The Inner Circle

Attended the Inner Circle show at the New York Hilton last night. Good friend Rich Lamb of Newsradio 880 was superb as Mayor Mike Bloomberg, complete with his rendition of "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" The Clash would have been proud. Other standouts included WOR's Shelly Strickler as startruck astronaut Lisa Nowak (costumed in a diaper and a NASA flight suit); and Channel 11 anchor Mary Murphy, who seems to have missed her calling as a tap dancer. After the journalists finished their performance, Mayor Bloomberg himself took to the stage with the cast of Broadway's hit musical "Mary Poppins." The humorous send-up, which focused on Mayor Mike's campaign to make New Yorkers more healthy, featured tunes such as "Just a Spoonful of Transfats (Makes Cholesterol Go Up)" and ended with a rousing rendition of "Brooklynqueensthebronxandstatenislandandmanhattan," sung to the tune of "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." The surprise finale was Bloomberg's foisting of an umbrella and rising right off the stage and into the air, declaring he was categorically not running for president (maybe). The Inner Circle---a group of hammy New York journos who perform a two-act play each year that lampoons politics both in New York and on the national scene--is 85 years young in 2007. Photos courtesy of Brian Nielsen. %%showphotos [setid=72157602750589969]%%

A Crude Awakening, Indeed

Attended this evening's New York premiere of "A Crude Awakening," the new documentary produced and directed by Basil Gelpke and Ray McCormack. The disturbing film warns of a futureworld in which cheap, plentiful oil is a thing of the past and our economy (and our standard of living) enter a frightening tailspin, the likes of which even alternate sources of energy can not mitigate. One of the most telling comments in the film was the prediction that many of our grandchildren may never set foot on an airplane, because travel by air will become prohibitively expensive for all but the wealthiest of the wealthy. After the screening, filmgoers decamped to the chic yet eco-friendly furnishings store ABC Home, which hosted the after-party in celebration of the launch of The Green, the Sundance Channel's new programming block dedicated to the environment. Guests mingled while enjoying plentiful canapes while enjoying plentiful canapes and did their best to forget (for the rest of the evening anyway), the feelings of hopelessness engendered by “A Crude Awakening.” Still courtesy of www.oilcrashmovie.com.

Ja Rule Comes to Westchester

Along with a couple hundred of her good friends and family members, I helped celebrate the forty-fifth birthday of Robin Arnold this evening, at a once-in-a-lifetime party held at the Old Oaks Country Club, in Purchase, New York. I first met Robin and her husband, Steven, and their kids, Zack and Remy, on a cruise to Antarctica, in 2003. We've stayed in touch ever since. They're an amazing family, full of life and always up for a party. Robin, who looks about 25 and has the energy to match, rang in the occasion with special guest star Ja Rule, who showed up to perform several songs as the birthday girl (who's a huge fan) danced right along. Impressively enough, she also seemed to know every lyric. The Arnolds' friends are party people, no question. The dance floor was packed all night long and guests didn't start making their way home till well after midnight. What everyone surely wondered as they headed out was: How can the Arnolds possibly top this one?

For more pix from the party, click here.

Happy Tartan Week!

On a blustery day here in New York, I donned a kilt for the not-so-famous (yet) "Wear a Kilt to Work Day," sponsored by Glenlivet whiskey in commemoration of Tartan Week, a seven-day celebration of all things Scottish. It was my second year wearing a kilt for the cause. (The distillery donates $1,000 to charity for every media professional who agrees to forego trousers for the day.) Once again, I was surprised by the number of New Yorkers who didn't bat an eyelash at the sight of a man in a skirt. I mean kilt. And in answer to the most commonly asked question of any man wearing a kilt, yes, I was wearing shorts underneath.