Tag Archives: Manhattan

Dance, dance baby

Posted on May 12, 2012 | Leave a comment

I love a good documentary on a Saturday morning.

And First Position, which is currently in theatres and available OnDemand, is great.

The feature film documents the journey of six young ballet dancers as they attempt to qualify and compete in the Youth America Grand Prix in New York City, the most prestigious youth ballet competition in the world. 

This contest isn’t just about trophies or medals; it’s serious business.  The winning dancers receive full scholarships to top ballet schools and contracts to the most prestigious ballet companies in the world — jobs that are few and far between.

The filmmakers have amazing access to the dancers at home, in the rehearsal studio, and in the wings before, during and after their competition performances.  It’s pretty incredible…and no small wonder the documentary was named the audience choice’s first runner up for Best Documentary at the Toronto Film Festival where it premiered.

See?  Told you it was great.

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Posted in Commentary, dancing, Entertainment, Life, Movies, Television, TV

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All roads lead home

Posted on May 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

We all know it’s a small world.  The song says so.

But sometimes the universe puts a big ol’ exclamation point on it.

I flew home to New York City late Saturday after a trip to Chicago and got in the cab, prepared to doze during the drive home.

My cabbie had a different idea.

You see, he was a talker.  He asked about my trip, what I did for a living, where my hometown was.  Since I’m a talker, I reluctantly abandoned the nap and chatted with him instead.

(He had a French accent, so it wasn’t a hardship.)

Turns out my NYC cab driver, who hails from a French colony in Africa, attended Southern Illinois University and had a roommate from Paducah, Kentucky — a stone’s throw from my own hometown.

Coincidence?  Sure…but what a fun one!

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Posted in Humor, Love, transportation, Travel

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Play big!

Posted on April 23, 2012 | 6 Comments

Over the weekend, students at MIT hacked the Green Building on campus and made it play Tetris.

It’s not the first time a college building’s lights have been hijacked.  Students at Brown University and Delft University in the Netherlands pulled off similar stunts years earlier.

But it’s still pretty darn fun.

And I think New York City should consider itself challenged — not the colleges per se, but all the wonderfully tall buildings that occupy downtown and bring in millions of tourists each year.

Sure, we have dancing snowflakes on the side of the Sax Fifth Avenue Building each Christmas, but I’m talking bigger.  Taller.  Faster.

I’m looking at you, Empire State Building.

We know you can vary the lights at the very tip-top to reflect the seasons.  How about using the lights on the side of the building to create the biggest video game in the world?

If you don’t do it, I’ll bet there’s a hacker out there who will.

Game on.

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Posted in College, Commentary, Design, Education, Entertainment, Games, Humor, Internet, Life, News, Technology, Travel

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Meet cute

Posted on April 20, 2012 | 2 Comments

I met another celeb in the neighborhood yesterday.  Or I should say, Rory did.

I wasn’t the one getting a belly rub in the middle of the afternoon.

Bob Balaban was getting food for his daughter’s dachshund Elliot when Rory and I chanced to meet him at the pet store. As always, Rory’s color and indeterminate breeding prompted questions and, before I knew it, Bob and Rory were sitting on the floor together.

I meet the nicest folks when I hang out with my boy.

With his travel schedule, Bob said having a dog isn’t an option.

Well, Bob, consider yourself Rory Dog’s official uncle.  It’s just a small way of saying ‘thank you’ for being so nice.

(And for Best in Show, Gosford Park, Friends, and Waiting for Guffmann, to name a few.)

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Posted in Animals, Celebrities, Dogs, Entertainment, Humor, Life, Movies, Walking

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Bird brain

Posted on April 19, 2012 | 3 Comments

If you’re looking for the first robins of spring where you live…

They’re all in Central Park.

I noticed a large gathering of robins on the Great Lawn when I was walking Rory this morning.  They were spaced out in an almost geometric pattern, standing very still.

It looked much like the start of some sci-fi films, just before the aliens land…or creatures burst through the earth after being buried in pods for centuries.

Perhaps they were exhibiting the bird behavior that mathematician John Nash studied as a student at Princeton, which was dramatized in the movie A Beautiful Mind, starring Russell Crowe.

Of course, there is one other reason the birds could have been standing there on the Great Lawn in the early morning –

Breakfast.

 

 

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Posted in Animals, Celebrities, Commentary, Entertainment, Humor, Life, Movies, Philosophy, Travel, Weather

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Looney tunes

Posted on April 16, 2012 | Leave a comment

We all know that B-list celebrities do reality shows to boast their sagging careers.  But to reveal their mental instabilities?

That’s just a viewer bonus.

I decided to watch this season of Celebrity Apprentice because Adam Corolla was in the cast.  I had seen him on Dancing with the Stars , and he was one of my favorites — self-effacing, witty, and yet really trying to win.

I like that.

Tragically, Adam was fired quite early on Apprentice. But Lisa Lampanelli, a comedienne I’ve never heard of until now, has provided more than ample entertainment.

It’s not that she’s that funny.  She’s mean.  Really mean.  And she has a tremendous ego.  (She is the smartest and most important person in the room and in every challenge, don’t you know.)

In the boardroom, where Donald Trump fires folks each week, she hurls verbal and mental abuse and F-bombs…and cries as a last resort.

She’s a fricking looney.

I don’t know if Lisa will win Celebrity Apprentice, but I doubt she is winning over any new fans in this endeavor.

Except perhaps a long line of psychiatrists, just chomping at the bit for her business.

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Posted in Celebrities, Comedy, Commentary, Entertainment, Humor, Life, Television, TV

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Twice

Posted on April 11, 2012 | 1 Comment

I loved the movie Once. 

So much that I boycotted the musical when it opened off-Broadway .  The original stars weren’t in it — how could the musical compare?

My heart was closed.

Then the show moved to Broadway, and the TV commercials began.  Yes, ‘guy’ and ‘girl’ were different, but their voices, the harmonies were as beautiful as the movie that inspired them.  So I decided to give the show a shot.

Last night I was in the audience for Once on Broadway. I loved the staging, a working Irish bar — they even served drinks during intermission — that was transformed throughout the evening by creative lighting.  Every actor also played an instrument, so there was no orchestra pit.

Most importantly, every voice, every note was perfection.  There were a lot of tears in the audience.  (People were talking about it as they left the theatre, so it wasn’t just me.)

The only thud in the production — which occurred at the start of the play and made me sad — was the playwright’s need to ‘funny up’ the script, making the characters extreme stereotypes of themselves.  This was especially true of ‘girl,’ who was a quirky, jokey one-liner, which was counter to her gentle spirit in the movie.

But once she and ‘guy’ began to sing, she softened and the music drove the show, as it did the movie.

And all was forgiven.

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Posted in Broadway, Commentary, Entertainment, Life, Movies, Music

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Winds day

Posted on April 9, 2012 | Leave a comment

I had an early appointment downtown this morning.  As I made my way from the subway station to the studio, the wind was blowing so hard, I was almost lifted off my feet.  I thought…

“What a blustery day.”

I can thank Winnie the Pooh for that.

We all write for different reasons.  Some to make a living.  Some just hoping to entertain.  And then there are the truly gifted who entertain and teach us something about ourselves. And their words live for generations.

A.A. Milne defines that category.

So, all you mothers out there who are reading Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day to your kids — imagine a day like today, decades later (no need to say how many, I hope) when your son or daughter will stand on a windy street corner and effortlessly recall these words.

And smile.

Gopher: If I was you, I’d think about skedaddlin’ out of here.
Winnie the Pooh: Why?
Gopher: ‘Cause it’s “Winds-day.”    
 
– Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day

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Posted in Books, Children, Life, Weather, Writing

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Hot time

Posted on March 31, 2012 | 4 Comments

So, this happened.

I worked at home yesterday and had just sat down to eat lunch when someone rang my front door. Assuming it was UPS, I buzzed him in and stepped into my coop’s hallway.

My dog Rory ran ahead to greet my visitor and brought back…

HIM

Okay, not this particular fireman.  The firefighter in my building had black hair and was tragically wearing his shirt uniform.  But still –

He was smoking hot!

I said, “Are we on fire?” and he flashed a perfect smile.

Well, I was.

He explained he was conducting the building’s yearly walk-through, and proceeded to ask some questions about the basement and elevator access while he petted my dog Rory.

To soon, he was on his way.  But my heart was happy.  You see, the firehouse is only one block away.

Rory, it’s time to try a different walk route!

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Posted in Comedy, Humor, Life, Love, Relationships

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Alien encounter

Posted on February 24, 2012 | Leave a comment

A spaceship crashed in Manhattan last night.

You didn’t hear about it?  I did.  I was in the theatre that it hit.

That’s the back story of the off-Broadway musical Voca People playing now at New World Stages.

I hadn’t heard much about the show until Jimmy Fallon gave it a rave review.  Then it seemed like everyone was talking about it.

The eight performers — residents of the planet Voca performing to gain ‘life energy’ for their spaceship so they can return home — act as alien as they appear.  When they first walk on stage, they can’t even speak English; however, linking hands with an audience member quickly engages their ‘universal translator.’

Space age gimmicks aside, the vocals and harmonies of Voca People are — forgive me — out of this world.  The entire act is a capella; they create every note with only their mouths and microphones.  While I could have done without the narrative, the song selection, quality of performance and sheer energy made me an instant fan.

Seriously — they do a rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody” that is worth the complete price of admission.  And their interaction with audience members is an endearing combination of awkward and awesome.

So, if you’re near the theatre district and see a UFO…

Run towards the light.

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Posted in Broadway, Celebrities, Commentary, Entertainment, Humor, Travel

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