Entries from November 2006 ↓

From the New York Post

November 2, 2006 — One of the suspects in last month’s deadly robbery of a gay man in Brooklyn near the Belt Parkway told his cohorts he might have just murdered a man - then callously dozed off, according to court papers made public yesterday.

“Me and Anthony got to the house first,” John Fox, 19, allegedly told detectives in a written statement last Oct. 10, two days after the robbery, referring to co-defendant Anthony Fortunato.

“Than [sic] Alex came in after. We layed [sic] on the bed - couch and fell asleep. He said he thought he killed someone before he fell asleep.”

Alex - known to prosecutors as Ilya Shurov, 20 - was the one who beat the victim, 29-year-old Michael Sandy, and chased him to his death on the highway after the quartet had lured him to remote Plum Beach, according to Fox’s version.

Fox’s lawyer, Philip Smallman, cautioned against jumping to conclusions before knowing the circumstances under which the statement was made.

Proving once again you don’t have to pay exorbitant Broadway ticket prices to see good theater in New York, three Off (or Off Off) Broadway shows recently extended their runs, to give even more fans a chance to see productions that have gotten favorable reviews.

At The Public Theater, Daniel Beaty’s one-man show “Emergence-See” has been extended through November 19. One critic has described it as “the most important new American play since Angels in America.” Taking on the roles of forty different characters, Beaty performs a story about what happens when a slave ship rises out of the Hudson River at the foot of the Statue of Liberty.

Actress Ruby Dee said, “Every now and then you see a performance that jolts the senses to attention. This is one of them! Somehow this artist touched something so deep in me that I love to see in a performance and in the human spirit. I sat in awe and profound admiration listening as he connected us to the exhilaration, the pain, and the promise of what it is to be human. By the end, I was on my feet shouting like someone in church–I was so moved.”

Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis also spoke Beaty’s praises.

“A Love Like Damien’s” is getting its second run, starting November 9, at HERE Arts Center. The play, about a young Black gay man named Damien who loses his way then has a chance encounter with God before finding the strength to face his church’s homophobia, had a successful run in September at WOW Café Theatre in the East Village.

The New York Blade has called it “a high-spirited pay off” while POZ Magazine says it is “part of a new theater movement.”

By popular demand and standing room only audiences, Platanos & Collard Greens has been extended thru December 16th at Tribeca Performing Arts Center @ BMCC (between Greenwich and West Streets).

Platanos & Collard Greens is the hilarious romantic comedy that tells the story of Freeman, an African-American man, and Angelita, a Latino woman, who are both forced to confront and overcome cultural and racial prejudices, while defending their bond from family and friends.

“A play that everyone can relate to…a Hip-Hop drama… incorporating humor, and utilizing extraordinary, moving and explosive poetry. [This play] wins on all levels: It entertains, educates, [and] leaves one satisfied,” says Linda Armstrong, Theater Critic, The Amsterdam News.

After 35 years as host of “The Price is Right” and 50 years in broadcasting, Bob Barker has announced he’ll call it a career next June.

Host of arguably the most popular game show in television history, Barker will turn 83 this December and told the Associated Press, “I’ve decided to retire while I’m still young.” Since “The Price is Right” debuted in 1972, the popular host has missed just three shows, and in an industry obsessed with youth, he has outlasted stars a quarter of his age.

CBS has reportedly been searching for a new host for the past two or three years, someone who will take over for Barker, but who could never hope to replace him.