I started this blog with one daughter, kept it up with the other, to spend time together doing something we enjoyed.
However, things change and people evolve. My daughters are older, busier, and not as interested in writing.
From now on this blog will be mostly mom with occasional contributions from my daughters and maybe even my husband.
Nothing else will change. We'll still focus on sharing fun places to go, fun things to do, and more, and we would  still love to hear your views too

Monday, December 31, 2018

Monthly Mashup for December, 2018 Paper and Looking back and looking forward


Me - My topic for this month is paper. Paper is very useful for many different things. There are so many different kinds of paper too. There are books, receipts and playbills and more. There are also all different kinds of paper like construction paper, poster paper and tissue paper. There's different colors of paper. My favorite kind of paper is the kind that is in books. I love books. I hate it when paper rips. It just rips so easily. One of my favorite books ripped. My binder papers in school rip easily too. I was really sad when my book ripped. Paper, as easy to rip as it may be is a very necessary thing.


Mom - My topic for this month is looking back and looking forward. As the year quickly comes to a close, I find myself looking back on everything that happened during the past year both in this country and in my own life. In a lot of ways, it was not a very good year for our country. Personally. it was one of the worst years of my life, but I don't really want to get into that here. There were good things that happened this year. Most of the good things had to do with this blog. We got to see a lot of great shows and have a lot of other great experience including covering 3 days of BroadwayCon. There were some good things that did not have to do with the blog as well. My daughters both did amazingly well in school, and my older daughter was in a show. Over all, though I am hopeful that next year will be a much better year both for the country and for me and my family. However, I may  just be feeling so hopeful because the new year hasn't actually started yet. In a few months, if things haven't started to change for the better, I probably won't be feeling as hopeful any more.

And that's our view. What's on your mind? Tune in tomorrow for Tips for Tuesday.

Photo credits:
photo credit 1: verchmarco Basteln - Eine Schere mit buntem Papier - Weihnachtsbaum-Auschnitt via photopin (license)
photo credit 2: morpholux Vœux nouvel an via photopin (license)

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Sunday Scoop post of 12/30/18 - What's Coming Up This Week or Coming Up Soon

In This Week's Scoop

1) New Year's at iPlay America
2) Upcoming at State Theatre New Jersey
    Salute to Vienna New Year's Eve Concert and
    Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
3) Upcoming at Merkin Concert Hall
    Ureuk Symphony New Year Celebration, Vivo International Music Competiton Winners Concerts,
    Estatic Music Festival

PR Firm Roundup
 
4) News from Andrea Alton
     NY Theatre Podcast "Your Program is Your Ticket" Presents a New Vodcast Version
5) News from DKC
    Coming to Broadway HD This January A Night With Janis Joplin
6) New from DKC/O&M
    6A) Additonal Guest Actors Announced for Nassim
    6B) Chilina Kennedy to Return to Beautiful the Carole King Musical
    6C) Torch Song to Close on January 6
7) News  from KampFire PR
    Loveville High a Musical Will Play in January
8) News from Karen Greco PR
   8A)  Witch Camp at The Wild Project
   8B) Estelle Parsons Hosts Root US in the LES: A Wild Project Benefit
9) Upcoming at Lincoln Center
10) News from Michelle Tabnick PR
     10A) Caleb Teicher & Co with Conrad Tao: More Forever at Works & Process at the Guggenheim
     10B) 14th Street Y announces Summer 2019 New Country Day Camp
11) News from Polk and Co.
      New Year's Eve Live With Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen to feature Broadway's
      Wicked, Toostie, The Band's Visit, Pretty Woman and Come From Away
12) News from Spin Cycle NYC
      12A) Nature and Purpose to Brings Artists Pollak and Burden Begins Off Broadway January 3
      12B) UK Underground Hit Bleach Makes US Debut, 9 Week Site Specific Run Starts January 4
 

1) New Year's at iPlay America
110 Schank Rd.
Freehold, NJ

December 31
Park closes at 6:00 PM and reopens at 7:30 PM for Annual NYE Party

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit 
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2) Upcoming at State Theatre New Jersey
15 Livingston Ave.
New Brunswick, NJ

Salute to Vienna and Star Wars the Empire Strikes Back with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

Monday December 31, 6:00 PM
Salute to Vienna
New Year's Eve Concert

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit
Sunday January 6, 3:00 PM
Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
For information or to purchase tickets, visit
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3) Upcoming at Merkin Concert Hall
126 W. 67th St.
New York, NY
Ureuk Symphony, VIVO Competition Winners,
Saturday January 5, 8:00 PM
Ureuk Symphony New Year Celebration
Sunday January 6, 1:00 PM
VIVO International Music Competition Winners Concert Groups A & B
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit

Sunday January 6, 4:00 PM
VIVO International Music Competition Winners Concert Groups C & D
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/mch/event/vivo-international-music-competition-winners-concert-2

Monday January 7, 7:30 PM
Ecstatic Music Festival
wild up, Zola Jesus and William Brittelle

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/mch/event/ecstatic-music-festival-wildup-zola-jesus-william-brittelle
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PR Firm Roundup

4) News from Andrea Alton

NY Theatre Podcast "Your Program Is Your Ticket" Presents A New Vodcast Version

The popular theatre podcast, Your Program Is Your Ticket, premiered their new Vodcast version earlier this month. Each episode showcases a variety of theatre artists from Broadway to Off-Off Broadway as well as National and International theatre artists. The Vodcast is hosted by New York based playwright/creator Sean Chandler and co-hosted by actor/producer David Leeper.

Each Vodcast episode of Your Program Is Your Ticket (YPIYT) will also feature the podcast version. YPIYT creator, Sean Chandler’s mission is to give a voice to all theatre artists. The Vodcast/Podcast offers a rare glimpse into the world of theatre from the people who create it. From producers, actors, lighting designers, stage managers, writers, understudy’s, and directors.

The podcast version of YPIYT, premiered in February 2017. Since its inception, YPIYT has interviewed upwards of 250 theatre artists including Moe Angelos, Matthew Broderick, Charles Busch, Casey Cott, (Kevin Keller in the hit television series Riverdale/CW), and Corey Cott, Martin Denton, Shay Gines, Abigail Hawk, Dorothy Lyman, David Pittu, Peggy Shaw, Carly Street, New York & Chicago Neo-Futurists, Chicago’s Flying Elephant Productions, Retro Productions, EPIC Players Inclusion Company, among others.  

DECEMBER 2018 VODCASTS:

EPISODE 1

The first taped Vodcast features host Sean Chandler, with co-host David Leeper, who interview North Coast, NYC’s Company Co-Manager Douglas Widick, Stripped Scripts Co-Artistic Director Allison Threadgold and Founding Member of The New York Neo Futurists Rob Neill who discuss what it’s like to be a leader of their various theatre companies.

YOUTUBE VODCAST: https://bit.ly/2Qse5tf



EPISODE 2

YPIYT discusses the production of the new play; The Baby Monitor which concluded its successful run at the Theater at the14th Street Y. Guests include the playwright and actor David Stallings, director Antonio Miniño and actor Amanda Jones.

YOUTUBE VODCAST: https://bit.ly/2GhJmdD



More info is available at www.yourprogramisyourticket.com 
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5) News from DKC

BroadwayHD Wins Streaming Rights to Janis Joplin Production

BroadwayHD, the #1 streaming platform for live theater, is continuing to build its library of more than 250 titles with a new addition that it captured live on  Thursday Oct 4 –A Night With Janis Joplin.

The live-capture used BroadwayHD’s unique filming approach to translate live theater productions for streaming audiences and bring to life the Tony-nominated performance of Mary Bridget Davies in the role of Joplin. The show will premiere on BroadwayHD in January 2019 and will usher in the 50th anniversary celebration for Woodstock and Janis Joplin's epic performance at the legendary concert.

Janis Joplin exploded onto the music scene in 1967 and, almost overnight, became the queen of rock & roll. The unmistakable voice, filled with raw emotion and tinged with southern comfort, made her a must-see headliner from Monterey to Woodstock.  Originally staged at the Lyceum Theater in 2013, A Night with Janis Joplin follows the icon’s rise to fame and pays tribute to some of her biggest musical influences -- legends like Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Odetta, Nina Simone and Bessie Smith. 

A Night with Janis Joplin iswritten and directed by Randy Johnson, with choreography by Patricia Wilcox and musical direction by Brent Crayon, the show features such unforgettable songs as “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Piece of My Heart,” “Mercedes Benz,” “Cry Baby” and “Summertime.”

More news and information on BroadwayHD can be found at broadwayhd.com.
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6) News from DKC/O&M

6A) ADDITIONAL ROTATING GUEST ACTORS ANNOUNCED FOR BARROW STREET THEATRICALS’ “NASSIM”

Barrow Street Theatricals’ recently announced today the rotating cast of guest actors through the beginning of the year for the American premiere of the Nassim Soleimanpour and Bush Theatre production of NASSIM by celebrated Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour (White Rabbit Red Rabbit), featuring direction by Omar Elerian. Joining the production will be:

Sunday, December 30 at 2:30pm – Nathan Lee Graham
Lucille Lortel Award Nominee (The View UpStairsPriscilla Queen of the Desert)

Sunday, December 30 at 7:30pm – Lee Wilkof
Tony Award nominee (Kiss Me, KateAssassinsLittle Shop of Horrors)

Wednesday, January 2 at 7:30pm – Thom Sesma
Lucille Lortel Award nominee (Pacific OverturesSweeney Todd)

Thursday, January 3 at 7:30pm – Annie Parisse
Emmy Award nominee (“Law & Order,” “As The World Turns,” Clybourne Park)

Friday, January 4 at 7:30pm – Ken Marks
Drama Desk Award winner (Airline HighwayFather Comes Home from the Wars)

Saturday, January 5 at 2:30pm – John Rapson
(Sweeney ToddA Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder tour, Les Misérables)

Saturday, January 5 at 7:30pm – Lisa Emery
Screen Actors Guild Award nominee (“Ozark,” Casa Valentina)

Sunday, January 6 at 2:30pm – Meghan O’Neill
(HBO’s “Animals.”)

Sunday, January 6 at 7:30pm – Cory Michael Smith
Teen Choice Award nominee (“Gotham,” 1985Carol)

Additional rotating guest actors will be announced shortly.



Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.NYCityCenter.org; on the phone by calling CityTix at 212-581-1212; or in person at New York City Center box office, open Monday-Saturday, noon-8pm, and Sunday, noon-7:30pm.


**
6B) CHILINA KENNEDY TO RETURN TO “BEAUTIFUL – THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL” AS SHOW 
PREPARES TO CELEBRATE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY ON BROADWAY

Producers Paul Blake and Sony/ATV Music Publishing announced  that Chilina Kennedy, who has amazed audiences and critics in both New York and Toronto with her powerhouse performance as the titular character in the Tony®, Olivier®, and Grammy® Award-winning smash hit Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, will return to the Stephen Sondheim Theatre starting Thursday, January 3 as the production prepares to celebrate its fifth anniversary on Broadway.

Current star Abby Mueller will play her final performance un Beautiful on Sunday, December 30.

On Saturday, January 12, Beautiful will celebrate its fifth anniversary on Broadway at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre while the North American tour marked its third year of standing ovation.

For more information, visit www.beautifulonbroadway.com.


**

6C) HARVEY FIERSTEIN’S TORCH 

SONG” TO END ACCLAIMED

 RUN SUNDAY, JANUARY 6, 2019; 

STAR MICHAEL URIE TO


 HEADLINE NATIONAL TOUR

 LAUNCHING FALL 2019 


The acclaimed production of Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song will end its run on Sunday, January 6, 2019 at the Hayes Theater (240 West 44th Street) prior to embarking on a national tour launching fall 2019 at Los Angeles’ Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson Theatre. The national tour will star Michael Urie, reprising his lauded Broadway performance as Arnold Beckoff.

Fiercely funny and heart-wrenching, Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song follows Arnold Beckoff’s (Mr. Urie) odyssey to find happiness in New York. All he wants is a husband, a child, and a pair of bunny slippers that fit, but a visit from his overbearing mother (Ms. Ruehl) reminds him that he needs one thing more: respect.

Tickets can be purchased at telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200. Group discounts are available for groups of 10 or more through Givenik/Jujamcyn Group Sales by calling 212-840-8181.

To learn more about the show and for additional information, please visit www.torchsongbroadway.com.
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7) News from KampFire PR


LOVEVILLE HIGH,
A MUSICAL PODCAST
PLAYING NEAR YOU IN JANUARY
Love is hope, is fear, is joy, is loss, is risk, is wonder, is faith, is love.

 LOVEVILLE HIGH: A PROM IN NINE MUSICAL PODCASTS will be launching on January 7, 2019 downloadable on iTunes, Spotify, and all music sharing sites. With book and lyrics by David Zellnik (Drama Desk nominated Yank!) and music by Eric Svejcar (Disney’s Peter Pan Jr. with Zellnik) LOVEVILLE HIGH takes place on prom night in the fictional town of Loveville, Ohio. Each ten-minute episode tells a love story new love, old love, romantic love, friend love, gay and straight, cis and genderqueer; each is a self-contained musical while also connecting with the other episodes to form a glimpse into the biggest night in the lives of one high school class. After the launch of the first three episodes, subsequent chapters will be released on a twice-per-month schedule culminating in the “Loveville Prom” finale release party on April 8, 2019. https://www.lovevillehigh.com.

The podcast stars Kathryn Allison (Disney’s Aladdin) as Madison, Harrison Chad (Caroline, or Change (OBC), Les Miserables, Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan) as Noah, Troy Iwata (Be More Chill) as Kyle, Gizel Jiménez (Drama Desk Nominated Outstanding Actress in a Musical for The Public’s Miss You Like Hell) as Wanda, Jay Armstrong Johnson (Phantom of the Opera, On The Town, Hands On A HardbodyCatch Me If You CanHair) as Zeke, Hailey Kilgore (Once on This Island) as Jane, Mason Alexander Park (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, First National Broadway Tour) as Jendrix, Isaac Powell (Once on This Island) as Cory, Ryann Redmond (Escape to Margaritaville, If/ThenBring It On) as Chass, Conor Ryan (Desperate Measures, New World Stages) as Johnny, and Ali Stroker (Oklahoma! @St Ann’s, Deaf West Theatre’s Spring Awakening) as Amanda.
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8) News from Karen Greco PR

8A) What's on at the wild project

January 3 - January 5
WITCH CAMP with Amber Martin and Nath Ann Carrera
Tickets: $20
Schedule: Thursday - Saturday at 8 PM

Take a journey to WITCH CAMP where Amber Martin and Nath Ann Carrera, the ISES BLACK, transport you through camp drop-off, Learning Yurts, the pre-dawn camp favorite “Morning Horses/Blood Sacrifice,” and beyond. Isis and Isis rid the room of chode intentions while singing the face-melting music of Aphrodite’s Child, Black Widow, It’s A Beautiful Day, Led Zeppelin with Sandy Denny, Yoko Ono, Pentangle, Pink Floyd, Buffy Sainte-Marie, The Stone Poneys, Black Sabbath, and more!

With Special Guest Camp Counselors and Seers:
01/03: Rob Roth, Savannah Knoop, and David Ilku
01/04: Elizabeth Koke, Max Steele, and Angela Di Carlo
01/05: Patrick Johnson, Cathy Cervenka,
 and Paul Soileau

All performances are at The Wild Project (195 E. 3rd Street, between Avenues A & B).
Tickets can be purchased online at www.thewildproject.org.

The Box Office opens one hour prior to curtain.

**

8B)  Root Us in the LES
A wild project benefit


Monday, January 7 at 7:00pm

Tickets: $50


With Special Guest Host 
Estelle Parsons


Performances by Cyrus Aaron, David Cale, Nini Camps, David Doobinin, Heather Litteer & Dael Orlandersmith


the wild project will hold Root Us in the LES, a benefit performance night on Monday, January 7 at 7:00 PM. The benefit performance kicks off their new capital campaign: a fund dedicated to the purchasing of the building and the future of the wild project, a vital part of the East Village community. To purchase tickets, which are $50, to the benefit performance or to make a donation to the Root Us in the LES capital campaign, visit www.thewildproject.org.

Root Us in the LES features performances by Cyrus Aaron (poet and playwright), David Cale (Obie Award-winning writer/performer), Nini Camps (lead singer, Antigone Rising), David Doobinin (singer-songwriter and visual artist), Heather Litteer (performance and alt. cabaret artist), and Dael Orlandersmith (playwright, performer, Pulitzer Prize finalist). The evening is hosted by Academy Award-winning actor Estelle Parsons.
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9) News from Lincoln Center

Thursday, January 3 – FREE – at 7:30 pm
Atrium 360° 
Etienne Charles: Creole Soul 
Hailed by the New York Times as "an auteur" and by JazzTimes as a "daring improviser who delivers with heart wrenching lyricism,” Trinidad-born trumpet player, percussionist, and composer Etienne Charles has earned a reputation for blending the myriad rhythms and sounds of the Caribbean and American South (especially New Orleans jazz) into his signature style of Creole soul. A Juilliard grad and a 2015 Guggenheim Fellow, Charles is a member of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Swing Collective. His forthcoming album, Carnival: The Sound of a People Vol. 1, is an excursion into the varied acoustic sounds, grooves, chants, and rituals of Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago. For this special evening, Charles will premiere a work commissioned by Lincoln Center and inspired by the diverse immigrant experiences of the Americas. 
Commissioned by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts 
David Rubenstein Atrium, Frieda and Roy Furman Stage (Broadway bet. 62nd & 63rd St.) 
FREE Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, including program updates, visit LincolnCenter.org/Atrium.
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10) News from Michelle Tabnick PR

Works & Process at the
Guggenheim
presents the World Premiere of
Caleb Teicher & Co with Conrad Tao: More Forever
January 6-7, 2019

Works & Process, the performing arts series at the Guggenheim, presents the world premiere of Caleb Teicher & Co with Conrad Tao: More Forever on Sunday, January 6 at 3pm and 7:30pm and Monday, January 7 at 7:30pm.

Caleb Teicher and Lincoln Center Emerging Artist and innovative pianist and composer Conrad Tao collaborate in More Forever, a new evening-length work commissioned by Works & Process. On a stage covered by a thin layer of sand, dancers explore American dance traditions such as vernacular jazz, tap, and Lindy Hop, set to Tao's new contemporary score for piano and electronics.

TICKETS & VENUE
$45, $40 Guggenheim Members and Friends of Works & Process
Box Office (212) 423-3575 or worksandprocess.org
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
1071 Fifth Avenue, New York
Priority ticket access and preferred seat selection starts December 10, 2018, for $500+ Friends of Works & Process and Guggenheim members at the Associate level and above.
General ticketing starts December 18, 2018.

**
14th Street Y announces
Summer 2019 New Country Day Camp
Exciting New Changes to Outdoor Camp, including
Three New Programs: Build, Music,
and Sustainable Cooking & Gardening
REGISTRATION NOW AVAILABLE

The 14th Street Y announces Summer 2019 New Country Day Camp with exciting new changes to outdoor camp, including three new programs: Build, Music, and Sustainable Cooking & Gardening. Registration for Summer 2019 New Country Day Camp is now open. Visit https://www.14streety.org/camps/newcountrydaycamp/to learn more or to register online.
 
New Country Day Camp strives to create a camp that is inclusive, welcoming, and joyful for all children interested in attending camp throughout summer.
 
NCDC is excited to announce brand new programs for this summer that campers and parents will be sure to enjoy and appreciate. All-time favorites like Imagination, News and Film, and Earth Science are returning and we're introducing some new options based on parent surveys and camp trends. The 12 specialized units are run by creative, passionate, and experienced teaching artists and educators who build curricula rooted in nature and guided by Jewish values.

In response to overwhelming requests from families, we are delighted to announce that we are offering increasingly flexible registration options this summer! This year we are allowing families to sign up for any weeks of camp that they want, at a two-week minimum and so long as the first two weeks are consecutive. You can check out our 2019 dates and rates here. (link to:https://www.14streety.org/camps/newcountrydaycamp/dates-rates/

For summer 2019, New Country Day Camp is working to enhance the structure of each day in order to further create an intentional, thoughtful, and flexible experience for all campers based on developmental level and interests. Ages groups have been recalculated and renamed:
Tumbleroot for campers entering K and 1st grade in fall 2019,
Featherstone for campers entering 2nd and 3rd grade in fall 2019,
Thundercreek for campers entering 4th and 5th grade in fall 2019, and
Aspenfire for campers entering 6th through 8th grade in fall 2019.

As campers get older at NCDC, they have increased opportunities to choose how they spend their time in unit programming. The new programs include: Build, Music, and Sustainable Cooking & Gardening. Build is a new program in which campers will develop design and construction skills for hand-tool woodworking and architecture, and learn all about workshop safety. Music is a new program in which campers will learn and practice guitar and singing. These mini musicians will have opportunities to help lead camp singing activities with small and large groups. And finally, new this summer, Sustainable Cooking & Gardening. In our new farm-to-table culinary skills program, campers will learn open-air cooking techniques including kitchen safety using ingredients they grow and harvest themselves in the NCDC garden on the campgrounds!
Campers in Tumbleroot are provided the option to taste each program unit once a week during afternoon choice time programming. In the morning, they work with Tumbleroot program specialists who run early childhood friendly activities.

Campers in Featherstone have the ability to select the unit they would like to focus on each week, and also rotate through each program during daily scheduled activities with their Featherstone groups so they can get a taste of everything that NCDC has to offer- including the programs they didn't know they would love!
In addition to signing up for their weekly elective unit, Thundercreek campers have the added privilege of choosing a 30-minute daily unit activity in order to participate in multiple programs they are passionate about.
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11) News from Polk and Co.

CNN’S “NEW YEAR’S EVE LIVE 
WITH ANDERSON COOPER 
AND ANDY COHEN”
TO FEATURE BROADWAY’S WICKED, TOOTSIE, THE BAND’S VISIT,
PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL, 
AND COME FROM AWAY

Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen will check-in on Broadway’s biggest hits on New Year’s Eve when they ring in 2019 on CNN’s “New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen” airing Monday, December 31st starting at 8pm (ET).  Throughout the broadcast Anderson and Andy will check in with the casts of Broadway’s 10-time Tony Award-winning musical THE BAND’S VISIT, this season’s biggest new hit musical PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL, the winner of Best Musical all across North America COME FROM AWAY and Broadway’s long running mega-smash hit WICKED.  They will also check in with the critically acclaimed new comedy musical TOOTSIE, coming to Broadway this spring.

Now in its 11th year, CNN’s New Year’s Eve show will feature CNN correspondents and Hollywood stars from across the country and around the globe as the world rings in the New Year. Last year’s New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen was CNN’s highest rated New Year’s Eve Special on record.
Viewers can share their reactions to the show and their New Year’s greetings using #CNNNYE and CNN will feature them on the bottom ticker throughout the evening.

CNN will live stream New Year’s Eve coverage, without requiring log–in to a cable provider, on December 31 from 8 pm – 1:05 am ET.

The CNN live stream will be available on CNN.com’s homepage and across mobile devices via CNN’s apps for iOS and Android. It can also be viewed on CNNgo (at CNN.com/go on your desktop, smartphone, and iPad, and via CNNgo apps for Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast and Android TV). Watch live CNN TV on any device, anywhere.
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12)News from Spin Cycle PR

12A)NATURE AND PURPOSE brings artists Pollack and Burden to Off-Broadway, begins Jan. 3

After a successful run on the West Coast, NATURE & PURPOSE comes to Off-Broadway’s SoHo Playhouse for a strictly limited engagement beginning January 3. An exploration of the idea of ‘art’ as seen
through the works of two radical creators, NATURE & PURPOSE  is comprised of one show focusing on the abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock and one on the controversial performance artist Chris Burden.

NATURE & PURPOSEbegins with Pollock: A Frequency Parable, a 30 minute avant operatic sound performance piece inspired by famed painter Jackson Pollock. Starring Matthew Marcum (who also serves as writer and director), the play re-conceptualizes key elements used in Pollock’s revolutionary style of art making — such as energy, motion, scale, and improvisation — presenting a challenge to both the performer and the audience to free the voice from the confines of form and language, allowing it to transcend tradition and be experienced for its potential.

Rounding out NATURE & PURPOSE is A Beast/A Burden, which combines contemporary theatrical staging with recreations of some of Burden’s most controversial and exciting multimedia and performance pieces,
chronicling the life of the young artist, with Burden himself serving as the meandering and sometimes unreliable narrator of his own story. Directed by Billy Ray Brewton (Skanks in a One Horse Town), the play stars Ben Hethcoat as Burden and features Corsica Wilson, Brennan Murray, Leah Lamarr, Anthony Rey Perez, and Jessica DeShaw.
Rounding out NATURE & PURPOSE is A Beast/A Burden, which combines contemporary theatrical staging with recreations of some of Burden’s most controversial and exciting multimedia and performance pieces,
chronicling the life of the young artist, with Burden himself serving as the meandering and sometimes unreliable narrator of his own story. Directed by Billy Ray Brewton (Skanks in a One Horse Town), the play stars Ben Hethcoat as Burden and features Corsica Wilson, Brennan Murray, Leah Lamarr, Anthony Rey Perez, and Jessica DeShaw.

NATURE & PURPOSE runs four performances only: January 3-6,
Thursday-Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2:30pm. Running time is 90minutes. 
The SoHo Playhouse is located at 15 Vandam Street. 
Tickets are $30 for general admission, available at SoHoPlayhouse. For more
information visit: www.natureandpurpose.com.

**
12B) UK underground hit BLEACH makes US debut, 9 week site-specific run begins Jan. 4

Spin Cycle presents the US Premiere of BLEACH by Dan Ireland-Reeves beginning January 5 for a 9-week limited engagement. This award-winning underground hit, seen throughout the UK as well as in Paris, Stockholm and Dublin, makes its US premiere in an intimate, immersive production performed for an audience of 10. Directed by Zack Carey, the site-specific production will star Eamon Yates and Brendan George, who share the role of Tyler, a young man trying to find his way while paying the rent in NYC. Audiences are invited to join Tyler at Tyler’s Basement in Bushwick, Brooklyn for this dark and humorous look at sex, violence, and city living. Opening is set for Friday, January 11.

BLEACH centers on Tyler, a twenty-four-year-old who sells his body on a nightly basis. But on a regular working night, things are about to spiral out of control leaving Tyler questioning whether living in the city is really worth the price of rent.
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And that's the scoop. Tune in tomorrow for this month's Monthly Mashup