2014 is Here, Ready or Not!
It’s time to take a look forward at what is coming up in this year. Remember it’s only 10 months until the NYC Marathon (Nov. 2).
Other events you might want to mark on your calendar:
- Super Bowl XLVIII - Meadowlands Feb. 2
- Grammy Awards LA Feb. 16 CBS
- Olympics Sochi, Russia Feb. 7-23
- Oscars - ABC LA, March 2
- ECOFEST-NYC Aug. 10
- US Open NYC Aug 25-Sept. 8
- World Series date and teams, TBD, but go Yankees!
SHEN YUN: Reviving 5000 years of Civilization through the universal language of music and dance. The beautiful production of classical Chinese dance and history runs through this weekend at Lincoln Center. SHEN YUN has had the most comprehensive media campaign to promote these performances. SHEN YUN is definitely worth a splurge. Four dancing groups and orchestras tour globally. shenyunperformingarts.org.
Film: Alice Walker: Beauty In Truth. Most famous for her seminal novel The Color Purple, writer/activist Alice Walker celebrates her 70th birthday on Feb. 9. Born in 1944 into a family of sharecroppers in rural Georgia, her life unfolded during the violent racism and seismic social changes of mid-20th century America. Her mother, poverty, and participation in the Civil Rights Movement were the formative influences on her consciousness, becoming the inherent themes in her writing
The first African-American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for Literature, Walker continues to shine a light on global human rights issues. Her dramatic life is told with poetry and lyricism, and includes interviews with Steven Spielberg, Danny Glover, Quincy Jones, Howard Zinn, Gloria Steinem, Sapphire, and Walker herself. alicewalkerfilm com/the-film/
TV: Not usually covered here, but Feb. 17 marks the end of an era: Jay Leno leaves the Tonight Show and Jimmy Fallon comes in! Time will tell if the peacock channel made the right call on this one.
Film: August Osage County: Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts both got Golden Globe nods for this dysfunctional, funny, yet deeply moving family drama. The ladies are amazing. Sam Shepherd makes a brief appearance. You won’t see this one on TV unless it is bleeped to death, but it’s worth a trip to the movies!
Film: Gravity: Sandra Bullock is still a top pick for an Oscar for this 3d, IMAX pic that pulls out all the technical stops. You might think what is happening is real (or is it Memorex) until you see George Clooney floating away! Don’t count Sandy out on this one. Hollywood loves her.
Theatre Update: A Night With Janis gets a reprieve! Yes, closing was posted for Jan. 5, but many of you have refused to let it go, so it is running again without a closing notice posted. You have a second chance to see Mary Bridget Davies strut her stuff!
Jazz: Chris Botti at the Blue Note. When is the last time you saw a trumpet player with a great rap? Chris Botti is one. And he’s got the guest artists and celebrity stories to go with. Of course touring with Sting and that he and Andrea Bocelli recorded with him didn’t hurt.
The Blue Note does get the big names, but be prepared to spend accordingly and be squeezed like a sardine (No coats on chairs--wear them or check them) The Blue Note is usually packed with tourists as they have several clubs in Japan so reservations are a must.
Chris Botti is embarking on a nationwide tour that goes through May, 2014. For specifics go to chrisbotti.com. bluenote.net for artist and club info.
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