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Joan's Blah Blah Blog!
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.jpeg) Welcome to Joan's "Blah, Blah," blog! It's my very own online journal where I'll post regular entries and inside tips on where to go, what to eat, hot spots, restaurants,what's annoying,and what’s not! Come to Joan land, where we regard this day, as the only day! |
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Save the Planet
 Walking on Lexington Ave the other day, I passed a yogurt store giving out free samples, “save the planet!” the young hawker said, “eat my yogurt!.” “What has your yogurt got to do with saving the planet” I asked. The young, very granola looking yogurt pusher had no clue…I bought it anyway. We seem to be going to extremes these days, vegetarian Monday was another flop. The all bean chili cried out for something. So ground turkey and onions it was.
If you are in Manhattan come visit the Metropolitan of Art, a beautiful Gustove Courbet exhibit is on the second floor, 130 paintings and drawings dazzle, shock, and inspire. One of the most controversial painters of his time, he is considered to be the founder of realism. The Met also has wonderful places to eat, including a large café or head over to Serafina pizza at 1022 Madison Ave. between 78th and 79th Street. Or head over to 83rd Street and Lexington Avenue to the candy store were they serve old fashion frosty’s and malteds, and simple sandwiches
Speaking of culture, Proudcer Natalie brought her children to an adorable community theater performance of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella. It was at the Smiling Rhino Theatre www.smilingrhinotheatre.com in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, the have a few more shows this upcoming weekend. They encouraged all the little girls to dress up in princess costumes. Natalie said the performers were wonderful, and her children were mesmerized. Supporting community theater is so important…it is were the big Broadway stars get their start, and is a great way to introduce children to the wonder of the theater.
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Broadway, Barbie and Billy Joel
 Suffered through 90 minutes of a new Broadway show, Glory Days, which mercifully died immediately after its opening. What are people of thinking? Millions of dollars on this effort who should have found its sea legs off off Broadway. I admire young talent going for it, but learning one’s craft takes a lot of trial and error.
Our live entertainment show at Sardi’s was a hit, and our best guest judging by the audience reaction was the one non theater person, Bill Moyers. How funny is this former White House speech writer, minister, journalist, and philosopher.
Over to Michael’s, were the elite meet to eat on West 55th Street to meet my chicist Colorado based friend, Barbie doll. Barbie who has a thriving art business worked the room like a pro, then picked at her 30 something dollar Cobb Salad. Eating right near us, the equally glamorous Joan Rivers, who to the shock of all who passed her table, was sitting in front of a plate of cookies. “Mommy New Face,” as her grandson calls her actually took a bite. Her cardinal rule about staying thin is never eat after one o’clock. Got home in time to change and go back midtown to the opening of playwright Caryl Churchhill’s “Top Girls.” Fabulous cast of some of the best women actors around, including Marisa Tomei. Marisa mom, Addie, was in the star studded audience and told me she is still leading her high end food tours all over the city.
Did you get to hear Katie Lee Joel, Billy Joel’s new wife? Twenty six years old, drop dead gorgeous, and cooks to boot. It is getting harder and harder…all the fillers in the world can not reproduce 20-something!
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Long Suffering Husband
 Long suffering husband is in LA watching his son shoot his brand new movie. Can’t remember the name of the film, but LSH was thrilled that he had his own directors chair with his name on it waiting for him when he got there. Part of this trip for my husband is to head to Pasadena to see if we can get our construction loan extended on our spec house.
Like most American today we have housing issues, still I am an optimist about the economy, real estate included. Loved my recent caller who is a ladies room attendant in a topless club in the city.She made more money in the bathroom than she did as a top administrative assistant and wants to write a book about her experiences. Listener John L. sent me an email suggesting she self publish, and sell in the ladies room.Sounds good to me.
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Comedy and Cupcakes
 I go to the opening for the new comedy farce, Boeing- Boeing, imported from London, and who is sitting next to me, but Glenn Close. She and I were laughing away, particularly in the second act, while her handsome husband did not crack a smile, but held onto her thigh during the entire performance. She looks great! As does Meryl Strep who sat behind us. Ben Brantley, theater critic of the New York Times got a big kick out of this production, which means Boeing-Boeing will be around for a long time. Had lunch with Diane Saachi, one of the great real estate gurus on the East End of Long Island and despite reports to the contrary, the market is definitely slowing down in never-never land. Woe is me, the proud owner of a 12,000 spec house on 11.5 acres!
Cupcakes, cupcake and more cupcakes. My producer Natalie swears the best she ever tasted were from a new sister venture, Gigi’s Cupcakes, in Scotch Plains NJ. Homemade melt in your mouth batter, topped with all types of frosting. 908-872-5515 www.gigiscupcakes.com
Just saw John R Gambling walking down the hall…who says you can not go home again?
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Gambling and Diamonds
 The big news, that you might know by now, is that John R Gambling is going to sit in the morning anchor chair starting Monday. And hooray, our wonderful Joe Bartlett will still be a major player and Donna Hanover will be doing what she loves, entertainment and special projects, giving her more time to audition for movies and TV. Our John, since he has left the family folds has become very conservative, more fun to argue with these days.
Want to know were some of New York’s most wealth ladies buy there jewels. Ann Ziff is showing her gorgeous sapphires, black opals, baroque pearls and diamonds at Alexnader Gallery, 942 Madison Avenue. She will be there May 6th-15th. I went to a fabulous concert of Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals and Stravinksy directed and narrated by brilliant actor Alan Alda and company. The Alda’s followed the performance with a supper at Bar Boulud on 63rd and Broadway, 10:30 at night the place was happening and hopping. By 11ish I could not want for supper anymore and hopped my way back to my Dux bed!
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Arianna and Agida
 Big two show day today, so this blog will be brief. We are heading out to Englewood, NJ in the WOR-mobile, dodging car seats and cookie crumbs in Producer Natalie’s car of all seasons. I admire Arianna Huffington, author of twelve books, co- founder and editor of the Huffington Post and on the Time Magazine list of the world’s top 100 most influential people. An immigrant from Greece, she came to New York armed with little else than a Cambridge University degree…and the rest is history. Her new book “Right is Wrong” is going to cause at lot of "agida." I forgot to ask Arianna about her recipe for Greek wedding cookies. I was reading my horoscope, something I rarely do...lots of changes are predicted. Since I have already been through menopause wonder what that means?
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Celebrities and Soup
 Celebrity sighting….at the recent opening of The County Girl I got a peak of the beautiful Julia Roberts, looking like she does not have a care in the world. Three babies under her belt, and if she swallowed an olive it would show she is so thin. I admired her from a far as I downed my bag of Rasinets. Also at the opening, Philip Smith, one of the Schubert honchos, who’s soon to be ex wife Trisha Walsh-Smith has made minced meat of him, was greeted with great sympathy from the theater loving crowd. Trisha has been maligning her husband Phil on You Tube, and were ever else she can act like she lost her mind. Maybe if she acted like a lady she might get “suitable” housing.
My poor long suffering husband is either sick or downed with allergies. I made a quick but delicious soup. I added carrots, parsnips and onions, boneless chicken, and one half of a chicken breast and a can of College Inn. Cook it for two hours or until the chicken falls apart. The broth was fragrant with the smell of onions and parsnips. So easy and so good.
Went to a dinner party this weekend were 4 out of the 10 guests had dietary restrictions, leaving the poor hostess trying what to figure what to serve them. Nobody thought of telling her when they accepted what they could not or would not eat. More duck for me!
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Delicious Italian!
 Went to a birthday lunch in a charming, little gem of a restaurant near the Museum of Modern Art, Il Gattopardo at 33 West 54th Street, off Sixth Avenue. Try to sit in the back garden; you will think you are in Italy…not cheap. Had a piping hot, melt in your mouth, crispy Italian rice ball named Arancini. Funny, some restaurants are trying to respond to the recession by bragging about their dinner enters starting from $18.50. Is that a bargain? I no longer know. You could go to Petrossian on West 58th, this gorgeous deco room is now offering, every night, a three course dinner from 5:30-7:30, $48. Treat yourself. Off to the opening of Cry Baby tonight.
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Birthdays and Bad Service
 It is my friend Pam’s birthday, and some of her pals are throwing her a luncheon….and it is not even a big birthday. The women decided “We need to celebrate everything!” So after my visit to Dr. Ngeow, the “pain guy”, who put thirty injections into my wounded knee, I staggered up Madison Avenue to get an appropriate gift. First stop, next to the doctors office, Lana Marks, the chic boutique. Here I discovered not even a change purse is under a $1,000. God forbid you want a scarf; you will need to take out a home equity. The sales woman was abrupt and condescending; she must have noticed I had a little pot pie on my coat. Across the street to Barney’s…surely I can find something here…WRONG. A weird shaped Pucci scarf was practically the only thing under a $150, the sales lady was much nicer, turned out to be a listener and wanted to discuss her social life. She tried to explain what part of your body you can use this odd shaped scarf on, her eyes lit up “Your hair, you can tie your hair with it” Don’t these stores know we are supposed to be in the middle of a recession, I still love Barney’s, even though most of us can not buy much there. Lunch at Fred’s at Barney’s New York on the 9th floor is always lively and fun, and two of you can share a Cobb salad. Lunch was less than my scarf!
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My honorary degree!
Bad day yesterday, found a small brown "liver spot" on my hand. Is this the beginning, am I going to be covered with anti-aging creams from head to foot? Plus my vision is getting a little blurry too. Maybe it is anxiety to. Did I forget to tell you about the rash I also acquired. Maybe it is from all the Canbury Fruit and Nut chocolate bars my friends bright me from Canada. Natalie is only in her 30’s and seems to share my litany of symptoms. Let’s talk about more cheerful things, I am getting an honorary doctored from Centenary College and delivering the commencement speech, I’ll have to be treated with more respect now! Speaking for Centenary…Hackettstown. NJ were the college is located is also home of Sadi. The standard poodle. Her breeder, Caroline O’Rouke is on Maine Street.One of our crew, Linda Dewitt’s birthday is today…so let’s all go off and eat cake.
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A weekend of the Pope, family, food and theater.
 Friday night daughter Elizabeth, and fiancé Roberto hosted 25 pals and out of towners for a Poker Night Supper. I do not know how they do it, they both work long hours, yet set a beautiful table and made roast chickens, pasta with lemon zest, pizza from Mile High Pizza and cupcakes with frosting to the sky…they were still cleaning up on Sunday. We had dinner parties all the time, I remember my mother’s weekly card and supper parties. It seems to be a lost art. I also remember when my husband was a young lawyer having a dinner party for his first clients. Still remember the menu, quiche that was considered exotic then, Hawaiian Chicken and crème burlee. The quiche dropped out of my hands onto the floor, I scooped it up with a soup spoon and put it back into what was left the crust. It looked like mean scrambled eggs. Had to change the name. The chickens, cut up, bought from the local BBQ place called Merit Farms, were coated with a can of Del Monte fruit, pinch of curry powder, volia---Hawaiian Chicken. I have improved over the years.
Even thought the Pope closed down the city over the weekend, New Yorkers were surprisingly cheerful about it. Everyone was in a good mood, and felt the Pope was an omen of hope and better things to come. The fact that he spent time at a Synagogue was very meaningful to the Jewish community. It was a topic well discussed at many Sedar’s on Saturday and Sunday night.
My brother and cousin who usually stay at the Penn or University Club stayed at the newly renovated Milburn at 242 West 76th Street. They loved their one bedroom, living room, kitchenette suite. A real bargain too, in this time of escalating hotel prices…and a great neighborhood.
Went over to the Vineyard Theater, a beautiful house East 15th Street to catch my daughter in law, Christina Kirk, in a wonderfully reviewed, if somewhat complicated play called God’s Ear.
Home to leftovers, John Adams, and Robert Schlesinger’s book on White House Ghosts.
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Happy Birthday Linda Dewitt and Happy Passover!
 I am sitting in my studio, we just got off the air, and I am looking at the 70 or 80 large three ring binders filled with information that we dispense to all of you on a daily bases. We keep records all of this info incase any of you want it, and you do! Do you know we get 5,000 pieces of "snail mail" and probably more emails than that on a weekly basis? Our wonder women Linda Dewitt commutes from a little town almost on the Penn border and has taken over our beloved late Muriel’s devotion to the listening audience. She suffers over each and every piece of that mail.
Always on the look out for new material, today I think I will head over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art or maybe the Museum of Natural History for the water show, that is a great one for your family.
Before the opening of "A Catered Affair," long suffering husband and I stopped into a house warming for our friends Sandy’s gorgeous new apartment, really good
Hors d’oeuvers by Mitchell London who also is behind the Fairway Café at 2127 Broadway and 74th Street on the second floor. And Red Hook, Brooklyn in the Fairway at VanBrunt Street. That one comes with spectacular views of the harbor including the Statue of Liberty. On a beautiful day like today, what a treat it would be!
Speaking of Fairway, I bought my turkeys there for the family Passover, and we will start embarking on the cooking adventure tonight. Happy Passover
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Free ties, stuffed potatoes, and chicken sausages!
 Too bad you are all not here at the station for the big giveaway in the back office. Dr. Joy Browne got a hold for her boyfriend’s wardrobe and brought it all to the station in huge moving boxes, she probably thinks the guy needs a redo or else he is sitting somewhere naked. But what a treat to come to work and leave with free stuff. Let me tell you a little more about the people at WOR, the motto should be "Want Not, Waste Not." This morning stuffed baked potatoes from Totally Baked, were brought over for my morning show feature. There was a large potato stuffed with mounds of sour cream, heaps of extremely | | |
