August 12, 2009

SummerStage Part I & II (8/8-9)


Summer Stage Part I: Mission Hot Pink Wristband

A dude, named Ed, let me wear his 
funky sunglasses for this pic... 
then he ditched me to go get a free t-shirt... Sheesh!
But I had my wristband, so I was happy.

Drop the Lime

I entered to win VIP passes being given away by Going.com for the Central Park SummerStage show on Saturday (8/8) and I ended up getting picked. However, I didn't really care for any of the performers that day. I really wanted the VIP wristband for the hot line-up for the next day's show. So I wore the band all the way into Sunday. Central Park was jam packed with people and I was thinking of abusing my privileges from the jump. But I didn't just in case that plan fell through. So I waited on line just like everyone else and finally got in. With the wristband I had a guaranteed bleacher seat. Otherwise without it I'd have to stand and struggle to see the show with the general audience. I'll admit it's a little deceitful. But a girl's gotta go what a girl's gotta do. I have no regrets because the show was awesome! Especially since R. Les was performing, along with the others pictured below. (The only downside to having seats was not getting very good pics with my 8-megapixel camera, sorry folks)

SummerStage Part II: Mission Accomplished!

Case

Jon B

Ryan Leslie

Deborah Cox

The headliner, Jasmine Sullivan

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Be Free was slackin! (8/7)


Even with of all the research I do to find free events, promotions, and other happenings throughout NYC, some things still slip by me. But that is what makes this city great. The spontaneity of finding something open to everyone is always there. This night, I randomly came across "The Shack Summer Netogether," a promotion for Radio Shack. For three days, a larger than life laptop with a cam, was set up in the middle of Time Square broadcasting performances and events taking place in San Francisco. Likewise, there was a similar set up in Cali showing what was going on in New York City. This was to sort of virtually bring the two cities together but the entire thing was really weird and ordinary to me. There was supposed to be some comedians on my side but things were running off schedule. So I ditched that popsicle stand! (That phrase is from a movie, don't ask.)

If I had learned about this beforehand, I would have definitely showed up to see the Melanie Fiona performance that was broadcasted from New York, on the day before. Oh well! Just gotta be more on top of my free ish game from now on. 
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The Wendy Williams Show FAIL + More (8/4)

So for future reference, if you request tickets for The Wendy Williams Show, just know that your admission is not guaranteed! They purposely overbook spots for the studio seating because a lot of people end up not showing up. But just my luck, the day that I decide to go damn near everyone who wanted to be in the audience came through. Recommended arrival time was 8:00 AM and I got there at ten minutes after. Seems as though the studio was already filled (holds about 120 people) by that time. 

The guest that day was Joan Rivers... 
basically I didn't miss much.

So I had no chance of seeing the queen of talk radio. What BS and waste of time! As an alternative for those who weren't admitted, there were VIP tickets for another show date. Here is the e-mail I received:

Dear Wendy Ticket Holder,
 
We apologize again for the inconvenience today. Below please find the dates available for VIP tickets. Please be advised that your tickets are considered to be VIP only if you arrive before our 8AM arrival time. Once you have chosen a date, simply respond to this email with the date and time that you are attending typed in the subject field of your email (Example: “June 1 2008. 8am”). Please include the following information:

 
First and Last Name:
 
First, Last Name and age of each of your guest(s): (No one under 18 will be permitted into the studio.) 
 
Please note that you will have the same amount of tickets that you had originally requested for.
 
 
Dates Available:
 
Oct 23rd 8AM Arrival time
Oct 26th 8AM Arrival time
 
 
 
Sincerely,
 
The Audience Services Department

October?!!! GTFOH! Eff Wendy, I'd rather get my sleep.

I didn't let that ruin my day. I had some spare time so I went to check out the Sex & the City casting call. They were seeking fashion models, celebrity types, upscale socialites, urban club goers (I guess that's the nice way of saying black people?), and more characters. 

The line was insane and this was 
only a half-hour in from when it started.

Finally, I ended the day in East River Park for an outdoor play.

A modern adaptation of 
Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

This presentation put on by NYU Continuum Company was excellent. The actors and actresses were so committed to their roles and the cast of five effortlessly transitioned between multiple characters. I'm glad I was able to end the day on a better note!

Sidebar:
I ran into the dude (on the right) in LES the next day 
and complimented him on a great performance.

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August 3, 2009

Find Be Free This Week


August 3

  • Ski Dubai (Play)

    FREE!- Must RSVP to rsvp@arsnovanyc

    From 7:00 PM until...

    Location: Ars Nova (511 West 54th St, Manhattan)

August 4

  • The Wendy Williams Show

    FREE!- Must request tickets from website

    From 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM

    Location: Taping at studio in Manahttan


  • Sex & the City Open Casting Call

    FREE!- See website for which character types are wanted.

    No Acting Experience Required

    From 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

    Location: Metropolitan Pavilion (125 West 18th St, btwn 6th & 7th Aves, Manhattan)

August 5

  • OLD NAVY Hiring Event

    FREE!

    From 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM

    Location: 55 West 17th street (off 6th Ave) in Manhattan

  • Carimi

    FREE!

    From 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM

    Location: Brower Park in Brooklyn

August 6

August 7

August 8
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August 2, 2009

Diesel:U:Music Tour Shoulda Coulda Woulda (7/30)


Passion Pit

The Diesel:U:Music Tour was a compilation of great bands and artists such as Passion Pit, The Roots, The Clipse and so many more. The whole thing was put on at Webster Hall (I finally got to see the upper level) with an open bar, all sponsored by Diesel. The only catch was in order to snag tix for this event, one had to show up at participating Diesel stores, wearing a pair of their jeans, at the time passes were being handed out. I went one day to get one pass for myself and then again another day to get one for my sister. Since I did not own a pair of Diesel jeans and since they're out of my budget anyway, I had gone to the Buffalo Exchange and traded in couple of my old jeans for these:

Hella tight but my booty is lookin right!
I ended up returning them and getting my money back...

I digress. Back to the concert. Did I mention there was an open bar? While waiting for Drake to come on stage I knocked back a few cocktails and tequila shots and danced/stumbled around a bit here and there. Then rumor was spreading that he had cancelled. Considering this and the fact that I was quite inebriated, my sister saw it best that we leave. I wanted to stay and get my $0 worth!

No one wanted to listen to me and this is what we missed:


A surprise appearance from Kanye West!

I thank you for looking after me, 
getting me home safe,
 and snapping blackmail pics of me on my own camera!

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MySpace Music & Decon Present "The Release" (7/22)


So MySpace Music and Decon Records teamed up to put together "The Release," a concert featuring 88 Keys, Aceyalone, Izza Kizza, and Chali 2na. All I have to say is... better luck next year. The atmosphere was pretty dry for a concert. Given that it took place at Santos Party House, the venue definitely did not live up to it's name that night. It was an afterwork crowd so maybe that can explain the uptightness. Seemed like everyone was only there (including myself) because it was free. 

Here's a clip of 88 Keys performing "Stay Up" sans Kanye West:


A Little Pitiful... I know

Chali 2na

The opening act was not 88 keys but instead a dude named Izza Kizza. Ugh! Do not even get me started on that mess of a performance. There was also some Aceyalone guy and his act was forgettable. In spite of the the lackluster enthusiasm from the crowd, the show went on. Finally the headliner of the show came on, Chali 2na of Jurassic 5  (whoever they are) and people seemed a bit more amped. I must say Chali and his band were pretty good, but nonetheless not my forte. Nothing to run home and download off of LimeWire over.

I guess the one highlight was meeting the inspirational JR Martinez at the show. Martinez is a US Army veteran that was severely burned while serving in Iraq. When he came home, Martinez didn't let that hinder him from moving forward and he eventually landed a role on "All My Children."

JR and I
Check out his story here...

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