Hospitality in the Media Tent

A red banner is hanging in the hospitality area of the media tent reading “Captain for President.” Somebody has set up trays of chicken fingers. There is a full bar offering Diageo products, such as Crown Royal, Johnnie Walker Red, and, of course, Captain Morgan. An hour ago a guy dressed up as a pirate showed up with two scantily clad women. Most reporters are working too hard to partake, which gave the whole scene a very surreal feel.

Convention Kosher

I was wondering around the lobby of my hotel when a familiar odor wafted over to my nose. Could it be? It almost smelled like the garlicky scent of half sour pickles.

Instantly I was brought back to my days as a cub reporter for the Forward, when I covered the organized Jewish community in New York. Back then events called for kosher food. But it wasn’t enough for it to be kosher, it had to be tasty.

The food was coming from the delegation party hosted by the Speaker of the New York Assembly, Sheldon Silver. Inside I found multiple carving stations serving delectable sweet and sour corned beef, a dish I have often tried to make at home. Even more than a deli corned beef sandwich, it’s almost impossible to find cooked sweet & sour corned beef anywhere in Boston. I piled the corned beef onto a plate along with pickles.

The steam trays offered even more — tender barbecue brisket, potato latkes, sweet & sour meatballs. All are  hard to find especially done well.

On my way out, I met the caterer David Fine, who has done a great job doing kosher food in Denver, far less nouveau than the Boston kosher food purveyors. Still, I wondered where the pickles came from. “New York,” he answered.

This was my best meal so far in Denver.

NECN NewsNight Appearance

Watch me tonight at 8 p.m. discussing presidential politics on NECN’s NewsNight hosted by Jim Braude.

Beverly v. Gloucester: Class War on the North Shore

The Boston Herald once again returns to the story of the Beverly Farms Parade of Horribles and its ridicule of the so-called pregnancy pact in neighboring Gloucester. The underlying issue, one of teens too recklessly having children is one, of course, of deep concern. But, to me, the Beverly parade — you can watch it below — suggests another, one which we hear little to nothing about these days, class division.

One of the unique aspects of Eastern Massachusetts, unlike much of the country which is defined by brand new, nondescript, “subdivisions,” is that the region still has cities and towns with unique identities. Also unlike other regions, such as the Southwest (Anglo v. Latino,) South (white v. African-American,) where divisions are primarily ethnic and racial, you’re still dealing with towns, which have similar racial and ethnic profiles. Our area, therefore, provides a good litmus test on class. And it’s ugly.

I can think of several other places in the region where a few miles means a major difference in income. Start where I grew up, Hull. Hull is bordered by Hingham, a former target of derision of the Globe’s Metro Editor, Brian McGrory. Nearby is Cohasset, an even wealthier town. Class was an essential part of the sports rivalry between Hull and Cohasset. Self-described “rich kids” from Cohasset even vandalized a portion of Hull’s sea wall adjacent to the high school after a football victory. There’s also the Winchester-Woburn divide.

At a time when fishing, the economic engine of Gloucester is imperiled, as Mark Kurlansky writes in his new book, towns like Beverly Farms are relatively secure as refuges for the rich. Even with the current downturn, I’ve watched some communities, such as Needham and Newton, go from affluent communities with good school systems, to homes for the super-rich.

Just something to think about as we sit back and watch this spectacle.

Gitell on Michael Graham Show

I’ll be on 96.9 FM Talk with Michael Graham shortly after 3:20 today. The subject will be the war crimes conference in Andover.

Gitell on NECN NewsNight Quiz

Watch me compete against humorist Ben Alper and WMJX d.j. Candy O’Terry on NECN NewsNight’s quiz. Here is a link to the first segment links. The host is Jim Braude.

Israel at 30: When Streisand Sang for Golda

I mentioned earlier that I had something up my sleeve for Israel’s 60th birthday celebration. It took more time than I wanted to put together. But here’s a piece for Nextbook that describes how America did it 30 years ago.

It’s hard even to believe now, but ABC put together a prime time variety show capped by an amazing Streisand performance. (This was, after all, the network that gave us “The Battle of the Network Stars.”)

I spoke to two great show business men to get the inside scoop — Buz Kohan and Charlie Fishman. Kohan is a veteran of scores of memorable t.v. shows, such as “Motown 25,” where Michael Jackson unveiled the moonwalk, to “Muhammed Ali’s 50th Birthday Celebration.” He is also the patriarch of a Hollywood family: his son, David, created “Will and Grace;” his daughter, Jenji, “Weeds.” For his part, Fishman is the head of Washington D.C.’s Duke Ellington Jazz Festival and a former manager of Dizzy Gillespie. Here is an excerpt of the piece:

“Fishman had brought Stan Getz to Israel in 1977, a trip filmed for the 1978 documentary Stan Getz: A Musical Odyssey. ‘How do you break away from the late night television?’ Fishman remembers asking himself. ‘I sat back and said, ‘What would be the hippest thing to do? What would be the biggest star-power thing to do?’ ‘

No other Jewish American performer of the time was as big as Streisand. This was little more than a year after the release of A Star Is Born, which had garnered her an Oscar for the song ‘Evergreen.’ Fishman enlisted producer James Lipton, now famous for Inside the Actors Studio, and director Marty Pasetta, another award-show veteran, and set to work getting Streisand. She was interested, but had her own conditions: She wanted to sing accompanied by Zubin Mehta and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. So that’s exactly what she got. And with the strength of Streisand’s name, Fishman and company sold the show to ABC.

In the days before the show aired, Kohan and Mehta went to Streisand’s home to help her prepare. ‘She wanted to sing ‘Hatikvah,’ only she didn’t know’ the song, Kohan recalls. Kohan picked up the phone, called his wife, Rhea, and asked her to sing the song to Streisand. ‘I hope she’s not intimidated,’ Rhea quipped before launching into it.

Streisand’s preparation worked. For the organizers, the result was transcendent. ‘She was remarkable,’ says Kohan. ‘Everybody was impressed with the last twenty minutes of the show.’ ”

You can watch Streisand here.

Kennedy Statement

Here’s the statement of Kennedy’s office on his hospitalization via Boston.com:

“It appears that Senator Kennedy experienced a seizure this morning. He is undergoing a battery of tests at Massachusetts General Hospital to determine the cause of the seizure. Senator Kennedy is resting comfortably, and it is unlikely we will know anything more for the next 48 hours.”

Gitell.com’s prayers go out to the senator as he recovers.

Gitell on NECN NewsNight

Watch me here on NECN NewsNight along with key Barack Obama fundraiser Alan Solomont. The host is, of course, Jim Braude.

Gitell on NECN NewsNight

I will be part of NECN’s Election Night coverage. My appearance will be during the 8:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. block.