We have been dealing with lots of lawyers the past few weeks on a variety of deals. You have to have a lawyer in order to cover all "what ifs" but the torture of going through the process sometimes is enough to drive you up the wall.
Someone sent me this video yesterday which gave me a good chuckle in regards to the need for representation. Sorry that this video isn't available to be imbedded into the blog. You just have to click on the link
The Little Dog Laughed was such a success last year that Second Stage Theater put the show on again this fall. We didn't see the production the first time around but was really happy that we were able to see the revival this fall.
Sometimes plays shouldn't move to Broadway or return so soon. Sometimes it is just good to walk around with a major smash hit and call it a day.
I really liked the play. The story was clever and funny. Julie White took the show. Ari Graynor was second in line. Truly superb acting. The lines were laugh out loud too.
But when I got up at intermission to take a stretch, I noticed that the theater was barely filled. The second story mezzanine was practically empty.
As an actor, it must be difficult to play to an empty theater knowing that the first go round was a total sell out. It isn't like this is a bad play. Perhaps that audience is just limited. I wonder if Second Stage broke even or lost money on this run which is why I say, sometimes it is just better letting successes be remembered that way instead of trying to recreate the success. Second time isn't always as a good run as the first time around.
If you haven't seen the play, tickets appear to be abundant. It is worth seeing. It is funny. Very present day. Enjoyable. A good howl.
We are getting ready to take off on vacation and since I love the top ten lists, I am going to start doing them now. For some reason, I thought last year was a much better year for music. Maybe because I took so much in this year I was overwhelmed. But, then I started to drill down on my favorites of the year and realized it was actually a pretty good year. So, here are my tops for 2006, in no particular order.
Ben Kweller, Ben Kweller. He is one of my favorites period. Songs are catchy and he is such a nice guy you can't help but like him. Talented too.
Ben Folds, Supersunnyspeedgraphic Catchy songs. Melodic. The words are funny and disturbing at the same time.
KT Tunstall, Eye to the Telescope Couldn't get enough of this CD. She rocks is about all I can say. There will be much more to come from KT.
The Decemberists, The Crane Wife These guys just get better and better. Great lyrics, good sound. I loved their last CD too.
Josh Rouse, Subtitulo Not sure how we stumbled on to Josh Rouse but I can't get enough of his music.
M. Ward, Post-War He is a poet singing his songs. Deep throaty voice. Very different sound. Indie folk. So good.
Bruce Springsteen, We Shall Overcome, The Peter Seeger Sessions Love Bruce, love the old Pete Seeger songs. A true combination of just great oldies recreated with Bruce's touch
Tom Petty, Highway Companion Who would have thought that I would have put 2 old rockers on my list. But, Tom Petty has done it again. His voice is so distinct and he just continues to put it out.
Belle & Sebastian, The Life Pursuit Been listening to them since 1998, they have yet to disappoint. Fabulous CD.
Lily Allen, Alright, Still Fun catchy hip hop English chick. Love this album.
That makes ten. For me, these were the highest in rotation for 2006. Saw the majority of them in concert too. Looking forward to 2007...
When I was in Miami last week I had dinner with a woman from San Diego whose husband works for a company called Waveloch. This is the ultimate in surfing without having to go in the ocean.
Have you seen the pictures of indoor skiing in Dubai or Japan? This is the same concept but instead of skiing, indoor surfing. It is quite cool.
I believe they each cost somewhere around half a million dollars to buy/install. But think about going to a resort and instead of watching your kid go down the waterslide, they stand inline to do a 2-3 minute surf or as long as they can ride the wave and then shoot out the other end. Maybe a whole family activity. More than likely you can get a bunch of fantastic waves in a few rides.
The big surfers seem to be into it from their website. They can probably practice their stance before taking on the big ones in Indonesia.
Is it the next big wave in family amusement? Pardon the pun. Who knows but personally I think it is pretty cool.
Sometimes I scare myself when I can walk or drive by a block in many areas of downtown Manhattan and know that something is brand new. I can't remember a persons name but I can pick out the latest restaurant or store front on a random block. Weird how the mind works.
Today I happened to be in Chelsea. I walked down 8th Avenue and saw a new food front called Swich. Walked in and asked the obvious question, "how long have you been open"? Answer, "since Thursday". So, I decided to have lunch.
Great space. Very clever website. I love when you click on location and it takes you immediately to Google Maps. Also, when you click on "the story" the story is told by a funny cartoon which I really liked. A possible food entrepreneur in the making.
The menu is simple. A variety of pressed sandwiches or if you would prefer a decompressed meaning salad instead of bread. It reminds me of Chop't. They stick to what they do, pressed sandwiches and they don't stray from it with soups and a variety of other options. Chop't does the same. Salads chopped, that's it. I like that. You are better focusing on one thing then trying to be everything for everybody.
The place is clean, simple and well done. A long bar where you order on the right and pick up on the left. A big communal table in front of the bar.
I had the Karate Chicken Decompressed. All fresh. Greens in a plastic container to go with freshly sliced cherry tomatoes, pieces of mandarin orange, pieces of roast chicken and thin slices of carrots and sliced almonds. Dressing comes in a small plastic container. Good dressing. A really light well balanced salad, not too heavy. My guess is the sandwiches are really good but as always, I opt for the salad. What can I say?
I ended up meeting with the owner John. He has never been in the restaurant biz. His last career was a copy writer. Got to give him a huge amount of credit for opening a new place with no experience. He couldn't be nicer - I think his idol is Danny Meyer.
This is a clever made to order fast fresh food restaurant. My bets are on success and that you will soon seen one coming to a neighborhood near you. I believe Chop't is the process of expanding their brand too. Young guys as well. Could be a trend...
My mother in-law loves peppermint with chocolate so every Xmas I feel compelled to make something she'll love. We had the family Xmas this past weekend because we travel and don't want to miss out on the annual family event so this is what we have done for the past few years. It is nice.
These were easy to make but the consistency when raw is strange.
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not dutch-process)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely crushed peppermint hard candies
Preheat the oven to 375.
Line a 13 by 9 inch baking pan with a sheet of foil to hang about 2 inches over the pan. It is like making brownies.
Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
Beat together butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.
Beat in egg until combined.
Slowly beat in the flour mixture. I then put in the chocolate chips and peppermint pieces in the mixture on low and beat. Made is much easier than by hand.
Now spread the dough evenly in the pan. It is really thick and not easy to spread. I literally spread it around with my hands pushing and pulling.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until it begins to pull away from the foil. Let cool and cut into bars.
Chewy and crunchy at the same time. A real Xmas treat!
These were in the Bon Appetit November issue. So easy and great for company. Also, the dough is perfect for making homemade pizza. Quick and easy.
Crust:
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 t. kosher salt
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T. melted unsalted butter
Topping:
2 T. unsalted butter
2 T. olive oil
3 large onions thinly sliced
1 T. finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 cups crumbled blue cheese
Preheat the oven to 425. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center. Mix together the milk, olive oil and butter. Slowly pour into the well of dry ingredients and whisk until the dough is formed. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to create a 10 X 13 triangle. Put this into a rimmed cookie sheet and repull the dough to be 10 X 13. Piece the dough all over with a fork.
In the meantime, melt the butter and olive oil and add the onions. Cook until they begin to get soft and brown. About 10 minutes. Then add in the rosemary, sugar and salt. Continue to cook until the onions get really soft and dark, about another 10 minutes. Let cool.
Spread the onion mixture over the dough. Sprinkle with the cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Cut into squares and serve. Really good.
After rushing back to the hotel for a quick change, we made our way out to the opening of the Furniture Fair. It is housed in a four story location with booths on each floor. We saw some really fantastic furniture, old and new. I will just give the pictures and highlights since I didn't take the information on the galleries.
This chair looks like macrame but is solid as a rock. It was very comfortable and chic.
This table on the right is made of a poured substance. You could
have at least 16 for dinner but the way the table curves creates for much more interesting conversation.
This last piece is from a jewelry designer. It is called the butterfly chair. It is a conversation piece.
To give you an idea of what the place looks like. Here is a picture from the third floor. I'm glad we went to this fair. Beautiful. 
What a whirlwind trip. I don't think anyone is physically capable of actually seeing everything there is to offer in the few days that everything is open. If anyone has, more power to them.
Day 2, we started at at the Rubell Family Art Collection. They have housed their art in a large open warehouse that is similar to a small modern museum. My guess is someone curated this collection of art for the week of Basel. The collection is open during the year too. It is quite interesting the collectors who are amassing great quantities of work are also now creating space to show their art like a museum. I would guess we will see more of that over the next ten years. I wasn't a huge fan of the Rubell collection. Really dark and sexual. Not my cup of tea but interesting nonetheless. My favorite piece was really this collection of statues that looked not quite finished.
The next collection we went to see was the Marguiles Family Collection. I
really liked this collection. I was also more familiar with the artists. The collection began with a fantastic circular mirrored ball by Olafur Eliasson. I was first introduced to his work a year ago and I was drawn in immediately. The other pieces that I liked were a 
Vik Muniz and the hot dog stand by 
Will Ryman. My favorite was a bike messenger video done by Zilvinas Kempinas. He rigged four cameras to his bicycle and drove around Manhattan for an hour without stopping. You stand in the middle of a small room and the video is running simultaneously in the front and back and on both sides so you can experience exactly what he experienced. It is pretty exhilarating from the speed to the sound etc.
Our next stop was MOCA (museum of contemporary art). The current exhibit was from Bruce Nauman who takes neon tubing and creates works with words that are thought provoking. Although in the middle of the exhibit was a small room that was illuminated in light. In order to get to it you had to walk down a corridor surrounding the room to get to the door. The hallway continues to get more narrow as you walk down. It was quite interesting because in essence if you are overweight there is absolutely no way you could fit down the hall. Fascinating actually.
Next stop, lunch, thank god. We had lunch at the Delano. What a scene. That alone was worth the journey. Beautiful hotel, beautiful people, beautiful gardens, etc. Worth the stop.
We had not finished because I was truly interesting in checking out the areas that represented more emerging artists. There were about 5 or more shows but we opted for 2. NADA and Pulse. Nada is housed on the outskirts of town. Not a very nice neighborhood at night but fine during the day if you stay within the compound. There were a few robberies that we had heard about outside - handbags, etc. Just beware.
I found NADA to be a bit too bohemian for my taste. I wondered if the gallery owners were drinking some of their own kool-aid. There were 3 galleries that had some great work and the rest were representing artists that I wondered about their longevity. Very disappointing. The gallery that I really liked is located in Boston and represented a artist who did mostly animals made out of plaster paris. I was drawn to this elephant piece but it had already been red dotted (sold). I will definitely follow up with this gallery once I find their card.
After NADA we went over to PULSE which was great. Pulse seemed like more established galleries that represent emerging younger artists. I liked it a lot. I ended up buying a few pieces at this show. Richard Heller Gallery in Santa Monica carried a bunch of artists I liked. Also, the owner was great. I purchased a photo of seagulls by a photographer/crabber named Charlie Roberts.
He has one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, so I am told, and takes photos of what he does. The other artist is Marcel Dzama who I have seen before in NYC. His work is clever and a bit off.
The other gallery was the Ambrosino Gallery in Miami. There was one particular artist that I really liked named Carol Brown who had done small pieces of individuals. No doubt that her work is going to go up in price but in the end I passed for something else he carried. A photographer named Pablo Sonia from Venezuela. The photos are from his country that I found calming. He has taken a linen which is draped over the photo and pulled. Not sure where he is going but I so loved the photos that I was more inclined to just buy these pieces. Art should be about owning what you love. So, I went with his photos.
It was really interesting and a lot to take in. Next year, more of the emerging stuff, if that is possible.
The project is complete. I think this might be the best one yet.
Meg Wolitzer: The Interestings: A Novel
Wolitzer writes about a group of camp friends who all come from different walks of life (some on scholarship) as their friendships continue through their mid-50s. At the beginning the story seems trite but as you continue to read there is a lot of be said. The story is sticking with me. She makes the case that everything that happens to you from your childhood makes an impact on who you become or don't become. Worthy read.
Elizabeth Strout: The Burgess Boys: A Novel
Strouts last book won a Pulitzer. She focuses on family issues. I enjoyed this book much more than Olive Ketteredge which I found utterly depressing. This book follows two brothers and a sister who live in the shadow of their fathers accidental death. Like most siblings, all have turned out very different yet they are connected. I did not love any of the characters, like her last book, yet as The Burgess Boys moves forward and memories are revealed, it is an interesting perspective on human character.
Tamara Shopsin: Mumbai New York Scranton: A Memoir
Great book. A witty spare inventive personal diary of Tamara journey from Indian to New York to Scranton. Really really enjoyed the book.
Michael Lavigne: The Wanting: A Novel
An incredible book that tells the human side of the many layered issues in the Middle East. From immigrating to Israel from Moscow, to being a victim of a suicide bomber yet surviving, to being pulled into an Israeli radical group. Each character is connected. Very layered well written book. Powerful
Alessandro Piol: Tech and the City: The Making of New York's Startup Community
A history of the Internet that I lived through. Great job of recording what happened.
Amity Gaige: Schroder: A Novel
Not sure how much I loved this book. A father loses his child in divorce and decides to kidnap his own daughter. He is not a stable person but he obviously loves his daughter. His own childhood has made him a disconnected human being. An interesting journey but not sure I'd recommend.
Janice Steinberg: The Tin Horse: A Novel
a good novel that not only tells the tale of another dysfunctional jewish family in the early 30's but interweaves pieces of los angeles history throughout the book.
