Tag Archives: Times Square

How do I spell happy?

Posted on June 13, 2013 | Leave a comment

bacon-bash

This is in Times Square in 10 days.  And, yes, I bought my ticket.

OINK!

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Sweet and spicy

Posted on November 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

Once is a coincidence.

Twice?  Well, that’s worthy of recommendation.

A couple of years ago I went to Ruby Foo’s in Times Square with some friends visiting from out of town. Comedian Larry David was at the bar, waiting for his carryout order.

The sighting was a big hit.

Tonight I ventured back to Foo’s with a different group of friends, also from out of town. Larry wasn’t there. No, tonight was even better.

Mandy Patinkin was in the house.

And these friends were ballsier. They walked up to Mandy, introduced themselves, complimented his work. All in a quiet, tasteful walk-by.

Now I’m thinking maybe Foo’s should be a stop on the tour for all my out-of-town visitors.  Who knows what array of celebrities are dining on Chinese there on a nightly basis?

I’m sure they’d love to have us bring them their fortune cookie.

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Posted in Commentary, Foods, Humor, Life, Restaurants, Travel

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Among friends

Posted on August 16, 2012 | Leave a comment

Yeah, so this is who I hung out with last night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Director David Cronenberg.  Robert Pattinson.  And David Carr from the New York Times.

Your average Wednesday evening.

I bought tickets to the event months ago…before Kristen Stewart happened.  It was billed as “A Conversation about Cosmopolis,” which opens in select cities on Friday.

I worried the interview would be hijacked by the scandal. But when the three sat down in The Times Center theatre in Times Square, it was Cosmopolis from beginning to end.  Lots of clips.  Lots of conversation.  Both surprisingly funny.

There was one moment when interviewer David Carr tried to use the Stewart/Pattinson scandal to draw a parallel, and the audience literally began to boo and hiss.  Shouts of “Next question” and “Move along” filled the room.

Carr turned to the crowd and said, “I wasn’t going there,” to which someone loudly replied:

“Then don’t.”

Robert was in good hands.

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Posted in Celebrities, Commentary, Entertainment, Humor, Life, Movies

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6:30am

Posted on April 13, 2012 | Leave a comment

Where were you at the crack of dawn?

image

I was in Times Square, shooting a commercial.  Now I’m in a van headed to our second location.

Did I mention who is directing the spot? The same guy who directed “Thriller” for Michael Jackson.

Whackadoodle doo.

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Posted in Advertising, Business, Celebrities, Entertainment, Humor, Life, Television, TV

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Not again

Posted on August 10, 2011 | Leave a comment

Making movies cost the big bucks, it’s true.

So perhaps we shouldn’t judge producers too harshly when they remake blockbusters from years past to ensure box office success…like The Great Gatsby or Footloose.

This may also explain ‘sequel-itis’…although quality seems to figure less in that equation.

Case in point:  New Year’s Eve from director Garry Marshall.

New Year’s Eve is the sequel to last year’s horrible Valentine’s Day, a romantic comedy jam-packed with stars, cliched story lines and performances that were shallow to say the most.

(Sorry; it was that bad.) 

I’m not surprised actors are drawn to the sequel; it’s the easiest money they’ll ever make.  And Garry Marshall probably just used the Valentine’s Day shooting script and changed the California locations to New York City.

But why do it at all?

Critics skewered the first film, and audience reviews were only slightly warmer.  And while Valentine’s Day did break $100 million at the box office, there were a lot of celebrity salaries to pay.

Well, after seeing the trailer, I think I’ve figured it out.

Garry has directed a train wreck of a film…and we all know how hard it is not to look at one of those.

Cha-ching!

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Posted in Celebrities, Commentary, Entertainment, Holiday, Humor, Life, Movies, Relationships, Valentine's Day

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Lovely litter

Posted on August 3, 2011 | Leave a comment

I’ve often heard people say Manhattan is a ‘filthy city,’ but I just don’t see it.

Maybe that’s because Justin Gignac is selling all our garbage.

Justin is an artist based in Soho.  When a colleague poo-poo’ed the importance of package design, Justin took it as a professional challenge.  He grabbed the one thing no one would ever want to buy and packaged it in such a way that they would.

Garbage of New York City was born.

It’s real trash from the streets of Manhattan, although Justin swears it’s odor-free. Each cube is dated and signed by the artist.

His first cube came from Times Square, where I’m sure you can collect some seriously gross garbage, iffin you’re of a mind.

He’s also made special edition cubes — at equally special prices — for such righteous refuse as Obama’s Inauguration and the Yankees Victory Parade.

Who would buy garbage, you ask?  Some 1,300 folks from over 29 different countries to date.  And really, isn’t it a far more artistic way to recycle than rinsing out milk cartons?

So, during your next family vacation or theatre weekend in New York City, be better than souvenir t-shirts or a miniature Statue of Liberty.  Demand clear cubes of certified New York City waste products — your friends will love ‘em!

And my neighborhood will stay minty fresh…

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Posted in Advertising, Art, Business, Commentary, Crafts, Design, Family, Friends, Humor, Shopping, Travel

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Latter days

Posted on June 23, 2011 | Leave a comment

There are a lot of things I expect to find in Times Square.

Tourists.  Jammed sidewalks.  Street vendors.  More tourists.  Theatres.  Traffic.  Hey look — more tourists.

But ads for the Mormons — not the musical, the church — on every surface?

That’s a bit surprising.

The ad campaign by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was launched last week in Times Square in an attempt to re-brand the Mormon faith as “normal.”

The ads feature photos of ethnically-diverse, regular people.  One guy is even riding a motorcycle.

Yep.  Looks pretty normal from here.

Why the LDS church chose now to launch their campaign can be debated.  Is it because of the upcoming presidential campaign, which includes a Mormon GOP candidate?  I don’t know; he’s run before without their intervention.

Or is the timing and location of the campaign in response to the wildly successful Broadway show The Book of Mormon, which won nine Tonys (including Best Musical) and will no doubt go on to do a national tour?

If so, Church Fathers, worry no more.  The Book of Mormon is one of the most positive things to happen to your religion since the golden plates.  Everyone who walks out of the theatre knows more about your faith and the commonalities it shares with their own.

The humor unites us.  The ads?

They’re just more traffic.

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Posted in Advertising, Broadway, Business, Commentary, Entertainment, Family, Friends, Humor, Life, Philosophy, Travel

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No butts

Posted on May 23, 2011 | Leave a comment

And breathe, just breathe,
Woah breathe, just breathe… — Anna Nalick

Come to New York City — it’s a great place to breathe!

Effective today, smoking is banned in public spaces, including parks, beaches, and pedestrian plazas.  That means your stroll through Central Park, Times Square and other popular spots where tourists gather won’t be polluted with cigarette smoke.

Smokers who violate the ban will be given one warning, then charged a $50 fine.  The New York City Parks Department, not police officers, will enforce the ban.

Way to go, Mayor Bloomberg.

Everyone doesn’t share my happiness.  A ‘smoke-in’ is scheduled today at City Hall by the New York Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment to protest the ban.

So, there’s one place where breathing will be especially hazardous to your health today.  But for the rest of the city, breathe in!

Second-hand smoke just got the ol’ one-two punch.



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Posted in Commentary, Environment, Health, Life, News, Philosophy, Politics, Travel

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Save our slice

Posted on April 2, 2011 | 5 Comments

Say it isn’t Sbarro.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that the pizza chain may file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as early as next week.  They are seeking something called ‘debtor-in-possession’ financing from a group of hedge funds to keep the stores open and operating while in bankruptcy.

I for one hope they find the sauce they need.

It’s not that Sbarro is my favorite restaurant.  The pizza biz in New York City is crowded and highly competitive; you can find a better pie at several places in my neighborhood alone.

But Sbarro is the slice I associate with Times Square.

Long before I lived in Manhattan, my trips into the city were for one thing and one thing only:  theatre.  We would jam two or more plays into a day, if the show times allowed.

And when you’re running from venue to venue, grabbing a slice at Sbarro was quick and cheap and satisfying.  I’m sure it still is for the legion of tourists who overwhelm the theatre district every single day (except maybe Mondays).

Call me nostalgic, but I can’t imagine Broadway without Sbarro.  Let’s find the bucks, people, and help them keep their slice of the Great White Way.

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Posted in Broadway, Business, Commentary, Entertainment, Finances, Food, Foods, Humor, Life, Restaurants, Travel

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Yawn Broadway

Posted on January 6, 2011 | Leave a comment

The lights on Broadway were glowing a bit brighter this week after its 2010 numbers were announced.

Bigger revenues.  Higher attendance. The Great White Way must be doing something right.

Or is it?

The top money makers have been around a long, long time.  Wicked.  The Lion King.  Jersey Boys.  The Phantom of the Holy-Crap-People-Are-Still-Going-To-See-The Opera.

It’s not to say that many of these productions aren’t wonderful.  I would see Wicked once a week if I had tickets.  (I would see Phantom if it were deemed the appropriate punishment for a truly, evil deed committed.)

But I sometimes feel like the audiences visiting New York City exhibit the same caution towards their theater ticket purchase as they do what street to walk down in Times Square.

Always taking the safe route, the tried and true, and — more and more so — Disney-approved.

So by the time the Tony Awards roll around in June, many of the shows nominated will have already closed due to low audience turnout.

Case in point:  Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.

Bloody was a smash hit Off-Broadway and made the leap to the Great White Way earlier this year.  Critics loved it.  Audiences?  They went to Wicked and Lion King, which I saw in previews in 1994.  That’s 1994.

Come on, people.  You’ve seen the movie.  You probably own the movie.  Your kid lost their stuffed Simba before they started college.

Bloody was funny and irreverent and semi-educational.  And, yes, just edgy enough to remind you all…

You’re in New York City.

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