ELENA'S CREATIVE UPRISING - 2026 No. 05

You’re likely aware that, since the Orange One can’t take a joke and never misses an opportunity to (a) suppress freedom of expression or (b) remove joy and beauty from the world, he strong-armed the MAGA-fied CBS/Paramount+ networks into cancelling the number-one-rated late-night show on television, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. (I no longer support CBS or Paramount by watching or subscribing; that’s the best way to discourage other media from capitulating.)

Colbert is a unique performer who excels as a comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, interviewer, and television host. He’s won eleven Primetime Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and three Peabody Awards. He’s also a really decent, moral human being. I will miss my daily dose of his sparkling, intelligent humor.

His final show ended with an incredible performance which brought back some memories for me. One of those memories relates to something I wrote in 2013 about the Ed Sullivan Theater, which I’ll quote a bit of here.

“Something I see every day is the Ed Sullivan Theater where The Late Show with Dave Letterman is filmed; it’s right next door to my office in the Broadway Theater in Midtown Manhattan. The Ed Sullivan Theater started out as a Broadway theater in 1927, then became a nightclub, then was bought by CBS and became home to many notable television shows, including The Ed Sullivan Show.

“Since my office is next door on Broadway facing West 53rd Street, I can look out the window and, if I look down, I can see the top of the Ed Sullivan Theater’s marquee, where Letterman’s guests sometimes perform live outdoors.

“In 2009, Paul McCartney did an impromptu concert on the marquee when he appeared on the Letterman show. I sat in the conference room window nook looking down and watching it; the amplification was so loud I could hear it through the windows easily. It was a strange feeling because I remembered so vividly watching The Beatles for the first time on The Ed Sullivan Show in black and white in 1964 when I was a kid, a magical moment that’s etched in my mind forever. And there I was, decades later in New York City, looking down at the Ed Sullivan Theater, the place where that incredible group first came to us through the television set, watching one of the Beatles perform live in that same place in the present. I was in the very place I watched on television at the age of eight. I can’t quite describe the emotion, a strange mingling of my childhood self and my current self.”

And now, in 2026, I’ve watched Sir Paul McCartney perform in the Ed Sullivan Theater for the last time. He appeared on Stephen Colbert’s final episode of The Late Show this week in a fantastic ensemble performance, along with Elvis Costello, Jon Batiste, and Louis Cato, that provided a truly joyous conclusion to the final show. Stephen sang with his own mic as he stood alongside those stellar musicians onstage and looked to be having the time of his life. The audience was included in the party, encouraged to dance up to the stage, and onto it, experiencing the joy.

At the end of the show, Colbert let McCartney turn off the lights in the theater for the last time, a fitting tribute to a Beatle who gave his first American performance in that very theater with Ed Sullivan himself—a visionary who likely would have wept at what just happened to The Late Show and what is likely to happen now to his beloved television home where he taped so many wonderful shows. (I recommend Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan on Netflix!)

A whopping 40% of Americans watched that epic Ed Sullivan Show the night The Beatles performed for the first time in America on February 9, 1964. The building holds significance in our culture. The Ed Sullivan Theater is designated as a New York City landmark and the building is on the National Register of Historic Places. I know that the Landmarks Preservation Commission will not permit the MAGA-fied CBS to destroy the historic outdoor façade of the building, but I doubt that CBS and its owners will have any respect for the unique and beautiful structure of the inside of the building. (Learn more about the theater: The Ed Sullivan Theater’s Closing Act - Ed Sullivan Show.)

It truly is the end of an era. I think it’s fitting that they ended this show—at a time when many beautiful things are being destroyed by those who would suppress all joy and beauty—with a deliberate opening to joy through the creative self-expression of uber-talented people who refuse to be silenced. Every person in that theater was clearly experiencing joy, something that the Orange One could never have. That truly is the antidote to what we’re living through. Did he think we would be all sad and morose? Hell, no! We’re having a party!

So immerse yourself in the joy! Watch it here:
“Jump Up / Hello Goodbye” Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Jon Batiste, Louis Cato & Stephen Colbert

- New York’s Neue Gallery to Merge with Metropolitan Museum of Art - Artforum
- 10 Women Composers Who Used Male Pseudonyms—and Why - Interlude
- Anatomy of an Exhibition-details you were never meant to notice - Alya at Object Labels
- Five Photography Exercises That Will Actually Make You Better-Justin Mott Photographer
- Trucks of Art 2026 - Sanitation Foundation
- America says goodbye to The Late Show and Stephen Colbert - The Guardian
- Jon Stewart on Losing The Late Show, and the Joyful Noise that Is Coming - the penultimate show of Late Night with Stephen Colbert
- You Can Take A Man’s Show; You Can’t Take A Man’s Voice - David Letterman on Colbert’s Cancellation - The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
- Strike Force Five Is And Always Will Be: Kimmel, Fallon, Meyers, Oliver and Colbert - The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

The day after this Newsletter goes out, I’ll begin the migration to a new web host. It is my intention that—unlike every other time I’ve moved to a new hosting service—all happens beautifully and seamlessly, releasing me from my current annoying and now bizarrely expensive web host. Once that’s accomplished, I’ll be redesigning my website. The initial stage of a web redesign is about as much fun as doing taxes. But once the heavy lifting is done, and about a million decisions have been made, things get a little more creative and a lot more fun! So I’m both dreading and looking forward to this new website, in a more comfortable home, which will represent me going forward into this next adventure (life). I hope to share the new site with you next month!

- David Attenborough Credits Long Life To Specific Diet As He Hits 100 - Bored Panda
- Hungary’s next health minister dances at Magyar’s inauguration - short version
- Full-length video of dance on the steps of Hungary’s Parliament - everyone dances at Magyar’s inauguration - the joy is contagious!

Health: What it really is, how to get it, and how to maintain it

- Are Immigrants More Creative? - The MIT Press Reader
- How Authoritarians Take Over- The 7 Steps - No Kings
- 50501 Movement - events and much more
- Infosec 101 for Activists - Digital Safety for Activists
- Stand Up and Fight - playlist by Elena Greco (Spotify) - updated monthly

PLEASE SHARE (updated each month)
- Immigration Preparedness Toolkit - Immigrant Legal Resource Center
- Know Your Rights - American Immigration Lawyers Association
- Know Your Rights: If You Encounter ICE - National Immigrant Justice Center
- What to Do if You’re Stopped by Immigration - American Civil Liberties Union
- If Immigration Comes to Your Door - NYCLU
- Federal Action Reporting Form for New York - report any incidents in New York
- Federal Misconduct Portal for New Jersey - report any incidents in New Jersey
- Report Misconduct by Federal Agents to the California AG - report any incidents in California
- Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN) Deportation Defense Hotline - call 1-844-724-3737 Monday–Friday 8am to 6pm to report any incidents in Washington State
- National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NNIRR) - list of resources in US

There’s an election on June 23 that’s super important for New York City and our representation in Washington. It’s New York District 12, which covers a large swath of Manhattan, including the Upper West Side, the Upper East Side, and Midtown; links are below. There are some recognizable names and some brand new ones in the mix, none of which I support as I don’t believe they have the experience or independence necessary, and certainly not the important education that comes from being mentored by Jerry Nadler (whom they’ll be replacing when he steps down) and working directly for years with major government figures. You can guess who I’m supporting, and I really hope you vote for him, too.
- Micah Lasher for Congress NY-12
- I’m supporting Micah Lasher for Congress. Here’s why. New York Amsterdam News
- Hands Off NYC - information on protecting New York City
- Here’s a list of things Zohran Mamdani has done in just four months - by First Dog on the Moon @ The Guardian
- New York’s Neue Gallery to Merge with Metropolitan Museum of Art - Artforum
- Historic $335M Lincoln Center Overhaul Begins - Upper West Side, NY Patch

Grieve, fight, dance, repeat!

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