Friday, July 06, 2007

Signore & Signore: Leading Ladies of Italian Cinema

Starting today and going through July 29th, BAM will be hosting Signore & Signore, a showcase featuring the great actresses of Italian film. From the website, "This survey covers a remarkable range of styles, encompassing the verbal fireworks of Anna Magnani, the innocence of Giulietta Masina, and the beauty of Claudia Cardinale and Sophia Loren." Films include but are not limited to The Bishop's Bedroom, The Seduction of Mimi, Bellissima, The Girl With the Suitcase, and A Drama of Jealousy.

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Brain Terrain on the web

Anne, in her Brooklyn A-Z series, features New York Brain Terrain under "N."

And, I am one of the six winners of Lauren Cerand's "A Fine Frenzy" contest: Read about the 8 things driving me into a fine frenzy this summer!

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Book Review: It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

Around March or April every year, a rash of news articles detail how impossible it is to get into college these days. This year, a Harvard alum in a New York Times op-ed (now locked under TimesSelect and inaccessible, at least, to me) wrote about his experiences interviewing stellar high school seniors--one of whom had conducted research for NASA-- applying to Harvard, and concluded that it was unlikely any of them would be admitted to the school. During the last admissions cycle, another TimesSelect article reports, Harvard turned down 1,100 applicants with perfect math scores on the SAT and Yale turned down several applicants with perfect 2400 scores on the exam.

It is in this type of setting where "It's Kind of a Funny Story" begins. Craig Gilner, a kid from Park Slope Brooklyn, has just been admitted into a prestigious high school in Manhattan. Having spent the past year studying like mad for the school's entrance exam, Craig now feels lost, adrift, without purpose. To make things worse, his demanding classes and their never-ending cycle of projects and reports are killing him, and his best friend Aaron is now dating his longtime crush, Nia. Craig has lost his appetite, and often ends up vomiting his meals if he eats more than he can tolerate. His supportive parents have been sending him to Dr. Minerva, for $120 per session. These sessions, however, don't seem to help Craig, and one night, he decides to end it all by riding his bike off the Brooklyn Bridge. A book on his mother's shelf, however, leads him to call a suicide hotline and check himself into the psychiatric ward of a nearby hospital.

Once in the hospital, Craig meets a colorful cast of characters, which include but are not limited to the President Armelio, his Egyptian roommate, and Noelle, a girl who has cut her face with scissors. Unlike the frightening mental torture chamber that is typically depicted of psychiatric wards in popular culture, the patients that make up Craig's psychiatric ward form a nurturing, quirky, upbeat community. It is here where, in spite of several initial obstacles, Craig begins to heal, and to help others heal.

Based on Vizzini's own five-day stay in a psychiatric hospital, "It's Kind of a Funny Story" is a humorous and poignant tale of depression and healing. The writing feels natural and flows well. Vizzini's depiction of Craig's depression felt very real to me. Other reviewers have noted that Craig's recovery seemed come overnight, which was something I noticed as well. However, I felt that the book was more a message of hope, and it succeeded in conveying that.

Sunday, July 01, 2007

Theater Review: The Return of the Prodigal

I wish I'd learned about the Mint Theater earlier, prior to my twenty-sixth birthday which is now fastly approaching, because I would've liked to have taken more advantage of their $25 tickets for patrons 25 and younger. (Why is the cut-off at 25, anyway? I'm not any richer at 26 than I was at 25.) However, it's better late than never, and I am happy to say that I saw The Madras House back in February and The Return of the Prodigal this past weekend, and I plan to take advantage of this special one last time before my 26th rolls around.

The Mint is famous for reviving little-known gems of plays, and St. John Hankin's The Return of the Prodigal is certainly no exception. The play focuses on two families of different classes: the aristocratic but impoverished Ferringfords and the Jacksons, a family of wealthy cloth merchants. At the start of the play, the father Jackson is planning to run for a seat in Parliament. Lady Ferringford is looking to marry her daughter, Stella, off to Henry Jackson, the eldest son. Stella, however, is reluctant to agree to this arrangement.

When Eustace, the ne'er-do-well younger son, shows up at the doorstep, soaked and seemingly unconscious, the whole household is thrown into chaos. Eustace refuses to pick up a trade, preferring instead to sponge off his father--a decision that Mr. Jackson will not accept. Eustace flirts with Stella, threatening to steal her away from Henry. It seems that, Stella aside, Mrs. Jackson, his mother, and his sister Vi are the only ones who are happy to have him back (though Violet picks up on his indiscrepancies more quickly than her distracted and mild mother). The climax of the play occurs when Mr. Jackson threatens to cut off Eustace, literally disowning him. It is here when the moment of truth rears its ugly head.



"Prodigal" touches on issues of class and gender, but the most interesting issue it brings up is that of determinism. At one point, Henry states that, "Anyone can get what they want, if they want it badly enough." Eustace disagrees, saying that he can no more become his father or Henry than his father and Henry could be someone like himself.

The acting overall was solid, although I did feel that Eustace's acting, which seemed more modern, did jar with the more period-like dialogue of the other actors.

The Return of the Prodigal will be playing at the Mint Theater until July 15th.

Monday, June 25, 2007

Alice Sebold interview at Fernham

Anne Fernald has just published her interview with Alice Sebold (The Lovely Bones, Lucky, The Almost Moon) over at her blog, Fernham. Check it out!

And while we're on the subject of interviews, note that I've added a new "Interviews" category to the sidebar. It's been a great pleasure to speak with authors and editors about their work, and I don't want these conversations to get lost in the archives. Small announcement: I have two more interviews coming out soon on Brain Terrain--Christian Jungersen and Ned Vizzini.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Günter Grass is coming to town

Günter Grass, author of The Tin Drum, Cat and Mouse, The Dog Years, and most recently, Peeling the Onion (forthcoming memoir), will be coming to New York this following week. Mr. Grass received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1999. The Goethe Institut has kindly provided a list of his appearances in New York, three of which are still open to the public, which you can view here, or continue reading below:

Sunday, June 24th: Reception for Mr. Grass at the Steven Kasher Gallery. 7-9 pm, 521 W 23rd St., 2nd Floor. (See more details in my previous post)

Monday, June 25th: Günter Grass: A Reading and Conversation with Amos Elon at the 92nd St. Y, 8 pm, 92nd St. and Lexington. Mr. Grass will be reading selections from "Peeling the Onion" in German, and award-winning actor Michael Stuhbarg will read these selections in English. Tickets available here ($18/$10 if you are under 35).

Tuesday, June 26th: Mr. Grass will be reading from "Peeling the Onion" at Barnes and Noble Union Square, 7 pm.

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About "Peeling the Onion": "Memoirs by Nobel Prize-winning authors possess intrinsic allure, but Günter Grass's Peeling the Onion grasps our attention in an entirely new way. Even before its original German-language release, the book gained front-page notice when Grass revealed that it exposed a grave secret he concealed for six decades: as a teenager during World War II, he had served in Hitler's Waffen-SS. This revelation, which contradicted his previous assertions, sparked volleys of attack and defense. At long last, English-language readers will be able to place that controversy within the context of Grass's own account of his life, from his childhood to the publication of The Tin Drum, which brought him worldwide fame."

More information on Günter Grass available here.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Spotlight on Events

For today's events, please see the calendar.

Please also see Lauren Cerand's The Smart Set on MaudNewton.

And please see below for a selection of events from the calendar!

From now until June 28th, you can catch films from the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival at Lincoln Center, and a showcase of New Austrian Film at the Austrian Cultural Center. Admission to the Austrian Film Festival is free, but please RSVP in advance!

Wednesday, June 20

Tonight, at 5 pm, BrooklyNites Jazz returns to the Brooklyn Museum of Art! Tonight's performers include Jenny Scheinman and Geri Allen. Gallery talks will be held in conjunction to this performance. Tickets are $10, $5 for museum members. At the Brooklyn Museum of Art, 200 Eastern Parkway, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Pavilion, 1st floor.

At 7 pm, Wayne Koestenbaum reads at 192 Books from his latest, "Hotel Theory."
Hotel Theory is two books in one: a cracked meditation on the meaning of hotels, and a dime-store novel featuring Lana Turner and Liberace. 192 Books is at 192 Tenth Avenue between 21st and 22nd Sts.

Poetic City: A Celebration on the Waterfront.
Featuring Chris Abani, Thomas Sayers Ellis, Suji Kwock Kim, Carol Muske-Dukes, U Sam Oeur, Mark Strand, Franz Wright and musical performances by Taylor McFerrin. Steps away from the future home of Poets House, an impressive array of poets from across the country converge to celebrate the arrival of summer, with words and music resounding over the Hudson River at sunset. At 7 pm, Nelson Rockefeller Park in Battery Park City.

Mark Crispin Miller, host of the First Tuesday political series at McNally Robinson and professor of media studies at NYU, discusses his book "Fooled Again" at the New York Society of Ethical Culture.
With a wealth of solid evidence, the book seeks to demonstrate that Bush/Cheney stole their "re-election" in 2004, not just in Ohio but from coast to coast, primarily through corrupt e-voting systems. The just released paperback edition includes new material to support its claim that the 2006 election was just as corrupt as the race two years before. Professor Miller will also try to shed light on how and why the US press "broadly refused to discuss the issue of election fraud." Members: $3. Nonmembers: $5. At 7 pm, NY Society of Ethical Culture, 64th Street at Central Park West.


Thursday, June 21st


At 6 pm, we have Po'Jazz at the Cornelia Street Cafe:
Golda Solomon, host Lynn Skinner, vocals ; Robert Schlesinger, piano; Tom Teasley, percussion; Barbara Sfraga, poet; Susan Duhan Felix, poet; Mortimer Felix, poet; Saco Yasuma , sax Legendary word woman, Golda, plus musicians and spoken word artists. This month Golda's away, so her friend and ours Barbara Sfraga will ably substitute as the mistress of ceremonies. The Washington Post calls Teasley a percussionist in the widest and most exuberant sense. D.C.'s Tom Teasley brings his kit -- from frame drums to hand-drum synthesizer -- and joins Golda Solomon in Jazz Poetry and Percussion, a collaboration inspired by New York's great Charles Mingus and Langston Hughes Cover $15 (includes one house drink). Cornelia St. Cafe, 29 Cornelia St.

Come to DUMBO for artist Shepard Fairey's opening reception! RSVP required. (If the below doesn't convince you, then the painting in the link will!) From the press release: "Jonathan LeVine Gallery is proud to announce E Pluribus Venom, a solo exhibit of new works by Shepard Fairey. This show will be the artist's first solo show at Jonathan LeVine Gallery and will feature a second, off-site exhibition space for the artist to exhibit large-scale installations and murals on wood and canvas. Shepard Fairey's provocative collection includes politically charged paintings, screen prints, stencils, album covers and mixed media pieces rich with metaphor, humor and seductive decorative elements. For E Pluribus Venom, which translates "out of many, poison," is derived from E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one) an early motto adopted by the U.S. government, which appears on U.S. coins and dollar bills. For Shepard Fairey, many becoming one, or a loss of power and the influence of the individual in favor of homogeny is a symptom of a society in decline." 81 Front St., DUMBO, Brooklyn.


Friday, June 22

Housing Works Women's Art Show and Auction, 7 pm tonight: African American and Latina women represent close to twenty-five percent of all women in the U.S, yet they account for 81% of new AIDS cases. Thirty-five percent of all HIV positive women living in New York City reside in Brooklyn. In response to these statistics, Housing Works is opening a Women’s Health Center in downtown Brooklyn that will address the wellness needs of women of color living with HIV. Join us for an art show and auction to benefit the new center.

And as always, there is Target Free Friday at the MoMA, and the Whitney is free tonight.

Saturday, June 23

The Coney Island Mermaid Parade and Ball takes place today! Unfortunately, this will be the third year in a row that I'm missing the parade, but please go in my place! More info here.

And at 5 pm tonight, Shepard Fairey's reception takes place at the Jonathan Levine Gallery, 529 W. 20th St.

Sunday, June 24th

At 12 pm, P.S.1 will hold their opening day celebration! A wide variety of intergenerational artists' work will be displayed, and book signings by Tunga and Jim Shaw.

Today is also the first of author Gunter Grass' appearances in our fair city. To honor his visit, the Steven Kasher Gallery will be holding a reception for Mr. Grass (see his work here). At 7 pm,
Steven Kasher Gallery, 521 West 23rd St. 2nd Floor