Bryan Greenberg Is Kinda Cute

OK--before you say anything I know that Bryan Greenberg is more than cute.  He's, in fact, pretty damn hot.  


However, I put him in my collection of Kinda Cute guys for a couple reasons.  One, despite an expansive career that includes two network TV shows, a movie opposite Meryl Streep and an HBO series, no one really knows who he is.  Two, in utter contradiction to his serious good looks, Bryan seems to always be stuck playing guys who are only supposed to be Kinda Cute.  He's always being cast as a sensitive novelist (ABC's October Road), or a sensitive painter (PRIME w/Meryl and Umma) or a sensitive fashion designer (HBO's How To Make It In America).  Then there's the regular Joe supporting roles he used to specialize in, like on the CW's One Tree Hill. And even a quasi-nerd in The Perfect Score.  


So, memo to H'wood: Bryan Greenberg is hot. He has a body like a Greek God.  Someone needs to cast him as a hot dude, like a male supermodel, dangerous spy or a porn star or something really juicy.  No more Mr. Nice Guy for Bryan.  Once he gets that role, I guarantee that everyone will know his name.  In the meantime, I'd recommend checking out PRIME which was a very sweet/goofy love story where he falls for one of his therpaist mom's patients.   And you can see him weekly on the new HBO show How to Make It In America, which is also very good.

The Air Force Memorial

I was down in Washington last weekend and made a trip to the Air Force Memorial, which opened back in 2006. From driving around the DC area, I had seen the three stainless steel spirals arcing up over the Crystal City skyline and, initially, was not so impressed.  In fact, it seemed a little odd and random the way it's spires stuck in the air without any context or real meaning.  The first time I saw it, I thought it was a series of large construction cranes or a radio tower that had never been completed.

An actual visit to the memorial is fortunately a very different experience. Sited on a promontory that provides an expansive view of the entire city of Washington, the memorial's three 200 foot-plus spires seen up close are more impressive and quite dramatic when viewed from the ground looking up.  Each one is a different height and they are arrayed in a triangle on a large granite plaza with the Air Force star embedded in glass and marble at the center.  I took a number of pictures while there which give a sense of the drama of those structures which resemble the contrails of three F-14's in a cloud burst formation.

The only unfortunate thing about the memorial is also it's position: it overlooks the site where American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon.  Though the Air Force has a long and impressive history going back to World War II, there is no arguing 9/11 was a day of unique failure for the service branch entrusted with defending America's airspace.  The planning of the memorial began long before 9/11, back in 1994, so it's more of an unfortunate coincidence than an embarrassing planning blunder.  

But still, standing at the edge of the memorial and looking down at the reflective benches of the Pentagon memorial, it's sobering to realize you're standing in the flight path of American 77. In a way, it gives the grandiose and somewhat flashy memorial a totally unintended solemnity. And, in a way, maybe that's for the best....it tempers the glory of the wild blue yonder with the harsh realities of the human costs of war.

The Lower East River Side

Williamsburg is starting to look like Jersey City these days with it's new skyscraper themed waterfront.  Now stage two is being planned on the southern end of the 'Burg, centered around what used to be the Domino Sugar Factory (pictured above).


There is a current exhibit at the American Institute of Architects space on LaGuardia Place showing a potential future for the landmarked site.  Rafael Viñoly Architects has designed a plan to remake the 125-year-old industrial complex into an 11.2 acre, mixed-income residential and mixed-use development.  What's nice is that they've preserved the Domino Factory at the center of it all. What's not so nice is that, other than some street amenities,  it looks just as bland as the Trump West Side Railyard development.


If development continues like this, Williamsburg is soon going to resemble the Upper West Side.  Maybe that's the plan, at least for Bloomberg who likes to turn every unique neighborhood into a generic super-hi-rise, vertical version of suburbia.  But it would be a shame to see the quirkiness of the 'Burg blanded out like this.  

Taiwan's Own Susan Boyle

Earlier this month, a 24 year old Taiwanese shopkeeper with an unfortunate haircut went onstage of the TV show "One Million Star" and came back an instant internet sensation ala Susan Boyle.  He turned out the most improbably soulful and diva-like rendering of Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You"...a take on the popular song which honestly rival's Houston's original.  Take a look...or maybe just a listen because you won't believe your eyes.

South Park Creators Receive Death Threats

In a follow-up to yesterday's post, the creators of South Park's, which aired it's 200th epsiode last week in which the Prophet Mohammed appears dressed in a bear costume, have received death threats.  A Muslim website stated that they "probably wind up like Theo Van Gogh for airing this show" for this depiction of Mohammed in the episode.  Van Gogh was murdered for a doc that showed the treatment of Muslim women.


Last night, episode 201 aired in which Mohammed/Teddy Bear reappeared but was heavily censored by Comedy Central. There were a number of bleeps over speeches and blurred out images and boxes which read "censored" and the Teddy Bear was replaced by Santa Claus somewhat hastily. The question was if all this censoring was intentional by Trey and Matt .  The answer came in a statement they released to their website, saying it was all Comedy Central's doing and not a "meta-joke".  


Another website, Cinematical, pointed out though that South Park has actually depicted Mohammed in the past.  In an episode in 2004, he was portrayed in a somewhat positive light as a bit of a superhero, appearing alongside Jesus and Moses and shooting fire from his palms.  In other episodes, the show has toyed with the controversy of showing the prophet but using clever cutaways or having characters comment on it directly.  


Anyway, it all shows that, even after 200 episodes, the creators of South Park still do not have any sacred cows...or bears for that matter....that they will refuse to tip over.

South Park's 200th Episode

The boys of "South Park", Matt Stone and Trey Parker (pictured l-r), have been at it now for 13 years, if you can believe it. Their animated show hit the cable airwaves in 1998 and has been offending people ever since.  And last week they aired their 200th episode, one in which they brought back all the people they offended so that they could file a class action lawsuit against the town of South Park.  Genius.  


There's a great interview with both Trey and Matt in the Times ArtsBeat blog today, as they go over topics as far ranging as Muslims and Carlos Mencia (who they recently took on in a new episode). They also discuss their upcoming Broadway show, "Book of Mormon: The Musical" which I saw in a workshop production last summer and loved.  If the Mormon Church was annoyed at them before, they're really gonna be ticked off next year when this show hits Broadway. Which is exactly their plan, I'm sure.  :)

Film Editor Extraordinaire Dede Allen

The NY Times noted the passing yesterday of film editor Dede Allen.  She cut such notable films as "Bonnie and Clyde" and "Dog Day Afternoon".  I am esepcially a fan of "Dog Day" which, in and of itself, is a self-contained master class in how to edit suspense.  It is a thrilling story which remains so even after multiple viewings due to the remarkable craft of Ms. Allen.


Her obit states that she started as a sound editor way back during the studio era on films like the landmark "Citizen Kane".  She received credit for editing more than 20 films during her career and worked into the new century.  One of my favorite, recent films she did was the undrerrated screwball comedy "Wonder Boys" that came out in 2000.  It's a delightful character study, starring Robert Downey Jr. at the height of his crazy years and Michael Douglas in possibly his best and most natural performance.  


Directors often get all the credit when it comes to filmmaking...but not with Ms. Allen.  The directors she worked with universally praised her genius and her devotion to a career that made for a remarkable body of work.  Anyway, if you're looking for something to add to your Netflix queue, just type her name into IMDB and you'll find more than a few cinematic gems.  

A Broadway Star Goes Country

A few years ago, there was quite a stir on the Great White Way when country star Reba Macintyre took Broadway by tornado with her star turn in "Annie Get Your Gun".   Now the connection is running the other way as Broadway's Laura Bell Bundy ("Hairspray", Legally Blonde") is taking on Nashville.


Last night, LBB did an almost Broadway style number in the middle of the CMA awards to launch her first country album, "Achin' and Shakin'".  And she was not kidding around.  The blonde diva did some serious line dancing which certainly looked like country on the surface but, with all the high kicks and bounding leaps, felt more like a scene out of "Oklahoma".   


LBB actually grew up in the south, born and raised in Kentucky so her new act is not much of a put-on as it seemed.  But I find it  interesting how country music, which was recently invaded by rock/pop legend Bon Jovi, is now getting an attack from the world of musical theatre.  In some ways, it actually makes sense in that there has always been something very Broadway about country, with it's storytelling songs, corn-pone sentiment and classic American melodies. So it'll be interesting to see if the country world embraces LBB as she goes back to her roots.

Dog v. iPad

This video is making the viral rounds....a corgi checking out an iPad. He is interested at first when he sees his reflection.  But his relationship to the techno-beast changes over time.  Steve Jobs would not be pleased.

The Mystery of Roosevelt Island

For me, the mystery of Roosevelt Island is located not in the creepy ruins of an abandoned small pox hospital or grounds of an infamous insane asylum but in the name of the island itself. Why was this slip of land in the middle of the East River named after Franklin Roosevelt? The answer was revealed this week when the NY Times announced that a memorial to FDR is under construction on island's southern tip....a memorial that has been nearly 40 years in the making.

This two mile spit of land barely 800 feet wide was originally named Welfare Island then Blackwell's Island. However, it was not a place you'd want to visit, home to violent prisoners, the mentally insane and the mortally ill for more than 100 years. In the 1960's, plans were made to redevelop the island and make it livable, with affordable housing and a tram line to connect it to Manhattan. In 1973, the island got it's presidential moniker when plans were announced for a memorial and historical center designed by famed architect Louis Kahn. Then the city nearly went bankrupt and the project was put on indefinite hold. Until now...

Last month, ground was broken for the memorial, pictured above, which will grace the tip of the island directly across from the United Nations (an FDR legacy). The official groundbreaking will happen this summer and the first phase of the memorial along with some beautiful new parks should be open to the public by summer 2011.