Entry in progress -- BP Toby SimkinTheatre Superstition The Last LineIt has been considered bad luck to say the final line of a show before it opens. Therefore, many rehearsals skip the final line…
"Never sing in the shower. Singing leads to dancing. Dancing leads to slipping, and slipping leads to paramedics seeing you naked. So remember, don't sing!" is a jocular saying that…
There are many different ways of the business saying: "Be kind to those working under you; you might be working under them some day." "Do not antagonize the newsboy today -- you may…
"Never work with children or animals" is an old show business adage. Children and animals can behave unpredictably on the stage or movie set. Once the movie is made, the audience always…
"New York City (Such a Beautiful Disease)" is a popular song by a real New Yorker, Norah Jones. The book Songs in the City needs to be updated for this one. I hear the Norah Jones song…
Ace Frehley (of the rock group KISS) did a solo album in 1978. "New York Groove" was his big hit from the album. The lyrics ""I'm back in the New York groove" occur…
John S. Wilson (1913-2002) was a music critic for the New York (NY) Times and one of the country's leading jazz authorities. He wrote about New York City's role in the jazz world in…
Actors and musicians have a saying about the difference between New York City (Broadway) and Los Angeles (Hollywood): "In New York, they tell you that you suck and they stab you in the heart.…
"New York State of Mind" (1975) was written and performed by Billy Joel. It appears on his album Turnstiles. Hillary Clinton used this song during her 2000 New York Senate run. Arguably,…
"New York, New York (It's a Helluva Town)" (1945) (or "It's a Wonderful Town," for those who prefer these lyrics) was written by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, and…
The Original Last Poets (later called The Last Poets) formed on May 19, 1968 (Malcolm X's birthday), at Mount Morris Park (now known as Marcus Garvey Park) in East Harlem. The Last Poets…
"New York, New York" (1977) by composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb was written for the 1977 Martin Scosese film, New York. The film starred Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli (who…
"New York, the 'Big Apple,' the jazz mecca" was printed in a New York City guide book. This was printed in Hart's Guide to New York City (1964) by Harold H. Hart:…
NYC & Co. (the city's tourist bureau) commissioned Frank Wildhorn (of several low-grade Broadway musicals, such as Jekyll and Hyde and Dracula: The Musical) to write a song to promote…
The group Fear recorded a song in 1982 titled "New York's alright if you like saxophones." The song didn't have very nice things to say about New York City. Then again, Fear is…
"New York's My Home" (1956) was composed by Gordon Jenkins and performed by Sammy Davis, Jr. It contains the lyric "When you leave New York, man, you don't go…
Jim Croce died in a plane accident in 1973. "New York's Not My home" is one of his thoughtful hits. The lyrics can't be produced in full here, but are available on other sites.…
Rolling Stone magazine began in New York City in 1967. Although "Big Apple" was popular in jazz music, Rolling Stone mostly reported on rock music. A letter by "Fly Paper" about…
"New York" is on U2's All That You Can Leave Behind (2000). The song isn't one of their biggest hits. http://www.macphisto.net/u2lyrics/New_York.htmlU2 Lyrics - New York(...)New…
It's an old joke that actors seek speaking parts, and that, in marriage, the speaking part often goes to the wife. A typical joke was cited in 1902: Why did that chorus girl quit?"…