RITA HAYWORTH LIVES (kinda) "BEAUTIFUL" and more...

 

If you haven't "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical--RUN!!!

 BEAUTIFUL tells the inspiring true story of King's remarkable rise to stardom, from being part of a hit songwriting team with her husband Gerry Goffin, to her relationship with fellow writers and best friends Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, to becoming one of the most successful solo acts in popular music history. Along the way, she made more than BEAUTIFUL music, she wrote the soundtrack to a generation-dare I say, generations-I never remember her not being current & relevant.

It has all the elements you want in a show. It offers perfect casting (and we didn't even see Tony winner Jessie Mueller but the formidable Rebecca LaChance-who was brilliant). The pacing is perfect--kudos to director Marc Bruni--no time to get even slightly bored.
With just the right amount of corn to make it fun you take a trip back to your radio circa 1971 where the story ends with the making of the iconic album "TAPESTRY". The biggest surprise was how King & Goffins's best friends & musical colleagues Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil also dominated the songs of yesteryear. Who Knew? What you will know is all the hundreds of songs these 4 had a hand in whether it was witing, singing or both. TREAT YOURSELF!
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 On SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11th at the RAZZ ROOM in New Hope, PA., cabaret staple & all around performer, QUINN LEMLEY, revives her amazing salute to screen goddess Rita Hayworth,
 in "THE HEAT IS ON". *

Though I've seen this various times, Quinn always puts an interesting twist to each show. She honors the legend's life through words and music. She really personifies Hayworth with relevance in song, dress, story & choreography.

I've always said Quinn's gift as a performer is the ability to educate about Hayworth, burlesque or any project she chooses without being preachy; instead through fun loving song & dance.

TREAT YOURSELF...ONE NIGHT ONLY

Many friends are joining me...the more the merrier...join us:

Bucks County's Premier Supper Club

Located within The Ramada New Hope

6426 Lower York Road

New Hope, PA, 18938Telephone number for The Ramada New Hope: (215) 862-5221

Toll-Free number for purchasing tickets and/or questions: (888) 596-1027

*Written and Directed by Carter Inskeep.

A 90 minute concert celebrating the life, loves and career of Hollywood’s most electrifying siren, Rita Hayworth. Starring Quinn Lemley, in her critically acclaimed tour-de-force performance with glamorous costumes, a swinging 4-12 piece band and the story that reveals an extraordinary life. Stories of Orson Welles, Prince Ali Khan and Columbia’s notorious movie mogul, Harry Cohn. Unforgettable hit songs from Hayworth and her co-stars: Sinatra, Astaire, Gene Kelly – Put The Blame On Mame, Bewitched, Lady is a Tramp, I’m Old Fashioned, Long Ago and Far Away, Zip! And MORE!

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Finally I want to give a proper farewell to our fashion icon, brilliant comedienne, actress and warrior of the LGBTQ community Joan Rivers. What can I say that hasn't already been said?  The overall sentiment is that she was the gold standard for brilliance when it came to comedy, business and the fuck you attitude that "no one will get me down". I think it is why the under dogs of the world gravitated to her. Regardless of her privileged upbringing she always felt like one herself which lent to insurmountable compassion. Little was known of her generosity (all her staff's children were paid their college education by her). Most of the $$ she made in NYC, trying out her new material, went directly to GOD'S LOVE WE DELIVER; these are just a few examples. Those who knew the woman behind the persona collectively state that she was a class act. I was honored to meet her a few times and she was always kind, relatable and hysterical. For my money she produced the best comedy album to date. Once I asked her why she never did a follow-up to it and she humbly answered, "I don't know, I had such fun making that one". I think I can guess why: because she was trying to make us laugh in a million other ways. Her energy-and her surgeons would say-her face were ageless...That's one's for you, Joan.
I loved you and the gap you left will be honored but NEVER filled. Thank you!

CALENDAR PHENOM--WOW ! (NOTICE THE MATH IN EACH COLUMN)

4 DX THEATERS: YOUR SEATS SHAKE WITH THE FILM...

 




Are 3D films a thing of the past?

To continue to keep attendance at the theaters, 4DX is sweeping the globe. In the US it's only in Los Angeles  at it's REGAL THEATER; however, around the world the 4DX experience is becoming more popular.

You are forbidden to eat during shaking and are NEVER allowed to bring a hot beverage.

With only the best technologies, 4DX motion chairs are equipped with three base movements of heave (move up and down), pitch (move left and right), and roll (tilt backward and forward) which can create an endless expanse of possible combinations to mimic such actions as flying and driving. The skilled team of 4DX editors, "i-Studio", are experts in maximizing the feeling of immersion within every movie without overstepping comfort bounds.

Effects simulated in a 4D film may include rain, wind, strobe lights, and vibration.

Common chair effects include air jets, water sprays, and leg and back ticklers.

Additionally, effects may include smoke, rain, lightning, air bubbles, and special smells (for example, fireworks smells at the London Eye's Experience, and gassy smells when a stinkbug sprays it in It's Tough to Be a Bug).

This reminds me of a time where television threatened movie sales & all sorts of gimmicks were created as well: cinamescope, cinerama and even the feeling of you being electro shocked. 

In Vincent Price's "The Tingler" , director William Castle made some movie theaters offer electric shocks (yes, Castle had actually wired some of the seats!).

Being a disciple of Castle,  John Waters in 1981 hyped his film "POLYESTER" with Odorama", whereby viewers could smell what they saw on screen through scratch and sniff cards.

Is 4DX hype or here to stay?

I think there's a place for it. Thank god most movies to my liking only make me shake inside where my heart lives.

JERSEY CITY'S THEATER OVERHAUL

After arduous renovations some years ago, THE WELLMONT THEATER in Montclair, NJ does amazing business (though they're on their second owners--they had a snafu & it closed for a while). The renovations were stellar--done by a NY architect.

(Brief history: opened in 1922 for live entertainment then switched to movies in 1929.In 2008 it completed a $3 million renovation and became a music venue booked by The Bowery Presents. The building was retrofitted with new electrical and plumbing systems. New bars in the orchestra and mezzanine were installed.In 2013, venue booking changed to Live Nation, after the theater again underwent another careful refurbishment.)

On the heels of this success Jersey City is installing the same idea in one of their great movie palaces of yesteryear. Even in the 1970's those theaters were bustling with movie activity (along with the more modern & now defunct STATE THEATER).
Though a lot of the clientele was of the unsavory kind, they were still making money. It was sad when they closed or were bought by religious organizations.

Last time I visited the LOEWS- about 2 yrs. ago-was to see one of their meets & greets with a living celebrity associated with the classic film shown on that day. I got to meet the incomparable Piper Laurie in "The Hustler". They had shown "All About Eve" and others as well.

NOW HOPE !

"One of the country's biggest entertainment companies is set to manage the Loew's Jersey Theatre in Jersey City, an important step in the effort to turn the aging venue into a gem of the state's second-biggest city.

On Thursday, city officials said that AEG Live, a company that books talent and manages venues nationwide, will manage the Loew's Jersey Theatre and that the city will spend about $30 million to $40 million to overhaul the theater.

The renovation plan calls for closing the theater sometime this year and reopening it by late 2015 or early 2016.

The theater, once among the state's most opulent, opened in 1929 when the city had several movie houses. The palatial space was long a venue for watching films; in recent years, the theater has become a home for film and photography shoots.

Updating the venue would give Jersey City a chance to compete for big performers with halls such the Bowery Ballroom in Manhattan and the Wellmont Theater in Montclair. 

"This will be our first signature trophy entity for the cultural arts," said Mayor Steven Fulop. "It's something Jersey City has never had, a cultural arts hub that anchors the community."

The Jersey City Redevelopment Agency is expected to approve the arrangement on Tuesday night..."

COMICS IN NJ CAR ACCIDENT--ONE DIES

 

 

 

Friends to Tracy Morgan: 'Stay strong'

Fellow comedians killed, injured in wreck

June 07, 2014

 

 "Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan, best known for his roles on "Saturday Night Live" and "30 Rock," was badly injured early Saturday when the limo bus he was riding in overturned in a multi-vehicle crash in New Jersey that killed another comic.
Morgan, 45, was in critical condition in an intensive care unit at a hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, police and his spokesman said.

The comedian James McNair, also known as Jimmy Mack, was killed in the crash on the New Jersey Turnpike, police said. McNair, who was 63 and lived in Peekskill, New York, was riding in the limo bus with Morgan.
At least three other people were hospitalized following the crash, in which a tractor-trailer struck the back of the limo bus at around 1 a.m. local time near Cranbury Township, New Jersey State Police spokesman Gregory Williams said, citing a preliminary investigation.
After the collision, involving another tractor-trailer, a sport utility vehicle and two other cars, the limo bus was on its side, Williams said.
Morgan was part of a stand-up comedy "Turn it Funny" tour and had performed at a Dover, Delaware, casino on Friday night.
He was taken by helicopter to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Center in New Brunswick, Williams said. Morgan's spokesman said the comic would remain there on Saturday..."

Our condolences & prayers go out to them & their families...tragic...

 

WOMEN WHO SHOP ONLINE, GREAT NEWS... "SIZEABLE.COM"

 

 New Realistic Clothing Website, Sizeable, Will Restore Your Faith In Online Shopping

 The Huffington Post  | By Jamie Feldman

 

"At its core, online shopping is pretty great. You avoid the horrors associated with shopping at the mall, can do it from just about anywhere with an Internet connection and try on your purchases from the comfort of your own home. However, there are times when buying at the click of a mouse can be ... problematic. Like when you try your buys on for the first time and they don't fit, or they look different on you than they did on the model.

Well, you're in luck, online shopping lovers. Sizeable, a new Australian-based website, hopes to eliminate the surprise factor when it comes to how an outfit will look on your specific body. Using a portfolio of six models who range from sizes 6-14, they aim to provide a more realistic idea of how something will actually look. The site provides a detailed description of each model's measurements, and it features photos of all six in the site's selection of offerings.

Of course, there are countless body types, and not every single one can be represented here. However, it is refreshing to see how one piece of clothing looks on a bunch of different, real women, and to have at least some of the guesswork taken out of buying something online.."

 Go to "Sizeable.com" and begin...

(NOW WE NEED ONE FOR MEN: TWINKS, BEARS, MUSCLE BOYS, ETC)

"THE JOY OF DISCO" (2012) (youtube)

 

WATCH IT ON youtube

  (I love how it's summed up:
"IT WAS THE BIRTH OF A NEW DEMOCRACY")

A documentary about how a much-derided music actually changed the world. Between 1969 and 1979 disco sound tracked gay liberation, foregrounded female desire in the age of feminism and led to the birth of modern club culture as we know it today, before taking the world by storm; with contributions from Deney Terrio, Nile Rogers, Earl Young, Nicky Siano, David Mancuso, Robin Gibb, Kathy Sledge, Edmund White, Ian Schrager and Rollerena, just to name a few.

I never knew this existed; produced by the BBC.

Personally my disco experiences started in the New Jersey parties and straight bars in 1972 and peaked in the 1980's. This pop explosion just morphed later on to house music, tribal and other danceable pop music.

My first gay disco was " THE ROUND TABLE" in Midtown NYC-I was 15 years old (yay fake ID's).
It was also the first time I saw men in drag.

Of course the top NYC discos we frequented in the late 70's and 80's (and we'd later refer to them as dance clubs to sound cooler; silly us.) were: "The Gallery",  "Studio 54" , "Xenon". "Infinity", "12 WEST", "The Barefoot Boy", "Flamingo", "The Anvil", "Les Mouches", "Ice Palace 57", "the Paradise Garage"and the epitome of all dance clubs, "THE SAINT".

Other cities had comparable dance clubs: Los Angeles had "Studio One"; South Florida had "COPA", "Salvation" and "Backstreet"; Atlanta had "Backstreet" as well.

And Philadelphia brought a unique sound the world embraced. It took soul, R&B and Motown to create timeless, danceable sounds still influencing artists today.

While the Salsoul Orchestra created the hybrid of soul, Latin and disco.

Any dancer worth his self respect danced the Latin hustle-not the "Saturday Night Fever" more Anglo style. This movie & soundtrack by The Bee Gees took disco to the mainstream (as Madonna's song "Vogue" did for voguing; another established underground phenom-watch "Paris is Burning" to explore its genesis).

(And screw the backlash of "DISCO SUCKS" in July 12, 1979, at Comiskey Park in Chicago--most of the music THEY were listening to REALLY SUCKED...it was pure homophobia & racism..hate at its most vile !)

DISCO LIVES!

A seminal work into this musical, transformative phenomenon is:

My Life in the Paradise Garage: Keep On Dancin'

by Mel Cheren, Gabriel Rotello

1. ADAM BRAUN......2."THE NORMAL HEART"

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The handsome & brilliant Adam Braun is inspiring.
 He was on "KATIE" last week and set forth a message of hope and selflessness from which we can all learn.
Instead of taking the easy path-which his pedigree could have allowed-he took the one less traveled.

(His brother is Scott Samuel "Scooter" Braun. He is an American talent manager and businessman. He owns two record labels: School Boy Records^[ and Raymond-Braun Media Group (RBMG).
 RBMG is a joint venture with R&B performer Usher. 
The most prominent artist Braun represents is Justin Bieber.
For School Boy Records, his represented acts include Psy, Carly Rae Jepsen .)

 I only mention this because Scooter has been able to help his brother by using his clients-especially Beiber and Sophia Bush-to help the "PENCILS OF PROMISE" movement.

To date he has been able to open 200 schools & they are growing almost daily.

ROCK ON !

Recently married, Braun has been very public promoting same sex equality as well.

He states:
"Seven weeks ago, on the greatest night of my entire life, I asked the woman I love with every ounce of my being to marry me.

The next morning the gravity of it all began to hit me, and I just couldn’t stop smiling. It seemed like everyone around us wanted to celebrate our love for one another. And as happy as I was, strangely, I found myself thinking about gay rights.

Over the past decade of my life many of those I’ve become closest to have been in love with members of the same sex. Some hid this for years, others came out. I never thought of their sexuality as their most identifying factor. I realized that those who are gay cannot experience what I’d experienced the night before in many parts of our nation. And suddenly, the gay marriage debate became personal..."

(read the complete article: http://adambraun.com/how-getting-engaged-changed-my-views-on-gay-marriage)

ROCK ON AGAIN & THANK YOU ADAM !
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 HBO movie "THE NORMAL HEART" (2014)

 Mark Ruffalo was brilliant !!!  He was fearless in his acting & took chances few would.  Yes, it made me relive unwanted memories and I even accepted a lot of its poetic license; the message was clear, the screenplay was average. At one point it seemed every gay Broadway actor made an appearance. Julia Roberts was great too. Overall, it was a stellar cast.
If Michael Douglas got all those accolades for the campy "Behind the Candelabra", Ruffalo better get as many, if not more.

Because I was around at the beginning of this pandemic disease it really hit home but I feel many people will find it to be another "disease of the week TV movie".
After years of this script/play being passed around Hollywood (even Barbra Streisand wanted to do it) I was hoping for something meatier & more substantial. 

"And the Band Played On" was directed by Roger Spottiswoode
Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/review-in-hbos-the-normal-heart-ryan-murphy-gets-in-the-way-of-his-powerful-story#ui6YA2h4txhrC2JD.99

"And the Band Played On" was directed by Roger Spottiswoode
Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/review-in-hbos-the-normal-heart-ryan-murphy-gets-in-the-way-of-his-powerful-story#ui6YA2h4txhrC2JD.99

In other words, a more universal appeal. Obviously the LGBTQ community will clearly latch on to all the events, especially if you were around in the 1980s gay scene.

Like "Philadelphia", (which I hated), I'm  glad this was made & shown on HBO where more people in the general public will get to see it, not only the LGBTQ community, but I wish someone else would have constructed it. Where "Philadelphia" mostly ignored the social support system Tom Hank's character has, in "The Normal Heart" they should have focused-and dramatized more- how the straight world of politicians/media, etc. wasn't doing enough. The frivolous white party in Fire Island lent little to what could have been an opportunity to showcase the numerous fund raisers other parties had; and continue to have. Also, why doesn't the film end with Kramer/Weeks/Ruffalo starting ACT-UP instead of him basically with his tail between his legs in a hospital room. Murphy could have gotten some tips from Roger Spottiswoode in " And the Band Played On" (1993).

"And the Band Played On" was directed by Roger Spottiswoode
Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/review-in-hbos-the-normal-heart-ryan-murphy-gets-in-the-way-of-his-powerful-story#ui6YA2h4txhrC2JD.99

  Ron Howard who possesses a better way of telling a human interest story would have been a better candidate than Ryan Murphy as well.  Gus Van Sant who so beautifully directed "MILK" would have made "The Normal Heart" have more heart too.

CAN WE LIVE FOREVER? & YOUNG BLOOD FOR OLD

Last Sunday I was blown away by the idea that we can live to be 200-300 yrs old & potentially live FOREVER--what??????

FIND IT ONLINE OR ON DEMAND

AND DO WE WANT TO?

We all know Morgan Spurlock never shies away from controversial issues--I think this is his most interesting one.

The program is called "INSIDE MAN"
This particular episode is called :

Morgan Spurlock's quest to live forever

The show is on CNN on Sundays at 10PM.  He bravely tackles  a multitude of world/human issues in  a very personal way--he's always an active participant; unlike other journalists who just report the findings, Spurlock becomes part of them.

 YOU HAVE GOT TO WATCH THE ONE ON LIVING FOREVER--IT  WILL BLOW YOUR MIND !!!
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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHICS:

SWAPPING YOUNG BLOOD FOR OLDER PEOPLE (Sometimes called Vampire Therapy):

By Jennifer Frazer

"In what could have profound implications for understanding the process of aging, a trio of scientific papers published today show that infusing elderly mice with the blood of young mice can reverse many of the mental and physical impairments of growing old.

  The young blood is to some extent curbing inflammation in the body and brain, which is one of the main problems leading to age-dependent deterioration," he said. Taken together, Tanzi added, the new findings are "a game changer for sure."

 The young blood improved circulation in this region, which in turn stimulated the production of new nerve cells. When these cells migrated to the olfactory bulb and matured, the elderly mouse's sense of smell improved, reversing the loss in sensitivity normally associated with aging..."

 (scientists feel eventually this process can help older people rejuvenate & be cured of such things such as  Alzheimer's, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancer)