Hap Pulls a "Mark Twain."

I found out in a comment to my previous post, where I lamented the loss of Hap Erstein and his "Hapster" awards:

Thanks, but reports of the passing of The Hapsters has been exaggerated. They are alive and well...

Turns out that Hap and a few other arts writers have started their own project, the Palm Beach Arts Paper. It seems to have launched in November of this year.

The team is impressive: besides Hap, there's Sharon McDaniel, Greg Stepanich, Scott Simmons, and Katie Deits. They see what should be obvious to the publisher of the Post: that there is a vibrant arts scene in Palm Beach, and arts patrons want to know - need to know - what's going on in it. The major dailies like the Palm Beach Post and Sun-Sentinel do not even seem willing to pretend to cover the local scene anymore, relying instead on "wire" stories out of Los Angeles or New York.

Maybe the publishers of the Post and Sun-Sentinel can afford to hop on a plane to visit those galleries, or see those shows. But the vast majority of us can't. We want to know about shows and showings that we might actually be able to get to.

I've added a link to their site to the side bar, and I've added a feed from Hap's blog for good measure. Congratulations, Hap; you are now more visible than the Sun-Sentinel and the Post, at least on the Theatre Scene!

Oh, and the Hapsters? Yes, Hap has indeed posted the 2008 Hapster Awards, a mere 24 hours before I complained of their absence. Here's the rundown of the Awards - read Hap's story for the meaty details.

1. Now you don't see them, now you do: Hap's take on the Carbonells.

2. "Tonight, the part normally played by ..." actors' illness and injury lead to casting changes

3. Yes, but is he Celsius or Fahrenheit? The show doesn't have to go on for Jeremy Piven

4. Landmarked but still shuttered; Hap's view of the Royal Poinciana Playhouse.

5. Hapster trades in aisle seat for stage role; turnabout at the Mosaic.

6. Where there's smoke, there may not be fire; Political Correctness rarely makes for Good Art.

7. Kravis Center invents its own Broadway: the title says it all.

8. From the We Have Our Doubts Department: It seems Hap and I concur on some topics.

9. In Memoriam: those actors who made their Final Bows in 2008.

If you're interested in the arts scene in Palm Beach, be sure to add the Palm Beach Arts Paper to your "favorites." I know that I've already bookmarked it.