Entertainment
Project Grand Slam’s Yellow Submarine
Acclaimed bassist and leader of Project Grand Slam, Robert Miller, has ventured head-long into Beatles territory with his re-imagining of The Beatles’ “I Wanna Be Your Man” on Project Grand Slam’s new album, East Side Sessions.
Miller said: “One of my musical signatures is to take an iconic song from the 1960’s and ‘reimagine’ it in PGS’s style. I’ve done this now with Hendrix, Cream, The Who and The Kinks. Obviously, The Beatles are like Mount Everest in this regard. You simply cannot improve on any of their songs.”
He added: “But I always felt that ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’ is among the most interesting Beatles songs – recorded first by The Rolling Stones and then by The Fab Four with Ringo singing. I not only changed the feel but rewrote the name and some of the lyrics in order to give it a feminine spin for Marilyn Castillo, our singer. Done of course with the greatest respect.”
Today, Miller drops a video for the song, which is totally animated and features … a yellow submarine. There’s also a purple octopus too. Adds Miller, “I wanted to have fun with the video, so I told our video guy, Aaron Wilhelm, to give it a “Yellow Submarine” spin. And I asked Aaron to include some Beatles footage in there so younger listeners would get the Beatles connection.”
The video follows on the heels of another PGS video, “The Pardners,” which debuted last month and was noted for its unique spaghetti-western motif. https://www.projectgrandslam.com/
On Sunday look for a brand new charcuterie of Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford in Sweeney Todd.. I loved the new production, and it’s two leads.
G.H. Harding
FAMILY’S A BITCH-THE END OF SUCCESSION — Sunday’s finale of Succession (HBO) was a mixed bag. I’ll be honest: At first I thought the finale was totally underwhelming, but after some additional thought and reading some other excellent reviews, I’ve come to the point where I now believe it was, pure and simple, how it had to end.
Joss Stone
None more so than Joss Stone on “I Put A Spell On You.” What a voice. I’m amazed she’s not bigger; very Janis Joplin.
Gary Clark
Also, Gary Clark delivered a blistering, amazing performance on Stevie Wonder’s “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers.” No question that he’s the next guitar-wizard. Here they both are: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvO2_noxaXQ and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO2BLAXveVo …
The Flash
I watched all 9 seasons of the CW’s The Flash and the first 5 were pretty terrific. The remaining ones got poorer and poorer as the original cast disappeared one by one. Grant Gustin, The Flash, was there the whole time, but their finale last week was terribly confusing – save for a song by Tony Award winner Jesse L. Martin (for Rent) – a key member of the original cast. The last two seasons had a myriad of costumed villains, some from the comic, some not, but just wildly messed up. The CW was sold to Nexstar last year and big changes are in their future. Sad … and, CNN is reporting that Universal Music is close to snapping up the rights to the Queen-catalog for $1 billion-plus. Good for them.
Queen
Disney had it previously, but Queen’s music is more popular than ever before. It’s a real shame Freddie is not her to share in it. If you wondered the record for the biggest previously was for Bruce Springsteen’s catalog at $500 million.
We love the nightlife!
Frederick Anderson Resort 2024 Fashion Show Featuring Natasha Bedingfield at Nebula in New York, NY on May 24, 2023. (Photo by David Warren /Sipa USA)
The thrill of old-school New York City energy came out swinging in a glorious way last week during Frederick Anderson’s 2024 Resort collection presentation.
Frederick Anderson Resort 2024 Fashion Show Featuring Natasha Bedingfield at Nebula in New York, NY on May 24, 2023 with Nicole Miller and Mayor Eric Adams. (Photo by David Warren /Sipa USA)
On May 24, pop sensation Natasha Bedingfield opened up the beautiful runway at the fantastic hotspot Nebula in Midtown Manhattan. Wearing a bold crochet dress by the designer, the music matched her luxurious look and set the tone for an electric night.
Frederick Anderson and Natasha Bedingfield at Frederick Anderson Resort 2024 Fashion Show Featuring Natasha Bedingfield at Nebula in New York, NY on May 24, 2023. (Photo by David Warren /SipaUSA)
The 33-look collection was seen by a chic and notable group of uptown clients and downtown personalities including Mayor Eric Adams, Nebula owner Richie Romero, Nicole Miller, Peter Som, Young Paris, Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin and Janna Bullock amongst well-heeled crowd.
Photos by David Warren
It was not so many moons ago that online payments on major eCommerce were either by debit or credit card. Plenty of people had a PayPal account, but this was primarily used for peer-to-peer transactions or to buy goods won at auction on eBay. Card transactions needed the user to undergo an additional verification step to prove they were the cardholder, but it was all a relatively unsophisticated system.
PayPal had been created as a stand-alone company at the dawn of the dotcom boom and had been a wholly owned subsidiary of eBay in 2002. However, in 2015 eBay spun off PayPal, and while the companies retained close working ties, both companies were free to find new partners.
For eBay, this meant they could offer customers the chance to complete purchases using new digital payment providers. As a result, PayPal became an option at major online checkouts, from high street stores to travel agents and online casinos. People liked using PayPal as it was quick, easy, and secure; their email address was all they needed to remember.
While PayPal might have been the original fintech company, by the time eBay sold it, there were other operators in the space. For example, Apple launched its digital wallet, ApplePay, in 2014. At the time, for most people, it was just an app that came with the latest phone, but most people carried on using their plastic cards. Google first introduced a digital payment service in 2013 and their Google Wallet in 2018. The Google Pay app, which is now installed on millions of Android phones, was introduced in 2020.
Increasing numbers of people now use fintech solutions when making online payments. Fintech comes in many guises but essentially refers to the use of technology to change our relationship with financial products and services. For example, Starling is an internet-based bank that is accessed via an app on mobile phones. While Internet banking had been around for a considerable time when it launched, the process was slow and cumbersome and required users to verify their identity through a card reader. Starling’s app enabled customers to make payments directly without needing a reader and notified them of all transactions in and out of their accounts. The central banks now offer a similar service through their apps, and we accept this as standard.
With all the advances in internet banking, eWallets, and digital payments, having access to a bank account is not even a requirement anymore in order to make online payments. This is where a service like Boku comes into its own.
Boku is a mobile processing system that allows customers to buy digital goods and services without a bank account. The services are charged to their mobile phone bill; no credit card or bank account is needed. It is a convenient and popular payment method for online content, including games and entertainment. There are even an increasing number of online casinos that accept Boku, like NetBet and MrQ. Players just need their mobile number to use the service and do not need to download a specific app or anything.
Another enormous revolution in how we pay online is the growth in Buy Now Pay Later services. Klarna was the name that brought this way of paying to our attention. However, there are multiple operators now in this market, including PayPal Pay in 4 and ApplePay Later. In 2022 more than seventeen million people had used BNPL services. It is particularly popular with 18–34-year-olds, where sixteen percent of this age group uses this payment method.
The use of BNPL in the UK and worldwide in general is on the increase, as can be seen when comparing year-on-year figures. For example, the figure from 2022 was almost double 2021’s eight million people.
The same goes for the use of fintech apps. Fintech app installation was up two percent in 2022, and payment and banking apps account for more than ninety percent of those installs. If these numbers are any indication of the future of fintech, we should brace ourselves for even more groundbreaking innovation and changes to how we pay online.
Photo by Andre Taissin on Unsplash
Ailey comes to Times Square for a series of free outdoor dance classes led by Ailey Extension instructors and NYC dance artists. Classes are open to people of all ages and all levels of dance experience!. These dance workshops are presented by Ailey Extension and one will happen today June 2 at 5pm, Broadway & 46th St. The class is Broadway Jazz with Judine Somerville to register click here.
On Wednesday, June 7 at 6pm, at Broadway & 46th St LiveDance /Time: Study III with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company co-presented with New York Live Arts
Culminating its 40th Anniversary celebration, the world renowned Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company makes its Times Square debut with /Time: Study III. This piéce d’occasion, featuring the outstanding performers of the company and guest musicians, marks the third annual New York Live Arts presentation in Times Square.
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