The Son Also Sings: Jason To Join Barbra (aka "Mom") Onstage

Jason Gould, Barbra Streisand's son from her marriage to Elliot Gould, will be singing with his mother onstage for the first time this month as he joins her mini-tour of shows which includes a stop at Brooklyn's new Barclays' Center.   

There's an intimate and revealing interview with Gould on the blog Stargayzing (by David Munk) in which he discusses his later-in-life foray into the world of music, describing it as a "second coming out". Gould has been a creative journeyman, working in film both in front of and behind the camera, as well as doing some work as a sculptor. But he claims this latest foray is something he's had an interest in for many years and was just scared to dive in....and who wouldn't be if you're going to be compared to your mom?! 

At the end of the interview, you can listen to a mournful song from his EP "Morning Prayer" which is available online at his website, jasongouldmusic.com.  He does have a beautiful singing voice that is truly his own (ie. no shades of Judy/Liza syndrome). It would be a treat to see him and Barbra together on stage as they will surely do some interesting duets.  The shows in Brooklyn are October 11 and 13. 

Bananarama Hits New York City's Hard Rock Cafe

One of my favorite guilty pleasures from the 1980's (along with Poison) is the Brit-pop group Bananarama. Somehow I did not get the memo that they were going to be in town last night for a one-night-only gig at the Hard Rock Cafe, in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Fortunately, my friend and fellow blogger Kenneth In the 212 was there and has the full report (and some great photos like the one above).  

At age 50, the ladies look great and did some of my less-famous favorites, including "Talking Italian" and the awesome "Love In The First Degree." If you don't know that one, but I'm posting the video below. I love this song and especially this video; it has great 80's dance moves and amazing hand gestures too. It's like they are performing in sign language! 

 

The New Barclays Center Goes Up In Record Time (2:28!)

Last week, the new Barclays Center opened in Brooklyn marking the beginning of a massive transformation of the Atlantic Yards into a retail/entertainment/housing complex. It took more than 4 years from ground-breaking to Jay-Z's opening night show last Friday. But you can see it all happen right before your eyes in this cool time-lapse of the site's transformation.  They even do a little detour to show the building out of the arena's interior.

After 36 Years, Village Club "Kenny's Castaways" To Close

In yet another sign of the times (and rapidly rising rents), a landmark Village nightclub is closing this week.  Kenny's Castaways, just around the corner from me on Bleecker Street, will shut its legendary doors tomorrow night after a final show featuring some of the rock acts it helped make famous. Though I have not been there in a while, I saw many a friend's band play there over the years. But still the place gave Bleecker Street and the "entertainment district" section of the Village it's unique character.

Today's TIMES has the full story which feautres the sad detail that this rock 'n roll dive bar will be turned into a "gastro-pub". Well, I guess at least it's not going to be a bank or a Duane Reade! One interesting item in the article notes a previous incarnation in the building's 120 year history; in the 1890s it used to be a gay bar called The Slide. The name and concept of this bar was revived a few years back with a location on the Bowery and many rumors as to where the original Slide had actually been located. (I will take the TIMES (and Village preservationist/historian Andrew Berman) on their word.)  Anyway, fascinating to know that a little bit of infamous gay history happened in my 'hood as well.

So Call Me Maybe.....On Your Glove Phone

This picture is not a joke or something from The Onion or the latest Carly Rae Jepsen spoof video.  This is Hi-Fun, a real and crazy little gadget that takes Bluetooth to the next level.

This set of warm winter gloves comes with a built in microphone and speaker so that you can literally put it up to you ear and mouth and hold a conversation.  It's made to connect with the iPhone too, making it a cool new accesory for those iPhone 5 adapters. Granted, people may think you look a little silly and your hand may cramp up a bit for those long conversations with your spouse. But in the winter, something like this might actually come in handy....especially in New York! Made and marketed mainly in Europe so far, the cost is 50 Euros...or about $64.

Staten Island Will Soon Have World's Tallest Ferris Wheel

Big news for NYC's forgotten borough today--they are getting the world's tallest ferris wheel over 680 feet in height. It should have some truly spectacular views of the entire harbor and, in one place, provide a view of probably all five boroughs of the city.  And, finally, there will be a reason for tourists to take the Staten Island ferry other than the view.

It always seemed like a missed opportunity to just have all those people get off the boat and loop back around. Now they will have somewhere to go, along with the usual planned hotel/retail complex. The whole project was announced today by Mayor Bloomberg and, if all goes well, will be completed in 2015.

There's a great quote about the whole thing today from the Borough's shockingly honest president, James Molinaro.  "We've gone from having the world's biggest dump to having the world's biggest wheel."

My Friend's Cute Cat Video Campaign For ModKo

My friend and filmmaker/colleague Gregory Kennedy has produced a fun cat video for the Internets. It's a promo for Modko, a company that has designed a very mod looking kitty litter box. But as smart as the box looks, the cats in this video (two of which I've "cat-sit" for before) are just adorable.  And there are more where this came from at the Modko website, where each cat type gets it's own video. My personal favorite? The Teenager! That cat (whose real name is Burt) has opened a few doors on my watch too. He is sexy, surly, and crafty....and very well-named.

Woman Needs iPhone 5 Now...But Not Sure Why

This is a real video of a woman who was sitting on line in New York last week waiting for a new iPhone 5. It seems that maybe she had been on the line a bit too long perhaps as she appears to be delirious, disorientated, almost brainwashed with a generic excitement about a phone she doesn't seem to know much about.  They are those who refer to the folks who go bonkers for the Apple hype as "drinking the Kool-Aid".  Well, this woman is not just chugging that stuff...she is apparently swimming in it.

As this video spreads virally, there have been some questions online about whether this woman was an actor or the whole thing was a comedy stunt/sketch. However, the guy who does these videos "Prime Time Sam Roberts" seems to specialize in finding real-life oddballs and drawing them out of their shell in ways that are bizarre and hilarious. Check out his video with a packing David Bowie from a recent ComicCon.

Sitcom Master Directs Michael Urie in PARTNERS

Tonight on CBS, the new sitcom PARTNERS debuts. It's from the creators of WILL AND GRACE and stars Michael Urie, who was in my second feature WTC VIEW (which he did right after graduating from Juilliard). It's about two best friends, one gay and one straight, who run an architecture firm and it's inspired by the real life friend between creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan.

I found an interesting story on NPR today about the director of tonight's pilot episode, James Burrows. He's directed more than 50 TV pilots over the last 20 some years, starting with TAXI and including other hits like CHEERS, FRIENDS and THE BIG BANG THEORY.  He has an interesting theory about directing sitcoms too--he often does it with his eyes closed. Literally. He says it's more important to hear the show, like radio. Which I guess why NPR did a feature on him :)

An NYC Living Room With A View

This week, a suspended living room opened above Columbus Circle which enclosed the famous statue of the man who is credited with discovering America.  It's a truly wacky and inspired work of public art by a man named Tazu Nishi. Actually, that's not his real name...changing his name is also part of his odd work as a multmedia artist.

Tazu scouted a number of statues in NYC and almost picked the one of an angel in Central Park. But he liked that this one was up of the ground a bit, as opposed to other statues which didn't have much of a base. While the living room is nicely designed, what's really cool are the completely unobstructed views out the windows to the north (of Central Park West) and to the East (of Central Park South).

You can read more about him in a fun Times Q&A piece. And you can visit his living room box some 80 feet above the circle through November 18th.