Milli Vanilli Musical Coming to Brooklyn. You Know Who to Blame.

Image via amcnetworks.comThe one time pop duo sensation, subject of ridicule and overall embarrassment, is being resurrected in opera form this month.  “Wow”, the new Milli Vanilli opera by composer Joe Diebes, the poet Christian Hawkey, and the director David Levine will have its time in the spotlight January 23- Feburaury 1 at the new BRIC on Fulton.

As reported on the New York Times’ Artbeats blog, “Wow” sounds like a snooze-fest of unmatched proportions.  The writers are somehow taking a very serious look into the technology of the time that allowed Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus to pull off their lip synched live performances, which effectively duped the adoring public.  Diebes likens the tale to Faust, noting that it is inherently operatic. Zzzzzz…

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I Spy Something that Begins with a C

Photo credit: @canigetawootwooh on Instagram via GothamistIf you’ve lived in NYC for more than a day or two, chances are you’ve probably seen some unusual things walk down your street.  Today in northern Brooklyn was no exception.  If you ventured to Greenpoint or Williamsburg in the slushy, brown mess, you may have spotted camels, goats and a donkey—oh my! 

As reported earlier by Gothamist, yesterday was the 37^th annual Three Kings Day Parade commemorating the three wise men visiting Jesus back in the day.  El Museo del Barrio hosted the community event, which also features puppets, dancing, and live music.     

Though there were no eyewitness reports of gold, frankincense, or myrrh, I think it’s safe to say that traffic after the parade rolled through their fair share of camel shit.    

Get a Piece of the Brooklyn Sausage Fest

Image via Brooklyn Sausage Fest on FacebookDon’t let the name fool you, folks—this is a bratwurst competition of gargantuan proportions. Reading that sentence back I can see how you may misunderstand my meaning. I’ll explain. The Brooklyn Sausage Fest is not a new gay bar in South Slope or a strip club for eager bachelorette parties. It is, in fact, the first annual sausage competition at the Bell House on 7^th Street between 2^nd and 3^rd Aves in Gowanus.

If you’re ready to eat some serious meat, this event is definitely for you. Attendees will have a chance to wolf down every banger they choose before the winner is named.

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Gowanus Facelift Continues

Photo credit: LIVWRKYesterday the Daily News reported that more developments are in store for Gowanus.  This follows in a long line of construction projects including the infamous Whole Foods, luxury high rises, and a number of great new restaurants. 

The latest project, simply title “LIVWRK”, is an attempt to bring more office and retail space to the neighborhood, already infested with creatives.  At the helm are real estate hotshots, Aaron Lemma and Asher Abesera who plan to capitalize on the 3^rd street location smack in the middle of Park Slope and Carroll Gardens. 

One is forced to wonder just how much polish a turd will take before it crumbles and floats to the bottom of the canal to join its brethren.  That’s not to say that a facelift isn’t long overdue, but recent studies in Popular Science prove that few know the many dangers that the Gowanus contains both in the murky waters and the air above.

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Flea Market Moves South for the Winter

A few weeks ago the flea market vendors at P.S. 321 were “pushed out” of their most recent location on 7^th Ave, to make way for the younger, hotter Brooklyn Flea.  According to Larry Da’ Junk Man, one of those original vendors, this is a tale of David and Goliath—only Goliath got the better shakes and David is peddling his wares from a van down by the river: 

We have been pushed out from many locations throughout the city. We made our way in the East Village in the eighties, we got pushed out. We moved to different parts of Brooklyn in the nineties and the aught decade  and again have pushed out. We are the Scouts for the real estate folks after all. We come in make a” Happening” and then Real Estate folks come in and push us out. That is the deal.

You’d think they’d lose their spirit after so many moves, but the self-described “bohemians” have once again picked themselves up, brushed off their sitars, grabbed some fresh peyote and set off for their new location in what I imagine to be a caravan of VW Buses…no offense. 

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