Hillary Goes Viral With A Power-Meme

Hillary Clinton has gone viral this week with a meme based on a striking photo of her wearing supersized-sunglasses while sitting checking her Blackberry on a military plane.  "Texts from Hillary" is now a Tumblr where Hillary sends pithy texts to the famous and infamous.

This all comes on a wave of new attention about whether or not Hillary will run for President in 2016.  It seems odd that this sort of attention is happening when the 2012 Presidential race is far from over.  But that's the nature of the political chattering classes....always a step ahead of the curve.  It's also possibly fueled by the boredom setting in with the current race.

"My High School Boyfriend Was Gay" Is A Fun Show At UCB

On Monday, I went to check out an unusual show at UCB East called "My High School Boyfriend Was Gay".  It's unusual in that it's a show that started as a Tumblr of photos of gay guys with their high school girlfriends.  Now the creator of that blog Damian Bellino (pictured, left) has a live show of songs and storytelling all about when gay men played the heterosexual game back in high school.

I wrote about it for NEXT magazine's NEXUS blog and you can read my full report here. It's hilarious and touching and so much nostalgic fun. The next show is May 7th, with a prom theme. So you know I will be there for that one!

MAD MEN Jumps Into The Presidential Political Fray

Other than Betty Draper's "big" return to the show last night, the other notable event on MAD MEN last night was a tossed away line that her husband said while talking on the phone.  It was a reference to George Romney, the then governor of Michigan, who Henry called "a clown".

Though it was a throwaway line and not part of any of the show's real storylines, the mention caused a political tempest today, with Tagg Romney going on Twitter to defend his dead grandfather.  Slate has the full coverage of the Tweeting that ensued.  All in all, I thought it was a fun reference to something modern in the shows' 60s context.  And clearly a fun political tweak by the show's liberal creators as well.

Trains May Be Returning To The High Line As High Art

This stunning rendering is for a proposed work by famed artist Jeff Koons for The High Line. Called simply "Train" it would suspend a replica of a 1943 steam locomotive over a section of the trestle park that runs from the Meatpacking District to 30th Street. The locomotive is similar to the ones that used to actually run on the High Line long before it was converted to one of the city's most spectacular parks.  Adding the "Train" would certainly be an amazing addition to The High Line. The main problem is the price.

As reported yesterday in the TIMES city room blog, the sculpture would cost 25 million to fabricate and install. The idea is to have it hang over the section of the High Line closest to the Penn Station rail yards, near 30th Street and 10th avenue.  High Line co-founder Robert Hammond hopes that a single donor (Barry Diller, your phone is ringing!) may gift the money needed for the sculpture. Let's hope so as it would be a stunning addition to an already stunning public space.

MAD MEN Goes All GLEE With Its First iTunes Hit

The GLEE-ification of television continues this week with this surprise bit of entertainment news. During the season premiere of MAD MEN, Don's new French-Canadian wife did a little song and a lot of dance during the party scene.  The sooo 60s ditty "Zou Bisou Bisou" was sooo perfect for her and the party in general. So perfect that a YouTube version of the original was soaring past 100,000 hits by Monday. Thinking quickly, the show released actress Jessica Pare's version to iTunes where it instantly made it into the top 100 yesterday.

From the moment that party scene began with a gay boy from the band trying to adjust the lighting, I knew this was destined to be one of the most memorable scenes of this memorable series.  And now it's been semi-immortalized with the downloadable version of Megan's love song to Don (which of course didn't go over so well). I'm not sure if I'll actually download it myself, having already spent 23 bucks on my season pass for the show.  But it is j'adorable...as is Megan, who got a bit of nuance with this song and a kinky S/M scene late in the epic season opener.  Hopefully, there will be more musical numbers to come...and more Megan too.

My Glam Night At The GLAAD Media Awards

Last weekend, I attended the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards at the Marriott Marquis ballroom in Times Square. It was a very glamorous evening with lots of stars on hand too. I got to chat with Megan Hilty and Bernadette Peters from SMASH as well as Cheyenne Jackson from 30 ROCK and Carson Kressley. Carson, as usual, was hysterical and ended up being a winner too, accepting the award for Best Reality TV Series for his turn on DANCING WITH THE STARS.

Here's my report on the event that posted yesterday on NEXT magazine's nightlife blog, The Nexus. Check it out. And donate to GLAAD too...they are a wonderful group that does a lot to counter discrimination against LGBT people in all forms of the media.

An Effort To Landmark The Rest of The West Village

The New York TIMES reported on a story of local interest to me over the weekend; a new push on a long-delayed effort to get landmark status for my neighborhood, which the TIMES refers to as the "South Village".  It's an area that is well known for it's local music/entertainment spots, like the Back Fence, Cafe Wha and the former Village Gate (now converted into a CVS)

It comes as a shock to most people that this section of the Village has not been landmarked.  Most of the West Village, west of 6th avenue, was covered by landmark status decades ago. But this section remains unprotected.  Lately, there has been a lot of development in the area, including reckless knockdowns and ugly additions, including a new plan by NYU to add 2 million sq feet of classroom space to the area.

The City government, however, doesn't feel this is an urgent situation. But, living here, I can say that things have been rapidly changing for the worse in the last five years and will only increase without any of the protections landmark status offers.  I hope that this latest effort meets success and that the unique qualities of this Village in the heart of Manhattan will be preserved.

The Sights And Sounds Of The NYC Subway

I found this cool little video over on my favorite subway blog, Second Avenue Sagas.  It's done by a freelance video editor based in Washington, Tim Sessler. It's a cool look at the sights and sounds unique to the subway system here in New York.  In DC, of course, things are much quieter in the sleek, soundproofed and sterile caverns of the Metro....which could explain this filmmaker's fascination with the MTA.  Enjoy!
   

Etch-A-Sketch Is Trending & Its Stock Rising

After an off-hand comment by a Romney campaign operative, Etch A Sketch is trending this week.

In yet another random sidebar of the Republican presidential race (which has played like one random sidebar after another) Etch A Sketch is now being talked about by the remaining candidates for the Repblican nomination.  The reference was to shaking the Romney campaign like an Etch A Sketch at the end of the primary race, and recalibrating Romney to be more conservative for the general election.

Whatever the meaning, it's done wonders for a toy that most people probably thought had gone the way of the Rubik's cube.  But no, Etch A Sketch lives and its stock yesterday doubled in price on Wall Street as reported on the WALL STREET JOURNAL's blog. So maybe Romney will inadvertently create some jobs as demand for the long-forgotten toy ramps up as the Republican primaries heat up.

Dinner & Great Theatre At THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF HEDDA GABLER

Last night, I was invited to a unique theatrical event.  The company Exit Pursued By A Bear (a reference to Shakespeare's A WINTER'S TALE) kicked off their second season with a production of Jeff Whitty's play THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF HEDDA GABLER.  The play, starring Whitty in a transformative turn as the titular character, takes place in a nether world where fictional characters live on for eternity.  Gabler meets up with Mammy from GONE WITH THE WIND, played with heart and searing soul by Billy Porter, as well as a host of other notable characters who are too delicious to reveal as they all try to find their way out of immortality and into real life.

The play was wonderfully acted and sharply written, funny as well as thought provoking. But what was really so lovely about this production was the presentation, taking place in a converted industrial style loft on the far west side of Hells Kitchen with seating on raised platforms covered in cozy pillows and blankets.  It was theatre as a true communal experience as the audience numbered maybe 30 people and the actors were only a few feet away.  At intermission, a dinner of fresh baked beer bread and a vegetarian stew was served, along with wine, beer and soda that audience members had brought to share.

The whole experienced made me think of what it must have been like being in NYC during the experimental theatre scene as it blossomed in the late 60's and early 70's.  There were other theatre artists in the crowd and after the show, there was a nice hour or so of socializing over dessert as people discussed the play and got to meet and chat with the actors, some of whom were helping clean up from dinner!

If you're interested in something unusual and unusually well-done, I would encourage you to check out this show. The cost for tickets is a suggestion donation of $20, which is well worth it and helps support this new non-profit theatre. The show has been extended through the end of this month and limited tickets available on their website.