Daniel Maurer A 7-Eleven is said to be opening in
the former porn shop next to IHOP.

Back in November, Amber Tamblyn told The Local that she and her fiancée, comedian David Cross, planned to leave the East Village for Brooklyn. Last month, Mr. Cross, who had previously bemoaned the arrival of a Subway on Avenue B, complained to Gothamist about the neighborhood’s new 7-Eleven and IHOP (that was before news broke, today, of another 7-Eleven.) This week, The New Yorker tags along as he makes the big move to – wait for it – Dumbo.

In the Talk of the Town piece, which is available online to subscribers only, the comedian reiterates, “I’m really not one of those whiny, annoying people who complain about any change, but there’s a 7-Eleven and an IHOP in the East Village now. It could be a suburban mall. Also, I was a younger man when I came here, doing younger-man things.” He clarifies: “I’m trying to be classy about saying ‘I don’t go out and get laid anymore.’” Read more…

For a period of time this evening, 12th Street was “frozen,” to use the police parlance, as President Obama’s motorcade came and went from a fundraising dinner at Gotham Bar & Grill between Fifth Avenue and University Place.

Around 7 p.m., The Local couldn’t get any closer to the restaurant than the southeast corner of 11th Street and University Place, where N.Y.P.D. barricades prevented pedestrians from passage.

A woman who claimed to be a resident of 12th Street was told she would have to wait behind the barricade or at a nearby business until the freeze was lifted. Meanwhile, a delivery worker from nearby L’Annam Vietnamese Cuisine was not only allowed through the ersatz blockade, but escorted by a uniformed officer to the next corner where it appeared he was handed off to another officer and allowed to continue. Read more…

Who’s this walking south on First Avenue, just one face among thousands enjoying the East Village on a crisp fall evening? Here’s a hint: The native New Yorker (recently seen at Café Orlin) got her start as an actress at La MaMa before going on to achieve global fame alongside Matt Damon in the Bourne trilogy. Global fame or not, Julia Stiles went largely unnoticed as she waited at a traffic light on 12th Street and First Avenue at about 8:30 p.m. on Saturday night.

Stephen Rex Brown Cafe Orlin at 41 St. Marks Place.

Ajay Naidu isn’t the only celebrity who enjoys Cafe Orlin. A reader spotted Julia Stiles lounging with a friend in the terrace of the restaurant on St. Marks Place at around 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday. “Why couldn’t she be alone?” our reader joked. “Why wasn’t she seated there in mournful solitude with an expectant look on her face? I guess it’s because… she’s a movie star!”

He added that the star of “The Bourne Ultimatum” and “10 Things I Hate About You” did have a certain aura about her. “She looks like the girl next door. The wholesome farmer’s daughter who, thankfully, didn’t have the gap between her teeth fixed.”

Stephen Rex Brown A camera dolly at East Fourth Street and Avenue D.

Stephen Rex Brown

An overturned motorcycle, an ambulance, and a fire truck would normally be cause for concern. Rest assured, the scene at Fourth Street near Avenue D was all part of a shoot of the new CBS drama, “A Gifted Man.” The show, starring Patrick Wilson (he was in “The Watchmen”) tells the story of “A brilliant, charismatic surgeon whose life changes forever when his deceased ex-wife begins teaching him the meaning of life from the hereafter,” according to its website.

Lauren Carol Smith

A film crew from “Nurse Jackie” in Tompkins Square Park today.

Next time you see something like this, tell The Local.

Stephen Rex Brown The crew from “CSI” packs up its gear on Wednesday.

The Local spotted the crew for “CSI: NY” filming on Eighth Street between Broadway and Lafayette Street all morning. And for all you would-be paparazzi out there, “Nurse Jackie” — starring Edie Falco of “Sopranos” fame — will be shooting on Thursday on Seventh Street between Avenue A and First Avenue, according to notices posted on the street.

Next time you see something like this, tell The Local.

Guy Fieri, the peroxided Food Network star, was spotted filming at John’s of 12th Street yesterday for his show, “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.”

Mr. Fieri spent about three hours in the afternoon shooting at the Italian restaurant between First and Second Avenues, and co-owner Mike Alpert was thrilled.

“He learned about us through the grapevine. I was amazed that he’d never heard of us; an Italian restaurant that’s been around for 103 years,” said Mr. Alpert.
Read more…

The Lo-Down spotted a hawk devouring a pigeon in Seward Park yesterday — and so did much of the Lower East Side, apparently. The bird of prey dined unperturbed as a gaggle of excited onlookers took pictures of nature in all its brutality. When The Local spoke to the executive director of New York City Audubon last week regarding the hawks in Tompkins Square Park, he said that it was likely the newborns were venturing far beyond the green space where they were raised. Might this hawk in Seward Park once have nested in Tompkins?

The New York Post reports that John Legend has put his posh two-bedroom condo on the market for $2.95 million after moving in only two years ago. The smooth crooner is reportedly a big fan of his space in 52E4 on the Bowery, but is looking to upgrade. Maybe he should go house hunting with David Schwimmer?

Bowery Boogie spotted the Yankee second baseman — and 2011 home run derby champ — playing a game of stickball on Bond Street yesterday. The game, complete with adoring kids playing the outfield, was part of a promotion by the MLB Fan Cave, which is nearby on Broadway. No word on whether Mr. Cano’s power and smooth swing were in full effect on the mean streets of Bond.

Daniel Maurer

After “Greetings from Tim Buckley” took over a stretch of East Fifth Street last week, “Law & Order: SVU” is stepping out of its Chelsea Piers set and has put orange cones down the entirety of East Seventh Street between Avenues A and B, as well as a stretch between A and First Avenue. The show will be filming starting at 6 a.m. tomorrow, according to tow-away signs.

Seen something like this? Tell The Local.

Daniel Maurer

This’ll blow your mind, man: This morning, The Local spotted this groovy telephone booth on East Fifth Street near Avenue A, where a scene for “Greetings from Tim Buckley” is being shot.  A look inside Sophie’s revealed that the bar had been redecorated to evoke what a location assistant said was 1966 – the year of Tim Buckley’s debut album (Penn Badgley of “Gossip Girl” fame will play the hippie-era singer in the biopic). Across the street were extras wearing bellbottoms, turtlenecks, Afros, and other period attire. According to the location assistant, who asked not to be named, the film will be shooting there for the rest of the day, and shot at A-1 Records last week. (That scene was set in 1991, the time of Tim’s son Jeff Buckley.)

Next time you see something like this around the neighborhood, tell The Local.

Stephen Rex Brown Part of the film crew outside of Cafe Orlin today.

Film crews have entirely overtaken Cafe Orlin (no stranger to cinema stars) and parts of St. Marks Place for the shoot of an upcoming NBC drama that takes a (fictional) behind-the-scenes look at the production of a Broadway musical.

A crew member outside the cafe near Second Avenue told The Local that they were shooting “Smash.” According to IMDB, the new series will depict the ups and downs of the cast and crew preparing a show about Marilyn Monroe’s life. Anjelica Huston is the biggest star in the cast, though she was not spotted today at around lunchtime. (There were few opportunities for paparazzi-style photos; the rain had forced most of the crew indoors.)

The show is set to premiere on February 6.

I Love EV spotted Kim and Kourtney Kardashian exiting the Healthfully Organic Market on East 4th Street earlier today, with a phalanx of paparazzi outside to greet them. Apparently the sidewalks were also clogged over at the not-so-healthful Crif Dogs this afternoon, where Gothamist heard about “a line out the door.” No celebs involved, though: customers have been cashing in a Scoutmob coupon for a free hot dog today.

Ryan Gosling still hasn’t said anything about breaking up that fight on Astor Place, and whether it was all a viral stunt as some blogs suspect. Yesterday, E! Online got some details from the photographer who shot the footage (seems Mr. Gosling offered one of the men $20 to end the scuffle), but she doesn’t say when it all went down. UsMagazine.com, which also shares an eyewitness account, says it happened Saturday (when the video was uploaded), but EV Grieve readers spot a clue that they believe proves it occurred sometime before the Flaming Cactus displays went up on July 30. And with this, When Did Ryan Gosling Break Up That Fight? becomes a bigger mystery than Who Fought Gavin DeGraw? Update | 6:25 p.m. Valerie Herrera tells OMGICU that it happened June 24 and it wasn’t a stunt.

Ryan Gosling is no stranger to the East Village— he’s been spotted prepping for his role in “Blue Valentine” on East 7^th Street, chowing down with the fam at John’s of 12^th Street, and hitting up 16 Handles with his “Crazy, Stupid, Love” co-star Emma Stone. But he’s never done anything this conspicuous— Lainey Gossip found a video posted to YouTube over the weekend that seems to show the movie star breaking up a fight in the middle of Astor Place. Read more…

Laura Lee Katie Holmes exits the American Felt Building

Is Joey Potter the East Village’s new Joey? The Local caught Katie Holmes emerging from the apartment she and husband Tom Cruise share in the American Felt Building on 13th Street this morning. The actress is in town to promote her latest work, “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,” set to release August 26.

Sophie Hoeller Keanu Reeves on the set of “Generation Um…” at 11th Street and Avenue A this morning.

Sophie Hoeller Mr. Reeves signs an autograph (top) and in between takes.

Hula-hoops, cowboy hats, denim jackets and glitter filled a courtyard at 11th Street and Avenue A this morning. Dozens of extras were in the midst of filming a “flash mob” scene — a random assembly of people performing a planned bizarre act — for “Generation Um…” a new movie starring Keanu Reeves.

Unfazed by the colorful scene in front of him, the star was on site, looking bored between takes. He channeled his “Matrix” character, Neo, by wearing black from head-to-toe.

While getting touched up by hair and makeup, Mr. Reeves gave an autograph to an excited fan named Elias.

The indie drama follows John (Reeves’ character’s unconfirmed name) and two friends (played by actresses Bojana Novkovic and Adelaide Clemens) through “a world of sex and drugs…and chaos,” according to Cinemablend.com. The film is being made by Voltage Pictures, the studio that produced “The Hurt Locker.”

The flick has been filming in the East Village for the past two days, at locales such as AlphaBet Café. A crewmember confirmed that this would be their last day at this location. The movie, which is set in LA, has also been filming in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Sophie Hoeller The scene being filmed this morning depicted a “flash mob.”