Crushable » nyc

Penn Badgley Wore An Occupy Wall Street Shirt To Meet NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg

Natalie Zutter — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:16:11 +0000

Yesterday, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg joined the cast of Gossip Girl on set to celebrate the series’ 100th episode “G.G.,” airing next Monday. Everyone got all dressed up while Bloomberg held up a proclamation declaring it “Gossip Girl Day” (aww, but what?) and a commemorative T-shirt.

I was ready for that to be the story, but there’s another T-shirt worth noting. BuzzFeed commenter Ashley Baccarn pointed out that Penn Badgley is wearing a “We Are the 99%” tee while he lounges next to the man who gave the order to break up the Occupiers in Zuccotti Park back in November 2011. Penn was one of the first celebrities to make an appearance, even holding up a sign that read Bring back the Glass-Steagall act! No to corporate greed! Awkward.

Also, where were Chace Crawford and Leighton Meester?

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Twilight: The Musical Is Hilarious And Criticizes Bella Swan — What’s Not To Love?

Natalie Zutter — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:04:17 +0000

Earlier this week, we got to attend the staged reading of Twilight: The Musical, a fan-run parody of Stephenie Meyer‘s worldwide phenomenon. The project, which has been several years in the making, doesn’t just poke fun at the Edward/Bella/Jacob love triangle, but it also brings in Harry Potter characters for a commentary on popular YA books and what makes a compelling heroine.

Let me start by saying that this is a sharp, funny show populated with talented singers and dancers. Writer Ashley Griffin and her collaborators obviously know the series backwards and forwards, as the dialogue and songs especially are peppered with sly puns and references to obscure moments from the books. Yet it strikes the right balance by not alienating newbies… although let’s face it, nearly everyone at the reading must have been a genuine fan.

The musical was a success financially, as well: The one-night performance — plus the after party at Bar West End Grille with DJ Twist overseeing music – managed to raise over $3,000 for the charity Blessings In A Backpack!

We learned that while this musical has been in the works for several years, some of what we were seeing was completely new material thought up in the prior 24 hours of rehearsal. In addition to the eight actors — who winningly endured costume and wig changes to portray three times as many characters — there were five dancers showing samples of future choreography.

Twilight: The Musical blows through all four books in less than two hours, smartly spending the most time on Edward and Bella’s burgeoning romance from Twilight and the cracktastic plot of Breaking Dawn. Not surprisingly, the three leads were snappy and charismatic, yet they could also play the awkwardness of their characters for laughs. It’s exciting to see an actually strong Bella (played by Meghann Fahy, who made her Broadway debut in Next to Normal); Colin Hanlon (Rent, Wicked) and Jared Zirilli (Aida, Rent) upped the kitschiness to mock Edward and Jacob’s snarling feud over Bella.

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Arrested Development Is Coming Back To TV!

Natalie Zutter — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 00:55:55 +0000

Incredible news came out of today’s Arrested Development reunion panel at the New Yorker Festival: Creator Mitch Hurtwitz announced that the beloved show will return to TV in a ten-episode prequel to the eventual Arrested Development movie! Mitch explained that he and producer Ron Howard (who also plays the show’s narrator) have been working on this for a while:

“Just creatively, I have been working on the screenplay for a long time and found that as time went by, there was so much more to the story. In fact, where everyone’s been for five years became a big part of the story. So in working on the screenplay, I found even if I just gave five minutes per character to that back story, we were halfway through the movie before the characters got together.”

Each episode will focus on a specific character; the first one up is Tony Hale‘s character Buster.

“The latest joke we have is that it’s Cambridge, Mass., and there’s all these scientists in lab coats and they’re waiting for somebody. Buster comes through the door in a white lab coat – ‘Let’s begin’ – and they say, ‘Oh, no, you don’t get to wear the lab coat. We’re experimenting on you.’”

Not that we need more confirmation, but here’s Will Arnett and Jason Bateman confirming the miniseries:

I’m almost done, I swear. To end your night, here’s a video of the entire cast performing the Bluths’ chicken dance:

(“Has anyone in this family ever seen a chicken?”)

We’re so excited! How about you guys?

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Rumor Has It Radiohead Will Play At The Occupy Wall Street Protest In NYC Today

Natalie Zutter — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 16:42:01 +0000

There’s this protest going on in New York City’s Financial District called Occupy Wall Street. Ask anyone in the city, and you’ll hear different explanations for what people are actually protesting: banks, a culture of greed, corporations. They’ve been at it for nearly two weeks, and have inspired copycat protests in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. But there’s one thing that the original group has that the others don’t: Rumor has it that Radiohead will play a surprise concert downtown today at 4 p.m.

Gawker first reported the rumor; Occupy’s official website has also posted it, though they don’t make it clear if they’re repeating the rumor or confirming it.

Everyone’s pointing to this opinion piece that Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke wrote in The Guardian in 2003 as the reasoning why the band would be willing to involve themselves in this political protest:

The west is creating an extremely dangerous economic, environmental and humanitarian timebomb. We are living beyond our means. The poorest countries need to trade on fair terms with us if they are ever to get off their knees. Handouts are no longer the answer.

…It’s nonsense. Why should the most desperate continue to cooperate with such fools when they increasingly have nothing left to lose? They are not seeing the so-called benefits but they are seeing too much of the costs.

…There must be a change to trade rules in favour of the poor and the environment. International human rights must be respected. There must be corporate accountability so that multinationals are taken to task over corruption, human rights and environment abuses.

Yeah, it sounds like he’s behind the cause. Other celebrities who’ve already shown up to lend their support include contentious documentary maker Michael Moore and Susan Sarandon (who’s had her fair share of political activism).

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Ryan Gosling Is So Embarrassed That He Broke Up That Street Fight

Natalie Zutter — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 15:30:31 +0000

You know who doesn’t think Ryan Gosling is a hero for stopping a guy from stealing a painting on the streets of New York? Ryan Gosling. The Ides of March star told MTV News that he thinks he stuck his nose where it didn’t belong. And you know what? It’s actually kind of refreshing to hear a celebrity admit that they’re not hot shit.

The way Ryan told it, the thief was a huge fan of this artist; he went every day to check out the guy’s paintings. He stole the painting out of love, but got caught by the artist before Ryan even showed up.

Ryan explained how his appearance made the situation so much more awkward: “Which means the guy was a fan, and so he wanted the painting so bad he had to steal it because he couldn’t afford it. So he finally steals the painting and he’s getting his ass kicked by his hero, and then the guy from The Notebook shows up and makes it weirder. The whole thing, nobody wins. Nobody won.”

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

What he didn’t say was whether he just bought the painting and gave it to the admirer/thief, to make everyone happy. That‘s the way to use his fame for good.

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Artist Sells “Hand Picked” NYC Garbage For A Hundred Bucks A Pop

Jamie Peck — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 15:20:19 +0000

New York artist Justin Gignac believes in the power of packaging. He believes in it so much, in fact, that he made a bet with a co-worker at an ad agency that he could sell people garbage if he packaged it right, and he won. Dude picks select garbage up from the streets of New York, encases it in a signed and numbered lucite cube, and sells it to people all over the world. Special “limited edition” garbage cubes include trash from Obama’s Inauguration (for which he traveled outside NYC, ‘natch) and the Yankees parade.

The shiny packaging must be working on me, because I think this is kind of cool. You can tell a lot about people from what trash they leave behind. For instance: New Yorkers love Coca Cola and that calorie-less sludge you buy at Pinkberry. If I had the chance to examine trash from Tokyo or some other foreign place I was interested in, I’m pretty sure I would be excited to do so. Provided, of course, it was inside a shiny, helpfully labeled, smell-proof cube. What is it they say? One man’s trash is another man’s nifty desk ornament.

(Via Laughing Squid)

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Learning the Ins and Outs of Personal Finance Firsthand as an Unpaid Intern in NYC

Stephanie Libous — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:21:37 +0000

This marks my seventh week living and interning in New York City. Not only have I learned a lot about the field I’m working in, but I’ve also gained a great deal of insight into the world of personal finance that no book or Suze Orman show could ever teach me. It’s definitely a difficult feat to be able to budget in New York as a wide-eyed intern living here for the first time. You want to experience as much as possible and live your time here to the fullest.

I was lucky enough to have support from my parents for my living situation and other personal needs, but that was in no way a green light to freely spend money. Before I left, they sat me down and explained all of the things I would need to be spending money on (groceries, MetroCard, etc.) and things that I would want to be spending money on (eating out, drinks, clothing, etc). They said to take this time as an indicator of how much I could live on when I move here next summer after college, when I will be 100% financially independent.

It was a struggle at first, but I quickly adapted to the working life and found that as time went on it wasn’t as hard to manage money. Maybe it’s because the novelty of living near SoHo shopping wore off or that I wanted to prove to my parents that I was capable of doing this? Who knows. But I am proud to say I have mastered the art of grocery shopping and now find it very therapeutic.

I dipped into this pool about six months ago when I studied abroad in York, England and lived in a flat where I had to shop and cook for myself. But having the currency difference and slightly-less-than-clean flat mates (well just one, but he managed to always keep the kitchen a complete mess after we would each take turns cleaning it) threw me off enjoying cooking.

Not the case here in New York. My roommate and suitemates are wonderful (I seriously could not have asked for better) and I actually enjoy making meals. I feel a sense of accomplishment, as weird as that sounds. I know that I haven’t even come close to fully understanding everything that goes into personal finance and living on my own. Each conversation with my mom brings up a new thing I would need to think about: rent, utilities, insurance, transportation, groceries, entertainment, etc. Each week I slowly learned what I could live without and what I absolutely needed.

That’s the most important thing when you’re young and naïve. Really pay attention to what you’re doing, where you’re going, and what you’re spending. That is what will help you in balancing your financial life. I know that once I move here on my own, with my own salary, it will be a whole new ball game. But I will have somewhat of a leg up, having an idea of how to start out budgeting my money. My time from now until then will be filled with the inevitable job hunt, deciding on grad school, and the ever-feared apartment search. Sometimes I wish I could freeze time and just continue what I’m doing. I have been able to meet so many amazing people and uncover incredible opportunities that I did not know existed, nor would have come across if I weren’t here, and that is one of the greatest financial investments I could make.

For now, though, I will continue to learn and enjoy my time here.

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‘The A-List’ Recap: Almost As Delicious As A Plate of Nachos

Adam Fox — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 21:24:54 +0000

It’s hard to believe that a full 237 days have passed since I last had the privilege/punishment of opining on Logo’s all-original, all-gay, all-ridiculous reality-ish TV series The A List: New York. And not a day too soon, we learn that there’s a new girl in town who will be joining the original gay gang of 6 and a half (I still can’t bring myself to count TJ as a full-fledged cast member, despite this season’s marketing ploys that are trying oh-so-hard to convince me otherwise). Her name is Nyasha (yes, that’s really her name), and she comes armed with an array of Beyoncé-esque weaves and lots and lots of Lee Press On Nails. I thought for a moment that perhaps I was still watching the tail end of RuPaul’s Drag Race or screwed up my jam-packed TV-watching schedule altogether and accidentally stumbled upon a rerun of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Luckily, Rodiney piped in with his Pidgin English and reminded me that, alas, this is indeed the show I have been dreaming about for eight months. And some things, like Rodiney’s inability to use definite articles, will never change.

Austin announces he’s posing for Playgirl

For the first time, we’re introduced to Austin’s digs. And though I can only assume we didn’t see his living space last season because he was couch-crashing, I was surprised to see such a big place – especially for someone who remains a big question mark on the career front. Sure, the apartment has those cheap pine kitchen cabinets that are ubiquitous in just about every New York rental renovated in the last decade. But I also noticed granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, which I still can’t seem to swing with two jobs. At least I can blame my bitterness on serendipitous little shits like Austin and HGTV’s House Hunters. I also took comfort in the fact that Austin still can’t dress (he kicked the season off with one of those hideous 2(x)ist square cut tank tops), moved in with his British boyfriend who basically sounds like he’s spitting Lucky Charms every time he speaks, and will be posing naked in Playgirl despite the “Indiana” weight he gained on a recent visit to his family’s farm.

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Win a Voice Role in Neil Gaiman’s ‘American Gods’ Audiobook

Natalie Zutter — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 21:56:28 +0000

Like books? Like reading books aloud? Like Neil Gaiman? Then enter the contest to play one of the characters in the tenth-anniversary edition audio recording of Gaiman’s book American Gods. You’ll join a bevy of other actors in New York City to do a full-cast recording. Did we mention you get a free trip to NYC?

Here’s what you do: Record yourself reading an excerpt of American Gods and submit it on Bookperk, the site running the contest. Then get your Facebook friends, classmates, random strangers on public transportation to vote for you to make it to the top 20. From there, Gaiman and HarperAudio will select the winner.

As with other contests, Gaiman has made clear his involvement from the beginning. Here’s what he had to say, both in written and video form:

I love audio books, and George Guidall’s reading of American Gods was a gold standard of its kind – such that I couldn’t imagine getting someone else in to read the whole book in the new edition. But I’d never had a full-cast audio version of one of my books, and the opportunity to get a dozen amazing actors into a studio (and to take part myself) just seemed too good to be true. I’m really looking forward to it.

I’ve always tried to do things that would include people. There are 1.5 million people following me on Twitter, nearly half a million on Facebook, and lord alone knows how many reading my blog. So when HarperAudio offered them the chance to get involved I was thrilled. I love the idea that one of those people will be on the audio recording.

The contest starts today and ends on Monday, May 2, at 5 p.m. EST.

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‘M. Night School’ Website Is Raising Money to Send M. Night Shyamalan Back to Film School

Natalie Zutter — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 20:52:00 +0000

Tired of M. Night Shyamalan‘s recent cinematic failures like Devil and Razzie Worst Picture winner The Last Airbender? Do you yearn for the days of such masterful suspense thrillers as Signs? If you’ve got a dollar to spare, you could help M. Night School in sending the director back to his alma mater, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

This cheeky but serious website seeks to raise $150,000 to cover Shyamalan’s tuition and ensure that he’ll relearn the tenets of filmmaking. They’re currently at $147.62 and hope to have the money collected before Shyamalan begins principal photography on his new project 1000 A.E., starring Will Smith and Jaden Smith.

The creators will present the check to Shyamalan in-person and videotape the whole thing. They say that if he refuses, they’ll use the money to set up a scholarship in his name; invite young filmmakers to submit their work to a small film festival they’ll hold; and send “the next Tarantino” to Tisch instead.

Whether or not you want to donate a buck (you do), check out the site; it’s got some hilarious Easter eggs, plus an online shop where you can buy an “I Helped M. Night” T-shirt or the Plot Twist Package. That’ll knock ‘em dead at your next house party.

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