“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

How many times this week have you heard people (be it in the media or around your office) say, “Farrah Fawcett upstaged Ed McMahon’s death, then Michael Jackson upstaged Farrah’s death”. I mean…what?!? Am I crazy or does this sound preposterous. I get how huge a story the Michael Jackson drug overdose is…and the unexpected demise takes over the media coverage. But to say that one person’s death upstages another is such disrespectful nonsense. And one that annoys the shit out of me. First of all, when people “upstage” it’s most likely intentional. Just ask Hollywood legend, Bette Davis who… Read More »

Just about everyone on Earth has been affected by Michael Jackson…somehow. Whether it’s your fondest musical memories, your endless, desperate, unsuccessful attempts to do the “moonwalk”, singing songs from Thriller in the shower to test your vocal chops or dancing in the mirror, alone in your room, grabbing your crotch. Michael Jackson is there, in your system, in your heart, and surely everywhere in the pop culture vernacular. We all adored him until we began to despise him. Reading all the reports, headlines, glowing life stories, endless news coverage of the late, great King of Pop, I could not help… Read More »

You can call me a lot of things, but a prude is not one of them. Though this week, having had an earful of utter nonsense regarding these middle-aged, Republican men and their illicit sex romps, I may come off a bit puritanical. Excuse me for acting all Queen Victoria, but I do not need to have the visuals of Mark Sanford, Silvio Berlusconi or John Ensign…naked with some hooker…dancing in my head. And with the amount of attention to these guys have received, it’s there, stuck in my head, and I need to get them out. All the Manzie’s… Read More »

Earlier in the week I did a report on the Milan Men’s Shows an noticed a burgeoning trend that I lovingly call the “Season of the Manzie”. Now, maybe I need to clarify here. A Man-zie is not like a Dandy, nor is it like a Pansy, hence the revised spelling. In my book, a Pansy doesn’t necessarily need to dress effeminately in order to be called a Pansy by a bunch of blokes. On the contrary. They just need to have a sisssing “S” in their speech or run with their arms flailing or become cheerleaders. A Dandy on… Read More »

Several weeks ago, I noticed a trend in men’s fashion that goes beyond metrosexual (a.k.a. frigid bi-curious), which was screaming out for its own moniker…hence…Man-zies. Man-zies are categorically “quirky”, which in men, is never a good thing. From the “quirky man-hat” to overly printed shorts to neckie scarves worn for no reason, like in warm weather, the Man-zie can be seen everywhere these days. It’s the evolution of the men’s fashion industry, I guess, but somehow, even on the runway, it doesn’t work. As the Milan Men’s Shows are in full bloom, one couldn’t help noticing that there was a… Read More »

What is The I Mean…What?! Clinking Clanking Clattering Collection Of Collagenous Junk News, you ask? What else,  a recap of this week’s “not really” news as told through images. You can also call it, the Hodge Podge Lodge News and for the sake of levity and brevity, the “This Is News News?” So, without any further ado and no particular order of relevance or irrelevance:… Read More »

Today I am taking the day off from cracking jokes or making fun of anyone. My heart is heavy for the people of Iran. Today they need my–and all of our–support…at least in spirit. I wrote earlier this week about how I felt their pain as they took to the streets demanding their voices be heard. Well, they have been heard, but sadly, that will not change their lives as they live in a dictatorship. Sure, the politics of their government do not reflect mine, but nor does it reflect theirs. Today, I stand in solidarity with the people of… Read More »

No matter what is happening on the world stage, here in the United States, we always manage to drum up and incredibly unimportant story that effects very few people, but somehow becomes front page news…a.k.a. fodder for the tabloids. In a world where innocent people are being slaughtered, human rights negated, children being trafficked and wars abound, Katie Lee Joel and Yigal Azrouel managed to become a big story in the daily rags and naturally, I couldn’t resist such a riveting headline. Who could? Where shall I start.… Read More »

This week, it seems like living in Tehran would be a bit more interesting than in New York City. As an ex-hippie leftover, who took to the streets for any cause back in the 1970’s, clad in frayed Landlubber, orange-stitched, bell-bottom jeans, tie-dyed T-shirts and Nehru jackets, we were strong, we were invincible, we were…well…you know how the song goes. The backlash against Mamoud Ahmadinejad has struck a chord deep in the hearts and minds of the Iranian people, many within the youth culture and somehow, I had a pang of jealousy, because they were…out in force…in the streets…screaming for… Read More »

In case you have been living under a rock in New York City, then you will surely know that the long-awaited High Line opened its pearly gates this week…after much toiling and trepidation. Finally, you can stroll down this lovely patch of whatever it is, that stretches from the Meatpacking District to Far West Chelsea. This, naturally, suits me just fine as I live on one end and have a client on the other. It’s as though they built this little walk-way just for me. And a stunning patch of thing it is….at night it’s amazing. Thank you New York… Read More »