Pencil vs. Camera

Another photo post today. These look-twice pics really caught my eye when they were featured in yesterday's Telegraph, a UK paper/website which is surpringly artsy for a major daily. The man behind these unique mash-ups of drawing and photography is a Belgian artist named Ben Heine.  You can even purchase these works too via his website, linked to his name.  And the full slide show is viewable at this link to the Telegraph's Arts section.

The Ruins Of Coney Island

Coney Island is one of my favorite places in NYC, as many of you know. I've blogged about trips to the Freak Show for Burlesque and Boylesque and my annual ride of the Cyclone, the best coaster in the world.  But, these days, Coney is in the midst of a massive transformation and pieces of it's storied past are fast disappearing.

This week, the TIMES City Room blog featured some gorgeous photos of the ruins of Coney Island by a local photographer, Nathan Kensinger.  He took shots of the Playland arcade which dates from the 1930's and is falling down.  His website has more of these pictures which capture a ghostly place, lost in time.  The new Coney may be nicer than it was, but hopefully the old Coney in these photos will never be forgotten.

"The Empire Strikes Back" circa 1955....in 3D!

I posted before about this guy who puts together "premake" trailers of recent blockbusters made out of the footage of old B-movies.  One of his best was "Raiders Of The Lost Ark".  But this one is pretty good too. I especially like the recreation of the Hoth ice planet and the charming Captain Solo.  Darth Vader might look familiar....it's actually Iron Man, from a Marvel serial of the same name in the 50's.

Battle of The True Stories For This Year's Oscar

Four films this year are battling for the top prizes at the Oscars this year; David O. Russell's THE FIGHTER, David Fincher's THE SOCIAL NETWORK, Danny Boyle's 127 HOURS Tom Hooper's THE KING'S SPEECH.  Though all these films couldn't be more different than each other they all do have one thing in common which is that they are all "based on a true story".  It's as if the reality TV virus has started to infect the Academy Awards. The questions everyone is asking now is how true are these stories, and, the even bigger question, will that matter when it comes time for Oscar voters to make their picks?

Both SOCIAL and HOURS seem to take the loosest and most fictional approach to their true life inspirations.  And they are struggling for awards momentum lately.  In David Finchers' retelling of the rise of Mark Zuckenberg, he creates a wholly fictional framing device for the young Harvard nerd's quest to create Facebook--he wants to meet girls.  However, the real life Zuckenberg already had a girlfriend when he was in college.  In fact, he still has the girlfriend today.

Bigger queries are being raised over the Oscar-favorite THE KING'S SPEECH.  There seems to be a whisper campaign starting up that King George was more an appeaser than he is painted in the movie.  Will this embellishment of history dash the film's chances for the big prize?  Probably not.  The film is still brilliant and, even though THE SOCIAL NETWORK was highly entertaining, the story of King George has the emotional story going for it, one that audiences have responded to.  Not unlike a movie a few years back which humanized King George's daughter...THE QUEEN.

I think that the reality theme of the 2010 race is more likely a fluke.  What Oscar really loves is royalty! And no amount of whispering will sway voters otherwise.  My bet is THE KING'S SPEECH will take home 5-6 statues at least, maybe more, including Best Picture.  

Brunch With Jazz Singer Lea Delaria

Yesterday, I was invited for an only-in-New York experience; a jazz brunch featuring Lea Delaria and a sharp jazz trio at Smoke.  This restaurant/lounge tucked away on the Upper West Side is a charming and very intimate space for a performer but, fortunately, Ms. Delaria, formerly know for her out-there standup in the 80s/90s, is not shy.

She is a remarkable singer and was in top form as she did an hourlong set for the brunch crowd.  I remember first seeing her sing in the lovely production of ON THE TOWN at the Public's Central Park stage.  She blew me, and the audience, away with her brassy interpretation of Hilde, the rat-a-tat cab driver, and her unique song stylings of the Camden/Green standards.  Lea, along with Mary Testa, stole the show.

Well, now she's got her own show and rightly so.  Not to mention more than a few CD's on Warner's Jazz label.  One I am downloading today is called Double Standard, where she converts some unlikely pop songs into the jazz canon, most notably Blondie's CALL ME.  I wish I could post it here but you'll just have to download it yourself on iTunes.  I don't know that much about Jazz, but I do love Blondie and this is an amazing cover!

A Teenaged Liza Dances Up A Storm

This clip was sent to me by friend Jay Blotcher, an ol' TV hound who is always digging up lost classics to share with me.  He and his partner recently checked out the Judy Garland Christmas Special...on VHS even!  Liza, of course, is amazing though she is barely 17 years old. But also notable is her dance partner, Tracey Everitt who was a real Broadway hoofer back in the day. He was in the original class of such classics as WEST SIDE STORY, BYE BYE BIRDIE and even HOW TO SUCCEED, heading to Bway this spring with Daniel Radcliffe in the lead.

So where is Mr. Everitt these days? Well, Mr. Blotcher decided to find out and tracked him down to a dance studio in Hoboken where he teaches everything from ballroom to tap. Clearly he knows his stuff, as you'll see below.

The Half-Billion Dollar Business Named GLEE

This week's edition of The Hollywood Reporter has a fascinating story on the business of GLEE.  This show, which was one of the biggest risks the FOX network took when it premiered back in 2008, has become a half-billion dollar business for the network second only to their American Idol franchise.  And it is that rare thing in television these days....a cross-generational hit with everyone from 8 year olds to 80 year olds singing along to the showtunes.  Nearly 14 million people each episode!

There are many interesting details in his piece about how the show is put together as well as the high cost of each episode, nearly 4 million dollars.  Though GLEE certainly has it's ups and downs in terms of storyline, the show remains a remarkable thing for television....a weekly musical!  Of course, there were who thought this idea was crazy, including Universal Music which turned down the licensing for the music.  That went to Columbia which is now raking it in due to all the hit songs the show has spawned.

The question is can creator Ryan Murphy keep up with the crazy pace of production on this show?  Even he has his doubts. It's a lengthy article but worth the read if, like me, you love the GLEE.

The Story of The Verrazano Narrows Bridge

If you look at this picture of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, you'll see there's something missing.  Taken in 1963, when this massive bridge was still under construction, the traffic deck is not yet in place on what was, for some time, the longest suspension bridge in the world.

The remarkable story of this NYC landmark is now being told by the Bowery Boys in one of their highly entertaining historical podcasts.  There are all sorts of fun factoids and crazy stories in this story, namely about the bridge's namesake who was an Italian explorer who discovered the narrows in 1524 (almost a hundred years before Henry Hudson sailed in) but didn't go any further because he thought New York's harbor was a big lake.  So instead of the Verrazano River we have the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.  So why name a bridge after a second rate explorer?  The story behind that is even more surprising.

Adopt A Piece Of Fine Art Today

A friend of mine who works at NYFA recently told me about this fantastic website where you can "adopt" works of fine art for free.  The Fine Art Adoption Network was started by an artist named Adam Simon who thought it might be a way for artists to get some exposure while also clearing out some working space in their studios too.

This painting on the left is by artist Heidi Neff, is 60 x 66 inches and inspired by her love of church ceilings. It is available for free...the only cost is shipping.  And like adopting a child, that baby is yours for eternity.  But you have to be a good parent and take care of it.  And, just like adoptiong, you have to apply.  But where in NYC can you get free art? Nowhere....except the Fine Art Adoption Network.

EW Puts Kurt And His Crush On The Cover

Kudos to EW for putting GLEE's Chris Colfer and Darren Criss on the cover of this weeks issue. It's a totally adorakable pic....and a pretty good story to go with it as well.  EW's piece talks about the history of gay teens on TV and how suddenly they are popping up everywhere, most prominently on GLEE.

Now, I know that GLEE may not be a perfect show but it is easily the most unusual and groundbreaking TV show in years, especially in terms of its portrayal of gay teens.  It's actually pretty astounding to see how  Colfer's "Kurt" has become the heart and soul of this show. It seems lately that GLEE works best when it focuses on Kurt's storyline, with one of the best episodes of the season being Kurt's introduction to the all-boy school, the amazing singing of Blaine and The Warblers.

After the two of them did a sweet duet of "Baby It's Cold Outside" on the Xmas episode, fans of the show are clamoring for a real gay bromance. Could Kurt and Blaine become the new Ross and Rachel?  There are many hints that things are going that way, especially in an interview Colfer gives on the set of their photo shoot.  Only time, and new episodes of season 2, will tell....