Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Big (Bad) Apple Karma

There is so much that I love about New York. Really there is. But I’m beginning to think that the next time I visit, it must be for pleasure only or I risk being permanently disillusioned by the Big Apple.

As I write this, I’m sitting in the La Guardia airport, flight delayed yet again (on my way home!) It’s always soothing to know that your aircraft is having problems with the right engine and maintenance is on the way, meaning that your flight may or may not be cancelled. Or that it might take off after all – with a “repaired” system – at this moment, not really sure what’s worse.

Apologies again – I’ve yet to post some outstanding travelogues on several places. I have been documenting events as they happen, but am finding it hard to get all of my images together and edit my words and actually complete an official post. They are a comin' – as I relegate myself to bedrest for a day or two and get caught up (and reacquainted with Toronto).

Why bad karma?



The last time I was in NYC I was filming as part of an MTV Canada Diary on a Degrassi actress. I had hopped in the front seat of the cab and proceeded to film a bit of freeway signage on our way to Manhattan. When we got to the tunnel to Manhattan, I was in the process of putting my camera away when the car was SWARMED with security guards screaming at me, the cab driver and my sister (aka my P.A.) in unison. They berated me, interrogated me, took the camera and made me play back my footage, screamed at the driver and fined him for letting me sit in the front seat, and treated me like S-H-I-T. Turns out, after 9/11, filming is strictly prohibited on bridges, tunnels, airports and subways. You’d have thought someone would have prepped me on these new procedures in advance? ’Fraid not. So my eagerness to get an establishing shot of the Manhattan skyline became the beginning of a hellish couple of days for me. I’ve heard the skyline is copywritten anyhow….



I’m also glad my stomach has become a bit tougher from all of the traveling I’ve done (I used to get easily motion-sick) because I’d hate to think of what might happen if I really needed to sit up front in a NYC cab for nausea reasons in the future...What then?


This particular trip is also the same trip where security guards for a movie premiere pretty much manhandled me away from the red carpet I was filming from the sidelines (reaffirming that the job of a paparazzi really does suck) because the Film’s PR people didn’t think the project I was representing meant enough to America to give me decent access....

Basically, I’ m saying that I find NYC the worst place thus far in my career to film in. Everyone wants something, if there’s nothing in it for them, they won’t help you out. People leer and ask you about your camera, then bump into you as you are carrying it anyways…..

This time round, I was all pumped and ready for the main event – the main reason for my trip to New York – the Burlesque Festival. A couple of days prior to the event, I was told that I would not be able to film during the gala show – which was the event I had been planning my whole trip around. The Bad Karma of NYC strikes again!

I think I’ve given New York a fair chance. It will take a lot to get me to be excited about filming there again (at least where venues and major organizations are concerned).

Now that I’ve vented, let’s get to the good stuff.



Burlesque rocks! I think I will forever be awed by the brazenness of these ladies. Their shapes, sizes and ages do vary – as do their performance styles.... if you've never experienced a show, you really should, if only to witness the lightning speed growing popularity of the form.


I just wish I could have experienced this one...

Because of rain delays, I was unable to attend the first night of the three day festival – so I was beyond excited for the big Gala at the Supper Club. Once inside, my sister (who came to PA for me as New York is too overwhelming for me solo) and I quickly realized that clear views of the stage were hard to come by. As the beginning of the event drew nearer, we frantically tried to position ourselves to see the show we had been waiting for. What ended up happening is we moved back and forth, upstairs and downstairs, catching glimpses here and there of full bodies but could really only see the faces of the performers. The faces we saw were quite lovely, but we were here to see the whole package -- beaming faces just weren't going to cut it.

I'm just glad I got my first taste of burlesque at a smaller venue where I could see every intimate detail of each performance at the Drake, with "Skin Tight Outta Sight".

The Supper Club was a pretty bad venue for this type of show. Had they been able to raise the stage a foot, everyone would have been able to see. After straining our necks and leaning against a table for 3 hours (catching glimpses of a feather fan being waved here, and a titty tassle glinting there) we called it a nite. The show wasn’t over – in fact Dirty Martini, one of the women we had come to see, had yet to go on. But the thought of only seeing her head shimmy and shake would frustrate me, so we called it a nite.

Besides, we had to get pumped up and rested for tomorrow’s Boat Cruise!

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