Dimwitted former cheerleader and frat-boy boozer George W. Bush has agreed to face loquacious skirt-chaser and crafty triangulater Bill Clinton in a debate. With words! In our dreams, it goes something like this:
Dimwitted former cheerleader and frat-boy boozer George W. Bush has agreed to face loquacious skirt-chaser and crafty triangulater Bill Clinton in a debate. With words! In our dreams, it goes something like this:
Though the trailer echoed the sentiment that "Brooklyn is the new Manhattan," and SJP herself called the outer boroughs "desirable," last night the Sex and the City movie premiere took place smack dab in the middle of town at Radio City Music Hall.
Another Will Ferrell sports flick will inflate this weekend, capping off a nationwide “Funny or Die” promotional tour that brought him to Radio City Music Hall Sunday night. The movie is Semi-Pro, which stars Ferrell as Jackie Moon, owner of the 1976 Flint Michigan Tropics, a team in the maverick ABA basketball league. To keep his career alive against all odds, Moon initiates off a series of increasingly desperate publicity stunts to attract fans – behavior that does sound awfully familiar.
Maybe you've received a flier to see a show at Radio City Music Hall called Chinese New Year Splendor, which is promoted as a holiday celebration of China’s diverse cultural riches. But mixed within the traditional Mongolian dancing, orchestral music and Buddhist parables are dramatizations of the Chinese government’s oppression of Falun Gong, a qigong-based spiritual practice that is banned in China. And the show’s political content is prompting audiences to walk out by the hundreds.
If you’re the type of parent who wears a Ramones T-shirt to a P.T.A. meeting, the idea of taking your kids to some sappy Christmas show is probably abhorrent; you wouldn’t be caught dead at Radio City’s spectacular and schlepping into Times Square to spend a fortune on “Grinch” is unthinkable. But if you’d still like to catch a holiday show with the whole family, there’s a limited-time-only alternative in the heart of the East Village, where the Chicago import 500 Clown Christmas is making merry mayhem.
The tree is lit, and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular is another tradition back for a 75th season. The well-seasoned Rockettes steal the show from Santa every year, and have quite a history -- they were originally called The Roxyettes and originated in...Missouri:The group was started by Russell Markert in 1925 in St. Louis, Missouri as the "Missouri Rockets". In 1927, Samuel Roxy Rothafel discovered them and brought them to New York City. They...
Have you re-read the classic coming-of-age JD Salinger novel, Catcher in the Rye, lately? amNewYork takes a trip down memory lane, and 5th Ave, with a pair of Holden Caulfield-tinted glasses. Apparently people like the Central Park Conservancy historian get a ton of inquiries about the New York references in the novel. The most popular question, "Where do the ducks go in the winter?" Referring to the ducks in the Central Park pond that our...
MOVIE: The Brooklyn Independent Cinemas series (which takes place the first and third Monday of every month) delivers two shorts tonight. First up is Nevel is the Devil, where "a supervisor at a consumer product testing lab interrogates two suspects of a devilish prank." The second is The Last Romantic, which follows Calvin Wizzig, a poet, around New York in hopes of getting published. Watch the trailer here. 7pm // Barbes [376 9th St, Park...
1) Features about the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes, in anticipation of this year's Radio City Christmas Spectacular. The NY Times looks how performances from the 1930s and 1940s inspired this year's show while Newsday notes on the technology being used. Both focus on the amazing synchronized dancing. 2) Starbucks has decorated its stores with Christmas decorations and has started to use Christmas/holiday themed cups. Cajun Boy in the City also counts Josh Grobin...
The Dalai Lama has arrived in New York, speaking in his native Tibetan language for two hours yesterday to followers, fans and the faithful at the Javits Convention Center. Newsday reports:
He delivered his entire speech without notes, pausing to take a sip of tea only at the end as tears of joy flowed through the crowd. [He stated:] "The Tibetan cause is a cause of justice, and that's something that cannot fade away. That is the nature of truth _ that it cannot die with time and with the change of generations."Next week the Dalai Lama will visit Washington to receive the Congressional Gold Medal (formerly received by Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela) from President Bush. In the past he has visited the White House as a religious leader, now (at least in the eyes of Chinese President Hu Jintao) he may be recognized more as a political leader. Before heading to DC, however, he will be at Radio City for three days of teachings, which began today -- more details can be found at his New York site. He will end his visit with a public talk on Sunday, more details for that are here.
Josh Moore is a part of the almighty Bowery Presents organization that runs just about every venue you've been to around town -- from Mercury Lounge to Bowery Ballroom and beyond. Most recently the team opened up the Music Hall of Williamsburg (with a bit of a delay), and we asked the man who runs the old Northsix space a few questions.
What better way to brighten up a Monday morning than with Björk tickets? The Icelandic singer is back, and playing Madison Square Garden on September 24th. Tickets are on sale here, but we have two pairs to give away!
Blender has a list of 100 Days That Changed Music, and not surprisingly a good amount of them took place in New York. Here are a few, see any missing?
A couple of years ago, Bryan Devendorf (drummer for The National) documented the band's trip to SXSW for us. We enjoyed it so much, we asked him to do it again! This time he documented their recent shows with Arcade Fire right here in New York, and even addresses those security guards at Radio City.
The nicer the weather gets, the busier we get across the Ist-A-Verse. But we like being busy. Here's a peek at what we've been up to since last week!
There has been much to-do about the anti-establishment efforts of The Arcade Fire at their recent Radio City concert, urging the fans to rush and outnumber the security guards keeping the aisles clear. What was overshadowed was that this is perhaps the best live band touring right now, and they were absolutely at the top of their game this week, playing each of these shows as if it was the last they'd ever do and merely asking the fans to react with an equal enthusiasm. While the debate will continue as to whether the band should have toned their calls to riot down a smidge, or why they were even playing a sit-down theater tour in the first place, what shouldn't be lost is that these guys seem to get better and better as their popularity grows. The inevitable MSG show their next time around is sure to be quite the spectacle.
Last night Arcade Fire and The National played their third New York show of the week, and the first show of the inaugural High Line Festival (which kicked off at Radio City Music Hall). David Bowie, co-founder and curator of the festival and Arcade Fire's #1 fan, was in attendance but didn't perform with the band as expected. He also didn't announce the kick off to the festival - nor does he seem to know what the High Line actually is. Ah, rock stars.
As we get closer to the kick-off of the much anticipated High Line Festival, let's take a closer look at what's to come, and at the man who co-founded and curated the whole thing, David Bowie. The eleven days of music, film, art and comedy starts Wednesday at Radio City Music Hall. Who else to play the first event at the inaugural festival than Bowie-beloved Arcade Fire? Pair 'em up with Brooklyn's The National and you've got a lineup that already beats most out there.
READING: FreeNYC points us to a reading at B&N featuring Gong Show guru and possible CIA assassin, Chuck Barris:
The NFL Draft starts at noon today and the local teams will have to wait a long time to pick. With the Giants at 20 and the Jets at 25, we probably won’t see a local team pick until well after 4pm. The time may benefit both clubs, because each has very distinct needs they need to fill today and tomorrow.
Losing Something is a new play by theater and media group 3-Legged Dog (3LD), whose headquarters at 30 West Broadway were destroyed on 9/11. Their new space at 80 Greenwich Street is just three blocks from Ground Zero – a seemingly fitting spot in the shadow of no towers for their new multimedia meditation on loss.
The much anticipated, David Bowie-curated High Line Festival has finally announced a lineup.
The Holidays have fallen upon us like a pack of ferocious ice weasels, so we'd feel appropriately guilty if we didn’t suggest some relevant theater options. Of course, if you’re seeking a diversion for out-of-town visitors, The Radio City Christmas Spectacular is (literally) a no-brainer, provided they’ve got deep pockets: Tickets to the glorified burlesque show can cost up to $250 - per rube.
If you like emo and all that other music the kids are listening to these days, there's a free show at Radio City on September 23rd. All you have to do is sign up to be a volunteer, contributing four hours of volunteer service to a non-profit. After committing to the four hours 5,000 local youth volunteers will see "Today's Top Hip-Hop & Rock Artists":
The VMA's are in town, but there's more to do beyond screaming outside of Radio City or attempting to hit up one of the red carpet parties...
Taking time out of his usual schedule running NYC and counting his money, Mayor Bloomberg appeared on MTV in (a taped segment) to hype the MTV Video Music Awards, which are back in NYC this year. Yup, that's why it's messy around Radio City Music Hall and that's why all these celebrities and "celebrities" (LC from The Hills, we're talking to you) are in town. Famous New Yorkers are asked who they think will win the Video of the Year Award - Pat Kiernan of NY1, Wendy Williams, the Naked Cowboy, Donald Trump. As Newsday points out, the Mayor was flanked by the "several young members of his staff" (like Ed Skyler?) and threw his support behind Shakira in a faux-deliberation in front of a computer:
"As mayor of New York, this really is a tough one. I could go with Christina; she was born in New York... I could go with Madonna; she made it big here in New York... I think I'm going to have to go with Shakira. Those hips don't lie."Why are we simultaneously amused and creeped out by that? But the best part was when Mr. Met was asked who he thought should win - they did of a split screen of Madonna in "Hung Up" and Mr. Met dancing!
Jay-Z performed a rehearsal show on Saturday night at Nokia Theater, prior to his Sunday night Radio City Music Hall Show (which sounds like it was amazing). Both celebrating the 10th anniversary of his debut album, Reasonable Doubt. There were plenty of cameras in the audience, apparently most being used to videotape parts of the show (likely because any sort of flash would have reflected off a Jay Z's sequined shirt).
COMEDY: Our favorite duo, Gil Faizon (Nick Kroll) and George St. Geegland (John Mulaney), will be bringing their "Oh Hello" show to UCB. Drop by, even if it's just for their famous Tuna-tina recipe. In addition, there will be NEW drink recipes...and special guests.
This week, Heartland Brewery introduced another speciality beer to their New York locations. Like their well known apricot, pumpkin and holiday ales, this one fits the season--it is light, fruity (we tasted pomegranate, pear and ginger on top of the red raspberry puree the beer is made with, not unlike Lambic), and very, very easy to drink a bit of the bubbly implied by it's name. The beer is served in a glass more well suited to champers than pilsner, too, with art by Daily Candy illustrator Suien Rim. Kelly Taylor, the (male) brewmaster who has been perfecting the ales in the company's Fort Greene brewery for eight years hopes that the ale appeals to women who drinks cocktails, not beer. And that's where we soured on the ale (we were, notably, going to forgive the enormous cockroach that landed onto our Moleskine notebook at the Union Square location). See, we don't think we can speak for all women or even all women who are lushes but as one female who drinks, this writer is a little offended that the underlying meaning here is that women don't know enough--or worse, are scared-- to try beer for themselves and need fruity tastes and an picture of fishnetted and stilettoed legs to know it's for them. We'd drink the Berry Champagne Ale if our friends wanted to have lunch at Heartland Brewery, it tastes like breakfast in summer, especially if we're too hungover to remember that we can think for ourselves.