This weekend New York City was dazzled with one of the most incredible outdoor events in recent memory.
What made Taste of the Upper West Side so unique was the dazzling mixture of amazing food and drink mixed with the people who were ready to come together to celebrate life.
There was nothing but smiles at the two-day festival that kicked off with Grillin’ in the City on Friday night that featured delights such as Cocido Madrileno con Chistorras from Bodega 88, Easy Peel Shrimp from Shacking Crab, Pull Apart Bread with Honey Butter from Maison Pickle, and Janie’s Life Changing Baked Goods. Guests at the open-air soiree chowed down and toasted during a lively musical set with toasts from wine such as Lifevine and cocktails from Joannie Walker.
Grillin’ in the City showcased over 20 popular Upper West Side restaurants and their favorite menu items. Whiskies of the World joined in on the grand fun with samplings from various whiskies from near and far. From Kentucky bourbon or a great scotch from Scotland, the extra bonus from brands like Balcones, Copper Dog, Uncle Nearest, Westward was a huge hit Also making a debut was the first-ever Biergarten in honor of Oktoberfest featuring a variety of fall sips and beer inspired cocktails curated by neighborhood favorites Tiki Chick and Nobody Told Me.
The weekend was presented by American Airlines® and Mastercard® and was hosted by The Columbus Avenue Business Improvement District, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Taste of the Upper West Side in its 13th year is a much beloved neighborhood event that showcases the significance and scope of the Upper West Side’s culinary community. It attracts about 3,500 guests over two nights. Over 80+ chefs from the district’s best restaurants serve tastings of their signature dishes.
The annual fundraising food event that brings together the Upper West Side’s most sought-after eateries with unlimited wine, spirits and great music was truly the perfect autumn night.
Photos Courtesy Taste of the Upper West Side
G.H. Harding
MADONNA AT THE VMAs — 42 years ago Lady M first appeared on the VMAs and her opening appearance Sunday night was definitely something to see, but I have to admit, it felt to me very, very dated. Almost like I had seen it before. Also, the song they performed, “Bring Your Love,” sounded liked a bastard version of maybe her biggest hit “Vogue.” The segment which seemed to morph into a washroom seem out of place too. Was it a winner?
Then with Charlie XCX and Sabrina Carpenter joining her, the song tuned to “Dancetreia Afterhours.” Again, somewhat dated.
Fox News called that opening number a showstopper. Really?
Per Deadline: The MTV Video Music Awards may not have the same meaning as it did in the 1990s but it’s clear that this year’s event had more juice than in a number of years. Per Nielsen’s fast nationals, the ceremony hit an 11-year high and was up over 50% over the numbers from last year.
For a spirited take on the show, check out this from Hollywood Reporter andVariety
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/music/music-news/2026-mtv-vmas-best-moments-1236713378/
BEAT STREET RETURNS — Beat Street was a film from 1984; Harry Belafonte was involved an mega-producer Arthur Baker did the music. Poised to return to Broadway, the original film was produced by Belafonte and David V. Picker, with music by Belafonte and Baker, story by Steven Hager, screenplay by Andrew Davis, David Gilbert & Paul Golding, and directed by Stan Lathan,
Beat Street starred Rae Dawn Chong, Gus Davis, and Jon Chardiet.
The film was a culmination of early-rap music, from Afrika Bambaataa to The Soul Sonic Force. Indie labels such as Tommy Boy; Prelude; Profile; Next Plateau; West End; Emergency; and Buddah had broken through like never before.
The film was a so-so hit; more historical than anything else. A fresh take may be the answer. Read via Deadline:
https://deadline.com/2026/09/beat-street-broadway-nas-creative-team-1237116101/
SHORT TAKES — Micky Dolenz, whose new EP Timeless is a critical hit, speaks to Ken Sharp for Rock Cellar Magazine this week …
Tiffany and Bobby Shaw (Facebook)
SIGHTING: NY-promo man Bobby Shaw at Tiffany’s last Spandex performance in NYC …
As expected, Tom Cruise’s Digger -opening this week- has scored reviews from positive to negative. I loved Birdman,but director Alejandro G. Inarritu, is one not to ever second guess. Right now, it’s a dead even 50% split. The always-scintillating Pete Hammond from Deadline had one great review, check it out here: https://deadline.com/2026/09/digger-review-tom-cruise-movie-1237115519/…
Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen and his father Martin Sheen are back playing father and son for the first time in over a decade. The duo is headlining Happy Jack, a comedy series for AMC. The half-hour family comedy has been greenlit for six episodes and will start production at Warner Bros. Studios, in the studio where Friends was filmed, for a 2027 launch. The pair have portrayed on screen father and son in a number of movies and series, most recently on Anger Management, the sitcom that premiered on FX in 2012, and most famously in Wall Street … In the new trailer for Netflix, The One About Matthew Perry, the late Friends star reflects on his TV success and the toll it took. In a voiceover early in the clip, Perry says, “I said God, you can do anything you want to me just please make me famous.” When fame arrived, Perry reflected, “God did not forget the other part.” take a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iM1AOFxoDI … Happy Bday Elizabeth Neff and Chuck Taylor!
NAMES IN THE NEWS — Rusty Cutchin; Phil DiMauro; Mike Sigman; Tom & Lisa Cuddy; Race Taylor; Ross Zappin; David Adelson; Lee Jeske; Pete Townshend; Vince Aletti; Bob Siegal; Michael Musto; Don Wardell; Arthur Bell; Roger Friedman; Denny O’Connor; Phil Goldstein; Marty Ostrow; Lorylace; Kevin Mazur; Chuck Pulin; Bob Gruen; Ebet Roberts; Andy Greene; Abby Rose; and ZIGGY!
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During Climate Week NYC, New York is awash in conversations about saving the planet. There are panels and pledges, statistics and speeches, dire predictions and ambitious promises. But at the heart of The Footprint of Life Gala, held September 24 at CORE Club, was a considerably more personal question: What are you going to leave behind?
Hosted by Green Vision Foundation co-founders Amy Green and Gary Green, the annual black-tie evening brought together environmentalists, philanthropists, athletes, scientists, business leaders, artists and advocates around the idea that influence carries responsibility. We all leave a footprint. The question is whether that footprint simply records where we have been or actually improves what remains after us.
That distinction gave the evening its purpose. The Footprint of Life was created to harness the collective power of its guests to protect the planet, transform lives and create a lasting legacy for generations to come. This year, its focus expanded the conversation by bringing together sport, philanthropy and global leadership—not as separate worlds, but as forces capable of moving people in ways institutions alone often cannot.
Amy Green
Adam Mett, Amy Green
The evening honored Adam Met, founder and executive director of Planet Reimagined, whose rather unusual résumé makes perfect sense in this context. Musician, educator and climate advocate, Met has taken the reach afforded him by one world and applied it to another. Through Planet Reimagined, he has brought researchers, advocates, policymakers and partners together with the goal of moving climate ideas beyond conversation and into scalable, actionable solutions.
The second honoree came from an entirely different arena. Legendary big-wave surfer Garrett McNamara was recognized for using sport as a force for change, accepting the honor on behalf of Laureus Sport for Good. As a Laureus Ambassador, McNamara represents an organization built around the premise that sport can be far more consequential than competition. Laureus works with children and young people around the world, using sport to help overcome violence, discrimination and disadvantage.
That partnership also made an intriguing point about environmentalism. We tend to separate issues into convenient categories—climate over here, poverty over there, education somewhere else, human rights in another room entirely. Real life isn’t nearly so tidy. Environmental degradation affects communities. Poverty affects opportunity. The health of oceans affects livelihoods. The future of children cannot really be separated from the future of the world they will inherit. The Footprint of Life placed those connections at the center of the evening rather than treating conservation as an isolated cause.
“The Footprint of Life is about recognizing that every one of us leaves an impact—and deciding together what we want that impact to be,” Amy Green told guests. “By bringing extraordinary people into one room, we had an opportunity to turn conversation into collaboration and individual influence into collective action. This evening was ultimately about the world we leave behind and the lives we have the power to change now.”
And it was quite a room.
Among those gathering for the black-tie dinner was legendary oceanographer and Mission Blue founder Dr. Sylvia Earle, whose presence alone provided a living connection to decades of ocean conservation. She was joined by philanthropist and Giving Back Foundation founder Meera Gandhi, television personality Melissa Gorga, former New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Lava for Good founder and CEO Jason Flom, Bank of America Executive Vice Chair Julian Mylchreest, MLB All-Star Joey Votto, former NBA player and coach M.L. Carr, and human-rights advocate Ilwad Elman.
my Green
Amy Green
Fashion and design were represented by Alejandra Alonso Rojas, Andrew Kwon and Nicole Fuller, while actor and filmmaker Randall Batinkoff, environmental justice advocate Saad Amer, We The Planet founder Kunal Sood, real estate developer and entrepreneur Tony Cho, and Laureus U.S. Ambassador Kely Nascimento were among the evening’s other guests.
It made for the kind of eclectic guest list that could only really happen in New York: oceanographers beside athletes, fashion designers beside human-rights activists, financiers beside environmentalists. Yet that was precisely the point. Solving enormous problems requires people who don’t normally inhabit the same rooms to begin talking to one another.
There is always a danger with galas devoted to serious causes that the glamour overwhelms the reason everyone has gathered. Champagne is considerably easier than climate change. A beautiful dinner is easier than conservation. A photograph beside a step-and-repeat is certainly easier than changing the way we live.
But glamour and purpose don’t have to be enemies. A room filled with people who possess money, visibility, expertise, access or influence is also a room filled with resources. The real measure comes afterward: what happens when everyone goes home?
The Footprint of Life is built around that question. Not whether we leave a footprint—we have no choice about that—but what kind of footprint it will be.
Because legacy isn’t ultimately what we say we cared about.
It is what is different because we were here.
The Footprint of Life was presented in partnership with Laureus Sport for Good and supported by Cerity Partners, The Twenty Five, Privé and Worth Magazine.
Entertainment
Rockers On Broadway: 33 Years of Making a Difference Through Music, Honoring Living Colour’s Corey Glover & Financial Leader Jeff Gerson
G.H. Harding
The PATH FUND Inc. will present the 33rd annual Rockers On Broadway® at Sony Hall. Celebrating 33 years of uniting music and philanthropy, this milestone event features an all-genre concert experience in support of arts education. From high-octane rock classics to infectious pop and country hits, Broadway performers and music icons will come together to reinvent the songs that shaped our lives.
The evening will honor Corey Glover (Living Colour) with the Rock Legend Award and wealth management leader Jeff Gerson as the Ambassador of Rock, with all proceeds directly benefiting arts education programs.
Corey Glover will be presented with the Rock Legend Award. As the powerhouse lead vocalist of the Grammy Award–winning rock band Living Colour, Glover redefined modern rock with his raw, explosive vocals. Beyond his rock career, Glover has a rich background in musical theatre, notably touring as Judas Iscariot in Jesus Christ Superstar. His enduring influence, versatility, and iconic vocal power make him a standout recipient of this honor.
Financial services leader and philanthropist Jeff Gerson will be honored as this year’s Ambassador of Rock. A loyal supporter of The PATH Fund for over a decade, Gerson serves as Managing Director, Family Wealth Director, Senior Sports and Entertainment Director, and Senior Strategic Advisor for the GGM Wealth Management Group at Morgan Stanley. Raised by an actress and singer, Gerson has maintained a lifelong passion for music as a guitarist and vocalist. His commitment to music education includes serving 12 years on the Board of Trustees for the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, funding the Nicole and Jeffrey Gerson Recording Studio for underserved students, and providing scholarships for young musicians.
The concert will feature heartfelt musical tributes celebrating the extraordinary legacies of Dolly Parton, Tim Curry, and Duncan Sheik. Special guests include three-time Tony nominee Terrence Mann (The Great Gatsby, Pippin, Beauty and the Beast, Les Misérables). Artist Lisa Lisa and Toni Menage (Lifetime Movie Can You Feel the Beat? The Lisa Lisa Story streaming on Netflix) In addition, Major League Baseball star Cole Tucker will take over the drum kit for a special guest performance.
Starring in this powerhouse lineup are Broadway favorites including two-time Tony winner Michael Cerveris (Fun Home, Assassins), Bradley Dean (Chess, Galileo), Brian Charles Johnson (Spring Awakening, American Idiot), Donnie Kehr (Jersey Boys, The Who’s Tommy, Billy Elliot), Pomme Koch (The Band’s Visit), Lauren ‘Lolo’ Pritchard (Spring Awakening), Ryann Redmond (Frozen, Bring It On, Once Upon A One More Time), and Bligh Voth (Jagged Little Pill, The Band’s Visit), alongside emerging talent from Rockers On The Rise. Together, they promise an electrifying lineup bridging Broadway and rock for an unforgettable cause.
Bridging art and civic engagement, Rockers On Broadway is also partnering with Rock The Vote to raise awareness and remind concertgoers to make their voices heard at the polls on Election Day.
Rockers On Broadway: 33 is presented with generous support from sponsors including The Schoch Foundation and Paramount Hotel (Generator). Tickets are on sale now.
“Thirty-three years in, ‘Rockers’ concerts continue to bridge genres, generations, and communities,” says Donnie Kehr, creator of Rockers On Broadway and co-founder of The PATH Fund. “From rock to pop to country, this year’s show is going to blow the roof off Sony Hall, all while funding essential arts programs for our youth.”
“Every year, the energy in the room reminds us why we do this,” adds Cori Gardner, co-founder and Executive Director of The PATH Fund, Inc. “Every ticket sold directly empowers young artists, giving them the tools and confidence to find their own artistic path.”
More Information & Tickets: www.thepathfund.com – www.rockersonbroadway.com
The Palm Springs Plaza Theatre came alive on August 23, 2026, when CV Classical Voices brought its unique combination of opera, Broadway, and choral music to this historic venue. The evening was filled with beautiful singing, theatrical flair, and the kind of energy that made it clear that this was a performance designed to “pull out all the stops.”
Out filed the two dozen CV Classical Voices singers in their evening gowns and tuxedos, with the razzle-dazzle of Bob Mackie, with just a bit of Elton John and Liberace thrown in for good measure. As they burst into their opening number, “It’s a Grand Night for Singing,” the company immediately raised the roof of the Plaza Theatre.
The Plaza Theatre has a very rich and storied past. It opened in 1936 with the world premiere of the film Camille, starring Greta Garbo. Whether Garbo herself attended the premiere is shrouded in mystery. My friend Foster Hirsch, a major film historian and an authority on Garbo, believes that Garbo was allowed to enter quietly in the dark as the film began, and she slipped out a side door in the dark at the end of the film.
In any case, the opening of the film and the Plaza Theatre was a huge event, with over 40 limousines from Hollywood dropping off stars to walk the red carpet. Attendees included Jimmy Stewart, Barbara Stanwyck, Lionel Barrymore, Ralph Bellamy, Shirley Temple, Buster Keaton, Frank Capra, and Robert Taylor, among many others.
Over the years, the Plaza Theatre had other major film premieres. The theatre also hosted a variety of live performances by a wide range of world-famous talent, including Sinatra’s Rat Pack and comedians such as Bob Hope, Jack Benny, and Edgar Bergen with Charlie McCarthy.
Perhaps the most famous show at the Plaza was the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, a vaudeville-style variety show created by Riff Markowitz. The Follies ran for more than 20 years, with major headliners including Donald O’Connor, Carol Lawrence, Phil Ford, Mimi Hines, John Davidson, Kaye Ballard, and many others.
Opera at the Plaza was perhaps considered a bit too highbrow. Doug Nagel, an opera singer and longtime educator who moved to Palm Springs some years ago after his teaching career, decided to change that.
Doug Nagel is a gentle giant of a man who clearly has an infectious love of singing. In founding CV Classical Voices, Doug assembled a marvelous range of singers from four generations who all shared a love of choral music. While Doug was most familiar with opera music, he decided that including great music from the best of Broadway would also work well.
The program at the Plaza included songs by Mozart, Strauss, Offenbach, and Verdi, but also Sondheim, Bernstein, and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Nagel has built a loyal following. Beginning with free concerts in senior centers, local schools, and churches, word quickly spread that the CV Classical Voices concerts were exceptional. The booking at the Plaza Theatre definitely raised the bar.
To fill this 700-seat venue off-season in the middle of August, with triple-digit temperatures outside, was no easy task. It was therefore heartwarming on this scorching-hot day to have the theatre packed to the rafters. When Nagel asked at one point how many in the audience were attending the Plaza Theatre for the first time, more than one hundred hands were raised.
Jenne Carey and Ashlyn Brown singing a duet from “Lakme”
Audience reactions to the full choral numbers, as well as the solos, duets, and quartets, were equally enthusiastic. Nagel conducted the six musicians seated downstage left. The orchestra and conductor were cleverly lit in silhouette, making them appear like a magical, life-sized music box.
When Nagel left his conductor’s chair to sing, his voice, like rolling thunder, made the audience well aware of his professional opera background.
Handsome projections on the back scrim announced each musical number. The program was well put together, with a wide variety of serious dramatic music alternating with comedic, novelty, and patter songs.
A personal favorite song was “Little Tin Box” from the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Fiorello!, a clever Bock and Harnick song about political corruption that could not be more timely. I had suggested the song to Doug Nagel, having sung it for the Theatre Guild years ago with Richard Kiley, Larry Kert, and Eli Wallach. The quartet that sang the song scored huge laughs and applause.
The program ended with the powerful choral number “Make Our Garden Grow” from the Broadway musical Candide. The audience not only gave a standing ovation but whistled, stomped, and cheered. Clearly, an encore was called for, and CV Classical Voices did not disappoint.
Standing in front of the stage, the full company sang “Va, Pensiero” from Verdi’s Nabucco. Once again, the singers “pulled out all the stops,” ending the program on a high note.
When the Plaza Theatre was being refurbished with over $34 million in donated funds, a promise was made to include in the programming not only national and international headliners but also to showcase the amazing local talent pool.
With bookings of local arts groups including Modern Men, the Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus, the Musical Theatre University, and CV Classical Voices, the Plaza has made good on this promise, and it has been a win-win for all of Greater Palm Springs.
I am certain that CV Classical Voices will be playing the Plaza Theatre again, and like everyone in their audience on August 23, 2026, I hope it is sooner rather than later.
Photos courtesy of Tara Howard Photography.
October is proving that New York’s cabaret and concert scene has no intention of quietly settling into fall. A brand-new room, The Pocket, is opening its doors, adding another intimate venue to the city’s ever-evolving nightlife landscape, while 54 Below celebrates one of musical theatre’s most distinctive contemporary voices, Jason Robert Brown. Uptown, the 92nd Street Y brings star power with Michael Douglas and Patti LuPone, while Carnegie Hall has assembled an October that practically reads like a love letter to musical theatre and film: A Celebration of Rodgers & Hart, the October 18 Falsettos 10th Anniversary Concert, and, on October 23, The New York Pops going gloriously cinematic with 007: James Bond Forever. From a new club finding its voice to Broadway royalty and one of the world’s grandest concert halls revisiting some of the music that helped define American entertainment, this is one of those months when staying home seems like an exceptionally bad idea.
54 Below: 254 West 54 St. 10/5: The New York Pops Underground with Deborah Cox; 10/6: Ali Ewoldt: When You Wish Upon a Star, feat. Jose Llana & more!; 10/7: Bells Are Ringing 70th Anniversary Concert; 10/19: BSC>NYC honoring Jason Robert Brown; 10/20 – 21 and 23 – 25: John Lloyd Young: Songs from the Road; 10/22: Jenn Colella; and 10/27 – 31: Christine Ebersole with Billy Stritch
Jason Robert Brown
92 Street Y: 1395 Lexington Ave. 10/1: Patti LuPone: A Life in Notes; 10/1: Bill Ritter, David Hyde Pierce, Dr. Scott Small, and Allison Gilbert on Alzheimer’s, Caregiving, and the Power of Community; 10/6: Michael Douglas in Conversation: One Helluva Ride; 10/8: Shark Tank Stars and Showrunner in Conversation: Season 18 Highlights Screening and Talkback; and 10/26: An Evening with Tituss Burgess
Patti LuPone
Birdland Jazz: 315 West 44 St. Every Monday Jim Caruso’s Cast party; Every Monday and Tuesday: Vince Giordano leads The Nighthawks; Every Sunday Gabrielle Stravelli Trio; 10/5: Amanda Green and Fantastic Friends; 10/12: Julie Halston and Jackie Hoffman Live Stream: 10/16 – 18: Carole J. Bufford; 10/19: Julie Benko Goes To The Movies and 10/26: Phillip Officer Sings Mabel Mercer Broadway Portfolio.
Julie Halston and Jackie Hoffman
Carnegie Hall: 881 7th Ave at 57th St. 10/5: Celebration of Rodgers and Hart; 10/18: Falsettos 10 Year Anniversary Concert and 10/23: The New York Pops 007: James Bond Forever
Chelsea Table & Stage: Hilton Fashion District Hotel, 152 W 26th St. 10/26: All the Things You Are: Love, Laughter, and Music of Jerome Kern.
.Dizzys Club Coca Cola: Frederick P. Rose Hall, Broadway at 60th Street. 10/2: Catherine Russell and Friends with Special Guest; 10/4: Songbook Sundays: Kander & Ebb with Karen Ziemba; 10/13: “Once In a Blue Moon” – A Tribute to Mabel Mercer presented by The Mabel Mercer Foundation; 10/14: “Sammy: All the Way & Then Some!” – The Songs of Sammy Davis, Jr. presented by the Mabel Mercer Foundation and 10/15: “With a Song in My Heart” – A Cornucopia of Entertainment presented by The Mabel Mercer Foundation
Karen Ziemba
Don’t Tell Mama: 343 W. 46 St. 10/10 and 25: Lucille Carr-Kaffashan: Breathe; 10/27: Steven Carl McCasland: Everybody Rise! and 10/29 Tanya Moberly: Repertoire With Mark Janas
Laurie Beechman Theatre: at the West Bank Café: 407 West 42 St. 10/ 5 -6: Jackie Hoffman; 10/9: Lorna Luft; 10/10: Andrea McArdle’s Broadway On Demand; 10/15: Lauren Marcus; 10/16: Lillias White Live At The Beechman and 10/30 -31: The Joe Iconis Haunted Halloween Special
Madame George: 45 West 45th: Broadway Night Mondays.
The Café Carlyle: 35 East 76 St. at Madison Ave. 9/29 – 10/3: Ariana DeBose; 10/20 -24: Patty Smyth at Café Carlyle and 27 – 29: St. Vincent at Café Carlyle.
The Cutting Room: 44 East 32nd St.
The DJango: 2 Avenue of the Americas. 10/16: Jason Tiemann Quinetet and 10/24 Lee Taylor.
The Green Room 42: 570 Tenth Ave 4th Floor inside Yotel Hotel. 10/13 and 27: The Lineup With Susie Mosher.
The Iridium: 1650 Broadway. 8/29: Papa Chubby
The Pierre Hotel, Two E Bar & Lounge: 2 E 61st St.
The Pocket:130 West 36th St. Every Monday mingus big band; Every Tuesday arturo o’farrill & the afro latin jazz orchestra
Sony Hall: 235 W 46th St. 10/11: Morgan James
The Triad: 158 W. 72 St. Street.
The Town Hall: 123 W. 43 St. 10/30: The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Original Cast Spooktacular Tour
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