Tag Archives: New York

MISSION PEACE: The Staunch Moderates® Documentary

As the Awards campaign for feature documentaries reaches a fever pitch as guild voting closes, one dark horse candidate, MISSION PEACE, The Staunch Moderates Documentary movie is doing all it can to cut through the clutter, including “Bigfoot and Billboards.”

The low-budget, gonzo documentary chronicles the formation and roll-out of the intellectual and philosophical movement Staunch Moderates throughout the highly stressful and polarizing 2020 presidential election and pandemic year. The sole mission of the Staunch Moderates movement’s movement is intuitively simple: to create a worldwide consciousness addressing the intellectual and political divisiveness in society today. Staunch Moderates aims to achieve this not only by practicing and promoting moderation, but also by striving for national and world peace.

The Mission Peace documentary premiered at the Culver City Film Festival last December and has since played at nearly twenty film festivals, garnering numerous awards in the months before its theatrical runs and #FYC screenings, and attended by Diane Ladd; Barry Goldwater; Patrick Kilpatrick; Barbara Luna; Bo Svenson; Kate Linder; Pete Alman; Sybil Danning and Tom Hallick.

Moreover, in recent weeks, the company erected three billboards in Los Angeles and New York, hosting an unveiling and lighting event for the flagship Sunset Boulevard billboard with documentary subject Lou Ferrigno, as well as Ken Davidian; Natasha Blasick; Jeff Mullen; Maria Shapley; Deborah Presley Brando; and Ana Lawson.

But in addition to these more standard methods of publicity, the documentary’s director and Movement founder Greg T. Simmons has also utilized a series of Bigfoot sightings and marches. An eight-foot tall, boombox-toting DJ mascot of the movement dubbed “Staunch,” Bigfoot has made sightings in Las Vegas, Palm Springs, Aspen and other cities over the last year. And over this past weekend, Staunch startled visitors to Runyon Canyon Park, first appearing on the trail and crashing through the brush to the surprise and delight of hikers. Staunch then climbed two miles up Runyon Canyon from the bottom to the summit, engaging in photo opps with dozens of delighted hikers and culminating in an appearance with the Los Angeles Fire Department,. politely declined Staunch’s offer to climb aboard the LAFD fire engine.

Do these outrageous tactics work? “We sure hope so,” says Simmons. “Our stunts get attention. Staunch was photographed with scores of hikers in Runyon Canyon. But what needs to be stressed about our film—since we’re not a major studio film, nor an A-list film fest attendee—is that Mission Peace has a unique and entertaining marketing campaign behind it. It’s driven by our Bigfoot mascot Staunch, a full entertainment studio including a YouTube Channel; our band (who’s released three multi-genre hip hop albums that made the ballot at the Grammys ten times over the last three years); an eighteen episode, one-hour radio show; and a thorough social media footprint that includes nearly 150 Million views and streams of Staunch Moderates content! This is all premised around an intellectual movement to address the divide and strive for national and world peace.”

Simmons continues, “What—if any—of these other documentary films we’re competing against or in the history of the Oscars has had an infrastructure like this behind it, or has indeed been anything like it: an intellectual movement for peace during this divisive era we live? Think of the timeliness and the importance of that message.”

Now, the film is in the hands of voters. “Our fingers are crossed,” concludes Simmons. “Wish us luck!”

About Mission Peace and Staunch Moderates

Staunch Moderates is a common-sense philosophy/perspective for us to set our differences aside and find common middle ground. It’s to evaluate, negotiate, compromise, and decide into the most equitable solutions humanly possible. The Movement understands that hardly anything in life is black & white, but many shades of grey. There are almost always valid points to both sides of an argument. This is applicable interpersonally, with family, friends, community, regionally, nationally, and internationally. The philosophy is to address each other and strangers with thoughtful moderation rather than self-centered extremism that dominates our political discourse, and significantly effects human behavior. What can be done to not act out? Is it truly necessary for our own or the greater good? They pride themselves not only on domestic, but also international, membership. Staunch Moderates are all about addressing the divisiveness in society and striving for both national and world peace.

Maya’s Hope Lotus Ball, 12th Annual Gala

Wednesday, November 15 from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM
The Players, 16 Gramercy Park South, NYC

The event will be from 7 to 11:00 PM (ET) at The Players in Gramercy. Chris Lash, who made his Maya’s Hope debut as “Piano Man” extraordinaire last year, will be returning along with additional entertainers.

I am also very proud to announce that Jason Birchard, 3rd generation owner of Veselka (a Ukrainian restaurant in the East Village), will be this year’s recipient of the Michael T. Meltzer Humanitarian Award. I am grateful to Jason and Veselka for everything they have done (and continue to do) for Maya’s Hope and the community and am delighted that he will be receiving this honor.

Tickets are $300 and can be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mayas-hope-lotus-ball-12th-annual-gala-tickets-667269209167

For more information click here

Macbitches by Sophie McIntosh

Friday, August 19 to Saturday, September 10
The Chain Theatre

Synopsis: “What’s done, cannot be undone.”
When a freshman acting major is unexpectedly cast as Lady Macbeth, a few upperclassmen invite her over to celebrate. As the Fireball and Svedka flow, the girls interrogate their own sense of ambition as well as the power structures that have shaped their education.

Dates:
Aug. 19th – Sept. 10th
Wednesday – Saturday @ 8PM, Sundays @ 3PM

Where:
312 W. 36th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10018
(Between 8th and 9th Ave)

Tickets: $25

For more information click here

I Wish I Had a River Exhibition

Wednesday, May 5 at 8:00 AM to Tuesday, August 31 at 7:00 PM
10 Times Square, 1441 Broadway, New York, NY 10018

Immerse yourself in a colorful multi-media garden painted by Israeli artist Keren Anavy. The site-specific multi-media installation I Wish I Had a River by artist Keren Anavy and curated by Lauren Powell creates a painted garden within the confines of the lobby of 10 Times Square. “The Underground Lobby Garden” as the artist calls it composed of paintings, drawings, laser cutouts, sculpture forms, and video projection.

Admission is free to all vistors. COVID restrictions apply.

For more information click here

Save at Tea Drunk Annual Pre-Sale

The time for tea lovers is here! Once a year, Tea Drunk, known for its finest and most prized tea direct from China, holds an amazing pre-sale for tea lovers alike.

During Tea Drunk’s annual pre-sale, which runs now through May 15, you’re able to get their exceptional top-tier new teas at the lowest price possible. Savings are up to 60% on some of the world’s most top-shelf teas! It’s truly the best sale offered all year. Not only do you get the best prices ($100 for 12 samples of tea), you’re guaranteed to be the first to get this year’s tea delivered straight to your door right around September or October due to the pandemic. Bonus: if you are a member of Tea Drunk’s exclusive Educational Tea Club, you are eligible for an additional discount of for the pre-sale event. If not, you can find additional information on how to become a member here!

As you might already be aware founder Shunan Teng ventures deep into tea country to commission the teas that Tea Drunk is known for. Although Shunan’s normal tea trip to China was affected by the current pandemic, she has maintained close communication with her farmers and tea makers who are the forces behind the amazing teas.
Shunan Teng is also the educator for the TED-Ed lesson – The History of Tea, and has collaborated with the Metropolitan Museum of Art to execute a temporary Chinese tea house in the museum. She is an avid educator on tea and has spoken on the subject matter at many institutions including Yale University, World Tea Expo, and Stony Brook University.

About Tea Drunk: Based and founded in NYC in 2013, Tea Drunk is on a mission to break all stereotypes in tea and open access in the West to the highest level of Chinese teas. Tea Drunk is the destination for those seeking exceptional tea and tea knowledge. At $369/ ounce, these are not any typical “fine teas”. These are historical teas cared by heritage farmers for generations. Shunan Teng- the founder of Tea Drunk, travels to historic tea mountains in China every year to harvest and make tea alongside the heritage farmers.

For more information click here

Katie Holmes & Jessica Alba Love Their HARMIN Bags

Since December, Katie Holmes has been spotted all over NYC wearing an oversized khaki + white carryall from HARMIN (Sidekick, $1195), which she received as a gift from her boyfriend, Emilio Vitolo Jr. This piece is the perfect transitional bag going into the warmer seasons.

Jessica Alba, a huge supporter of brands with good causes, recently posted a different style from the HARMIN collection — Curbside, $1495, a lightweight weekender duffle in khaki + black — on her Instagram story, saying, “every purchase benefits @bisousforleo.”

Bisous for Leo is an ancillary arm of the INADcure Foundation, supported by everyone from Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Gal Gadot to Sebastian Stan and Sissy Spacek. A HARMIN purchase makes an automatic donation.

For more information click here

Freedom X – new from Wing Bikes

New York-based Wing Electric Bikes has innovated yet again with the launch of the new Freedom X, combining the latest advanced e-bike technology with the sleek design and functionality of a traditional lightweight road bike. In a world where daily commuting has been completely upended due to Coronavirus and sustainability continues to be of paramount importance, the Wing Freedom X is an affordable, sustainable, efficient and reliable solution to the current challenges of today.

The new Freedom X, which starts at $1248.00 (interest-free financing is available), offers an even sleeker design than its 2nd generation siblings as the electronic display is now seamlessly integrated into the handlebar making it look more like a traditional bike than an “e-bike.” A new torque sensor is also a game changer in how the bike rides and how the pedal assist intuitively activates to automatically make the ride easier. Speaking of making the ride easier, an optional add-on “Turbo Boost” throttle helps riders accelerate quicker and even eliminates the need to pedal at all allowing riders to simply coast on the electric motor.

Like all of Wing’s Freedom electric bikes, the Freedom X is designed to transform urban mobility and daily commuting. Weighing roughly 40lbs, the lightweight bike features a removable battery, a unique built-in alarm system controlled by a remote, integrated front and rear lights and swept back handlebars offering unmatched comfort and handling. Wing bikes ship as Class 1 electric bikes capping the pedal assist speed at 20MPH, making them street legal across the U.S. straight out of the box. However, with a few clicks on the display, this cap can be removed to increase the speed up to 28MPH depending on the model.

Although Wing offers rapid shipping across the continental U.S., the e-bike company also boasts a brick and mortar store in New York City’s East Village (345 E. 12th St.) where interested riders can schedule a “test drive” before committing to the purchase. The store also acts as a reliable service center should any problems arise unexpectedly. In other parts of the country, Wing has established relationships with various third-party service providers for customers in need.

The Freedom X and its younger siblings, the Freedom, Freedom S and Freedom Fatty, can all be purchased online at www.wingbikes.com.

Founded by year-round New York City bike commuter Seth Miller in 2017,Wing Bikes transforms urban mobility for the modern-day commuter with affordably priced, intelligently-designed electric bikes. Miller set out to create a design-forward smart bike that would take the work out of extended daily commutes, while maintaining the fun and practicality of a traditional bike. With Wing’s four models, The Freedom 2, Freedom S 2, Freedom Fatty 2 and new Freedom X, he achieved just that. Wing bikes feature intuitive pedal-assist, a “turbo boost” throttle, a powerful long lasting battery, front and rear lights, a built-in security system, a control dashboard and a lightweight frame. Whether commuting to work in a big city, taking a casual ride along the beach or just looking for an eco-friendly alternative, Wing Bikes provide the perfect combination of form and function for the modern-day rider.

For more information click here

Late Blooming Perennials in the LongHouse Garden

As the end of summer nears, the glorious colors of the July garden fade and many of our favorite plants no longer flower. However, have no fear – late blooming perennials to the rescue! Their eye-catching colors unfold throughout the late season and these late bloomers also provide structure to your beds and contrast to the brilliant hues of the early and mid-summer garden.
Tall Joe Pie weed (Eupatorium “Gateway” or “Riesenschirm”) is a terrific late bloomer at the back of the border and, just when we think the final garden notes have been played, native purple Ironweed Vernonia noveboracensis and its more compact cultivar, “Iron Butterfly”, offer stunning displays of fireworks. The tall yellow blooms of Native Wingstem (“Verbesina Alternifolia”) make for perfect late companion plantings as well.

At the front of the border, late blooming aster will extend a warm welcome and, earlier in the season, they are sometimes mistaken for well-maintained evergreens, although they require no trimming at all. Hardy perennial mums provide lush green foliage long before they flower and many fall blooming salvia do the same – in fact, some salvia will continue to provide color until the first heavy frost. And, let’s not forget those marvelous dahlias of the late season – how truly wonderful they are! Another dual-purpose perennial is “Arkansas Amsonia” (A. hubrechtii) as, early in the season, it presents light blue flowers at the end of its needle-like stems while its main attraction is actually its finely textured foliage. Then, in the fall, this plant turns bright gold with occasional hints of orange – a new variety, “Butterscotch”, has bright reddish stems, and I hear it will soon be available.
And now for the shade garden. Japanese Anemones are a lovely accent here — try the reliable earlier blooming A. tomentosa “Robustissima” or choose varieties of A. hupehensis as well as A. japonica and many of its hybrids. The hardiest of the later blooming varieties is tall white A. “Honorine Jobert” as some of the double flowered and more compact cultivars are not always reliable. We are expecting newer and hardier varieties to arrive soon so ask your favorite garden center about these – in particular, keep an eye out for the “Swan Series”. And take note that it’s best to plant your fall blooming anemones early in the season as they may not come back if planted late. One more shade loving plant to consider is the toad lily — its lovely flowers will really brighten up this section of the garden.

Last but not least, plant your fall blooming bulbs in spots where your perennials have receded into the ground – autumn crocuses do well in a location with sun but need some shelter as well and “Colchicum” will also tolerate part shade/part sun.

If you decide not to continue deadheading your perennials in the late season, many of them will display striking seedheads so experiment a bit and see if you like the look. Here, at LongHouse, you will see some examples of this and we look forward to sharing our vast variety of plantings and magnificent collection of sculpture when next you visit. Just reserve your tickets at www.longhouse.org and happy late season gardening!

For more information click here

Sunday Rally, Bottomless Lunch and Grand Prix Racing

Sunday, July 19 at 2:00 PM
Classic Car Club Manhattan, HUDSON RIVER PARK 1 PIER 76, 408 12TH AVE NEW YORK

We’re kicking the day off at CCC with a rally at 8am. If you want to drive with us, contact Jeannettek@classiccarclub.com to hold a position on grid.

Bottomless Brunch is a two-hour affair, $25pp for unlimited mimosas and bloody Mary’s. DJ Steve Le will be on hand to provide the soundtrack to your cocktail agenda and we will be airing Formula1 Round 3 from Hungary at 2pm, followed by the return of MotoGP, Gran Premio Red Bull de España, directly after. Reserve your table outside at Reservations@classiccarclub.com

For more information click here

WEEKLY WALKS: VIRTUAL INSIGHTS FOR YOUR LUNCH BREAK

Wednesday, June 3 at 12:30 PM
Online via Zoom

Central Park has proven to be an invaluable resource for New Yorkers during this challenging time. Its 843 acres are a sanctuary in which to relax and enjoy the fresh air. However, we at the Central Park Conservancy know there are millions of people who can’t access the Park during this time of social distancing — so we’re bringing its sweeping views and stunning vistas, sublime natural wonders and thriving wildlife to you.

These 15-minute virtual insights into Central Park will showcase some of the flowers and trees currently in bloom, share Park history, and give you the mid-week recharge that we all so desperately need.

This FREE Zoom program takes place every Wednesday at 12:30 pm EST. You can also catch the walks on-demand.

To register, please enter your email address. You’ll receive a confirmation email that includes a link to join the next Weekly Walk.

For more information click here

Works & Process at the Guggenheim Spring 2020 Season Opening Night Cabaret

Monday, January 6 at 7:30 PM to Monday, January 6 at 10:00 PM
The Solomon R Guggenheim Museum

Works & Process, the performing arts series at the Guggenheim, presents an Opening Night Cabaret with countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo to kick of the Spring 2020 Season on Monday, January 6, 2020 at 7:30pm.

Before he was an opera singer, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo (Akhnaten and Glass Handel) was a Broadway baby moving from community theater to national tours, and eventually to the Great White Way. Now, Costanzo is looking back to go forward. For one night only, in the New York premiere of his cabaret, he revisits his childhood, drawing on the leading ladies, crooners, and icons that helped form him. And, in a twist, he finds just enough low to balance out his highs. Developed with the Bearded Ladies Cabaret for Opera Philadelphia’s Festival O19. Directed by John Jarboe. Musical arrangements by Heath Allen. Scenic design by Machine Dazzle.

Opening Night Chairs: Joanna Fisher, Bart Friedman, Andrew J. Martin-Weber, and Anh-Tuyet Nguyen

6:30pm – Reception in Rotunda
7:30pm – Performance in the Peter B. Lewis Theater
9pm – Dinner at The Wright

TICKETS & VENUE
$500 Prime Seating and Artist Dinner (sold out), $250 Orchestra, $150 Dress Circle, $75 Side View
Box Office (212) 423-3575 or worksandprocess.org
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
1071 Fifth Avenue, New York

Lead funding for Works & Process is provided by the Ford Foundation,Florence Gould Foundation, the Christian Humann Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and Evelyn Sharp Foundation, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo began performing professionally at the age of eleven and has since appeared in opera, concert, recital, film, and on Broadway. He has produced operas, installations, concerts, and performance series internationally. Recently, he appeared at the Metropolitan Opera performing the title role in Philip Glass’s Akhnaten, and has performed with many of the world’s other leading opera houses, including Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, the Los Angeles Opera, Houston Grand Opera, the Canadian Opera Company, Glyndebourne Opera Festival, English National Opera, and Teatro Real in Madrid. In concert he has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Berlin Philharmonic, and at Carnegie Hall, the Elbphilharmonie, and the Kennedy Center. His first album, ARC, was nominated for a Grammy and he received Musical America’s 2019 Vocalist of the Year award.

Machine Dazzle has been dazzling stages via costumes, sets, and performances since his arrival in New York in 1994. Credits include Julie Atlas Muz’s I Am The Moon And and You Are The Man On Me (2004), Big Art Group’s House Of No More (2006), Justin Vivian Bond’s Lustre (2008) and Re:Galli Blonde (2011), Chris Tanner’s Football Head (2014), Soomi Kim’s Change (2015), Pig Iron Theater’s I Promised Myself To Live Faster (2015), Bombay Ricky (Prototype Festival 2016), Opera Philadelphia’s Dito and Aeneus (2017) and Spiegleworld’s Opium (Las Vegas 2018). With Taylor Mac, Machine has collaborated on several projects including The Lily’s Revenge (2009), Walk Across America For Mother Earth (2012) and the Pulitzer Prize-Nominated A 24-Decade History of Popular Music (2016-Present). Conceptualist-as-artist meets DIY meets “glitter rhymes with litter,” Machine was a co-recipient the 2017Bessie Award for Outstanding Visual Design and the winner of a 2017 Henry Hewes Design Award.

John Jarboe is a cabaret artist, director, writer, historian, and host serving you revolution, herstory, queer community making, and a whole lot of glitter. She is the founding artistic director of The Bearded Ladies Cabaret, with whom she has made work for Opera Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Wilma Theater, FringeArts, The Barnes Foundation, La Mama ETC among others. She is a regular performer at FringeArts in Philadelphia as well as Joe’s Pub in NYC. She now curates a festival called Late Night Snacks in collaboration with Opera Philadelphia and FringeArts which programs over seventy artists annually in a found cabaret space designed by the incomparable Machine Dazzle. Jarboe’s work with Opera singer Stephanie Blythe will be featured as part of the 2020 American Songbook series at Lincoln Center. www.beardedladiescabaret.com

The Bearded Ladies Cabaret is a Philadelphia-based troupe of artists who use cabaret to tackle the politics of gender, identity, and artistic invention with sparkle and wit. We are proud to be among Philadelphia’s most visible queer arts companies and to have toured to Poland, Seattle (Seattle Symphony), Paris (Madame Arthur), Provincetown, Cambridge (ART/Oberon), Miami (Miami Light Project), and New York City (Joe’s Pub, Ars Nova, and La Mama).

Over his 40+ year career, Heath Allen has arranged/composed and served as music director for more Philadelphia theater and dance productions than he can remember. Heath served as music director and lead composer for Andy: A Popera, a collaboration between the Bearded Ladies and Opera Philadelphia. In 2017, Heath composed The Bearded Ballerina, commissioned by the Relache New Music Ensemble.  Heath is also deeply committed to creating music for children, having written many plays and songs for young people, including the recently completed operetta, The Half Boy.

Works & Process at the Guggenheim
Described by The New York Times as “an exceptional opportunity to understand something of the creative process,” for 35 years, New Yorkers have been able to see, hear, and meet the most acclaimed artists in the world, in an intimate setting unlike any other. Works & Process, the performing arts series at the Guggenheim, has championed new works and offered audiences unprecedented access to generations of leading creators and performers. Most performances take place in the Guggenheim’s intimate Frank Lloyd Wright-designed 273-seat Peter B. Lewis Theater. In 2017, Works & Process established a new residency and commissioning program, inviting artists to create new works, made in and for the iconic Guggenheim rotunda. worksandprocess.org.

For more information click here

Matched Date Night in Midtown, Ages (37-49 years) at The Tailor Public House

Wednesday, October 2 at 7:30 PM
The Tailor Public House 505 8th Ave, New York

You are invited to be part of CitySwoon’s fun, relaxed and organic matched date night upstairs at The Tailor Public House, a popular and spacious upscale Irish pub in Midtown.

You will go on 6-8 live matched mini dates for 10-12 minutes with the singles that fit you best in the room. You will use your phone to find one another and our friendly hosts will be there to assist.

Because it’s mobile, everyone dates wherever they want – no name tags or table numbers – in a fantastic atmosphere.

CitySwoon’s Matched Dating is run by a sophisticated patented algorithm. The success rate is higher than both online dating and speed dating, but don’t let the tech fool you – this is ALL about meeting REAL people in REAL life! Click here to see how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW6SyOsfasw

*Tickets are limited by venue capacity so get yours soon.

**An advance ticket and a completed CitySwoon profile are required to participate.

***Please Note: Dress Code for this event is strictly business-casual, so dress to impress!

For more information click here