America
is bursting with singles, and an increasing number of people are
meeting potential partners through sites like Match.com and eHarmony.
Did we always think “The One” was out there? In the documentary
Single (which
recently screened July 22 at Anthology Film Archives), Richard Atkinson
and Jane Scandurra interview a smattering of real-life singles,
experts, comedians and singer/songwriters to shed some light on the
increasing years Americans spend out of wedlock. To the sounds of
folksy indie artists, men and women of all ages reveal what they think
of single life in urban America.
The documentary uses a limited definition of singledom, zeroing in
on the changing shape of marriage in particular as opposed to romantic
relationships in general, but opens a universally compelling and
pressing dialogue about how our relationships are changing. I spoke
with Atkinson and Scandurra about their new film to figure out what
they really think about single folk.
Why is the trend of increasing singledom in America so significant, and why should we pay attention to it now?
Scandurra: There’s
100 million singles in the country right now, and that’s massive
statistical jump. While we were in the midst of exploring the homeowner
issue, the meter ticked over to the other side toward singles. Singles
currently head the majority of households in the United States, and
that’s never happened before...
Continue reading "Single Doc" here.[ read more... ]
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This
week's cover story addresses the skyrocketing price of cigarettes in
New York and some of the ways people are coping. The hideous and
disturbing anti-smoking commercials and billboards, together with the
indoor smoking ban has sent smokers running for a variety of smoking
alternatives, both to side-step legislation and make somewhat healthier
choices. 
Some time ago, the New York Press received a small wooden box in the
mail—a board game with a few poker chips in gold and silver, a pair of
dice, small cards seemingly pulled at random out of a deck, some tarot
cards, and a CD compilation of turn of the century boudoir music with
"Play Me First!" written across the top. A handful of photographs
showed a number of portraits painted in bright colors and thick
strokes, young men and women painting, and a series of images of people
in full burlesque, standing coquettishly in corners in front of heavy
curtains and lace.
Last week, we ran a cover story where we concocted conspiracies
born from suspicions New Yorkers love to discuss that included
curiosities and sometimes far-fetched theories about the workings of
unseen underworlds that go unnoticed as we bustle to and fro on the
city streets. We had some suspicions that our painstaking efforts to
separate and recycle to reduce environmental damage were all in vain –
"Recycling is expensive and we're in a recession, people! Thus, while
some of the time your sutff really is regenerated into one of those
coffee-cup sleeves make from 60% consumer recycled material, The Man
likes to cut down on costs…"
