What’s Doing in NYC

James Bond

No Time To Die

Daniel Craig famously said, “I’d rather slash my wrists than do another Bond film.” After seeing his final outing in No Time To Die it might not have been such a bad idea as this was not a high point in 007’s career. The film co-stars Rami Malek as the uber-villain and Lashana Lynch, Léa Seydoux, and Ana de Armas as the sexy “Bond girls.” Billie Eilish sings the film’s sluggish theme song. After the movies’ producers twisted Craig’s arm with tens of millions of dollars and a piece of the action, he signed on  for his fifth and final film in formidable franchise. Yes, he incontrovertibly dies for love in the end. “It was there before me, and it will be there after me. I’ve had a chance to be part of all of this, and if you can’t get it up for a Bond movie as an actor, what can you get it up for?” Craig will open in Macbeth on Broadway starting March 29^th, 2022.

 Casa Cipriani

Battery Maritime Building

James Bond would feel right at home at NYC’s new and ultra-swanky private club, Casa Cipriani in the Battery Maritime Building at 10 South Street.  The club’s lux décor by Thierry Despont was inspired by the legendary 1930’s ocean liner the SS Normandie and features the sexiest live music room in the land. The buildings restoration is rumored to have set back  Giuseppe Cipriani and his son Maggio back at least 500 million; and I’m not talking lira. Drew Barrymore, John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Usher, Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz, and other international types have all been spotted in the bar, dining room, and gym. The initiation fee is approximately  1K, and the yearly dues are $3,500. The 125-year-old Beaux Art ferry building also has a ballroom that seats 800 and 47 hotel rooms starting at $1,000 a night and going up to $9,000 for the presidential suite. The elegant space has killer views of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. Julian Schnabel did a series of enormous paintings for the event space that you can rent – if you’re willing to cough up a suitcase full of cash à la 007. Currently, the club has 1,500 members but will ultimately accommodate 4,000. Casa is already giving Zero Bond and Soho House a run for its Euros. Annabelle’s, the popular London club is due to open its doors in a town house on E 61^st in 2022. I can wait if you can. casacipriani.com

Brooklyn Museum

Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams

In 1947 Christian Dior changed fashion forever when he introduced “The New Look” which featured a nipped in waist and a flared skirt. Dior credited a remark by fellow couturier and friend Charles James with the inspiration to create this revolutionary new silhouette. Breathtaking and brilliant are the first words that come to mind after seeing the Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams show at the Brooklyn Museum. This exhibition is the perfect counter weight to the Mets more grounded show In America: A Lexicon of Fashion. The posh show explores the nearly eight-decade history of the House of Dior with over 200 haute couture garments as well as photographs,  videos, sketches, and accessories. After Dior’s untimely demise at 52 his 21-year-old  assistant Yves St. Laurent took over the house followed by Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, the irreplaceable John Galliano, Raf Simons and finally todays chief designer Maria Grazia Chiuri. Clothes from all of them are on display and trace the houses evolution. The show features dresses worn by everyone from Grace Kelly and Marlene Dietrich to Elizabeth Taylor and Jennifer Lawrence. This not to be missed presentation runs through February 20^th, 2022. brooklynmuseum.org

 Whitney Museum

Jasper Johns: Mind/Mirror

The Whitney Museum of American Art founded in 1930 by the artist and philanthropist Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney houses the foremost collection of American art from the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries. Mrs. Whitney, an early and ardent supporter of modern American art, nurtured groundbreaking artists at a time when audiences were still preoccupied with the Old Masters. From her vision arose the Whitney Museum of American Art, which has been championing the most innovative art of the United States for ninety years. Gertrude would certainly approve of the museum’s ambitious and current Jasper Johns retrospective which is a single exhibition in two venues including the Whitney and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  Over 500 works including his signature flags, maps, and new works are splashed across the walls of these two monumental institutions. The painter who just turned 91 is still working in his studio in Augusta, Georgia. The show will be on view through February 13^th, 2022. whitney.org

At Home

Metropolitan Opera  

In the golden days of yore, the opening night of The Metropolitan Opera heralded the beginning of the new social season; in 2021 there is more competition including the gala opening nights of the New York Philharmonic and Carnegie Hall. The Met has been dark for nearly two years so the premiere of Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones—the first opera by a Black composer ever performed by the Met was a reason to dress up and rejoice. The guest list has changed dramatically from the high society queens comprised of Astor’s, Rockefellers; Mellon’s, and Whitney’s dressed up in gowns by Dior, Channel, Balenciaga, Madame Grès, and Charles James. Instead, the night drew “The New Mix” including Laverne Cox, Drew Barrymore, Spike Lee, Camille A. Brown, Don Lemon, Ricky Ian Gordon, Marisa Tomei and Marco Calvani, Grace Gummer and Mark Ronson, and Charles M. Blow the subject of the opera. The night raised over $3.3 million. A revolving list of classic and new works will be performed through June 2022. metopera.org

This Machine Greens & Lynchpin

Zack Weiner & Joe Gallagher

Zack Weiner, the former NYC Council candidate has transitioned into filmmaking. Weiner , whose father Eric Weiner is the co-creator of the TV show Dora the Explorer and partner Joe Gallagher have produced the first fully funded bitcoin movie, This Machine Greens. The film was made in response to Elon Musk’s statement that “ bitcoin is bad for the environment. “ One of Weiner’s co-producers Enrique Posner is known for his work with world-renowned filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar on Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! starring Antonio Banderas. The film premiered at Atelier Condo. The producing duo also screened a second film Lynchpin, at Lincoln Center, about Bitcoin’s entrance into the world of basketball sponsorships. Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Johnny Juzang of the UCLA Bruins, and young rising hoop star Mikey Williams, the first high school basketball player to ever sign a multimillion-dollar shoe deal with Puma, all appear in the documentary. The film follows the tense negotiations between the Compton Magic coach, Jay-Z, PUMA and Adidas. After the screening experts from Swan Bitcoin explained why Bitcoin wants to take over basketball. bitcoinmovieclub.com