So, what was hot in New York, I’ve been asked.
If you’re a trendwatcher, we’ve got a few:
1. The Cartier Love Bracelet. Popular decades ago, the high-priced piece of jewelry comes with a screwdriver so your lover can bolt the thing on your wrist. The one who doesn’t get the bracelet gets the screwdriver. (Now, you read into that.)
2. Text-messaging at Broadway shows. You’d be surprised how many people whip out their cellphones during a show and actually start texting. It got so bad at “Mary Poppins” (”Mary Poppins”? Wouldn’t you be afraid she might say something?) that an audience member actually shouted, “Shut the damn phone off.” Hmm.
3. Shorts and flip-flops at the theater. If you complained about people wearing jeans at the Orpheum, you’re way off base. Today, ANYTHING goes on Broadway. At those prices (more than $110 a seat for some of the top shows), they figure they can dress any way they please.
4. M&Ms. The company opened a big store (across the street from the Hershey’s store) and it’s packed. Folks can’t get enough of the M’s. By the way, they’re $9 a pound.
5. Drug store doctors. That’s right. Physicians have set up shop in drug stores, to better serve their patients. Curious, I went in and talked to the folks at one on Broadway and 50th and it’s quite successful. Yeah, they see mostly tourists, but the thing is busy from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The No. 1 ailment? Sore throats.
6. Hawaiian food. A new restaurant has opened that features Hawaiian dishes and, wait for this, waitresses in bikinis. Hooters, move over.
7. Walking. Yup, it’s hip. Since gas prices slipped over $4 a gallon, folks decided it was trendy to walk. So, they’re walking. And clogging the streets.
8. Roasted nuts. All those hot dog vendors and meat-on-stick guys have given way to the nut sellers. Since they smell pretty good (remember the mall during the holidays?), it’s an improvement. Walk by too many charcoal grills and you start to get a headache.
But, hey, you gotta love a town that has hors d’oeuvres everywhere you go.

OK, while you were mowing your lawn, cooking out with the neighbors or cracking another brew just because, I was on the hot streets of New York with 10,000 sailors, 343 prom couples, 43 school groups and enough foreigners to fill the United Nations building several times.
Yup, this is the time of year I go to see Broadway plays (more on that later) with sis. What we noticed this year were accidents. Everywhere we turned someone had taken a dive. Right in the middle of Broadway, a woman went down and stopped traffic for a good 30 minutes. On 42nd Street, a cop had been thrown from his horse and was on the curb in front of McDonald’s. Ambulances raced everywhere; crowds gathered. On Fifth Avenue, an older woman tripped and, yup, she fell. Could it have been the heat? Or the crowds at all the sales?
Interestingly, the local television stations didn’t cover any of the street stuff. They were too busy trying to figure out why there was a a fire on the roof of an apartment building near Macy’s.
Turns out? An employee was having a cigarette break and threw the butt in the wrong direction. Hmmmm.
While I’m sure the sailors (in for Fleet Week) were eager to get their tickets to Broadway shows (yeah right), I noticed an uptick in young women in very short pants in Times Square. Somebody was doing business.
Street vendors were still hawking those cards with names done in some Asian form of calligraphy and pushing knock-off purses. Because there’s a bigger fine for real knock-offs, you don’t see as many faux Vuittons as you used to. Now, they’ve got different initials intertwined. Watches? Tell me where to find one. I didn’t see any. But sunglasses are still big and pashmina shawls are on deep discount.
The biggest battle? M&M’s opened a store across the street from Hershey’s. The two chocolate spots are doing big battle on Broadway and neither one appears to be blinking.
My idea? Create a special treat for folks who fall on the streets. Surely, it’d be a big seller.

Before all those Ryan Seacrest stalls, I can tell you Jordin Sparks is going to win “American Idol.”
How do I know?
1. She had the largest crowd at her “homecoming.” (Poor Melinda’s bunch looked like kids coming out of their dorm rooms to see a fight.)
2. She’s young…and young people actually vote in this thing.
3. She has shown the most growth. And,
4. My mother wants her to win.
Don’t underestimate the last reason. At 81, mom is a real savant when it comes to television. She predicted Bob Barker’s retirement a year ago. She said Katie Couric looks bad on the “Nightly News.” And if I even mention “The View,” she says, “I hate that Rosie O’Donnell.” Donald Trump? She saw his demise, too. Jordin, however, has had her support from the beginning. Somehow, there’s a North Dakota connection and, for mom, that’s reason enough. The girl without the neck (Melinda) “sounds too old.” The boy with the goofy hair (Blake) “can’t sing. He just makes noises.” But Jordin has what it takes.
So, there it is readers…your next American Idol, Jordin Sparks.
(Thanks mom.)

OK theater fans, two words: “Spring Awakening.” The new musical got so many Tony nominations it’s bound to be the next “Rent.” It features a young cast singing about love, but wearing costumes from another century. It also has a nude scene and a bit of profanity. In other words, real Tony bait.
It’s also one of the more innovative shows on Broadway AND it features a score by rocker Duncan Sheik.
Expect it — and the uber-long drama “The Coast of Utopia” — to win the top award.
In the hunt — a stage version of “Mary Poppins,” a stage version of “Legally Blonde” and a stage version of “Grey Gardens.” Get the picture? When most shows are based on films, a piece that’s fairly original gets attention. That’s why this is the year for “Spring Awakening.”

Before the campaigning even begins, look for the following to lead the pack:
Best Actor, musical: Raul Esparza, “Company”
Best Actress, musical: Christine Ebersole, “Grey Gardens”
Best Supporting Actor, musical: John Gallagher Jr., “Spring Awakening”
Best Supporting Actress, musical: Mary Louise Wilson, “Grey Gardens”

Best Actor, play: Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”
Best Actress, play: Eve Best, “Moon for the Misbegotten” (but don’t count out perennial Angela Lansbury for her big return in “Deuce”)
Best Supporting Actor, play: No one.
Best Supporting Actress, play: Martha Plimpton, “Coast of Utopia”

Best Musical: “Spring Awakening”
Best Play: “Coast of Utopia”
Best Revival Musical: “Company”
Best Revival Play: “Journey’s End”
Now, wait a month and see how well we did with the predictions. In two weeks, we’ll tell you how good the shows are.

I got a boxed set of “Porky’s” films this week and started to feel nostalgic. Watching one, I realized we don’t have anything like them anymore — tawdry, trashy comedies that feature more than a little skin.
For teenagers, they were harmless fun. They played off their characters’ innocence and, at the end, made you feel good about your place in life. Then “American Pie” entered the picture and raised the bar. The kids in those films were, um, less innocent and had an agenda.
Now, the teen flicks du jour lacks any subtlety. Even horror films don’t hold anything back.
Filmmakers, it seems, either want to go the safe route (settling for a PG-13 in order to ensure repeat business) or the shocker route (showing everything they can get in an R).
The age of innocence is gone, sadly.
And those horny boys who frequented Porky’s are nowhere to be found.

When you go see “Spider-Man 3″ this week (and, of course, you will), be sure to look at two things — teeth and drinks.
Maybe it’s because I have a dental appointment next week, but I noticed how director Sam Raimi focused in on his actors’ mouths.
Kirsten Dunst really needs braces; Tobey Maguire looks like he had some cosmetic work; James Franco needs to gain weight (to grow into those teeth) and Bryce Dallas Howard and Thomas Haden Church obviously went to the whitening salon. Topher Grace, though, gets the prize. When he changes character, he gets a pretty nifty set of Halloween chompers.

Then, on to drinks.
There are several conversations held over drinks. Tobey and Kirsten almost share champagne at a restaurant, Rosemary Harris and Tobey bond over tea, James Franco swigs out of a decanter, and Topher celebrates his new job (at the Bugle) with drinks for everyone in the newsroom. (Yeah, right)

There’s only one real food scene which suggests something key about filmmaking. It’s too difficult to match scenes with food in them. But drinks? Serve up another round.