All right, and we're live. Good afternoon on this Tuesday. It is almost October. It'll be October on Wednesday, October 1. I a little bit about that. I love October actually. And um what can I say? Am I on here? Yeah. Um, there it is. I, uh, October is when we can start to really wear, or at least I can start to really wear clothes I really like to wear. Um, I love Halloween. There is quite frankly on several of my blocks there are some neighbors of mine here on the upper west side who really go like hog wild with the Halloween decks and I get super excited every year. I didn't know I was in for this when I moved up here six years ago, but my first Halloween here, which was well, it was during the pandemic, so I didn't really notice much until 2021.
And it is fun to see because I was living in Hell's Kitchen for a long time. And Hell's Kitchen is largely like uh well no there are some side streets like along between 8th Avenue and the river but nobody really decorates a whole there are some brownstones but I wouldn't call them town houses you know but here there are some single family like large you know town homes single family or like maybe less than every floor anyway they really go nuts and go for it. There's one in particular I'm thinking of on 87th between Columbus and Amsterdam on the north side of the street and they have, you know, a stoop that kind of goes to one side and then down to the sidewalk and they and it's an old townhouse and it like it looks like it could be haunted and so they really kind of capitalize on that and go for it with the skeletons and the ghouls and it's creepy looking and they really kind of they win.
Ah, Bill Kelly, look at you. Thank you, Bill Kelly, who's a regular watcher and contributor here on YouTube. George, always great to see you and always fun to hear what's happening in NYC. You can see the message there if you're watching this. Thank you, Bill. Always good to have you on board. And I love I love Halloween in New York. Halloween in New York. Well, Halloween is already my favorite holiday and um you know, just add my favorite holiday into my favorite city and all is right with the world. So, yeah, love the Halloweening. Um it's such good fun. So, that starts hopefully. I'm already seeing some pumpkins out on people's front stoops and on window sills. So, I am imagining and hoping that the real spirit will start to kick in starting like, you know, Wednesday or maybe this coming weekend. So, um, yay for us.
Uh, I'm going to skip over to Substack, see who's joining us there. And good, now we got the live chat going on Substack. That makes me happy. [snorts] Um, McQueen, Melissa McQueen is asking here on YouTube, "How did the heat event go?" For those who might not know what Melissa is talking about, here in New York at the Paris Theater, which is owned by Netflix, um, has a series every year for the past four years called the Big and Loud series. And it's usually scheduled to go for two weeks. No, excuse me. Scheduled to go for four weeks, but this year uh was um extended to two more weeks. So, it's two more. I think it goes through tonight. Yeah, goes through tonight's the last night because tomorrow they're doing another event uh that's different.
Anyway, so the Big and Loud series, it's movies that are um uh that rely heavily on big picture, like think Lawrence of Arabia, 2001, Space Odyssey, like big picture. and big sound and or big sound. Think movies like Blowout with John Travolta or The Conversation, movies that are very sound focused. So, it deals with big picture and or big sound. And one of the films in the series uh there were a couple of screenings on the schedule was the 1990 film Heat directed by Michael Mann starring Robert Dairo and Alpuccino. And I had the opportunity to uh introduce one of the screenings of that film. It was last week, last Tuesday, I think. And I it was on the 22nd, uh which was yes, a Tuesday. And I like over like a crazy freak, I overprepared and I probably brought too many facts to the table. Anybody who was actually there can confirm or deny said claim. But I think I like I kind of over Yeah. Like I think I overprepared um and brought some nerdy, you know, whatever. It is what it is. But I enjoyed it. I had a great time and I loved being there and I loved introducing the film. So that is the long answer to your very polite short question. How did Heat go? It went well. And if you've never seen that movie, if you've never seen the movie Heat and you care about movies at all, um, yeah, do yourself a favor.
And speaking of that, I just had lunch with my friend Andy Ostroy. We went to, uh, we had a little Barney Greengrassing. And, oh, by the way, I tried something new at Barney Greengrass, which I had not tried before. Um, I usually get a plain bagel, lightly toasted, a shmear of cream cheese with their nova, the Nova Scotia salmon, very thinly sliced, just the right amount of curing and salting. Uh, and um, usually what comes with that is a slice of tomato, slice of fresh raw onion, and um, capers if you like. I always say hold the capers. It's too much. It makes it all a little too busy for me. Anyway, I deviated from that script today and got what they call their Nova Scotia salmon. It's a It's one of their specialties. It's Nova Scotia salmon scrambled with eggs and onions and it comes with a bagel. Oh my god, was that good. Holy [__] And then of course we started with um uh what did Andy have? Andy had his bagel with a shmear and butter. Andy does Andy likes his bagel, a whole wheat bagel buttered with also a shmear of That's a lot of dairy, but he likes it. And he does the Nova and I think he had capers, too. I'm not really sure.
Anyway, and then to start, we shared the potato lotkas, of course, which you have to It's kind of like what you do at Barney Greengrass. And it comes with a little dish of applesauce and a little dish of sour cream. I like both to dip the vodka in before you eat it. You know, I like some people just like the um applesauce, some people like just the sour cream. I like a little bit of both. Little sweet and savory and it's fantastic. So, we did that and I had a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice which was really quite good. So anyway, uh that was lunch today at Barney Greengrass and over lunch today at Barney Greengrass, um Andy Austroay and I were talking about movies and Andy was saying that he had not gone to the movies in a very long time, like a like at least a year, which I think, you know, bit of a stretch. I like going out to the cinema. I like sitting in a movie theater. And one of the reasons I like it, and I was articulating this over lunch, one of the reasons I enjoy the cinema so much, Melissa, thank you so much. Look at this from Melissa McQueen. She dropped a little tip in the jar via YouTube. Thank you. I really appreciate that.
um Broadway. There's so much there is enough in our lives, let's just say, especially enough in our New York lives of stuff that is so I think like prohibitively expensive. Like going to a Broadway show is a luxury unless you're like going to tough it out in the TKTS line, which is not my jam. Um it's expensive. Like if you want orchestra seats like a good if you want a good seat at a good show, it's hundreds of dollars and it's a lot of money. I remember in 1996 I was working at Joe Allen uh on 46th Street. I was all of 25 26 years old and I went to see um a matinea of a delicate balance. It was a Wednesday matinea I think or a Wednesday or Saturday matinea of a delicate balance. The cast was George Grisard. Um my dear friend George Grisard, uh Rosemary Harris, um Elaine Stretch, Mary Beth Hurt. Great production. I think I saw that production like three times. The reason why it was because it was so not prohibitively. I remember my ticket for that matinea. I was orchestra maybe row G in the orchestra. Great seat and I think I it was $55 was the ticket. This was in 1996. $55. Multiply that by five for today for that seat at a matinea for a good non-m musical. Um yeah, that's another thing. A non-m musical. Okay, this is pre-producers and I think the producers was one of the things that really kind of I remember the producers being a turning point in what actors got paid. I think because Nathan ended up getting paid a lot of money to do that show. Ticket prices got a little crazy after that. Anyway, it's expensive to go out to see a show uh to the point where it's a luxury. And that's why I love how mom Donnie made those free opera like free opera access for some students which is fantastic because they should be exposed to the art because opera is quite expensive.
Um, so the movies remain one of the more affordable nights out of entertainment, I think. And even now, you could pay if you're paying full price like to the movies and snacks, you're looking at easily for one person, if you're looking at snacks and the ticket, full price ticket could be [sighs and gasps] easily $40, $50 for one person. Um, AMC Stubs the program. It's 28 or $29 a month. It's not quite $30. It's like it's under 30. It's like 28 or $29 per month. Might even be 27 per month. All right. For four movies a week. No upcharge for format like IMAX, 3D, Dolby Cinema, Smellarama, nothing. Like it's that's it. and I think it's the steel of the century and I can't really like you know so anyway that's one of the reasons I really enjoy going to the cinemas because it's one of the more affordable nights out one of the last and you know it can be good somebody left a note here on YouTube that the audio is not matching is my audio not synced is anybody else experiencing that or is that a one-off off there. Please do let a man know.
Um, so yeah, let's see. Plus halfp price movies two days a week. Yeah, that's another bonus, right? Um, so I do like the cinema and I'm not a snob when it comes to cinema. I like horror. I haven't seen a good comedy in a while. We're really we're really needing some good comedy I think in the horror. But anyway, uh, so I talked about that with Andy today and how why one of the reasons I've become such a centile is because it's one of the more um, okay, so maybe I'm getting more feedback from a viewer that the audio sync seems fine. All right, thank you Melissa. I appreciate the feedback. Um, yeah, the cinema seems it's it's it's uh it's more affordable that way. It's a more affordable uh form of entertainment. Anyway, um we need to talk about the Cornell 7, don't we?
So, yeah, I didn't know why. Like, it was blowing up. I didn't I I sometimes I try to spend a little like a minute away from social media and then I opened up Instagram I think yesterday and saw all this stuff about what has now become known as the Cornell 7. Um, I guess this was two years ago and the Jane Doe, uh, the girl, the victim, uh, is suing. And [sighs] so much of this can all be wrapped up in a great movie from 2020, uh, written and directed by Emerald Fennel called Promising Young Woman, starring Carrie Mulligan. And um it was my movie of the night last night. Um I didn't watch it last night. I don't always watch the movie when it's the movie of the night. It's just a movie that I'm suggesting people watch. And last night I chose that one, of course, very much on purpose.
Uh, you know, you could go I could we could go off for like a month on this subject when it comes to the threats to women. The biggest threat to women is men. You know, any thinking person knows this in this this frat boy bro mentality that you know that this is a cool that this was acceptable on any level. I mean, it's really like right out of that film, The Accused. That's another one. Good God. Um, which is a movie I've not been able to see after I think I saw it once and I saw that scene with Jodie Foster in the bar, the pinball machine, the whole like it's um Yeah. Uh so anyway I there is this narrative in our culture where girls have to be careful. Yes they do. We all everyone has to be careful. But no guys I think the onus is on men should be on men to be uh not [__] monsters. Right.
[sighs and gasps] I don't I don't know where this comes from this mentality that guy like that this mentality among like for examples these guys if by the way if this is I mean they are entitled to due process um um many steps should be taken but if this all proves to be true what the [__] happens to men where they think that this is Okay. And I don't look I'm not comfortable living in a world in a culture really where women feel unsafe in a frat house at a party in an elevator on a subway [sighs] in in the workplace. We really need a hard pivot and the accountability. The accountability these guys had to write. Apparently some of the guys these per one some of these seven if not all of them two of them got two of them get expelled. I don't remember the details. Uh but the the punishment was to write an essay. [__] you Cornell. Really? Like if write an essay. Think about what you've done. Let's reflect upon what you've done. Oh.
Um, let's not um I mean I I'm just going to be just I will I will just be someone as I speak about this someone who is just on a growing pile of voices like the the growing chorus of voices who are speaking out and are angry. I'm nauseated really. I found the whole thing nauseating. and some of the text messages like, you know, free post upstairs. Excuse me. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Um, this notion that we have to, you know, Yeah. I love how in our society it's like trans people who are the offensive ones. Really? No. the greatest danger to women, the the greatest threat to women is men. And it's such a tired sort of uh cliche, you know, the one uh the one uh where we say do better, but it truly we need to we need to do better. We need to be better. This is nauseating. And according to one viewer here watching this on YouTube, one of the guys just became a cop in Michigan. Great.
Um over here on Substack, uh we are hearing from our friend Jim Hippo who says, "As I would tell my sons, treat a woman, young lady, like you would treat your mother or your sister." I like that. Um, so I really do hope that there's none of this is within our hands, of course, and I really do hope that there is some uh accountability and that the truth comes out. I want to commend I would commend the work. There's a piece in the New York in New York magazine right now u at nymag.com or if you're a subscriber um about the there's an interview with the editors of that school paper at Cornell the Sun um young go-getters who did some great work in the reporting in the business of reporting and not letting up. So hats off to them man and let's Yeah. I love a free press and I love the work of good reporters. So, it's hard to leave this one on a high note, but I am It is nauseating that there is a culture of men still who think like this. Is it frat culture? Is it Well, I don't think it's just exclusive to fraternity life, to the Greek system. Um, I didn't have the Greek system where I went to school. I went to Boston College. We didn't have fraternities. Um, but I I I have no doubt it happens all the time uh at colleges and univers universities uh whether they have fraternities and sororities or not.
Um someone here wrote on YouTube, "I wonder what it's like to walk alone at night in the wrong neighborhood." Um it's like that all the time everywhere for women, I would argue. And Yeah. Yeah, it's like that everywhere all the time for women, you know, the the the in terms of, you know, king of the jungle to be born a straight white male is the winning lottery ticket. That's the winning hand at the poker table of life, right? In the US, certainly. Um, okay, Adrian. Um, in the wrong neighborhood, sure. Um, but the poker table of life, the winning hand is to be born a straight white male. I got two out of three. Um, although I can't turn on I can't open threads anymore without seeing. I'm not kidding. Every time I open threads, there was someone going off on some ant uh some homophobic screed and then someone, you know, leaving a comment to defend the LGBTQ community. And anyway, I like, yeah, my community, my my subgroup is under attack like all the time, but as a white male, I still think like, you know, I pretty much that's like two out of three ain't bad right now.
It is it's it's it's apparently very hard for some men to sort of like understand like Scott Galloway has talked about this, you know, with Carara on Pivot. Uh it's come up several times, I think, over the past few years. Cara is a woman and a lesbian and short. You know, there are some places where she's not going to be like she's not going to be walking through Central Park at night. You know what I mean? Whereas Scott, who is a straight white guy, tall built, uh, no one's coming for him, you know what I mean? And he doesn't fully, even on a purely physical sense, he's never had to worry about that. He's got no natural predators. Women have natural predators. That's the term I'm looking for. I have some natural predators as a gay man. And there are a lot of people who would like to see my head on a stick or see me thrown in a mass grave along with other gay people. But um or just erased, let's just put it at the very least. But um I can walk through a crowd generally and not feel threatened. You know what I mean? But a woman a woman it's different for women, guys. It's different for women. And it's up to us to be protectors, defenders.
And you know, if all of this with the um all of this with the the Cornell 7 o trouble up in Ithaca, um again, this happens more than we know. This happens more than we know. I think colleges would really work very hard to keep that kind of [__] quiet when it starts to surface on the campus, but this happens surely more than we know. Um, guys, we have to look after the women. We got to look after the women. We have to take We have to protect the women. Enough with this [__] Oh my god. I can't believe it. But yet I can. Like I Yeah, I can't believe it. But yet I can. This is only two years ago.
[clears throat] [sighs] All right, let me just check on comments over here on Substack. Um, yeah, we're good. Ned Vanzant. Um, here we go on a more positive note regarding my there's my friend Ned Vanzant here watching. My friend Ned Vanzant has a show, a one-man show. We've all seen our share of one-person shows. Some are good, some are great, some are ah Ned's is great. Ned's show is great. Um, oh god, Ned, remind me. Delval, Delval, what is it? Ned Vanzant, what is the title of the show? Uh, one man show is called Lost in Del Valley. See, I got it. Thank you. Beating me to it, you smart man. Uh, Lost in Del Valley at Soho Playhouse. I just heard from a friend, by the way. Um, uh, we were out for drinks after, uh, after a meeting of other like-minded individuals. Let's just say we were out for drinks, the opposite of drinks. We were out for a food at a diner and one of them piped up that he had seen this show. This guy, this oneman show at the Soho Playhouse called Lost in Del Valley and I was like, I know that guy and I saw that show and you beta. So yeah, Ned, you've got a growing fan base. So, if you are in New York and you want um and you want to see a really great oneman show, go see Lost in Del Valley, Ned's show at the Soho Playhouse. It's so good. It's so good. Oh, Ned, am I allowed to say I'm proud of you? I'm going to say I'm proud of you. All right, that's a good note to end on. Okay. Um I'm going to shut the [__] up. Thank you guys for hanging out. And um Oh, [sighs and gasps] I feel like I need a sign off. A sign off. Um should it be I think the sign off is going to be um uh thanks for thanks for joining me and let's stay in touch. Thanks for joining me. Let's stay in touch. I like that.
Oh my god. for me and go see Ned Vanzant show. It's so good. H, it's so good. It's got sex. It's got drugs. It's got jail. It's got all the things I like. It's got booze and drunken and drug induced like, you know, revalry. I don't know if that's the right word. It's just it's it's it's a Yeah. Ned show. It's got all some of some of my favorite things. Yeah. All right. So, thanks for hanging out and um I'll be in touch. Okay. Bye.
