Has Someone Struck Oil In Times Square?

I was walking through Times Square last night and noticed something very odd; on an empty lot at the corner of 46th and 8th avenue there were what seemed to be two pump jacks of the kind usually found in Texas or Southern California pumping oil.  I wondered if maybe someone had struck black gold in the heart of the theatre district.  Or if a construction company was doing some sort of test drilling before the next massive skyscraper rose in the teeming neighborhood.

The answer to these questions came in this morning's New York TIMES, which reported that it was a temporary art installation.  The pumps, which will actually run eight hours a day, are the work of Josephine Meckseper, pictured above, who wants to get people thinking about oil, commerce and consumerism.  The exhibit is certainly well timed with spiking oil prices making headlines yet again.  It's just too bad they are not producing actual oil, which we could use apparently.  Meckseper's though-provoking "pumps" will be operating until May.

Two Actors From WTC VIEW On Broadway

Lucas Papaelias, who played "Kevin" in my second feature film WTC VIEW, made his Broadway debut last night in the new musical ONCE.  ONCE is an adaptation of the musical film by the same name which came out to much acclaim (and even an Academy Award) back in 2006. Lucas, who is a talented musician in addition to being a fantastic actor, was in the original production of the show last fall at New York Theatre Workshop.  

Lucas now joins Michael Urie, who played "Eric", as the second cast member from my little indie film currently on the Great White Way! Michael joined the HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS last month, playing "Bud Frump" opposite Darren Criss and now Nick Jonas.  

It's a thrill for me as I've known both these actors for a while and it's so amazing to see them just keep getting better while also getting bigger and bigger stages on which to perform.  I met Lucas in 2000 when he starred in a one-act play of mine called SEX AND THE ONE ACT, which won best play at the CenterStage One Act Festival.  I met Michael a year later, after seeing him in a production of LOVE AND HAPPINESS at Barrington Stage Company. That show was directed by Andrew Volkoff who went on the direct WTC in it's Fringe festival debut and off-Broadway last year at 59E59 Theaters.  

Anyway, congrats to them both!  And if you're looking for great theatre this spring, I urge you to check out these shows.  

The Marine Kiss Seen Round The World

So forget Angelina's leg....here's the real viral pic of the week. This stunning photo of a military homecoming in Hawaii is such an unabashed display of love that it went viral after being posted on a Marine Facebook page over the weekend. It got liked more than 15,000 times and commented on 3,000 times.  It has become such a sensation that people wanted to know who these guys were. So now the guys have gone public with the real story behind the photo.

A local news station in Hawaii got the gay couple of four years to sit down and talk about how their photo shows that "love is love", as the Marine himself puts it.  What I love even more than their interview is the comment on all the hubub from a local Marine press rep: "It's your typical homecoming photo". True....not unlike an iconic photo taken in Times Square 65 years ago.

Adam Sandler Sets Record With 11 Razzie Nominations

While Hollywood is abuzz today with talk of who won (and didn't win) at last night's Academy Awards ceremony, Adam Sandler has received a record 11 nominations for the 32nd Annual Razzie Awards.  The  Razzies, which are short for the Golden Raspberry, recognize the worst movies and performances of the year. 

Sandler, who was oddly featured on last night's Oscar broadcast talking about revealing himself through his movies (!), had three films out last year which basically swept the Razzies. Sandler could also make history for his drag performance in JACK AND JILL as the first male to take home the Worst Actress award.  Take that Glenn Close!

While the Razzies are nothing to be proud of exactly, some stars have shown a great sense of humor about them, notably Halle Berry who collected her Razzie for CATWOMAN in person. The winners will be announced on April Fools Day, of course.  No word yet on whether Sandler or other multi-nominee Kristen Stewart (for the TWILIGHT films) will show.

OSCARS SPECIAL! Billy Eichner Asks New Yorkers What Movie Is In Them

This year, the Oscars have a theme...."Celebrate the Movies in All of Us".  God knows what that means.  Fortunately, the Oscars actually seem to have a sense of humor about their own theming as they asked Billy Eichner to take to the streets of New York and, in his own unique way, try to find out what movies are "in" New Yorkers. The results are hilarious as usual.  And make sure you stay til the last guy at the end....amazing!!!

Uggie Picks Best Picture...THE ARTIST!

On Jimmy Kimmel this week, they've been doing a recurring segment where Uggie, the adorable scene-stealing dog from THE ARTIST, picks Oscar winners.  His trainer lets him loose on stage among posters of the nominees with hot dogs stuck to the top and the one he goes to first is his pick.  He selected George Clooney for Best Actor and Meryl Streep for Best Actress, both favorites in their categories.

Well, last night, it was time for Uggie to pick Best Picture and, surprise, he chose THE ARTIST.  Clearly this is one smart dog as, odds are, the Academy will agree with him when the actual winner is revealed on the Oscar telecast Sunday night.  (Last summer, I beat Uggie's prediction by writing about THE ARTIST as the first potential silent Best Picture winner in 80-odd years.)  We still think Uggie deserves a nomination of his own. However there is no Oscar category for Best Supporting Pet....yet.

Governor Loses Hairstylist Over Marriage Equality Stance

A hairstylist named Antonio Darden in Santa Fe, New Mexico has declined to style the governor's hair due to her opposition to marriage equality.  Republican Susana Martinez has been outspoken against gay marriage and now that position has lost her an appointment at Darden's salon. The governor had been there three times before but when her aides called this week for another appointment, Darden (who has a partner of 15 years but cannot marry in New Mexico) took a stand and said no. Twice!  Perhaps this was due to the fact that Washington state and Maryland, which recently voted favorably on same-sex marriage legislation, had pro-equality governors backing the measures.

I wonder if Darden's simple act of "salon disobedience" could spark a larger movement in the fight for marriage equality nationwide. If the country's legislators all realized how much they depend on gay men to make them look good, maybe the political could truly become personal, forcing them to reassess their stands on this important issue.

A few years ago, there was a Paul Rudnick play here in New York called REGRETS ONLY, which dealt with a similar fictionally situation. It was about a gay male designer who is politically awakened and aims to start a boycott of his right-wing Park Avenue clients, making them realize how much they depend on gay men to keep their fabulous world afloat. Think of it; if all the florists, hairstylists, makeup artists, designers, caterers, entertainers, etc. stopped working, then maybe these folks would take notice.

Jonathan Ames And His Perseco At the WGA Awards

As the awards season grinds on, the Writers Guild presented their awards for scribes working in film/TV over the weekend at BB Kings on 42nd Street.  But unlike most of these shows, the WGA Awards was a fun and boozy affair, most evident in the unusual presentation of an award by Jonathan Ames, the creator of HBO's recently cancelled show BORED TO DEATH.

I've been a fan of Ames work for years, particularly his novel THE EXTRA MAN, and this show about a detective who advertises on Craigslist was a shaggy dog of a show set and shot in Brooklyn.  For three sublimy silly seasons, Jason Schwartzman played "Jonathan Ames" as he rambled about the city with Ted Danson (playing his stoner/mentor) getting into all sorts of trouble.

Anyway, Ames got on stage to present the award to longform drama (formerly known at TV Movie) and instead gave a stemwinder of a speech on topics ranging from the failure of his own show to effeminate audience members, all of it fueled by the wonders of perseco.  You certainly won't find this sort of drunken improv at the Oscars or even the somewhat looser Globes. But you will definitely find it when a bunch of writers in New York City get together and start drinking heavily!

NJ Assembly Passed Gay Marriage, NJ Governor To Veto It

This week, the New Jersey state legislature made history as both houses passed a bill guaranteeing marriage equality to its LGBT citizens.  It was a remarkable turnaround in a state where a similar measure went down in defeat just two years ago.  It's also a great example of how far the movement for marriage equality has come in that time...and how far it still has to go.

The big bummer in this news is that the state's Republican "governor" Chris Christie has stated unequivocally that he will veto the bill.  He has advised the good assembly men and women of his state to take the issue to the voters and that "the people" should decide such a hot button issue.  Of course, he neglects to mention that the real reason for his actions is that he basically doesn't want this law to happen on his watch as he looks ahead to a likely presidential run in 2016.

In the last couple of weeks, Republicans in both New Jersey and Washington state have shown support for marriage equality, stating that ultimately this issue is one of civil rights.  NJ Republican state senator Jennifer Beck put it quite eloquently when she voted in favor of the bill: "Our republic was established to guarantee the liberty of all people. It is our role as elected representative to protect all of the people that live in our state." So I urge you to drop Mr. Christie a line and remind him about his duty as an elected representative of "the people", as he seems to have forgotten this as he considers his political future.

The Elk Hotel On 42nd Street Closes After 87 Years

If you walk down 42nd Street today, the sleaze and vice that it was known for has mainly disappeared. But there were still some holdout vestiges of the infamous "Deuce", as it was known 30-odd years ago when it was the center of a seedy world of drugs, porn and prostitution.

One of those remnants was the Elk Hotel, a "hot-sheet" joint which rented by the hour apparently.  Well, as of this week, the Elk is closed. As reported on Jeremiah's Vanishing New York, the Elk posted a closing notice on it's door on Monday.  One of my favorite things about this place was a wonderful vintage Pepsi sign that hung around the corner from its entrance, on 9th avenue.  It looked like it had been there since the 1960s...maybe even the 50s. I often pointed it out to friends when we would walk by and they were always amazed that something like that was still around. Looking down the block with that Pepsi sign, it was like taking a trip on a mini-time machine that dropped you on the set of MIDNIGHT COWBOY.

Now the Elk and it's sign will surely come down and become something more upscale, though no word on what that might be.  But with fancy condos and chain stores (hello 7-11!) crowding the "Deuce" you can be sure it will not be a cheap motel.  And you can also be sure that with its passing, 42nd Street will lose some more of its unique character...not to mention the characters who inhabited this seedy strip back in the day.