Archive for the 'Readings' Category

In case Stephen Colbert mysteriously dissapears, this is why:

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Without MC Buttafuco there would be no UNCOOLKIDS. So it is with a heavy heart that I review the last Fahrenheit, his reading series at Black and White that has been going on every Sunday for the past four years.

Everyone showed up for the farewell. A record number of readers signed up, and even at 5 minutes a person, the evening went well over two hours. It included readings by regulars D.Stortion, Richard Allen, Nick Higgins and ZekeTerwilliger and more, about everything from childhood trauma to drug use to dealings with Russian call girls:

Fahrenheit was a reading for people that weren’t authors. Many people showed up to listen and were inspired to scribble something on a napkin and jump on the mic. It wasn’t polished, but it wasn’t supposed to be. It was supposed to be a place to find your voice.

But this wasn’t a sad goodbye. There were some tears, but most people there were optimistic that the authors will read on. There are plenty of other places around the city, although they won’t be the same. And the host, well, we all know he’ll be back, and perhaps a Fahrenheit reunion won’t be far behind.

Goodbye, Bryan.

We hope the kids in L.A. love you as much as we do.

DAVID CRONENBERG DIRECTOR’S DIALOGUE
Tuesday, November 29, 8pm

“We know that many of you missed out on our first David Cronenberg event, so we’ve invited him back, this time to speak one-on-one with a special guest interviewer (TBA) about the themes and ideas that have shaped his career and his unique cinematic vision, from THEY CAME FROM WITHIN to A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE.”

Tickets: $20 general public ($17 students, $15 Film Society members)

There’s no doubt that people love Harry Potter. Similarly, people love their iPods. So why was I so surprised at the size of the crowd when I went to Barnes and Noble, Union Square for a live joint taping of PotterCast/MuggleCast on Saturday night?

Five hundred fans were there, and almost all of them were teenage girls. One of them had been given the choice of going to Disneyland or the taping, and she chose the taping. One girl came from Kentucky, another from California, still another from South Africa. They all lined up to watch Emerson, Andrew, Ben, Kevin, John, Melissa and Sue - the new heroes of Hogwarts. The seven of them had been given something every fan dreams of, a chance to see the New York premiere of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and they were there to tell us what they saw.

From L to R: Sue, Emerson, Kevin, Ben, John, Melissa and Andrew

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Symphony Space offers some of the best entertainment in the city; movies, lectures, dance, live music and theatre. But because of my financial situation(or lack thereof), often I’m torn between my desire to be well cultured and my desire to eat.

That’s where the Symphony Space Card comes in handy. For $30 you can get “The Card“, and then whenever you buy tickets, you get a discount:
selected readings - from $25 to $15
movies - from $10 to $6 (plus four free passes with free popcorn)
selected music events - $21 to $16
and all other events are available to you at member prices, which are usually about $5-10 cheaper than regular price. Even if all you do is use the free movie passes it’s completely worth it.

Buy one now, cause I just got an email saying it’s a special introductory offer, so who knows how long it’ll last.

At 6:15 I lined up outside the New York Public Library on 42nd St and 5th Ave, and after a 45 minute wait, and a very minimal security check (the girl behind me got in with a gym ID card), I was let into the Celeste Bartos Forum to see Bill Clinton and Dr. John Hope Franklin discuss current race relations in our country.

In 1997 Clinton launched The Presidents Initiative on Race, which basically breaks down to a national effort to deal openly and honestly with our racial differences. The head of his advisory board was Franklin, a History professor and distinguished author. Franklin has just written a book titled Mirror to America, and tonight’s discussion is to help promote it.

A dixieland band was playing as tuxedod waiters handed out complimentary champagne. Under a lighted archway a small platform stage was set up with two chairs waiting for the evening’s guests. People of all ages, from 7 to 70 were scrambling to find seats, wandering into the VIP and Press sections which were cordoned off by velvet ropes. As is my luck, I ended up with a chair in the last row on the side, next to the (marble) wall. Although this was a talk about race relations, the audience was predominantly white, and seemed to be upper class, based on the conversations I overheard. I felt like I was at a fund raising political rally more than an academic lecture.

After another 45 minutes, the band broke out into the old Louis Armstrong song, Black and Blue, “My only sin is in my skin,” to set the tone for the evening.

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The New Yorker Festival tickets are on sale now. So far everything I wanted to see is sold out, so it looks like I won’t be there.
Unless anyone wants to give me a $200 High Rollers Steak Dinner ticket. I’d love to have dinner with Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth Jr, Howard Lederer, and David Williams, but if it’s gonna cost me that much, there better be some poker.

Tickets went on sale today for the new season of public programs at the New York Public Library. Included among them are: