Sondheim's 80th Year Celebrated With Online Recital

As part of the yearlong celebration of Sondheim's 80th, NY TIMES music critic Anthony Tommasini posted a lovely little recital yesterday in which he deconstructs the master's music and marvels at Sonheim's ingenuity as a composer.  It's a must-view for musical theatre fanatics like myself.  I especially loved his discussion of "Merrilly We Roll Along", Sondheim's 1981 Broadway flop which now is considered possibly his most interesting score.  I was in a production of this show back at Wildwood Summer Theatre and, though the show didn't make much sense, the music still resonates with me today.  Not a day goes by....indeed.

MTA's Gap Rap

If you ride the LIRR, you may have noticed the profusion of signs in recent years to "Watch The Gap".  Continuing this program to educate the public about the dangers of falling through the gap between the station platform and train, the MTA has now put out a "Gap Rap".  The rap was created by the LIRR's medical director Dr. John Clarke.  He's not a rapper but he plays one on YouTube, having already created a rap for the MTA's H1N1 educational program last fall.  The MTA's website says the Gap Rap is "MTV ready".  Well, let's just say the MTA should probably stick to the business of getting the trains to run on time.


The interesting story behind this story, though, is the gap safety program itself.  In 2006, a teenager named Natalie Smead fell through the gap at Woodside and was killed by a train.  Her family sued the MTA and won a very substantial multi-million dollar settlement.  It was this death and lawsuit (which revealed that there had been hundreds of gap-related accidents) that forced the MTA to address the issue of the unusually wide gaps on the LIRR.  In addition to signage everywhere as well as posters and PSA's, the MTA has actually filled in the gap at many LIRR platforms.  


So this "Gap Rap" is the latest measure in the MTA's recent gap education program to prevent further accidents, deaths and massive lawsuits.

What's On The Menu At The State Fair

State and county fairs of late have become summer playgrounds for culinary crackpots, dishing newfangled treats like deep fried butter and spaghetti-on-a-stick.  Now comes word of the latest caloric catastrophe: a hamburger served on a Crispy Creme donut.  

This is the hot item at the Wisconsin State Fair, where many folks are lining up for the $5 patty presented on a sliced glazed donut.  The mixture of savory and sweet was praised by many. As for myself, I think I would take a pass.  I'm not a huge fan of the lastest sweet/savory mashup trend, where enterprising chefs like to add bacon to ice cream for instance. I prefer to enjoy my desert and breakfast foods separately.  

A New Kind Of Tart Hits 42nd Street

Following in the footsteps of the wildly popular Hershey's and M&M stores in Times Square, a Pop-Tarts store opened recently on 42nd Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue.  On a stretch of formerly seedy sidewalk which used to host an entirely different sort of tart, you can now order up 30 different kinds of sweet snacks made from Pop-Tarts.  They're even selling something called "Pop-Tart Sushi" which consists of three different flavors combined in a fruit roll.  Eeek.


Now given my donut leanings, I have to admit I've never been a huge fan of the Pop-Tart.  There is something about them that always tastes a little stale, whether its fresh or toasted or rolled into faux sushi.  But clearly America does not agree as nearly half a billion dollars of the rectangular snacks were sold here last year.  


One interesting fact that I learned from the TIMES article (linked above) is that Pop-Tarts were actually a rip-off of a similar treat from Post called "Country Squares" that was already on the market in 1964.  Pop-Tarts took off partially because they tasted better but also because of the rise of Pop Art at the same time.  It's a fascinating bit of marketing/etymology behind one of America's favorite treats.

New Photos Revealed on 65th Anniversary of Hiroshima/Nagasaki

It was 65 years ago this weekend that atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  In commemoration of the anniversary, LIFE.com has posted some never-before-published photos of the unique devastation visited upon those cities where the combined death toll was more than 100,000.  Taken by LIFE staffers Alfred Eisenstadt (who is famous for the V-E photo of the sailor in Times Square) and Bernard Hoffman, these pictures are a sobering reminder of the power and danger of nuclear weapons.  


This year for the first time, a US representative was on hand in Hiroshima for ceremonies marking the dropping of the atomic bomb.  Ambassador John Ross was welcomed by Hiroshima's mayor for the event.  It's somewhat surprising to me that's it taken us this long to have someone on hand for the anniversary.  But the wounds of war and the scars of this particular atrocity still run deep.

The Art of Urban Exploration

Last night I went to DUMBO for their open gallery night.  This is similar to the practice in Chelsea, where galleries coordinate their openings on a Thursday evening and serve up some free wine as well as new art.  At the Mighty Tanaka Gallery, we found some stunning photos taken from the top of the Brooklyn Bridge, the 59th Street bridge and the Municipal Building.  These were the work of Shane Perez, a photographer who specializes in going where no man is supposed to go.  


He told us that getting to the top of the Brooklyn Bridge was actually the easiest of his many adventures.  It's only a 5-10 minute walk straight up the cables that support the span.  He headed up there late one Monday night around 3:30 AM and wasn't arrested or even spotted.  He also had some great photos of the Hellgate bridge, abandoned subway tunnels under City Hall, and an old electrical power plant in Philly.  This guy gets around!


You can view some of these other pictures on Shane's website.  Also, I found a website where you can learn more about the world of Urban Exploration...where nothing is off limits.  

The End of Prop 8 And The Beginning Of Marriage Equality

Yesterday was a momentous day in the struggle for equal rights in this country.  A federal judge in California, the Honorable Vaughn Walker, struck down the state's hateful and divisive Proposition 8 as unconstitutional.  In a 136 page ruling, he measured Prop 8 against the equal protection clause of the constitution and found that it came up short.  He also found that the state had no business in regulating this area of it's citizen's lives:    


"Excluding same-sex couples from marriage is simply not rationally related to a legitimate state interest." 


However, this ruling is not the end of the fight for marriage equality.  It is actually the beginning as it marks the first time a federal judge in a federal court has ruled on the issue.  It's estimated it will be another two years of appeals and additional rulings before the case makes it to the U.S. Supreme Court, where it rightly belongs.  Justice Kennedy holds the key to how that will go.  But given Judge Walker's clear and strong ruling, it's becoming harder for opponents to make their case and see this issue as anything other than a struggle for equal rights. Period.

Randy Rainbow Goes To Rhinebeck...Sorta

Randy Rainbow, who made the most hysterical video mashup of Mel Gibson's rants, has now put together a little video about his weekend in Rhinebeck.  He talks to President Obama about getting snubbed and even dishes with Michelle too.  And then Hillary comes in on call waiting.  OMG--this guy is a riot!  Can't wait to see more...

Let The 3D Backlash Begin

Yes folks, it's 1954 all over again as the 3D backlash has officially begun.  Last month at Comic-Con, two Hollywood directors Josh Whedon and JJ Abrams made disparaging and somewhat defiant comments about the new technology.  Abrams, who did the 2D "Star Treck" reboot and Whedon, who is resisting a 3D conversion of his upcoming horror film "The Cabin In The Woods", highlighted the technical limitations of 3D as well as saying that they didn't view it as a movie savior the same way the suits do. 


Today's TIMES takes up the issue of the backlash, including the widespread reports of cheering by rabid "Hobbitt" fans when it was announced the movie would be shot old school.  Unfortunately, 3D will not exactly be going away any time soon.  More than 5,000 theaters have been converted in the US, roughly one out of every 8 screens.  Also, given the fact that 3D ads $3-5 bucks to ticket prices, the studios have a big incentive to keep cranking them out.  In fact, unnamed studio execs said that decisions about final formats for "Hobbit" and "Woods" are still in process, countering the filmmaker's claims.  


As a director, I agree the technology of 3D can easily get in the way of storytelling.  If all you're trying to do is throw things at the audience, that's not a movie....that's just a ride.  The fact that Warner Brother's summer blockbuster "Inception" did not go 3D is a testament to this fact. I think the 3D in "Avatar" worked well but that was not the key to that movie's success.  What made it unusual was that Cameron told a beautiful, cinematic story....a rarity in the thrill-driven movie marketplace of the moment.  And if too many movies go 3D, it will become a gimmick just like in the 50's.

The Way-Back Machine: Super Train

President Obama's High-Speed Rail Initiative has been in the news lately as it tries to do two things at once: create jobs and build a world-class train system in the US.  Construction has started on the first major project, a 200 MPH train from Tampa to Orlando.  However, that's nothing compared to the nuclear powered Supertrain which used to speed across the country from NY to LA in less than 36 hours.  What? You say you don't remember the Supertrain? It only ran for a brief period of two months starting in Feburary of 1979.  And the train was also fictional.  


"Supertrain" was a short-lived TV show that aired a mere 9 episodes in the winter of '79.  It was supposed to be the "Love Boat" on speedy silver wheels. Unfortunately, despite a million dollar budget and the imprimatur of ABC programming genius Fred Silverman, the show turned out to be one of the biggest flops in television history.  One hint about how terrible the show comes from the fact that you won't recognize on single name in the opening credits below.  No star was gonna touch this one...


Despite its lameness, I still remember this show fondly, or more so the anticipation I had about seeing it before it aired.  (The promos were everywhere on 3rd place NBC.)  The only thing that kept me watching were the shots of that nifty model train.  Yeah, I know--geek alert!  Well, back in 1979, I didn't have much of a social life....this and "Battlestar Galactica" kept me occupied. :)