Wedding on the beach in Belmar

This photo was taken at Matisse, the wedding vows were on the belmar NJ beach what a great location and flower arraingments

 

Ocean front deck at Matisse perfect for parties call 732.681.7680

 

Belmar 5 run 2004 photo

 

See the new Broadway Smash Hit BILLY ELLIOT

The critics have spoken and "Billy Elliot" is the new hit of the season -- we wanted to share some of our review quotes and Opening Night coverage with you:
Click here to see Billy Elliot on Entertainment Tonight

For tickets to Billy Elliot call 1.800.688.4000 or go to tixx.com"Billy Elliot" - Features:
[ NYP ] DOLLAR 'BILLY' LEAPS TO MINE By MICHAEL RIEDEL B'WAY SUCCESS BEGAN IN THE BATH[ CT ] Could Billy be the next to defy gravity?
The producers of "Billy Elliot" are currently in negotiation to bring the musical to Chicago. Here's why the show could be the next "Wicked."
[ FOX ] FOX411 By Roger Friedman Elton John Taps Out Broadway Smash
[ LAT ] Gold Derby by Tom O'Neil'Billy Elliot' - Early front-runner at next year's Tonys
"Billy Elliot" - Reviews:
[ NYT ] In Hard Times, Born to Pirouette By BEN BRANTLEY
Much of the power of "Billy Elliot" as an honest tear-jerker lies in its ability to give equal weight to the sweet dreams of terpsichorean flight and the sourness of a dream-denying reality.[ ND ] Review: 'Billy Elliot' BY LINDA WINER
Broadway's long, dark, dry spell of big, smart, smash musicals is officially over. "Billy Elliot," the 2005 London adaptation of the 2000 movie, finally arrived in a production as seriously thrilling as it is deeply lovable.

For discount tickets for Billy Elliot on Broadway go to www.tixx.com

[ BN ] 'Billy Elliot,' Coal Miner's Son, Leaps to Heights: John Simon
"Billy Elliot" -- London's long-running hit with Elton John's music, finally replicated on Broadway -- really does have something for everyone, and that something is, gloriously, art.

[ BS ] Billy Elliot: The Musical - Reviewed by DAVID SHEWARD
What could easily have become a feel-good treacle fest - particularly with Elton John composing the music - turns out to be one of the smartest and most satisfying Broadway musicals in years.

[ TIME ] Billy Elliot: London's Hit Musical Scores on Broadway By Richard Zoglin
Billy Elliot does almost everything a musical should do, and more. It's a diplomatic triumph.

[ DN ] Fabulous film may be even better in musical stage production by Joe Dziemianowicz
[ NYP ] ELTON'S TINY-DANCER SHOW RAISES THE BARRE By BARBARA HOFFMAN (****)
[ AMNY ] Review of Billy Elliot: The Musical by Matt Windman (4 out of 4 Stars)
[ CT ] An unbridled 'Billy Elliot' springs itself on Broadway by Chris Jones (*** 1/2)
[ USA ] 'Billy Elliot' musical taps into the hope and energy of youth By Elysa Gardner (*** out of four)[ EW ] Review: Billy Elliot By Thom Geier (B+)
[ TM ] Billy Elliot: The Musical Reviewed by: David Finkle
The Elton John-Lee Hall musical adaptation of the hit film about an English boy who decides to become a ballet dancer is gangbuster entertainment.
[ V ] Billy Elliot: The Musical Review By DAVID ROONEY
Who would have guessed that a musical in which conservative economic policies deal a death blow to the working class could be such an uplifting experience?
[ YN ] A warmhearted 'Billy Elliot' dances to Broadway By MICHAEL KUCHWARA, AP Drama Critic
It's not often that a musical comes along that is as ambitious as it is emotional - and then succeeds on both counts.
[ BR ] Billy Elliot' is great fun, choreographed not to end BY ROBERT FELDBERG
It pumps fresh life into the crowd-pleasing, old-fashioned, traditional musical.
[ JN ] 'Billy Elliot' is the Broadway season's first big musical hit By Jacques le Sourd
"Billy Elliot," the heavenly musical that opened last night at Broadway's Imperial Theatre, arrives with exquisite timing.
[ HC ] Smashing 'Billy Elliot' Shows The Theatrical Powers Of Stephen Daldry By MALCOLM JOHNSON
[ INQ ] 'Rocky' in toe shoes By Howard Shapiro
Broadway's 'Billy Elliot' has all the right moves.
[ LAT ] Broadway staging overwhelms 'Billy Elliot: The Musical' By CHARLES McNULTY
A smash in London ever since its West End premiere in 2005, "Billy Elliot" arrives at the Imperial Theatre with its parts intact but its spirit plasticized and pasted with glitter.
[ TB ] Billy Elliot: The MusicalReview by Matthew Murray
A hit in London, where it opened three years ago and continues to run, this show is comparatively lean pickings for Americans raised on dynamism-defining dance titles like On the Town, West Side Story, and A Chorus Line. Unlike those shows, but like its title character, Billy Elliot struggles mightily to unearth its musical soul.
I love this show as has all of our staff of sales experts. This is our new Wicked, Mamma Mia and Phantom of the Opera. This is a show that will be running for many years to come and will sell out nightly. So what are you waiting for, now's your chance, call the Broadway tickets experts at WWW.TIXX.COM now to get your tickets at a great price. We can't be beat! call 1-800-688-4000

Joe Finn Funeral Arrangments in Belmar NJ

Joseph Patrick Finn

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Saint Elizabeth's R.C. Church, 424 Lincoln Ave., Avon. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Saint Rose R.C. Church, 603 Seventh Ave., Belmar. Interment will be at Saint Catharine's Cemetery, Sea Girt. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name to The Visiting Nurse Association of Central NJ, 176 Riverside Ave., Red Bank, or the Avon First Aid, P.O. Box 2, Avon, NJ 07717, would be greatly appreciated. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Reilly Funeral Home, 801 D Street, Belmar.





JOSEPH PATRICK FINN
AGE: N/A AVON-BY-THE-SEA
Joseph Patrick Finn, of Avon-by-the-Sea passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family Saturday, Nov. 22, at Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch. Born on April 24, 1942 to Irish immigrants, Catherine Foley Finn and John Joseph Finn, in Jersey City, Joe has lived in Avon for 36 years. Joe's storied career as a much loved Irish singer and troubadour, began at the early age of nineteen. Joe began singing and playing the guitar at the Jersey Shore, where he developed a huge and loyal following over the years. Joe could often be found performing for overflowing fans at various Shore haunts, including the Norwood Inn in Avon-by-the-Sea, the Crab's Claw in Lavallette and many other venues. Proud of and deeply versed in his one-hundred percent Irish heritage, Joe served as the Grand Marshal of the Belmar St. Patrick's Day Parade in 1994, and was honored as "Irishman of the Year" by the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick in 2004. Joe taught many over the years to appreciate both the well known and the obscure Irish songs he held so dear. At his performances, Joe greeted all of his fans, new and old alike, with the engaging salutation, "Hello, Folks!" to which the entire crowd would respond in a deafening "Hello, Joe!" All fans participated in a Joe Finn show, whether it was children or the young at heart miming through "The Unicorn Song," or a rousing sing-a-long of "You've Brought Your Sunday Morning Sunshine," "Sweet Caroline" or "The Fields of Athenraigh." Joe played to throngs of happy beachgoers at the Avon Boardwalk every Wednesday night each summer for years and years. Joe was a man of great faith and a humble and giving leader in his faith community. Generously giving of his time and talent, Joe played anytime asked at masses, weddings, funerals, or anniversary parties and was a frequent performer for the children and faculty of St. Rose Grammar and High School in Belmar. Joe was honored by St. Rose for his many contributions by induction into the St. Rose Arts Hall of Fame, an honor which is now known as the "Joe Finn Award." Joe also served St. Rose High School as their golf coach for 20 years, where his calm demeanor and nurturing guidance was cherished by many student athletes, who not only became better golfers, but grew to learn true sportsmanship while on Joe's teams. Joe was also honored with his high school basketball team of 1959 with induction into the Marist High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. Joe will be especially missed as the lector, music director, and performer at the special summer 9 a.m. mass at St. Elizabeth's in Avon-by-the-Sea. The celebrant of those masses, Monsignor Thomas Kliessler will be the principal celebrant and homilist.
He was predeceased by his parents, a son, Michael, and his older brother, John "Jack" Finn. Joe is survived by his beloved wife of 43 years, Kathleen; his eight children, Moira and her husband, Rich Silva, Erinn and her husband, Doug Weisbrod, Brigid and her husband, Louis Maniace, Joseph, Jr., Katie and her husband, Jamie Cashman, Eileen and her husband, Tim Larson, Matthew and James. He is also survived by his sister, Catherine Gotti. He also leaves behind his eighteen grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Saint Elizabeth's R.C. Church, 424 Lincoln Ave., Avon. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Saint Rose R.C. Church, 603 Seventh Ave., Belmar. Interment will be at Saint Catharine's Cemetery, Sea Girt. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name to The Visiting Nurse Association of Central NJ, 176 Riverside Ave., Red Bank, or the Avon First Aid, P.O. Box 2, Avon, NJ 07717, would be greatly appreciated. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Reilly Funeral Home, 801 D Street, Belmar.

Sunday Brunch with Santa! in Belmar NJ

Sunday Brunch with Santa!


Everyone knows Santa is a sophisticated fellow with discerning taste, and that is why he is visiting Matisse in Belmar on the beach for Sunday Brunch. Join us on Sunday December 14th, as we deck the halls and serve up delicious dishes in honor of our jolly friend.

Rumor has it Santa is quite a chef. You might spy him spicing things up in the kitchen as well as mixing and mingling in the dining room. Bring your little ones, your mom and pop or your best friend. Pose for a photo with Santa himself while raising a glass of cheer to the most wonderful time of the year.

More dog poop on the Boardwalk ?

Belmar moves to amend dog beach ban

Currently applies to out-of-town dogs

By FRAIDY REISS
COASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU

Gavin Crespo would love to bring his 3-year-old pit bull with him when he walks on the beach here.

Instead, he leaves Hennessy at home in Bradley Beach. Belmar law allows dogs on the beach during the off-season — but only if they are licensed in Belmar.

"That's wrong," Crespo, 50, said Wednesday as he walked alone along the shore. "It should be all dogs."

Soon Crespo and Hennessy might get their way. In response to complaints from visitors and residents, the Borough Council this week introduced an ordinance that would allow off-season beach access to dogs that are licensed by any municipality or government agency.

A public hearing on the measure is scheduled for Dec. 3. Mayor Kenneth E. Pringle, however, has already asked the Police Department to stop enforcing the current law.

"The whole point was kind of silly," Pringle said.

Most area beaches prohibit dogs altogether, the mayor said. Belmar officials decided four years ago to allow dogs on the beach from October through April, though for safety reasons they chose to allow only dogs that were licensed, he said.

However, Pringle said he was not sure how the ordinance ended up containing language that limited beach access to dogs licensed in Belmar.

With no signs on the beach warning people that only locally licensed dogs were welcome, visitors to the borough often were surprised when police issued them a summons for walking their dogs, Police Chief Jack Hill said.

"How are they supposed to know?" Hill asked. "It (the ordinance) was causing some confusion . . . and it should be changed."

He could not immediately say how many tickets the department has handed out over the past four years for dogs not licensed in Belmar.

Even if the borough changes its dog policy, Kathy Sweeney of Trenton said she and her little dog, Tobey, will never again walk on the Belmar beach. Not since September, when she violated two borough rules she did not know existed — walking on the beach before October with a dog whose license tag was issued in Trenton.

The summons she received cost her $289, she said.

"It was my first and last time in Belmar, thank you," Sweeney said. "It just doesn't welcome visitors. It's a cute little town, and they'd like to try to keep it as private as they can."

Not so, the mayor countered.

"There's no beach in New Jersey that has more visitors to it per square mile than Belmar," Pringle said. "We make great efforts to invite people to the community."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Joe Finn :Local Irish legend dies

Local Irish legend dies

SARAH WEBSTER
STAFF WRITER

The Jersey Shore said goodbye to one of its Irish legends.

Irish singer-performer Joe Finn, 66, of Avon died this morning at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch. He was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme during the summer.

Glioblastoma multiforme is the same type of brain tumor that U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy is battling, said Finn's son Joe Jr.

"Honestly he was a great person, he lived a good life,'' said Joe Finn Jr. of his father. "He was a dear friend to a lot of people, and a lot of people we don't even know.''

Finn was an Irish entertainer primarily here in the Jersey Shore for the past 45
years, Finn Jr. said.

"We lived in Avon since 1972,'' he said. "He has eight kids, and 18 grandchildren.
His children all went to Saint Rose in Belmar.''

Finn started performing music in the 60's, playing at places such as the Norwood Inn in Avon, the Key Note in Sea Girt, Jimmie Burns' Sea Girt Inn, and the Student Prince in Asbury Park.

He often played Neil Diamond music, and traditional Irish Folk music, his son said.

He also performed at places such as the Crab's Claw Inn in Lavallette on St. Patrick's Day.

"He is a true Irish Jersey Shore legend,'' said Kyle Brendle, house promoter at
the Stone Pony in Asbury Park. Finn was king of the happy hour, Brendle said.

"He was famous for greeting his audience with "hello folks,'' Brendle said, laugh
ing. "And they would all reply back to him, "hello Joe.''

Finn was also the golf coach at Saint Rose for 20 years, and he coached the
grammar school basketball team for years, Finn Jr. said.

There is going to be a public viewing on Tuesday, from 4 to 8 p.m. at St. Elizabeth's Church, in Avon. The funeral mass will be Wednesday morning about 10:30 a.m. at Saint Rose Church, in Belmar.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cold at the beach

The Food Pyramid is a hoax ..says best selling author Dr. T. Colin Campbell

The Food Pyramid is More About Politics than Personal Health
by Dr. T. Colin Campbell

Now that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released a newly revised Food Pyramid and a variety of criticisms have been lodged, it is time to revisit the scientific and political fundamentals of this report. Although this new edition offers an attractive internet-based format, its selection of supporting scientific evidence leaves much to be desired. The evidence that is offered, in my experience, is more about corporate influence and political spin than it is about empirical science. That's a recipe for confusion.

The public needs to understand why and how our government is so adept at confusing us about diet and health issues. Promoting confusion is especially costly when disease care costs (some call it health care costs) are escalating out of sight (highest per capita costs in the world), health care quality is declining (US is ranked 37th in the world) and shorter life spans are now being projected.

Few, if any, explanations of this on-going tragedy is more important than our misunderstanding of the exceptional ability of nutrition to maintain health and prevent disease. As a result, we turn to drugs and medical gadgetry to fix needless illnesses caused by eating the wrong food and living the wrong lifestyle. But being confused about nutrition is not surprising. We just can't help it. Government funding for nutrition research and education is almost non-existent (when compared with corporate 'education' budgets); interpretation and articulation of the scientific evidence is too often superficial, reductionist and cautious; and translation of research evidence into public policy is highly politicized.

As a member of several expert panels on diet and health in the past, I have found that nowhere is confusion more encouraged than during the creation of food and health policy. USDA, the primary sponsor of the Food Pyramid committee, has repeatedly demonstrated that it is more interested in the health of the agriculture industry than in the health of the taxpaying American public. The majority of the members of a recent 'Pyramid' committee, for example, had unrevealed conflicts of interest with the dairy industry that only became known through court order. Politics matters more than personal health.

The issue is further compounded by the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) of the National Academy of Sciences whose task is to translate the latest scientific evidence into recommended nutrient intakes, findings then used by the Pyramid Committee. In the most recent FNB deliberation, nutrient recommendations that have stood for decades were substantially revised in a way that surely pleases their corporate sponsors. Dietary levels as high as 35% protein, 35-40% fat (depending on age), and 25% added sugars were said to be consistent with "minimizing the risk of chronic disease" (cancers, heart diseases, diabetes, obesity), a bonanza for junk food recipes.

When funding from M&M Mars candy company, a consortium of soft drink companies, a behemoth dairy industry conglomerate (the Dannon Institute), and a collection of pharmaceutical companies helps to make this report user-friendly (for them, that is) and when industry-conflicted academics organize and populate the panels, can we expect anything better? The consequences are ominous. When a contemporary UN panel, for example, was examining much of the same evidence and was opting for a lower cap of 10% added sugar, the sugar industry threatened them to persuade Congress to withhold funding of the UN study unless it adopted the US cap of 25%.

Confusing the evidence, unintentional or otherwise, has undermined these reports for most of their histories. The number and size of food servings, now used for a couple decades, falsely convey a sense of scientific merit and certainty that is not deserved. Arguably instructive for institutional meal planning, this educational tool means little or nothing to most consumers. Do you know how many servings of foods, good or bad, you consume each day? Or even what size a serving is? The contents and identities of nutritionally active chemicals in a given food can vary by a staggering few hundred percent from the time the food is first harvested to the time that it is deposited in our mouths. Such variation seriously undermines both the presumed nutrient composition of food and the RDAs that depend on these numbers.

Now, the USDA committee has personalized the Pyramid into multiple parts that adds, in my view, still more confusion. We know well that our need for food varies as a function of age, gender, physical activity and other lifestyle practices. But this does not mean a smorgasbord of substantially different diets that are assumed to have the same healthful effects, especially when these diets are framed within the wide ranges of new nutrient intakes now promulgated by the FNB. This only serves food companies an exceptionally wide berth to promote their products, no matter their nutritional value.

There is a need to understand nutrition as a complex and dynamic biological system that is far more than the sum of its parts. For too long, research, policy development and public understanding has dwelt on the details, oftentimes taken out of context to support (and confuse) positions and products of special interest groups. When the right foods are consumed and the right lifestyle conditions are met, the resulting biological symphony of reactions, events and outcomes has exceptional power to maintain health and prevent disease. This needs to be the discourse of the day, not the politically motivated messages that have infected our entire system of understanding this marvelous science.

Tixx.com gift certificates are available for Broadway shows

Tixx.com gift certificates are available for Broadway shows


NEW YORK — Thinking about giving theater tickets as gifts this recession-plagued holiday season? And shudder at the full ticket price for Broadway and even off-Broadway shows?
Have we got a bargain for you, courtesy of the folks who brought you the discount Tixx.com tickets booth in Times Square.

Tixx.com gift certificates — available in $50 and $100 denominations —

CITY GUIDE: New York nightlife and entertainment
Certificates can be purchased:

• at each of the Tixx.com booths during normal hours of operation — cash or traveler's checks only.


The certificates can be used to buy tickets for any of the nearly 50 productions (Broadway, off-Broadway, music, dance) usually available each day.

Broadway ticket availability

13. A young man tries to fit in. A new musical with a score by Jason Robert Brown. Bernard B. Jacobs. http://www.tixx.com.

A Man for All Seasons. Frank Langella stars as Sir Thomas More in this Roundabout Theatre Company revival of Robert Bolt's play about the battle between More and King Henry VIII. American Airlines. 212-719-1300. Closes Dec. 14.

All My Sons. John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest, Patrick Wilson and Katie Holmes star in a revival of Arthur Miller's morality play. Gerald Schoenfeld. http://www.tixx.com.

August: Osage County. Tracy Letts' drama, a hit for Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company, concerns a venomous mother and her dealings with three daughters. Winner of the 2008 Tony Award for best play. Music Box. http://www.tixx.com.

Avenue Q. Love blossoms among the 20-something set — a group that includes puppets — in this very funny, adult musical comedy. Golden. http://www.tixx.com.

Billy Elliot. A young man in Britain's bleak coal country yearns to dance. A musical based on the hit film. Imperial. http://www.tixx.com.

Chicago. This Kander and Ebb-Bob Fosse creation is Broadway's longest running musical revival and deservedly so. Ambassador. http://www.tixx.com.

Dividing the Estate. Horton Foote's domestic comedy about a Texas family squabbling over an inheritance. A Lincoln Center Theater production. Now in previews. Opens Nov. 20. Booth. http://www.tixx.com.

Equus. Richard Griffiths and Daniel Radcliffe star in a revival of Peter Shaffer's play about a young man who blinds six horses — and why he did it. Broadhurst. http://www.tixx.com.

Grease. A revival of the venerable musical celebrating 1950s high school and featuring stars chosen during the recent NBC television reality series. Brooks Atkinson. http://www.tixx.com.

Gypsy. A powerhouse Patti LuPone stars as the mother of stripper Gypsy Rose Lee in a revival of one of the greatest of all Broadway musicals. St. James. http://www.tixx.com.

Hairspray. The cult John Waters movie set in 1960s Baltimore has been turned into a hilarious, tuneful musical. Neil Simon. http://www.tixx.com. Closes Jan. 4.

In the Heights. The lively off-Broadway musical about Latino residents in an area of upper Manhattan called Washington Heights moves to Broadway. Winner of the 2008 Tony Award for best musical. Richard Rodgers. http://www.tixx.com.

Jersey Boys. The musical story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Winner of four 2006 Tonys including best musical. August Wilson. http://www.tixx.com. Difficult.

Mamma Mia! The London musical sensation featuring the pop songs of ABBA makes it to Broadway. Die-hard ABBA fans will like it best. Winter Garden. http://www.tixx.com.

Mary Poppins. The world's most famous nanny comes to the stage after her great success as a P.L. Travers book and a Disney movie. New Amsterdam.

http://www.tixx.com

, a special Disney hot line, 212-307-4747.

Monty Python's Spamalot. A musical inspired by that demented film comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Shubert. http://www.tixx.com. Closes Jan. 18.

Pal Joey. Young Chicago hustler meets older female socialite. A Roundabout Theatre Company revival of the 1940 Rodgers and Hart musical. The cast includes Stockard Channing, Martha Plimpton and, in the title role, Christian Hoff. Now in previews. Opens Dec. 11. Studio 54. 212-719-1300.

Shrek The Musical. DreamWorks cinematic green ogre makes it to the stage in this show based on the movie and the William Steig book. Now in previews. Opens Dec. 14. Broadway. http://www.tixx.com.

South Pacific. Kelli O'Hara is nurse Nellie Forbush and Paulo Szot is French plantation owner Emile de Becque in a revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical based on one of the short stories in James A. Michener's Tales of the South Pacific. Vivian Beaumont. http://www.tixx.com. Difficult.

Speed-The-Plow. A revival of David Mamet's darkly comic play about the Hollywood film industry. Jeremy Piven, Elisabeth Moss and Raul Esparza star. Ethel Barrymore. http://www.tixx.com.

Spring Awakening. A striking rock musical based on Frank Wedekind's classic drama about a dozen young people discovering their sexual identities. Music by Duncan Sheik. Book and lyrics by Steven Sater. Eugene O'Neill. http://www.tixx.com. Closes Jan. 18.

To Be or Not to Be. Nick Whitby's stage adaptation of the 1942 film comedy about the tribulations of a theater troupe in Warsaw trying to open a play as the Nazis invade Poland. A Manhattan Theatre Club production. Samuel J. Friedman. http://www.tixx.com. Closes Nov. 16.

The 39 Steps. A stage adaptation by Patrick Barlow of Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 movie thriller about a man on the run. Four actors portray more than 150 roles. Cort. http://www.tixx.com.

The Lion King. Director Julie Taymor is a modern-day Merlin, creating a stage version of the Disney animated hit that makes you truly believe in the magic of theater. Minskoff. http://www.tixx.com, a special Disney hot line, 212-307-4747. Difficult on weekends.

The Little Mermaid. Disney's stage version of its popular animated film about a sea maiden who longs to live on land. Lunt-Fontanne. http://www.tixx.com, a special Disney hot line, 212-307-4747.

The Phantom of the Opera. The one with the chandelier. The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical about a deformed composer who haunts the Paris Opera House is the prime, Grade A example of big Brit musical excess. But all the lavishness does have a purpose in Harold Prince's intelligent production, now the longest-running show in Broadway history. Majestic. http://www.tixx.com.

The Seagull. Kristin Scott Thomas and Peter Sarsgaard star in Christopher Hampton's adaptation of Chekhov's classic tale of unfulfilled lives. Walter Kerr. http://www.tixx.com. Closes Dec. 21.

White Christmas. A stage version of the classic Irving Berlin movie musical. Now in previews. Opens Nov. 23. Marquis. http://www.tixx.com.

Wicked. An ambitious, wildly popular musical about the witches in The Wizard of Oz as young women. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire. Gershwin. http://www.tixx.com. Difficult.

Young Frankenstein. Mel Brooks transfers his comedic monster mash of a movie from screen to stage — only with more song and dance. Hilton. http://www.tixx.com.

Belmar candidates squabble over tax increases, services

BELMAR — Borough employees work hard to adhere to the budgets the mayor and Borough Council lay out for them, the Democratic candidate for council said Tuesday night.

"Sometimes, if all you hear is campaign rhetoric, you might think we have people working in our town who do nothing but spend money randomly," said Thomas Volker, 67. "That's simply not true."

The proof of that lies in the municipal tax rate, which has risen at a slower rate than the county and school portions of the tax bill, he said.

But comparing municipal tax increases to those of the county and school district is not the right way to assess whether taxes are too high, countered Richard J. Wright, the Republican candidate for council.

"All families in town are having to do more with less," said Wright, 57. "I think Belmar is going to have to do more with less."

He pointed to regionalization of municipal services as the only way to save taxpayers real money.

The candidates' disagreement came during the fifth annual Meet the Candidates Night, a debate hosted by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Belmar Homeowners Association and attended by some 100 people. The borough tax rate was one of several issues on which the two political newcomers disagreed.

"The first thing we need for the downtown is a plan," Wright said when asked about the stalled redevelopment process. Belmar's lack of a definite plan poses a problem for downtown property owners who do not know whether to invest in improving their buildings, he said.

Volker, though, said the master plan for redevelopment "has to wait until the economy improves."

"That's pretty obvious," he said.

When borough resident Richard Hunt, 55, asked each man to explain why he would be the best person to fill the three-year term available on the five-member governing body, Wright spoke of his background in management and finance.

"I have a lot of experience, I think, in issues the town is going to be facing," he said.

Additionally, Wright said, he would be the lone Republican voice on the council and would provide a "check and balance" for a governing body that for most of the last 18 years consisted solely of Democrats.

Volker responded to the same question by calling himself a "team player."

"I love Belmar and working to help Belmar," he said.

Both candidates did well in the debate, borough resident Joe Keosseian said later, but Wright was the winner, he said.

"It's getting to be one-sided," Keosseian, 44, said of the council. "We need some Republican representation on there to balance out all the ideas."

Sunday morning windy Belmar

Great homemade soup on the boardwalk in Belmar this weekend

Chef Tont at Matisse in Belmar is opening the boardwalk window for soup this weekend great homemade soup including my favorite Corn Chowder with lobster...Yum

This delicious chowder is packed with chunks of cooked lobster meat, corn, and vegetables. Perfect for a stroll on the boardwalk or to just watch the ocean ...The soup window at Matisse Ocean ave. Belmar % 13th ave. will be open from 11am till 4pm this weeked