Photo: Nicole Freezer Rubens

Guess what icon is turning 65? Yep, Barbie! Our roving photographer has the scoop on a fantastic Barbie exhibit. Johnny Cash said, “Life and love go on, let the music play,” and play it will at our Jazz and Jingles Holiday Lunch with the Rick Bogart Jazz Trio. Don’t miss the fabulous cabaret show everyone is raving about featuring the cool sounds of Russell Moss. The Brooklyn Folk Festival is happening this weekend, bringing the best of folk music. We also have a new holiday album suggestion from singer/songwriter Amanda McBroom. Don’t forget, the NYC Comedy Festival is back—get out there and laugh! And there’s nothing more peaceful than a hike and Long Island has trails aplenty!

Dec. 6. Holiday Party

We are so excited to bring to bring back our holiday lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Turkish Cuisine. It will be a wonderful afternoon of celebrating friendships and heralding in the holiday season. Music by the Rick Bogart Trio, singing, laughter, good causes, and door prizes too.  Co-hosted by Cheryl Benton, Anne Akers, and Randie Levine Miller. GET THE DETAILS. 

Nov. 7-17. The New York Comedy Festival

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the festival, and it promises to be packed with laughter and entertainment. The festival will feature over 300 shows across various iconic venues in New York City, including Carnegie Hall, Beacon Theatre, and Kings Theatre.

Some of the headliners include Judd Apatow, Gabriel Iglesias, Tracy Morgan, and Bill Maher. There will also be a special tribute to the late Joan Rivers, benefiting the charity God’s Love We Deliver. Additionally, the festival will host the annual Stand Up for Heroes event, which honors veterans and features performances from comedians like Jon Stewart and Bruce Springsteen. Get the details.

Nov. 8-10. The Brooklyn Folk Festival

If you love folk music head to St. Ann’s Church in Brooklyn Heights, this weekend. This year’s festival promises to be a vibrant celebration of folk music, featuring performances from a diverse lineup of artists. Some of the highlights include performances by Nora Brown, The Down Hill Strugglers, Feral Foster, and Jerron Paxton.

In addition to the music, the festival will host various workshops, discussions, and special events. Notable events include a presentation by Nora Guthrie on Woody Guthrie’s legacy, a Democracy Story Circle, and a Banjo Workshop. GET THE DETAILS.

Nov. 12. Head to the Triad for a Cool Night of Music

A consummate entertainer with over 2500 live performances under his belt.  From Los Angeles, California he has appeared and headlined in shows all across the United States.  From Las Vegas to New York, Russell’s inimitable style transcends the stage with an intimate portrait of his life and career with some of his favorite songs from American Pop culture including Sinatra, Armstrong, Tom Jones, Harry James and more.

He is joined on stage with his amazing 5 piece Orchestra featuring Andy Warren on Trumpet, Keith Crupi on Drums, Antongiulio Foti on Piano, Alec Safy on Bass and Stan Killian on Sax.  Come share the joy and excitement of a guy who was “born to entertain” – NBC-TV.

Advance Tickets: 25.00     At-the-Door: 30.00

Now-March 5. Barbie: A Cultural Icon at the Museum of Arts and Design

Our roving photographer, Nicole Freezer Rubens, just visited the museum and writes:

Happy 65th Birthday dear Barbie!  In a salute to all that the Barbie doll has brought to America, the Museum of Arts and Design has mounted the retrospective exhibition Barbie: A Cultural Icon. The show spanning 2 floors starts with the introduction of the adult woman doll in 1959 and explores the impactful history through 250 Barbies on display. The artifacts are from David Porcello and Mattel’s cherished vast collections.

Amidst the distinctive pink walls, you will find the original doll inventor Ruth Handler dreamt up and named after her daughter. She found a lack of toys on the market to satisfy what a little girl in 1959 could grow up to be, and so the Barbie doll in her black and white swimsuit was born.

Along with loads of nostalgia this installation guides us through a constant cultural reflection of America. For decades the doll has reflected milestone feminist advancement, through career opportunities, politics and of course fashion. The Barbies on display are doctors, astronauts, athletes, and even Tina Turner. They are dressed in designs by fashion moguls including Moschino and Bob Mackie.

Mattel’s customers were concerned that the original Barbie needed a partner and in 1961 Handler introduced the Ken doll, the supportive boyfriend, named after her son. Together the pair could hang out in Barbie’s very first, very groovy, very independent, cardboard dream house

For an enchanted walk down memory lane and quick summary of American history, please visit MAD, located 2 Columbus Circle. The show is on view through March.

I personally want to thank Barbie and the woman who created her. I give Ruth Handler credit for expanding the imaginations of generations of children while directly impacting the progress American women have made since Barbie’s groundbreaking debut in 1959. GET THE EXHIBIT DETAILS.

~Nicole Freezer Rubens is the author of “The Long Pause and the Short Breath.”

Long Island’s Wildlife Hiking Trails 

Our Long Island reporter Andrea Peponakis says November is a perfect month for hiking, and Long Island offers more than 200 miles of beautiful hiking trails ranging from the coast to pine land. Now, that’s a lot to choose from. Fortunately, she has narrowed it down to four fantastic trails for wildlife lovers, each varying in length and difficulty.  GET THE DETAILS. 

Add This to Your Holiday Playlist

Listen in to one of the songs from Wintersong a beautiful holiday themed album  from Golden Globe Winning Songwriter/Singer/Actress, Amanda McBroom. It features classics and new songs. Amanda has been called “…the greatest cabaret performer of her generation… an urban poet who writes like an angel and has a voice to match.”   She is known in the wider world as the writer of one of the biggest hits of the 20th Century, “The Rose.”  Download it from Apple, Amazon, or wherever you get your music.

Amanda has written many beautiful – and many hilarious and wonderful –  songs throughout the years, and now she has released a Holiday-themed recording for the very first time: GECKO, distributed by LML Music).  McBroom pairs with her most frequent songwriting partner, Michele Brourman as well as the prolific jazz artist/songwriter Ann Hampton Callaway, songwriter Tom Snow, and other notables. Recorded in Nashville with producer Fred Mollin, Wintersong features some of Nashville’s finest musicians and engineers.