2013: Good Notes

Potato: God's Perfect Food

You just can't go wrong... mashed, baked, frenchies, scalloped, twice-baked... Lunchtime! *

Taylor Top 10: 2012!

THE SMOKING NUN: Lights Out For A While

The times they are a'changing. As of January 2013, it is with mighty mixed emotions that I announce The Smoking Nun will be going on hiatus. For the past four-plus years, we've been through a lot together, cool cats, and I'm pleased to say that this blog still logs 400+ hits a day. Over time, we've accumulated more than 728,500 visits.

But the time has come to reevaluate just what the purpose of our time together is best focused on. I can tell you, for one, Speedos and underwear, it is not. At one point, I was reporting on pop culture like an auxiliary Us Weekly, and before that, sharing New York vintage history with gusto.

In recent times I've been running on low in terms of devoting to The Smoking Nun what my original intent was: original reporting, opinions and that certain "sassy slant" that I like to think offered another perspective to so many webbies out there.

So for now it's so long, cool cats. The Smoking Nun is an entrenched part of my identity as a journalist—and unless I can give it 100%, I believe it's best to take a break. Hope to see you soon... I'm so glad we've had this time together! *

Oh, Mercy, How Time Marches On

With my final final ever (ever) never again apartment renovation at last complete, I took pics of the entire deal Sunday... which I shall post soon, with all the melodramatic before & after picolas. In the meantime, how apropos to post this—on the left, within a month of moving into my new Brooklyn Heights digs, with so much promise—and today, some 12 years later, five renovations later, with that promise... delivered!

Will Sheena Easton Be Performing At The 2013 Oscars?

The upcoming 85th annual Oscar Awards ceremony is featuring a tribute to James Bond. It's a shoe-in that Adele will perform "Skyfall," but how about Sheena Easton, whose 1981 "For Your Eyes Only" was nominated for the award?

In 1982, Eon Productions co-founder Albert R. Broccoli received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, given to producers for their body of work. There was a "Moonraker"-themed Bond dance number presented as Sheena  sang "For Your Eyes Only." Other nominated Bond songs: Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die" and Carly Simon’s “Nobody Does It Better."

Historically, The Academy has rarely considered the Bond movies award-worthy. Only “Goldfinger” (1964) and “Thunderball” (1965), have won trophies (for, uh, Sound Effects and Visual Effects).... Oh, how I hope! *

Idol Perfect: What A Way To Celebrate The New Year

Dear friend Fredly Bronson returned to NYC once again as the writer for ABC-TV's "New Year's Eve With Ryan Seabreast," and tonight brought together a fab posse of his pals for dinner at NYC's iconic Sardi's... including "American Idol" finalists Diana DeGarmo and her fiance Ace Young, and my beloved Kimberley Locke. Can you imagine a more festive way to usher in 2013? *

Oh So Right: New Years Eve, East Village Rock Dive Bar Style...

Man, New Year's Eve can be such a fussy affair, can't it? This year, my pal Alex came up from Washington, D.C., and we joined my NYC extended family for what turned out to be an absolutely perfecto event. Met many friends at East Village dive rock bar Manitoba's and hung... complete with seating, no overtly unnecessarily loud mayhem and an ideal festive welcome to a new year. That felt oh so right! *

Happy New Year, Cool Cats!

May your New Year be filled with wine and roses! See you on the other side of 2013!

Happy Pre-New Year's Eve!

Ayhan hosted a festive gathering in the East Village Friday night for longtime friend Ulf, who was an Ambassador to Sweden in Turkey when Ayhan first composed his musical "Swedish Style." Ultimately, their connection led to Ayhan meeting Bjorn & Benny from ABBA, one of the highlights of his career.

Ironically, his equally long-lived pals Emrah and wife Punar from Turkey were simultaneously in NYC... It was, in fact, Emrah who collaborated with Ayhan to connect with the Swedish Embassy at the time... Quite a reunion, complete with a spread of combination Swedish & Turkish culinary delights. *

And Billboard's No.1 Song Of 2012 Is...

Oh, yes! Yes! The No. 1 Song of 2012 is thankfully, graciously, deservedly... brilliant! What a wondrous year it has (finally) been to celebrate a return to melodic music. For the first time in many a year, radio recognized that gimmick-filled hip-hop loops and temporary shoop shoops were no longer fulfilling the masses... Thanks to social media, YouTube and iTunes, which taught radio a lesson: Folks want to hear melodies they can sing along with. The masses want MUSIC, for god's sake. (Doink!)

As minions of The Nun are well aware, I have ever... always... perpetually... been a dogged proponent of the power of pop music to maintain the enduring spirit of the melodic memories that define the times of our lives... It's taken the radio airwaves a good 15 years to rediscover that songs... with choruses... are what everybody wants. Wow, what a revelation, huh?

And so (drum beat)... Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know," is the No. 1 song of 2012, a song that will forever mark what we were all doing at a particular time with a particular person in a particular situation... because the track is utterlhy indelible... I could not be happier that Billboard has deemed it the top song of the year, based on a combo of radio airplay and sales.

And the same goes for the No. 2 Song of the Year, "Call Me Maybe" from Carly Rae Jepsen, so pervasive across pop culture in the year gone by that it will always be associated with all you were doing and who you were doing it with during the summer of 2012.

Ah, yes, this is how I hold onto every hit from the 1980s to this day: Their melodies remain so entrenched that I associate them with time and place. And that, cool cats, is the magic of good music.

The majority of 2012's Billboard Top 10 Songs are a wonder to behold... the anthemic "We Are Young" from fun., the giddy pop delight of Maroon 5's "Payphone," the enticing seduction of Ellie Goulding's "Lights" and the joy of radio listeners' first love via Brit boy band One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful."

Oh yes, 2012 has redeemed all that music aficionados live to love about music... with the exception of Nicki Minaj's gruesome, icky, gimmicy "Starships"... but nine out of ten... I dare not complain.

Billboard's Top 10 of 2012

1) Somebody That I Used To Know
Gotye Featuring Kimbra

2) Call Me Maybe
Carly Rae Jepsen

3) We Are Young
fun. Featuring Janelle Monae

4) Payphone
Maroon 5 Featuring Wiz Khalifa

5) Lights
Ellie Goulding

6) Glad You Came
The Wanted

7) Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You...)
Kelly Clarkson

8) We Found Love
Rihanna Featuring Calvin Harris

9) Starships
Nicki Minaj

10) What Makes You Beautiful
One Direction

Coming soon: 
The Taylor Top 40 for 2012!

Christmas Eve With NYC Family

When you're single and have no kids to indulge, Christmas Eve is open to all possibilities... such as celebrating with friends at an NYC gay bar. I joined Leonard and Ayhan at Boxer's in Chelsea for festivities early Monday evening, followed by a final Christmas cocktail a couple blocks west at G Lounge. Above, three pics, three different iPhones!

Amazing to walk the streets of New York... empty. Not a car or cab in sight... so odd.

This is the second Christmas that I've been single, after a 10-year relationship, where we traditionally decorated the tree, watched "Mommie Dearest" every year and opened dozens of gifts on Cmas Day. It's an odd sort of phenomenon, being solo during the holidays... Despite decorations and good cheer all around, it maintains a dull, ground-level buzz, never quite penetrating my emotions.

I have a stack of Christmas cards sent to me over the past several weeks; they remain unopened so far, simply because reading each card, sitting by myself, feels like a lonely affair. Better to wait until the holiday has passed, when I hope to enjoy them without attaching the meaning of "Christmas Without You" to warm wishes.

Yes, Christmas is a bit of a bummer. It's pretty, it's warm and wonderful, and yet, it's truly the loneliest day of the year. Sometimes life is an empty highway, indeed. *

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE SMOKING NUN!

Happiest of holidays from your pals at The Smoking Nun. As always, thank you for stopping by! *

A Very Merry Tom Daley Christmas!

Olympic diver Tom Daley continues to indulge his many minions with a series of sexy Christmas pics... Too bad Santa couldn't deliver a cute Brit under the tree this year... (I swear, in 2013, this young man is going to come bursting out of the closet... and the masses with celebrate!)

Ooh La La! Merry William Levy Christmas!

The holidays are ever so much joyous with a sexy Santa, yes? The Smoking Nun's 2010 Sexiest Man Alive William Levy hopes you've been good boys & girls in 2012... Coming soon: Our bid for the 2012 Sexiest Man Alive, an annual tradition as wondrous as any holiday, indeedy. *

Have A Bewitching Christmas!

A Brooklyn Heights Christmas

Above left, the 63rd-annual Brooklyn Heights Christmas tree along the Promenade... right: apartment entry way and below: The Empire State Building is all dressed up for Cmas. *