Billi Pod Says==>The Academy Awards Show Was Terrible!!!

OK everyone, let’s get right to it==>The Academy Awards show last night on ABC was boooooorrrrrrrring!!

Too long and James Franco looked stoned for most of the show.

This opinion is shared by many, for example:

The New York Times called the writing "old and hoary," Slate called the show "tedious," and Roger Ebert said it was the worst Oscars he'd ever seen.

And, my loyal and faithful readers, why is it that the very people whose “business” is "entertainment" come up every year with snoozers? I just don’t understand it.

And, listening to those acceptance speeches was akin to performing self-circumcision. I hit the mute button on most of them.

Billi Pod was, however, correct on 6 of his 8 predictions. The two he lost were:

Best Director:

Billi Pod predicted: David Fincher for The Social Network

Who won: Tom Hooper for The King’s Speech

Best Supporting Actress

Billi Pod predicted: Helena Bonham Carter in The King’s Speech

Who won: Melissa Leo for The Fighter

Anyhow, about yesterday’s entertainment stuff --

THE NATIONAL FESTIVAL CHORUS @ Carnegie Hall==>excellent and very enjoyable. My seat was terrific, in the second of the 4 upper tiers. A nice afternoon of classical music performed by very talented younger singers.

Now my loyal and faithful readers, in the name of fair and unbiased reporting, I have to report that ... gasp ...

Billi Pod skipped out on the 7:00pm performance of APPLE COVE to watch The Oscars==>my bad.

Kept vacillating until it was too late to walk the 10 North/South blocks to the theater. Of course, in retrospect I should have gone with my original plan of seeing the play and then back in PHC for the last part of the awards. Oh well ...

Tonight’s entertainment event is ...

8:00==>CACTUS FLOWER - “This revival of Abe Burrow's classic farce tells the story of a handsome, middle-aged Park Avenue dentist and bachelor who tells his much younger girlfriend that he is married. Chaos ensues when she insists on meeting his fictional wife.” (Off-Broadway - discounted TDF ticket)

Very good advanced buzz for this show and Billi Pod could use a laugh.

Have an entertainment event scheduled now for every night for the upcoming week, with the exception of Friday night, when Billi Pod will stay in to watch the Yankee/F**kSox spring training game on YES.

Man, it feels strange not having a musing to post on my FaceBook Wall in the morning or to close this blog posting. Oh well ...

GO GATORS AND GO YANKEES!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

The End Of Musings From The Mind Of Billi Pod!

Yes, the end has come, but ...

First let’s start with Billi Pod’s report card on last night’s KIN==>B<==acting outstanding, but dammit, yet another yelling, screaming, crying, dysfunctional families drama. Getting a bit old folks.

I was seated next to a relative of the playwright and she silently cried most of the performance, for whatever unknown reason. Kinda weird.

Today is another entertainment doubleheader for Billi Pod --

2:00==>THE NEWARK BOYS CHORUS & THE NATIONAL FESTIVAL CHORUS @ Carnegie Hall - works by Vivaldi, Brahms, Bach, Monteverdi, and others. ($9.00 TDF ticket).

7:00==>APPLE COVE - “When newlyweds Edie and Alan move into the gated community of Apple Cove, they believe they have found a safe haven from the chaotic world outside. They quickly learn that nothing, not even electric gates, can keep nature out. Especially one's own nature.” (Off-Broadway - complimentary ticket).

This is the makeup performance for the one that was canceled on Friday, February 18th, due to sound system problems. The show runs 90 minutes so I will be back in PHC in plenty of time to see the important parts of the Academy Award Ceremony on ABC.

Alas, my loyal and faithful readers, what follows will be the last of the musings. To recap just a bit for those of you who aren’t daily followers - the musings came about late one evening, December 2, 2010, beginning around 11:45pm, as I was obviously in front of this ‘puter. They just came out in no particular order or sequence and I frantically typed them just as the thoughts were being formed.

The “session” lasted about an hour and then, suddenly, it was over. And, no, I hadn’t relapsed and/or gone on mind-altering substances. What I have posted on this blog and my FaceBook Wall are the exact musings in the order in which they were born. I only spell-checked and I have resisted the urge to “tweak” them in any manner.

The only omission was one of the early ones in which I made a super-slanderous reference to Bill O’Reilly’s mother. Scott Reed urged me not to post it and I didn’t, and he was right.

So, everyone, here it is, the final musing ...

Musings from THE MIND OF BILLI POD (a memoir in progress):

“Rodeo clowns are actually Mafia hitmen in training - WTF!! - my mind has been spewing out stuff like, you know, stuff like ... oh ... stuff it, will ya, for God’s sake. The End!!”

GO GATORS AND GO YANKEES!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

Billi Pod's Oscar Predictions

BILLI POD’S OSCAR PREDICTIONS FOR THE 83rd ACADEMY AWARD CEREMONY, live on ABC beginning at 7:00pm on Sunday.

OK, my loyal and faithful readers, I want to share with you my predictions in the major categories, who will win and who, in Billi Pod’s humble opinion, should win:

Best Picture

Who will win: The King’s Speech

Who should win IMHO: The Social Network

Best Director

Who will win: David Fincher for The Social Network

Who should win IMHO: David Fincher

Best Actor

Who will win: Colin Firth in The King’s Speech

Who should win IMHO: Colin Firth

Best Actress

Who will win: Natalie Portman in Black Swan

Who should win IMHO: Natalie Portman

Best Supporting Actor

Who will win: Christian Bale in The Fighter

Who should win IMHO: Geoffrey Rush in The King’s Speech

Best Supporting Actress

Who will win: Helena Bonham Carter in The King’s Speech

Who should win IMHO: Hailee Steinfield in True Grit

Best Original Screenplay

Who will win: David Seidler for The King’s Speech

Who should win IMHO: David Seidler

Best Adapted Screenplay

Who will win: Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network

Who should win IMHO: Aaron Sorkin

There you have it. Enjoy the ceremony, particularly those wonderfully scripted and performed acceptance speeches.

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

The "Quest" Has Begun - Oh God!!

Billi Pod spent the morning and early afternoon checking out some Upper Westside ‘hoods, the Columbus Circle and 72nd Street areas. Not looking at apts. yet, just getting a feeling for the area(s). There are actually a couple of properties in the area that are also managed/operated by the same company, The Brodsky Organization, that manages 420 W. 42nd Street.

The one that interested me the most in the area was a 51 story building on 59th Street between 9th and 10th Avenues, or basically a little less than a mile due North of my current building.

I didn’t actually see any apartments, that simply wasn’t in my plan for today, but I did go inside the lobby areas and talked to the staff of 4 of the Brodsky Organization’s Upper Westside properties.

Then, when I got back to PHC, in time to watch the YANKEES/PHILLIES Spring Training game, there was an email from the rental office with a counteroffer. OMFG!!

It was substantially less than their original offer but still more than I want to pay. But, boy did it start my mind to whirling, and it hasn’t stopped.

Now, in response to a couple of emails regarding what are the “MUSTS” in my quest for, perhaps, a new apartment, here are the very basics:

1. Upper Westside neighborhood

2. 24hr. doorman building

3. no broker’s fee

4. easy access to subways

5. a full-service grocery store within easy walking distance.

The above are must-haves.

Anyway, my loyal and faithful readers, I will keep you advised.

Oh, you know, one thing really really hit me when I returned to PHC==>the awesomeness of my view. I guess over time I have become a bit blasé about it, but it is truly breathtaking and this will factor into my decision making process, without a doubt.

Dammit, I like this apartment a lot, I am just not that into the Hell’s Kitchen ‘hood ... oh well ... on to other things --

CAPITOL STEPS last night was simply hilarious - just what I needed.

Tonight’s entertainment event is --

8:00==>KIN - “Bathsheba Doran's new play sheds a sharp light on the changing face of kinship in the expansive landscape of the modern world.” (Off Broadway - discounted TDF ticket)

It is playing at the theater directly beneath PHC (hummmmm, how about that).

Well, everyone, it is now time to close out with the soon to be over ...

Musings from THE MIND OF BILLI POD (a memoir in progress):

“Face it guys ... you can never be a role model for your younger brother if his wiener is bigger than yours.

GO GATORS AND GO YANKEES!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

Billi Pod Goes Ballistic!!!

A nasty rainy day in The Big Apple and that is fitting for my mood because yesterday afternoon I got a ridiculously high rent increase proposal for my lease renewal on PHC.

It was a proposed 17% increase for a one year lease and 19% for a two year lease.

BILLI POD WENT BALLISTIC!!

Went down to the rental office in the building to talk with the leasing agent, Doug Goodenough (yes, that is his correct name) and he immediately blamed everything on the rental office staff, and the conversation quickly turned into a “good-cop vs. bad-cop” thing, with Doug being the “good-cop.”

Bottom line - he told me to calm down and that he would contact the rental office to see what, if anything, could be worked out.

So, the battle is now on and I have already projectile-vomited twice in the past 24 hours.

Will keep you loyal and faithful readers advised as I begin exploring my relocation options.

Now, on to more pleasant things, like ...

Last night’s CIRCUS INCOGNITUS was a lot of fun. As expected, lotta kids in the audience and they had a ball.

The performer did some amazing things. See it if you can.

Tonight’s entertainment event is ...

8:00==>CAPITOL STEPS @ Town Hall - “Back by popular demand with fresh new material--is the wacky group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employ them.” (Off-Broadway - discounted TDF ticket).

I have seen this group perform several times in the past and they are very very funny. I will definitely need to laugh.

Well, my loyal and faithful readers even though Billi Pod is in a bad mood, he will close with one of the last musings (come on ... you know you are gonna miss them) ...

Musings from THE MIND OF BILLI POD (a memoir in progress):

“Why was the scene in “Star Wars” showing Jabba the Hut mooning Hans Solo deleted? Because once seen, the scene will never ever leave your mind.”

GO GATORS AND GO YANKEES!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

Briefly from The Big Apple

Good morning everyone.

This will be a brief report from The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World. Why? Got things and stuff I need to do.

Last night’s LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA concert was 100% awesome!! The hour and 25 minute intermission-less performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 7 flew by. It was a wonderful classical music experience.

Tonight’s entertainment event is a bit different --

7:00==>CIRCUS INCOGNITUS - “Circus legend and audience darling Jamie Adkins stars in this unforgettable story of a man who has something to say, but can’t quite find the words. Teetering on towering ladders, somersaulting on slack wire and timing perfect pratfalls, Jamie finds some very unusual and hilarious solutions.” (Off-Broadway - discounted TDF ticket).

There has been terrific advance buzz on this performance and I am really looking forward to it. It runs only an hour, so I might catch a movie afterwards ... we’ll see what mood I am in when the show is over.

Oh, a big shout-out and thank you for all of the emails and texts in response to yesterday’s posting about my upcoming decision(s) regarding PHC. Yes, I will keep you loyal and faithful readers advised as things develop. Thanks for your support!!

Need to head out so ...

This is among the last of the musings that spewed forth from the mind of Billi Pod back on December 2, 2010. As I previously posted, they end this week ...

Musings from THE MIND OF BILLI POD (a memoir in progress):

“The massive incest in The Book of Genesis supports the theory that The Garden of Eden was likely located in Mississippi.”

GO GATORS AND GO YANKEES!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

Billi Pod Has A Big Issue

I want to share with you loyal and faithful readers my thoughts and concerns about an upcoming big issue in my life. What am I talking about? Well ... here it is ...

My 2 year lease on PHC is up on May 31st and I am already feeling concerns about what I should do. You see, while I really like this apartment on the penthouse floor (41st floor) of 420 W. 42nd Street, with it’s breathtakingly awesome north and northeast views, I have to admit that I am less than enamored with living in Hell’s Kitchen.

Yes, this location is extremely convenient for Billi Pod’s life-style - dozens of theaters, multiple movie houses, transportation, and etc. etc. etc. But I have yet to connect with the area as my ‘hood, like I did when I lived all those years in Midtown East, and I am not sure if I can or even if I want to.

Now, I haven’t contacted, nor have I been contacted by, the rental agent regarding the proposed terms of a renewal. I know this ... I was given a great deal (in New York City terms) on the apartment back in 2009 when the rental market was down. Now, the rental market has rebounded and I know what this will likely mean ... probably a substantial proposed rent increase.

Then there is the issue of a 1 bedroom vs. an alcove studio, like I was in for 8 years at 335 E. 51st Street. What do I mean? Well, a bedroom adds approximately $800-1,000 per month to the rent, so do I want to spend this amount of money for a space I occupy only 6 hours in a 24 hour period? I honestly don’t know.

Then there is the issue of where would I prefer to be if I don’t renew. I have given this a lot of thought and I am leaning toward the Upper Westside, probably in the area between, say, 68th Street and 76th Street. The Lincoln Center area (60s) would work too.

There is also The Williams, the senior facility on W. 96th Street that I investigated and liked back in 2009. Yeah, I know what you are thinking, but it is still a viable option.

Would I renew PHC for the same rent or a very modest increase? Yes, in a f**king heartbeat, for 2 years.

I know I need to get this resolved because it greatly impacts my tentative plans to travel to Paris in late April or early May. I can’t leave NYC until I have a signed lease, that is for certain.

Frankly, the thought of negotiating with the rental agent and/or apartment hunting makes Billi Pod want to projectile vomit!!

Anyway, my loyal and faithful readers, this is what is going through Billi Pod’s mind at the moment, so ... now it is on to the usual things and stuff ...

Yes, another bright and cold day in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World==>21º @ 8:30am. It is supposed to remain cold through the weekend, but, thankfully, no snow.

Report card on last night’s IN YOUR IMAGE==>B-<==yet another so-called “dark comedy” about a dysfunctional family with fighting siblings and a deadbeat dad.

The set in the extremely small Theater C is full of newspapers, beer bottles, disposable cameras, empty take-out containers, and stacks and stacks of boxes.

Acting is good. A plot twist in the second act saved it for me and perhaps most importantly, things aren’t wrapped up neatly in the end, and that works.

So, Billi Pod says==>it is worth seeing.

Billi Pod’s entertainment event for tonight is --

8:00==>LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA @ Avery Fisher Hall - Mahler’s Symphony No. 7, performed with the Riverside Choral Society and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. (discounted TDF ticket).

The concert will be an hour and 25 minutes, without intermission, with no late seating.

So, my loyal and faithful readers, let me close with one of the few (hold the applause) remaining musings ...

Musings from THE MIND OF BILLI POD (a memoir in progress):

“Calamari is the number one reason for divorce among Italian men because it leads to erectile dysfunction and dementia.”

GO GATORS AND GO YANKEES!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

Billi Pod Says==>SEE GHETTO KLOWN

It is bright and cold in The Big Apple==>17º at 8:30am ... burrrrrrrr!!

Billi Pod’s report card on last night’s JOHN LEGUIZAMO GHETTO KLOWN==>A<==first preview performance. The audience for this sold-out show was really into his performance, which was, as promised ... “unabashed, uncensored, and uninhibited.”

He really laid everything in his personal life/history/background out there for his audience to absorb, and, frankly, sometimes I felt it bordered on being a bit too much. Having said that, I also recognized that it is his style to do just this. He really took some brutal shots at some of his movie cast-mates but his most brutal and troubling shots, in my opinion, were directed at his family, particularly his father. I didn’t know that at one time his father had filed a defamation lawsuit against him.

Despite these comments, I have no problem in recommending his show as a mesmerizing theater experience. Billi Pod says==>SEE IT!!

Tonight’s entertainment event is ...

7:30==>IN YOUR IMAGE-“In a small town just outside Manchester, England, a man dies alone in his rubbish-strewn flat. His two sons, forced to pick over the remnants of his life, must confront the ghosts of their past before they can lay him to rest.” (Off-Broadway - $9.00 TDF ticket).

This show is playing on the smallest stage at the 59th Street Theatre. It has gotten very good reviews and I am looking forward to seeing it.

In an earlier posting I talked about having dinner with Paul Hughes and Scott Reed, but I failed to post a picture I took of them in PHC on Friday, February 18, 2011, just before going out for our late-night dinner at Westway Diner, so here it is ...

Oh, yes, the drama in The Yankee Universe is growing stronger and weirder by the day.

What am I talking about you loyal and faithful readers are no doubt breathlessly asking? Well, it seems, according to co-owner Hank Steinbrenner, the reason the Yankees didn’t make it to The World Series in 2010 was because of Derek Jeter’s newly completed “mansion” in Tampa --

“OUT AT HOME! Yank boss: We lost over Jeter mansion. "Yankee co-owner Hank Steinbrenner took a not-so-veiled shot at Derek Jeter yesterday, blaming the team’s disappointing 2010 season on ‘players concentrating on building mansions’ rather than winning.” - New York Post (front page).

“HANK HITS HOME! Blames House That Jeter Built for Woes” - The Daily News (sports section)

“Criticizing Star, the Way Dad Used To Do It.” - New York Times (sports section )

Well, I know this seems kinda harsh, but Billi Pod needs to remind you readers that several times during last season he opined on this blog,

in the name of fair and unbiased reporting, that the Yankees seemed to have lost their “killer instinct” and seemed to exude a sense of “entitlement” rather than their usual “winning is everything” aura of previous seasons. Jus’ sayin’.

Yep, it’s gonna be an interesting season, that is for certain.

So, will close with the now soon to be completed ...

Musings from THE MIND OF BILLI POD (a memoir in progress):

“Bet you didn’t know that Willie Wonka was really a wanker.”

GO GATORS AND GO YANKEES!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

Blah and Yucky Errands Day

It was 30º and snowing @ 7:30am this morning in The Big Apple. No doubt about it, it looks like a blah and yucky errands day for Billi Pod.

Yesterday’s NEW ENGLAND SYMPHONIC ENSEMBLE concert was a very enjoyable afternoon. My complimentary ticket was in the upper-upper balcony, but no matter because the acoustics are so awesome in Carnegie Hall.

No movie last night, instead Billi Pod stayed in and watched the 3 hour SNL special on NBC. Very funny, particularly the first hour which featured their “tv ads” skits.

Billi Pod’s entertainment schedule for tonight is --

7:00==>JOHN LEGUIZAMO GHETTO KLOWN - “The comic returns to Broadway with this next chapter in his personal and professional story, performed in his trademark style....unabashed, uncensored, and uninhibited.” (Broadway - discounted TDF ticket). Should be lots of fun.

Spring training is now underway with the full squad reporting yesterday. I am more than ready for the return of baseball, even though it will be meaningless games with the late innings manned by players you have never heard of and probably won’t hear of in the foreseeable future.

That said, Billi Pod will watch the Yankees’ first preseason game against The Phillies at 1:05pm on Saturday, February 26, carried on YES.

I have to admit that it feels strange to read countless newspaper stories and columns where The Bronx Bombers are classified as “underdogs” in the AL East race, behind The Boston FuckSox.

Oh, yeah, everyone out there in the baseball world, please continue to believe that we are “underdogs.” Seeya at the end of the season you f**ktards!!

And on that serious note I also have to report to you loyal and faithful readers that the musings will end later this week and, no, Billi Pod doesn’t anticipate working on any additional ones ... sorry ... that is ... unless he has another mind-melt ... hummmm ... I wonder ... anyway ... now ...

Musings from THE MIND OF BILLI POD (a memoir in progress):

“Going commando is a free-swinging experience.”

GO GATORS AND GO YANKEES!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

Winter Has Returned

Good morning everyone.

Well, my loyal and faithful readers, winter is back in The Big Apple, The Greatest City in The World. Yes, it was 22º and very windy @ 8:30am...burrrrrrrrrr!!!!

Unfortunately, the forecast is for more of the same for the next several days. Oh well, it was nice to have had a brief respite from Old Man Winter, even if it was only for a few days.

I am happy to report that yesterday’s doubleheader was a double A+ for Billi Pod:

First, the matinee performance of BLACK TIE==>A+. Typical A. R. Gurney. Well written and very well performed. The audience loved it. A must-see for you Big Apple theater-nuts.

Then, the evening performance of INVASION==>A+. Weirdly funny, thought provoking, sometimes shockingly gross, with an excellent cast. If you are in the mood for something different and are open-minded, then this is very much worth the trip way downtown. If not, then stay away, far far away.

Billi Pod’s entertainment schedule for today --

2:00==>NEW ENGLAND SYMPHONIC ENSEMBLE @ Carnegie Hall - program will include: Mozart-Overture to The Marriage of Figaro; and, Beethoven-Piano Concerto No. 3. (complimentary ticket)

The evening is open at the moment. I am thinking about a movie and I think it may be the newly released comedy CEDAR RAPIDS with Ed Helms and John C. Reilly.

Now hold on there before some of you start flaming me ... I know that I haven’t seen JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER. I have said many times that I will see it, but, Billi Pod wants to see The Biebs' movie during the weekday (and not this holiday Monday) so as to avoid the screaming tweens as much as possible. OK, just calm down ... there ... that’s better ... now ... so ...

Billi Pod will close with another musing, as the countdown to finality approaches ...

Musings from THE MIND OF BILLI POD (a memoir in progress):

“It’s your turn to pay, bitch!!”

GO GATORS AND GO YANKEES!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”