S: Is for Spiderman

So you want to be on Broadway? You think you have the chops to knock the world on your feet? Well here's the chance. SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark directed by Julie Taymor (Across The Universe, Frida, The Lion King on Broadway) with music and lyrics by 22-time Grammy Award-winners Bono and The Edge (from U2) will be holding open casting calls at major cities across the country starting next week. That elusive Web Musical is seeking principals and understudies for the roles of ‘Peter Parker,’ ‘Mary Jane,’ and ‘Female Lead Villian.’ Dynamic rock/pop voices as well as those in band in band. Don't worry if you have no experience, anyone who thinks they might be qualified is encouraged to audition (I'm seeing American Idol here). Open casting calls are being organized by Telsey + Company (Rent, Across The Universe, Sex & The City, Wicked) and will be held Monday, April 13; 10 AM – 5PM) at The Knitting Factory 74 Leonard Street.

The production is looking for candidates to fill the following roles (both principals and understudies):

PETER PARKER – Male. 16-20’s. Must have a great rock tenor voice. Can be nerdy with understated sex appeal and a good sense of humor.

MARY JANE – Female. 16-20’s. Beautiful girl next door. Strong pop/rock singing voice required.

LEAD FEMALE VILLAIN – Female. 25?35 years old. All ethnicities encouraged. Must have an amazing rock voice. Think Sinead O’Connor with a Middle Eastern /Bulgarian/Greek twist. Foreign and/or world music types are great. Foreign accents are great.

WHAT TO BRING:
All interested people should bring a snapshot or photo of themselves and a brief pop/rock or rock song to sing. Please note that no accompanist or audio equipment will be provided.

For more information, updated casting call information, or if you are not able to attend any of the above casting calls, please e-mail: SpiderManCasting@gmail.com.

SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark will open in New York on Thursday, February 18, 2010 and that is a F.A.C.T

T: Is for Taxes leading to more!

As I have stated before, I voted for President Obama, so that gives me the right to question and there is a lot here. First their was Daschle but he did the right thing and stepped down. Now Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, the current Obama nominee to be HHS secretary has admitted to some mistakes on her tax returns and paid $8,000 in taxes and penalties for errors on her 2005-2007 returns. Ok I can understand 1 year but 2? If she weren't nominated would we have heard of a 3rd? On the surface it not big deal, but you have to start wondering is it a criteria to owe taxes to be nominated? Just remember Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. In researching if Geithner had paid his taxes, I discovered something interesting. He is part of a group called The Group of 30. Look at who else belongs:

Paul Volcker - Chairman of the Board of Trustees; former Chairman of the Federal Reserve
Jacob A. Frenkel - Chairman; Vice Chairman, American International Group
Geoffrey L. Bell - Executive Secretary; President Geoffrey Bell and Company
Leszek Balcerowicz - Former President, National Bank of Poland
Jaime Caruana - Counselor and Director, MCM Department, International Monetary Fund
Roger W. Ferguson, Jr. - Chief Executive, TIAA-CREF
Stanley Fischer - Governor, Bank of Israel
Mervyn Allister King - Governor of the Bank of England
Guillermo Ortiz Martinez - Governor, Banco de México
Jean-Claude Trichet - President, European Central Bank
Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa - Minister of Economy and Finance, Italy
Zhou Xiaochuan - Governor, People's Bank of China
Yutaka Yamaguchi - Former Deputy Governor, Bank of Japan
E. Gerald Corrigan - Managing Director, Goldman Sachs, former President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Andrew Crockett - President, JP Morgan Chase
Sir David Walker - Senior Advisor Morgan Stanley
Guillermo de la Dehesa - Director and Member of the Executive Committee, Grupo Santander
Arminio Fraga Neto - Partner, Gávea Investimentos; former President of the Central Bank of Brazil
Domingo Cavallo - Chairman and CEO, DFC Associates, LLC
Martin Feldstein - President, National Bureau of Economic Research
Paul Krugman - Professor of Economics, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University
Lawrence Summers - Charles W. Eliot University Professor, Harvard University
Ernesto Zedillo, Director, Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, Yale University, and former President of Mexico
Gerd Häusler - Vice-Chairman Lazard International
Abdulatif Al-Hamad - Chairman, Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development
Montek Singh Ahluwalia - Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, India
Mario Draghi - Governor, Bank of Italy
Philipp Hildebrand, Vice-Chairman, Swiss National Bank
Kenneth Rogoff, Professor,Harvard University
Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister of Finance, Singapore
Tim Geithner, Current United States Secretary of the Treasury

Senior Members
William McDonough - Chairman, Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
William R. Rhodes - Senior Vice Chairman, Citigroup
Ernest Stern - Partner and Senior Advisor, The Rohatyn Group
Marina v N. Whitman - Professor of Business Administration & Public Policy, Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan
Emeritus members
Rt. Hon. Lord Richardson of Duntisbourne - Honorary Chairman
Erik Hoffmeyer - Former Chairman, Danmarks Nationalbank
Shijuro Ogata - Former Deputy Governor, Bank of Japan
Richard A. Debs - Advisory Director, Morgan Stanley
Wilfried Guth - Former Spokesmen of the Board of Managing Directors, Deutsche Bank
Sylvia Ostry - Distinguished Research Fellow, Munk Centre for International Studies, Toronto
Gerhard Fels - Former Director, Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft
John G. Heimann - Senior Advisor, Financial Stability Institute
Toyoo Gyohten - President, Institute for International Monetary Affairs
Peter Kenen - Senior Fellow in International Economics, Council on Foreign Relations
Jacques de Larosière - Conseiller, BNP Paribas

The second name on the list is the Chairman/Vice Chairman of AIG does this smell like rat? What in the world is going on here? We need to learn the F.A.C.T.S.

C: Is for Celsius

I have got the skinny on the best new energy drink out there. Move over Red Bull, finally there is something new on the market that gives you a sustained energy, burns calories and taste good. It's called Celsius and you can get it at The Vitamin Shoppe, Z Chemist Pharmacy on 40 West 57th, GNC's and Eden's Market. According to its label, one serving of Celsius can rid you of up to 100 calories in three hours. It works by increasing metabolism through a special 'Metaboost' formula, which also increases energy, alertness and focus. A formula that apparently works as Katie Holmes is said to be a fan and so I am. Not sure about the calorie part but I find myself full afterwards. I have way more energy and I do not have that racing heart feeling like I'm going to take off into orbit. People lately have been commenting on how much energy I have and I swear by this drink. Celsius is available in a seven flavors: Lemon-Lime, Ginger-Ale, Cola, Orange, Wild Berry, Green Tea Raspberry Acai and Green Tea Peach Mango. My personal favorites are Cola and Wild Berry. Hey, it got me off diet coke and that in itself is a miracle. I am about to do a diet plan with Celsius and will let you know how that goes. I can tell you I am getting up early these days and I never thought that could happen. With Celsius 6 hours a night is now possible and that is a F.A.C.T.

A: is for art like aesop

Great theatre doesn't just happen on Broadway. Sometimes, it happens in what seems like somebody's living room. Such is the case of Southern Gothic Novel: The Aberdeen, Mississippi Sex-Slave Incident. Following along the lines of the ancient tradition of storytelling, Frank Blocker brings this tale to a marvelously flamboyant life. (This should all be read in the most blatant of southern accents) Love struck Viola, falls in love every other day and this time, she has her sights set on luscious Mark Julius, a handsome stranger who gives her his handkerchief. To her this is what romantic novels refer to as a token of his affection. Viola spends the whole drama in search of Mr. Right as Big Otis, her mama, Mrs. Wong and her real true love Jimmy Townsend appear. Actually Mr. Blocker has 17 characters up his sleeve. My favorite was the June bug who crawls up the wall and swarms threw the night sky. Mr. Blocker breaths into each one of these characters a full spectrum of dimensions. Talented doesn't seem enough when describing Frank Blocker as he also wrote this piece which makes you feel as if you entered the twilight zone and come out into Aberdeen. By the time you leave you will know its smells, its quirks and above all its essence. No props, no costumes (unless you count the Hawaiian shirt he wears) but pure theatrical enjoyment. Cheryl King directs this tour de force piece and allows her actor the freedom of self expression. Southern Gothic Novel only plays on Wednesday at the Stage Left Studio Theater 438 West 37th Street, Manhattan; (212) 868-4444. This will be one of the best ways you can spend $25 and that is a F.A.C.T.

F: Is for food with the feeling of the sea

Harbour, a new restaurant opened in Soho last week, for those seafood lovers out there in the city. Located at 290 Hudson Street, the restaurant is run by restaurateur Richard Schaeffer, former chairman of NYMEX Holdings, Inc., and Michelin star chef Joe Isidori. The 80-seat restaurant is designed like the interior of a luxury yacht. Porthole windows and gleaming wood give it that nautical feel to the cost of $3 million. Right now dinner is served from 5:30 p.m. till 10:30 or 11:30 p.m on the weekends. Starting in April crack open that champagne for the the launch of lunch as well as a Sunday brunch. The menu is heavy on seafood with items like ceviche, mussels, butter clams and Artic char. Lunch will be set at $25 and a four-course dinner is $45. During the first month of service, 10% of proceeds from select seafood dishes will be donated to Monterey Bay Aquarium, Chefs Collaborative, and Blue Ocean Institute.

This menu makes me crave the fishies of the sea and that is a F.A.C.T.

pickled gulf shrimp…pineapple & tamarind 9
butter clams…cocktail sauce, lemon & fresh wasabi 6
cobia sashimi…ginger, cucumber, ponzu & hot sesame oil 10
kampachi crudo…la quercia ham, crawfish, jicama & arugula 14
sea scallop ceviche…sea urchin & thai mignonette 10

house chowder...fresh herbs & vegetables 8
garden salad…buttermilk dressing & smoked blue 8
maine lobster salad…miso, tomato, apricot, cilantro mp

sea scallop…crawfish, cauliflower & raisin 12/25
cantonese style clams…black bean, tangerine & ginger 14/24
bouchot mussels… cabbage & bacon “kim chi style” 10/19

halibut…harissa, dates, olive & bacon 25
arctic char…miso, grapefruit & yuzu 23
cobia…escabeche, caponata, serrano & romesco 24
white sturgeon…yellow curry, crispy garlic & shu mai 26

braised chuck steak…spicy eggplant, celery root & cucumber raita 21
gianone chicken…garden vegetables & ver jus butter 20
hanger steak…peppercorn sauce 24

cabbage & bacon…kim chi style 5
cauliflower gratin…plumped raisins 6
spiced pomme frites…truffle aioli 6
crispy sweet onions…korean BBQ 5