Hank Azaria

Aaron Sorkin, the TV scribe behind “The West Wing” and “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” will debut his new play, The Farnsworth Invention in previews starting tonight at the Music Box Theatre. Opening night is scheduled for Nov. 14.

According to the website’s description:

It’s 1929. Two ambitious visionaries race against each other to invent a device called “television.” Separated by two thousand miles, each knows that if he stops working, even for a moment, the other will gain the edge. Who will unlock the key to the greatest innovation of the 20th century: the ruthless media mogul, or the self-taught Idaho farm boy?

Hank Azaria will play the Rupert Murdoch-like media mogul while Jimmi Simpson, the puffy-lipped creepy guy who has made guest appearances on "Carnivale" and "My Name is Earl", will star as the country mouse trying to make it big. Two-time Tony winner for Big River and The Who’s Tommy, Des McAnuff, will direct.

Aaron, can you hear me?

Check here for tickets.

After putting her Fifth Avenue penthouse on the market over a year ago, Julia Roberts is finally closer to selling, according to the New York Post. Also, whatever happened to Lenny Kravitz buying the Duke Semans mansion? Could the ice-cream man have been wrong?

Hank Azaria dropped $4.75 million on Cindy Sherman’s Soho loft, according to the New York Times. Mr. Azaria will now bask in the downtown co-op’s “sensual elegance,” which The Real Estate last visited in July.

In the New York Times. Charles Bagli looks at the the possible move of Madison Square Garden to a location a few blocks. If built, the future home of the Knicks and Rangers would follow a familiar trend in recently-built arenas--additional luxury boxes! So the West Side Stadium gets struck down and a new MSG could rise up. It looks like those feisty Dolans knew what they were doing all along.

In New York magazine, S. Jhoanna Robledo looks at changes in the co-op approval process, like increased transparency. Also, Barnes and Noble exec Steve Riggio bought a $5.75 million Hamptons home, "according to sources." One of those sources might have been The Observer, which already reported the deal in mid July.  read more »

Also, could mega-developer Gary Barnett and his friends at the Carlyle Group already flip part of the land they bought last June from Donald Trump? According to Crain's, at least two bidders are interested in a $1 billion swath.

-Michael Calderone