Star Wars Episode IV Done Entirely In ASCII

I was at the Apple Store in Soho yesterday to fix a problem with my wifi. One of the cute geeks at the Genius Bar helped me out and, to test my connection to the internet, clicked on a site he uses as a test.  The site has a streaming version of STAR WARS: EPISODE 4 made entirely in ASCII.  Apparently, some computer nerd with some serious time on his hands started this whole thing in 1997 and now they've done a complete version of the film.  It was finished in April 2008.

I love going to the Apple Store because, not only do they always fix my problem promptly and efficiently, but I also learn something new...and sometimes a little bizarre too.  Thank you, geniuses!

Nick Pitera Is A One-Man Disney Movie

Singer Nick Pitera has been burning up YouTube over the last year with his one-man duets of classic Mencken/Ashman Disney songs, singing both the male and female roles.  It certainly helps that he is not only cute but actually looks a bit like a Disney character himself with features that are all just slightly exaggerated, from his big eyes to his big hair.

In his latest video, he creates something of an epic; a Disney medley in which he plays/sings not just two roles but six.  It's a little lengthy but still fun to watch as he acts all the roles out in a cartoony way.  It also makes me wonder how many takes he did to get this just right. If you're wondering what this amateur singing sensation do for a living, he works at Pixar Animation Studios.  Really!

Bronx Zoo Cobra Still Missing But Now Tweeting

There has been a great deal in the press lately about the missing cobra at the Bronx Zoo.  It slithered out of it's cage last Friday and is now hiding somewhere inside the zoo's large reptile house.  Zoo officials seem certain there is no way the venomous asp, native of Egypt, has escaped into the wild (aka New York City).  However, yesterday afternoon, an account appeared on Twitter called "BronxZoosCobra" which seems to indicate otherwise. In less than 24 hours, he's racked up 30,000 followers on Twitter, helped along by the fact that "Bronx Zoo" and "cobra" were the top searches on Google yesterday.

From the asps' first tweet thanking the animals of "Madagascar" for their inspiration, this snake-on-the-lam has proved to have a sly sense of humor.  In other tweets, he asks if anyone knows where Rebecca Black lives and marvels at the Temple of Dendur on a trip to the Met.  I think my favorite was the tweet where he gave away his actual location:  "You can find me right in front of Original Ray's Pizza".  LOL--one thing is clear....this snake is definitely a New Yorker.

A Stella Screaming Contest in New Orleans

The 25th Annual Tennessee Williams Festival wrapped up in New Orleans over the weekend.  It's an annual event that brings together scholars, fans and theater folk for discussion and some presentations of the famed playwrights' work.  One of the more interesting events was a "Stella!" shouting contest where some guys yelled at a balcony on Jackson Square, recreating the classic scene from A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE.  God knows what Williams would have thought of all the screaming...but he certainly would have been interested some of these attractive young men.  If he were alive, Tennessee Williams would turn 100 this week.

The 100th Anniversary of The Triangle Factory Fire

Today marks the 100th anniversary of a factory fire here in Greenwich Village which killed 146 garment workers.  Though the fire was not intentional, it resonated historically in some of the ways 9/11 does today in how strongly the event affected the history of the 20th century.  It spurred massive changes in workspace regulation and building codes as well as the organization of labor unions across the country.

The remarkable thing to me, as a Village resident, is that the building where this tragedy took place still stands today.  In fact, it is part of NYU's campus and students now learn about biology and chemistry on the 9th floor where so many perished a century ago today. There is a remarkable amount of coverage in the NY TIMES today, but one piece I found most interesting was about the Asch Building and it's current use.

Elizabeth Taylor And The Best Movie Scream Of All Time

I was sad to hear of Elizabeth Taylor's passing yesterday. She was one of the last Old Hollywood greats with a remarkable career that would be difficult to sum up in a blog posting. My personal favorite roles of hers were Maggie in "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" and, of course, the inimitable Martha in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf".

But I have always believed that Liz holds the unofficial title of "Best Movie Scream of All Time" for her role in "Suddenly Last Summer".  She earned an Academy Award nomination for this performance, her third at the time.  And though she didn't win Oscar, she screamed like nobody's business.  Seriously. The scene where Sebastian is "consumed" is a veritable master class in screaming.  You can watch it below at 2:55...along with her other great scenes from this film.

For this, and countless other roles, Elizabeth Taylor was a true original and will never be forgotten.

Wonder Woman Gets A New Look For NBC Pilot

The TV producer of ALLY MCBEAL is returning to the network game with a remake of WONDER WOMAN.  This planned reboot of the '70s TV series has long been in the works but now they are finally shooting the pilot this spring, starring Adrienne Palecki with a new outfit and everything. My only disappointment is that is will not be set during Word War II meaning they will have to rewrite the theme song; instead of "make the Axis fold" it will have to be  "make Al Qaeda fold".

I think the outfit, and the new star, look amazing.  However, FOX news does not agree.  They believe her new, shiny duds are not patriotic enough because it's missing the old stars and stripes that Lynda Carter wore.  They have even  taken to calling this a "globalized" Wonder Woman.  Oy.  Can't they just admit it that they are jealous that this show is not on their network.  NBC, also home to FOX favorites Rachel Maddow and formerly Keith Olberman, has the rights to the new series despite the fact that many of the producers previous shows, MCBEAL and BOSTON PUBLIC, were on Fox.

Anyway, let's hope this '70s re-up is much better than the BIONIC WOMAN.

Greenwich Village Becomes Rome for TV Pilot "Pan Am"

Walking down Macdougal Street yesterday, I noticed a number of tiny little cars from the 1960s.  As I moved down the block, I saw lots of trucks, lights and cables for the shooting of the new ABC pilot called PAN AM.  They were doing a scene in an "Italian cafe", with famous Cafe Reggio made over with new signs and a large green-screen in the middle of the street on which to project some amazing view of Rome in post.

I looked for Christina Ricci, the star of the ABC version of MAD MEN, told from the perspective of the female Don Draper's of their day; stewardesses for the classic airline, Pan Am.  I did see some extras with big bouffants but no Christina which was no surprising given the fact she is incredibly short.  Anyway, it was nice travel to Rome on my way to work....if only for a few minutes.

Happy 200th Birthday Manhattan Street Grid!

This week marks the official 200th anniversary of the introduction of the grid map to the previously wild island of Manhattan.  It was in 1811 that a young surveyor quite literally made his mark on New York City as, through meticulous surveying, created the grid that would come to define and help make the city the metropolis it is today.

It's a fascinating story and, in todays' TIMES, there are two articles about it in the Metro section.  One details the grid itself while the other talks about 21 year-old John Randel, who was hired by the city to tame its wilderness and farms north of what was then called North Street and is now known as Houston Street....and is also the street where I live. :)  It's a great exploration of New York's history and, what the paper calls, the citys most important document in its 400 years plus existence.

Raising Money For Indie Film Via Product Placement

Morgan Spurlock, the filmmaker who changed the way McDonald's did business, is now looking to alter the way indie films are financed.  He just premiered his new film with a strange title "POM Wonderful Presents; The Greatest Movie Ever Sold".  The film is a meta-exercise in product placement with the juice maker POM footing more than half of the film's budget.  Other sponsors include JetBlue and Hyatt Hotels.  McDonalds strangely enough wanted a piece of the action too but they were declined.

In an interesting piece in the Hollywood Reporter, Spurlock talks about his new model for making a profit on his indie film before it is even released.  The film also goes into the increasingly extensive practice of product placement in movies and television, which now starts at the writer level.  Witness the various episodes of 30 ROCK that make fun of their sponsor Snapple while also promoting the brand. Anyway, it's all food for though as indies try and figure out a way to make a buck in the New Media world.