Gay Pride - NYC

A new form of advertising. Someone seems to like it.

Tammy Grimes

Ellie, my connection to all things celebrity in New York, took me as her guest to see two-time Tony Award-winning Broadway legend and first wife to Captain Von Trapp/Leo Tolstoy and mother of madwoman from "Pulp Fiction" Amanda Plummer, at the Metropolitan Room in Chelsea.

Ellie and Tammy have been friends for years and we had amazing front and center seats to see her show.  In the category of "New York keeps getting smaller for me" we sat right next to legendary Glasgow-born photographer, Harry Benson.  I had met him at his show and reception in SOHO during Scotland Week.  It was great to see him again and meet his charming wife Gigi.  She is Texan and really wonderful.  Anyway, this was supposed to be about Tammy, but click on Harry Benson and you will be amazed at the photos that you know that he shot. What a life!

Tammy Grimes has that distinctive voice. It was no wonder she was asked to replace Glynnis Johns in "A Little Night Music" She has a much better voice, but they both went to the warbly school of eccentric voices and it is an alluring one to hear.

I felt for her as she forgot lots of lyrics, but she was still in good voice at 76 and looks wonderful. It was a pleasure.

Dating

I will be cryptic here.  Intentionally.  I always think cryptic is intentional, but often it is unintentional and sometime pathological.

No earth shattering news here:

I went out on a date.  We played tennis and went to dinner.  Normal.  Fun even!

It was a fourth date if anyone is counting.  I like dating.

That was not cryptic, that was lying.   I hate dating.

Well, not dating so much. I hate the not being able to see the bubble over the other person's head and I spend so much time looking for it that I can miss the moment. And my own feelings on the matter.

I wrote on my Facebook status once what was in my head and I thought was a funny joke: "I'll like you if you like me!"  Sadly, this is only half a joke. 

Dating is about discovery.  But I seem to think it is about destiny. It is not.  It is about getting to know the other person and seeing if it is a match. Sadly I seem to need to be hit over the head.  Nothing less than skywriting and a singing telegram (lyrics that you composed yourself) will prove to me that you are into this. Sigh.

But there is no bubble and there is no skywriting. I am flying solo on this thing and must learn that if it is working it is working. 

But what does "working" mean exactly?

Ann Craven

Ann Craven for you losers who are not hip and do not know is a really hot artist who had a show recently at Macarone in the West Village in New York.  The New Yorker wrote up a really glowing piece about her and this show, but I cannot find it on line to link it for you. Who is the loser now?

I only say losers to elevate myself. I didn't know who she was until I was introduced to her by my friend Ellie. We had lunch with her and her artist partner, Peter Halley.   What a great afternoon that was. 

We went to see her show today and it was wonderful. Wonderful!

She painted a series of roses in a vase.  These large scale, almost monochrome, paintings were hung in one room and in an adjacent gallery hung their mirror images that the artist did from memory.  The whole effect was quite striking.  I am sad for some reason that this whole rose family cannot stay together and pieces from the show are sold individually.

BAFTA Digital Media Panel

Tonight was the night after mucho dates switches and hard work.

I produced (with the help of many) a panel called "Master Class:  Who Changed the Channel: the Digital Media Landscape in 2010."  It was for BAFTA East Coast.  The event was held at this great space called The Scandinavia House on Park Avenue South which has a wonderful theatre and a lovely reception area with outdoor space.  (Not to mention Scando store and restaurant!)

I could not have asked for a better panel or moderator.  The conversation was lively, interesting and much more in depth that I had imagined. I learned a lot.

Here was my excellent line up:

Moderator:

Shelly Palmer. Host of "Digital Life with Shelly Palmer"

Panelists:

Rob Barnett, Founder and CEO, My Damn Channel

Albie Hecht, 
CEO, Worldwide Biggies

Kenny Miller, Co-Founder, Starling TV

Emil Rensing, Chief Digital Officer, EPIX

They were asked by Shelly what one website they are excited about right now and here is the list for your perusal:

ob Barnett  of  "My Damn Channel"  http://cheezburger.com/

Albie Hecht  of " Worldwide Biggies'  https://www.wizard101.com/

Kenny Miller of "Starling TV"  http://cuteoverload.com/

Emil Rensing of "EPIX" http://www.cryingwhileeating.com/

Summer in the City

Tonight was one of those magical, all-is-possible New York summer nights.  My friend Jerry, who is on the board for the Anti-Violence Project, invited me to their summer fundraiser at the historic Stonewall Inn in the West Village. 

The joint was hopping and once I got past "Everyone is SO young" and "It is SO loud," I met a load of really great people and had a ball.  (Once again a good attitude is KEY, I find.  And then I don't find and have to find again.) 

A cousin of Jerry's is Ed Valentine. He is a writer and nominated for a daytime Emmy this year.  In fact he is on a plane tomorrow to LA to see if he and his writing partners win.  Good luck tomorrow, Ed.

From my years in children's television we knew so many people in common.  I even know his agent! 

I saw my pal Sam and met some dear Facebook friends.  I met one guy once before and he told me he loves my postings!  So modern this Facebook - To know me by my blurbs is to know me.   He told me that he went to Kenya, but I knew that.

Christine Quinn, City Council Speaker,  spoke and she was wonderful. What a good speaker. I was impressed how well she knew her audience, topic, etc. when she has to speak to so many different groups.  To be on-topic, on-message and warm and friendly and compassionate and sensitive is a skill. believe. Or read about so many politicians who don't have an ounce of it.

I walked out into the summer night a BUZZ with people and life and the credits rolled and the camera lifted on a crane and I walked happily home.

New York City - No End of Rope

If one were between jobs is New York City a good place to be?

It is expensive as hell.  But you don't need a car.

It is a have/have not competitive jungle. But you can pay a dollar to get into the Met.

Central Park has benches/Central Park has benches.

Lately (like for a long ass while) I have had no new ideas.  This makes me panic.

In the movie version of this there is an inciting incident (like war, kidnapping, switched briefcase, dropped glove, missing glass slipper) that gets the protagonist moving after being totally beaten in the knees and he then gets the job/girl/boy/houseboat/key to the city/release of prisoners/secret recipe/cure/magic powers/operation/buried treasure/recognition by his peers.

Someone asked me if I would go back to California since this is "not working out."  Like jobs are falling off trees in California.

In many ways it IS working out. I love it here. I am happy here. 

If one has to be between jobs, New York is an excellent place to be.  When I crawl from under a rock in Central Park I see that there are endless possibilities here.  It never ends.  Something goes away, something else replaces it.

This includes careers.  There is something out there for me.  That I could love, that I am good at.  Gotta keep looking.

Or get kidnapped by aliens and learn to love again.