"Sex And The City" Sequel Reaffirms New York's Hatred Of "Sex And The City"

As the nation's perimenopausal set dusts off its best cocktail dresses and digs up its favorite cosmo recipe in anticipation of Sex And The City 2's May 27th premiere, cranky New Yorkers revive the tradition of defacing anything having to do with the likely blockbuster.

Bowery Boogie came across the butchered advertisement pictured above--and that's before the graffiti--on Orchard Street. It's a simple protest piece, with the four leading ladies' faces crossed out and a striking fifth character cozying up next to Cynthia Nixon. Of course, manipulating billboards is a fine art in NYC, so maybe Carrie Bradshaw & Co. shouldn't take it personally.

Then again, this does sound as familiar as one of Carrie's inimitable cutesy voiceovers. The HBO juggernaut inspired an original cinematic tour de force in 2008 that was met with a chorus of local groans. I don't think people lashed out at the movie because they objected to the show's message of brunch-centric sisterhood and, I'm being charitable here, female sexual empowerment. But the concept was stale, the women were, frankly, getting too old for this shit and scores of bars, restaurants, bakeries and maybe even entire neighborhoods featured in the series had turned into Disney-esque holding pens for tourists and those aspiring to be single 40-somethings living in a gorgeous brownstone on a freelancer's salary.

The popularity of a show that started out as a risque peek at life in an eclectic, exhilarating, baffling and sometimes scary city had diluted itself and the distinctiveness of its setting by the time it gained mainstream appeal.

Anyway, it all came to a head when Time Out New York put Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte on its cover with duct tape over their pie holes. Co-star Chris Noth (Mr. Big) bitched about the glossy makeover of NYC and admitted SATC had played a part in it.

Nevermind that TONY dismissed Sex And The City while publicizing it with an attention-grabbing cover. A magazine needs to sell issues! Or that Chris Noth signed on for the sequel. An actor's gotta pay the bills!

Anyway, expect people to continue to complain about the sequel as its release date nears. Just don't count on those Magnolia lines receding, "cougar" dropping out of the lexicon or the Meatpacking District returning to its gritty old self. Like Carrie's forced puns--and why did the sequel go with the generic 2 instead of a zany play on words, like Sex And The City: Part Douche?--they're the new constants.

Photo via BoweryBoogie