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Meaty power chat: James Ortenzio, a.k.a. the Mayor of the Meat Market, tells us he bumped into hotelier Andre Balazs at the recent Dia:Becacon benefit in Beacon, N.Y. Ortenzio said he was curious what’s going on with Balazs’s seemingly stalled hotel project at Washington and 13th Sts. Balazs told him he’d call him in a couple of weeks, but Ortenzio hasn’t heard anything. “I’m going to give him a call,” Ortenzio said.

Model ad: In case you didn’t know it, the striking-looking model in last week’s ad for Vintage Thrift Shop on the back cover of The Villager was actress Chloe Sevigny. “Sometimes she shops here,” said Katyna Sullivan, the Chelsea store’s management assistant. “She’s a regular customer and friends with Ricky Baker, the general manager. Sometimes, she’ll come in and we’ll shut down the store and just let her shop for a while.” The store is a joint venture of the South Manhattan Development Corporation and United Jewish Council and its proceeds go to charity.

Like Dean scream: Sean Sweeney said Downtown Independent Democrats’ decision to postpone their mayoral endorsement was partly because of the uproar over Fernando Ferrer’s comment that Amadou Diallo’s shooting by police wasn’t a crime — after which his poll numbers plummeted. “It was like when Dean screamed,” Sweeney said, referring to another faux pas by a former frontrunner.

What would Astor Pl. Jesus do? Eric Wallach, who was arrested in May for “crucifying” himself at Astor Pl. by tying himself to the cross arm of a street light, says he’s fighting the charges against him — obstruction of governmental administration and disorderly conduct — when he goes to court on June 22. Wallach’s performance art action was a protest against the Iraq war.

Anne lives on: On Tuesday night, at Pier 60 at Chelsea Piers, celebrities joined dignitaries and friends to honor the life of Anne Frank on what would have been her 75th birthday. The occasion included celebrities reading from Anne Frank’s diary. In addition, the event also honored Pulitzer Prize-winning author Arthur Miller with the first Anne Frank Human Writes Award, an award intended to honor a writer whose work explores the ideals synonymous with Anne Frank.

Shane — came back: Shane, the bartender at Sophie’s on E. Fifth St. — once known as the city’s smokiest bar — recently returned from Thailand, where he was during the tsunami disaster. He also made a stop in Vietnam during his time in Southeast Asia.

Yeah, baby! We spotted actor Mike Myers of “Austin Powers” fame walking along the Hudson River Park esplanade near Christopher St. last Thursday. He was wearing a blue jogging suit and walking with a friend — no, not Mini Me, a good-looking, taller man.

Ready to go: East Village photographer Q. Sakamaki tells us he was ready to jump on a plane last Thursday to cover the turmoil in Bolivia, but that since it seemed things had calmed down by the next day, he decided not to go, at least for now. “They reached a compromise — but I’m still holding my ticket,” he told us.

Allez Lance! Our woman in France, Patricia Fieldsteel, reports that last Friday, Lance Armstrong rode through Nyons on a practice race.

Photo intern: The Villager is seeking a photographer intern. The internship is unpaid, but offers an excellent opportunity to cover news and feature assignments in the Downtown Manhattan area and build up a portfolio of photo clips. If interested, please contact The Villager, c/o Lincoln Anderson, 487 Greenwich St., Suite 6A, NYC, NY, 10013, or send examples of your work by e-mail to lincoln@thevillager.com.

Error: The Greenwich Village Little League ad in The Villager’s June 1 issue should have included the Greenwich Village-Chelsea Chamber of Commerce as a sponsor.