Take me out to the ballgame...

I finally made it out to Citi Field (7 train goes right there) this past Friday night & was totally blown away by this new stadium. It is spectacular! The Architects must have been told design your fantasy ballpark & incorporate both old (Ebbets Field) & new technology into the design. From the moment you walk into the Jackie Robinson rotunda (personally...they should have named the stadium after him...he deserved it & I'm not a big fan of corporate named stadiums) you are blown away by the combination of brick & steel, modern versions of old gas-lights & old film projected up on the walls. There's not a bad seat in the house & you can get in for $30 bucks. Within the stadium it's like walking around a boardwalk with loads of vendors for food & drink (reasonably priced for a ballpark as well). On the top promenade it's open to the stars & they have picnic tables out! You can take a break from your seats to get a beer...hang out..watch the game on the big screens while you check out the talent walking by... This place was build for fans, it was built for friends & families to come out to see a ballgame...Let's hope this place is used as a template for future ballparks...

St. Pat's Original...

While bouncing between two of my current favorite watering holes in Soho Nolita House & Spring St Lounge with a couple of friends we noticed that the doors were opened to the church on Mott between Spring & Prince. Said church happens to be the original St Pat's & is over 200 years old. Now I don't spend a whole lot of time in churches since for one reason I'm not a follower of Jesus Christ...even though I am a cousin of Baby Jesus's (read: a Jew) & normally when I do go in one the stained glass shakes & the holy water bubbles...but I am into art & my friend George's Mother was a Nun (long story) so I figured we would be safe...The church is amazing...it's like the churches in Europe where between the architecture & the art your religious beliefs are not necessary to appreciate their beauty...When you first walk in their is a copy of Michelangelo's Medea to your right & beautiful stained glass throughout. Why I don't see this highlighted as a NY treasure, a must see while in NY, listed on walking tours is beyond me. Not only that...it's not out of the way at all...it's right by some of the best shopping, eating, drinking, & people watching on the planet. So next time you find yourself in Soho or in NYC for that matter stop by & check out this NY landmark...

ThirdsWorld/Death by Grilled Cheese

I recently attended a play that my friend Candy (http://www.candice-myers.com/) had two starring roles in. I didn't know what to expect from the play or from her performance. It was in a small theater where you are sitting if in the back row 30 feet from the stage (I was at best 10). It's not the first time I attended a play where I was this close & I actually prefer small off Broadway productions to major shows.

I would have to think for the actors this most be very challenging & difficult. No cuts, re-takes like in a film, not even the distance the stage has normally to an audience. Just you & your fellow actors just feet away from your audience...there eyes right on you...while you need to perform. I have a slight idea what it must be like from being in Sales & having to do presentations in front of primarily small to medium groups. This taste only makes me appreciate what they have to do up on stage so much more. Now, I am a big movie buff...but so many of our actors...just..how do I say this...SUCK. Yet they get paid 6 & 7 figures to screw up their lines & do re-shoot after re-shoot & still end up with a crap product. To actually watch a troupe of actors put out such great performances live with their audience right on top of them was a pleasure.

The play was broken down into 4 separate acts

1) An aging Basketball player has just finished his last game...& tries to come to grips with how he is going to move on & give up the crowds & "benefits" of life on the road with both his coach/friend...& his Mistress...

2) A day in the life of some office workers doesn't quite do this segment justice but I don't want to ruin the twists & turns once they make this into a movie short or episode of Twilight Zone 2010...

3) A friend drops by to visit an old friend with a slight twist...they were both ex-drug addicts & one now has AIDS...

4) Trying to find the "perfect girl" just isn't easy is it...even when you can program them...just don't feed them...(first time I've ever seen a grilled cheese sandwich used as a deadly weapon) Hint to the Ladies...the way to a man's heart is truly through his stomach...

All the actors across the board did a great job so kudos to all of them...but I guess I'm somewhat biased with my friend Candy's performances (she's in 2 & 4). Primarily because most actors can do either drama or comedy but not both (actually most neither). In one play she plays a single Mother where she has to display intense grief & anger then understanding & forgiveness. In the other she plays a Fembot which required comedic timing while being sultry & mischievous. To say that she nailed both performances is an understatement. Isn't it awesome & HOT that Paris, Lindsey & all the other talentless idiots make the big bucks! ( for the record I'm a Neanderthal & subscribe to Maxim/Playboy, etc...).

Luckily there is a lot of small production theater out there...so as much as I enjoy Hot chicks in cut-offs & latex fighting robot mutant ninjas (I think I just gave my cousin an idea for a party) get out there & check out some real talent show you how it's done live...right in front of your eyes...with no safety net...

District 9...not your Father's Sci-Fi

District 9 is a pretty interesting flick & I highly recommend it. It's not your typical Sci-Fi flick & the first half it just uses "not of this Earth" Aliens as "illegal Aliens". The second half starts to get a bit more Sci-Fi & goes from thought provoking to Iron-ET-Transformers. It also has it's gory moments ( Peter Jackson produced it & his early work was a bit different then his recent works).

In many ways it is highly original with it's own look & feel, while on the other hand it does use all the concepts you've seen in Sci-Fi before (this makes more sense once you're seen the movie) For the record it's not perfect & there were some aspects of the storyline where you had to throw logic to the wind...but overall a captivating movie that tells the story of a people put into a ghetto by others & given no rights & one man's fight to save himself body & soul. It does not paint a pretty picture of humanity. We are shown to be rather brutal both physically & emotionally. While not quite the sleeper of the summer...still one of this summers best. Star Trek is the Blockbuster of the summer & Hurt Locker this summer's sleeper.