Photo by Avi.

December 19, 2011 Weather: Mostly Sunny, High of 48 Degrees.

Notices:
A short but sweet list of events for this week is up. We’ll be adding some more events as well.

News:
Opera singer Wendy White fell off a platform on Saturday night while playing the role of Marthe in Faust at the Metropolitan Opera. She was taken to the hospital, but her injuries do not appear serious. The performance was halted for about 30 minutes. A hinge on a piece of plywood broke, leading to the fall, The Met said. (NY Times)

The mystery buyer of Sandy Weill’s penthouse apartment at 15 Central Park West is apparently Russian fertilizer tycoon Dmitry Rybolovlev. He reportedly paid the full asking price of $88 million, which is a new New York record, and surpasses the next most expensive apartment by more than $30 million. He has an interesting history: “In 1996 he was accused of murdering a local businessman and spent 11 months in jail, before he was acquitted.” (Daily Mail)

Jeffrey Chodorow is now rumored to be considering opening a branch of Chinese Restaurant RedFarm on 77th Street and Broadway at the old site of the West Branch. But that’s the spot where Serafina and Geisha are expected to open. It’s all very whisper whisper right now… (Gael Greene via GrubStreet)

The youngest female racer in Nascar is from the Upper West Side. Who knew? (The Levo League)