UPDATE: As more unfolds, the media reports that Kristen, an aspiring singer from New Jersey who moved to NYC to pursue a music career, comes from a family of privilege. She left after wrecking a Porsche, given to her by her stepfather. After millions of hits, her MySpace page has been taken down, but you can see the photos here. Her song, What We Want, has sold hundreds of thousands of copies in the last few days via download ...Was she worth $1000 per hour and losing the Governorship of New York State? I weighed many options for this posting, but the story of New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer and his liaisons with prostitute Kristen is so huge, that it seemed futile to do anything else. This is an international story - front page news in TV, newspapers and online publications everywhere. It dominates the conversations and minds of many. However, the real fascination is now with Kristen - who is this woman and what does she look like?
So, at 6 AM, armed with a camera in the darkness of early morning, I decided to make a pilgrimage to Kristen's apartment building on West 25th Street and at least witness the scene. The news crews, cameras and vehicles were everywhere, having staked out the building for days, hoping to get a glimpse and perhaps a statement from Kristen.
By now, everyone knows of Spitzer's trysts with Kristen through the prostitution ring - Emperors Club VIP, where he was known as Client 9. The details of the scandal and Kristen were broken by the New York Times.
The papers and TV are just flooded today with images, factoids and catch phrases - $1000 per hour, $80,000 spent, Spitzer's wife and family, the Mayflower Hotel, federal wiretaps, resignation, our new Governor David Paterson, the Mann Act, etc. Wikipedia even has separate entries for the prostitution scandal, Kristen and the Emperors Club VIP. This is also very much a NYC story, with both the Governor and Kristen having apartments in Manhattan - the Governor on the Upper East Side on Fifth Avenue and Kristen in the Flatiron District.
Photos from Kristen's Myspace site (see all of them here) were revealed yesterday in the New York times and are now appearing everywhere. Kristen, neé Ashley R. Youmans, changed her name to Ashley Rae Maika DiPietro in 2006. She now refers to herself as Ashley Alexandra Dupré.
I have decided to let this posting run through Saturday. I hope by that time, this entire affair will be more settled and less distracting. I will resume new postings.
NOTE: Sunday is the two-year anniversary of New York Daily Photo. I will have a special posting for this occasion - see you then!
10 comments:
You're right, it-s a big deal everywhere.
Here in Mexico her photo has appear on every newspaper, TV and Internet news site. Let's see how long it lasts...and where the movie will come out.
Wow - I'm surprised it's a story in Mexico. I did check anything outside the US except the London Times this morning. And yes, I'm sure there will be money to be made with this.
Bonjour
J'ai passé plus de 4 heures, a regardé toutes vos merveilleuses photos, je suis remonté jusqu'en Mars 2007 - vraiment ce sont les plus belles photos de New York, et j'ai été attendri, en voyant le petit Red Panda
Jack Saban
Yes, it is big news. Here in the UK it broke on our BBC rolling news with a red "BREAKING NEWS" story. You've done a good job with your post and thanks for getting there so early!
I'm looking forward to seeing your offering on Monday :)
marley-
Thanks. I also originally mistated the date of my anniversary. It's Sunday. I may put up the posting Sunday.
Firstly, congratulations on your impending two-year anniversary, Brian. It's an amazing feat of both consistency and creativity to have lasted this long, and I wish you all the best for year three of NYDP!
Secondly, I think I've worked out what most impresses me about your photos. It's that, no matter what you are shooting, the end result always has a distinctly "epic" feel to it - something I instinctively associate with New York.
Thirdly, and finally (I'm sure you've been asked this a million times before), what kind of camera and lens(es) do you use, because the detail, colour and contrast of your images is just wonderful.
Brian:
I lived in NYC for nearly 15 years in during the late 70's and mid-eighties and your photos always bring me back "home," to which I return with a big smile.
I have been in Cannes the last week and the story is still being reported today in one form or another. But earlier in the week you could not get away from it.
Great photos and reporting, and congratulations on your blogiversary!
Spitzer can use the pharmaceutical defense: something in the NY drinking water interfered with his rational decision making, making him spend too much money on a women clearly less pretty than his wife.
The whole story is indeed fascinating and distracting and disturbing. A lot more will be gone over in all the media before it burns down and is processed out of our systems...people want to try to get a handle on it all but maybe it just isn't really possible.
I'm looking forward to seeing your anniversary post! Your consistency and reliability in blogging is truly impressive. I keep your photo blog bookmarked on my computer at work and look forward to checking it every morning. So thank you for improving my mornings!
Post a Comment