Nichelle Newsletter

We Live In Brooklyn

Watson Adventures is having a scavenger hunt this Saturday, January 31 at the lovely Brooklyn Museum of Art. Come discover and enjoy the Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York's most underrated museum! During the hunt, you'll see almost every room in the museum's five floors, including the new Egyptian gallery, the new exhibition of European art in the stunning Beaux Art court, and the recently reinstalled African and American galleries. This is one of my personal favorites, with lots of variety and very cool period rooms that take you back to colonial America. And fear not, Manhattanites—it's easy to get there! The 2 and 3 trains stop right in front of the museum. Price: $25, which includes museum admission. Time: 3 to 5:30 PM

Dear Mama

Michelle Matlock's "The Mammy Project" is back! Who is Michelle? She's a freelance entertainer. What is the Mammy Project? A performance piece where she pokes fun at the stereotypes of the American mammy. The show is at the Palace of Variety 125 West 42nd Street betweeen 6th and Broadway. The Palace of Variety is also home to the famous Bindlestiff Family Circus. Shows are every Sunday and Monday until February 29. Tickets are $15. Check out this week's Time Out New York for dates and times!

Ben & Jen

OK, this is a lame attempt at getting in on the Bennifer bandwagon as it rides into the sunset! Those of you who mourn the breakup can comfort yourselves with the following combinations.
Well, you can get your fix from Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingsley from "The House of Sand and Fog". If you want comedy there's Jennifer Aniston and Ben Stiller from "Along Came Polly". Then for music, make a special CD with songs like "Benny & the Jets" and 867-5309 (Jenny is in the song).
Or if you are like me, you'll just delight in a pint of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream. I could have some Jenny Craig, but I didn't like J.Lo that much anyway!

Reunited

The more I watch; the more I like it! Kudos to VH1 for its latest project, "Bands Reunited". Where "I Love the 80's" was cloying nostalgia, this is so much better. The formula for this show is reality+reunion+retro 80s band concert. It ROCKS!!!

Listening to bands like Berlin and Romeo Void play their hits again was great! All of the band members were doing it for the love of music. It really takes me back to when wearing neon colors and lacy gloves was totally awesome!

I Want A New Drug

My good friend Don McCloskey is headlining the Local Artist Showcase at the Makor on Tuesday, January 20. Don will mystify you with his hypnotic lyrics. He will amaze you with death-defying feats of metrosexual posturing with an alt-country/indie pop slant. Plus, he promises to put the FUNK in folk!

Along with Don McCloskey, Joel Henry and Heath Brandon will be performing. Show starts at 8PM. Tickets are $12. The Makor is in the Steinhardt Building (35 West 67th Street) between Central Park West and Columbus.

The Makor

Stay

Hey, I stayed in on a wintry Friday night to look at a new show premiering on the Food Network, Dweezil and Lisa.

Food TV

It's the zany adventures of Dweezil Zappa and Lisa Loeb as they travel around the country visiting restaurants and diners. In this episode, they visit Atlanta when the two hang out with one of the Indigo Girls and sing a few tunes. I noticed that D & L will break out their guitars at the drop of a hat. And I bet if they got a crowd to listen, a lot of dollar bills would fall into that hat!

This show is definitely aimed at young foodies who loved 90's indie pop and can sing along to Dweezil's sister's song, "Valley Girl". (Remember back when kids of rock stars actually attempted to be successful, even if it is kinda lame!). The show was nice, but D& L are way too laid back for TV. Compared to other frenetic Food Network stars like Emeril and Jamie Oliver, Dweezil and Lisa are pretty tame. Plus neither seem dumb enough or funny enough to generate any watercooler buzz. (Do foodies gather around a watercooler or a hot pot of pasta?!) Anyway, I like Lisa Loeb's website and her glasses are just adorable!

Lisa Loeb

Dancing On The Ceiling

Neal Medlyn is billing himself as the Paris Hilton of Performance Art. Well, I know Nicole Richie would simply agree! Neal Medlyn is a sick, twisted individual and funny performance artist. I am a witness and I willingly testify to Neal Medlyn’s genius! He will be performing this Saturday January 17 at
Collective: Unconscious 145 Ludlow St. (between Stanton & Rivington) at 8PM. $7

Neal Medlyn

Seks and Candy

Valentine's Day is less than a month away. Forget chocolates, and roses are so suburban!
I recommend the fabulous Agent Provocateur store in SoHo (133 Mercer St). Their lingerie is lacy, racy and just plain HOT! Ladies, you may want to try on a couple of outfits for fun, and then subtly slip your measurements into your honey’s pocket. (Hopefully he’ll get the hint). Guys, if you’re too shy to go in person, you can shop online.

Agent Provocateur

Milkshake

"My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard." The sexy song by Kelis comes to mind when my friend Chris tells me that Bellydancing is happening every Thursday at Lava Gina (116 Ave C between 7th & 8th streets). Don't worry about the winter chill; all that shaking is sure to stir up some heat! So, "Shake a Tail Feather" and make you way over to Lava Gina to get a thrill. It starts at 10 PM, and there's NO cover!

Lava Gina

Lava Gina is the sexiest and coziest lounge in the very east of East Village. I have hosted a few parties there and it's always a pleasure!

All By MYself

Everybody needs somebody, sometime, right?! A new book called Quirkyalone by Sasha Cagen challenges that old notion that we all want to be in relationship. She proclaims that many single people are no longer waiting for the perfect match, but they are living their best life alone.
Well, I went to the website and took the quiz to see if I am a quirkyalone. I was surprised and kinda disappointed to find that I am very quirkyalone. I guess I can console myself with my battery operated friends who come in handy (pun intended) when my other friends are out on dates or moving in with THEIR boyfriends, damnit!

Quirkyalone

Babeland

Missing You

What happens when you finally have plans for a dinner date with the hottie you met over the holidays, but you don't want to miss the "O.C."? What do you do when you've ditched your old VCR, but you don't have TIVO yet? Check out this site, televisionwithoutpity.com. They give recaps of some of your favorite dramas and reality shows.

Television W/O Pity

Friends...How Many Of Us Have Them?

Rumor has it that NBC has finally found a replacement for their obnoxious hit show "Friends". There's a deal in the works with the website, friendster.com. The Friendster show will be a reality show where six friends are connected to 176,482 people. I also hear that Kevin Bacon was considered to star in the new reality show but NBC could not afford his seven-figures which doesn't refer to his salary but to his many connections! :-)

Friendster

Good

Looking for cheap thrills on Hump Day?! Then take the L train to Bedford and enjoy good food and music. First, I suggest grabbing a bite to eat at Bean, 167 Bedford Ave at N. 8th.
This cute little spot that is just off Bedford Avenue on North 8th Street is just the place to start your night.
Then for music, head around the corner to Laila Lounge, 113 N 7th St (bet Berry & Wythe). My good friend, Don McCloskey, will entertain you with his cuddly antics and folky funk acoustic sounds. It's last minute but it's free and fun on a Wednesday, January 7! Don McCloskey

Mr. Roboto

One of the best party bands in New York City, The Niagaras will be playing at the Cutting Room this Saturday, January 10. A bit of trivia for you--Chris Noth (AKA Mr. Big) on "Sex on the City" is one of the owners of the Cutting Room. The Cutting Room is located in Flatiron area at 19 West 24th Street between 5th & 6th Avenues.

Like A Feather

Today, Katie Brown from A&E's "All Year Round with Katie Brown" appeared on "Regis and Kelly" and demonstrated how to make a bed. The funny thing she said is that she likes something heavy on top of her in bed. I'm pretty sure she was referring to a duvet cover!

True Colors

A week after the traditional madness of Times Square, you can visit the HoJo Lounge this Thursday to listen to the jazzy-lounge sounds of Dave's True Story. They are the rebirth of cool! The Hojo Lounge is at 46th and Broadway.

Dave's True Story

January 8, 2004. Set starts at 9PM. (There's NO cover.)

Rock the Casbah

Dayna Blitz hosts the Indie Music Explosion at Kenny's Castaways
Tues, Jan 6th, 2004
Event Starts @ 8pm
$5 Cover
Featuring:
Matthew Moon (8pm), Derek James (9pm)
@ Kenny's Castaways in Greenwich Village
157 Bleecker Street

Up, Up, and Away

On Saturday afternoon, take a trek up to a little known gem of a museum, The Museum of the City of New York. My girls, the Lascivious Biddies, will be performing as part of the Carnegie Hall Concert Series. January 10; set starts at 2PM. For other Biddy dates, click on

Lascivious Biddies

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We Built This City

If you live in NYC, check this out, UPTOWN/DOWNTOWN MAKOR MARATHON
Performance, Poetry, Spoken Word, Music, Comics, Film, Video and Art

WHEN: Sunday, January 11th, 12 - 6pm non-stop
WHERE: 35 W 67th Street (btwn Columbus & Central Park W)
HOW MUCH: A $20 ($15 in advance) all day pass lets you see and hear it all and includes a bagel brunch (yes, free food) starting at noon. My buddy Zero Boy will be performing.