We are addicted to two Showtime shows. They are Homeland and The Affair. Both of which had their season finales just before Christmas. Homeland is our number one following its best season yet. The two episodes prior to the finale were explosive and captivating while the finale was a strong bridge to next season with Quinn as the endangered love in …
As I brushed the snow off the car the other morning, I thought of family and friends who have left New York for warmer parts. I am fond of kidding my Mother -- who spends the winter in Florida -- that the happiness of New Yorkers in Florida is inversely related to the weather: the poorer the weather in New York, the happier they are. (As any mot …
Let's start with some disclaimers: If you are actually interested in seeing this movie, I would recommend you save yourselves. But if you must, then beware that there might be a minor spoiler or two in here, nothing big though. I'm not going to pretend that I was dragged into this kicking and screaming. On the contrary, this debacle was actua …
January 5, 1996. My oldest child was born and now she has turned 19. I vividly remember leaving our apartment in Manhattan to head to the hospital on January 4, 1996. I stood in the doorway for a moment thinking that life would never be the same. So true. I vividly remember her first birthday party. It was at the Marriott in Uniondale. Mickey …
As I have written in previous blogs, according to my kids, I am old fashioned about a lot of things. Lately, their perception of my old fashioned propensities has extended to my habit of hailing cabs. I do not mind, at all, standing on a city block and raising my hand to hail a cab. In fact, in the real old days when I first began working, a certa …
Throughout history there have been periods when facial hair was in, and times when it was out. More recently, in the late 19th century, long beards were the thing. Then the beards were shaved and during the turn of the century a mustache was the fad. Now it seems that a one week growth is popular among some. I have my own cycles. Typically …
As my yearly tradition continues, it's time for my predictions for 2015. Let's look at my sterling track record. 2007 - 1 for 7. (my rookie year:)2008 - 1 for 1 (gutsy picking one but it was spot on)2009 - 3 for 5 2010 - 2 for 32011 - 3 for 3!!! 2012 - 3 for 3!!!2013 I took a break, the launch of the new website took all my attention2014 - 2 …
College Basketball Hall of Fame coach John Wooden said "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while reputation is merely what others think of you."Food for thought in this time of New Year's resolution. We often hear one is reputed to be thus and such, but what lies at the core …
I have a date stamp on my desk in the office. The old- fashioned kind. You change the date, month and year with plastic wheels. Changing the date is part of my morning ritual. I’ve had such a stamp on my desk for many years. I use it to stamp mail. I don't use it as much now as I used to. Yesterday morning I checked to make sure that the stamp h …
At the risk of attacking anyone or breaking the no partisan politics rule here at the Gotham blog, how on Earth could this have happened. After a couple of weeks of built up anti-North Korean sentiment pusling through the veins of the American people, we now find out that there is a possibility than they were not responsibe for the data hack i …
This is not an original blog idea, with credit going to my law partner, Jane Jacobs. But, it got me thinking – well, really singing. Jane was in the process recently of creating a dance playlist and asked for recommendations from her friends. Let’s help Jane fill out that playlist. I’ll start. The first three that came to my mind: 1. Sweet …
It used to be just an annoyance on the train and at restaurants. But now, they seem to be everywhere. They’re at the check-out line in almost every store you go into. My local bagel store has a sign that requests that people not do this while in the check-out line and they are still doing it. They’re also clogging up the aisles at grocery stores a …
My New Year's Eve celebrations used to be a lot more exciting when I was young(er): I spent the Millennium Eve in Times Square (and now I'm over it). I've done enough all-night rave-like dance parties. There were also the obligatory family gatherings during the trying years; semi-sober (literally & figuratively). Last year my wife was working, …
The first screenings of this comedy were finally aired last Wednesday at midnight but only through independent movie theaters. On Thursday morning it was listed as the No. 1 seller on YouTube Movies and the Google Play store. The Interview has now become a symbol of free speech. People were dressed in red, white and blue to go view the movie an …
If you ever had the pleasure of being with Bob Formica you can understand why I give him the appellation St. Formica. In my experience, he comes closest to being as I imagine a Saint would be. He was kind, caring, giving, humble, funny, smart, loyal, good natured, unique, empathetic, thoughtful, naughty, fatherly and sweet. It was for these and oth …
