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Charlotte Lytton

By Charlotte Lytton 11/15/12 4:22pm

Sandy irritations

Evacuating Bellevue during the storm. (Getty)

Emergency Rooms: Many Hospitals Still at Risk from Future Storms

As if Sandy hadn’t made enough of a mess of the New York City, and particularly a number of its hospitals, a new report from the Independent Budget Office has found that 20 percent of hospital beds here are at risk of further destruction, being in or near potential flood zones. Of the city’s 62 hospitals, which have a combined capacity of 26,451 beds, five were evacuated during Superstorm Sandy, displacing more than 2,500 patients as a result.

With another eight hospitals in or adjacent to evacuation zone A, the study is a worrying indictment of how New York’s indisposed might be affected by future natural disasters if flooding as severe as that during Sandy is to happen again—as many officials, including the mayor and the governor, believe it probably will. Read More

By Charlotte Lytton 11/14/12 4:24pm

ALL IN A DAY'S WORK

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Plays Aplenty at Montblanc’s One Day Broadway Spectacular

For actors, 24 hour plays are like the last day of class – the illusion of working remains, but everybody knows it’s just a thinly veiled disguise for goofing off with your friends and wearing fake Mexican mustaches. And at Monday night’s event at the American Airlines Theater, the pranks were in full swing and the faux facial hair put to good use as a host of stars took to the stage to support the Urban Arts program. “This is the most fun you can have with your clothes on that benefits children and is sponsored by Mont Blanc,” joked the charity’s Executive Director Philip Courtney as he stood under the spotlight, eagerly watched by his A-List peers.

Mischief and mishaps undeniably characterized the event, but a wave of hush fell over the audience as student poets Janessa Terry and Canice Munroe performed their work at the show’s opening. Their words had audience members and celebrities alike enthralled, and highlighted the excellent forum provided by Urban Arts in enabling young creatives from underprivileged backgrounds to showcase their talent. Read More

By Charlotte Lytton 11/14/12 4:07pm

DANCING QUEENS

new-york-at-christmas

The Rockettes: Kids Captivated, Adults Skeptical

It would appear that there is an unwritten rule in show business which states that anything related to the festive season must be as suffocatingly cheesy as possible, and The Rockettes Christmas Spectacular at Radio City certainly delivers. In a show consisting of live camels onstage, 3-D interludes and costumes that made Joseph’s Technicolor Dreamcoat look like a potato sack, the all singing, all dancing troupe undeniably put on a show. But that show felt a bit like being on an acid trip in Lapland. Read More

By Charlotte Lytton 10/30/12 6:48pm

Shindigger

Najimy and Johnston.

Clip-Clop, Clippity-Clop: Kristen Johnston Saddles Up to Save the Horsies [Correction]

Charity events are usually tame affairs, but last Tuesday, a night spent with NY CLASS’s supporters saw guests dancing on the tables, celebrities promising private flashing sessions and surely one of the finer “Don’t you know who I am?” moments in recent Manhattan’s party scene memory. A smattering of famous faces turned out to fight the use of carriage horses in New York, which remains one of the few cosmopolitan cities worldwide yet to have outlawed this cruel and, quite frankly, antiquated trade.

Honorees Kathy Najimy and Kristen Johnston were in fine form, scribbling speeches on the backs of napkins and offering to do just about anything for the sake of the charity. Read More

By Charlotte Lytton 10/23/12 4:11pm

Total Rubbish

Not your average cesspool. (windfucker/Flickr)

Actually New York’s Streets Aren’t That Filthy, Or So Claims City Hall

It seems that trash, as well as beauty, is in the eye of the beholder if two studies of New York’s street cleanliness are anything to go by. Travel + Leisure recently released a much-publicized list that found New York to be the dirtiest city in America. In an effort to try and rebut this filthy scarlet letter, the city’s Independent Budget Office dug into the Mayor’s Management Report, released the following week, that found 95.5 percent of the New York City’s streets here are “acceptably clean.” Read More

By Charlotte Lytton 10/23/12 11:33am

Framed

(Mike Chiodo/Mikiodo Media)

Paul Rudd Bears His Balls at Charity Bowling Event for Our Time

Given how spoiled we’ve been with numerous invites to soirées and galas of late, the novelty of a charity event set in a bowling lane—a bowling lane!—seemed just delightful, a real opportunity to let our hair down. And there was still a generous helping of celebrities in the crowd who had come to support Our Time, a charity aimed at helping young stutterers. Fronting the event was genial film star Paul Rudd, who took time out of his acclaimed Broadway play Grace to lend a famous face to the event.

Bowling may not be considered the pinnacle of athleticism, but that didn’t quell the competitive streak of several guests. Read More

By Charlotte Lytton 10/22/12 12:18pm

Canine Chic

18 Photos

Americana is order of the day for this little Yorkshire terrier.

B*tches Be Howlin’: Halloween Puppy Parade Does Doggy Style

Saturday saw the 22nd annual Halloween Puppy Parade take place in Tompkins Square Park, where Manhattan’s dog-owners gather to show off their ridiculous mutts once a year. Proud moms and dads spent four hours parading their pooches in the East Village, so if you’re a fan of pugs dressed as Argentine political leaders, or Yorkshire Terriers in top hats, take a look at our round-up of this year’s wackiest outfits.  Read More

By Charlotte Lytton 10/20/12 1:05pm

The Lady and the Dance

La Maison Cointreau Debuts In NYC With Performance By Dita Von Teese

Q&A: Dita von Teese, Burlesque Star and Fetish-er Extraordinaire, Talks About Her New York Fantasy

On Monday night, America’s classiest stripper, Dita von Teese, left little to the imagination at an intimate party hosted at La Maison Cointreau in the West Village. Later in the week she spoke to The Observer about her dreams of swapping Hollywood for New York City, and how she handles the burden of her international sex symbol status.  Read More