The NYC International Fringe Festival kicks off today and this year the festival is biling itself as New York's best "staycation". Tix are cheap at $15 per show, less if you get one of the passes that are offered...my favorite being the "Lunatic Pass" which admits you to all the shows for $500. And with 16 venues and more than 200 shows, there's plenty to choose from, everything from confessional one man shows to wacky musicals.
The one thing about the Fringe is that quantity is not a problem. It's the quality of shows that can be rare. It's best to check the listings in TimeOut, New York Magazine or the NY Times, where they often highlight a few select picks. If you do, you may be lucky enough to see next year's "Urinetown", "Blanche Survives Katrina In A Fema Trailer Named Desire" or even "WTC View", which was my second feature starring UGLY BETTY'S Michael Urie. It started it's life as a play in a 50-seat blackbox on 4th and B in the '03 Fringe.
Finding a good show is tricky. Some show titles certainly jump out and are very Fringe-y, like "Abraham Lincoln's Big Gay Dance Party", "Sperm-a-lot" and "I Can Haz Cheezburger: The MusicalOL", based on the infamous LOLz websites. But whether or not these are any good? There's the rub. I often will check with my theatre friends who might have some tips or know the buzz. Even though they generally believe that 4 out of 5 Fringe shows suck, doing that math still leaves 40 shows that technically could be decent. However, the only sure way you'll really find out is putting down your $15. So the key is to shop around, don't jump at the craziest title and maybe take a look at the credits to see if the people or theatre company involved have some cred. But in the end, it's ultimately a crap shoot...which is part of the fun of the Fringe too. It's nearly the same cost as a movie and, given that August is the traditional dumping ground for studio movies that do suck, the bottom line is that even the worst show is gonna be better than seeing THE TIME TRAVELERS WIFE.
Over the years, there have been no less than 6 screen adaptations of Oscar Wilde's classic novel, "The Picture of Dorian Gray". Well, now comes a new one called simply DORIAN GRAY which looks to be intended as something of a horror movie. However, I find it hard to take this trailer seriously, given the chorus-of-the-damned music and the fact that Dorian, in response to a question about his youthful good looks, actually says the line "if I tell you I'd have to kill you". Hmmm--is that the best they could come up with? Not sure I'll be seeing this one but the preview is sort of a hoot....and Ben Barnes is a fairly hot representation of eternal youth.
I've been working on my third novel this year and, when writing fiction, I find it difficult and maybe even dangerous to read other novels. I always feel there's a chance that another writer's voice might start affecting my own, especially if I really enjoy their work. So I've been on a fiction diet, reading only magazines and non-fiction for the summer.. a rarity for me.
Recently, I finished a wonderful biography with a story that almost read like a novel. It's called "Uncle Mame" by Eric Myers (St. Martin's Press) and it's all about the author the '50s classic "Auntie Mame". I'd always assumed that Mame Dennis was a fairly real person and that the novel was a veiled and maybe somewhat exaggerated roman a clef written by her adoring nephew. Well, as the title of the bio suggests, the character of Mame Dennis was inspired by a real person...the author himself, Patrick Dennis. That name was a pseudonym and the man behind the Mame is Edward Everett Tanner III. It's just the sort of name you'd expect to find behind the grand dame of literary fabulousness, right?
He was raised outside of Chicago by his real parents but was a very eccentric kid, having figured out his nomdepleur in high school. During WWII, Tanner served as an ambulance driver in North Africa & Itlay and it's from his letters home, heavily excerpted in the book, that one gets the sense Mame was based on no one other than himself. Tanner had a wild imagination, a madcap sense of fun and ridiculous ability to camp it up, all of which helped keep him and his comrades sane during the darker days of the war. After the war ended, he settled in Manhattan and got married but led a bohemian life, with boozy parties and bisexual dalliances. His capacity for drinking was legendary but it didn't affect his output as a writer, which was extraordinary. By 1956, he had three best sellers on the NY Times list, a feat that has not been repeated since. Over roughly 20 years as an author, Tanner published 16 books.
The best part of Tanner's life story, though, comes towards the end. Frustrated by changing cultural tastes in the late 60's, he saw his books were falling out of favor and he gave up writing for a new career as a butler. That's right, the author of "Auntie Mame" served as a high class Jeeves for the well to-do in Miami beach and even his hometown Chicago. In fact, he was the head butler for Ray Kroc, the owner of McDonalds.
With details like this, it's clear Tanner was a fascinating, larger than life figure who had a remarkable life. However, his life was also continually troubled by his attraction to men. He struggled with this for years, sneaking off to bathhouses and having a couple love affairs which ended poorly. He attempted suicide more than once. But one thing that seemed to keep him going was his family. He had a deep love for his children, not unlike Auntie Mame's devotion to the fictional Patrick....another case of art imitating life.
As it turns out, Tanner actually did have an Aunt who lived in Greenwich Village and claimed that she was the basis for Mame. However, though formerly well-off, she spent her later years in a rat-trap apartment on W. 11th Street. Dennis cared about her welfare but was also embarrassed by her behaviour, trying at one point to pay her off so that she would stop going around claiming she was his inspiration. The story of his real Aunt reads like a lost chapter of his most famous novel, as you can surely Imagine Mame being horrified by such a poor relation and doing everything she could to distance herself from her.
Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Eric Myer's bio which is truly more like a novel than I expected. If you know the story of Auntie Mame and are fond of this iconic American character, you will love reading "Uncle Mame". If all this is news to you,I still think you'll be fascinated by this window into a brilliant writer's life who lived his life like it was a banquet (to quote one of Mame's famous lines). Eric's book is a breezy but informative read which will surely get you reading "Auntie Mame", either for the first time or the fiftieth.
Kathy Griffin was guest hosting Larry King Live last night, "interviewing" her new red carpet-boyfriend Levi Johnston, America's top baby-daddy. They attended the Teen Choice awards together earlier this week, with Kathy claiming Levi is the new love of her life. She also mentioned that the finale of her TV show was airing on Bravo the same night, saying "coincidence? I don't think so!" LOL--she kills me! I have to admit, they make a pretty unlikely though interesting comedy team...not exactly Burns & Allen as Levi is a little nervous and slow picking up his cues. But with some more rehearsal, who knows? Maybe it could be the start of something bigger than Sarah Palin :)
There have been many appreciations and tributes to filmmaker John Hughes over the last few days since his death in NYC Friday. The NY Times (where I found this great pic--doesn't he look like James Spader?) ran a lengthy love letter to Hughes courtesy of reviewer A.O. Scott which was quite effective in hitting all the Hughes bases. What's most interesting is that it's easily the kindest thing the paper has ever written about him, as the TIMES reviews for his films when they were originally released were decidedly mixed. In the recent appreciation, Scott actually uses the "A" word, as in "auteur", to describe Hughes' body of directorial work. There was even a comparison to the work of Lubitsch and Sturges which is not surprising and IMHO long overdue.
As my film school friends know, I've been a champion of Hughes work for many years. I was a huge fan when the films first came out. But then, as I became a director myself, I began to see the artist lurking behind the commercial filmmaker and admired the way he was able to make smart comedies with a very broad appeal. In fact, my NYU thesis film "Pool Days" which became part of the BOYS LIFE shorts package, was my own version of a John Hughes movie with a gay kid at the center of the action instead of a nerd. Currently, the film I'm working on now, a high school comedy called PROM QUEENS, is practically a homage to the Hughes world with a personal twist. But the main thing I've learned from his work as a filmmaker is a lesson that I hope will guide me on this project; keep it funny but make it real. I believe the reason his films resonate is that, despite all the slapstick and silliness, there are real characters with real emotions at the heart of his stories. And this is not something you see coming out of the Hollywood teen mill these days, with the possible exception of the pilot episode for GLEE.
Finally, the most curious aspect of Hughes directing career was its abrupt end. The TIMES piece doesn't discuss this at all but, oddly enough, a group of filmmakers had been tying to solve this mystery for the last year. They were making a documentary trying to track down the elusive Hughes, interviewing actors like Justin Henry (Sams' annoying brother in SIXTEEN CANDLES) and Mia Sara (Sloane, darling, in FERRIS BUELLER) when his death gave their doc a new, unexpected ending. Their blog, dontyouforgetaboutme, has been updated with some tributes and new video over the weekend. The interview clips are very fun to watch. Mia Sara looks amazing!
Also worth checking out is a blog by a woman who was a teenage pen pal with the reclusive director at the height of his powers in the mid-80's. Fascinating stuff....and all in John Hughes' very own penmanship! She offers her theory to the mystery of Hughes decampment from H'wood; she claims he blamed the biz on the early death of friend and star John Candy and, concurrently, didn't want to raise his kids in La La Land. Interesting theory. However, the story I'd usually heard was that Hughes was notorious for demanding control of all aspects of not just creating his films, but marketing them as well. (As a filmmaker, I understand this urge all too well!) Apparently as he became more successful, Hughes continued stamping on bigger and bigger studio toes until no one in Tinseltown wanted to play footsie anymore, as Walter Winchell might say. It certainly didn't help that his last directorial effort, the oddity CURLY SUE, was a commercial and critical flop.
Regardless of all that, John Hughes leaves us with three...maybe four classic films (if you count WEIRD SCIENCE, which I do) that have stood the test of time. They are just as watchable today as when they were made more than two decades ago. Like Michael Jackson, he defined an era but transcended it as well and will forever live on in the cinema firmament, a bright and clever star that faded out too soon.
On Fridays, I often try to post about fun things to do on the weekend here in NYC. There are lots of free events like concerts, theatre and movies in some of the city's lovely outdoor spaces. Last night, I was out at Prospect Park's bandshell for a sing-a-long screening of PURPLE RAIN. That was awesome! Well, a friend recently alerted me to a freebie that sounded too good to be true; free drinks every night! There's an amazing website called myopenbar.comthat creates a daily listing of open bars throughout New York City for each day of the week. And, of course, there's an App that puts all this info on your phone with a map of the bar locations. So even though unemployment is down today by one-tenths of a percent, the recession is still on and this might just be the perfect tool for trying times. Have a great weekend and cheers!
From CollegeHumor.com....a "West Side Story" spoof all about The Internets. The lyrics are genius but I have to wonder, given the fancy production values, is this a parody masquerading as an ad for Facebook, Twitter, E-Harmony, Pandora, GoogleEarth and Evite? If it is, it's still damn funny. As Tony and Maria sing (to the tune of "Tonight"), "E-vite....E-vite...did you get my E-vite".
What is it about the 1960's? 40 years later and counting, the Mod Decade somehow remains a cultural touchstone of cool with shows like "Mad Men" and looks like Gladiator sandals all the rage this summer. Other decades haven't aged so well; the 50's seem silly, the 70's ridiculous, the 80's embarrassing and the 90's smirk-worthy. Yet still, when you look back at the 60's, from fashion to music to science to theatre to politics to movies to design, that decade had it going on.
Lately, the films of the 60's have been popping up on my queue. Some have been interesting, but none have really been NetPix-worthy until this week when Bob Fosse's directorial debut "Sweet Charity" arrived in my mailbox. Based on a Broadway musical, it's the story of a dance hall girl with a heart of gold, played by a bubbly Shirley McClaine, who struggles through some odd romances as she tries to pull herself out of the gutter and into respectability...and even marriage. Whether or not she succeeds is something you'll have to find out when you watch the movie. All I can say is that the DVD has two endings, one which is featured as an "alternate ending" on the DVD extras. You can be the judge as to which one really works.
As an adaptation of a stage musical that was already an adaption of a movie (Fellini's "Nights of Cabiria"), the movie is a bit clunky in terms of plot and story. But as a movie musical, it is totally hot! The numbers are the thing here and, as a first-time filmmaker, Bob Fosse makes them his own. The fingerprints from his infamous jazz hands are all over the screen. Fosse'sinimitable style is stamped onto each dance sequence, each one of them somewhat stretched out to fabulous effect. There's some dazzling location lensing in 1960's NYC, including a crazy marching band dance number on Wall Street. And no, that is not a typo.
The film also boasts a wonderful performance from Shirley McClaine, who sings and dances and high kicks her way through the movie with sheer charisma. There are some notable co-stars and cameos too; Chita Rivera playing a saucy dance hostess in her first screen role, Ricardo Montalban as an Italian(?!) cad, Ben Vereen making his big screen debut in the "Rich Man's Frug" and the legendary Sammy Davis Jr. as Big Daddy Brubeck in the "Rhythm of Life" number, which is worth re-watching, oh, at least 3 times. Set in a parking garage as the cars headlights somehow provide flashing psychedelic illumination, it's a brilliantly staged song and cleverly shot sequence that seems like one big outtake from "Hair" (though it would be 10 years before that made it to the screen).
In the end, "Sweet Charity" is not exactly a classic musical, like "Sound of Music" or "Singing In The Rain". The sum of its parts don't exactly add up, no matter which ending you prefer. But it is a highly entertaining and a very fun movie to watch, especially with a group of friends. And completely filled with glam 60's styles. With costumes by Edith Head to marvel at (oh the hats!) not to mention camp-kitsch anthems like "Hey Big Spender", I'd advise having a group of The Gays over and the evening will be a guaranteed gas. Dig?
As promised, here's some of my photos from the Ulster County Fair in New Paltz last weekend. It was a little rainy the day we attended which made for some interesting shots since the place was practically empty. We even chatted with some of the "carnys" who didn't have too much do (like the guy in the ice cream truck, a Polish student on his summer abroad). Later on, a dense fog rolled in making for some otherworldly shots of the fair at night.
I've always had a thing for county fairs. It started back in high school when a group of my theater friends would make our annual trek to the Montgomery County Fair in Gaithersburg, MD where we would check out the freakshow ("Headless Model Kept Alive By Medical Miracle!"), watch the tractor pull (before it was even that ironic) and hit all the spinny rides (which usually ended with someone throwing up). Ah...good times!
This weekend, I attended the Ulster County Fair up near New Paltz and got to see one of my old fair favorites; The Pig Races. When I've tried to explain this in the past, I usually get blank stares so this year I took some video. I recorded the second heat of the 8:30pm race and the winner was Tammy Faye Bacon, with Arnold Schwarzenhogger a close second and Hilary Rodham Clintham in third. The prize was a trough of feed which is just visible behind the starting gate. And some Oreos if the pigs really gave it their all. Tomorrow....I'll be posting my fair slide show!
The NYC International Fringe Festival kicks off today and this year the festival is biling itself as New York's best "staycation". Tix are cheap at $15 per show, less if you get one of the passes that are offered...my favorite being the "Lunatic Pass" which admits you to all the shows for $500. And with 16 venues and more than 200 shows, there's plenty to choose from, everything from confessional one man shows to wacky musicals.
