Alec Baldwin Tonight

Tuesday==> Wow!! I can’t believe it - the temperature is actually in the low-50s at 1:30pm here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World. It is “walk and wander” weather for sure, so will make this posting a bit briefer (hold the f**king applause - you want me to come over there and bitch-slap you?) and then head out for a walking session in my Hell’s Kitchen ‘hood. Nice!

So ... let’s begin with my comments/observations on last night’s concert at Avery Fisher Hall @ Lincoln Center ...

DISTINGUISHED CONCERTS INTERNATIONAL, featuring the DCI Singers and the Gay and Lesbian Big Apple Corps Symphonic Band, was outstanding.

The first half of the concert was performed by the Symphonic Band and the highlight was “A Tribute to Judy Garland,” which included, of course, songs from “The Wizard of Oz” and “Meet Me in St. Louis.” Delightful.

The second half of the concert was “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,” from the poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The Symphonic Band was joined by the 150+ Distinguished Concerts International Singers. The conductor, Rene Clausen, is also the composer.

This was a totally engrossing work that was beautifully performed and it received a well-deserved standing ovation.

My comp. seat was excellent, in the Prime Orchestra, row T.

Yes, Billi Pod was in the mood for a good concert and this certainly filled-the-bill.

Moving on ...

Tonight’s entertainment event will be a Broadway show, in previews, starring Alec Baldwin ...

7:00==>ORPHANS - “A story about two orphaned brothers holed up in a run-down North Philadelphia row house and the wealthy kidnapped criminal who becomes a surrogate father to them.” (Broadway - discounted TDF ticket) 

This show got off to a very rocky beginning when one of the original cast-members, Shia LaBeouf, left the show after a week of rehearsals due to “creative differences.” There has been a lot of negative buzz floating around ever since.

The opening night was pushed back to April 18th but the limited run will still end on June 30th.

So, my loyal and faithful readers and followers, stay tuned for your favorite blogger’s report card in tomorrow’s posting.

Now it is time to post this and head outside.

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>2.61 miles (or, 5,707 steps)

Total mileage since 7/1/12==>1,275.82 miles

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.”

ART AND SCIENCE==>A+

Monday==>Good morning to all of my loyal and faithful readers and followers out there in the hinterlands, wastelands and boondocks. I hope that each and everyone had a great weekend because your favorite blogger certainly did.

Yes, Sunday’s doubleheader was AWESOME, and I know I use that word too often ... but it was a terrific ending to a fabulous week for Billi Pod here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In the World.

During the past week Billi Pod attended 11 entertainment events: 1 Broadway show (The Big Knife); 8 Off Broadway shows; and 2 classical music concerts. He celebrated his 23rd year of continuous sobriety and renewed his lease on PHC for 2 additional years. The week had 4 doubleheaders.

I hope you will agree with me that it was, in truth and fact, an AWESOME week.

So ... with that awesomeness in mind, let’s move on with today’s posting, beginning with report cards on yesterday’s entertainment events ... first ... 

ENCORES!: IT'S A BIRD...IT'S A PLANE...IT'S SUPERMAN, the caped hero attempts to protect Metropolis from villains==>A

Despite having a TDF seat that sucked (very rear of the mezzanine) I found this to be a totally enjoyable experience. As usual the orchestra and the orchestration was outstanding.

Edward Watts as Superman/Clark Kent, Jenny Powers as Lois Lane and Will Swenson as Max Menchken, the gossip columnist, headed a stellar cast of talented performers, who gave their all.

The house appeared to be sold-out and the audience was very much into the production, especially during Superman’s flying sequences, which were portrayed by a cartoon cut-out crossing the stage on a wire.

Yeah, I left City Center with a smile on my face.

My second entertainment event wasn’t until 9:00pm, so I had plenty of time to have my usual fruit and cheese plate and to finish reading the 3 Sunday papers.

Then it was time for another show, a part of the Midtown March Medley, 4 plays written by Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley ...

ART AND SCIENCE, about an estranged student who visits his former voice teacher, who is in declining health==>A+

This drama, with a comedic touch, has a totally engrossing and believable storyline and amazing performances by John Tartaglia and Tony Sheldon.

Their interaction(s) was a master class on making characters and scenes realistic. I don’t want to sound overly dramatic, or like a shill, but, my loyal and faithful readers and followers, this was one of the best pieces of acting that I have seen in a long long long time.

In yesterday’s blog I wrote that Sunday was the final performance in the Series. Well, I was wrong. ART AND SCIENCE has the following remaining performances ...

Monday @ 8:00

Tuesday @ 7:00

Wednesday @ 3:00

Friday @ 2:00

Tickets and the schedule for the other shows for the upcoming week are at ...

http://www.midtownmarchmedley.com/

To his theater-nut buddies in The Tri-State area Billi Pod says==>get thee to this show ASAP!!

Moving on to Billi Pod’s entertainment schedule for tonight ...

7:00==DISTINGUISHED CONCERTS - The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere @ Avery Fisher Hall. - “Using the famous Longfellow poem, ‘The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,’ this concert is a riveting and thrilling work of modern choral music, invoking the excitement of the horse ride as well as the quiet of the streets, the beauty of the night, the history of the rickety old bell tower, and the breathless excitement as the message is delivered. (concert - complimentary ticket)

Featured are the Distinguished Concerts Singers International and the Gay and Lesbian Big Apple Corps.

As you loyal and faithful readers and followers know, today, being Monday, it will be my usual errands and stuff day ... so ... I will need to close this posting with some observations on the sports scene (just for you Marty) ...

I think it is pretty amazing that 3 Florida teams have made it to the Sweet Sixteen, University of Florida, University of Miami and Florida Gulf Coast University (Fort Myers). FGCU is the first 15-seed team ever to advance to the final 16.

Would love to see them advance further but ... dammit ... they are playing my Gators at 10:00pm on Friday.

On the baseball scene there continues to be very bad karma from the Yankee spring training headquarters, this time focusing on Derek Jeter’s status. His left ankle remains a problem and he may go on the DL and miss the Opening Game on April 1.

Trust me on this, folks, it’s gonna be a long and painful season for The Bronx Bombers. Your favorite blogger will give his predictions on the upcoming season later on this week, so you loyal and faithful readers and followers need to stay tuned.

Yesterday was another decent walking day.

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>5.27 miles (or, 11,529 steps)

Total mileage for week==>26.99 miles (average 3.86 miles per day)

Total mileage since 7/1/12==>1,273.21 miles (average 4.77 miles per day) 

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.”

UNBROKEN CIRCLE==>A

Sunday==>Today is going to be another AWESOME entertainment doubleheader for your favorite blogger here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World, so let’s get today’s posting started with my report cards and observations on Saturday’s entertainment events ... starting with ... 

UNBROKEN CIRCLE, the exploration of how abuse and family secrets affect every person in each generation differently==>A

WOW!! This powerful family drama is performed by a stellar cast in a very very small space of only 20 or so seats, all within a few feet of the actors.

The playwright, James Wesley, also plays Bobby, the troubled son with a short fuse. Suzanna Hay is outstanding as Ruby, the stern family matriarch and Eve Plumb, Jan Brady in the Brady Bunch almost 40 years ago, is remarkable as the bible-thumbing Oral Roberts University acolyte, Aunt June.

I have to admit to feeling emotionally drained when the show was over. Unfortunately, the final performance is today and is sold-out.

When the show was over I wandered just a bit and then met up with my theater-buddies Dian Crystal aka My Lady and Vera Olichney at our favorite Ethiopian restaurant, Meske, on West 47th Street in my Hell’s Kitchen ‘hood.

They had just seen the Broadway show HANDS ON A HARD BODY, in early previews, and said it was worth seeing. I am seeing it on Wednesday.

We had a great dinner, each ordering the same thing, the outstanding Vegetarian Platter. Vera is with me in the picture.

When we finished dinner we had some time to kill before our next show, which was at 8:00pm, so we came back to PHC and chilled.

Then we braved the teeming masses, and I do mean teeming masses, to walk East on 42nd Street to The American Airlines Theatre, where we met up with our friends Marty Kosarik aka Numnutz and Cathy.

In the picture, from bottom to top, it is Cathy, Dian and Vera. 

The show was ... 

THE BIG KNIFE, the revival of Clifford Odet’s 1949 drama about scandal and damage control at a Hollywood studio==>B

Yes, this was only the 3rd public performance but I found the pacing to be very slow moving and the characters undeveloped and often rather tentative.

Hey guys==>“A yelled line does not automatically make it authentic, believable and/or dramatic” (hummmmm ... I just made that up).

Bobby Cannavale, in the role of Charlie Castle, the troubled movie star, seemed to be lost for most of the performance and, frankly, I didn’t care what ultimately happened to his character. Richard Kind, in the role of Marcus Hoff, the studio mogul, was excellent.

I guess the bottom-line for Billi Pod was that he expected more. Hopefully the preview process will do its job and the show will be better when it opens on April 16th.

All four of my theater-buddies had about the same reaction and report cards on the show.

Moving on ...

Today is yet another entertainment doubleheader, starting with ... 

2:00==>ENCORES!: IT'S A BIRD...IT'S A PLANE...IT'S SUPERMAN - “In this musical the caped hero attempts to protect Metropolis from an array of villains, including a mad scientist, a megalomaniacal gossip columnist and a mysterious clan of under-employed acrobats.” (Off Broadway - discounted TDF ticket)

This is playing at City Center on West 55th Street and has received very favorable reviews and buzz. I am looking forward to it. I never saw the original 1966 production.

When the show is over I will come back to the warm and cozy confines of PHC for the usual fruit and cheese plate and then just chill until it is time for my second show, which isn’t until 9:00pm (yep, this is the correct time).

9:00==>ART AND SCIENCE - “Adam, an estranged student, visits his former voice teacher, to find he's had a stroke, is partially paralyzed and refuses to go to the hospital because he's a Christian Scientist. The play concerns long-held resentments and struggles to find acceptance.” (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket)

This comedy/drama, written by James Wesley, stars Tony nominees John Tartaglia and Tony Sheldon.

Yeah ... it looks like another AWESOME doubleheader for Billi Pod.

A big HAPPY BIRTHDAY shout-out to my theater-buddy Vera Olichney.

So ... my loyal and faithful readers and followers, it is time to post this and then get ready to begin my Sunday doubleheader.

HAVE A GREAT REST OF THE WEEKEND EVERYONE.

Yesterday was a good walking day ...

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>5.02 miles (or, 10,968 steps)

Total mileage since 7/1/12==>1,267.94 miles 

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.”

Two More Years In PHC!!

BREAKING NEWS==>Well, my loyal and faithful readers and followers, I am happy (I think) to report that yesterday your favorite blogger reached an agreement with the leasing department of 420 W. 42nd Street and, taking a deep breath, he signed all of the paperwork required for a new 2-year lease on PHC.

So ... I will be looking Northward into Hell’s Kitchen from the 41st floor until June 1, 2015.

I won’t bore you with the details other than to say that both sides compromised a bit and that the final rent agreement is well within the range for one-bedroom apartments in a high-rise doorman building in Midtown Manhattan, in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World.

But ... I have to admit, in the name of fair and unbiased reporting, that this morning Billi Pod finds himself in a somewhat divided state-of-mind. Half of him is saying “Thank God this over, now move on with your life” while the other half is experiencing a phase of “Buyer’s Remorse” and is saying “You are paying how much? WTF were you thinking???”

Oh well ... it is done ... so let’s move on ... 

Today is another doubleheader so I need to get this posting started with my report card on last night’s entertainment event, the York Theatre's Musical’s In Mufti performance of ...

SILK STOCKINGS, Cole Porter’s last musical, the 1955 reworking of the Soviets-to-Paris romp 'Ninotchka'==>A

As I had anticipated, this was a totally enjoyable experience, with a beautiful score by Cole Porter.

It is extremely well-performed by a stellar cast, headed by Ben Davis as Steve, the movie producer, and Erin Davie as Ninotchka, the Soviet agent. The rest of the ensemble cast is excellent.

The show has two performances today and two Sunday and I highly recommend it, if tickets are still available.

Moving on ...

As I said ... today is going to be another entertainment doubleheader for Billi Pod ... starting with ...

2:00==>UNBROKEN CIRCLE - “Set in 1970 Galveston, Texas, a family is brought together for the first time in years on the day of its patriarch’s funeral. As the day turns into night, the man’s impact on his family unfolds in unexpected and surprising ways. An exploration of how abuse and family secrets affect every person in each generation differently.” (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket)

The play is written by James Wesley, who is married to the incomparable cabaret star Seth Rudetsky, who is known as the “Mayor of Broadway.” Their 12-year old daughter, Juli, is in the cast. Wesley is also a cast member.

When the show is over I will meet up with Dian Crystal aka My Lady and her posse for an early meal at our favorite Ethiopian restaurant, Meske, on West 47th Street in my Hell’s Kitchen ‘hood.

Then, with Dian and Marty Kosarik aka The Dozer and his friend Cathy, it will be a Broadway show ...

8:00==>THE BIG KNIFE - “A revival of Clifford Odet’s 1949 drama about scandal and damage control at a Hollywood studio, where executives use every trick to keep stars’ transgressions out of the gossip pages.” (Broadway - discounted ticket)

Heading the stellar cast is Emmy Award-winner and Tony Award-nominee Bobby Cannavale.

The show is still in early previews so there isn’t any advanced buzz to speak of.

So ... there you have it my loyal and faithful readers and followers ... I will post this and then get ready for yet another boring day/evening here in Gotham City.

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>2.74 miles (or, 5,988 steps)

Total mileage since 7/1/12==>1,262.92 miles 

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.”

BUYER AND CELLAR==>A

Friday==>It is a bright and cold morning here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World, only 28º @ 9:00am. The forecast is for it to only reach the high 30s during the day and into the evening. Man, when will it warm up?

Yeah, I know ... my bitching and moaning ain’t gonna make it any warmer ... thank you so very f**king much for reminding me.

Anyhow ... a big TGIF shoutout for all of my Worker Bee friends who are watching the clock tick down from the claustrophobic confines of their cubicles, broom closets and wait-stations. Just remember - for Worker Bees==>the weekend doesn’t get started until at least 5:05pm.

So ... my loyal and faithful readers and followers, why don’t we get Friday’s posting started with Billi Pod’s report cards on Thursday AWESOME entertainment doubleheader, starting with ... 

THE ERIC WHITACRE SINGERS @ Alice Tully Hall==>A.

The press blurb referred to Whitacre as “the rock star of choral composers,” and when he came on stage he received the type of ovation from the crowd that is usually reserved for rock stars. Not joking ... he did.

I loved the program. The 70-minutes flew by. The choral group of 28 extremely talented performers did a masterful job with the array of classical and modern pieces. The modern pieces were mostly composed by Whitacre.

There was a large contingent of students in the audience and I assumed most of them were from Julliard. Whitacre is a Julliard alum. 

When the concert was finished, after a couple of encores, the audience gave everyone a roaring, well deserved, standing ovation.

Yeah, I left Alice Tully Hall with a big smile on my face.

The second part of my Thursday entertainment doubleheader was a one-man show, in early previews, downtown at The Rattlestick Playwright’s Theatre in The West Village ... 

BUYER AND CELLAR, about a struggling actor in L.A. who has taken a job working in the basement of the Malibu home of a beloved megastar (hint - her first name is Babs)==>A

Folks, I totally loved this show performed by Michael Urie, who played multiple characters, including Babs. It is funny, often profane, and laced with many insider-entertainment-freak jokes.

The house was full and almost everyone seemed to be enjoying the show. In the audience were my theater-buds Phil, Marty, and Dian, with her friend Gail.

Phil, Marty and I gave the show an A but the ladies were more in the B- range. Oh well ...

Billi Pod says==>see this show. It runs through May 4th.

Moving on ...

Tonight’s entertainment is another Musical’s in Mufi performance at The York Theatre ...

SILK STOCKINGS - “Cole Porter’s last musical, a 1955 reworking of the Soviets-to-Paris romp ‘Ninotchka,’ featuring the classics ‘All of You,’ ‘What Is This Thing Called Love’ and others.” (Off Broadway - discounted ticket)

This is the final production in this season’s Musical’s in Mufti Series. To refresh your memory==>“Mufti” (pronounced MUFF’tee) means “in street clothes, without the usual trappings.” The show is presented script-in-hand, with minimal staging and props. The cast is given only 30-hours of rehearsal time.

Really looking forward to this show.

Moving on some more ...

I have received “unofficial” information that the leasing agency is “seriously” considering my counter-proposal ... so ... stay tuned.

On the sports scene (you are welcome Marty)==>Opening Day for The New York Yankees @ Yankee Stadium, The House That Greed And Ego Built, is only 10-days away. 

The first game of the 2013 season will be at 1:05pm on Monday, April 1st, against The Boston FuckSox and Billi Pod will be there in his new seat assignment.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!!

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>4.01 miles (or, 8.900 steps)

Total mileage since 7/1/12==>1,260.18 miles 

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.”