Broadway's right — Jay-Z's Times Square casino bid must fail
Luck be a lady… somewhere else!
Many of the theater's powerful unions, landlords, trade organizations and ally businesses a-five-six-seven-hate Jay-Z, Caesars Entertainment and SL Green Realty's bad, bad, bad bid to plop a casino in Times Square.
5 Broadway workers protested the bid for a casino to be built right in the middle of Times Square.
Billy Tompkins/ZUMA / SplashNews.com
In the very same building that's home to family-friendly 'The Lion King,' 1515 Broadway, blackjack beckons.
One block away from 'Hamilton,' drunk tourists losing all of their Benjamins.
Broadway feels such intense loathing toward Beyonce's husband's plan for Caesars Palace Times Square that, like the hippies of 'Hair,' the pros staged a rally Thursday by the red steps ahead of Friday's deadline for proposals.
They were practically singing 'One Day More' out there.
'This casino's developers don't care about improving this neighborhood,' Broadway League prez Jean Valjean, I mean, Jason Laks said. 'A casino in the heart of Times Square would only set this area back.'
Do you hear the people sing?
Eight bids are competing for three gambling licenses around the metro area — from near the UN (just what foreign dignitaries need!) all the way up to Yonkers.
Caesars' is the splashiest.
5 Caesars Palace Times Square would make its home at 1515 Broadway.
A Better Times Square
I'm not much of a protester.
What do I want? A chair! When do I want it? Now!
But I sit in solidarity with Broadway. They're dead right. The last thing the Crossroads of the World needs is poker tables, slot machines and the inevitable filth and riffraff that cling to them like saran wrap.
The theater industry's chief beef, however, is a financial one.
'A casino can go anywhere,' Laks said. 'Broadway can only be here.'
Show people insist that a shiny new gambling den would dangerously compete with their productions, which are only just getting back to some semblance of pre-pandemic normalcy.
This past Broadway season had the highest attendance levels since 2019.
A casino would rain on their parade.
5 Jay-Z is one of the forces behind the Times Square casino bid.
Getty Images
Gaming establishments are designed to keep customers inside them so they can spend all their money on the premises — at proprietary hotels, bars, restaurants and entertainments.
Not at Joe Allen. Not at Hurley's. Not at Un Deux Trois. Only at Caesars.
Once inside, the buildings tend to be labyrinthine and challenging to make your way out of.
Intentionally.
Those sneaks use psychological tricks such as dim lighting and windowless rooms to make you lose track of time.
In short, the people who run casinos don't really want you to scurry off to see 'Aladdin.'
5
A Better Times Square
Caesars says: Au contraire. Our business will be a boon to Broadway. We'll buy up thousands of tickets.
That's funny as 'The Book of Mormon.' How does it benefit Caesars to send customers to a 2 ½-hour musical at 8 p.m.?
It doesn't. That's just lip service to get the heavyweight Broadway League and Shubert Organization onboard.
What of Las Vegas? They have shows, too, you say? Yes, Sin City does.
But it's a different animal. You enter them from the casino floor. And they are nearly all 90 minutes long — purpose-built to get you back to the cards and chips ASAP.
Twenty Broadway musicals currently are more than two hours and have an intermission.
By the way, Broadway shows not called 'Mamma Mia!,' almost always flop hard in Vegas.
So that's one giant dilemma.
5 While Las Vegas has shows, most are 90 minutes and entered from the casino floor.
A Better Times Square
Here's my issue. Times Square is already a Circus, Circus. The area has been especially disgusting and unruly since 2020, even if stronger policing has helped in recent months.
The city's imbecilic moves over the years to turn much of it into a car-free pedestrian plaza has already provided ample opportunity for the homeless to sleep on the ground and drug dealers with a constant supply impaired loiterers.
So, let's add gambling to that toxic mix.
Nobody with a brain really believes that a casino would improve Times Square.
Just like no one really believed that legalizing pot would be a consequence-free moneymaker for the state.
Our ethically challenged politicians go gaga for these terrible ideas because of the payoffs they get.
Meanwhile our neighborhoods and businesses suffer.
The only high rollers Times Square needs are investors who pour millions into risky Broadway shows.
Now, that's one helluva gamble.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
4 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Summer outdoor movie nights return to Grouse Mountain
Moviegoers can now enjoy a film with a stunning alpine backdrop on a North Shore mountain. Grouse Mountain announced this year's Movies on the Mountain listings, bringing fan favourites to the big screen every Thursday until the end of August. 'It is such a unique setting – the city view on one side [and] the amazing alpine backdrop on the other side,' said Emily Leak, communications manager for Grouse Mountain. 'So it's just a great activity to enjoy the mountain and enjoy the outdoors together.' The movies will play in the Birds in Motion viewing area and screen at sunset, so starting times will vary as the weeks go by. This year's movie lineup features favourites like The Parent Trap, Shrek, Mission Impossible: Fallout, The Lion King and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. '[It's a] pretty solid line. I think some of them are new, but I think a few of them we've done in the past and they've been super popular,' she said. 'I know Harry Potter has been the most popular every year.' Movies on the Mountain has been running films on the big screen since 2021, Leak said. She suggests bringing cushions and chairs, as the seating near the screen is limited. Leak also recommended bringing a blanket as it can get chilly on the mountain, and bug spray. While there isn't a concession stand, Leak said people can get a pre-movie bite or drink at the Rusty Rail Patio and Altitudes Patio until 9 p.m. Guests are welcome to bring their own popcorn and snacks. The outdoor movie nights are part of the resort's On the Mountain series, presenting sky high activities on summer evenings. One of those activities is Mingler Wednesdays where people can go up the Grouse Grind to enjoy Granville Island Brewing beer samples and a live DJ while connecting with other hikers on the Altitudes Patio. There's also Yoga on the Mountain on Saturdays, which is complimentary with admission, at the Mountaintop Plaza from 9 to 10 a.m. until Aug. 30. On Sundays, Music on the Mountain hits the stage at Altitudes Patio from 6:30 to 9 p.m. until Sept. 21. After 6 p.m. Grouse Mountain offers a Sunset Special rate to enjoy the evening activities, priced at $29. 'The biggest takeaway is it's a really unique opportunity. It's a great way to take advantage of the sunset special and still get some time up Grouse,' Leak said. 'It's just a fun way to get outdoors and spend time with the community, bonding over some movies that we all know and love.' Movies on the Mountain lineup: The Parent Trap: Thursday, July 31 Shrek: Thursday, Aug. 7 Mission Impossible: Fallout: Thursday, Aug. 14 The Lion King: Thursday, Aug. 21 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Thursday, Aug. 28 Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Newsweek
Millennial Mom Plays 1990s Song for Teens—No One Prepared for Their Verdict
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A mom, her teenage son, and his best friend have gone viral as the teenagers react to some of the biggest hit songs from the previous generation. Ramee Sharpe, 40, lives in Illinois, and is mom to 17-year-old Braden, who she described as "attached at the hip" to his best friend, John. "When you have teenagers, their friends become family because you don't see one without the other," she said. In recent weeks, Sharpe, John, and Braden have amassed a large following on TikTok after Sharpe's friend Dinah suggested they take part in a trend which sees Gen-Z teens react to music from their parents' day. And, as Sharpe put it: "That was that. My page went from 13,000 followers to over 60,000 in just a week." Praising the boys, she called them "hilarious" and said it's been "such a fun way to spend time together," with online followers getting involved by making suggestions for songs in the comments. One such video has exploded in popularity, as Sharpe decided to treat the 17-year-olds to none other than Bloodhound Gang's The Bad Touch—released in 1999, when Sharpe was 15, and years before the boys were born. Ramee Sharpe, Braden and John listen to The Bad Touch by Bloodhound Gang. Ramee Sharpe, Braden and John listen to The Bad Touch by Bloodhound Gang. TikTok @rameelin The track, from the album Hooray For Boobies, was notoriously suggestive, and as crude as it was catchy: it hit number one in the charts in multiple countries upon its release. Braden and John, however, had never heard it before. And in a video posted to Sharpe's TikTok account @rameelin in July, viewed more than 3.2 million times, she stood back and watched as the duo listened for the first time. As as the lyrics begin, Braden turns to his mom in open-mouthed shock, while she collapses into laughter. Sharpe can't hold back her giggles—and then the incredibly catchy chorus comes on, featuring the lyrics, "You and me, baby, ain't nothin' but mammals / So let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel." But far from the mortified looks from the beginning of the video, this is the point that sees the boys get hooked, and both start nodding their heads along to the beat. By the end, both boys are dancing along, and Sharpe is still in stitches watching behind them. Sharpe explained to Newsweek that her son Braden is a musician himself, writing and performing his own songs under the name Bud Larson Music, which he posts to his own account @BradenLarson. "Music is literally the heartbeat of our house, so this series has been a great addition to the fun," she said. The teenagers aren't sure what to think, but are dancing by the end of the chorus. The teenagers aren't sure what to think, but are dancing by the end of the chorus. TikTok @rameelin And TikTok users loved it, flocking to the video—currently standing at close to 200,000 likes—as one commenter wrote that "kids today don't even know what the Discovery channel reference even means!" "When they started bopping I lost it," another laughed, and none said: "I feel like the horror is slowly fading and they are coming around to our music!" Others recalled finding the song in their own childhoods, one sharing: "I made my mom listen to this song when I was like eight whenever we went to the zoo because I was convinced it was about animals." "I had no business knowing this word for word at the age I did," another laughed with another agreeing: "I used to sing this song at like age 9 when it came out and I had NO idea what it was about." Making the series has been fun for Sharpe and her family, particularly as she started the project with Braden and John amid a difficult time: her oldest daughter moving out of home, and the week of her late daughter Mabel's 15th birthday. As she put it: "I needed the distraction and lightheartedness this trend has brought to my days." Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures you want to share? Send them to life@ with some extra details, and they could appear on our website.
Buzz Feed
2 days ago
- Buzz Feed
Jay Leno's Late Night Criticism: Monica Lewinsky Reacts
Jay Leno had great words about politics and late-night humor. The former Tonight Show host recently chatted with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute. The interviewer alluded to a 2014 George Mason University study, which he claimed showed that Jay was "roughly equally balanced between going after Republicans and taking aim at Democrats" (we'll get to why that's not exactly right later). "It was funny to me when I got hate letters," Jay replied. "That's how you get a whole audience." "Now, you have to be content with half the audience because you have to give your opinion," he continued. "I like to think that people come to a comedy show to kind of get away from the things, the pressures of life, wherever it might be. And I love political humor, don't get me wrong, but what happens (is) people wind up cozying too much to one side or the other." "Funny is funny. It's funny when you make fun of their side and they laugh at it. I don't think anybody wants to hear a lecture," the 75-year-old continued. "Why shoot for just half an audience all the time? Why not try to get the whole? I like to bring people into the big picture. I don't understand why you would alienate one particular group." The thing is, the original study doesn't quite show Jay as being quite partisan. In fact, it shows Jay's top target as being Bill Clinton, with 4,607 jokes. George W. Bush is behind him with 3,239, around 30% less. Out of the top five political figures Jay took aim at between 1992-2014, four of them were Democrats. Number seven on that list is Monica Lewinsky, who had 454 jokes told about her. Some subsequently responded by pointing out how, proportionally, Monica was a huge target for Jay. Monica herself even responded by reposting something telling: In response to a now-deleted X post on the topic, she further wrote, "leno made many, many cruel jokes about me (so much so that i was in the top 10 list of his targets… from all the years he was on the air)…" See folks, it's fine to alienate half your audience — as long as they're women!
