Gavin DeGraw Jumped In East Village

I realize that the East Village/Lower East Side area is a lot nicer now than it once was, but you still have to be careful, Gavin.  According to the New York Post, Gavin was walking through the East Village last night at 4AM when he was attacked by a group of thugs, that apparently, did not steal his wallet.  I guess they didn't realize who he was...  I don't know.  Although all of the things I have heard about Gavin make him seem like the King of Douchebagia (that's the homeland of douchebags for those of you bad at geography), and I hate the appellation "blue-eyed soul" because it sounds stupid, I still am a fan of a couple of his songs.  Namely: "I Don't Wanna Be" and "In Love With a Girl", even though I realize that this leaves me open to practically universal ridicule.  Obviously, I am not happy to hear that Gavin got his nose broken and is now in (shudder) Bellevue Hospital, but I am curious to know what the real story is.  What was he doing in the East Village at 4AM?  Was he banging a "chick" in that neighborhood (and by chick I mean a guy named "Bruce")?  I have to know!  (NY Post via dlisted)

Gavin: "Who the hell is Kristin Cavallari?  Oh, she's standing right next to me?  Whoops."

Did New York Yankee Ivan Nova Dismiss Basketball Wives Star Jennifer Williams?

"These hoes won't leave me alone!"

According to Bossip he did.  I guess Nova just doesn't like basketball.  The 24-year old pitcher for the New York Yankees was showing his parents (who were visiting from the Dominican Republic) around town when Jennifer Williams of Basketball Wives supposedly tried to put the moves on him at NY hotspot Tavern, in front of his family, and was turned away with nothing more than his (probably illegible) autograph.  Jen's hot so I am sure that this is not the sort of behavior that she is used to.  Actually, let's be frank (Sit down, Frank!).  I'm not buying this story.  First of all, Jen was spotted not that long ago with a living Ken doll that she introduced as her boyfriend, and I don't think that Jen has to put the moves on any one to get affection.  They come to her (when they are not too busy throwing drinks in her face).  Of course, Jen hit the Internets to defend herself posting the message below.  I hate to be one of those bloggers trying to make a name for themselves by... actually, I don't hate it all.  I freakin' love it!  Sorry, Jen!

Daily Tranny Infusion: Like A Cheese Stick (An Ode To "Like A G6") by Lady Bunny

If you live in NY (or the Tri-state area) this is so spot on that you gotta love it!  Love this line: "In this recession I can't afford to throw up my lunch!"  Too good.  Oh yeah, this is very NSFW!  via dlisted.

Hermon Raju: A Sensitive Handling of a Highly-Educated Metro North Passenger

"Excuse me, but do you know what schools I've been to and how well-educated I am?"

By now, you've seen the video.  Things seem to be going normally on an evening Metro North train from Manhattan to Connecticut when a passenger flips her sh*t when asked to refrain from using profane language during a mobile phone conversation with a friend.  What happens next is the stuff that Saturday Night Live skits are made of (and I am sure that there is a parody of this on the horizon penned by SNL's staff of seventeen-year-old writers).  The passenger, Hermon Raju, a woman that apparently graduated from New York University no less than three times (according to her LinkedIn profile), immediately informs the conductress that she is highly-educated and not a hoodlum.  She asks the conductress if she knows "what schools I've been to?"  What's interesting is that many viewers of the now infamous video are attempting to read into the incident based on the origins of Ms. Raju on the Indian subcontinent; references to the Indian caste system and the need for Indian-American princesses to show that they are a class apart have been made.  Is there any truth in this sort of interpretation?

"Don't put your hands on me!"

Lots of us have Indian friends and it is very easy to fall into the trap of using some sort of anecdote to analyze what might be an entirely different situation.  A good friend of mine from graduate school was the type to announce within two minutes of meeting her that she had graduated with a Philosophy degree from the University of Pennsylvania, what neighborhood she had grown up in, what her parents did for a living, and how her university was infinitely better than yours.  I have another Indian colleague who makes it clear to everyone that she is a "Brahmin" and expects to marry another "Brahmin".  I could say that in my experience young women of this background are prone to find in education a substitute for the caste system of their native land (when they realize that formal caste is irrelevant in this country) but that would be a gross oversimplification.  For one thing, Indians are not the only ones to brag about educational background.  Many people of, lets be frank, recent immigrant origin, may be inclined to attach a great degree of importance to this sort of accomplishment because, in their minds, it is important for them to make clear to everyone that they are not among the rabble but are, in fact, a class above "less-educated" people.  It would be easy to assume that the link here is the origin of such individuals in a rigid class system, but that is not necessarily true.

Hermon Raju during an NYU trip with colleagues

Hermon Raju during a fashion event in NYC

So what happened to Hermon?  Clearly, this is a blog so everything written (or typed) here is nothing more than my opinion but, as I commented on TheDailyWhat article about this incident, I formed the impression that Ms. Raju, when cornered about her profane language by the train conductress, felt the need to show that she was a class above the ordinary passenger and therefore deserved to be treated differently.  Her query: "Do I look like a hoodlum?" is telling.  It's as if she's saying, "Yes, I am brown-skinned, but I am not the run of the mill brown-skinned person.  I am, in fact, highly-educated."  She believes that her education entitles her to be treated differently and, clearly, as denizens of a nation in which class is supposedly nonexistent (a myth) this sort of behavior is guaranteed to inspire feelings of extreme derision in her interlocutors.  In my musings on Ms. Raju's behavior, I like to think that she was having a bad day, filled with rejected business opportunities, job offers, etc. and therefore she was perfectly poised to say something impertinent when placed in a stressful position.  Thankfully, Hermon did not resort to saying something more egregious than what she did as, rather than chuckling and ridiculing her for effrontery, we might instead be inclined to censure her for resorting to prejudice.  Perhaps Ms. Raju deserves a round of applause for allowing us to ridicule her rather than forcing us to do something worse.  I bear Ms. Raju no ill will; in fact, I hope she finds an Indian gentleman as highly-educated as herself to give her a comfortable life in Westport, Connecticut.

[NOTE: This video keeps getting taken down, but I will be vigilant and put up the reposts if I notice that the vid is down or someone let's me know!]

Three Reasons Not To Take The L Train: Male Stripper Is One of Them

Do not take the L Train in NYC for the following reasons: (1) You have to deal with all the hippies headed to Williamsburg, Greenpoint, or Bushwick, (2) You may be kicked in the head by a pasty stripper who looks like he's about 17 years old, (3) You may get caught in an impromptu "dance party" in which none of the "dancers" can actually dance.  That's all.  I'm done.  (via Towleroad)

Naked Maniac Decides Today Is As Good A Day As Any To Strip Down And Yell Racial Slurs

I'm pretty happy that I am no where near a subway station at the moment (in particular, the station in the video) because if I was, I might have been exposed to not only a very pasty a man with a tiny penis, but the belligerent attacks of someone who clearly has forgotten to take their medication.  Not to poke fun, since this gentleman (and I use the term loosely) likely has a psychotic disorder of some kind, but yelling slurs on a train filled with minorities while dressed in only your underpants is probably not a good idea.  What is shocking is how long it took the cops to actually take this guy down, which they only seemed able to do once a good samaritan decided to involve himself and help.  Note to self: avoid the Hunts Point Avenue train station on the 6 train in the future.  naked racists abound.

Kim Kardashian And Her Booty Are Moving To NYC

According to the NY Post, the big K and her ASSets are relocating to New York to be closer to her future husband Kris Humphries, who plats for the New Jersey Nets.  As I have been saying for God-knows-how- long, I really hope someone reaches out to this kid and tells him that the last thing he needs to be doing with his life is allying himself with Kim Kardashian, but it looks like things are headed that way.  Honestly, this kid has not dated enough and there is no way he even knows what he is messing with when it comes to Kim.  But what can you say?  Once a Kardashian unleashes the vagina tentacles, that's pretty much the end of the game.  According to the rag, Kim Kardashian plans to move to the city in October.  If that's her plan, she needs to start looking right now because the super rich in the city seem to compete for the same properties.  There are lots of listings available, Kim.  I would suggest starting out at Curbed NY.

Kim's bum will need a room of its own so we're talking at least two bedrooms here, Kim