Archive | Quirky RSS feed for this section

SNL ladies dish about being in comedy, in love—and also, in labor

24 Jan

(This cover grosses me out a little.)

I may be the last person on Earth to have picked up Tina Fey’s Bossypants, a quick, enjoyable read with plenty of sarcasm and self-deprecation. To fully appreciate it, it helps to know a bit about SNL, 30 Rock and/or NYC. (It is also useful to know who Alec Baldwin is. Oh, and some lady named Sarah Palin.) But lest you think it is merely about Tina’s ascent to TV success, there are also some endearing chapters about her don’t-eff-with-me dad, her honeymoon on a cruise ship that almost went up in flames and her completely justifiable annoyances with Teat Nazis. Published in April 2011, it’s still on the NYT Best Seller list.

(This cover is just a little weird.)

Now her compatriot in comedy Rachel Dratch is coming out with her own book. On sale in late April, Girl Walks into a Bar… Comedy Calamities, Dating Disasters and a Midlife Miracle may have been inspired by Tina Fey’s memoir just a little.  If you didn’t know, both women got their start doing improv in Chicago before making their way to SNL (along with Amy Poehler, who apparently has no plans for a tell-all book). But Rachel’s chapters detail her dream of becoming an actor, her bad luck with dating and her ultimate acceptance of never becoming a mom … right around the time she gets unexpectedly pregnant. At 43. By a guy who lives across the country with whom she’s in the early stages of a “long-distance, fun, casual, not-defined relationship.” You may guess there was a bit more cursing in this book. It made me laugh out loud. (I’m immature.)

Just two good reads by successful women in the male-dominated field of comedy peppered with reflections on life and motherhood.

Tags: , , , , ,

Employees share OMG trade secrets in NY mag

12 Jan

The cover story of this week’s New York mag is The Classifieds: A Workplace Confidential, in which workers from all professions anonymously spill their trade secrets. I experienced nearly every human emotion within a 10-minute span of reading. Here’s what you may have missed…

Do you want to feel …

ANGRY? The Legal Aid Lawyer Who Tells the Innocent to Plead Guilty

GROSSED OUT? The Bikini Waxer With an Aversion to the Female Anatomy

HOPELESS? The Bronx High-School Teacher Who Says It’s Not Just the Students Who Cheat

MODERATELY HORRIFIED? The Transsexual Escort With Married Clients Who Know Exactly What They’re Buying

SAD? The Parole Officer Who Thinks Parolees Are Doomed

HUMORED? The SNL Writer Who No Longer Fears for His Job

NOT AT ALL SURPRISED? The NYPD Officer Who Says He’s Not the Only Cop With a Drinking Problem

Tags: ,

Once a jail, now Liberty Hotel in Boston

28 Nov

Every once in a while I visit a repurposed space that wows. That is how I feel about Boston’s Liberty Hotel. The Beacon Hill landmark is an excellent example of preserving history and architecture while creating a modern space that is fully utilized. Formerly the Charles Street Jail, the building was remarkable at its completion in 1851, with four wings extending from a 90-foot rotunda and cupola. Today the atrium space remains striking, with the original 30 oversized, arched windows bringing (moon)light to the lobby and bar area. You can also see steel bars and other vestiges of the early jail cells.

A luxury property, the Liberty Hotel may be out of budget for some. But no matter how imprisoned you are by your salary, it’s well worth a visit just to have a drink—or a meal in the CLINK.

Tags: , , ,

I like dirty hippies, so what?

14 Nov

The movie Magic Trip (rent-able) is not for everyone, and I fully admit that having (non-dirty) hippies for parents and the strong belief that I was meant to be a flower child contributed to my intrigue. In fact, I watched the film twice. Fascinating look at the famous, 1964 cross-country bus trip taken by Ken Kesey (author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and LSD experimenter) and his Merry Band of Pranksters (including Neal Cassady). You really feel like you are on the bus, thanks to raw footage narrated by these kids—now adults—detailing their exploration, search for freedom, relationships, and yes, acid trips. You would be wrong to assume that it’s only about drugs, though; there’s plenty about politics, the vibe of the era, Ken Kesey’s leadership, the protest movement itself and dissatisfaction/disillusionment.

So get a healthy dose … of American history. (What were you thinking?)

Tags: , , , , ,

Strip poker art exhibit opens tomorrow

11 Nov

Artist Zefrey Throwell‘s I’ll Raise You One is a seven-day public strip poker game—in a SoHo storefront window. Seven players will gamble away their clothes as a commentary on small stakes capitalism and winning/losing. “Guilt-free voyeurism,” promises the exhibit’s website. See for yourself. November 12-19 from 10:30 am-6:00 pm at Art in General (709 Walker, near Broadway).

Photo: © Zefrey Throwell

Tags: , , ,

Every Person in New York

20 Oct

 Jason Polan has many art projects, but this one especially is brilliant and ridiculous and a little cramazing.  It’s called Every Person in New York. He draws people he sees all over the city—on streets, corners and trains, in parks, museums and fast food joints. In fact, his goal is to draw as many people as he can—maybe someday, every single one.

Drawing by Jason Polan

Tags: , ,

Good Hurricane Rental: Easy A

26 Aug

Easy A

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Easy A. A teen comedy that’s actually clever and witty—and makes you believe Emma Stone is your best friend? Yes please. Think Election meets Saved! meets Clueless. Also, it’s a total homage to John Hughes. Ummm and there are some too-good-to-be-missed lines delivered by the fantastic Patricia Clarkson, Stanley Tucci and Thomas Haden Church.

Ignore your instincts and watch this. Over the weekend. As the world ends.

Tags: , ,

Muppets and Arepas in Queens

16 Aug

Perfect weekend excursion: Take the short trek to Astoria and get nostalgic at the Museum of the Moving Image, where the temporary exhibit Jim Henson’s Fantastic World features puppets, drawings and storyboards by the creative genius. Learn how Henson got his start in commercials and later found inspiration for The Muppet Show, Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock. The museum’s permanent collection of artifacts is also noteworthy: old movie projectors, famous costumes, special effects props, etc. Or time your visit to catch a screening—a Gus Van Sant retrospective starts in September.

On your way back to the subway, pop into Arepas Cafe for some Venezuelan corn goodness filled with anything you can imagine (um, like shark meat). Even during brunch you will not be disappointed by the plain arepa with scrambled eggs, plantains, slices of avocado and huge chunks of queso. Just remember to douse everything in the special green sauce! Wash it all down with Polar pilsner or sangria at happy hour.

Because not all of us can go to the Hamptons.

Tags: , , , ,

Oreo Cameos! Nom nom nom

11 Aug

Just TRY and tell me this is not cool!

© Judith G. Klausner

Judith G. Klausner is a MA-based artist who “revels in minutiae.” Some of her other materials include fingernails and insects. Yikes!

Tags: , ,

Late-Summer Reads: A Visit from the Goon Squad and The Imperfectionists

9 Aug

I used to dislike collections of stories, preferring instead to immerse myself in orderly, chronological novels. But recently I’ve come to love literary snippets that interweave a common cast of characters. Two books that do it well: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan and Tom Rachmann’s debut The Imperfectionists.

Goon Squad is set on both coasts of the U.S. and spans many years—including the post-punk ’80s. Music is the backdrop; themes include the quick passage of time and mistakes and missteps. Imperfectionists revolves around a fictional English-language newspaper in Rome, also spanning several generations and the characters’ lost loves and selves. You don’t need a journalism background to feel nostalgia for dying dailies and the reporters and editors who ran them.

With short chapters, easy-to-digest storylines and lovably flawed characters, these perfect beach reads are FAR from chick-lit.

Tags: , , , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →