My NY Yankee Dreams

I was so happy today to be able to walk from the subway to my school and watch the tents being dismantled over at Bryant Park! That means the streets will be safe from the fashionistas that have invaded the areas for the past week and the prices in the local delis will go back to normal. I can finally start to exhale a sigh of relief.

On the pre-production front, I'm still working on my Director's book and trying to secure a location to shoot. Casting notices will go out in about 48 hours from now. Next week will be the last week of my 5th Quarter of Film school and I'm both nervous and excited. I'm close to getting an internship. I was told that my volunteering at the IFP Market will count toward some internship hours. That was a relief to hear because I've been sending out resumes and cover letters and going on interviews all this week and had hope to secure something by the end of the week.

My celebrity siting this week: Terry McMillan. At least I think it was her! It sure looked like her trying to hail a taxi last Friday on Sixth Ave at 25th Street. I'm sure it was her because I know what the woman looks like and she wasn't hiding behind gigantic designer shades either. If not, I'm sure someone reading this will let me know otherwise. I was on a bus going uptown when I saw her. She looked fabulous! Maybe she was going to catch a show at Fashion week? Who knows?

Okay, about the photo at the top left. I found it surfing and I truly believe that it's not Photoshop. Between you and me, I've had dreams about this. Funny, why am I in the mood for a "Jeterarod" sandwich every time I look at the photo of my two favorite Yankees?

Hmmm....

Fashion Week Sucks!

Okay, it's that time of the year again that I've grown to hate living in New York City: Fashion Week. For one thing, I go to school directly across the street from Bryant Park and my school, Katharine Gibbs, happens to be neighbors with the official hotel of Fashion Week: The Bryant Hotel. Needless to say there is so much traffic congestion on 40th Street, it's enough to make me want to scream! Also if you go to any deli in the area this week, it will be hard to find 3 things: yogurt, bottle water and cigarettes - the supermodel diet! Not that I smoke, but if I did, I would have to go outside of the vicinity of Bryant Park to find my smokes. Most of the guys in school (the straight ones anyway) love the fact that there are gorgeous supermodels walking down the street ignoring them as we make our way past the police barricades to get to school.

It started last week almost right a week after the Monday Night Film Festival ended. In the summer, Bryant Park shows old movies that start at sundown on Monday nights. They show really films that run the gamut from classic to camp, musical to drama, action to family and the such. Some of the films that they showed in the past have been "Psycho", "To Sir With Love", "Annie Hall", "Rosemary's Baby", and "Casablanca." Sometimes it's a lot of fun to chill out after work on the lawn with a group of friends, a picnic basket and a bottle of wine and watch a film from yesteryear all as the sun goes down on a hot day. But once Labor day hits, the fashion crowd invades the park and the climate changes in more ways than one.

I'll admit it's interesting to watch the limos and town cars unload on 6th Ave in front of the entrance tent on 41st street. Lots of famous faces, I've seen make the trek up the stairs over there. But living here in the city, you can sometimes get jaded by seeing celebrities walking the street. It's the tourist who live in the Midwest that get the big rush out of seeing Sly Stallone or Anna Wintour pound the pavement. Frankly, I'm long past jaded. I even get upset sometimes when I can't cross the street in my daily routine because: "We're trying to get a shot. Can you walk across the street?" Ask any New Yorker about what it's like to have any of the many "Law & Order" series shoot in your neighborhood, and you probably will get a negative response.

Don't get me wrong, any time there is a film or television production shot here, its good for the economy. The only thing you have to watch out for is crossing the streets or being kept from entering your apartment building because Mariska Hargitay or Sarah Jessica Parker is shooting a scene.

Things are looking up!

This has been an incredibly busy week for me. I made the Dean's List again and they had an award ceremony this week that I was too busy to attend because I had classes back-t0-back that day. I got a gig as a tutor at school helping students with Final Cut and Final Draft, etc. But most importantly now I even have a cell phone! Things are really starting to look up. I started submitting my resume for internships this past week. I even finished my EPK project this week. My rough cut is due tomorrow but I have to get to school first thing in the morning to finish it for class at 9am. Today the school is close, othewise I would have been in there at this very moment editing myself into a tizzy.

Now I can concentrate on getting my thesis film done. It is a comedy that everyone who has read it says it's HILARIOUS! All I can say is that it stars Wayne Chang and I know it will be a fun project. Pretty soon I'm going to post an ad for actors and animals for my film. Yes I did say animals! My script includes a couple of English Bulldogs that look like the ones in the photo above. But most importantly I need to find location, location, location for my piece that I know will be the hit of the film festival circuit once I get it complete. If anybody reading this knows of any locations, dogs or crew that can enhance my project please drop me a line. Or if anybody reading this blog would be interested in being a Producer then DEFINITELY drop me a line. I think I will soon hold a backers reading to get some money to get this thesis film done with style!

Today is Labor Day and in my neighborhood it's the West-Indian Parade. Needless to say the noise level has been really loud around here as I type my entry on my laptop. Thank God for headphones!