naming blogs is easy

it’s going to be a long election cycle, huh

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:48:27 -0400

it’s going to be a long election cycle, huh

I won you guys (at Marquee)

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:16:00 -0400

I won you guys (at Marquee)

?

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:08:00 -0400

Beats me.

‘How Ya Doin’’ by Little Mix ft. Missy ElliottLittle Mix and...

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:26:00 -0400

‘How Ya Doin’’ by Little Mix ft. Missy Elliott
Little Mix and Missy Elliott bring you another great pop song about the telephone. (Although who leaves voicemails anymore?)

‘Where’s The Love’ by HansonAs far as “Express...

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:44:49 -0400

‘Where’s The Love’ by Hanson
As far as “Express Yourself” homages go, this > “Born This Way”

‘You Gonna Be My Love Machine?’ by Jet vs. Girls Aloud is my new...

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:20:00 -0400

‘You Gonna Be My Love Machine?’ by Jet vs. Girls Aloud is my new jam.

cassingles

Sat, 18 May 2013 14:00:49 -0400

cassingles

We turned 20, everybody. We did it. Thank you to everyone...

Sat, 18 May 2013 12:21:36 -0400

We turned 20, everybody. We did it. Thank you to everyone who’s written and read and subscribed so far. This issue has:

• Me on the marketplace of love!

• Tom Ewing (!!!) on business speak!

• A heroic effort where one man listens to NOTHING BUT “#BEAUTIFUL” FOR A WEEK!

• Debut fiction by Helen Schreiner!

Check out the app if you haven’t already. (Non-iOS options are coming soon!!)

Here is one of my favorite springtime songs.

Sat, 18 May 2013 07:17:51 -0400

Here is one of my favorite springtime songs.

"I’ve been studying the diner burger lately, and there’s something so reassuring about the formula of..."

Sat, 18 May 2013 07:13:00 -0400

“I’ve been studying the diner burger lately, and there’s something so reassuring about the formula of burger, bun, garnishes, fries, and small cup of slaw—if you want to go wild, you can simply dump the slaw on the burger. This is food at its simplest and most elegant, food that doesn’t want to slap your face. This is food that is simply good, and defines a sort of normalcy in eating that no longer exists. Nowadays, every meal is a challenge and a problem. Have you eaten well enough? Have you eaten innovatively, locavorically, and seasonally enough?”

- That’s the elegant level-headedness of Robert Sietsema, the longtime Village Voice food critic who was fired today, per a Gawker report. He’s the guy who writes about restaurants you’ve never heard of, because they don’t have publicists and they’re not listed on UrbanDaddy. Sietsema goes reviewing in parts of the city where yellow cabs don’t fill the streets, where subways aren’t always close by, in neighborhoods you didn’t know existed, and where English isn’t the first language of either the clientele, the waiters or the owners. He was, and still is, one of our most essential critics.

“His relationships with small restaurant owners not only led directly to the creation of the paper’s annual, sold-out “Choice Eats” event, but his written reviews literally changed the economic fortunes of several hundred small business owners throughout the five boroughs over the past two decades and left an indelible mark on the city’s food culture,” Hugh Merwin eloquently writes for New York Magazine’s Grub Street.

It’s important for us food writers and critics to cover the highly-touted new restaurants in Manhattan and cool parts of Brooklyn, because, well, that’s where people are spending their money, and it’s our job to follow and critique that money trail. Of course, every now and then, with re-reviews, we try to lead our readers off the trail by turning a spotlight on a more forgotton venue, or a venue that’s imporoved over the years.

And while Sietsema covered the big important new joints like the rest of us, his dedication to leading us WAY off the beaten path, outside of our Manhattan-Williamsburg-Carroll Gardens comfort zone, is why he’s so necessary. And with our city’s hospitality industry still getting back on its feet in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, it’s ever more vital that these small “Sietsema restaurants” (if I can call them that) be given their proper due.

I hope we find him writing again soon. New York City needs Sietsema.

(via baddeal)

Robert is a treasure, and his being fired by the craven New Times management not only underscores that fact, it puts it in 148-point boldfaced type. That company knows about what New York needs from its media outlets (“Can’t we just post cameraphone-sourced gifs from plays instead of paying the most well-respected theater critic in the city?”) about as well as it knows how to run a digital news operation.

‘No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)’ by Donna Summer & Barbra...

Fri, 17 May 2013 21:26:00 -0400

‘No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)’ by Donna Summer & Barbra Streisand is my new jam.

"American Idol": Candice Glover Wins, Randy Jackson Exits, And More

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:13:36 -0400

"American Idol": Candice Glover Wins, Randy Jackson Exits, And More:

HOORAY, THIS SEASON OF AMERICAN IDOL IS OVER AND THE RIGHT PERSON WON

"As a woman, people are going to ask you to write the kind of insipid shit they would never in a..."

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:26:22 -0400

“As a woman, people are going to ask you to write the kind of insipid shit they would never in a million fucking years ask a man to write.”

- http://www.theawl.com/2013/05/ask-polly-jesus-my-struggling-writer-friends-never-shut-up (via theawl)

“What’s interesting is how often writers wander about, whining softly about how they need help and they need guidance and they need someone to give them a chance or hold their hand or read their pitches or stop ignoring them or tell them why their pieces are wonderful.”
(via squeela)

‘Waiting For A Star To Fall’ by Boy Meets Girl is my new jam.

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:04:00 -0400

‘Waiting For A Star To Fall’ by Boy Meets Girl is my new jam.

VOTE MAURA

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:36:45 -0400

VOTE MAURA:

because, aw hell, why not

Photo

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:37:41 -0400

‘Come Go With Me’ by Exposé is my new jam.

Mon, 13 May 2013 15:14:44 -0400

‘Come Go With Me’ by Exposé is my new jam.

Mostly I’m excited that this week’s slate of new...

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:36:49 -0400

Mostly I’m excited that this week’s slate of new releases is letting me talk about one of my favorite songs ever again.

Also, last night at the Remmys (the awards for the Clive Davis Institute, my department at NYU) I was up for Professor Of The Year. I didn’t win, but just being nominated was an amazing honor.

Tonight’s the last class of the semester and I’m bringing snacks.

Well, on the advice of some wise people, I turned off anonymous...

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:25:00 -0400

Well, on the advice of some wise people, I turned off anonymous asks. (Perhaps the person who is reveling in taking me to task for Just Bein’ Jealous can now unmask himself, or herself.)

Internet cowards are why we can’t have nice things. Sorry everybody.

protect conglomerate-bestowed privilege!!

Mon, 13 May 2013 00:33:58 -0400

I guess this isn’t a new rallying cry for the underclass (my parents subscribed to the Post back in the day) but man, have we learned nothing?