HurryDate will be organized in two rounds, where you’ll talk to 25 single people for three minutes at a time. You’ll indicate on a "SCOREcard" whether or not you’d like to see each person again, and Shecky’s will calculate the results and e-mail you your matches a few days later. If you’re interested in attending, RSVP to 732-2277 now (have a credit card ready). These get-togethers are extremely popular–they come to Boston, Toronto and South Florida later this month–and space is limited to 50 men and 50 women.
Part of the fuss is that HurryDate isn’t exclusively for Jewish singles, as many speed dating programs are, so all those random Episcopalians can join in. And part of it is the free drinks; the people behind Shecky’s Bar, Club & Lounge Guide are naturally able to pull in favors and get sponsorship rackets going, with Wednesday’s festivities brought to you by Tanqueray No. 10 gin.
Do remember, before you set out on your HurryDate, to polish up on humor and self-presentation skills. The swift encounters encourage lightning wit, flashing eyes and maybe some dexedrine. If sitting down with 25 potential partners in 75 minutes isn’t enough pressure for you, look for the television cameras, which will be in to capture this hip new trend firsthand. HurryDate costs $24, but that includes complimentary Tanqueray No. 10. The proceedings begin at 7 p.m. and more information is available at www.hurrydate.com.
...Another option on Wednesday night (this is why you need to pick up New York Press every Tuesday afternoon, people, so you can catch these things) is the Workhouse Publicity Fifth Anniversary party at Eugene (27 W. 24th St., betw. 5th & 6th Aves., 462-0999). Publicists are people too–just ask Lizzie G.–and they need to unwind and wallow in their accomplishments from time to time. In Workhouse’s case, the accomplishments include a healthy relationship with Grey Model Management, which will provide models for Wednesday’s proceedings (word is, they will walk around looking pretty). Other sponsors include Plymouth Gin (another night of free gin, is there a glut?), Kangol and Francis Ford Coppola’s literary magazine Zoeotrope: All Story.
Admission to the party is $0, which means you’d better dress nice–on a night with no cover and complimentary drinks, the Eugene doormen have to be dicks to keep out gin-hungry riff-raff. The venue is known for staff rudeness anyway, so an RSVP to 334-1919 might be prudent. Once you’re inside, Eugene will treat you to 1930s decor, comfortable couches and a live performance by the Bootleg Remedy, some of the best bluegrass revivalists in America today. They’ll make you want to toss bottles off your porch at cars with New York license plates and they’ll jibe perfectly with Eugene’s retro interior. The festive happenings begin at 8.
...Speaking of retro interiors, Michael Jackson may not have his original nose or skin tone, but what he does have is tremendous balls. To wit: his last album was called HIStory: Past, Present, and Future, Book 1, which seemed kind of stupid when it came out, but which is now the clear predecessor to rap titles like The Dynasty: Roc la Familia and P Diddy & The Bad Boy Family: The Saga Continues… And Michael’s new album? It’s called Invincible, a clever jab at another aging superstar’s Supernatural. Which would you rather be?
It doesn’t stop there. Despite the fact that NSYNC initially balked, Michael got Britney Spears, Destiny’s Child, the complete Jackson 5 and, according to some sources, Kenny Rogers signed up for his first continental show in 11 years. Now he’s set to perform his hits at a two-hour, star-studded bash this Friday, and NSYNChas rejoined the bill at the last minute. Balls.
According to his publicist, this is how the night will shape up for MJ. At 7:40 p.m., shepherd of the flock Samuel L. Jackson will introduce Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown, Mya & Usher for a performance of "Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’." Then an unlikely Jackson friend for 20 years, Marlon Brando, will come out to present country phenom Billy Gilman (the youngest solo artist ever to secure a platinum record, at age 12) for a rendition of "Ben." The hits just keep on coming with Marc Anthony, Shaggy, Shaquille O’Neal, three unnamed "sport legends" (Michael, Magic and Larry, perhaps?), Liza Minnelli, Destiny’s Child and Elizabeth Taylor, who are all slated to get onstage and do something. (Minnelli is singing Jackson’s ballad "You Are Not Alone" backed by a 200-person choir, with torches, which hopefully will make it onto the CBS special.)
After the reconvened Jackson 5, including Marlon and Jackie Jackson, play a medley of hits with Michael, Britney Spears will alight for a duet before Chris Tucker and Slash drop by and MJ rounds out the evening with his new single "You Rock My World." That’s a lot of concert for $45, which is what nosebleed seats are still going for, unaffected by the mania that gripped Madonna concertgoers earlier this year. Put simply, it’s easy to rag on Michael Jackson. How about you just shut up, get a denim jacket, go to his concert and enjoy yourself? At Madison Square Garden (4 Pennsylvania Plaza, 33rd St. at 7th Ave., 465-6741) this Friday, with tickets at 307-7171.
...As the college kids return to New York this week, you can expect the clientele at Nuyorican Poets Cafe to get much younger and more attractive–although, to be fair, the place has been hopping all summer long with sloppy crowds spilling out onto E. 3rd St. regularly. The Nuyorican welcomes fall with a "Women of Word" showcase this Saturday, featuring slam poetry, performance art, feminists, lesbians, old Hispanic men, the whole deal.
The most heartwarming thing about the Women of Word events, which come around every few months, is that they spotlight artists who are truly making their way in the world. Ife Oshun, your hostess on Saturday, gets work on the About.com guide to hiphop and rap; poet Helena D. Lewis rocks it out with the undefeated New Jersey First Wave Slam Team (Jersey is a hotbed for modern verse, would you believe); and Argentine Susana Cook has lived the dream for 14 years as a performance art regular at Dixon Place and P.S. 122. All three will regale you with tales about fucking, naturally, and you’ll cheer, because they don’t let you not cheer at slam events.
The show starts at the Nuyorican (236 E. 3rd St., betw. Aves. B & C, 505-8183) at 10 p.m. and costs $15. If you’re not into paying that much, come to the venue’s SlamOpen on any Wednesday. Once I saw a guy get up there and sing a full-on, no-irony rendition of "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid–he got applauded like he’d just exorcised a demon.
