College Basketball Hall of Fame coach John Wooden said "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while reputation is merely what others think of you."Food for thought in this time of New Year's resolution.  We often hear one is reputed to be thus and such, but what lies at the core?  Character and that shines through over time. Did someone say "Tried and True"?

I have a date stamp on my desk in the office. The old- fashioned kind. You change the date, month and year with plastic wheels. Changing the date is part of my morning ritual. I’ve had such a stamp on my desk for many years. I use it to stamp mail. I don't use it as much now as I used to.

At the risk of attacking anyone or breaking the no partisan politics rule here at the Gotham blog, how on Earth could this have happened.   After a couple of weeks of built up anti-North Korean sentiment pusling through the veins of the American people, we now find out that there is a possibility than they were not responsibe for the data hack into Sony that caused the hacked e-mail and movie scandal.  

  This is not an original blog idea, with credit going to my law partner, Jane Jacobs. But, it got me thinking – well, really singing. Jane was in the process recently of creating a dance playlist and asked for recommendations from her friends.   Let’s help Jane fill out that playlist.  I’ll start.  

My New Year's Eve celebrations used to be a lot more exciting when I was young(er): I spent the Millennium Eve in Times Square (and now I'm over it). I've done enough all-night rave-like dance parties. There were also the obligatory family gatherings during the trying years; semi-sober (literally & figuratively). Last year my wife was working, so I spent it with a neighbor who moved away a few months later -- taking those memories with them.  

The first screenings of this comedy were finally aired last Wednesday at midnight but only through independent movie theaters.   On Thursday morning it was listed as the No. 1 seller on YouTube Movies and the Google Play store.   The Interview has now become a symbol of free speech. People were dressed in red, white and blue to go view the movie and many theaters reported sell outs.   It has received mixed to negative reviews. Will you go see it?

If you ever had the pleasure of being with Bob Formica you can understand why I give him the appellation St. Formica. In my experience, he comes closest to being as I imagine a Saint would be. He was kind, caring, giving, humble, funny, smart, loyal, good natured, unique, empathetic, thoughtful, naughty, fatherly and sweet. It was for these and other reasons that do not come quickly to mind that we honored him in 2007 as Gotham's Networker of the Decade and memorialize him annually at the Bob Formica Golf Outing.