BingPop is pop culture. It’s Binghamton News, nightlife, and art. It’s Endwell, Endicott, and Johnson City. What’s going on downtown after 5 and where’s the hot new restaurant to grab lunch. It’s a catalogue of the quirkiest stuff in Broome County and instant updates from a ton of reliable (and occasionally not so reliable) sources.
Where’s that neat little brunch place in Whitney Point and what’s the newest chain to open its doors on the Vestal Parkway. We’ll talk about the staples: Boca Joe’s, Number 5, and the Cyber Café West. What’s must-see at the Art Mission Theater and who’s showing at the Brunelli Gallery. And the latest show to be announced at the Broome County Arena.
But you’ll also know what’s up and coming before it’s come up. Mostly, it’s all about the Southern Tier. With a nice bit of trash about Paris Hilton and Brad Pitt folded in for flavor. And although it’s true: we do [heart] Binghamton. It doesn’t mean we always gotta be nice...
BingPop is an experiment. Sometimes we’re pretty frickin’ awesome. And sometimes we really really really suck. I mean really.
This is an example of us sucking quite a bit, and I take full responsibility.
We teamed up with the KNOW Theatre to bring you their radio-style Xmas show on the Web. And there were 2 reasons behind this. 1, I think the KNOW Theatre does some really incredible, fun, edgy stuff in Binghamton. 2, We wanted to add locally produced rich media content to the site that you could pull down on demand.
The F up has to do with the quality of the recording. So assume, for just a moment, that what you’re about to hear has really, really phenomenal sound, and judge it on the quality of the content alone.
THE KNOW THEATRE OLD-TIME RADIO XMAS
Click Play to Listen
And we promise we won’t F up quite as bad next time.
Somebody at Mattel realized that you can’t make as much money if you limit your market to 8-year-old girls. So they invented a whole line of Barbies for adults who still think they’re 8-year old girls.
Last year, people went nutty when Mattel released a doll the press started calling “S&M Barbie”. Even adults who only THINK they’re 8-year-old girls couldn’t possibly be into this thing.
Now, a Barbie for adults who think they’re 8-year-old girls who can appreciate a good Hitchcock film: “The Birds” Barbie Doll: Black Label Collection. Is Black Label shorthand for evil? You remember this film. Where perfectly normal pigeons turn demonic and start eating people?
That’s what I want my adult who thinks she’s an 8-year-old girl playing with under the Christmas this season. Yes indeedy.
OK, I have to admit it; I’m becoming a pretty big fan of the KNOW Theater. They’ve got style. And I could be my usual cynical self and find something to mock them for, but they always seem to beat me to the punch.
At last month’s Celtic Festival, they did an entire series of comedy sketches based on the idea that all the jokes would be BAD and then called the troop “The Gleason Groaners”. You have to appreciate a group of people with that level of self-celebratory self-loathing. Luckily, the beer was flowing freely.
In any case, they’ve come up with a neat twist on the Christmas show that actually makes me want to sit through two hours of “Rudolph the Red Nose” and “Jingle Bells”. They’re playing the thing like an old-time radio show. Like NPR’s Prairie Home Companion—just in Bingo and with a Christmas-y theme.
And the best part (according to me): You’ll be able to listen to bits and pieces right here on bingpop.com. At least the parts we won’t get sued for posting. But if you’re really cool, you’ll come see it live this weekend. More info here.
I grabbed Matt Edwards from KNOW to grill him about the show…
