The Wednesday Shout-Out

Buttcrack Carny Discovers Its Tele-Kitchen

"In almost every urban city around the world, space is extremely limited. The result is often tight quarters and a restaurant culture. In 2004 New York City decided that smoking in bars and restaurants should be illegal. Smokers rediscovered something very important and very convenient… their own kitchens."

Check out Episode One of Pinch here.

Just notice that that room where the refrigerator is also houses other appliances? Finally figure out that you can do something else with that "big machine that makes fire" other than light a cigarette off it? Congratulations... and now there's a cooking show for you, too.

The uber-hip rep company at Buttcrack Carny (Jodi Chamberlain, Chris Lee, Tim Kulp, Susannah Nolan, Miguel Erb, etc.) that was responsible for last year's The Stork Stalker have obviously decided that since everyone seems to have a cooking show these days, we denizens of restaurant culture might as well have one, too... though one with a slightly twisted outlook. Pinch is kind of like The French Chef if Julia was on acid (and had a three-day growth).

Happy cooking.

Ten Wishes for New York City in 2005

1. That we will be bold enough to proclaim the truth about our evil government, and humble enough to allow people who don’t agree to listen and be convinced.
2. That the so-called Christian movement sees that, as NY-er Norman Mailer once said, “When you think you are doing your holiest work is in fact when you are in the service of the Devil.”
   
   
   
3. That Eliot Spitzer launches a major investigation of the Catholic Church by deposing every bishop he can find and asking, under oath, whether or not he ever covered for a pedophile or knew someone who did, thus putting the lie to the "moral authority" bishops command over the ballot box.
4. That everyone find some time this year to read Jane Jacobs’ Death and Life of Great American Cities before deciding whether or not the Jets Stadium or the Brooklyn Nets are good ideas.
And that everyone sees that throwing people out of their homes or businesses is never a good idea.
5. That people take a hard look at people like Monsignor Alan Paca, accused pedophile, and Bernie Kerik, accused phony, and wonder just who is and was on the payroll of Giuliani Partners.
6. That we stop referring to Rudy Giuliani as a “hero” and start referring to him as a “shill.”
7. That people see that the real “heroes” of the eleventh are the folks in the next apartment or the next cube or the next block who helped you (and you them) through that day and the days after.
8. That Cardinal Egan shows some true heroism and courage and proclaims loudly that homosexuality is neither a disease nor a choice but the way God made some people, then welcomes them into his church.
   
9. That Randy Johnson can go back to showing New England why they are and always will be second-rate citizens in the baseball universe.
   
10. That despite losing the pennant and losing the election and losing the ear of the nation, we will find a way to persevere and regain all three over the next fifty-two weeks.

Happy New Year, all. You’ll be hearing a lot more from this space in the coming year. (No, that’s not a threat).
(top photo by me)