Manhattan Digest

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DiMi Marc’s Trap’d Soul Love- The Review

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After reviewing DiMi Marc’s first mixtape a week ago here on Manhattan Digest to amazing fanfare and high praise, I was super excited to review his second of three mixtapes he is releasing this month- Trap’d Soul’s Love.  The first mixtape was more on the turnt up side, where as DiMi Marc’s second one brings a more soulful and down to earth version of the talented emcee.  He mixes a lot of what is popular nowadays in music, blending great genres and sounds reminiscent of superstars Drake, Miguel and J. Cole for instance.  Overall, this mixtape earns a 9 out of 10 in my opinion, as DiMi Marc continues to bring out his best and continuing what I hope for him which is to make it to the top of the charts.  Check out my review of each song off of Trap’d Soul’s Love and check it out in full here on his Soundcloud page!

Rock (With JL)- good mixture of R&B and hip-hop. Sick sex anthem that has a great beat to it. Euphemisms are obvious but good (I rock your body, we’ll make rock and roll).

All That Matters (Justin Bieber & Chiefs)- if any song on this mixtape could be a single it would be this. May be because of the Bieber hook but it adds really well to DiMi’s flow in this song. Good flow from DiMi as usual.

Feverio (with Sango)- love the opening part with the questions- would you ever let me take you to the moon, would you ever let me love you too soon? Asks the questions about falling for someone blended with a really relaxed beat. Love it.

iii-  The essence of a breakup is detailed poignantly through DiMi on this song. Sticks with the love theme with the slower beats, similar to Dream and Miley Cyrus’ “Real And True”.

Morning Call (with Empia)- The throwback Sonic The Hedgehog type beats on the chorus mixed with a great drum beat makes this another stellar standout on this mix. Good transition from break up to missing the one you love.

Moondust- Absolutely love this song, probably my favorite off this whole mixtape. Love the build up in the beginning and the lyricism is amazing.

Good 2 U- Normally with his mixtapes the music takes over the first 20-30 seconds but he goes right into his rapping pretty quickly, detailing how he was good to the girl he was with. The pain is real in this as this is one of the harder songs on this.

Found Better-  anytime a man and woman duet on something it’s always a working formula. Him and Kim Cole slay this song, detailing each persons POV on how they found something better. Sick.

Crush-  Chorus on this is addictive, with Lisette Love giving a really big Shawnna type throwback with the sound and feel of this song.

I Know You Got Work- great way to close this mixtape. Empowering and a great message to women out there.

Check out the video for Good 2 U here!  Sick song and a sick video!

Besito- The Best Restaurant in Huntington Village

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Besito packs flavor, punch and soul into Huntington Village

As someone who has grown up in the heart of Huntington, I have seen and divulged in my fair share of great and not so great restaurants.  You have the Greenlawn area where you can get a great wrap (Buffalo Grille) or a slice of pizza (Jimmy’s Pizza).  You have the Centerport area, where you can get some of the best seafood in the entire town (Nicky’s).  And of course you have the Northport area, known for its great diners (Shipwreck, The Sweet Shoppe) and Ice Cream (Wolfie’s).  But when it comes to going to Huntington Village, known for its trendy eateries, great bars and fun nights out on the town, what is the best restaurant for you and your friends to chill, drink and have some goddamn awesome food?  This is Besito, located in the heart of Huntington Village on Long Island.

Besito, Manhattan Digest, Huntington Village
Credit to: Besito

Now for all you Manhattanites out there, fear not.  Besito has two amazing locations on Long Island, the other being in Roslyn which is much closer to New York City.  However, for all the ones who travel back and forth to Long Island, albeit for work or play, this is definitely one place you want to stop at on the way out or back if you are craving some really good and authentic Mexican cuisine.  The atmosphere itself plays a huge part of why Besito is so popular, with its beautiful lightly colored walls, tables and more.  The lights are dimmed after a certain hour to give it a more romantic and intimate feel, even if you are with a big group of people.  The staff is the best when it comes to professionalism and getting your meals out in a timely manner.  As important as it is to enjoy a restaurant for its food quality, I also judge it on how well the staff treats each of its customers and the ambiance that goes along with it.  In that case, its a ten out of ten.

The food is on a whole other level.  I’ve been here multiple times and can honestly say I have never been disappointed in anything they have served me.  Last night, me and my friend decided to stop by and have another delicious meal that they presented to us.  Something I would recommend off of the appetizer menu is the Sopa De Tortila, which is a tortilla soup with avacado, pulled chicken, quesa chihuahua, chopped cilantro, crema and toasted pasilla paste.  With the fall season coming up and the weather getting chillier each day, this is the perfect way to start off your evening at Besito.  Two entrees that I would highly recommend in the Tacos Al Besito, served in a cast iron skillet, is the Res and the Pastor.  The pastor is pineapple central, where there is pineapple marinated pork, grilled pineapple salsa, avacado salsa verde and a chile de arbol salsa.  The sweetness of the pineapple mixed with the salsa verde really has a great contrast and the pork was cooked to perfection.  The Res was grilled skirt steak, my favorite of all the steaks, pico de gallo, melted cheese chihuahua and tomato jalapeno.  The mixture of the melted cheese with the spicy jalapeno really brought that dish together as well.

Besito, Manhattan Digest, Huntington Village
Credit to: Besito

Surely there are a ton of other options that Besito has to offer, from their delicious Enchiladas, and large plate selections from Camarones (the best Mexican meal I have ever had) to their Pechuga De Pollo, just to name a few.  But don’t JUST take my word for it.  Next time you are in the Huntington Village area, make sure you stop by Besito to really get the full angle of what I am talking about!

Besito

402 New York Avenue, Huntington

631-549-0100

Official Site

The Short Form: The 66th Emmy Awards

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Laverne Cox (source: E!)
Laverne Cox (source: E!)

The Short Form: The 66th Emmy Awards

Seth’s Hosting Job: I think Seth did a great job at keeping the proceedings going, but at times the show hit a very late night vibe with minimal grandiosity. This may be in part because his monologue was so brief and he was introduced with minimal fanfare (there wasn’t much of an opening credit sequence that you tend to see in awards shows), but what should be considered one of the big four awards shows almost seemed infinitely smaller than it should have. His monologue was not only short but seemed to fall fairly flat with the crowd, which was unfortunate because it was actually very funny, but the crowd seemed to appreciate the jokes more as the night went on.

The Show Itself: This show seemed to completely lack luster from well before the show even began (as one can expect from a show that scared off of a Sunday for the friggin VMA’s). Normally from awards shows we expect a pompous overblown affair with tons of glad-handing, self-aggrandizing, multiple sets and set changes and **shiver** overwrought musical numbers, however we got a bare minimum of those tonight. The one area the show completely dominated over the prior edition however, was in it’s memoriam segment, while last year we got six funeral dirges, this year we got one simple, classy, memoriam with Billy Crystal providing the best awards show eulogy for a man I’ve ever seen in his speech about Robin Williams.

It was a surprisingly good night to be CBS (or Modern Family): If last year was the story of cable and Netflix burying those last shovels of dirt on the big four, then this year would be about the big four making the most of their nominations. CBS picked up three Emmys on three different shows (Allison Janney for Mom, Jim Parsons for The Big Bang Theory and Juliana Margulies for The Good Wife). Modern Family also picked up a trio of Emmys for Best Supporting Actor, Best Directing and Best Comedy Series, meaning that yes, those pesky broadcast networks managed to pick up all but two of the major comedy awards tonight.

Breaking Bad Gets A Stunning Victory Lap: Up until the 10pm hour, the story of this night seemed to be parity. The comedy category split awards between five different shows (Modern Family, Louie, Veep, Mom and The Big Bang Theory), The miniseries hour saw similar division. However, once 10 pm hit, it was win after win after win for the last half-season of Breaking Bad. The final list included Best Supporting Actor (Aaron Paul), Best Supporting Actress (Anna Gunn), Writing (Moira Walley-Beckett for Ozymandias), Best Actor in a Drama (Bryan Cranston), and Best Drama Series.

Lena Dunham (Source: E!)
Lena Dunham (Source: E!)

On the Red Carpet Front: The story of this night on the red carpets is most definitely the color red. You could find red dresses anywhere on the red carpet, from Heidi Klum to E! Host Giuliana Rancic to Julia-Louis Dreyfuss and Christina Hendricks. While red is typically a very bold choice, the color seemed to work equally well on everyone wearing it even as the cuts varied wildly.

In terms of winners and losers, this is a night with way more winners than losers, especially on the comedy side. In addition to the red dress brigade, I was a big fan of Sofia Vergara’s white and gold combo, Sarah Silverman’s jade green dress, and . I think the big winner of the night was Laverne Cox who shone through the sea of champagne and red with an amazing and downright sexy white dress.

What didn’t work on the red carpet? I wasn’t a fan of Lena Dunham’s light pink look. While Dunham typically goes for something a little more anti-fashion as a rule, the dress, her skin, and her hair somehow managed to clash horrendously. Similarly Hayden Pannettiere’s decision to combine a deep plunging neckline and a third trimester baby bump just did not work for me. But for me, the biggest loser of the night was clearly E!’s clutch cam, which didn’t provide either the scandal, entertainment value or buzz (seriously people, it’s a bag – I may watch red carpet but I draw the line at accessories).

The Night In Speeches: In keeping with the pace of the show, everything seemed quick and to the point. Ty Burrell opened up the night with a pretty funny speech written from the kids on the cast of Modern Family. Sarah Silverman gave a similarly funny but incredibly winged speech after winning the writing award for her recent comedy special on HBO – thanking her agents while naming them after The Three Stooges and a number of other close confidants in one of the rare speeches that can be categorized as both short and rambling.

Steven Colbert and Jimmy Fallon teamed up after a flub filled award win for The Colbert Report to put together a pretty funny speech in which Colbert put words in Fallon’s mouth ultimately forcing the censors to jump in (in retrospect, I wonder why NBC didn’t offer Fallon the gig, he seems tailor made for stuff like this). Weirdly enough, the funniest speech of the night was Bryan Cranston’s self deprecating speech for Best Actor in A Drama

In Summation: This was a surprisingly tight show, fitting pretty squarely inside the 3 hour window NBC gave for the show. The Emmys also managed to avoid the funeral dirge angle that last year had with it’s six memoriam segments (five spotlights and the one usual montage) but also still seemed to miss the celebratory nature of these sort of shows. I think that the blame rests squarely on NBC, whom clearly treated this show as an afterthought (there’s still time left in the broadcast, let’s rush Vince Gilligan offstage in the last award of the night!), with little pomp and less circumstance. I don’t necessarily think that the show was bad, just lacking in star power (the only music segment featured “Weird Al”) and grandiosity (when you’re taking the backseat to the lowest wattage VMA’s in recent memory in spectacle, you’re clearly doing something wrong) and almost felt that the awards were reduced to a formality – a function i’m willing to guess was in part a result of the lack of love the peacock got in the nominating process (CBS and ABC did quite fine thank you).

Last but not least, this is my last day at Manhattan Digest, so I want to take this moment to thank Ryan for giving me a forum to grouse about TV over the last year and a half. It’s kinda crazy to see how I’ve grown as a writer and even moreso as a pop-culture consumer (lets just say I’ve watched more E! and Bravo in the last year and a half than I had any business doing in the 26 years of my life prior). I also want to thank all of you whom have read, commented, and devoted a little bit of time to reading this.

“Ruthless! The Musical”: The Devilish Denmark Returns Through November 29th

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As the old saying goes, “You can’t keep a precocious and ambitious 8 year old  psychotic  girl who’s willing to kill for a part  down.” Ok, so there might be some poetic license scattered within the phrase. At any rate, the creative team behind Ruthless! the musical are thrilled to announce an extension of their  musical comedy, which was recently staged at the cabaret venue, The Triad.  The laugh out loud performances will continue through November 29th and will star Joel Paley and Marvin Laird, who also penned this deliciously deceitful cautionary tale of unmitigated ego.

The original article below ran on August 24th, 2014 and was updated on October ruthless_logo26th 2014: 

Tina Denmark is an adorable 8 year old girl with charm to spare and a yen for entertainment. But like any overambitious, driven performer, she’ll kill you to step into the spotlight. Isn’t that sweet?!?!  Its actually quite hilarious–and serves as the basis of the plot for Ruthless! The Musical, a send-up of classic camp movies like All About Eve, The Bad Seed, and Gypsy.

Joel Paley (Author/Director) and Marvin Laird (Composer) are bringing the hell child back to life this September in a new production of their 1993 off Broadway hit. The intimate soiree presentation (Or as Laird puts it: “sort of like an evening at Cole Porter’s house when he was living at the top of the Waldorf-Astoria”) will benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and will be performed at the Upper West Side’s posh Triad Theater.

Sophia Caruso stars as the “troubled” triple threat child. Laird will step into the role of Sylvia St. Croix, a pushy female talent agent who quenches Tina’s thirst for success. And because there is very little on this earth funnier than a grown man playing an eight year old girl , Paley will assume the role of Tina Denmark for three of the nine performances. His inspiration? A combination of personal affection for the charity and a chance to revive the same role he has played before. Last year, the production was done locally in Connecticut,where the real-life couple reside. On the day of the invited dress rehearsal, the little girl who was cast Tina Denmark came down with the flu. Paley recalls the story: “I called Marvin and asked what we should do. Marvin said, ‘You’re going on as Tina!‘ I didn’t even have a costume! I just wore my Bad Seed/Rhoda Penmark pig tail wig that I just happened to have–doesn’t everybody have one?!!?”, he quipped.  “So we thought it would be fun to reproduce this in New York.”

The original inspiration for the show was sparked by an idea to musicalize the 1956 film The Bad Seed. As much as they tried, the couple had difficulty acquiring the rights to the movie, thanks to the tight reins of the Maxwell Anderson estate. Anderson had written the screenplay. They soon learned that they didn’t need rights to parody the film and expanded their scope to include other campy classics.

The show continues to be a favorite among regional theaters and different productions are continually being staged around the globe. This particular staging has generated such good will.  Paley and Laird observe. “We have lucked into the best cast we have ever had…great cast, great designers, great artists, and great costumers and all for a great cause. The show has touched alot of people and many of them already knew of it, so they were very excited to be a part of this. We’re just blown away by that and it’s so wonderful.” Paley continues, “Before it became a full musical it was a long one act, but in the transformation, it became a two act musical because that’s what was required to get it off Broadway. In this staging, we’ve done away with the intermission and have streamlined it into 85 minutes that is roller-coaster sharp and fast.”

This will also mark the first time that the couple has collabaorated as actor (Laird) and director (Paley). “I haven’t performed like this since college, so this is a big step to be taking at this point in my career “, says Laird. “I can’t think of anyone who is more protective and more considerate of my talent than Joel, so it’s a real treat. After watching him direct and wishing I could benefit from his directing prowess, I finally got my wish. It’s also good time to observe that it’s never too late to fulfill a lifelong dream.”

“If you’re on this planet, you’ve got an ego”, Paley states. “This show is about ego run riot, much like the reality TV show Toddler and Tiaras.” The show also appeals to a gay audience. Laird explains that “every character in this show is a mystery wrapped in a cloak. They each have a hidden agenda that is stripped away gradually and it is kind of like the gay experience. At one point in your life, you’ve had to try to hide the fact that you’re gay. Their characters are also striving against the odds, much like Judy Garland.” Paley also points to the universal appeal, “Everybody at some point in some place wants to be famous, but wind up not being, and they try to make peace with that, but secretively they want to be doing something else on a bigger scale. I think that most people aspire to a greater notoriety than they are.”

Ironically, the two have worked through the ego that is so prevalent in the show. Rather than focus on the glitter and “what-ifs” of what’s next for the future of Ruthless! , the two have set out to do the show their way and show people what it really is. “We’re having more fun making fun of the ego,” Paley observes,”Because we’re not doing it from a place OF ego.” In addition, says Laird, “We’re sharing this creative experience with our wonderful cast and crew who have such joy and love for the project. In return, we are getting so much back and simply enjoy doing it.”

 

Ruthless! The Musical, playing now through November 29th.  Stage 72 @ The Triad, 158 W. 72nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam.  There is a two-drink minimum for all shows.  Performance schedule varies. Please visit  http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/890419  for schedule and tickets.

 

 

 

 

 

2014 MTV Video Music Awards- Who Will Win

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As sad as it is for me to say this, I was not invited to the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards that are happening tonight in Inglewood, California.  I repped Manhattan Digest to the fullest at last year’s show when they were held at Brooklyn’s very own Barclay Center, and gave us one of the most epic performances in VMA history- Miley Cyrus.  If you don’t know what happened then you have been living under a rock for the past year.  Needless to say, this year’s VMA’s is sure to be unpredictable and insane as it usually is.  The lineup of performances look sick, with the opening being pop divas Jessie J, Arianna Grande and hip-hop songstress Nicki Minaj doing their current top 10 single “Bang Bang”.  Other noteworthy performances of the night should be Taylor Swift, who will be performing her new hit “Shake It Off” from the much anticipated new album “1989” due out October 27th.  And of course, the lady of the night will be eight time nominee and already multiple VMA award winner Beyonce, who will be receiving the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award later in the evening.  This award has been bestowed on several legends in the industry, from Madonna, Janet Jackson, The Rolling Stones and most recently pop pioneers Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears.  Should be a performance of epic madness and one that I cannot wait to see.

So let’s breakdown the other thing that people are there to see- who will win each category at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards.  This year’s pack is stacked with some of the biggest artists and songs of the year, and is making it tough for this journalist to choose who will win and who should win.  It is still funny to me that MTV broadcasts something like this when I believe I was wearing JNCO Jeans the last time they actually aired a block of music videos, but it is the most highly anticipated award show of the season, so I can see why they keep it going each year.  Let’s breakdown each category, starting with the “Artist To Watch, Presented by Taco Bell”.

Artist to Watch, Presented By Taco Bell

5 Seconds Of Summer- “She Looks So Perfect”

Fifth Harmony- “Miss Moving On”

Sam Smith- “Stay With Me”

Schoolboy Q- “Man Of The Year”

Charli XCX- “Boom Clap”

Who Will Win- 5 Seconds Of Summer, Who Should Win- Sam Smith

5 Seconds Of Summer really came out of nowhere and has won the hearts of millions of adoring teens, who are the ones voting on this particular category for the most part.  They are One Direction with talent, drums and guitar for the most part, so I sure as heck see them easily winning this won as it is a fan based vote.  Fifth Harmony could’ve been a heavy contender for this if 5SOS wasn’t in it, but they won’t win this one.  Schoolboy Q is amazing, as well as Charli XCX’s song from “The fault In Our Stars” but not enough to garner this.  If Sam Smith doesn’t win this at the VMA’s, he sure as hell will win at the 2015 Grammys and several other prestigious awards.  His solo work this year on “Stay With Me” on top of his brilliant performances with other artists such as Disclosure and Naughty Boy prove what a threat this guy is to the industry, and I hope he gets some love on VMA night.

Best Rock Video-

Lorde- “Royals”

Linkin Park- “Until I’m Gone”

Imagine Dragons- “Demons”

Black Keys- “Fever”

Arctic Monkeys- “Do I Wanna Know?”

Who Will Win- Imagine Dragons.  Who Should Win- Black Keys.

Imagine Dragons have had a pretty awesome two years, and this was only the 2nd song released off of their amazing debut album.  “Royals” is not a rock song, so I don’t get why it is in this category.  Lorde has a better shot in other categories than this one, and sadly I don’t think Arctic Monkeys have a shot in this category either.  Black Keys should win as “Fever” is an amazing video, but no doubt Imagine Dragons will be the one taking this home tonight.

Best Pop Video-

Arianna Grande Featuring Iggy Azealea- “Problem”

Iggy Azalea Featuring Chari XCX- “Fancy”

Avicii Featuring Aloe Blacc- “Wake Me Up”

Jason DeRulo Featuring 2Chainz- “Talk Dirty”

Pharrell Williams- “Happy”

Who Will Win- Arianna Grande & Iggy.  Who Should Win- Pharrell.

This really has been the year for Arianna and Iggy, however I think because Arianna has a bigger tween and teen fanbase she should lock this one up.  “Wake Me Up” should be more in the clubland award than this one, and “Talk Dirty” just seems too urban for this as well, as is “Fancy”.  “Happy” is a freaking brilliant video that screams pop with a R&B flare, and should be the one to win in this.  But expect pop ingenue Arianna Grande to be leaving with not just one but a couple of VMA night.

Best Female Video-

Lorde- “Royals”

Beyonce- “Partition”

Arianna Grande Featuring Iggy Azalea- “Problem”

Iggy Azalea Featuring Charli XCX- “Fancy”

Katy Perry Featuring Juicy J- “Dark Horse”

Who Will Win- “Royals”.  Who Should Win- “Dark Horse/Partition”

I think “Royals”, even though it is quite simple, kept my focus a lot more than the colorful pops that Iggy and Arianne presented in each of their videos, and the song is better than both so based off that it will and maybe should win.  I loved the video for “Dark Horse” as Katy keeps bringing us really unique and out there videos that she has done so well over the years.  “Partition” isn’t the best video from the Beyonce album, but the look and feel of it should really make her a good contender for this category tonight.

Best Male Video-

Ed Sheeran Featuring Pharrell Williams- “Sing”

Sam Smith- “Stay With Me”

John Legend- “All Of Me”

Eminem Featuring Rihanna- “Monster”

Pharrell Williams- “Happy”

Who Will Win- Ed Sheeran.  Who Should Win- All of them (Minus John Legend).

This is quite possibly the strongest category of the bunch this year, as all videos and songs are incredible in their own unique ways.  John’s song is amazing and is this generation’s new wedding song, however the video was basic and more of wedding video than an actual music video.  I happen to love Ed Sheeran’s vocals and video for “Sing” so that gets my vote easily.  I wouldn’t mind multiple VMA winner Eminem winning this for old times sake, however I think this is Ed’s to lose.

Best Hip-Hop Video-

Childish Gambino- “3005”

Drake Featuring Majid Jordan- “Hold On (We’re Going Home)”

Eminem- “Berserk”

Kanye West- “Black Skinhead”

Wiz Khalifa- “We Dem Boyz”

Who Will Win- Drake.  Who should win-  All of them.

Another really amazing category.  I have to say Drake will win just based off of how popular the video and song was, however Eminem might be knocking at Drake’s door for this so don’t be surprised if he pulls an upset.  Kanye’s video is one of his best ever with his own social message that makes this video and song one of the standouts off of his last album.  Wiz hasn’t really had the biggest success since “Black & Yellow”  however “We Dem Boyz” is a great video and keeps his street hustle going in the hip-hop game.  Childish Gambino deserves a lot more success than then man is given, and I am super pumped the “3005” got the nod this year.

Video Of The Year-

Sia- “Chandelier”

Pharrell Williams- “Happy”

Miley Cyrus- “Wrecking Ball”

Beyonce Featuring Jay-Z- “Drunk In Love”

Iggy Azalea Featuring Charli XCX- “Fancy”

Who Will Win- Miley or Beyonce.  Who should win- SIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Chandelier” is such an AMAZING song and video that I really just want to see Sia make a public appearance and win this.  She’s like the female Daft Punk, you really never see her so I think it would make an AWESOME VMA moment if she won.  I don’t get why Iggy is in this, the video is great but not at this level, she’s too new.  As much as “Wrecking Ball” is a great video it is more 2013 than 2014, so I don’t think it deserves to win this.  “Happy” is amazing, but I fear Pharrell may be shut out due to the younger demographic.  Seeing as this is Beyonce’s night, expect her to win her second Video Of The Year trophy (done once before for “Single Ladies” back in 2009).  But this is quite the unpredictable category, so you never know.

Who do YOU think will win tonight?  Comment here and for a full list of nominees check out the official website for more info.

 

 

Fall Preview 2014: NBC

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Fall Preview: NBC

Last year was a startlingly successful year for the peacock – the network somehow inexplicably ended up number one in demo and pulled off the coup of all holiday coups getting 20 million viewers to see it’s holiday musical special of The Sound of Music. While the schedule itself didn’t change much, we do see some shakeups in even NBC’s lineup, a little interesting for network that’s trying to build off last years success.

Sundays for NBC in the fall are way simpler than any other network: it’s football, football, and more football. NBC’s Sunday Night Football starts with a Thursday debut on September 4th with the Seahawks and Packers facing off leading into their time slot debut on the 7th with the Colts and Broncos.

Mondays also remain completely unchanged for NBC from last year with both The Voice and The Blacklist returning back to back on Mondays starting September 22nd. The voice sees yet another judging rotation, with Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams joining the show’s central Adam Levine and Blake Shelton bromance. NBC further protects The Blacklist, by running State of Affairs (11/17) between the seasons of The Voice. This combination was one of the key planks of the peacock’s schedule last year and they wisely want to to keep the same foundation this year after seeing Revolution and Go On both die horrible deaths after being separated from The Voice.

Tuesdays kick off with the second day of The Voice, which along with Fox’s Utopia function as the only multi day shows on the air this fall. The 9pm hour is filled with comedy, with the debuting Marry Me, and returning About A Boy (both premiere on 10/14). Rounding out the night is the returning Chicago Fire (9/23), which has held down that Tuesday at 10 slot over the last three years.

Wednesdays remain crime night at NBC, (probably due to the relative lack of crime dramas on the other networks that night), and we see the returning Dick Wolf double header of Law and Order: SVU, and Chicago PD. Opening up the night, however, is the debuting The Mysteries of Laura starring Debra Messing as a detective who also has to deal with twin boys and a divorce. All of the Wednesday series begin on 9/24.

We do start to see some structural changes on thursdays for the peacock as the thirty year vaunted Must See TV comedy block is officially dead, with Parks and Recreation finishing out and Community kicked to the Yahoo! Screen curb. NBC’s plan for Thursdays this fall actually looks suspiciously like it’s Tuesdays. Moving into the 8 o’clock hour? The Biggest Loser (debuting 9/11). NBC’s favorite drama, Parenthood, then returns to schedule on Septmeber 25th, occupying out the 10pm hour. We do still get a 9pm comedy hour that is built with 2 new shows: Bad Judge,starring Kate Walsh and whose premise I shouldn’t need to spell out, and A to Z, a romantic comedy starring Cristin Miloti (best known as the eventual mother of How I Met Your Mother).

Fridays bring the return of NBC’s horror block. With Dracula kicked to the curb, and the always amazing Hannibal taking a snooze til mid-season, we get the returning Grimm at 9, followed up by Constantine at 10, making for a stellar year for DC’s licensing (this, the Batman universe for Gotham, and The Flash were all picked up this year). Both return just in time for Halloween on 10/24, reflecting a similar strategy to what NBC did last year. Dateline rounds out the night at 8. Saturdays are typically a non factor for the peacock outside of SNL, so expect the usual mix of reruns and top flight Notre Dame football games in the primetime hours.

Tomorrow we finish up our Fall Preview 2014 with a look at the CW and some returns to the cable landscape!

DiMi Marc’s Trap’d Soul’s Will: Why You Should Listen To This

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DiMi Marc’s Trap’d Soul’s Will- Sheer Brilliance

As previously discussed in my much discussed and watched interview with Long Island’s own DiMi Marc, he is planning on releasing three different mixtapes this month for his old and new fans to devour and enjoy.  The first one is released today, called “Trap’d Soul’s Will” (LINK HERE.  LISTEN AND DOWNLOAD PEOPLE!) which I politely describe as the music that gets you TURNT THE FUCK UP.  I took a listen to the entire mixtape, and have to say it is stellar beyond words.  The beats, rhythms, lyricism and so much more make this mixtape the quintessential for getting ready to head out for the night and keep the party going all throughout the evening.  Here is my review of each song off the album.  Take a look.

Trump- Hard, edgy reminiscent of Kanye meets Skrillex. Sick lyrics.

Party Monster- could hear this in any club today. Just insane beats and a great rhythm. “I hear you wanna party with a monster” could get stuck in your head all day. Pairing off with Krewella was smart on this one.

WRCK- Strip Club Anthem. Nothing more to say. Get them dollas out buddies.

Pablo- First song off this mixtape with more of a serious message. Mainly a story about a boy who fell to the craze of the power that is drugs and money. Good shit.

Diamond Sky- Laura Brehm’s part on this brings me back to a lot of the EDM queens in the 90’s like Robyn, Ultranate and Amber. Another club banger but with a slower paced feel that you can jam with on the floor or just with a drink in your hand.

I’m In It- Anytime a song uses that computer controlled deep voiced meeting with a fast paced beat like ASAP Rocky & Skrillex’s “Wild For The Night” is definitely a formula for success in my eyes. DiMi’s rap MATCHES Kanye’s in this song. Sick sick sick sick just like the song says.

Going Under- Not my favorite track off this mixtape but has a great beat and similar to other tracks flows very well.

Steve Twerkel- if you don’t get the reference then you don’t get to hear this song. Kidding. Probably my favorite song off this entire mixtape. This song makes you wanna go HAM on the dance floor and mixes elements reminiscent of early Lil Jon and even some old school 80’s beats. The shout out to Uncle Phil is the best part.

BET- not to be confused with the TV network. “Bet that I be living like I’m young and I am free, like I am enjoying every moment that comes to me” is the repeating chorus in BET that sets the stage for how awesome this song really is.

Control The City- another great track, in your face with a strong message. Not my personal choice to end a mixtape, but nonetheless it has a good collab with Electric Bodega and DFresh that makes this song on a more elevated level.

Highlights- Party Monster, Diamond Sky, I’m In It, Steve Twerkel.

Check out his official site for more info on my boy DiMi Marc and just in case you need it again here it the link to his SoundCloud page where Trap’d Soul’s Will is.  Check back here next week for the next mixtape review!

Fall Preview 2014: ABC

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Fall Preview: ABC

Last year, ABC’s went through a big shuffle, blowing up Tuesdays in the hope of capitalizing on Disney’s Marvel movie universe. This time around, ABC keeps a very similar lineup only switching up some new shows while generally standing pat.

Sundays feature the usual cocktail of dramas for ABC, with Once Upon A Time, Resurrection, and Revenge (all return 9/28) returning to their regular slots of 8 and 9 and 10pm respectively. Mondays also feature their usual lineup of Dancing With The Stars (9/15) leading into Castle (9/29). While Dancing with the Stars received a cut in hours last year, the show maintains it’s 2 hour slot this year, preventing any further time related clawbacks for the veteran series.

Tuesdays, which was the alphabet’s trouble spot last year, still maintains the seemingly hodgepodge scheduling ABC gave it last year, but a slight shuffle makes the lineup start to make a little more sense. The night is still built around tentpole show Agents of SHIELD, which moves to 9 pm (9/23), allowing for both the lead in and lead out effect of last year’s most hyped show to positively affect the remainder of the night. The night begins with two new comedies in Selfie and Manhattan Love Story (both debut 9/30), and in a positive development, ABC finally stops pairing non-family comedies with Modern Family. Following Agents in the ABC’s Tuesday 10pm death slot (which killed three series last year) is Forever (9/22 – time slot premiere 9/23), a show that melds crime procedural, medical procedural, and vampires.

Wednesdays are still ABC’s comedy wheelhouse and the lineup resembles what ABC should have gone with last year. The Middle and The Goldbergs hold the 8pm hour firm leading into Modern Family at 9. It’s another year, and another lead out for ABC’s most watched comedy, as the show melds into urban family comedy Blackish at 9:30. Nashville survives another year to round out the lineup at 10 (all shows debut 9/24). The thing I like about this lineup is ABC finally figured out that it should just keep it’s family centric comedies together. At no point was the audience for Modern Family, The Middle, and Surburgatory ever really going to go for a show like Super Fun Night, Happy Endings, or Don’t Trust the B.

Thursdays see a slight shuffle with Grey’s Anatomy moving to 8pm while Scandal finds it’s home in the 9pm slot. New show How to Get Away with Murder premieres at 10. This is a very strong lineup, if only because it effectively counterprograms against the newly enhanced Thursday Night Football menace (more on that tomorrow) by focusing on three shows that will likely skew heavily female (all shows debut 9/25).

Fridays bring the usual mix of Shark Tank, 20/20 (both return 9/26) and the return of Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing (10/3), while adding quirky comedy Cristela (10/10) to the mix. ABC has found a surprisingly high amount of success with this hodgepodge lineup over the last couple of seasons and there isn’t much of a reason to change it. Saturdays meanwhile are the domain of College Football, a recurring trend that one can expect to see across over all four networks.

Tomorrow: CBS’s fall lineup features some interesting moves. Keep following us at Manhattan Digest for more.

 

Theater Review: Revolution In the Elbow of Ragnar Agnarsson Furniture Painter

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CADY HUFFMAN as Manuela in REVOLUTION IN THE ELBOW OF RAGNAR AGNARSSON FURNITURE PAINTER . Photos: Carol Rosegg
CADY HUFFMAN as Manuela in REVOLUTION IN THE ELBOW OF
RAGNAR AGNARSSON FURNITURE PAINTER .
Photo: Carol Rosegg

There is something to be said for starting a revolution. In the case of the new off-Broadway rock musical Revolution In the Elbow of Ragnar Agnarsson Furniture Painter, the most obvious comment  might be:  “What in the holy name of  Robert Redford is this show about?”  Why Redford? Because his name is frequently evoked  and a prayer is made to him by residents  of Elbowville in this head scratcher of a show.  Effective revolutions generally require a strong sense of organization and logic in order to thwart oppression or overthrow power.  This one only demands a taste of irony and the ability to comprehend non sequitur jokes about lobstering and living in the physical space of someone’s elbow.

Press releases and “googling” suggest that our Elbowvillians are spinning a tale which reflects the Icelandic Financial Crisis. (It’s a good idea to have a bit of background going into this, so you can brace yourself for the oddities that await.)  Here’s the gist: In this once serene place, a driven boy wonder, Peter (Merrick Smith) unveils a new “prosperity machine”, a contraption which produces money. What happens when the cash runs low? Simply turn on the machine and voila!- more monetary merriment abounds. In theory, it seems like the perfect utopia. Yet the dollar weakens and once the material possessions of homes and cars are purchased,  there is no way to pay back the loans. Sound familiar? It should, as it paralleled the economic woes of our own Nation starting in 2008. A search was made high and low for a musical team to write Revolution In the Left Ventricle of Dick Cheney  Devil Incarnate but no one had the heart to stage it. Sarcasm aside, there’s more to the story; as the perception of acquired wealth growths for the elbow inhabitants, they desire more and are led down the path of dalliance by the leaders of the town, Kolbein (Patrick Boll) and Manuela (Tony award winner Cady Huffman). And because everything but the dish and spoon are already crammed into this show, a Faustian-like character, Mandrake (Rick Faugno) also makes an appearance.

To be fair, the show has inexhaustible energy, exciting choreography by Lee Proud, and a driving, infectious score.  Although some  songs end with anti-climactic buttons and one wishes that composer Ivar Pall Jonnson would have taken them to a higher plane, for which he is certainly capable.  For a rather confusing piece, this gifted cast makes the most of the material and generally, the show is often entertaining. It  is certainly one of the more unique offerings to be staged in some time. Jonsson, a native of Iceland, also wrote the book and lyrics.  It remains unclear exactly what his intended meaning might be. Perhaps the point is that we are all occasional victims of cosmic chaos and that there is little which is absolute? Who knows!  In the early nineties, C&C Music Factory had a hit song called, “Things that Make you Go Hmmm.”  Revolution In the Elbow… is one of those things.

 

Revolution In the Elbow of Ragnar Agnarsson Furniture Painter is now playing off- Broadway at the Minetta Lane Theater, 18-22 Minetta Lane between Ave. of the Americas and Minetta Street. For tickets visit  http://revolutionelbow.com.