a decision that has serious consequences. Apathy towards the continued existence of homelessness does not simply ensure that the current conditions will remain as they are. Rather, it ensures that the current trends will remains as they are. Given the rise in homelessness at the national level and the expansion of poverty in Buffalo, a decision not to act creates very real results that actually perpetuate the problem. Simply pushing these problems to the back of our personal and social agenda is similar to only taking pain killers when one has a broken leg-it simply does not address the root problem of the pain and one would not be able to realistically expect the underlying condition to be solved. Even with the body’s natural healing process, assistance from a doctor is necessary to fix the condition.

By addressing homelessness, and poverty in general, in a proactive way, better solutions can be found. The problem can also be addressed before more are affected by it, by making solutions easier to create, implement and fund. Besides being socially advantageous, a proactive approach allows those affected by homelessness to be helped more quickly, before homelessness may consume their life. While finding long term solutions may force us to alter our short term priorities, the benefits they yield are worth it.

The Bills will be looking to build on the many positives that came out of their most recent preseason performance last week against the Colts when they host the Cincinnati Bengals Saturday evening ...

It’s the last weekend in August, so I’m going to blog lightly over the next week or so.

With respect to the poll yesterday, here’s how it shook out:

Of those who clicked “other”, here were the responses:

Joe Illoser
darnell jackson
Mendola
Channel 2’s Jodi Johnston
Commander Tom
A naked Melissa Holmes ( :
Paris Hilton
Johnny Walker Green
MY ATTORNEY
Buffalo Pundit
don esmonde – but he’d decline, too scary…
Ginger Geoffery
Ginger Geoffery
The Police
Channel 2’s Jodi Johnston.
a lawyer
MAry Kunz Goldman – and what is WECK?
Jodi Johnston
Lady Gaga
Maria Genero
Channel 7’s Mike Randall
Linda Pellegrini
unhh, the cops?
Jodi Johnston
My Lawyer
alan bedenko
my attorney
Jodi Johnston
Joe Major
Dave McKinley
Diane Sawyer
Liz Benjamin
Melissa Holmes
Carl Paladino
Stever Tasker
WIVB weather guru, Don Paul (‘cuz he cracks me up)
Pope Don Paul
Kevin Jolly
Fareed Zakaria
Rev. Al Sharpton
Newell Nussbaumer at Buffalo Rising
Buffalo Rising…Maybe it will force them to write about something meaninful…
WBEN’s Susan Rose
Sara Serafin
shredd and regan
Channel 4’s Tricia Cruz
Commander Tom

In the meantime, read this piece by Glenn Greenwald, and note that Carl Paladino so despises the dysfunctional, corrupt, and otherwise nasty political class in Albany that he’s cozying up to asshole extraordinaire and friend of Espada, Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr.

Happy Weekend!

It will be interesting to see the type of reception, pardon my pun, that Terrell Owens will receive from the Buffalo faithful on Saturday night. Owens will be returning with the Cincinnati Bengals for preseason game three. Let’s examine why to boo or not boo T.O.

I'll be surprised if Owens is waving this flag Saturday

Reasons to boo: Owens did not live up to expectations last season. He came with promise of leading the Bills out of 7-9 hell (I suppose he technically did). Bills fans had visions of an explosive no-huddle attack with two dynamic wideouts. It didn’t quite happen. He was brought in to be the complementary receiver Lee Evans hasn’t had since Eric Moulds. However, Evans had his worst season as a pro, amassing a paltry 44 catches for 612 yards, both career lows.  Owens himself had just 55 catches for 829 yards, his lowest full-season totals (he played just seven games in 2005 with the Eagles) since his rookie season. Owens continued to have some issues with holding onto the football (he’s never had the surest hands in football). Some fans didn’t like that Owens provided little excitement on or off the field, holding back whatever criticisms he may have had for teammates or the coaching staff. On top of all that, he is a self-promoter with an abomination of a television program, and this Batman and Robin stuff with Chad Ochocinco might be too much for many Bills’ fans to stomach.

Reasons to cheer: Owens was on his best behavior in 2009. He never really threw anyone under the bus for his own struggles last season. He accepted responsibility for his down season, even going so far as to apologizing for not delivering on making the Bills a playoff team. The problems with the offense really were not Owens’ fault, as his numbers may be a better indication of how talented the guy still is, having amassed them behind that offensive line and with that coaching staff. Owens may not have loved Buffalo, but he seemed to respect the fans and show his appreciation for them.

My verdict: I’d cheer the guy when he was announced Saturday. I thought Owens played as hard as he could, and didn’t cause any additional problems to a team with many. He didn’t blast the QBs, the first year offensive coordinator, or the crypt-keeper head coach. Let’s face it, Bills’ fans and media did way more of that than T.O. did. I respect how he appreciated the Bills’ great fans, and how he accepted responsibility for his own play. Sure, his reality show sucks, and I prefer a humble player like Lee Evans to the blatant self-promoters, but Owens is who he is. I’m going to predict Bills’ fans agree with me and Owens is greeted warmly on Saturday.

Get ready for another emergency demo. Now it's Ed Rudnicki's blacksmith shop (120 South Park) in the Cobblestone District. We've made the phone calls. We've watched as the trees took root on the rooftop. We've watched as mysterious machines pulled up in the middle of the night to take down some of the last remaining bits and pieces of the district. Did The City do a single damned thing to fight the preservation battle on this one? NO! BRO's offices were located next door. We took the photos. We shouted from the rooftops. We delivered the message loud and clear: The building owner wants this building GONE. An incredible example of demolition by neglect if there ever was one. Moments ago I got a phone call from Tim Tielman telling me that Judge Nowak has signed off on an emergency demolition because the owner of the building brought in his own engineer to declare the building a danger to the public... his own engineer! Was the Preservation Board even notified by City attorneys? No! According to Tim Tielman:

"The City attorneys should be notifying the Preservation Board that the property is jeopardy. The City's attorney is in our building and they notified no one!!! I've spoken to The City regarding this building several times. The owner has done nothing to shore up the structure and his only anticipation is one of demolition. This is not only a textbook case of demolition by neglect by the owner, The City might as well be an accomplice. The owner has done everything in defiance of the law and in the end he is getting a landmark building demolished. His goal is achieved. The owner hired his own engineer! The City was not in court with its own engineer offering methods of mitigating the conditions. Does Nowak not know that this is a city landmark? Maybe he doesn't. The City attorney who was sitting in the courtroom should know. It's outrageous that we have not been notified. The building dates back to 1872... the canal era!! Its physical presence is needed in the Cobblestone District. The owner started an illegal demolition of 'The Smithy' two years ago. It was reported to The City and they were supposed to monitor it... I went by at a later date and it had been demolished, again without any notification to the Preservation Board. Now the owner is back looking to knock down the blacksmith building and he has even gone so far as to purchase the neighboring Phoenix Die Casting building and is reportedly interested in taking that building down as well. The irony is that he owns the Cobblestone Bar next door and is exploiting the historic name of the district. In the immediate neighborhood The City is spending over a hundred million dollars (proposed) to attract visitors, and yet The City will not spend a dime in enforcing its building code in this area in order to compel the property owners to keep up the infrastructure. The City must do its job in notifying the Preservation Board and it is asinine that they want to create fake historic infrastructure while letting the authentic buildings rot. Almost every other building was demolished in the urban renewal era. At this point it looks the owner can do anything he wants. The loss to the integrity of the district would just be devastating."

Calls are out to attorneys for a temporary stay, but as of yet there is no answer due to the immediacy of the alert. Tim tells me that the owner could be lining equipment up right now. It could be halfway gone by morning. In order to vacate the emergency demolition order attorneys are needed to answer the call. Papers need to be served to the owner of the building... this demolition needs to be stopped! Please send me an email and I will pass along your email to Tim. Call Mayor Brown if you can. Call Franczyk (apparently he might actually care). We need an engineer to go into that building and make a recommendation for stabilization. We don't need an emergency demolition... we need emergency repair. No one in City Hall wants to get these buildings out of the owners' hands... they don't want to complicate the issue. They would rather see the owner spend his or her own money to take down a building. And guess what? Some day when all of the politicians have left Buffalo and they have delivered us all of the parking lots that we can handle, then we're left with a bunch of junk and they can retire on our own dime.

Entry Photo: Mike Calanan

The Greater Rochester International Airport is back open after two explosions near the refueling station Thursday afternoon.

It was a dramatic day in court for the Orchard Park man accused of beheading his wife. Muzzamil Hassan was back in court Thursday to find out if expert witnesses will be able to testify that he suffered from battered spouse syndrome. YNN’s Kevin Jolly was in court for the hearing.

Toyota is recalling more than a million Corolla sedans and Matrix hatchbacks with engines that may stall.