Kinetic Carnival Turns Two Today on 4th of July!

I am happy to have chugged on posting about Coney Island here at Kinetic Carnival for this long and intend to continue on. I thank all those who've supported me throughout the last couple of years. And may our efforts to save the true character of Coney Island win over the corporate and political mentality.

Dose Of Lola 2: Watch The "Dreamland" Film Doc

Lola Staar's "Dreamland" documentary is part of a film series to help promote Tommy Hilfiger's fragrance for women, 'Dreaming'. In collaboration with Glamour Magazine. The series is called Glamour Reel Docs:

Glamour Reel Docs is a documentary film series brought to you by they award-winning production team at Glamour magazine. In partnership with Dreaming Tommy Hilfiger.

Watch "Dreamland" click here.

Dose Of Lola 1: She Struts Her Pink On The Red

Now we can see more clearly what Lola Staar was doing on the night of the Scoping Meeting. Diana Carlin aka Lola Staar rolled out her fabness on the red carpet at the premier of her new doc film, "Dreamland". The event was accompanied by Tommy Hilfiger, Rosie Perez, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Angie Pontani, Gavin Degraw, and Lola's very own 90 year old grandmother, Pasquale.

Check out teh Roll Out the Red Carpet Photos!

2008 Mermaid HOOPLA! Part 1

Image courtesy of siberfi [YouTube]

Mermaids [iKonic Vintage: High Five Fridays]
Weekend on tap: Mermaid Parade, Summer Solstice [NewYorkology]
Dottie Lux has been sighted in Coney Island! [dottavio - LiVeJOURNAL]
Save Coney Island! Zigun Resigns & Mermaid Queen Hunger Strikes. [Found In Brooklyn]
The 2008 Mermaid Parade [Gowanus Lounge]
Coney Island Mermaid Parade [Killing Denouement]
2008 Mermaid Parade Ball Rocks Coney [Gowanus Lounge]
Mermaid Parade on Coney Island [strolling new york]
The Coney Island Mermaid Parade [Citizen of the Month]
Coney Island Mermaid Parade 2008 [A Brooklyn Life]
Mermaid Parade Holds On To Coney Island History [MyFox Houston]
Mermaid Parade, Coney Island, New York State [Libby Hobday]
2008 Mermaid Parade on Coney Island - Part 1 [Famous Ankles]


Other HOOPLA!:
Coney Island [Old Hollywood Glamour]
Will Skate For Change: Coney Island Roller Queen Drumming Up Cash For Rink [The New York Observer]
Vote For Dick [Pelicula 64]
Coney Island [Berkeley College International - Sweden]
A CONEY ISLAND OF THE MIND [More Intelligent Life]
Up on the Roof: A Rarely Seen Coney View [Gowanus Lounge]
Ditch Cannes for Coney! Here Are 8 Reasons Why [AdRants]
Coney Island: It wouldn't be possible without the people [I could not stay in Strewberry Fields Forever.
Return To Coney Island [Jonepeaks]















Images:
siberfi's 2008 Mermaid Parade photo set [Flickr.com]
Coney Island weekend of 6/20-21/08 [jimvid - Smugmug]
Coney Island [Killer Boots]
The Mermaid Parade at Coney Island photo collection [House of LeMay]


Videos:
MTH MTA R40 Slant NYC Subway Set to Coney Island [YouTube]
GL Sunday TV: Early 2008 Mermaid Parade Vids [Gowanus Lounge]

Coney Vid: Fun Raw Footage Riding The Cyclone

Note: May only be suspenseful for those who've thought of or dared to take their beloved cameras up on a wild ride.

Shooting a movie on the Cyclone Coney Island END OF THE LINE

Description:
This is bonus footage from the movie End of the Line. This sequence was crucial to the film, in which the main character (played by Britten Darrow) is riding the Cyclone in an attempt to hide from a murderer who is stalking him throughout Coney Island.This is the raw footage that was shot on the cyclone that night.It has been subtitled so you get the full effect of it.For those of you who havent seen the movie, search ELWOOD GENTRY END OF THE LINE.

Posted by ElwoodKramer [YouTube]

Coney Rides Marked Unsafe In Media String Of Bad Press

Image courtesy of Leslie F. Miller (Flickr.com)

In recent weeks, Coney Island has been receiving much bad press by the local major media, especially the New York Post, and Coney amusement fans are smelling something fishy. Could there be a conspiracy by the city or Thor Equities that is trying to hurt Coney’s amusement business to gain favor in their cases?

The New York Post reported:

Amusement-safety consultant Walt Reiss, asked by The Post to conduct checks at local funfairs, said that if it were up to him, he would padlock a fairground set up on land on Coney Island owned by developer Joseph Sitt.

Posters on the Coney Island USA message board speculate that this is a conspiracy that connects Thor to the Post via Stefan Friedman, spokesman for Thor Equities who also used to work for the Post. But since newspapers always use headline grabbers, it’s difficult to detect a ‘conspiracy’. Though more accurate would be to point out the rides in question which are those that Thor Equities contracted that were inspected by amusement ride inspector Walter S. Reiss. It makes sense that the papers would generalize it with: ‘Coney Rides’. Also since the rides on the inspectors warning list are those rides brought in through Thor Equities onto their property, it would not make sense for the Thor spokesman to bring attention to the unsafety of those rides.

Yet there is an interesting string of recent negative press that make some seem like conspiracies; problems with the Cyclone and obvious problems like the deteriorating boardwalk (though not a conspiracy in itself but the city neglecting it surely stinks anyway), and other such things that simply occur with plain bad luck – like the man who fell through the floor at Ruby's Bar into a pile of dirt. Yes 'shit' happens as observed by Curbed:

This [Post 'unsafe rides' story] is not to be confused with a report a few weeks ago that the Cyclone, which is operated by Astroland, was causing some injuries and is in no way connected to the problems with the boardwalk, which has been causing average trip-and-fall injuries due to its crappy condition. Also, it is totally unrelated to the "unfortunate accident" in which the dude fell through the floor of the bathroom at Rubys on the boardwalk and emerged covered in crap dirt.

So, unless there is a continued string of negativity associated with Coney Island, the stench of a conspiracy will be difficult to smell.

Follow the discussion at the Coney Island USA message board

Expert Calls Coney Island Rides Unsafe [NY Post]
Should Health Insurance Be Part of Coney Discussion? [Curbed]
Some Rides at Coney Island Unsafe, Inspector Says [Gothamist]

Lola Staar And Micro Celeb Friends On Coney Testimony

Here are the scoping testimonies of Lola Staar and friends (Some New York Celebs with some New York micro celebs) giving their 'Save Coney Island' testimonies while have having a splash at the "Dreamland" movie [movie?] premier somewhere outside of Coney Island, of course. Despite some Coney Island celeb fans (like Rosie Perez, and Drena Dinero) and a few micro celebs making their quick in-party-mode 'testimonies', Diana (Lola) introduced the video and reminded us of our chance to make our testimony in writing before June 11th. Oh, And did Diana say the meeting was June 21st?

Meanwhile, the usually peeved and bitter poster, FixConey on the Coney Island message board has singled out Lola (Diana) Staar and the 'Save Coney Island' group as a sham for not showing up at the scoping meeting last Tuesday and instead was looking pretty rubbing shoulders with Manhattan's high society at the premier of her movie "Dreamland" (Where can we see the movie trailer?). In her defence one poster pointed out that Diana is not the exclusive representative of the "Save Coney" group. It also includes the Coney Island USA organization and some at the Coney Island History Project.

Follow the discussion on the Coney Island USA message board.


Scoping Testimonies from "Dreamland" Movie Premier

Description:
Public Scoping Hearing Testimonies broadcast from premier of Dreamland, a new documentary about Lola Staar's Dreamland Rollerrink. Special appearances by Rosie Perez, Angie Pontani, Dreena De Niro, Murray Hill and Lola Staar.

Posted by SaveConeyIsl [YouTube]

Mermaid Video By RocketBoom

Click image to go to video

Daily with Joanne Colan brings us this Coney Island video of the 2008 Coney Island Mermaid Parade by Rocketboom.

City Zones In To Color Their 9 Acres For You

With rendering after rending Coney Island 'visionaries' have been presenting to the public new sketches and drawings. Each have come more muddled then the one before. All except for the city's (Bloomberg's) plans presented last November, which have showed, thus far, the most reasonable and somewhat fair plan able to do justice to a realistic functionality of a huge redevelopment, while preserving the largest possible amusement area. But now that the city has made some swift behind-the-curtain changes to the plan and shrinking the amusements to a mere nine acres, they have given us a muddled water color view of street level amusements that look generically carnivalesque yet without the name brand establishments they have stated the new Coney (retail) entertainment will consist of.

Here a a couple of watercolor renderings presented at the last public Scoping meeting this past Tuesday, June 24th.

The New York Observer reports:

All goes without saying that renderings are a crucial tool in the battle to win public support for development projects in the city. The last batch made by the city, now somewhat obsolete given that the plan has since been modified, emphasized rides and roller coasters, whereas this time the city seems to be trying to stress the street-level vitality that could come as a result of the plan.

At Coney, City Switches To Watercolors To Win Over the Masses [NY Observer]
City Presents New & Different Coney Island Renderings [Gowanus Lounge]
Coney Island V3.1 Renderings, Watercolor Edition [Curbed]

Charles Denson Speech At Coney Scoping Meeting

Here is Charles Denson speaking at the 2nd Public Scoping Meeting. The Coney Island Development Corporation (well not all its member directors) and the City has taken their time to develop this plan and has also taken the time to present their case at the public meeting. A time limit for the public to speak sounds fair for the flow of the evening. However there should not have been a time limit for individuals like Dick Zigun and Charles Denson. It is unfortunate and sad to see how the moderator was adamant in not letting Mr. Denson finish his speech. He even stood up and demand Mr. Denson step away from the microphone. This is unfair and does not seem to reflect the purpose of a public scoping meeting.


Charles Denson Speech At Coney Scoping Meeting

Description:
2nd Scoping Meeting held by the CIDC and the City to hear public opinion the now revised plan that many feel does not represent the Coney Island character and spirit because it turns Coney Island into a corporate retail every-where-else America.

Posted by *ConeyHOP [YouTube]
*Send to Kinetic Carnival by Bill Nicholson

The New Coney Island USA Building Sets The Stage

Photos courtesy of the Coney Island News And Events Blog

The glorious new stage at the Coney Island Museum comes with a new proscenium and plush stage curtains. This past week the new and still-under-construction Coney Island USA building interior had a bit of activity with the public. First it had a dry run during the Mermaid Parade...

Coney Island News And Events blog writes:

Our first customers!! Saturday was amazing. The parade was the best I've ever seen it and having people in the new bar brought tears to my eyes. It will only get better from here.

...Then right after the Mermaid Parade the scenery was set for Savitri D's hunger strike station where she spent most of her time chatting live over the Internet with many who kept here company to chat about anything including the issues regarding Coney Island and the upcoming Scoping Meeting.


Keep up with the Coney Island building progress at the Coney Isand USA construction blog.

Derelict Building Ready To Be Demolished Along Stillwell Ave

Found to be ready for demolition by Coney Island USA message poster Coney_Islander, this old decaying building located on 2864 Stillwell Avenue between Mermaid and Neptune Avenues has been practically crumbling on its own. It has been abandoned for many years.

Dick Zigun posts:

It is a wooden residential building on Stillwell that has been derelict and unused for years. Sorta nice but pretty far gone. They will also demolish another building in similar bad condition directly behind it. Wouldn't surprise me if the demolitions was the first step in putting up a new residential bldg on the site. Better there then south of Surf Avenue.

Photos courtesy Screwtape (CIUSA message board poster)

Follow the discussion on the Coney Island USA message board where Mr. Zigun asks Charlie Denson what this building demolished were. Where they small hotels or rooming houses and did they once have names?

Flap Your Flippers At The Aquarium

Get a $3 dollar discount and submerse yourself in an underwater world at the New York Aquarium.

From the NY Aquarium website:

Experience an underwater world filled with fascinating marine life and make sure to check showtimes for the Sea Lion Celebration! Experience this one of a kind show featuring our California Sea Lions. Come wet your curiosity with an interactive show full of acrobatics, education and fishy sea lion feedings.

Visit their website for discount information.

Test Your Coney Knowledge

In honor of the Cyclone's 81st Anniversary, Jason Plautz's Mental-floss writer wants to test your Coney Island knowledge with this Coney Island Quiz.

They Are Giving The Cyclone Roller Coaster Away.

It may not be the actual Cyclone but a miniature replica, presented by Bank of America, which you could home with you, if you are one of the first of 2,500 fans in attendance for the game against Hudson Valley which takes place on June 30th. For info visit the Brooklyn Cyclones website.

Coney Events: Seaside Summer 2008 Concert Series

From the Seaside Summer Concerts, in Brooklyn, website:


The 30th Annual Seaside Summer Concert Series performances are held
Thursday nights at 7:30 pm
at Asser Levy/Seaside Park
at West 5th Street and Surf Avenue
in Coney Island/Brighton Beach, across the street from the New York Aquarium.
Performers are subject to change without notice.
Call the concert hotline for updates at 718-222-0600
Bring your own chair.
Only a limited number of chairs will be available for
a $5 rental fee is required.
NO cameras, NO audio or video recording, NO alcohol, NO pets, NO bottles NO smoking!



BOROUGH PRESIDENT MARTY MARKOWITZ PRESENTS THE 30TH ANNUAL SEASIDE SUMMER CONCERT SERIES

ALL SHOWS FREE!