Friday, July 23, 2010

Air Guitar Champs Rock Out for Nation's Top Title


Chuck Mung is in an air guitar band that appeared on "America's Got Talent."
Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

I never thought I would attend an air guitar competition, but that's exactly what I did last night. It was actually quite entertaining and I was glad I got to experience it. I got the opportunity to take photos with my new camera and the pictures turned out AMAZING. Check out my gallery:

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

DJ Alexandra Richards: Dad Keith Would Rather I Play an Instrument


Alexandra Richards DJ'ing at a rooftop party at the Cooper Union Hotel.
Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
Alexandra Richards, the 24-year-old daughter of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, said her famous father would rather she play an instrument than a DJ.

"Making the crowds dance is my favorite part," the New York-based blonde stunner told NiteSide during a recent email interview. "I love sharing it with other people."

The model and aspiring spinner said she began DJing three years ago and has been playing small venues and fashion events ever since. Even her father can't contain his pride for his little girl's accomplishments, she said.

"[He] laughs with pride when he sees little snips [about me] in 'Rolling Stone' magazine," she confessed.

Richards, who has been modeling since she was 14-years-old, recently decided to bare all and pose for French Playboy.

"When I was approached [by Playboy], I laughed with my Ma, [who did] Playboy in the past," Richards said. "I'm young and when I get older I can look back at that say I've done it."

She also said she devoted many hours in the gym to get her body ready for the photo shoot.

"I worked my butt out for it, so why not show off?" Richards said.

Besides DJing and modeling, Richards is also dabbling in the art world. She attended the School of Visual Arts in New York for two years and has participated in art shows, including one of abstract silhouette portraits of her favorite musicians, which is currently on display in the Hotel on Rivington in the Lower East Side.

This fall, Richards will take on a new venture with the Music Unites Women's Empowerment Initiative, which works to strengthen the self-esteem of young women around the world.

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

NBC NiteSide NiteByte Posts

I wrote three NiteByte posts this morning. These ones were even more fun to do because I got to cover a couple people I've never written about before.

New York City:

Miami:

Washington DC:

Monday, July 19, 2010

Friday, July 9, 2010

Village People Cowboy Randy Jones Spearheads Same-Sex Reality Show


Nothing like being picked up by Randy Jones of the Village People and Olympic boxer Eric Kelly for a quick photo outside of Lucky Strike Lanes.

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
Randy Jones, best known as the cowboy from the Village People, is developing a new reality show based on same-sex marriages, the singer recently revealed to NiteSide.

"In each location, we're going to bring other couples that want to have same sex ceremonies or weddings," Jones said during Matt DeMatt's birthday celebration at Lucky Strike Lanes on Wednesday night. "So it's not just about us. It's about everybody."

The show follows Jones and his partner, who have been together for 26 years, as they travel to each state in America and to foreign countries in an attempt to set a world record in the Guinness Book of Records for commitment ceremonies and weddings.

Jones acknowledged that not every place may welcome the idea of same sex marriage, but he has a plan for when they encounter those situations.

"We're going to see if we can find somebody there that will marry us," Jones said. "If they won't, we'll listen to their reasons why they don't want to marry us."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

"30 Rock" Actor Dean Winters: I'm Indebted to Tina Fey


Me and Dean Winters at Lucky Strike Lanes

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
"30 Rock" actor Dean Winters, who had a brush with death after his heart stopped one year ago, said he is indebted to co-star and pal Tina Fey.

"Tina Fey is the most caring woman I've worked with in this business," Winters told NiteSide last night at Lucky Strike Lanes during nightlife kingpin Matt DeMatt's birthday bash.

"When I was going through a really hard time she pulled me out, and I have a debt of gratitude to her I'm not sure I can ever repay."

A bacterial infection caused Winters to collapse and his heart to stop beating for two minutes on June 19 of last year. Fey was instrumental in bringing him back to the set of the NBC show, he told the "New York Post" last year.

The health scare is a terrifying incident the actor, also from "Oz" and "Rescue Me," told NiteSide that he is still struggling to recover from.

"Life was rocking and rolling for me and then it just stopped," Winters said. "So now I'm learning how to press the play button again."

The 45-year-old said he values relationships more than he did before the incident.

"I learned what love is and what friendship is and those are things I think I took for granted for a while," Winters said. "Whatever I went through in this past year, it was worth it."

He also said that his roles on "30 Rock" and "Oz" were dream jobs -- but Winters still has at least one career goal.

"I just would love to rumble with Clint [Eastwood]," he said. "I would like to play his son or his long-lost son or whatever."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

Nightlife Kingpin Matt DeMatt Reveals Plans for HBO Show


Matt DeMatt at Lucky Strike Lanes
Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
Nightlife guru Matt DeMatt dished last night on the TV show about life behind the velvet ropes that he is penning for HBO.

"It's basically all true experiences," the owner of Meatpacking staples Gaslight and G2 said during his birthday bash at Lucky Strike Lanes in Manhattan Wednesday night. "There's a moral to every story on the show too -- mostly about how to make yourself a better person."

The club owner, who claims to have helmed more than 50 venues in his lifetime, is working on the project with fellow nightclub guru Nick Kardaras. The show, which is still in the works and does not yet have an air date, is about two guys from Queens working in the industry.

DeMatt is also producing a show called "Woodstock -- You should've Been There" for Jimi Hendrix percussionist Gerardo Velez and is trying to bring regular shows to Caesar's Palace and Harrah's in Atlantic City.

"I always told people this is what I was going to do," DeMatt said of the cutthroat nightlife industry. "I love what I do and I think you should do things you love and then the money follows, not the other way around."

DeMatt had a back injury that caused him to not be able to do as much as he wants to but that doesn't stop him from going forward.

"I've had a really good life," DeMatt said.

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

New York's Royal Families: Meet the City's Top Heiresses

Here's a gallery I've been working on for the past week that is now live on NBC:

Friday, July 2, 2010

Olympic Boxer Eric Kelly Starts a New Fight


Eric Kelly and me at Lucky Strike Lanes

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
USA Olympic boxer Eric Kelly may have put down the boxing gloves, but he's taken on a new fight.

"I like to teach the things I've learned along the way," Kelly told NiteSide at the birthday celebration for Noel Ashman at Lucky Strike Lanes and Lounge in Midtown earlier this week.

"I'm very much about giving back to the community."

Kelly is speaking to high school students in his native Brooklyn, where he tells kids to stay in school and away from drugs. He also hopes to inspire.

"I just tell them if you believe in yourself and you've got a goal, stick to it, no matter what you do," Kelly said. "We're from a tougher neighborhood, but there are options and you can be the best ever."

Kelly said that he is also going to be working with Charitybuzz.com, an online celebrity charity auction site, later this summer to raise funds for Haiti.

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

"Housewives" Star Danielle Staub Dishes on Her New Love

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
"Real Housewives of New Jersey" reality star Danielle Staub dished on her new love last night: creating music.

"I am excited to start a new adventure," Staub told NiteSide at the birthday celebration for New York City nightclub owner Noel Ashman at Lucky Strike Lanes and Lounge in Midtown on Wednesday night.

"I have realized that I love doing this."

Joining the growing ranks of "Real Housewives" starlets who have produced singles, Staube said she's excited for the mid-July release of her duet single "Real Close" with singer Lori Michaels and that the project happened "simply and organically."

"It was almost by accident really," Staub said. "I was just listening to a demo of hers [Lori Michaels] and humming along to it and then it all went from there."

Staub, 47, said there will also be a music video released.

"It's going to be quite beautiful," she said. "But it's definitely going to be something people won't expect."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.