Results tagged “newworld”

The New York Philharmonic Orchestra’s historic concert in North Korea concluded hours ago, marking the first performance by an American orchestra in the impoverished, totalitarian nation. The event also marked a first for much of the press, who are routinely denied access to North Korea and, once inside, usually find their movements tightly controlled. The Times has a stunning slideshow of photos snapped en route from the airport to the center of Pyongyang, something the photographer says is never permitted.

This time of year was always bittersweet for us. The summer was winding down and those carefree, lazy afternoons become numbered. However there was something energizing about beginning a new school year. Maybe it was the excitment of picking out new fall clothes, backpacks and a hot pink Jem Trapper-Keeper (we were partial to Smurfs and Snorks as well). Now we've traded in our colorful binders for the standard issue white with the handy clear sleeve. But just because we are no longer students doesn't mean we can't go back to school. Actually, school just got a whole lot more interesting.

MOVIES: With another version of Hairspray hitting the big screen this summer, it seems to be a season of decades past and, of course, hair! Movies With a View brings back the musical tale of Central Park hippies, small town boys headed to Vietnam and the '60s as they show the film Hair tonight.

DISCUSSION: Is New York losing it's New York charm? Tonight contributors to the new tome "The Suburbanization of New York" will talk about just that (and is conveniently located down the street from H&M and Pottery Barn). The panel includes Marshall Berman, Eric Darton, Francis Morrone, Matthew Schuerman, Neil Smith, Michael Sorkin, and Suzanne Wasserman.

Evil Dead: The Musical officially came to life this month at New World Stages; we caught the show in previews, in a house packed with Evil Dead fans who reveled in every campy moment. The first two rows are given Gallagheresque ponchos and by evening’s end the audience in this so-called “splatter zone” is bathed in enough blood to run the Red Cross for a month. (If you’re grossed out by the amount of blood in Act One, you’ll never make it through Act Two.)

For those lucky enough to be enjoying this three-day weekend, let’s take a moment to raise our glass to Christopher Columbus, who arrived in the Americas, this time back in 1492. For many, the second Monday in October just means another day to work off our hangover and spend the majority of the afternoon in p.j.’s watching the Food Network (or is that just me?). But for Italian-Americans, Columbus Day marks an opportunity to celebrate their heritage with fun things like parades, food, more food and some good vino. That’s reason enough for us to get off the couch (as soon as this episode of “Incredible Edible Mansions” is over).

Do you like show tunes? Do you like American Idol? Do you like watching the desperate hand of hope brush ever so close to success - only to be publicly smacked away? Then set “Celebrity Duets” to Tivo and come join the fun at “Broadway Idol”, the main event of the New York Musical Theatre Festival party series.

based on the 1981 cult classic horror flick by Sam Raimi. It'll be directed by Bond and Hinton Battle, who also choreographed the show. Tying in with the Midnight Movie plot of a group of friends visiting a wooded cabin and unleashing untold evil, they'll be offering performances starting at 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Also if you're really into the guts and gore aspect of hack 'em up horror, be sure to ask to sit in the first few rows identified as the "Splatter Zone." No news yet whether the evil book will get a tap dance solo. Previews begin October 1 with the opening November 1 at New World Stages.

On Sundays Gothamist runs opinion pieces relevant to life in New York and reviews of recent books and performances. The judgments expressed below are entirely those of the author.

Everyone loves a good caprese salad. The Italian delicacy is genius in its simplicity. It can be nothing more than sliced tomatoes topped with fresh mozzarella, garnished with basil and drizzled in olive oil. Anybody can make caprese as well as any Italian restaurant in town so long as anybody has access to high quality ingredients. Ay, there’s the rub: Where to find those ingredients.

The world of wine and spirits has historically been a male-dominated arena – from the old-school sommeliers in bowties and silver tastevins around their necks to the grand chateaus passed down from father to son. However, this ancient industry has evolved and grown to cater to its bellowing fan base. No longer only a boys’ club, women have become a driving force in the production, service and consumption of wine. Forget the notion of girls sipping chardonnay and white wine spritzers – we, ladies, can grow the grapes, make the wine and serve it up, too. And it’s plain to see at Annisa, an intimate West Village restaurant, in our own Manhattan.

With the Golden Globes happening this past weekend, everybody catching up on big winners were that Kate Beckinsale looks awesome in leather, and somehow this guy convinced her to marry him.

No don't worry. Gothamist doesn't plan to subject you to yet another film Top 10 list. If you want a good ... uhm ... "overview" of this year's Top 10 lists, you might want to check-out The Reeler's Top 10 Top 10 lists. (Nos. 10-6 appeared yesterday. The top five went up this morning.) If you're looking for something more traditional, you should probably look at 's Take 7 film critics poll.

Let the floodgates open. A bounty of movie gifts arrive just in time for Christmas and Hannukah, but it's only fair to warn you that many may resemble fruitcake. As the days tick down toward the end of the year -- also known as the deadline for Oscar eligibility -- and people start taking time off for the holidays, distributors are squeezing new releases into theaters trying to grab a piece of the box office and Awards season pie. The calendar conspires against the big studios this year who love to release films on Christmas day, and this year is no exception even though with the holiday falling on Sunday, that means a one-day weekend.

It might be hard to get to a theatre in time to see any of these picks, but here goes. Even with our fairly averse attitude toward holiday-specific performances, it’s hard not to notice that the current crop of shows is pretty heavy on the fractured fairytale side of things. Except for kids, there’s almost no straightforward telling of a Christmas- (or other holiday) related story. We’re not complaining, but it does make it harder to pick out something as the zaniest take on the genre. Broken Watch Theatre Company’s A Broken Christmas Carol (a 21st century, NC-17 version) and the Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre Company’s Christmas Carol, Oy Hanukkah, Merry Kwanzaa, Happy Ramadan (a version “with Old World accents and New World inclusiveness” – Scrooge would not approve) show that Dickens’s story is still the go-to touchstone for holiday theatre. Maybe because it’s so omnipresent, we can’t help but be a bit more drawn to Jeffrey Solomon’s one-man Santa Claus is Coming Out (or, How the Gay Agenda Came Down My Chimney) which is playing three nights at Queens Theatre in the Park. Solomon takes on a dozen plus characters in this reprisal of mockumentary about the jolly red guy with the giant belly. Oh, if the people howling about a “war on Christmas” could see all this now…not that they’d expect much more from us NYC heathens, of course.

First bloggers were accused of damaging journalism, then politics, and now? The Oscars! What's next, Christmas?

This past weekend Gothamist was invited to a party, and we needed to bring wine. We ran to the local wine shop (it was pouring rain, which conveniently seemed to start the moment we stepped outside), selected our wine and were off to the party. When we arrived, we placed the wine down on the table with the other wine guests had brought and noticed something quite unusual. Of the 7 bottles of wine, 6 were Cabernet Sauvignon from California. Was it possible that we were at a party with all New World Cabernet lovers? Did that many exist? We had to find out.

Cardinal Joseph Ratziner was chosen by his cardinal peers to be the new Pope. Ratzinger, who will now be known as Pope Benedict XVI, is the first German pope in a thousand years. His selection reflects the desire of the church to shore up Europe as a Catholic stronghold, making many worried he will "scare away" other people. While many New Yorkers cheered in Times Square when white smoke appeared and the new pope was announce, some were hoping for a New World pontiff, to show the Vatican was willing to make radical changes, versus Ratzinger, a conservative Catholic who thinks other religions are "deficient." But given that his nicknames are "Enforcer" and "Watchdog," Gothamist thinks his appointment means TV networks will probably develop shows around the Vatican really soon - "Imagine, an Equalizer for the Christian right!"

March 16th: International Chocolate Panel. The folks at the at 92nd Street Y are putting together a panel discussion and a fantastic-sounding tasting of chocolate from around the world. The panel, moderated by author and culinary historian Alexandra Leaf, includes Stephanie Teuwen, special events producer for the Chocolate Show, Clay Gordon, chocolate critic and founder of the New World Chocolate Society (sign us up for that one!), Francois Payard, chef-owner of Payard Patisserie & Bistro, and Bill Yosses, executive chef of Joseph’s Citarella. Tickets are $45 and can be bought online. 7:30 PM, 1395 Lexington Avenue (92nd and Lexington), (212)415-5500.

So you've made it through another Valentines Day -- whether you shared a romantic evening with your sweetie-pie or drank your sorrows away with some spicy shiraz, it's time to move on, as there are some food and wine events this week that need your attention:

First it was Australia, then it was New Zealand . . . now the next New World wine region to capture the hearts and taste buds of New Yorkers is South America. What makes this region so spectacular for easy to drink, plush, fruity wines is the perfect climate. Grapes get to bask in the warm Latin sun – enjoying a particularly long ripening season. Kind of like the holiday we wish we could take. Rain and frost are non-issues and with plenty water from irrigation those lucky grapes are more spoiled then the tenants of 927 Fifth Avenue.

There’s been much debate about Old World vs. New World wines - which wines are better, the role of tradition, the opportunity for scientific advancements – Gothamist could go on forever, but we will not. To us it’s not a choice and either style can be fabulous based on what we are looking for at any moment in time. What interests us is the back story, the untold story of how the two worlds came together to save wine as we know it today (insert overture to “West Side Story” here).

We New Yorkers have been through a lot recently. First the Republican National Convention - bringing thousands of slow walking tourists to our city and most recently the UN meetings - can anyone explain why it takes 26 cars to move the President two blocks?

Gothamist remembers way back when, in January 2000, when we first heard about Ginger from Inside.com. It was supposed to be some sort of revolutionary individual transportation device, from the man who designed a wheelchair that could climb stairs. The hype, fueled by inventor-entrepreneur Dean Kamen and the media, drove geeks of all kinds (tech, media, transportation) crazy. And then when the Segway Human Transporter was finally unveiled, response was "Where's my flying machine?"