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NEW YORK

Lights, Camera, and a Golden Chariot to the Bronx

by Walter Reed

Miss America

The boogie down Bronx got the party started well after dark. Perhaps it was the proximity of apartment buildings that line the Grand Concourse, a street name that suffered from delusions of grandeur. However, my Grindr application kept me distracted while Tiny entertained his guests behind a closed door.

We arrived by taxi to an eclectic neighborhood. Tiny was formidable, at 7ft tall in heels. He was brought down to earth when he pulled his dress up and started peeing in the middle of the street. The inevitable pit stop concluded after a long night of binge drinking at Secrets, where I told Miss America to not let those hoes hate on her. How classy and delightful! She laughed and I bought another cocktail.

I accompanied Tiny to the Bronx, because the trek to Brooklyn was endless. So, there we were walking, until we ran into his husband, who was heading out to start his shift at some fast food institution. However, I had no idea that was license for Tiny to start his shift as well. Who had time to do hair when you can suck and go for ten minutes per session? You don’t even have to go to college to learn that. It’s a trade he picked up at night school on the corner of Teen Pregnancy and Abortion.

Four guys and four hours later, his blond mane and smeared make-up made him look exhausted. His night time drag was show time for his sex sessions. Drag is the thing when dealing with sex zombies in the neighborhood. He handled the men one at a time like a self-checkout line—CVS style. No CVS card required. One more guy probably would have gotten us free burgers and fries.

Instead he charged $20 for each joyride, whether the client got off or not. Apparently, they had 15 minutes to reach their euphoric destination. You can tell, which ones did based upon their facial expressions when they left the room.

“You going to do me like that,” he said. “I’m a good customer.”

Tiny dismissed him and brought the next one in. Survey says out of the four candidates, two smiles, a frown, and a blank expression equipped with a limp were recorded. The findings were inclusive.

As the sun soared, I began to reflect on the events that transpired, until Tiny appeared at the entrance of his doorway, naked with two hands covering his Yankee doodle. Was the gateway to $20 happy meals opening up for me? Some portals should remain closed, and luckily for me it did.

“At $20 a pop, does that make me a prostitute?” Tiny asked. “Well, I don’t care. I made my cab money back.”

I shrugged my shoulders and took another sip of wine. I couldn’t handle hard news before noon.

Filed Under: LGBT, LIFESTYLE, NEW YORK Tagged With: Miss America, prostitution, relationshiops, sex, The Bronx

Tuesday Morning QB: Jets Get It Down While The Giants Falter

by Ed Tierney

 

Smith Run's for a large gain Sunday vs. Tampa Bay
Smith Run’s for a large gain Sunday vs. Tampa Bay

What would the kid do? Personally I looked at my roommate Dean and said, “Do you know what time it is?” He replied “No” I than proclaimed  “It’s Geno Time”. With just over a half minute to play in the final quarter Sunday Geno Smith ran the Jets offense out there like a seasoned veteran.

“I just went out there,” Smith said, “and told those guys it’s never over.”

Down by 2 (17-15), the before mentioned Smith would drop back to pass but to find nothing to his liking. In his best Steve Young impersonation he would scramble for a gain of 10 while being shoved out of bounds by Bucacaneers Lavonte David, which is an additional 15-yard penalty. Once the player dedicates himself to leaving the playing surface anyone who tackles such player is subject to a 15-yard personal foul penalty. The additional infraction would put kicker Nick Folk in his range where he would come on to win the contest with :07 left. Folk’s kick would register 48 yards.

“Man, oh man,” head coach Rex Ryan mentioned after the game.”We talk about a resilient group, and we certainly have it. We fought all the way to the end. One team, one fight, well, there it is.

The Jets were elated once the kick went through the field goal post as they all jumped up and down on the field and in addition to the sideline. A similar scene to the Buccaneers moments earlier when kicker Rian Lindell booted a 37-yard field goal with 34 seconds left. Smith who is starting in place of QB Mark Sanchez who is out with a torn labrum said “If there’s time on the clock, I expect us to go out there and execute, And that’s what we did today.”

Prior to the contest The Jets announced that Sanchez would be receiving a second opinion by Dr. James Andrews sometime this week, in addition the NFL announced before the game that Grammy-winner Bruno Mars will perform at halftime of the Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium (NY/NJ) on Feb. 2.

The Jets (1-0) travel to Gilette Stadium to take on the New England Patriots (1-0) this Thursday evening at 8:25pm while Tampa Bay (0-1) host’s New Orleans (1-0) Sunday at 4:25

It took numerous attempts but the Dallas Cowboys finally defeated the New York Giants in their shiny 1.2 billion dollar stadium, New York was previously (4-0). Tony Romo who seemed not to be fazed by an apparent rib injury which took him out of the game late in the first half came back strong delivering two touchdown passes to his favorite target, Jason Witten. Eli Manning of the Giants would do his best to counter punch by throwing four touchdowns of his own including three passes to Victor Cruz. Surprisingly despite 6 Giants turnovers, New York some how was still in position for a comeback victory.

“It’s infectious. It’s contagious,” Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said. “We challenged them at halftime. We had three, let’s get three more.” Garrett a former Giants QB was referring to turnovers, something that new defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin has seemed to improve in the offseason. DeMarcus Ware intercepted Manning’s first pass of the game, and the Giants turned it over on their first three possessions.

In the loss the Giants lost starting cornerback Prince Amukamara to a concussion. He is questionable for Sunday’s game vs. Manning’s older brother Peyton and the Broncos at 4:15.

Filed Under: BREAKING NEWS, NEW YORK, SPORTS Tagged With: football, giants, jets, NEW YORK, nfl, NYC

Today Is Primary Day In New York City

by Michael Tyminski

Democratic Candidates for Mayor (Source; Daily News)
Democratic Candidates for Mayor (Source; Daily News)
Democratic Candidates for Mayor (Source: Daily News)

Democratic Candidates for Mayor (Source; Daily News)Tomorrow across New York City, primaries for mayor and  Comptroller will be contested. We here at Manhattan Digest have put together a quick guide for your reference.

Democratic Primary for Mayor: There are nine candidates running for the Democratic nomination for mayor in New York City. Of those nine, four would be considered particularly credible for the purposes of winning the election or at the minimum securing a run off. They are:

Bill De Blasio: The current public advocate for the City of New York, De Blasio is the current front runner on the Democratic side polling at about 40 percent. His current platform focuses heavily on addressing the income inequality in the city and fighting the influence of corporate dollars in government. De Blasio is also known for having a strained relationship with current mayor Michael Bloomberg, who called De Blasio’s campaign “racist” for using his multi-racial family prominently in campaign advertisements. He has surged up the polls in the last few weeks, mostly at the expense of the next candidate…

Anthony Weiner: The former congressman from Brooklyn shocked the world with his announcement to enter the mayoral race this may, ending his personal exile from politics. Unfortunately, Weiner has been plagued by scandal and bad press, and is now currently running in a distant fourth. Weiner is running on not only his governmental experience, but also a plan to reform education and health care in the city. While he started in strong contention, the wheels began to fall off as soon as it was reported that the same infidelities that forced his resignation from congress persisted after he left.

Christine Quinn: Christine Quinn is the current speaker of the city council and the first openly gay speaker of the City Council in New York City history. Representing parts of Lower Manhattan, Quinn is not only running on her record, which touches all planks of the Democratic platform, but also with the endorsements of New York’s three daily newspapers (The Daily News, The New York Times, and The New York Post). On the other hand, opponents are bound to mention the sweetheart deal she made with Mayor Bloomberg to allow him to run for a third term in circumvention of the city’s term limits statute (voted in by the public in 1996). She is currently in a neck and neck race for second, with polls often showing about 20% support for her in the electorate.

Bill Thompson: Bill Thompson is the former comptroller of New York City and ran four years ago unsuccessfully against Michael Bloomberg, coming up just shy in the face of overwhelming spending by the opposition (an approximately 14 to 1 ratio). Thompson, who now resides in Harlem, is focusing predominantly on education reform, looking to improve schools in more impoverished areas and harness the minority vote in order to set up an inevitable run-off (as no candidate looks to be likely able to hit the 40 percent threshold required to stave off a run-off). His opponent’s main line of attack against him seems to be in regards to the some questionable investments and decisions made during his time as the head of the Battery Park City Authority.

Other candidates in the race include Sal Albanese, John Liu, and Erick Salgado, all of whom are polling in the low single digits.

Republican Primary for Mayor: As opposed to the complicated dynamics of the Democratic Primary, the Republican primary is a pretty straightforward two horse race for the nomination. The candidates include:

Joe Lhota: Former head of the MTA and Deputy Mayor for Operations under Giuliani, Joe Lhota brings a mix of public and private sector executive experience to his campaign for mayor. He is running on a mix of education reform, government reform, and maintaining a strong public safety system in the city. Lhota is however quite gaffe prone and can come off as brusque, aspects of his personality that Catsimitidis has had no issue attacking in the past. In spite of these public relations mistakes, Lhota is far and away the frontrunner in this race, polling at around 50 percent of likely voters.

George Catsimitidis A local grocery chain magnate, Catsimitidis is running for mayor on the twin pillars of education reform (with a very pro-STEM emphasis) and revitalizing small business. Catsimitidis is contesting Lhota by disputing that Lhota can bring in the funds necessary in order to run a mayoral race that will require large ad buys as election day nears, with Catsimitidis claiming that he is willing to spend as much as $19 million dollars (comparable to an average U.S. Senate Campaign) to secure a victory on election day. He’s been very willing to attack Lhota, prompting former Mayor Rudy Giuliani to call his ads “false, desperate, and just plain wrong” in ads backing Lhota. Catsimitidis is a distant second, with polls putting him at about 25 percent of the vote.

George McDonald is also running in the Republican primary but is a distant third at 5 percent of the vote.

Democratic Primary for City Comptroller: With one mayoral primary almost definitely going to a run-off and the other looking like a blowout, the race for city comptroller has become the one to watch, as it’s become neck and neck between two well known candidates.

Eliot Spitzer: The former governor of New York, Spitzer has also served as the former Attorney General of New York. He is running on both his record as a tireless public servant as well as his record in fighting for the public interest against powerful financial interests. Needless to say, his one major flaw remains the same scandal that led to his resignation for the governor’s mansion involving paying for prostitutes by credit card. However, unlike Weiner, Spitzer seems to have shown a greater degree of contrition and as a result is not facing the same PR issues as the disgraced congressman.

Scott Stringer: Scott Stringer is the former Borough President of Manhattan. He is running on his record of public service as well as a record of being a government watchdog against waste. He has the endorsement of New York’s three dailies (The Times, The Daily News, and The New York Post). The dynamics of the race, however, seem to view this election more as a referendum on Spitzer than anything else, and this is best shown by the relentless barrage of attack ads Stringer has placed on TV over the last few days.

Primary day is tomorrow September 10th across New York State. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. To find your polling place, please consult http://www.vote.nyc.ny.us/html/voters/where.shtml.

 

 

Filed Under: BREAKING NEWS, NEW YORK, U.S. Tagged With: NYC, NYC Comptroller's Race, NYC Mayor's Race, Primary Elections

New York Photography- Rockefeller Center

by Mark Giarrusso

Rockefeller Plaza Noir

In the heart of New York City lies Rockefeller Center. The architecture is second to none. The art deco designs are perfect and when photographed in black and white they give off a perfect noir feel. The beauty of the gardens in the plaza and the views from the top of 30 Rockefeller Center are incomparable. When built in 1930, the 22 acres it covers were dedicated to beautiful murals, sculptures, and architecture from the most (and infamous) artists and artisans of the day. Today it stands as one of the most visited places in the world.

 

 

Flower Isolation
Flower, Rockefeller Center, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Statue Detail
Statue Detail, Rockefeller Center, NYC, Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Fifth Ave
Art Deco Fifth Ave., Rockefeller Center, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
Rockefeller Plaza Noir
Rockefeller Plaza, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Atlas Noir
Atlas, Rockefeller Center, NYC, 2013 by Mark Giarrusso
Top of the World
Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
View from 30 Rockefeller Center
30 Rockefeller Center, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
View Up 30 Rockefeller
Rockefeller Center, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Angel Noir
Rockefeller Plaza, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
30 Rock Art Deco
30 Rockefeller Center, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
Atlas Statue Detail
Atlas Statue, Rockefeller Center, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013

 

Filed Under: ARTS, BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, NEW YORK Tagged With: 5th Ave, 6th Ave, Architecture, Art Deco, BlackandWhitePhotography, Buildings, Cityscapes, floral, Flowers, NewYorkCity, Night, noir, Photography, Rockefeller Center, Sculptures, Skyscrapers, StreetPhotography, UrbanPhotography

2013 VMA’s Live Blog

by Michael Tyminski

Source: MTV
Source: MTV
Source: MTV

Good afternoon everyone! I’m Mike Tyminski and I’m here to live blog tonight’s VMA’s. The VMA’s are an interesting time for MTV, as the network formerly known as Music Television celebrates the art form they use to showcase on the network known as the music video. Where the VMA’s shine compared to their other award ceremonies is that the focus remains on the here and now and make for an interesting yearbook photo of what was hot in 2013. This year’s awards look to be a slug fest between Miley Ray Cyrus’ “We Can’t Stop”, Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines”, and Justin Timberlake and Macklemore’s fuller suites (each has three different videos nominated for at least one award). Also of particular importance tonight are the rumors of a possible *NSYNC reunion as one of the performances at the show. I’ll be back at 8:45 to give play by play and live blog the show – I’m skipping red carpet this time around since we have Manhattan Digest’s very own Ryan Shea there to cover the proceedings and give reaction from Brooklyn. I look forward to seeing you all then!

8:45 PM – Random viewing notes from the pre-show:

-Watching Austin Mahone is like someone stole DNA from every late 90’s boy band and mixed it together to create a one man boy band the likes of which Earth has never seen.

-A couple of early awards were given out — 30 Seconds to Mars took best Rock video for “Up In the Air “, and Pink and Nate Ruess took down the award for Best Collaborative video for “Just Give Me A Reason”, with 30 Seconds to Mars receiving their Moon Men on the pre-show. Both awards were mentioned at breathtaking speed.

-Danity Kane announced their reunion at the Red Carpet tonight.

-Katy Perry is calling her performance “Rough, Tough, and Ready to Rumble”, her performance of “Roar” is closing out the show tonight.

-One Direction is slaughtering the vote for Song of the Summer, up 4 million votes on it’s nearest competitor, I think it’s safe to say they’re taking this one.

-Tonight’s show is opening with Lady Gaga’s performance of her single “Applause”. The single sounded middling to me, but a Gaga performance is all about the visuals anyway.

Be back right with any last minute news right before showtime.

8:58 p.m.: Seems like things have quieted down on the red carpet (the last five minutes are devoted to the trailer for Divergent and an interview where star Theo James (Golden Boy) stumbles through an interview) and Lady Gaga is set to open the show (though a Gaga/Perry bookend admittedly feels very 2009). Ryan will have the remainder of the news and reaction from his time in Brooklyn tomorrow. I’ll be going segment to segment with the usual play by play and focus on performance.

9:12  pm: So Lady Gaga’s performance was…I guess what we’d call typical Gaga? It seemed to focus on the various stages of Gaga, as it opened with Gaga looking akin to a flying nun and ended up with a triumphant Gaga in seashell bra. Along the way, there were numerous dancers clad in black who existed to both augment and obscure Gaga during the numerous mid-song costume changes. I thought it was kind of a mess as a whole, but I could totally see where someone would get into it!

From there we kick it to One Direction, who were cued in by a PA announcer, and announce the nominees for Best Pop Video:
Bruno Mars “Locked out of Heaven”, Miley Cyrus “We Can’t Stop”, Justin Timberlake “Mirrors”, Selena Gomez “Come and Get It”, and Fun. “Carry On”.

The winner is: Selena Gomez, “Come and Get it”

We get the announcement that the Artist to Watch award (presented by TACO BELL!) can be voted on via text message.

9:28 pm: Continuing the trend of being an awards show not focusing on awards — they breeze through the technical awards in about 60 seconds — I’m gonna try to grab those during a commercial break since they deserve recognition, Justin Timberlake seemed to take the lion’s share.

Miley Cyus and Robin Thicke, then performed next, with Miley Cyrus legitimately rocking out to her guitar riff laden evil Teddy Bear entrance before going into “We Can’t Stop”, which has three award nods tonight before seguing into Blurred Lines with Miley playing Pharell…it’s not the most technically brilliant thing, but Miley looks to be loving every minute of this and it’s perversely entertaining on a level that I can’t comprehend. This then swerves into a cameo by Kendrick Lamar and 2 Chainz. This performance, unlike Gaga worked because all of the chaos and **ahem** run-ins ended up building to something much bigger.

Lil Kim then comes out and mentions how excited she was to see the VMA’s in Brooklyn and announce the Nominees for Best Hip Hop Video
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis “Can’t Hold Us”, Drake “Started From the Bottom”, A$AP Rocky f. Drake, 2 Chainz and Kendrick Lamar “Problems”, J. Cole ft. Miguel “Power Trip”, Kendrick Lamar “Swimming Pools (Drink)”.

The Winner is: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis “Can’t Hold Us”

We get a quick speech from Macklemore about rapping on a Pirate Ship

9:42 pm: Kevin Hart comes out to get some more love for the performance and juice the crowd.  An advertisement plays to text for artist to watch (Sponsored by TACO BELL!)

Jared Leto then comes out to heap praise on Kanye West, who is performing his single “Blood on the Leaves” off of Yeezus. It starts with Kanye bathed in red light before performing in shadow in behind a wooded image projected onto a TV. This is the first truly great performance on the show tonight, and the audience seemed off of its’ hands for the first time after it. Personally I was pretty amused by a 20 second stretch at the end of the song in which MTV censored out about 14 of those seconds.

9:46 pm: And we come back to the VMA’s with a few seconds of Pharell, Nile Rodgers, and Daft Punk performing “Lose Yourself to Dance” before coming out to announce the nominees for Best Female Video

Taylor Swift  “I Knew You Were Trouble”, Miley Cyrus “We Cant Stop”, Demi Lovato “Heart Attack”, Pink Ft. Nate Ruess “Just Give Me A Reason”, Rihanna “Stay”.

And the winner is: Taylor Swift, “I Knew You Were Trouble”.

Taylor gives the standard issue (and Kanye free) awards speech before taking a dig at John Mayer.

Ed Sheehan comes out to announce the nominees for the award for best video with a social message

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis f. Mary Lambert “Same Love”, Kelly Clarkson “People Like Us”, Beyonce “I was Here”, Miguel “Candles in the Sun”, Snoop Lion ft. Drake and Corey B. “No Guns Allowed”.

And the winner is: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, “Same Love”

We get another quick heartfelt award speech from Macklemore before cutting to commercial.

10:24  pm: We come back to Jimmy Fallon who waxes about his 2002 VMA hosting gig before introducing Justin Timberlake, who gets a long video entrance that touches every hit he’s had a solo artist. He’s performing “Take Back the Night”, starting in the lobby of the arena with a large and growing posse of dancers before entering the arena floor. We then get a spinning camera effect before we find Justin on stage performing “Sexy Back”. Justin seems to be owning this whole moment, even slipping a “bitch” through our incredibly vigilant censors, he then rolls through “My Love” which comes through an extended dance breakdown before walking through the pit during “Cry Me A River” (Which he doesn’t sing). The performance then moves to a dance floor in front of the large moon man for “Rock Your Body” (which comes with another extended dance breakdown). Focus then moved back to the stage for the a quick *NSYNC cameo (short enough it wasn’t a full scale reunion) with a quick quote from “Bye Bye Bye” before quickly seguing back into “Suit and Tie” and “Mirrors”. Jimmy Fallon returns to the scene to present Timberlake with the Video Vanguard award. Fallon’s gushing speech was highlighted by making sure to list The Lonely Island classic “Dick in a Box” not once but three times during the award announcement (also for those keeping score, he managed not to corpse during the speech).

Timberlake gave a real humble speech, giving props to to his directors, his choreographers, and NSYNC.

So…takeaways from that 20 minute concert? 1) Justin…you owe it to America, please do the Super Bowl halftime show….please? 2)If you want an *NSYNC reunion in earnest? It’s not happening anytime soon…the Bye Bye Bye spot was wedged in pretty nonchalantly and was breezed through in about a minute.

On a side note, Lady Gaga is still wearing the same seashell bra while rocking out in the crowd. I don’t know why I think it’s important, but I feel like you never see people wear their performance outfits in the stands.

10:40 PM: Kevin Hart sends it over to DJ Cassidy who plays a quick kicker, before Kevin insists that he is not the host, he’s just called upon to do more stuff but not before commenting on Lady Gaga’s yams before once again mentioning the nominees for artist to watch (Sponsored by TACO BELL!)

Vampire Weekend comes out to introduce the award for Song of the Summer, speaking of which, the nominees for Song of the Summer are:
Miley Cyrus “We Can’t Stop”, Robin Thicke ft. Pharell and T.I. “Blurred Lines”, Selena Gomez “Come and Get It”, Calvin Harris f. Ellie Goulding “I Need Your Love”, One Direction “Best Song Ever”, and Daft Punk “Get Lucky”.

The Winner is: “Best Song Ever” by One Direction (Pete Townshend’s house is safe)

Harry comes out and thanks the crowd before introducing the video’s director.

Jason Collins and A$AP Rocky arrive on stage to introduce Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, whom perform “Same Love”. Macklemore is clearly emotional through the first verse, moving more towards the fire of a preacher in his voice by the end of the second verse as opposed to the more conversational tone that comes with the single. Jennifer Hudson drops into deliver the third chorus before quoting a quick phrase of “Not Crying on Sunday” with Mary Lambert, who provided the other chorus’s.

10:49 PM: We finally get the announcement for this years Artist to watch award, and the nominees are.

Austin Mahone, Iggy Azalia, The Weekends, 21 Pilots, and Zedd

And the winner is: Austin Mahone

A starstruck Mahone, thanks all relevant people including God AND MTV, which according to some might be counteracting forces. Unfortunately he didn’t thank TACO BELL who sponsored the award.

The show cuts to the surviving members of TLC (T-Boz and Chili), whom are here to introduce Drake, whose standing in front of a video screen in a manner that’s mildly reminiscent of Frank Ocean’s “Forrest Gump” performance from the Grammys. He gets mobbed by fans while trying to get to the stage to perform “Started from the Bottom”.  Drake ends up in the pit by the second verse.

Looks like most of the awards are finished…we’re down to just Best Male Video and Video of the Year if my account is right.

10:58 PM: Taylor swift comes out to announce the award for best Male video

Justin Timberlake “Mirrors”, Bruno Mars “Locked out of Heaven”, Ed Sheeran “Lego House”, Kendrick Lamar “Swimming Pool (Drink)”, Robin Thicke ft. TI and Pharrell “Blurred Lines”.

And the winner is: Bruno Mars “Locked out of Heaven”.

We get a lightning quick thank you out of Bruno before cutting to commercial.

11:10  PM:
A quick update on the technical awards front — only posting the winners so that I can keep up on play-by-play

Best Directing — David Fincher for “Suit & Tie”
Best Choreography — Bruno Mars (self-choreographed) for “Treasure”
Best Visual Effects — Capital Cities “Safe and Sound”
Best Art Direction — Veronica Hodgson for Janelle Monae ft. Erykah Badu’s “Q.U.E.E.N”
Best Cinematography — Macklemore ft. Ryan Lewis “Can’t Stop Us”

Selena Gomez is out to introduce Bruno Mars, who’s here to perform his new single, “Gorilla”. Bruno’s performing this slow jam in a leopard-print heavy version of his standard look.  It’s a pretty blase performance surrounded by a ton of pyrotechnics. Earlier in the show I would have probably enjoyed it more, but after Kanye, JT, and Macklemore tore it up in their own respective ways this performance feels like it’s just there to fill time until Katy Perry’s show closing performance. It probably didn’t help that his big falsetto note was completely overpowered by the backing tape.

In other news, Katy Perry is walking towards the Brooklyn Bridge to perform “Roar” in about 15 minutes. She’s rocking some boxing gear, which I’m pretty okay with on the basis of how prominently the words “Eye of the Tiger” are placed in the song.

11:23 PM:
During the break, Pepsi announced that Katy Perry’s new single “Dark Horse” will drop on September 17th. 

Joseph Gordon-Levitt comes out to announce the nominees for Video of the Year in what could be described loosely as “an old timey western voice”  which was clearly appropriate for the situation. 

The nominees for video of the year are: Bruno Mars “Locked Out of Heaven”, Justin Timberlake “Mirrors”, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis “Thrift Shop”, Taylor Swift “I Knew You Were Trouble”, Robin Thicke f. T.I. and Pharrell “Blurred Lines”

And the winner is: Justin Timberlake “Mirrors”

Justin gives props to all of the performances, before mentioning how the video was a tribute to his grandparents.

Allison Williams from Girls enters to introduce Katy Perry, who is performing her single “Roar”. The boxer gear goes with a fuller motif as the entire performance takes place in a makeshift boxing ring dance floor by the Brooklyn Bridge. I feel like this performance would have actually been better inside if only for the acoustics being better captured allowing for better use of the crowd roars.

I’ll be back in a few minutes with some final thoughts from the show.


Final Thoughts: 

Well…that first hour felt like a trainwreck, moving at I Love Lucy conveyor belt speed. However, 10p.m. hit, the VMA’s officially ended, and the Justin Timberlake Show began, things became a lot better. And that’s important, because even with strong performances by Kanye, Macklemore, and Katy Perry, do not kid yourself…this was entirely Timberlake’s show. It seemed like most of the awards were taken by either himself or Macklemore. Of course, while they took a sweep of the awards this show truly felt like MTV treats awards shows the way they treat music 365 days a year, as many of the awards felt like window dressing compared to the performances. If you’re catching this on tape delay, the best approach is to just fast forward through every talking bit and go straight to the performances, which were either really good or really weird.

That’s it for me tonight, it’s been three whirlwind hours and 2500 or so words. Next week there isn’t much new TV so I’m taking the opportunity to roll out some fall previews for the major networks (and the CW even!) Thanks everyone for tuning in, and stay connected to Manhattan Digest tomorrow for Ryan’s report from Brooklyn!


Filed Under: BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, NEW YORK, OPINION, U.S. Tagged With: Live Blog, mtv, VMA's, VMA's 2013

New York Street Photography- The People of New York

by Mark Giarrusso

The Pose

The people of New York City are what make it what it is. They are unique, strange, fun, powerful, humble, and hard working. All of which New York as a city most certainly is.

Through the Tunnel
Street Photography, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
The Pose
Street Photography, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
Eternal Hearts
Street Photography, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
Crossing the Road
Street Photography, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
Waiting to Cross
Street Photography, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
Taxi!
Street Photography, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
Reflections
Street Photography, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
Avenue of the Americas
Street Photography, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso

Filed Under: ARTS, BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, NEW YORK, U.S. Tagged With: 5th Ave, BlackandWhitePhotography, Candids, CityPhotography, Metro, NewYork, NewYorkCity, NewYorkCityPhotography, NYC, People, Photography, StreetPhotography, Urban, UrbanPhotography

Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on the City.

by Walter Reed

image

I am not a transsexual! There is nothing wrong with transitioning your spare parts. Nor is there any wrongdoing in using them on married men from New Jersey at the pier. However, it’s not my thing. I just like the clothes. On a Friday night after a couple of cocktails and sample sales, someone handed me a flyer stating:

Transexual wanted! A reality show producer seeks a transvestite, transgender or transexual person. $500+ a day….

What?! At $500 a day I could be! Where am I going to find some breasts? Perhaps, I could find someone who knows someone at the pier. Wait…let’s be clear, I am nobody’s tranny.

We live in an environment where dressing like our straight male counterparts is ideal. I meet so many of these cookie-cutter macho men dressed in wife-beaters and Timbs. They are closeted queens, getting poked by trannies in the alleys behind bars all over the city.

I choose not the suffocating anesthetic of street wear, but the electric jolt of designer skirts and dresses. Men’s fashion hasn’t changed much in the past 50 years. While menswear designers and consumers are content with those complacent concoctions, masquerading as fashion, I prefer to blend my genders to create new gender-bending silhouette: a juxtaposition of soft and hard.

Living in the city that never sleeps, you’ll find that the way we dress is not as gay as you think. In terms of what we wear, it’s a lot more closeted. Take our gay-borhoods or gay bars, you’ll find most gays dressed in t-shirts, jeans and fitted caps. No skirts, dresses or even short-shorts in 100-degree weather. When did we take the homo out of homosexual, and made it a homogenous decree for fellow gays to live by?

In the height of the sexual seventies before the age of AIDS; the city was swept with so many gays, parties and party favors. Although sex is usually on the table, in the bathroom, or in the doorway. A time when gays were so out it was in again. Now we have Splash closing and countless others before it, gay bashings and fake drugs. It was like the city’s insanity was wiped away with a giant sanitation napkin. Are we too afraid of the big disease that nearly destroyed the city three decades ago?

Before Paris was burning in underground clubs all over the city; it was on fire on the streets of Manhattan. Tales of sex, drugs and discotheques is like an urban legend compared with the status quo. Who gave New York City a Xanax?

The rise of Time Square and the fall of the twin towers put a damper on the edge of the city. The ho-stroll is filled with broke homeless hoes. The bars now cards and even the oldest male clientele have to show ID. Our first gay bar in the country, Stonewall, after four decades is now a museum for single women, the lesbians who love them, and random straight men who want to have sex with them all. The after-hours is in Atlanta, and the sex shops are empty. Barney’s Co-Op shut it’s doors in Chelsea for good, leaving little viable options to shop in the gay-borhood.

Our city is in a slump. We the gay people need to put our heterosexual self on the shelf next to the porn stash and take the homosexual back out of the closet.

Filed Under: FASHION, LIFESTYLE, NEW YORK, OPINION, STYLE Tagged With: aids, fashion, gay, menswear, NYC, transgender

New York Photography: The East River

by Mark Giarrusso

East River South

The East River runs through New York City separating Brooklyn and Queens from Manhattan. It’s dirty and gritty and iconic; just like New York in every way.

Williamsburg Bridge
Williamsburg Bridge, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Manhattan Bridge
Manhattan Bridge, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
East River North
East River Facing North, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
East River South
East River Facing South, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Barge on East River
Barge on East River, East River, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Sugar Factory
Domino Sugar Factory, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Roosevelt Island Cable Car
Roosevelt Island Cable Car, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013

Filed Under: ARTS, BREAKING NEWS, NEW YORK Tagged With: BlackandWhitePhotography, Bridges, Cable Car, CityPhotography, Manhattan Bridge, Metro, NewYork, NewYorkCity, NewYorkCityPhotography, NYC, Photography, Queensboro Bridge, River, Roosevelt Island, StreetPhotography, Urban, UrbanPhotography, water, Williamsburg Bridge

New York City Photography- Hudson River

by Mark Giarrusso

Sailing the Hudson

The Hudson River runs up the west side of the island of Manhattan. By walking up the river or taking a cruise down into the harbor, you can see great memories of a New York past in the old piers, the rising spirit of the Freedom Tower, or the natural beauty of the bluffs on the shore of New Jersey beyond. It’s a must do in New York City.

Hudson River Walk
Walk Way, Hudson River, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Hudson River
Hudson River, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Financial District
Hudson River, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Finacial District View Finder
Hudson River, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Holland Tunnel
Holland Tunnel, Hudson River, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Holland Tunnel, Hudson River, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Hudson River, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Pier 76
Pier 76, Hudson River, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Sailing the Hudson
Hudson River, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013

Filed Under: ARTS, BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, NEW YORK Tagged With: Architecture, BlackandWhitePhotography, Boats, CityPhotography, Freedom Tower, Hudson River, Metro, new jersey, NewYork, NewYorkCity, NewYorkCityPhotography, NYC, Photography, Skyline, Urban, UrbanPhotography

New York City Photography- Central Park

by Mark Giarrusso

Couple Noir

At the very heart of the vast urban sprawl of New York City lies Central Park. Call it what you will. An island. An oasis. From The Plaza to the old Band Shell. The park itself and the buildings which surround it are as quintessential New York as you can get.

Couple Noir
Central Park, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013

 

Plaza Entrance
Plaza, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Buildings Noir
Central Park, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Stone Bridge
Central Park, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Central Park Tree
Central Park, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Band Shell
Central Park, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Essex House
Central Park, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Central Park in Black and White
Stone Bridge, Central Park, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Central Park Overview
Central Park, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013

Filed Under: ARTS, BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, NEW YORK, U.S. Tagged With: Architecture, art, BlackandWhitePhotography, Bridge, Buildings, Candid, Central Park, city, couples, fine art, man, Metro, NEW YORK, New York City, noir, NY, NYC, Park, Photography, red, Street Photography, tree, Urban, woman

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