parterre box

The people have spoken, and so from henceforth George Steel will be known by his, whatchamacallit, you know, his sobriquet, which (per your decree) is “The Man of Steel.”

La Cieca thought she should review at least a couple of the biggest challenges facing The Man of Steel as he and the NYCO begin a restoration project that, as the saying goes, makes Hoover Dam look like an egg cup.

First and foremost, of course, is giving the heave-ho to Susan L. Baker, preferably after guilting her into flinging a couple million bucks to the company strings-free. Since (as La Cieca hears) Steel was not Baker’s choice to ascend the throne, she should reasonably be readying her exit even as we speak. Prediction: an announced resignation at the same time Steel offcially starts the job in February.  Read more »

La Cieca’s dear friend Donald Collup discovers and conflates operatic “oddities” into a popular series of party discs collectively entitled “Shall I Go On?” Here, ahead even of Mr. Collup, La Cieca presents the first notable Oddity of 2009, which was forwarded to your doyenne by a member of the cher public who prefers to remain anonymous.

Before we start our daily Steelathon, La Cieca wants to ask you, cher public: which nickname should your doyenne use in future for the NYCO’s new honcho: “Two-Face” or “The Man of Steel?”

Okay, so our first story of the day is an editorial in the New York Times welcoming, well, you know who to town, though warning he “has his work cut out for him.” (Oh, Gray Lady, how you do turn a phrase!) Perhaps a more subtly ominous note is sounded in the final graf, when the Royal Editoral We admonish Steel, “His task will be not just to raise money and inspire his company. As he begins to take the measure of the board that hired him, we suspect he may also see the necessity of strengthening that board.” No names, please — as if any were needed!