Whitney Port’s ex-pal Erin Lucas isn’t going back for season two of MTV’s “The City.” “It never hurts to try something new, but when you’re born to do something, chances are you’re going to wind up doing it no matter where you detour,” her rep told us. “Nice while it — and [Lucas’] friendship with Whitney Port — lasted.”
My Sister’s Keeper
2.5 stars
Directed by Nick Cassavetes
Based on the novel by Jodi Picoult
Starring Abigail Breslin, Cameron Diaz, Sofia Vassilieva, Jason Patric, Alec Baldwin, Joan Cusack
By Mina Hochberg
On the one hand, “My Sister’s Keeper” is a wrenching drama that explores provocative notions about the human capacity — or more specifically, incapacity — to accept death. On the other hand, the movie features a doctor who offers a dying girl a last chance at life, and his name is (seriously) Dr. Chance.
“My Sister’s Keeper,” adapted from Jodi Picoult’s bestselling novel, is shamelessly, heavyhandedly devastating. You wish you could shake director Nick Cassavetes, who also directed “The Notebook,” by his shirt lapels and ask why he is so intensely focused on making his viewers cry. As excessively lugubrious as “My Sister’s Keeper” is, though, its potent emotions and moral explorations have undeniable heft.
By Emily Hulme
• Invader's "Top 10" is at Jonathan Levine Gallery; opening reception Saturday 6-9 p.m.
You may have seen Invader’s works around town without even knowing it.
The French artist made his name in the ’90s by installing mosaic-style “Space Invaders” — like the classic video game — in public places in cities around the world, including New York. He currently has a show at Jonathan Levine Gallery, “Top 10,” in which he recreates his top 10 favorite album covers using Rubik’s Cubes.
We spoke with him about the project.
You must be pretty proficient with a Rubik's Cube. How long did it take you to master that?
I only use one side of the cubes to create these pieces, which is much easier than if I was solving all six sides of them.
Were you ever tempted to just pop off the tiles and put them back on where you wanted them to be?
It would actually take much longer for me to pop off the faces than just twisting them by hand. Half of the pieces I am showing in this exhibition use 400 cubes/piece... Can you imagine the time it would take if I had to pop off the tiles for each of them?
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
2.5 stars
Directed by Michael Bay
Starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro
By Mina Hochberg
amNewYork movie critic
The experience of watching “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” is akin to the experience kids might have when playing with the Hasbro toys on which the movie is based: It provides momentary thrills, but soon it’ll be tossed into a mental trash bin filled with all the other manufactured movies that have been seen, fleetingly enjoyed and forgotten.
This sequel to the 2007 blockbuster delves into the mythology of the Transformers, who existed on Earth thousands of years ago and even had their own civil war, which ultimately established the Autobots (the good robots) and the Decepticons (the bad ones).
Continue reading "'Transformers': 'Fallen Forgettable Fare" »
By Emily Hulme • ehulme@am-ny.com
A photo from "Courting Equality." Keith Maynard and Chip McLaughlin were one of the first couples to file for a same-sex marriage license in Cambridge, May 2004. (Photo courtesy Marilyn Humphries)
The gay marriage debate has been raging in this country for years, but in recent months the movement to leagalize it has gained real traction.
The following books aim to foster discussion, encourage activism or just celebrate gains made for LGBT rights. Read with pride.
The New Essential Guide to Gay & Lesbian Weddings
by Tess Ayers and Paul Brown, September
Ayers, married to her partner of 15 years, and Brown, an event planner, walk prospective brides and grooms through the minefield that is wedding planning. They offer tips on everything from picking out the rings to financial advice to how to enjoy the big day itself.
The Straight State: Sexuality and Citizenship in Twentieth-Century America
by Margot Canaday, available now
The book is a comprehensive overview of how federal legislation relating to the treatment of gays and lesbians in America has affected the perception of the LGBT community. It addresses marriage in the larger context of how regulation shapes society’s view of homosexuality.
When Gay People Get Married: What Happens When Societies Legalize Same-Sex Marriage
by M.V. Lee Badgett, August
Badgett took a field trip to the Netherlands, where gay marriage has been legal since 2001. Her book is a look at how the move affected homosexual relationships specifically, as well as on society in general. Her findings are surprising.
By Robert Levin
Special to amNewYork
On the surface, Richard P. Rogers (1944-2001) lived a charmed life. Born into the privilege of the Upper East Side and the Hamptons, he reached the upper echelon of his two professions, as a Harvard professor and a highly acclaimed filmmaker (of multiple documentaries and experimental films). He earned the love of a good woman, the Magnum photographer Susan Meiselas, as well as the respect and admiration of countless colleagues, students and friends.
Yet “The Windmill Movie,” which documentarian Alexander Olch assembled from more than two decades of footage shot by Rogers for an unfinished autobiographical film, reveals the darker, conflicted soul brewing beneath the superficial idyll. It’s an intensely personal exploration of the themes that defined the man’s life and the role of the cinematic apparatus in drawing them out. amNewYork spoke to Olch about the film, currently playing at Film Forum.
What was your personal relationship with Richard?
I knew him as my teacher, but as fellow New Yorkers (we discovered we actually grew up on the same block in adjacent buildings on 74th St.) meeting in Cambridge, we sort of grew closer together and he ended up producing my thesis film there. I guess you could certainly call him my mentor.
How aware were you of his autobiographical project?
The last summers he was working on his film, the summers of 1999 and 2000, those two summers were the summers that I was working on my thesis film. So I would come by his loft and show him footage. He would look at my stuff and then I would see off to the side his editing computers. I remember one time I went over there and asked him, “What’s this,” and there was an image of a house on a beach. [He said], “This is a house in Georgica, and this is the one film that I abandoned. And I’ve now gone back to try and finish it.” And then I asked him another question, “Whose house is that?” And he said, “Well, it’s not really about that,” and then [turned off] the screen. So that’s as far as it got. He was very reserved and circumspect about what he was doing, certainly with me and as I looked through the footage I think to a certain extent with himself.
For those of you who have been waiting for this Buzz Aldrin/Snoop Dogg collab since Deborah Solomon broke the news of its existence in last week's NYT magazine, here it is.
By Ed Condran
Special To amNewYork
• Darlene Violette appears Wednesday at Carolines. 9:30 p.m., $18.
Stand-up comedy doesn’t mean everything to Darlene Violette but it’s certainly a part of the Brooklyn based performer’s varied repertoire.
“It’s something that’s always been important to me,” Violette says. “But there are other things that I focus on as well.”
I think that John Hodgman, author of "More Information Than You Require" and public radio favorite, among other things, is awesome. He is currently being awesome in an interview with Pyschology Today, of all things. A taste:
Where does your children's expertise trump yours?
As you know (or have used private investigators to find out), I have two human children. To protect their privacy, I refer to them only as "Hodgmina" and "Hodgmanillo." They know a lot more about my neighbors than I do, for the common playdate allows the child access to other people's apartments and private lives that no adult will ever enjoy. In fact, it seems to me that children would make very good private investigators. OR HAVE YOU FIGURED THAT OUT ALREADY?
Also, in case you missed it, here's Hodgman's fantastic Radio and TV Correspondents’ Dinner speech. It rivals the classic Colbert appearance.
Adult Swim, in addition to airing the wonderful absurdity that is the Mighty Boosh Sunday nights, is also posting episodes online. You have no excuses. Watch it.
By Emily Hulme
• The Pirate Party Pig Roast is at Water Taxi Beach in Long Island City on Monday (rain date Tuesday).
When artists throw parties, odds are you’re going to experience something a little out of the ordinary.
Arts organization chashama, which is good at making things happen with little money, is holding its second annual Pirate Party Pig Roast on Monday, complete with a DJ, fire-breathers, jugglers, burlesque acts and more.
“We’re going to have a hair sculptor,” said Anita Durst, founder and principal of chashama. “Her name is Edisa Weeks, and she puts these beautiful flowers or mousetraps or merry-go-rounds, just beautiful things in your hair, and everyone’s walking around with these great sculptures in their hair.”
At an economical $20 a ticket, the festivities also include an open bar and barbecue — both vegan and non-vegan.
Founded in 1995, chashama matches artists with affordable studio, gallery and performance space by working with landlords who are between tenants and have temporarily available space.
After getting into the party game last year with its first pig roast, chashama is expecting to double the turnout with 1,000 people for this year’s festivities, Durst said.
“I think I personally throw very good parties. I love to see many people coming out and having a good time, and there’s a certain vibration when people are enjoying themselves,” she said.
The guest of honor is Ben Rodriguez-Cubeñas, program director of grant-giving organization Rockefeller Brothers Fund, but the party is a chance for everyone to kick back and celebrate.
“We’re honoring Ben for the work that he does for the community and the culture,” Durst said, “and it’s also a way for us to thank the artists and to thank our funders and our landlords.”
Ed Westwick (Getty)
By Julie Gordon and Allie Rolnik
While the rest of us are just getting into the summertime groove, the party is over for Ed Westwick, who heads back to the “Gossip Girl” set this week to start shooting his third season as Chuck Bass.
“I’m really excited ’cause [Chuck and Leighton Meester’s character, Blair] kind of got together at the end [of last season], didn’t they?” Westwick told us at the K-Swiss Remastered Classic Sneaker launch at Bloomingdale’s. “We’ll see if Chuck remains a good boy.”
During his shooting break, Westwick only saw a few “Gossip” actors (girlfriend Jessica Szhor, roommate Chace Crawford), saying, “I don’t keep tabs on [the cast].”
Continue reading "Ed Westwick: 'We'll see if Chuck Bass remains a good boy'" »
Here's a fan made documentary eulogizing "Arrested Development." The trailer, anyway. The site is here.
Check out a preview here.
Jason Schwartzman doesn't look a day older than he did when he was Max Fischer.
As someone who grew up on Long Island, I think this is hysterical.
Internet investigators were able to expose some art world fraud when this poster was listed in Christies online catalog, valued at $2,000-$3,000.
Eagle-eyed font geeks immediately identified the word "land" as being written in Comic Sans, a font created and made available to the public in 1995. And there are a ton of other inconsistencies, read a full breakdown here.
In the end, the tipsters informed Christies of their findings and Christies pulled the auction. The listing link now leads to a file not found, but Ultrasparky has a screenshot.
Just because you’re a Playmate doesn’t mean you get automatic entrance into nightclubs. “Girls Next Door” star Holly Madison and pals were recently turned away from Body English at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas because one of the under-21 gals tried to sneak in, a spy dished.
(Photo: Getty)
Conan last night had a little fun with the idea of product placement, expanding the idea of naming rights for the theater to selling naming rights to everything including La Bamba's mustache. It really reminded me of that first episode of "The Larry Sanders Show" where they want him to plug the Garden Weasel. (Which, coincidentally, I watched for the first time just over the weekend.)
The bit rang a little strange, because as they were making fun of the idea of corporate sponsorship, I have no doubt that they got paid for those brand name mentions. Through "30 Rock," NBC has shown that they're willing to push the product integration envelope. And I really just don't like having things sold to me everywhere and at all times.
If it really was just a joke on corporate sponsorship, it just wasn't that funny.
"Lost" producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse drop by as guest judges on "Top Chef" this week. Here's a preview.
This fun fact comes courtesy of Mental Floss: State alum and current "Reno 911" star Kerri Kenney is the daughter of Larry Kenney, the voice of Lion-O on ThunderCats!
(Semi-related: You can watch the debut episode of "The State" for free on iTunes, for a limited time.)
