Sculptor Jason Peters — who works with found objects — was commissioned by the Times Square Alliance to create a temporary sculpture out of the plastic lawn chairs in the pedestrian plaza between 42nd and 47th Streets. As of this morning, they’ve been replaced by 400 metal seats. [via NYP]

The New York Post reports that MTV is vacating its Times Square studio space.

MTV’s parent, Viacom, didn’t renew its studio lease when it extended its lease on more than 1 million square feet of offices at 1515 Broadway, between 44th and 45th streets, last year. And while it could still make an offer on the space that’s now possibly 10 times more costly than it was 12 years ago, it has not yet done so.

At an estimated cost of about $11.6 million a year, you can understand why Viacom (who like most media companies, has struggled in recent times) would look to move elsewhere; when the company first leased the space back in 1997, Times Square was going through a period of transition, and as an insider told the Post, rent for the 22,216-square-foot second-floor studio might have been as low as $40 per square foot. Read More »

Bollywood Hero is a three-part mini-series that premieres tomorrow night at 10 p.m. on IFC. It stars Chris Kattan, Neha Dhupia, and Pooja Kumar, and features appearances from Maya Rudolph, Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Coolidge and David Alan Grier. The storyline centers on Kattan, who plays a rejected Hollywood actor trying to make it big in Mumbai. The show’s choreographer is Longinus Fernandes, who is responsible for the fantastic dance sequences in Slumdog Millionaire and the lovely New York moment above. (If you’re feeling impatient, fast forward to 1:10.)

New York indie-pop duo Matt and Kim have caused quite a stir with their new video for “Lessons Learned.” In the clip, the two (apparently) strip naked while walking through Times Square on a cold day. We’re not sure quite how they pulled it off, but many people remain unconvinced. Whether or not we’re getting the full (censored) picture, it goes without saying that cordoning off one of the busiest parts of the city during the day and bringing in scores of extras is no small feat; the alternative being that a number of kids out there had some serious questions for mom and dad after their excursion in the Big Apple. After the jump, watch the video and let us know how you think it went down. (And whatever you believe, we dare you not to gasp at the end.) Read More »