? Why do I mention it now?
Because you really have to have one drink up here once a summer and summer will be over before you know it.
Here's what I said back on 9/11/06:
The view: divine. The crowd: civilized. The drinks: well made. Grabbing a drink after work with friends on the lovely rooftop of the Metropolitan Museum is a certain must before it closes for the season. Equally fun is the nearly empty walk through the museum on the way out.
?Why do I mention it now?
Because it will make you laugh and the next NYC performance is coming up on July 16th.
Here's what I said back on 3/19/07:
There is only one upcoming New York performance listed (March 21st), so I have to give you a heads up before I have a chance to actually see it. So if it is terrible you can go ahead and blame me, see if I care. I truly don't expect anything less that a great time however, especially since having read the book version of this cringe-fest (more on that book next week, promise).
The book and live show feature real diary entries, notes, and letters from the most embarrassing and awkward years of the authors' lives. I have no idea who will be reading this week, but if the book is any indication, there will be at least one journal entry dealing with the hotness of Duran Duran's John Taylor.
Mortified is the brain child of David Nadelberg and he and friends have opened several grass roots chapters across the country, so keep an eye out for a performance near you. If you live in the city, pick up a ticket (only $12).
Why do I mention it now?
Because Stacy has been thriving and delivering truly “exquisite” vintage for a few years now, and you STILL need to visit the shop if you haven't already.
Here's what I said back on 2/20/06
My dear friend Stacy has just opened a vintage clothing store in Soho and it is BEAUTIFUL. No eighty dollar western shirts here, dear. Unlike many vintage stores, the shelves aren't lined with junk, only truly “exquisite” garments from the 1800's to today. Stop in and take a look.
  Why do I mention it now?
Because considering the next available reservation is in 2010, I thought you'd like a heads up. If you can't plan that far ahead, the grounds are open during the day. Plus I have been craving the farm fresh bahn mi at Miss Lucy's Kitchen since last April.
Here's what I said back on 4/28/08:
The Saugerties Lighthouse, originally built in 1869 fell into disrepair in the fifties until locals raised money for a massive rebuilding. Now the upkeep is funded by donations and the bed and breakfast.
There are only two rooms in the house and this exclusivity (and a major Times article that fortunately came out a few days after I booked) have made this an extremely popular spot. In fact, they are booked for the entire year of 2008. Which means, quite possibly, you will miss out on the steep stairs that lead to the top of the lighthouse, which you can walk around and enjoy a stunning view. You also won't be seeing the Victrola in the sitting room, or sleep in the quaint rooms, or enjoy homemade pancakes in the kitchen from hunky, hippie keeper, Patrick.
But no need to get sad, anyone, with a reservation or not, can walk the half mile trail to the lighthouse and enjoy one of many sitting spots on the water. These spots are tranquil and idyllic. Make sure to wear shoes that can go though sand as you will be right on the water at times. In wetter months (we got lucky with perfect weather) the path can even become waist high in water. The rustic trail, dotted with bridges,?is scenic and your first glimpse of the beautiful lighthouse is exciting.
After leaving this paradise, be sure to visit the town of Saugerties for amazing food at Miss Lucy's Kitchen (get their fantastic bahn mi if they have it) and if you head a bit north, grab world cuisine at the funky New World Home Cooking.
Why do I mention it now?
Because after that tiny show at the MoMA, you might be jonesing for more spectacular Polish poster design.
Here's what I said on 5/1/06:
This is a phenomenal website for design inspiration. The Polish certainly know a thing or two about composition and imagery.
Why do I mention it now?
Because an American film version was just screened (and sold out) at The Tribeca Film Festival. It's called In the Loop and stars James Gandolfini and will be in limited release the end of July.
Here's what I said back on 7/31/06
To say The Thick of It is like a British Office, only about government might be fairly accurate, but it seems unfair to the creators, espcially Armando Iannucci, whose fabulously waggish show The Day Today feature faux-verite segments that predate the Office and seemed to have been an inspiration for Ricky Gervais.
It may take a couple viewings to get into the show, the accents are thick and the government set up is slightly different from our own, except for the fact that it is crookedly run by people who don't seem to know what they are doing.
I would love to see an American version, perhaps about Albany's mess, but in today's political climate, I will not be holding my breath. A brilliant comedy that deserves a following.
Why do I mention it now?
Because the even grosser pasta bread bowls are now available, making these gut busters seem quaint.
Here's what I said on 1/14/08:
Never been a huge Patton Oswalt fan, he's like a friend's boyfriend you kind of like but just can't manage to get along with. However, when my coworker (the very same one that introduced me to the splendor of Ben and Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie Chunk) sent me a link to this article from the Onion, I read it with an open mind. After all, a story devoted to KFC's Famous Bowl sounds funny?and, in fact, I don't think a piece of writing on this subject could be any funnier. His talent for grotesque description is astonishing:
“Everything inside the store—including the employees and customers—looked like it had been rubbed with sad ham.”
“The corn tasted like it had been dunked in fake-corn-flavored ointment, and the popcorn chicken, breaded to the point of parody, was like chewing a cotton sleeve that someone had used to wipe chicken grease off their chin.”
Why do I mention it now?
Because the weather and season is finally begging for barbeque goodness.
Here's what I said back on 3/5/07:
There are a few things I usually won't even bother to try and make on my own, ribs are one of them. Most recipes usually require a BBQ, which is not feasible in my apartment, but these babies are baked and despite a long prep time (a whole day of marinating and two hours cook time), a fairly simple ordeal.
The results betray this fact: this is a delicious, restaurant caliber dish that I could not believe I had made myself. Share with friends, though, there will be plenty.
When you get lost between the moon and New York City, you fall in love. When you're a rotten flimflam man named Eric Stanton (no relation to the great pin-up artist) lost between Los Angeles and San Francisco, the best that you can do is a dame named Stella – a money grubbing grump with a beautiful face and knock-out body that steals from the little diner she waitresses at and makes no qualms about wanting a man who can provide her with the finer things.
Like almost every other man in town, she has Eric wrapped around her finger in no time flat and he leaves behind the prospect of joining a pair of swindling performing mediums to stay on in town and win her love.
The only way to win Stella over is with money though, and there's only one place he can think to get it. Enter the kind-hearted blond who's none to dumb when it comes to books but falls for him and his scam like a brick.
Directed by Preminger after the very successful Laura, Fallen Angel never got the same praise, and it's admittedly a smaller note in the annals of noir history. With a great performances by Linda Darnell as the bitchy Stella and Alice Faye (who all but ended her career when she walked away from the studio after so much of her role was cut from the film) as the earnest and lovesick foil, June, it's definitely worth checking out if you're in the mood for a classic noir on Netflix Instant.
The movie is based on a book by Marty Holland who, according to the British Film Institute, “Hardly anything is known about Marty Holland except that, he, was a she called Mary, who wrote two or three best selling pulp novels and then in 1949 — to all intents and purposes — vanished, there being no further record of her at all.”
I never counted myself as a particular fan of Bon Jovi's mega hit and working class romance, Livin on a Prayer until my brother's wedding, where the excellent band belted it out and the best rock out dance of the night was had.