Times Square Gossip

Randy Zelin With Akbar Rogers And Stephen LaMagna New York’s criminal defense super attorney Randy Zelin has prevailed in his latest high-profile case, with charges dropped against client Akbar Rogers – an African-American man who was punched, tased and kicked by white police officers as he lay on the ground during an arrest in Freeport last December.   But Zelin says the fight for justice for his client is far from over. Zelin is now taking on the office of Nassau District Attorney Madeline Singas, who declined to bring charges against at least seven Freeport officers who were caught on camera brutalizing Rogers. The mayor of Freeport’s son and nephew were among the officers engaged in the incident.  Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer have now joined Zelin’s call to open a federal investigation into the officer’s misconduct.  “These plain clothes police were ostensibly there to issue Mr. Rogers a summons for a non-criminal violation,” says Zelin, the Head of Wilk Auslander&

Lisa Maysonet  With over $1 billion in sales and a new Hamptons office, Maysonet is making waves.  With 40 years of success selling Manhattan’s top properties, go-to luxury real estate expert Lisa Maysonet is making waves in the red-hot Hamptons market.   To better serve her longstanding New York clients, Maysonet -- the tour-de-force behind Group Maysonet at Sotheby’s International Realty – is now marketing the East End’s most exclusive residences and new developments.   “This expansion into the Hamptons is exciting and very energizing,” says Maysonet, who started her career in the real estate industry at Walters & Samuels when she was just 17 years old. “I love the amazing homes out here. My New York buyers are out here. Now I’m out here and I’m bringing my deep love of real estate and global expertise with me.”  For decades, Maysonet has been a key marketing advisor to the world’s top developers, influencing the layouts of and exclusively marketing over a dozen well-known new de

264 West 40 Street The Newmark leasing team of JD Cohen has successfully signed six leases in an early 20th Century garment district building. Faced with a challenging leasing environment and a global pandemic, the father and son ownership team of Bradley and Kenneth Fishel of Renaissance Properties, owners of 264 West 40 Street, consulted with Mr. Cohen during the first days after the permitted reopening in June. Several tenants had vacated the building during the shutdown and the Fishels needed wise advice as to how to re-tenant the building.   Mr. Cohen advised the owners that despite the challenging leasing environment their building was among the best in class offering in the submarket. Despite a softening climate JD Cohen observed robust activity in smaller Tenant demand. So, the Fishel team elected to focus on re-leasing those spaces first. Within the first 90 days of reopening 4 leases were signed one of which was represented by JD Cohen with no outside cooperating broker inv

Demarchelier Restaurant Greenport Family owned and operated bistro Demarchelier Restaurant has officially opened in November 2020 in Greenport, NY, bringing a taste of France to North Fork. Situated in the charming shopping village, the new incarnation of the Upper East Side classic is currently located in the heart of Greenport on Main Street.  Unlike the Upper East Side restaurant that closed its doors after 40 years in business, the Greenport location is more casual and extremely cozy. From marble top tables and the antique bar top (which was brought over from the former location) to the outdoor seating and colorful paintings by the owner’s father (famed artist Eric Demarchelier) on the wall, the atmosphere of Demarchelier makes it the perfect sojourn in North Fork for a quick bite to eat, a romantic rendezvous or a nice meal with your family and friends.  Owner Emily Demarchelier explains, “Greenport is very much a village where people are walking around and shopping and stopping a

Jean Shafiroff  Surgeons of Hope’s 2020 gala – its 8th annual gala and first virtual gala – was a great success! The Celebrating Our Heart Heroes gala, chaired by philanthropist and author Jean Shafiroff, exceeded its fundraising goals. The success allows Surgeons of Hope to continue to train local pediatric cardiac teams and provide lifesaving surgery for poor children with heart conditions in Latin America in 2021. To date, Surgeons of Hope has saved the lives of thousands of children in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Paraguay.    The November 12th gala was virtual this year due to Covid-19. Hundreds of attendees joined the gala from the comfort of their own homes around the globe. All enjoyed the evening hosted by the renowned Jacqueline Towers-Perkins, who also ran the night’s live auction. Among the items bid on during the event were a vacation at a luxury villa in Mexico, a weekend escape with views of Connecticut’s Thimble Islands, ½-day New York Harbor excursion, and a cooking work

McDonalds   MIAMI, Nov. 2020 – Twenty-seven new plaintiffs, all former Black McDonald’s franchisees, joined an ongoing federal lawsuit against the fast-food chain claiming the company engaged in systemic discrimination and denied them the same opportunities as White franchisees.  The new amended complaint now has 77 named plaintiffs in the lawsuit originally filed by 52 Black former franchisees on Sept. 1, 2020. The claims now include nearly 300 stores with compensatory damages that average between $4 million and $5 million per store, exclusive of punitive damages.  The plaintiffs allege McDonald’s sold itself as a recruiter and developer of Black talent, profited from its Black consumer base and maintained a two-tier system that pigeonholed unsuspecting Black owners and assigned them horrible locations guaranteed to fail. This suit comes on the heels of a federal class action lawsuit filed October 29 by current Black franchisees.  “McDonald’s is now fighting a four-front legal war. T

Jean Shafiroff    The American Cancer Society (ACS) hosted the 15th annual Taste of Hope virtual celebration. The event celebrated New York City’s iconic restaurant industry and raised critical funds for cancer research and local patient service programs offered by ACS.  This year’s Taste of Hope recognized James Beard Award-winning culinary honorees, Chef Michael White (Marea) and Chef Joseph ‘JJ’ Johnson (Fieldtrip). Mark D. Friedman and Jamie Koff returned as event co-chairs, and CBS News’ Chris Wragge returned at emcee.   Sting Chris Wragge The event featured a special performance by Sting, and appearances by Giancarlo Esposito (The Mandalorian, Breaking Bad), Mario Cantone (Sex and the City), NFL Hall of Famer Harry Carson (NY Giants), Amy Ryan (The Office), Peter Onorati (This is Us), Harry Lennix (Blacklist), Alysia Reiner (OITNB), and Bobby Cannavale. Event guests had the opportunity to hear first-hand how cancer continues during the pandemic and the devastating impact covid-19

Dede Gotthelf With a storied career in banking, real estate, and hospitality, Dede Gotthelf has been named one of Long Island Business News’ Top Women in Business for 2020. In usual self-deprecating fashion, Dede (as she prefers) attributes her success to early education at The Brearley School (all girls) Williams College (at the time almost all boys), a fantastic first job at Chase Bank (training and travel), and a strong foundation in finance. Over the past four decades, Dede has taken on unique out-of-the-box challenges such as purchasing the Brooklyn Bridge from the City of New York; being a co-general partner in the development of one of the first waterfront condominiums (The Regatta) at Battery Park City; assembling the land and site planning for the first Planned Development District (PDD) in Southampton Town that included a new King Kullen grocery store on seven plus acres in downtown Hampton Bays; and repositioning the Southampton Inn , International Plaza, and Claude’s Rest

Waxman Gala  The 23rd Annual Collaborating for a Cure Gala, one of New York City’s much-anticipated Autumn charity events, this year will feature a virtual musical retrospective of 23 years of the gala with celebrity appearances. The event will support the groundbreaking research of the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation (SWCRF) and honor Roger A. Krone, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Leidos, on Thursday, November 19, 2020, at 7:00 PM.  The gala will feature appearances by SWCRF Board Chairman Michael Nierenberg, Founder and CEO Dr. Samuel Waxman, Honoree Roger Krone, and a surprise guest host. This year, quests can enjoy virtually all the favorite things they like from the Waxman Gala, including music, comedy, and entertainment. The gala preshow will start at 6:30 PM and will include music, an online journal with messages from supporters, and other messages. This will be followed by a show starting at 7:00 PM.  The show will feature comedy, exciting performances from

Jean Shafiroff  Philanthropist Jean Shafiroff set to Chair Surgeons of Hope Gala Jean Shafiroff, the well known philanthropist and TV host, will Chair the Surgeons of Hope virtual gala tonight November 12, 2020 at 7PM.  The Gala is free of charge to all those who sign up on the website surgeonsofhope.org   Surgeons of Hope strives to create a world in which every infant and child with a damaged heart has an equal opportunity to receive life-saving surgery.

American Tranquility  One of Connecticut’s most stunning and discreet equestrian estates is now available for private viewings for the first time.  The sprawling 152-acre country escape comes courtesy of David Wildenstein – whose family controls the Wildenstein Institute, the world’s foremost art organization – and Lucrezia Buccellati – the scion and co-creative director of the renowned Buccellati jewelry brand.  A marriage of rustic American tranquility and Italian luxury, the property is located just 80 minutes from Manhattan at 1 Glenn Brook Farm Road in the quiet town of Sherman in Fairfield County -- where neighbors include bold faced names such as Diane Von Furstenberg, Bob Iger, Jeffrey Toobin and Rob Zombie.  “Wildenstein and Buccellati--these names are associated with fine art and the most exquisite jewelries, things that are beautiful, ultra-luxurious and chic” says lifestyle and realty expert, Loy Carlos cofounder and Creative Director of Classiques Modernes. “David and Lucr

  Gabriela Gil Painter, sculptor, and former dancer Gabriela Gil has announced her first New York solo exhibition this week. The Honduras-born, NYC-based artist will show the first volume of her “Time and Space” series starting Thursday, December 3 through Sunday, December 20, 2020 in Soho which will be shown in-person and virtually. Gabriela explains, “Timing is important in this project, because I am purposely taking advantage of the Covid lockdowns to present this body of work in creative ways.”  “I’ve been working on this series for two years,” Gil says. “My previous work was more figurative, and this new series breaks away from the figure completely. This is making way to abstract work that explores line, color and rhythm."  In volume one of the series, Gil will show roughly 20 highly detailed miniature sets, inspired by the hand-made nativity scenes she saw as a child in Latin America, each with small paintings. The miniatures will then be displayed alongside large-scale p

  Southampton Inn Although galas, parties, concerts and fundraisers were cancelled, postponed or went virtual, autumn in Southampton is still divine. Crisp breezes begin to blow through the branches of leaves turning splendid gold shades as pumpkins are picked and ruby wines are sipped. With fall upon us, your cozy getaway by the beach awaits at the Southampton Inn. Located in the historic Village of Southampton on the East End of Long Island, the Tudor-style Inn offers 90 elegant guest rooms surrounded by magnificent estates, within walking distance of boutiques, museums, art galleries, and eateries.  The Southampton Inn:  Autumn rates are much reduced from $145 per night double occupancy (+ tax and fees). Most dates have vacancies. Connecting rooms are available for family getaways. Discounts available for stays of 3 nights or longer. Monthly room rentals for $3,500 (+ tax and fees) from November through March are available in lieu of house rentals (includes housekeeping, utilities