FiPS WAS THERE: Louis C.K. At The Bell House

Photo via Louis C.K.'s Twitter Page

When Louis C.K. walked out onto The Bell House stage last night, he held up a notebook -- the comedian's universal sign for "this is new material" --  and modestly disclosed that the event was not going to be the greatest show, which was why the tickets were only $10. "You are falling on a grenade for a later, better-paying audience," he explained with a chuckle.

No one was surprised by this caveat. The event itself was called, "Louis C.K. Working On His New Hour Of Material," and based on the fact that all three shows sold out in 3 hours after only The Bell House Tweeted about the event, it's clear that no one gave a shit. The 44 year-old, ginger-haired comedian constantly produces nothing but stellar work (and yes, that includes Pootie Tang). Louis C.K. could have stood on stage and farted for an hour, and some blogger would have stayed up late last night penning a thoughtful, 1,000-word article about how the pacing and nuances of each individual sound and smell just gave birth to a new wave of alternative comedy. And only a comedian like Louis C.K. can workshop new material for sixty minutes not once, not twice, but THREE times in one night. I can only imagine the mental notes or feverish scribbling that went down in The Bell House's green room between the 7PM, 9PM and 11PM shows.

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[FIPS WAS THERE...]: XANADU AT THE OLD STONE HOUSE

The Cast Of Piper Theatre's 'Xanadu' [VIA NINEDAVES]

We here at FIPS spend a hell of a lot of time out and about in Brooklyn, attending outdoor concerts, comedy shows and various other events. So [FIPS Was There...] is where we're gonna' talk about all this shit.

I am what you’d call a Fanadu: a "Fan of Xanadu." I saw the 1980 Olivia Newton-John/Gene Kelly disco-movie-musical no less than a billion times growing up. The roller-skating, the legwarmers, the perpetual wind blowing through Olivia Newton-John’s hair: it was all too perfect in my eyes.

Honestly, how my parents didn’t know I was gay back then still baffles me.  

Of course, as a kid, I wasn’t paying attention to the absolutely horrible plot. A group of Greek muses, lead by Newton-John’s Kira, come alive out of a mural to inspire an artist named Sonny Malone (the cute Michael Beck) to open a roller disco? Yeah – that’s not exactly Oscar-winning material there. But it doesn’t matter: the movie is so bad, it’s good. I mean, it’s Olivia Newton-John on roller skates, dancing and singing to the music of Electric Light Orchestra. Factor in Gene Kelly, playing some dude Kira inspired forty years earlier, and you have the absolute definition of the word “craptacular.”

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[FIPS WAS THERE] Zito's North Opening Party!

Okay, so it's HEAT WAVE 2012, Martha & the Vandellas, and you know what that means: you don't want to cook and you want to drink 400 frosty cold beers.

Mission accomplished: Zito's second location is officially open for business, and FIPS hosted their official opening night party.  And despite the heat, we've never been so excited to eat hot, fried food, mainly because it was so delicious.  

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[FiPS Was There...] the 5th annual Scrabble for Cheaters

We here at FIPS spend a hell of a lot of time out and about in Brooklyn, attending outdoor concerts, comedy shows and various other events. So [FIPS Was There...] is where we're gonna' talk about all this shit.

When you play the game of Scrabble you win or you die. And by "die," I mean "have some pizza while trying to rub shoulders with celebs." That’s right: this past Saturday was the 5^th annual Scrabble for Cheaters, which was held at Park Slope’s own Brooklyn Super Hero Supply Company. As per usual, the tutoring center fronted by a cape emporium managed to stock the pond with some mild to major public figures. The most titillating of which was no doubt Mr. Peter Dinklage. 

But I am getting ahead of myself. I should start by explaining how this version of the game works. The thing that sets this kind of scrabblery apart from any other is that players can use money they raised from gullible friends and family to buy cheats. That's right. Cheating is encouraged. And that’s where things get interesting. 

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[FIPS Was There...] A Taste of Fifth Ave

Let’s face it. When it comes to eating in Park Slope, 5th Ave is the obvious destination. Yeah yeah. There are a handful of cool places to dine on 7th and recently it’s gotten better, but when it boils down to it, 5th Ave TOTALLY wins. Shit, the strip’s even got its own annual food & drink event -- A Taste of 5th Ave.

This year’s edition of the Taste of 5th took place this past Wednesday amongst the gaudy splendor of The Grand Prospect Hall. We make your dreams come true! For $35 ($20 of which went to a charity of your choice--Brooklyn Arts Exchange wassup!) one could sample a dish or two or three from thirty-seven 5th Ave establishments. Actually, scratch that. Thirty-six. While thirty-s

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