WABC-TVs Tim Fleischer just left my office after an interview about older Americans searching for work. (older American at 46? Hrumpf.) Anyhow, it was a terrific interview and may air on Eyewitness News on Monday, February 22 in the 5:30 to 6 p.m. segment. It was a good opportunity to pitch the 5 O’Clock Club, a career coaching and outplacement service that has been central in my ongoing job search.
As it happens, I’m not currently unemployed, which is why I’ve been absent from posting since the holidays. (Hopefully I’ll correct that.) In fact, my day job at Staten Island’s Project Hospitality has been a great experience, heading up their Tax Prep Plus program for the NYC Dept. of Consumer Affairs, which provides inexpensive tax services to low-income earners at 3 locations here on Staten Island, as well as in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. And when I’m not saving money for countless New Yorkers, I moonlight selling luggage to tourists nine stories above Herald Square (stop by and pick up that nice Tumi suiter anytime).
This project takes me through April, so if you need a soulless flack to carry out your evil spin (for a good cause, preferably), please feel free to drop me a line.
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brooklyn, flack, macys, project hospitality, staten island, tumi, wabc
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Posted on 2/19/2009
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If you are a FACEBOOK user, you can follow my NYC.com "Outer Limits: Blogging in the Boroughs" using the Blog Network application.
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Posted on 11/14/2008
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David Mamet’s play, "American Buffalo,” takes plays in a dusty curio shop filled with the material culture of our nation. A cacophony of useless minutia is strewn across the set in a microcosm of society. Likewise, the language of the marginal losers who inhabit this world is filled with empty rhetoric made poignant by desperation. The ill-thought plans of the characters form a conspiracy of fools wallowing in their own clichés. Like Mamet’s other play currently in revival, “Speed the Plow,” the action is centered around the bantering of three scoundrels pursuing an elusive American dream.
John Leguizamo storms across the stage as Walter “Teacher” Cole like the Q-Train barreling into Times Square and dominating the scene with hyperactive rawness. Meanwhile, Cedric – the actor, as shop owner Donny Dubrow, grounds the play, punctuating the dialogue with the terse, understated comeback. Youthful Haley Joel Osment (Bobby) holds his own among the titans, as a scruffy apprentice scum, tempest-tossed in despair and longing for acceptance.
I envy the set designers who must have had a ball scouring countless Salvation Armies, yard sales and their neighbor’s curbs on bulk pick up day for decayed Americana. The set takes a beating, and some props ended up in the audience. The script is tight, uncensored and very witty. The off-stage plot is difficult to follow, which is not surprising since the characters are as clueless about the real world truth as the audience. The wisdom of the night is when Teacher declares in sincere-yet-ironic terms: “one thing matters above all the rest – know what you’re talking about.”
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Posted on 11/14/2008
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If you get the chance to see David Mamet’s “American Buffalo” at the Belasco Theatre, stampede over for an evening of great theatre. John Leguizamo is a force to be reckoned with onstage and Cedric, the Entertainer (now Cedric, the Actor?) grounds the show with confidence. Follow the link to read my full review: American Buffalo.
Also check out my take on Jean Claude Baker’s tribute to dear old mom, Josephine Baker, at the very Parisian Chez Josephine.
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broadway, cedric, chez josephine, jean claude baker, josephine baker, leguizamo, mamet, play
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Posted on 11/14/2008
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It’s almost Halloween, and you can’t decide where to go. -basically, anywhere but the parade. Watch that on TV. Maybe hit up the after party at Webster Hall instead. Personally, I’d rather skip the crowds all together and head out on Wednesday night to check out Reverend Jen’s live-action TV special, It's the Great Pumpkin, Reverend Jen! at the Bowery Poetry Club. The self-proclaimed hero of the uncool will lead her usual band of misfit comics, actors and performers in a heart-warming Halloween special – Lower East Side style. (Wed., Oct. 29, 10 p.m., $5) Performers include local favorites: Reverend Jen and Jen Jr. of course (Chihuahuas with attitudes are “in” you know), Bower poet emeritus Faceboy, The O’Debra Twins (ooh-la-la), Mr. L.E.S., and Mayor Mike’s least favorite well-informed teen Rachel Trachtenberg. You may prefer to get out of Manhattan altogether. The hipster heaven Union Pool becomes Union Pool of Blood for the night with Union Ghouls, The Underthings, and Wizardry. Dressing in your most over-the-top costume is assumed of course. Best of all, admission is free! Out on Staten Island, the annual Rocky Horror Picture Show screening at Snug Harbor Cultural Center has taken on a life of its own. Live stage show, costumes (duh), and a goodie bag so you don’t have to bring your own props. And the mostly-restored Music Hall with its rough edges is a glorious environment for the classic of film debauchery. Starting shockingly early at 9:30 p.m., you’ll still have time to catch a ferry back to Manhattan (maybe the 12:30 or 1 a.m. boat) back to the real world. Tix are $10 and the participation back is another $2 on top of that. Since it’s two block from my homestead, this is where I’ll be headed. So if you pop in, say “Hi” to the guy in the pirate hat.
If you do stay home to watch the parade on NY1, be sure to keep a special eye out for Brooklyn's own Hungry March Band. Inside word is their theme for this year is simply spellbinding.
Photo from the Village Halloween Parade website.
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bower poetry club, bowery, brooklyn, hungry march band, ny1, reverend jenn, staten island, union pool, village halloween parade
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Posted on 10/29/2008
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