The Brooklyn Flea is saying goodbye to Dumbo this winter and hello to Fort Greene.
The nearly two-year-old vendor marketplace will relocate to 1 Hanson Place, the former Williamsburgh Savings Bank, in the Fort Greene/Boerum Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn. The move, which will more than triple the Flea's current square footage at 81 Front St., is scheduled for the weekend of Jan. 9.
This will be the second winter for the weekends-only Flea, which expects around 100 vendors—selling everything from apparel to stationary to chocolate—to participate in the coming months. The Flea will use about 10,000 square feet on the ground floor and 10,000 square feet in the basement of the 85-year-old bank, and original fixtures such as bank teller windows and overhanging lamps, will remain intact. Such details only add to the building's charm, said Eric Demby, who runs the marketplace with partner Jonathan Butler of Brooklyn's popular Brownstoner blog.
Monthly Archives: December 2009
My Computer Isn’t Working
So there won't be much posting today (unless I can use Hugh's computer). I'm taking my Macbook to Apple or Tech Serve. Seems that the fan isn't working and its been crashing frequently.
The 2009 Park Slope 100
Four years of the Park Slope 100. That means that if you combine all the lists there are 400 people on this ongoing list. If you go to the PS 100 mini blog you can see ALL the other years, too.

Jonathan Ames because even though you live in Boerum Hill, your HBO show, “Bored to Death” is too damn funny and has too many great scenes of the neighborhood not to mention you or it.

Babeland because you’ve got sleekly designed kinky sex toys for women and your workshops for women and men, who want to explore their sexuality are top notch. Your sex-positive “how to talk to your kids about sex” workshops for parents are a big contribution to the life of this community.

Blue Apron because many say that your existence is reason enough to live in Park Slope. You are specialists in yummy charcuterie and cheese, and a carefully curated selection of breads, chocolates, olive oils, vinegars and everything a foodie needs in the cupboard.
reason to dance, and watch the sun rise every chance he gets." Consider a donation in Julian’s memory to the Central Asia Institute, at www.ikat.org. CAI’s mission is to promote and support community-based education, especially for girls, in the remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The City Council Candidates (39th): Kudos and thanks for the memories to John Heyer, Joe Nardiello, David Pechefsky, Gary Reilly, Josh Skaller and Bob Zuckerman.
Susie DeFord because your book The Dogs of Brooklyn is a poetic narrative about your colorful life as a dogwalker accompanied by vibrant photos of Brooklyn and the dogs by Dennis Riley.
The Food Pantries of Park Slope because you’ve helped many people through a tough year. You are: The Helping Hands Food Pantry at St. Augustine’s Roman Catholic Church. CHIPS on Fourth Avenue. The Church of the Gethsemane on 8th Avenue and more to come.

The Free Impressarios because you are a group of three friends, who have sprung into action not once but twice to bring modern dance and opera to Park Slope. In the words of Phyllis Wrynn, one of the FIs, “After last spring's superb opera event, Suor Angelica, the reaction was so wonderful that we thought we'd try it again.” And indeed they did. This year they presented SYREN Modern Dance’s production of “last of the leaves.” Both times they used the 1907 school auditorium of St. Francis Xavier on President Street, with its glorious stained glass ceiling, beautifully decorated walls and historic murals. Can’t wait to see what they do next.

Adrian Kinloch and Brit in Brooklyn because as a transplanted Londoner your big, bold photos bring much to the Brooklyn blog landscape. Photo by Adrian Kinloch at left.

Lexy Lovell and Michael Uys because you infuse your passion and enthusiasm for life into compelling and thought-provoking documentary films. Riding The Rails and very recently, The Good Soldier, have provided rare glimpses into American culture and consciousness mixed with an artistry that makes the documentary format very accessible. Talent and passion aside, you are great friends and neighbors and you help define and inspire the tone of the neighborhood.
Martin of Café Regular because regulars at Regular seem to think you're one very cool, sarcastic and interest
ing barista. As one person said, “he’s fun to see first thing in the morning.”

Frank McCourt because you were a great writer and a better teacher and you gave life and dignity to a lot of peoples' least favorite Irish city, Limerick. (Frank did nothing, though, to stop the preponderance of "there once was a sailor from Nantucket" giggles). You gave a lot of life to that other Irish city, New York. Your three books — Angela's Ashes, 'Tis and Teacher Man — was a triptych that didn't just talk to us, it talked with us. Frank McCourt: you were a man who inspired kids one on one, enthralled pub patrons circled around him, and reached readers in 30 languages. (in memoriam by Scott Turner).

Faye Penn and the team at Brokelyn for the right blog at the right time and for teaching us to live big on small change.

Reverend Billy and the Life After Shopping Gospel Choir because you believe that Consumerism is overwhelming our lives. Because you believe that our neighborhoods and "commons" places like stoops and parks and streets and libraries, are disappearing into the corporatized world of big boxes and chain stores. Because you are singing and preaching for local economies and real – not mediated through products – experience. Sing on. Amen.
riginal programming and stunning outdoor venues makes Rooftop Films one of the best-attended film festivals in New York.
founder of the Berkeley Carroll documentary
film series and part-time realtor. You and your partner, Berkeley Carroll teacher David Wood, exemplify what makes Park Slope extraordinary. You worked to get more trees planted on 7th Avenue, as part of the Park Slope Civic Council. Look for the trees this Spring!

Showpaper because you’re a big fold out listings newspaper of all ages music shows in the New York area, including Park Slope, that’s a must-read for local music fans. Well-designed, it always includes a fabulous illustration on the cover and is delivered around town by an enthusiastic gang of all ages volunteers.


Joyce Szuflita and NYC School Help because you are an amazing resource when it comes to helping parents with public school admissions process—and that is one awesome good deed. As one satisfied customer wrote: "Joyce understanding of all school issues, is armed with all the current facts, and understands the inner workings of the Dept. of Ed. Her knowledge of the middle and high school choice process in YC likely saved us two months of research time. Joyce took a complex and often confusing process, and helped us make decisions that were right for us. We feel lucky to have found her!"
Jack Walsh, executive producer of Celebrate Brooklyn because this Brooklyn institution offers something for every Brooklyn resident – young, old, parents, the childless, drama freaks, world music geeks, opera fans, dance nerds, indie hipsters – and it is very family-friendly, too. Heck, there’s even a parking spot for bikes, (relatively) cheap beer, and great Brooklyn food. You are one Brooklyn treasure, Jack.
No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford
Top Five Park Slope Holiday Shopping Picks for Today (12/21)
Asha Veza: Clothing and accessories made of iridescent Indian silks, intricate embroidery, and delicate beadwork make beautiful gifts and all the
garments in the boutique are either sourced from emerging designers in
Bosnia or India or handmade by disadvantaged women in India. The
proceeds from the designer collection funds the training of women who
are victims of trafficking or poverty.
Ajiri
Tea: Ajiri means 'to employ' in Swahili. The goal of this company is to create employment for women and pay school
fees for orphans in western Kenya .
The tea is grown by small-scale farmers on 1-2 acres of land. Sara and
Ann hope to empower these women within their communities. All profits
will go back to this area of western
Kenya to pay school fees for the
many HIV/AIDS orphans.
Aijiri Tea mades a beautiful gift: a stong,
black tea that you prepare with milk, it comes in a lovely box and a tie that
makes a great friendship bracelet and everything is hand-made. It’s
available at Blue Apron, the Park Slope Food Coop, Java Joe's, and Grab, and each
box is about $12 – a really lovely stocking stuffer/ gift with a mug or a
tea pot!
Scaredy Kat: In
the new location, the store is chock full of fun gifts. It's the go-to place for Xmas, stocking stuffers and more. They've also got the vintage toys you grew up with by Fisher-Price:
Clock Music box, Bouncy Bee,
Chatter Telephone; huge assortment of holiday cards.
Eidolan: Eidolon
is a cooperative boutique owned and operated by three independent
designers featuring locally hand-made clothing, accessories and gift
items for women.
Zuzu's Petals: Small
oval shaped (and very feminine) quilted jewelry boxes, plates and
platters that look like doilies, Italian urns, runners, samplers with funny/interesting sayings and MORE.
Go here to see the entire 2009 OTBKB Park Slope Holiday Gift Guide
Xmas and New Years Eve at Purple Yam on Cortelyou Road
A lovely idea for the holidays.
Purple Yam, the new Filipino/pan Asian restaurant on Cortelyou Road will have a special celebration for Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) & New Year’s Eve.
They may be new to Brooklyn but Purple Yam used to be Cendrillon in SoHo.
Enjoy delicious food on Xmas eve. And on New Year's eve you will serenaded by a local jazz quartet.
OTBKB Film by Pops Corn: The Private Lives of Pippa Lee
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, a movie that probably has only about 10 screenings left before it is pushed out by bigger year-end fare, has many flaws it cannot be denied, but it gets so many things right and is so rich with honesty that I’m quite surprised by the generally negative reviews.
Robin Wright Penn nails the title role and doesn’t bring the Oscar-mongering histrionics demanded by the season. She’s subtle, nearly robotic at times, as a trophy wife who believes she may be losing her mind.
The film has been criticized for covering a lot of the same ground of other films, in other words, stereotyping it as a “chick flick,” a term (predominantly male) critics immediately associate with a lower value assessment.
But what I found so fascinating and solid about the movie is that it shows characters and scenarios that we may have been seen before, but that same equation unexpectedly produces different results. What Pippa inherits from her mother (Maria Bello) can only be suppressed so long, particularly as she suppresses everything else in her life, just to serve her husband (Alan Arkin) as his prop. Director Rebecca Miller makes some unfortunate narrative choices, but also counters a hallucinatory world that bring us into the mind of Pippa and a refusal to make anything (except the voice-over ending) too neat or easy.
In a year that seems to have sparked a lot of thought about women in film—the unique story of Precious, Kathryn Bigelow’s quest to be the first female Best Director, this weekend’s NY Times alone offered at least three serious women-in-film pieces—The Private Lives of Pippa Lee is a strong work that should keep the dialogue going.
–Pops Corn
OTBKB Music: Tuesday Night Twofer
Tomorrow night (Tuesday the 22nd) there are two excellent shows
available to you; one early and one late. Of course, you can always
choose to go to both.
Early: Charlie Faye. Charlie and her excellent band, The Jerks, make
music that's at the place where rock, alt country and blues all blend
into each other. Charlie's album, Wilson Street, made my Top 10 list
for this year. An Austin resident, Charlie's visits to NYC don't come
often enough, and the next one isn't scheduled until July. So this is
the time to see Charlie up close and personal.
Charlie Faye, The
Living Room, 154 Ludlow Street, (F
Train to Second Avenue, use the First Avenue exit), 8pm
Late: Sasha Dobson and her band. Sasha started playing with guitarist
Steve Elliot about a year ago and has moved from the jazz-folk-samba
material she was playing to a more straight-ahead rock style. With
Steve's lead guitar moving towards Dire Straits territory, Sasha's new
batch of songs are all terrific. Since this is the release show for
Sasha's new CD, you'll be able to take it all home with you.
Sasha Dobson, The Rockwood Music Hall, 196 Allen
Street (F Train to
Second Avenue, use the First Avenue exit), 11pm
–Eliot Wagner
Current Weather in Park Slope
Here's today's weather from your local Park Slope weather tower.
No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford
Desperately Needed: Blog Programmer To Help OTBKB With Makeover
Please email if you have knowledge of WordPress. Thank. louise_crawford(at)yahoo(dot)com
Efrain Gonzalez: Snow on Leaf & Snow on Statue
Photos on Facebook: A Cautionary Tale
Smartmom had barely recovered from chaperoning the past weekend’s
slumber party at the Marriott with five 12-year-old girls. She couldn’t
sleep and she did what she often does when she can’t sleep: she checked
her e-mail and noticed an e-mail from another mom who lives in the
neighborhood.
“I want you to know that there are a series of photos on Facebook of
the girls at a party in their underwear. The photos are very
suggestive. I’d never want to interfere but I thought u should know,”
she wrote.
Smartmom looked at the pictures that this mom had conveniently
attached. They were of the Oh So Feisty One in the adorable
polka-dotted and striped underwear they’d bought together just a few
months before.
But the pose and her expression were, er, yeah, kinda provocative.
Truth be told, it looked like she was wearing a bathing suit and the
girls were just having fun. But Facebook is a very public place and if
those photos got into the wrong hands — like a child porn site — it
would be pretty awful. It’s a good thing that Dumb Editor didn’t run
the shot.
It all started because OSFO had borrowed Hepcat’s fancy schmancy new
Canon camera during the Marriott sleepover. She took more than 300
pictures and then gave the camera back to Smartmom and Hepcat, who
looked at all the pictures for intell about what was going on down the
corridor in the hotel.
Of the 300 pictures, there were none of the girls in their underwear.
Smartmom concluded that the pictures in question must have been
taken with one of the other girls’ cameras. Smartmom went on Facebook,
but she couldn’t get to OSFO’s Facebook profile because OSFO unfriended
her some time ago.
She figured out that one of the girls at the party had put up maybe
100 pictures and these were just part of that group. Since it was the
middle of the night, there was nothing she could do.
The next morning, Smartmom woke OSFO up. “You have to get your friend to take those pictures down,” she told her.
“I know, I know. I’m texting her now,” OSFO said.
Clearly, OSFO was aware of the pictures and not happy about the
situation either. Smartmom was amazed that she and OSFO were on the
exact same page. But when OSFO left for school, her friend had still
not returned her text. That meant that the pictures would still be up
until after school.
Smartmom was stressing. At 3 pm, she e-mailed OSFO’s friend and left a gentle note not wanting to demonize her or point fingers.
“Please take down those pictures of OSFO,” Smartmom wrote. “Facebook
is very public and I think OSFO would prefer that they not be up there
for all to see. Thanks so much for taking care of this!”
OSFO’s friend, who is a bright, lovely girl wrote back soon after:
“OSFO told me today during school, and I told her that I would take
them down. We took them as a joke in the hotel and when I was uploading
my pictures I completely forgot about them. Really sorry,” the girl
wrote.
Smartmom called OSFO on her cellphone and told her that she’d e-mailed her friend.
“Why did you e-mail my friend?” OSFO asked. Smartmom took a deep breath.
“It was important that she take those pictures down,” Smartmom said.
“Why is this so important to you?” OSFO asked.
Smartmom kept it short, but here is a combination of what Smartmom did and didn’t say.
Smartmom, like Cyndi Lauper, knows that “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”
When she was 12, 13 and 14, Smartmom, her sister and a friend used to
perform elaborate musical numbers in the living room wearing camisoles
and slips. You should have seen the choreography of “Mein Herr” from
“Cabaret” (“You have to understand the way I am, Mein Herr, a tiger’s
not a tiger but a lamb, Mein Herr…”)
Now that was kinky.
But thank Buddha there were no cheap, portable video cameras or Facebook back in the 1970s.
When she was a junior in high school, Smartmom and an ensemble of
her school friends performed “Don’t Tell Mama” also from “Cabaret” for
the entire school wearing their sexiest black lingerie (“Mama doesn’t
have an inkling that I’m working in a nightclub in a pair of lacy
pants…”).
Yeesh.
So Smartmom gets what those photos were about. But it’s a different
time and place now that our lives are enmeshed with the Internet.
While Facebook may aspire to be a place where people can interact
safely with their friends and the people around them, nobody can
guarantee that the site is entirely free of illegal, offensive,
pornographic or otherwise inappropriate material.
Smartmom told OSFO that while the pictures were beautiful, there are
bad people out there who will steal those pictures and put them on
child pornography sites.
OSFO listened and seemed to understand. Mostly she seemed miffed that Smartmom had e-mailed her friend.
“I told you I was taking care of it,” she said.
And she was right. She had told her friend, and Smartmom didn’t need to meddle in that way.
But some meddling is good. The parent who called Smartmom in the
first place did the right thing. There’s nothing wrong with reporting
back to a parent if you observe any kind of inappropriate behavior at
your house, on the streets, at school. Anywhere. In most cases, parents
will want to know because they need all the help they can get.
Tom Martinez, Witness: Hitting the Slopes in Kensington
Top Five Holiday Shopping Picks for Today 12/20
Holiday Craft Market at Brooklyn Lyceum: Sunday December 20th 2009
11:00 AM. Free admission.
Makers Market at American Can Factory on 3rd Street near 3rd Avenue features a select group of artisans. Nice atmosphere, beautiful glassware, knitware, ceramics, soap, lamps (see left) and more.
Corduroy
Kid: Owned by an Australian, CK is a children’s lifestyle boutique featuring a comprehensive
collection of cool kids clothing (newborn to 7yrs), modern home
furnishings, toys, unusual gift items and plenty of quirky, other fun
stuff, including this rocket t-shirt pictured left.
Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co: Strive
To Be Boring and My Secret Identity black t-shirts. Secret Identity
kits, Superhero Supplements from Aardvark Brothers Brand, Strong vacuum
suction cups, mylar force fields…
Blue Apron (just east of 7th Avenue): Imported
and domestic hams and other chacuterie. The cheeses are artisanal,
perfectly kept and presented, and none are cut until you're ready to
buy (a righteous rarity and a practice only found among the best cheese
mongers). They work with very small producers to be able to offer
flawless ricotta cheese, domestic prosciutto that rivals Parma's, and
other products that are available almost nowhere else in New York.
Breads are from Amy's, Pain d'Avignon, Sullivan Street and Royal
Crown. Jacques Torres is a friend of the store and the best of his
chocolates are sold here.
Go here to see the entire 2009 OTBKB Park Slope Holiday Gift Guide
No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford
Top Five Park Slope Holiday Shopping Picks for Today 12/19
Bklyn Larder: Great gifts for your favorite foodie.
Lulu's Cuts & Toys: All the stocking stuffers you could hope for.
Cog and Pearl: Decoupage
paper weights and dishes by John Derian; "Things to Make & Do" a creative journal and
"Revive" calendar both by Nikki McClure, "A Year of Mornings" (Princeton
University Press) by Maria Alexandere Vetttes; and hand soap that looks like hands.
Scaredy Kat: In
their new location, the store is chock full of fun gifts, stocking stuffers and more. They've got some of the vintage toys you grew up with by Fisher-Price:
Clock Music box, Bouncy Bee,
Chatter Telephone; a huge assortment of holiday cards.
Lion in the Sun: Moleskin notebooks in all sizes. Acme pens. Great place to find gifts for the writer in your life.
Go here to see the entire 2009 OTBKB Park Slope Holiday Gift Guide
No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford
OTBKB Music: Top Ten Songs of 2009
Now that I've finished with the albums list, it's time for the Top 10
songs of 2009. You'll see that three songs are from albums that didn't
make the Top 10 list. Like the albums list, this Top 10 is also
presented in alphabetical order.
Sarah Borges and The Broken Singles – Me And Your Ghost
Neko Case – People Got a Lot of Nerve
Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career
The Damwells – Like It Is
Charlie Faye – She's Gonna Go
Israel Nash Gripka – Pray for Rain
Norah Jones – Young Blood
James Maddock – When The Sun's Out
Or, The Whale – Datura
Chuck Prophet – Hot Talk
–Eliot Wagner
OTBKB 2009 Park Slope Holiday Gift Guide (Constantly Updated)
OTBKB's 2009 Park Slope Holiday Gift Guide has its own mini-blog in the right hand corner of OTBKB's screen (where the ads are) or go here.
Find every store on Fifth Avenue (Flabtbush to 9th Street) and Seventh Avenue (Flatbush to 14th Street).
The list is organized by street starting with all the stores on Fifth Avenue, including the Bergen Street shops and then Seventh.
Top Five Park Slope Holiday Shopping Picks for Today: 12/18
Music Matters: Get your gifts for those who don't download. They've got Tom Waits' new Glitter and Doom and lots more.
Big Nose Full Body: Great gifts for the oenophile on your list.
Mandala Tibetan Store: Jewelry, scarves, Buddhist statues, fluffy ear muffs.
Paper XOXO: Letter press everything, journals, calendars and all manner of paper goods.
Leaf and Bean: High quality coffee, tea, candy, homegoods for gift!
Leon Freilch, Verse Responder: Subway Fair
SUBWAY FAIR
And believe me I'm not crackers;
When any train breaks down,
You're not billed 400 smackers
No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford
Vox Pop Closed, Again
So, what happened? Here's the story from Debi Ryan, who manages Vox Pop, the Cortelyou Road cafe, performance space and bookstore.
in the process of trying to address the issue of back taxes that was
inherited by the new management when NYS Department of Taxation and
Finance chose to seize the assets. We are currently negotiating with
them to have the space reopened and I am confident we will be
successful.
What is so frustrating is that Vox Pop is on its way
to becoming the space we truly want it to be. We have consistent
programming that includes music, spoken word, art events, independent
film screenings, comedy and book readings. We have a children's story
hour on Wednesday morning and Sing-a-longs on Monday afternoon and
regular children's dinner concerts.
And, we do all of this for free, providing the community with the space to meet and study and work and organize and play.
We
have also partnered with many of the not-for-profit organizations to
support their fundraising efforts and have offered our space, our
coffee, our music connections to assist in those efforts. We do food
drives and gift drives to benefit the local shelters.
Now, we
are once again faced with a problem that was not of our making, but one
we assumed out of a sense of what is right as a responsible community
space.
Since we have reopened we have been actively paying
down much of that inherited debt. We chose to use our limited resources
to pay the people who needed it most first — like back pay for our
employees who are all members of this community, monies owed to local
vendors to help keep them in business, monies owed for back rent, old
utilities bills — while paying our current bills and meeting our
obligations.
Since reopening, we have also been faced with one
unexpected calamity after another; including a water main break that
damaged the physical structure of the space as well as destroying
equipment stored there, had to rewire the entire electrical system,
address several major plumbing issues, and replaced much of the
restaurant equipment. As anyone who has purchased an old house will
tell you, no matter how much you think you’ve looked in every corner,
from foundation to the roof, there are always problems you didn’t know
about until you actually move in. Eventually, you get it all sorted and
it becomes the beautiful home you want. But until then, it’s always a
bit of a leap of faith.
Basically, we not only inherited debt,
we spent a great deal of money just to get the place up to code. These
were all things that I certainly did not anticipate when we chose to
reopen Vox Pop as a community owned space. As I said then, I don't know
what I don't know, but this space is too important to lose it now.
What
makes Vox Pop so special? We are not just a coffee shop, we have become
a true community space that supports itself with the sale of coffee.
You
can help Vox Pop by becoming a member. For $40 you will recieve the
newly published book, "Voices of Vox Pop", which tells the story of Vox
Pop through a collection of stories, poems and art by the Vox Pop
community, and a membership card that entitles you to free coffee
refills for 6 months.
We appreciate all of the support that
the community has shown us and continues to show us and welcome any
fundraising ideas to help us over this hurdle.
I can be reached at debi@voxpopcafe.com
OTBKB 2009 Park Slope Holiday Gift Guide (Constantly Updated)
OTBKB's 2009 Park Slope Holiday Gift Guide has its own mini-blog in the right hand corner of OTBKB's screen (where the ads are) or go here.
Revised: Sign Petition If You Oppose the Elimination of Student Metrocards
So the MTA discovers that it has a $400 million budget gap and more than 500,000 public school students who currently commute for free will have to pay half price next September and full price the year
after that.
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer has posted an
electronic
petition to sign if you want to protest MTA cuts to student subway
and
bus passes. The MTA's vote yesterday (Wed., Dec. 16) passed these
and
other measures, but protests are only beginning; perhaps we can
help
change at least this particular decision. Singing the petition
only
takes a minute!
MTA Approves Massive Transit Cuts
From the Brooklyn Paper bad news for NYC subway and bus riders (i.e. everyone):
Brooklyn is facing a full-blown transit apocalypse — include massive
bus service reductions and the elimination of an entire subway line —
thanks to severe cuts approved by the Metropolitan Transportation
Authority board this morning.
The extreme measures, rubber-stamped by an MTA panel on Monday,
then hailed in a 12-0 vote on Wednesday, stem from the transit agency’s
claim that it has a $383-million deficit, despite the recent fare-hike
up to $2.25 per ride.
As you might imagine, the borough’s power brokers went nuts.
“These ‘punitive’ measures fail to equitably spread the burden of
funding public transit throughout the entire MTA region,” Borough
President Markowitz said in a statement.
Top Five Holiday Shopping Picks for Today 12/17
Urban Alchemist has the coolest lap top pouch based on the design of the classic Inter-Departmental Delivery envelope (pictured left). Loads of other goodies, including jewelry and vintage plastered Brooklyn milk bottles.
Brooklyn Mercantile has lovely candles and decoupage plates by Fringe. They will be getting in a lot of new merchandise this weekend, including vintage glass.
Diana Kane has Kai, a lovely gardenia fragrance; Jimmy Jane's Spin, a game for couples.
3R Living has drinking glasses made from Boylan Birch Beer bottles, as well as Rolling Rock, Stella and other beers.
Sweet Charity has homegoods, clothing, jewelry and paper goods. Part of the profits go to animal rescue charities.
OTBKB Film by Pops Corn: Up in the Air
It is a rare feat for a movie to truly define its time period by depicting the way people live today. Jason Reitman tries to do so with Up In The Air, but only the strain shows. Like Reitman’s adaptation of Thank You For Smoking, the film takes the approach of following a charming asshole to humanize contemporary societal ills. I found the effect in Smoking to be completely tiresome.
Up In The Air soars intermittently, due primarily to the star wattage of George Clooney, as a constantly-traveling hatchet man, who relishes and excels at his role of firing employees for executives who aren’t comfortable wielding the ax from within. Clooney makes it easy to root for the villain, especially when his shallow lifestyle is called into question by a brilliant, but green, colleague (Anna Kendrick) assigned to shadow the master. Along the way, he engages in a soul-less romance with fellow constant traveler Vera Farmigia. The lessons to be learned are on the itinerary. There are things the movie gets right like a Vegas convention and the perfectly character-appropriate text flirtation, but these moments, though wonderful, are insignificant.
The mismatched mentor-rookie story is a common contrivance, but I swear that Up In The Air takes numerous cues from Bull Durham. Clooney is Costner, lovable yet a jerk, aging but smoldering, who teaches a future industry star the ropes. Clooney’s meaningless goal of 10 million air miles is Costner’s minor league homer record. The carefree sexual relationship with a contemporary (Farmigia is Sarandon) becomes our hero’s first stab at true love. A scene in which the women explain their ideal husband even mirrors Costner’s “I believe in the soul” speech.
For all my problems with Up In The Air, I’ll admit that it doesn’t offer easy solutions. Still, it’s hard to feel for the insertions of real downsized people (interviewed in the film and singing a song over the end credits), amidst a steady stream of product placement for big airlines, car rental companies, etc. Perhaps it’s Reitman’s economic stimulus. As the award season heats up, I guess I finally have a film to root against. And while this week’s Golden Globes and I don’t agree on everything, at least I can concur that, based on the film’s Best Dramatic Film nomination, Air is not a comedy. I, a laugher, did so only once.
–Pops Corn