All posts by louise crawford
Today: Atlantic Yards Eminent Domain Court Argument
Here's today's media alert, press release or whatever you want to call it from the folks over at Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn:
The challenge, by nine brave home and business owners and tenants, to New York state's use of eminent domain to take the their properties for developer Forest City Ratner’s Atlantic Yards development proposal will be argued in court on Monday, February 23.
Forest City Ratner cannot build its floundering project without these plaintiffs’ properties.
Monday, February 23. 10am*
Supreme Court, State of New York. Appellate Division**, Second Department
45 Monroe Place. Brooklyn, NY.
The lawsuit was filed on August 1st, 2008 and fully briefed at the end of December.
All briefs in Goldstein et al. v Empire State Development Corporation can be found here.
On his Atlantic Yards Report Norman Oder has an extensive preview of the arguments and issues discussed in the briefings
(*Note: The court has the argument listed as the 7th on the docket, so we do not know precisely when it will be argued. But we advise showing up by 10 if that is possible for you, but later is okay if that is not possible. **State law requires all eminent domain challenges to go directly to the appellate division. This case is not an appeal.)
Other Pending Legal Challenge
The legal challenge to the state’s environmental review and approval and in particular New York State’s determination that the proposed Atlantic Yards project site is “blighted” is awaiting a ruling of an appeal. That appeal was argued over five months ago, on September 17, 2008. A ruling for plaintiffs in this case would mean the project could not go forward.
More about this case is at: www.dddb.net/FEIS/appeal.
The Animated Life in the Times: Jeff Scher’s In Your Dreams
Today in the New York Times, Jeff Scher's short short animated film "In Your Dreams."
"To make the film, I painted multiple watercolors of my wife, who has
always been my favorite subject. I already had boxes full of paintings
to work from, spanning the length of our marriage. They were all
painted in the morning because, with its bright golden luminance,
that’s the light I find most suited to watercolor. And we are both
always quite happy when she can sleep late."
Blognigger on Food Coop Boycott Controversy
Here's Blognigger's satiric posting on Fucked in Park Slope about the ban proposed by a small group of Food Coop members on Israeli food as a protest against the military attacks in Gaza. Here's an excerpt:
PARK SLOPE, Brooklyn (FIPSNN) – The trouble began in a local
synagogue, of all places, where at a monthly general meeting, a Park
Slope Coop member proposed a ban on Israeli foods.
The gesture was one of protest, aimed at expressing the organization's
contempt for the country's recent military campaign in Gaza. Here in
Brooklyn, however, many Jews objected; that's when divisive lines were
formed, and Coop members began to choose sides.
Now, in a move that is sure to ignite protest from Jewish advocacy groups citywide, the Coop board has voted to recommend
that Jewish Members adorn Stars of David while shopping at the Coop.
The Coop board insists that the move is one of compassion, and senior
members of the organization met with FIPSNN to elaborate.
Read more at Fucked in Park Slope.
Readings on the Fourth Floor: Broadway Unbound
PS 107 presents the 5th Annual Readings on the Fourth Floor, a series of Wednesday night author and artists events, which is also a fund-raiser for the school's library:
Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell, creators and stars in the Obie-award
winning musical Title of Show, will be joined by their female lead,
Susan Blackwell. Jeff Whitty, Tony Award- winning playwright (Best
Musical 2004) of Avenue Q and Tales of the City will be joined by Bobby
Lopez, Tony-award winning composer and lyricist for Avenue Q. Doug
Aibel, artistic director of the Vineyard Theater, which took both of
these shows to Broadway, will round out the panel.
Anecdotes,
spontaneous song and the trials and tribulations of creating musical
theater that goes beyond the norm will be center stage in this evening
of theatrical insight.
The Where and When
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
PS 107
1301 8th Avenue
7:30 – 9 p.m.
Tired After Blogging the Oscars
My fingers are tired from the blogging marathon I performed last night. Woo. That was strenuous. Four hours of live blogging during the Oscars. It was fun, too.
If you're interested: you can read over 20 posts from last night.
Leon Freilich, Verse Responder: Atop the Middle
Atop the Middle
The fabled golden years
Exist in legend solely
And even then are bestowed
Only on the holy.
Exist in legend solely
And even then are bestowed
Only on the holy.
Despite misguided rants
Emitted by some dunce,
Embrace the summit years–
You're middle–aged just once.
Embrace the summit years–
You're middle–aged just once.
The primetime age of 40
Will never be outdone
So hug it fast before
You slip to 41.
No Words Daily Pix: Photograph by Hugh Crawford
Blogging the Oscars: Slumdog Best Picture
I didn't even wait to hear. I typed those words five minutes before it was announced. I was hoping for Milk but I did love Slumdog.
That's 8 Oscars for Slumdog. It's Slumdog's night.
Blogging the Oscars: You Commie-Homo-Loving Sons-of-Guns
The Oscar goes to Sean Penn (I wasn't expecting that at all) Standing O. Standing O. What a shocker.
"You commie-homo-loving sons-of-guns. I didn't not expect this. I want it
to be very clear. I know how hard I make it to appreciate me often. But
I am touched by the appreciation…I did scribble down some names in
case you were a commie homo loving sons of guns…"
I am thrilled and a teeny bit disappointed because I wanted to see what Mickey Rourke would say. Luckily, Penn acknowledged Mickey:
"Mickey Rourke rises again and he is my brother."
Blogging the Oscars: Bob, Anthony, Adrian, Ben, Mike
Cool group of guys. Standing O again.
Michael Douglas speaks directly to Frank Langella. "The comparisons to the real man fall away…Frank, your work in this film, against all odds, is incomprable and I salute you…"
DeNiro speaks directly to Sean Penn: "How did he do it? How did he get all those jobs playing straight men?…Tonight it is important to be a great actor. In life it's important to be a great man. That's my friend, Sean Penn."
Adrian Brody speaks directly to Richard Jenkins: "This is an actor with a vast repetoire…"
Anthony Hopkins speaks directly to Brad Pitt: "A brilliant actor I've had the pleasure to work with and know well. Brilliant job, my friend."
Ben Kingsley speaks directly to Mickey Rourke: "Why do we care for a bleached blond battered bruiser? Well, there's one reason: Mickey Rourke…Only a fiercely honest actor could be so effective…Welcome back the returning champ, Mickey Rourke…"
See the men cry.
Blogging the Oscars: Sophia, Shirley, Marion, Nicole, Halle,
Standing O and what a group of women!
Shirley MacLaine speaks directly to Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married): "We loved you as a princess, we loved you in Prada… You're a great inspirtion to young actors because you're not afraid to show your dark side…"
Marion Cottillard speaks directly to Kate Winslet (The Reader).
Halle Berre speaks directly to Melissa Leo (Frozen River).
Sophia Loren speaks directly to Meryl Streep (Doubt): Who better? "In Doubt you gave us another one of your singular creations…"
Nicole Kidman speaks directly to Angelina Jolie (The Changeling) "That this role is played so authentically is due to the very modern gifts of Angelina Jolie."
These tributes are incredible: Sounds to me like they were written by the actors themselves…
And the Oscar goes to Kate Winslet: "I think we can't believe we're in a category with Meryl Street at all…Thank you so much my God."
Another one for the montage next year…
Blogging The Oscars: Slumdog Director Receives His Oscars in the Spirit of Tigger
Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle told his children when they were young that if he ever won the Oscar he would "receive it in the spirit of Tigger," one of A.A. Milne's most exuberant creations.
That's why Boyle jumped up and down when he got that gold statuette in his hand.
Blogging the Oscars: Memorial Montage
Too many to name or even absorb. But we noticed Stan Winston (designer of special effects dinosaurs in Jurrasic Park), film critic, Manny Farber, director, Anthony Minghella, director and actor Sidney Pollack, and Paul Newman,
Oh Paul Newman. And it wasn't just a picture it was a whole montage of Paul Newman movies ending with that famous image from The Sting when he rubs his nose.
Sniff.
Blogging the Oscars: Where is Jack Nicholson?
Jack Nicholson usually sits in the front row and the camera loves to catch shots of him laughing at the jokes of Billy Crystal, Whoopie Goldberg, Ellen Degeneres.
Queen Latifah is singing a heartfelt version of "I'll be Seeing You (in all the old familiar places)" for the memorial montage. She could be singing about Jack.
Where is he?
Blogging the Oscars: Foreign Film Upset
Everyone thought Waltz for Bashir was a sure thing. Dark horse Departures from Japan won instead. And I was hoping for a great anti-war acceptance speech from the makers of Bashir, the rotoscoped, partly-animated film
depicting the horrors of Israel's first war in Lebanon in 1982, and the
events leading up to the killings in the Sabra and Shatila Palestinian
refugee camps in Lebanon.
But no. It went to Departures, of which I know nothing. Time to Google…
Blogging the Oscars: Slumdog Best Song
A.R. Rahman, composer of the great songs in Slumdog Millionaire said this in his acceptance speech:
"The essence of the film is about optimism and the part of hope in our lives. All my life I've had a choice between hate and love and I chose love and I'm here."
Blogging the Oscars: Jerry Lewis Gets the Jean Hersholt
Jerry Lewis is the 33rd recipient of the Jean Hersholt
humanitarian award. The academy bestows this honor on "an individual in
the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought
credit to the industry." Lewis is being feted for his more than half
century of service to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. During his
long film career, Lewis was never nominated for an Oscar. However, he
did serve as host of the 28th and 29th Oscars as well as one of many
co-hosts of the 31st Oscars.
humanitarian award. The academy bestows this honor on "an individual in
the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought
credit to the industry." Lewis is being feted for his more than half
century of service to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. During his
long film career, Lewis was never nominated for an Oscar. However, he
did serve as host of the 28th and 29th Oscars as well as one of many
co-hosts of the 31st Oscars.
Blogging the Oscars: Wha? All Film Editors are Men?
My friend Nancy (watching the Oscars via Skype because they don't own a working TV) called to point out the way Will Smith referred to film editors as men during the film and sound editing noms?
Hello?
There are many female film editors. Many. To name a few:
Dede Allen, editor of Dog Day Afternoon, Reds, The Missouri Breaks, Night Moves, Serpico, Alice's Restaurant, Henry and June and so many more; Thelma Schoonmaker (pictured using a manual film synchronizer), the great editor of Raging Bull, Good Fellas, The Age of Innocence, The Aviator, The Departed and many more; the great editor Susan E. Morse, the great editor of Zelig, Radio Days, Hannah and Her Sisters, Broadway Danny Rose, Purple Rose of Cairo and many more; Charlotte Zwerin, who edited (and co-directed) Gimme Shelter, Theolonious Monk: Straight No Chaser, Running Fence, Salesman and many more.
"Ellen DeGeneres would never have made that mistake," Nancy said.
Blogging the Oscars: Slumdog Sound Mixer
Overcome with emotion, the winning sound mixer, who won the award for Slumdog Millionaire, spoke movingly:
"With this award I am being handed history…"
Blogging the Oscars: The Skype Report
Nancy and Henry in Kingston are having a tough time watching the Oscars on Skype.
"The compression makes it hard to hear. When the audience applauds it sounds like one person is clapping. And what Skype does to the music is unexplainable. Visually, we're getting every 3 frames; the image is blurry and really washed out. But the Oscar statue, though, looks nice with a high red tone."
Blogging the Oscars: Balancing Act
Nice video intro to the doc noms by Albert Maysles. Cool. I love Albert Maysles of Gimme Shelter, Grey Gardens and Saleman fame.
The noms are: Man On Wire. The Betrayal by Werner Herzog. The Garden. Trouble the Water
Bill Maher, who this year made the un-nominated doc, Religulous, announced the noms with this: "Documentaries are windows to the world. They give us a candid look beyond our own circumstances and give us the truth…"
The Oscar goes to: Man on Wire.
And there he is: the man on wire himself, Philipe Petit, on the stage with a long white scarf waiting to say what he has to say:
"The shortest speech in Oscar history. Yes." He balances the statuette on his mouth. Perfect. Now that was good…
Blogging the Oscars: Parents and Sister of Heath Accept the Oscar
Sean Penn is in tears. The crowd is standing. The screen holds that haunting picture of Heath as the Joker. His father speaks; "This award would have humbly validated Heath's quiet determination to be accepted by you his peers…"
Now his mom: "Heath was such a compassionate and generous soul…"
And from his sister: "We both knew what you created in the Joker was extraordinary and knew you would be here on this special day…"
From Brooklyn: Heath, we love you!
Many sad faces. No Michele.
Blogging the Oscars: Alan, Cuba, Joel, Christopher, Kevin
Alan Arkin speaks directly to best-supporting actor nominee, Philip Seymour Hoffman. The great to the great: what a moment. "Unsettled, unsure and enthralled in uncertainty. For that we sing your praise, Philip."
I love the way these are written. Joel Grey speaks directly to Josh Brolin, who was nominated for Milk. "Turned weakness into strength: Josh, you really nailed it."
Cuba speaks directly to Robert Downey, Jr.: "To be a white actor playing a white Australian actor playing a blackman in black-face. I say 'are you out of your mind?' Congratuatlion on your next film Shaft…"
Kevin Kline noms HEATH LEDGER. Here it comes. "As the joker in The Dark Knight, he kept us on edge…with this bravura performance, as well as a wide range of other roles Heath has left us an enduring legacy."
The Oscar goes to Heath Ledger…
Blogging the Oscars: Phone Call
I got a phone call from a friend who needed info about public high schools so I missed a bit a few minutes of the show.
That's okay.
My friends in Kingston are getting a decent picture (thanks to our Skype transmission). They are grateful for our technological efforts but are quite unimpressed with this year's show.
Could they be more grateful?
The medley of songs from Oscar winning musicals is fun: Beyonce Knowles singing "Top Hat." She even did a few notes of "At Last," which she sang for Obama and Michelle;s first dance at one of the inauguration balls.
"I'm sort of surprised at how good Hugh Jackman is," Hugh just said.
Oh, no: it's the High School musical stars. That can't ruin Beyonce in red looking so leggy, busty, and gorgeous.
They're ending the medley with Mama Mia, I wonder if Meryl Streep is going to get up and sing…
How could they not have Meryl Streep join them? She's sitting right there.
And now Beyonce singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow while Jackman sings Somwhere from West Side Story.
"The musical is back," Jackman exclaims.
Baz Luhrmann, who directed Moulin Rouge, Strictly Ballroom, Australia, Romeo + Juliet directed that number. Oh. that's why it was good. Baz Luhrmann is so cool.
The Aussies are really making this a decent Oscar show.
Blogging the Oscars: Catch Up
Wall-E beat out Jack Black's "Kung Fu Panda" and director Andrew Stanto thanked Steve Jobs in his acceptance speech.
Steve Martin and Tina Fey presented the Best Screenwriter award but I was too busy with the Skype commotion to see their schtick.
A montage about romance in the movies looks fun but I'm too far from the screen….
Our Kingston friends are getting delayed picture and sound but seem to be enjoying the show.
Blogging the Oscars: Early Magic Seems to be Wearing Off
The show got off to such a great, intimate beginning. Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, and those incredible actresses speaking directly to the nominated supporting actresses.
Now it feels like the same old show. Hope something good happens. Hugh is busy trying to get his Skype account to work as Sarah Jessica Parker is announceing the costume design noms.
My guess: Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Winner: The Duchess (the Academy loves those British period drams).
Hugh's computer is facing the TV screen. Are they getting video in Kingston. It says the video is disabled. Trying again…
They're getting the sound, they're getting an overly cropped picture…
Blogging the Oscars: Skype
Henry and Nancy, Our friends in Kingston, don't have cable and they can't watch ABC on their crummy black and white television set. They were at a friend's Oscar party but had to come home when their kids got sick with this flu that's been going around.
Nancy was so upset: she's never missed an Oscar. We're usually on the phone during the showing either shrieking or hissing or crying…
They can't find any streaming video on the Internet. But we had a BRIGHT IDEA. we're going to Skype the Oscars. In other words, we'll video the television and they'll watch on their Skype account.
Got it? Cool. It's not working yet but it will be. Soon. We hope.
Blogging the Oscars: Tears
Is it just me or does everyone feel teary watching the Oscars this year? Full disclosure: I am weaning myself off Zoloft so everything is making me cry this week.
But: Penelope, the Milk screenwriter, AngelicaWhoopieEvaMarieGoldieTilda paying tribute to this year's stellar group of supporting actresses…
Sniff.
Blogging the Oscars: Angelica, Whoopi, Goldie, Tilda, Eva Marie
A stellar group of former supporting actresses read the supporting actress noms in lyrical second-person prose as if love poems to the women in the audience. Tear inducing because it felt so damn sincere.
And Penelope: Wearing a vintage gown she won for Woody Allen's Vicky Christina Barcelona asking "Has anyone ever fainted."