Outfest will celebrate the organization’s 40th Anniversary at this year’s 2022 Outfest Legacy Awards Gala on October 22nd, presented by IMDb.
The idea of the opera pulling headlines might seem a bit anachronistic; a niche interest suddenly becoming the whole of the zeitgeist. But this is exactly what Festival Verdi has become over its 20 years in current existence.
Talk Show host Charlemagne The God brought Ray J, Ms. Pat, Nick Kroll and Ari Melber to the Paramount studio set of his Comedy Central talk show Hell of a Week with Charlemagne The God. The guests discussed the latest hot trending topics in politics and pop culture.
During a panel discussion segment which included Kroll, Melber and Ms. Pat, the panelist chatted about Donald Trump and Ron Desantis. Melber referred to Desantis as Trump’s mini me. “Trump’s against democracy, Ron DeSantis wants to be like Donald Trump, so would be very close because he’s really mimicking him,” Melber said. “It’s a bit like Drake said ‘You thought that we were enemies but the big you is like a mini me and Ron DeSantis is trying to be Trump’s mini me so it’s low key pathetic but it’s hitting a lot of the things the GOP likes,” Melber added.
Later in the taping singer/Love and Hip Hop star/ Raycon Founder Ray J appeared to discuss his current dealings with Kanye West and the Kardashian family over his past sex tapes. Ray stated he is preparing to take legal action in regards to how the situation regarding the tape has been discussed and handled on the Kardashian’s current Hulu reality series.
The episode is available for viewing on Comedy Central’s website.
Bring the Beauty of Iceland’s Wilderness to the Cocktail World and savor every sip of this smooth London Dry Gin from Iceland…
@moorekismet
It was a returned to something wonderful for Moore Kismet. They returned to Randall’s Island for this year’s legendary and iconic Electronic Zoo Music Festival 3.0. After playing a dynamic set, we caught up with Moore Kismet to get the 411 on this year’s EZoo and what is next for the artist.
First off, we had to ask this young and talented artist, who has played Lollapalooza and Coachella, what was it like playing NYC’s Electronic Zoo Music Festival. They responded by saying, “New York is kind of a second home for me because I have family out in the surrounding areas and they make me and my mom feel so safe and happy.” They expressed that New York is a dream for them. “Getting to perform in NYC is something I really wanted to do more because they have so many iconic venues I haven’t even touched yet,” they said.
As for the set, Moore Kismet admitted, “I normally just put together a collection of some of my favorite songs of myself, my favorite artists, and my friends. From there, I play a completely improvised set where I try my hardest to play a set that the crowd can get into because we do this for them.” Getting that right vibe is not easy. They acknowledge, “I’ve been trying to do more recently is figure out how to cultivate good sonic energy around my music, not just finding open places to stick my unreleased songs in a set.” One of the highlights of their show for Moore Kismet “was this edit I made of “Outside” by Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding and “earthsea.” by kosu that went the entire fuck off so that was fun.”
But for Moore Kismet, which means “more than fate,” music is just one part of the puzzle. Standing out, pushing boundaries and being a voice for the LGBTQ+ community is another important part of their identity. “For as long as I resonate with my identity, I will continue to do my best to be a voice for our community,” Moore Kismet admitted. They explained, “there are so many going on right now in this world that we need to focus on giving a platform to. One of those most pressing things is the continued threats of the full removal and outlawing of LGBTQ+ rights. It affects me, it affects a good chunk of my fans, and it will affect millions of people in the country who share this community with us.”
As for the music, Moore Kismet has unique production style and stage presence, which they explain as a “wild animal on stage. “They acknowledge it’s “because it gives me this unwavering sense of joy and energy that feels very emotionally freeing.” Furthermore, Moore Kismet adds “Over the years, I’ve drawn inspiration from so many different artists in so many different genres that it’s almost impossible to pinpoint a genre in or concoct some other form of label for my music.” Moore Kismet states, “I create music based on what I feel and what I’m inspired by in the moment. This correlates to how I choose sounds to work with, how I write melodies, how I mix songs, everything. Everything is influenced by inspiration. And I think I’ve gotten to a point in my career recently where I’m finding so many sources of hope for innovation and feeling in music that it just encourages me to keep pushing forward with my creations and to keep sharing my stories in the way I feel comfortable doing so.”
As for what is next, Moore Kismet notes, “I’m currently working on a fairly decent sized EP full of songs that lean predominantly on a reimagined concept of my heavy electronic sound that people originally discovered me from. It will more than likely drop early next year and serve as a buffer between UNIVERSE and my next album, which is also in the beginning stages of writing at the moment. This EP will have some songs that sound nothing like that heavier style people liked, but a lot of them were very nostalgic and freeing to write because I got to challenge myself to write something like what I’d used to when I was a little kid barely making it by in the industry, but now with more style and identity behind it.” Moore Kismet adds, “I can’t wait to share more details about it soon!!”
Moore Kismet new EP should be out soon, but for more information on them check out their website: www.moorekismet.com
Dîner en Blanc is a dinner party done the white way.
Thousands dressed head to toe — and in some cases Venetian mask to roller skates — in all white, congregated in a secret location disclosed the day of the event. This year, marking its tenth anniversary, the dinner happened to return to its inaugural setting, outside the Brookfield Plaza on the Hudson River.
Dîner en Blanc-ers brought picnic baskets full of fine dining and headed over to the location from designated drop points in Manhattan to arrive around 7 pm. Some rocked ornate designs, while some kept it simple. But what remained constant — white, white, white.
The feast kicked off with a ceremonial wave of the napkin. Gazing upon the view of the Hudson River one could see a sea of fluttering white napkins. There was live music, dancing and performers in elaborate futuristic garb putting on a show for patrons. In the media lounge, celebrity guest chef Todd English prepared an array of delicacies, including babaganoush, lobster rolls with caviar and wagyu beef. Champagne Barons de Rothschild was the evening’s champagne sponsor and provided the alcoholic beverages in the lounge.
Coming off a two year Covid hiatus and commemorating the tenth anniversary made the night extra festive. For co-founder and president Sandy Safi, it made sense to bring the event back to whence it came. “We were looking for an iconic place in New York. And its the tenth anniversary,” she said. “New York is what started ever hitting globally. What better place to come back to come back to the place it all started. The first time we were here we were less than 1,000. Now we’re over 4,000. We’ve grown to 120 cities around the world. We built a global community of people who travel to city to city and love to do this.”
After taking two years off due to the pandemic Chef English was glad to come back for his fourth. “We realize we are gregarious animals and we need to go out and socialize,” he said of Diner en Blanc’s return. “I love Diner en Blanc, it’s a global organization that brings people of all walks of life and cultures together in a peaceful and celebratory manner, and exemplifies that food is our greatest democracy.”
Hudson Yards is now home to New York City’s newest entertainment venue. And not only that, but the midnight theater will also be home to Mastercard’s new Innovative Multisensory Experiences, and the very first home at that. The beautiful 160-seat theater has a cozy, art deco feel that will make audience members feel like theyre floating as they enjoy the music and shows that the venue has to offer.
“After over 20 years of creating film, TV and digital content, I’m thrilled for Dolphin to make its first foray into a brick-and-mortar, live entertainment venue with the debut of our major investment, Midnight Theatre,” CEO Bill O’Dowd said. “We couldn’t have a more creative and hardworking partner than Warren Adcock, who along with partner Josh Cohen has driven the vision and will steer the innovation of this magnificent space, bringing premium and discoverable talent to our state-of-the-art theater. And with Mastercard as our powerful partner, helping us create even more unforgettable experiences, we truly believe that NYC will be more exciting, more glamorous, and more delicious with the addition of Midnight Theatre to its landscape.”
The concept came from Creative Director Warren Adcock to be a unique home setting for talent in all genres of music, magic, theater and performance art. Mastercard holders will have special opportunities to unlock exclusive experiences.
To celebrate the exciting opening, Holly James (Moulin Rouge, Hamilton, American Psycho, Porgy and Bess), Olutayo Bosede (Moulin Rouge, The Wiz LIVE, West Side Story), Ericka Hunter (Moulin Rouge, Miss Saigon, American Psycho, Rock of Ages), and Jin Ha (Hamilton, M. Butterfly) put on a beautiful array of songs, directed by Keiji Ishiguri (Rent, 54 Sings Series).
It was an exciting night full of laughs and stories alongside the music, as the four immensely talented performers have all known each other for years, hence the title of the show. The stars shined in performances of Hamilton’s Burn and many other mashups.
Hear all about the Midnight Theater here!
Are celebs just like you and me when it comes to pandemic travel? We caught up with a few you may know — and others you may not have heard of — to hear their travel tales.
Jacques Torres, celebrity pastry chef
I went to Bandon, a city between Toulon and Marseilles in Provence for five weeks in 2021. I grew up there. It’s famous for wine. I went to the beach. I enjoy the south of France for wineries and tastings. I felt safe traveling because this is a house I own.
Photo Courtesy of Facebook
Ben Johns, pro-pickleball player
No international travel. We go all around the US for tournaments. We don’t vacation. We just play pickleball. Even in 2021, there were full crowds. In July of last year, I played pickleball in Hawaii. October 2021, Las Vegas. I did go to Ecuador, but not too recently. I own a pickleball vacation company called Pickleball Getaways.
NOTE: Johns and his business partner, pro-pickleball player, Dekel Bar, have led trips to destinations including Riviera Maya, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and Richmond, British Columbia.
Photo Courtesy of Facebook
Collin Johns, pro-pickleball player
A lot of times the pickleball tournaments are in locations where there are vacations. The PPA Masters November 2021 in La Quinta, California was like a hotel. It’s a nice area — essentially like a vacation. I go on all of the same tours as Ben. In the height of Covid-19, they were shut down for a couple of months, and there were travel restrictions.
Photo by Laurie Heifetz
Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada, artist
I did a trip from Barcelona to New York. We were in lockdown in Barcelona in the middle of the pandemic when no one was flying — May of 2020. I did an homage piece next to the Queens Museum to a Latino doctor who passed away. That flight was bizarre. It was a huge plane with two passengers. There was no food in the airport. The reason why the plane was larger was that it was used for cargo. It was filled with cars on the bottom floor!
Photo by Laurie Heifetz
Jet Tila, celebrity chef (“Food Network”)
I took my family to Hawaii in the height of Omicron, November/December of 2021. We were on the island of Oahu, which I love. We based ourselves at the Disney Resort, but we’d take day excursions. One callout excursion families need to know is Kamoauli, a 100-year old wooden canoe from Tonga staffed with teachers and native experts who tell the history. Basically, you’re whale watching, while they’re preparing native foods and teaching native history. It’s like a luau in a boat!
Photo by Laurie Heifetz
Photo by Pat Lambert
Deana Martin, singer-actor
My trip to Toronto last year was fantastic! I had light drinks — “sippy-poos,” as my dad would say — on the plane because you didn’t have to have your mask on. I did a debut of the documentary, “Dean Martin, King of Cool,” and won the IItalian Contemporary Film Festival (ICFF) Excellence Award. It was one of those experiences where you go to this party and this press conference. We had excellent meals in Toronto.
Interviewed in NYC at: “Taste of the Upper West Side”; “Live with Kelly & Ryan”; “The Hug” statue unveiling for me2music.org’s “Monumental Moments” at Lincoln Center; CAMP’s flagship store Visit California media event; and Frank Sinatra’s birthday party at Patsy’s Italian Restaurant.
The interviews have been condensed and edited for clarity.
R and R stands for rest and relaxation. RRR stands for anything but.
RRR (Rise, Roar, Revolt) is a three hour Telegu language epic about India’s fight for independence against the British, replete with over the top gun battles, spontaneous dance-offs, CG rendered wild animal attacks and no shortage of gratuitous TNT explosions.
The film is a sensation, standing at the third highest grossing film in India ever. It’s also found quite a bit of success overseas.
Director S.S. Rajamouli sat down for a Q & A after a screening of his film at the IFC Center in lower Manhattan. On whether he expected the film to be such a success across the globe, the director said, “Absolutely not. I never thought I’d appeal to the sensibilities of the West.” But the universal themes clearly tap in to a broad audience. He said, “Any creator will agree: a good story is a good story across the globe for any race, any language, for any people.”
Rajamouli wrote the film with his father, V. Vijayendra Prasad, another commercially successful Tollywood director. Rajamouli cut his teeth in film by working as an assistant in the editing room on his father’s films. Rajamouli said that his father spurred him on to make his latest film. “Initially I was doing nothing,” he said. “He was constantly nagging me.”
After relenting to his dad’s nagging, the next step in the creative process was forming the film’s iconic images. The film is full of striking images: a tandem shoulder riding gunfight, a flurry of disparate wild animals escaping from a cage, a man draped in an Indian flag as he barrels through a raging fire to save a little boy.
“The iconic images come first even before the story,” he said. He had the basic idea for the film down at the beginning: “Let’s get these two freedom fighters together. Initially they would be against each other, then they would come together against a common enemy. That was the basic line. Then it would come into discussion with my father. Then I look for iconic images for scenes. I tried to figure out what iconic images would tell this story and build the scene towards it.”
RRR is in theaters and available for streaming on Netflix.
On September 14th, The Knockturnal attended the red carpet premiere for Filmrise’s “MVP,” hosted by AMC at The Grove. The film centers around a homeless veteran and newly retired NFL player who are both struggling to find a sense of purpose in the aftermath of their professions. The two come together to create a supportive community for athletes and veterans alike, united over the difficulties of starting a new life post-uniform.
Prior to the screening, The Knockturnal spoke with cast member John G.K. Washington and director/star Nate Boyer on the red carpet:
Other notable stars in attendance included Mo McRae, Jay Glazer, Tom Arnold, Christina Ochoa, and Jarrod Bunch, along with guests Jon Bernthal, Stephen Amell, Emmanuel Acho, Frankie Loyal, Isaac Bruce, Frank Shamrock, Terrence Mann, Mauro Ranallo, Jennifer Muñoz, Ashley Guarrasi, Paul de Gelder, and Danielle MacDonald.
MVP the film was inspired by the real-life origin story of the nonprofit organization Merging Vets & Players (MVP), which was founded by Nate Boyer and Jay Glazer to unite veterans and former professional athletes to find common ground and strength in powerful bonds.
Following the screening, host of NFL Total Access MJ Acosta-Ruiz moderated a Q&A with the cast.