Garden of Finzi-Continis at City Opera-NYTF Is Too Much of a Good Thing
Ricky Ian Gordon and Michael Korie, whose new opera, THE GARDEN OF THE FINZI-CONTINIS, for New York City Opera and National Yiddish Theatre-Folksbiene, weren't the only ones to be inspired by the famed 1962 novel IL GIARDINO DEI FINZI CONTINI by Italian Giorgio Bassani. The film version, by Vittorio De Sica, won the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 1970,...
An opera reimagines classic story about an Italian family on eve of WWII
The Guardian recently called Vittorio de Sica’s 1970 film “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis” a “forgotten Italian masterpiece.” And yet, the lushly beautiful film, about a privileged Italian Jewish family on the eve of World War II, has long been on Jewish critics’ lists of best films about the Holocaust. Based on a novel by Giorgio Bassani, the fi...
A Young Italian in New York: Riccardo Passera Dancing with the American Dream
It may be a cliché, but many still believe it. They call it the American Dream and the US is in fact the goal destination for many young students, artists, musicians or dancers pursuing their boldest ambitions. Riccardo Passera, an eighteen-year-old dancer from Milan is one of them. My friendship with Riccardo began at Les Galipettes nursery school...
Joey Gallo throwback Yankees post proves he was meant for pinstripes
When the New York Yankees acquired Joey Gallo at the 2021 MLB Trade Deadline, the storylines wrote themselves. Here was a lifelong Yankee fan (and, yes, an Italian) returning to his roots to take on the short porch and mash. Unfortunately, Gallo’s grace period in the Bronx was quite short, proving he would struggle to get by on emotional attachment...
Debra Ente personifies Little Italy’s charm, kitsch, and ‘authentic inauthenticity’
On a late summer night in August, I met Debra Ente for the first time. She was adorned with pink glitter, I was adorned with splotches of red wine and marinara. We met at the Little Italy mainstay, Puglia, where Debra can be found most nights singing to throngs of recently graduated Big Ten alumni, mid-tier JPMorgan execs, New York first-timers, an...
Rocco Commisso bought a football club. Then the trouble started
“I’m a distinct animal,” says Rocco Commisso. “I hope they respect a distinct animal. And in the event that they don’t respect that, screw them.” The American billionaire and proprietor of ACF Fiorentina, a well-known however underachieving Italian soccer membership, is reflecting on his relationship with the staff’s supporters, gamers, different m...
Kairos Italy Theater Announces Finalists Of 2021 International Playwrights Series
Kairos Italy Theater, the main Italian theater company in New York, has announced the finalists for the 2021 KIT International 10 minute plays series on Political Theater. The theme was chosen as KIT celebrated the famous Italian writer Leonardo Sciascia, on the occasion of Sciascia's 100th birthday. Leonardo Sciascia (8 January 1921 - 20 November...
The Super Mario that never was: Rare demo found at Strong Museum
Super Mario is a household name to most gamers, and the enormously popular game series centered around the character has been a heavily protected property of Nintendo. But if things had gone differently, you may have been able to hop for coins and battle Bowser on your PC. A cataloguer at The Strong National Museum of Play recently found a PC demo...
Brooklyn Native Steve Buscemi Honored With Key To New York City
Actor Steve Buscemi is the latest New Yorker to get a key to the city. Before turning to acting, the Brooklyn-born Buscemi was a New York City firefighter in the early 1980s. The “Boardwalk Empire” star was given the key to New York during Mayor Bill de Blasio’s press conference Tuesday. “This is such an honor to be here with you today to receive t...
Yankees are excited about ‘special’ top prospect Anthony Volpe
During the current MLB lockout, Aaron Boone can’t talk to anyone on the Yankees’ 40-man roster. So he isn’t able to get an update on how Aaron Hicks was feeling during his stint playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic as he comes back from wrist surgery or text with other players about how their offseasons are going. But Boone is allowed to c...
The Italian Chicks
Appearing at the Brook Arts Center on February 12, 2022 is Danny Aiello's The Italian Chicks. THE ITALIAN CHICKS is a two-hour comedy and variety show that takes you back to a time and place when life was simpler, and culture and traditions were respected and honored. The show is a passionate blend of comedy, characters, music, song parodies and It...
An Italian American Comedy Duo From Central New York
Lou Greco and Carlo Russo are hilarious comedians from Syracuse, New York. They do "The Uncle Louie Variety Show" together, which has taken Facebook by storm. Not only are they Facebook famous, they are extremely popular on YouTube. They became so popular on the internet that they started doing shows all over the country and have even done shows as...