Andrea McArdle at BELOW54

Got to relive a bit of my past Monday evening July 30 by going to see Andrea McArdle's cabaret show (final night) at BELOW 54...the new cabaret space created underneath Studio 54, the famous nightclub where I once worked. I also worked at the Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon), two blocks south when the Broadway show ANNIE was playing there when Andrea McArdle was playing the orphan at age 12. I was selling souvenirs: Annie dolls, records, tapes and keychains & coffee mugs in the lobby. I knew everybody in the show...all the Annie stage mothers (Annie was a show full of kids so therefore, lots of kids and siblings were running all over the place). I knew Andrea, her Mom Phyllis and her Dad Paul, Shelley Bruce (the second Annie who replaced Andrea) who left suddenly because she had leukemia. She was replaced with another Annie "orphan" from the chorus...a girl named Sarah Jessica Parker. I remember being in Sarah's dressing room her last day as ANNIE, helping her Mom and siblings (and Brooke & Teri Shields) clean out her suite and load the car. I have barely seen any of these people in all the years that have passed since then. My friend Pete Mannion made all the plans and got the tickets and we had a fabulous table with our friends Rich, Nick, Gretchen, Tracey and Naomi. Andrea looks FABULOUS...trim, great figure, gorgeous hair and her voice in tip-top shape. She sang standards from the '70's including Over the Rainbow (remember when she played teenage Judy Garland in the movie RAINBOW?) and of course she finished the show with the one iconic song from the 70's....HER song...TOMORROW from Annie. Also, we were sitting by another icon from the 70's...Cybill Shepherd. After the show, we were invited backstage to Andrea's dressing room where she thanked us for the flowers we sent and kissed everybody. I got to chat with her Mom Phyllis for the first time in YEARS! All in all, a fun nostalgic night and a stroll down memory lane. ....the sun'll come out....TOMORROW!

From my dear friend Peggy- Peggy was reminiscing with another friend and longtime Harlem resident Raymond Lewis about Sylvia Woods, owner of SYLVIA’S of Harlem, who died this week. Peggy: In addition to mourning, I will also be quietly chuckling as I remember hilarious stories about "The Queen of Soul Food," which left me in stitches. I told Raymond about the time Sylvia told me that she used to open the restaurant an hour before the posted time in order to feed the local drug pushers, so that they would leave her customers alone. ("I've paid my dues,” she said.) Then there was the time a desperate young mother came into the restaurant with four emaciated children and Sylvia fed them for free and then sat down with them and prayed. I recalled how locals used to come in, weighed down with black plastic bags of “hot” goods, and try and sell them, not only at the entrance, but also in the dining rooms. No night went by when you weren't accosted by a vendor whispering “Got some good stuff tonight,” trying to unload everything from jewelry to household goods. One day a vendor came into SYLVIA’S and tried to sell patrons a green casket. “A green casket?” Raymond asked the guy. “Yeah, a green casket, like what you bury folks in.” “Where is it?” “Outside, in front of the restaurant.” “How much do you want for it?” “$400” “Nah…too much.” “Where did you get it?” “The funeral parlor around the corner.” “Anybody in it?” “No…it’s empty.” “No thanks. I’ll catch you next time, when you’ve got a wider range of colors.” Not believing him, Raymond went outside. There, right in front of SYLVIA’S, by the curb, lay a dark green coffin. So tomorrow, when the tears are flowing and we’re all choking as the choir sings “Amazing Grace”, I will also smile as I remember the coffin by the curb.

---Celeste Holm passes away at 95 years young--- I met Celeste Holm a few years back because we were both members of the American Theatre Wing (the people that give out the TONY awards). The Wing was run by the (now late) Isabelle Stevenson, a lovely woman who had one foot in the world of the theatre and the other in the world of "high society." Isabelle herself passed away in 2003 at age 90. Celeste had appeared on Broadway many times (as well as classic movies) so of course she was a member of the wing. Celeste lived in a huge, classic old New York apartment at 88 Central Park West (where the Robert DeNiro's currently live but don't want anybody to know about it). The Theatre Wing would have cocktail parties every year leading up to Tony Award time in June so that everyone could meet the nominees and potential winners. I had heard that Celeste was beginning to be "confused" a bit and perhaps had the beginngs of Alzheimers or Senior Dementia. I experienced this first hand at a ATW pre-Tony cocktail bash in Times Square. I was chatting with the lovely Miss Holm, when suddenly her face changed and those gorgeous, big expressive eyes which looked so wonderful in her many movies, looked at me with a touch of panic and confusion and she said "Jim, where are we again?" I said "Celeste we are at a Tony award hosted by Isabelle and the American Theatre Wing." She seemed OK for a minute and then said "Why are we here??" Isabelle was near my elbow and I touched her and said "Isabelle, dear-- Celeste wants to know why we are here...." She looked a bit concerned and then said: "I'll take care of it..." and she drifted over to chat with Celeste and give her some undivided attention. After that, the stories about Celeste going in and out of reality were scattered around New York and then she married a man YOUNGER than her own two sons, which became the subject of talk, especially when her sons hired lawyers and obtained the rights to her money and estate, fearing her young husband might have other ideas. Celeste Holm died this week....1917-2012. We all remember her from her Oscar-winning role in Gentleman's Agreement and of course ALL ABOUT EVE with Bette Davis. She was also the original girl who "cain't say no"...Ado Annie on Broadway in OKLAHOMA in 1943. She will be missed. Jim Dykes is an actor and a private guide in New York City. He gives tours of history, architecture, tidbits etc. for private groups and individuals.

Matt Damon: Resident of Manhattan's Historic Upper Westside!!

The Upper Westside of Manhattan is one of New York City’s premiere residential neighborhoods and is literally “teeming” with celebrities. Historically, after the creation of Central Park, the East side developed into an “old money” neighborhood of big mansions and elegant townhouses: Astors, Whitneys, Vanderbilts and such, while the Westside real estate market languished amid sparse development prolonged by the Panic of 1873. The neighborhood finally began establishing itself as the first grand “apartment building district” in the U.S. with buildings such as The Dakota, the Prasada, the Ansonia, etc. in the 1880s, the gay ‘90’s and early 1900s. Eastsiders thumbed their noses at the Upper West, saying “no one important will EVER live over there!” Early Westsiders included theatre people (horrors!), famous musicians, sports celebrities and immigrants who had actually worked hard to make their fortunes. Today Central Park West has celebs including Madonna, Baryshkinov, Donna Karan, Mark Cuban, Darren Star, LeBron James, Josh Groban, Armani, Denzel Washington, Sting, Nascar driver Jeff Gordon and a Russian billionaire driving up prices with his new $88million purchase. It was 1892 when the residents of the Upper Westside, well aware that the area was beginning to boom as a grand residential district, petitioned the city to change the numbered names of the avenues to much grander-sounding names such as Central Park West (for Eighth Ave.), Columbus Avenue (because of newly named Columbus Circle and the newly presented statue of Columbus), Amsterdam Ave. (Dutch revival was all the rage in the 1890’s), WestEnd Avenue (after London’s WestEnd) and Riverside Drive (for obvious reasons). When I first moved to New York City and lived with relatives on West 68th Street, this once grand old NYC neighborhood had become a low-rent, run-down section of town with many Laundromats, hardware stores, Mom & Pop shops and boarded up buildings. There were hundreds of gorgeous old buildings begging to be discovered and renovated which finally happened in the 1980’s. In a previous column I mentioned that Lady Gaga grew up around the corner from my old apartment (on W. 70th St.) and still lives there occasionally with her parents. Other celebs who have flocked to the Upper Westside include: Jerry Seinfeld, Glenn Close, Helen Gurley Brown, Bono, Steven Spielberg, Diane Keaton, Steve Martin, Dustin Hoffman, Demi Moore, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas. In one building near Lincoln Center are: Celine Dion, Howard Stern, Liam Neeson, Regis Philbin, Alan Alda, Marilu Henner, Tony Danza, Julie Andrews, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner! Mega-watt movie star Matt Damon, his wife Lucy and their brood, has also made New York home over his native Boston. After many years of living in a loft downtown on Lafayette Street, Damon was forced to re-locate from the East Village when the NY Post published a photo of him entering his building. On the side of his building was a billboard of his latest Bourne movie with the headline: BOURNE GOES HOME… and a Post paparazzi got a great picture of Damon entering the building with the billboard in plain view. Ahh…the problems of the rich & famous…the loss of privacy in exchange for a $20 million paycheck (per movie!) For now, he’s moved the entire family (wife and several daughters) up to W. 86th Street in a gorgeous old rental building with an interior garden courtyard built by John Jacob Astor. Real estate sources say Damon is searching for a place to buy in the neighborhood but keeps getting outbid by people with deeper pockets than a film star. Although Damon is Boston-born and bred, he’s obviously chosen Yankee territory over Red Sox territory as his home. Jim Dykes is the co-founder of Rich and Famous Tours of NYC. For more information go to: www.JimDykes.com or www.RichandFamousTours.com

Jim Dykes' Rich & Famous Tour spots Snoop Dog, John Lithgow, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jennifer Aniston

Recently on our Rich and Famous Tour (www.RichandFamoustours.com ) we've spotted John Lithgow (riding the C subway train) on Central Park West, Sarah Jessica Parker juggling her children on the street and Jennifer Aniston walking quickly thru the lobby of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel! We saw Snoop Dog walking with his posse on Ninth Avenue, leaving Justin Timberlake's SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY Restaurant! People are always amazed when we spot celebs, no matter how many times I insist to them that New York City is Celebrity City!

The Hudson Theatre- a Broadway Jewel and another Titanic (love) Story

Built by famous Broadway producer Henry B. Harris, the Hudson Theatre is one of Broadway’s oldest surviving playhouses. The Hudson Theatre, located at 141 West 44th St., opened Oct. 19, 1903 with a production called COUSIN KATE, starring 24-year old Ethel Barrymore. The theatre, according to the New York Dramatic Mirror newspaper, was “one of the handsomest theatres in the country.” Elegant Tiffany skylights, Tiffany tile stage trim, backlit Tiffany windows, etc combined with the latest in electric lights, fireproofing, sprinklers and 28 exits made the Hudson the safest theatre in New York. Patrons entered on W. 44th St, while actors and staff entered thru W. 45th St. which was a first. Also the lobby is 100 feet long which adds to the feel of grandeur as one enters. In 1912 Henry and his wife Irene were returning from Europe on the TITANIC after seeing many new shows in London and shopping for new fashions in Paris. Mrs. Harris had fallen and injured herself the day before in her state room, so Henry carried Irene and carefully placed her in the last lifeboat to leave the TITANIC. Her last view of Henry was him waving goodbye from the deck of the doomed ship. Four months after the tragedy, Irene decided to become one of the first women to produce shows and made a go of running the Hudson theatre. She gave Barbara Stanwyck and Judith Anderson their first Broadway roles in the 1920’s. Other stars who would play the Hudson included Douglas Fairbanks, William Holden, Helen Hayes, Edward G. Robinson, Dorothy Gish and Louie Armstrong. In 1929, Irene was offered $1,000, 000 for the theatre and TURNED IT DOWN. A few months later, the stock market crashed and she was wiped out. She lost the Hudson Theatre in foreclosure in 1933 and it was purchased at auction for $100,000. Over the years, it’s had 18 owners and became a radio & TV studio which was the original home of the TONIGHT SHOW starring Steve Allen and later Jack Paar. Elvis Presley, Gypsy Rose Lee, Betty White and many others appeared there onstage before the TONIGHT SHOW moved to L.A. Today the Hudson Theatre has been beautifully and lovingly restored after many years as a Times Square porno theatre. It's now connected to the Broadway Millenium Hotel next door which uses the theatre as an event space and conference center. Recently, the Broadway League held it's annual meeting there and various charities such as the Actor's Fund and the Trevor Project have also used the theatre.

So yesterday there was a big news story that Sarah Jessica Parker is opening her New York City townhouse in NYC's Greenwich Village for a fundraiser for President Obama. $40,000 person, taking no more than 40 people (do the math)!!! Well the questions is: which house in Greenwich Village is she using? For years Sarah & Matthew Broderick have lived on a leafy street near the actual brownstone used in SEX AND THE CITY for "Carrie Bradshaw's house". Life imitating art, perhaps? But recently a realtor friend told me Sarah has absolutely paid $19.2m for a NEW village townhouse closer to Fifth Avenue and Washington Square! I've been by the house and it's much larger than her present house, which is on the market for $9m. Recently a story was spreading around that she's moving to Brooklyn...I seriously doubt this is true...Sarah is a creature of Manhattan, NOT New Jersey(where her Mom lives) and NOT Brooklyn where some of her hipster designer friends live. Stay tuned for more on this one. Also- when high profile people who are famous decide to sell their homes, they throw big charity bashes as a way for their wealthy friends to see the merchandise. In this case, she can raise money for Obama and her favorite Democrats and as a BONUS, she is helping her 1850 row house stand out from all the other 1850 townhouses nearby which are also for sale. It's a win-win, especially if she sells soon. The other house is much bigger and every time I walk by, workers are refinishing the stone stoop, or re-finishing the floors, or hanging window treatments or SOMETHING. So, I'm sorry...I suspect Sarah is still staying in the Village in the bigger house, NOT suddenly moving to Brooklyn. I think the Brooklyn story was a "bum steer" deliberately placed in real estate columns by her realtor and agent and other buddies to throw people off. Keep trying, Sarah! We're too smart for that. www.richandfamoustours.com www.jimdykes.com private tours of NYC