BRÛLE CE SCENARIO SANS PLUS TARDER!!!

Ahem. Pardon. Laissez moi reprendre depuis le début.

Cher Quentin,

J’ai déjà évoqué il y a quelque temps dans un article centré sur Inglourious Basterds les grosses réserves que j’avais à ton sujet, mais si je m’adresse à toi aujourd’hui, ça n’est pas en tant que détracteur, mais en tant qu’ami.

Il semblerait que tu sois en train d’écrire un scénario pour Johnny Hallyday.

A moins qu’il existe un autre Johnny Hallyday, un obscur acteur américain dont je n’aurais pas entendu parler, dois-je comprendre que toi, le cinéaste star, pour qui tous les acteurs du monde rêvent de tourner (sauf cette rabat-joie d’Isabelle Huppert, apparemment), tu as décidé d’écrire un rôle pour la momie orangée aux lèvres de mérou qui fait ses adieux à la scène tous les six mois au pied de la Tour Eiffel ? La vieille chose tirée jusqu’à l’agonie qui pose à côté de Laetitia en couverture de Paris Match une semaine sur deux, qu’on prend d’abord pour sa grand-mère avant de réaliser qu’il s’agit de son époux ? Le clown en décomposition avancée qui a fait 70 ans de carrière en traduisant (mal) en français des tubes américains ? L’ex-mari croulant d’une des Filles d’à Côté ? La muse fossilisée d’Optic 2000 ?

Alors oui, tu parles beaucoup, et les trois-quarts de tes projets ne voient pas le jour, mais rien que le fait d’y avoir pensé est déjà un vaste problème.

Quentin, dois-je te rappeler que tu es le papa de Reservoir Dogs et de Pulp Fiction ? Que tu as une responsabilité envers ces films ? Et qu’à chaque faute de goût, tu jettes un peu plus d’ombre sur tes glorieux débuts ? Parce que Jackie Brown avait la classe, et parce que Kill Bill Vol. 1 avait le mérite d’être rock’n'roll, on t’aurait presque pardonné ton obstination Madonnesque à vouloir faire l’acteur, bien que tu sois franchement indécent de nullité lorsque tu commets l’imprudence de passer devant la caméra. Avec Kill Bill Vol. 2, le vide émotionnel et intellectuel du grand attardé que tu es commençait à se faire douloureusement sentir. Idem pour Death Proof, où ta propension à t’écouter bavarder pour ne rien dire virait à l’indigence masturbatoire. D’autant que son jumeau Planet Terreur, enfanté par ton pote Robert Rodriguez, moins prétentieux, moins célébré, pas sélectionné à Cannes, lui mettait sa race sur le terrain de la jubilation débile assumée.

Puis il y a eu Inglourious Basterds, sur lequel j’ai dit ce que j’avais à dire.

Et maintenant, Johnny. Qu’avons nous fait pour mériter ça? N’est-ce pas suffisant qu’un Clint Eastwood grabataire se compromette avec une volaille, et qu’un Woody Allen sénile soit au bord du discrédit en invitant la femme la plus cauchemardesque de France à tourner pour lui ? Doit-on en plus assister à la chute irrémédiable de ce qui reste de Quentin Tarantino ?

Je me doute que Vengeance de Johnnie To t’a fait mouiller ton pantalon et donné tout plein d’idées, mais l’as-tu bien regardé le Johnny ? L’as-tu déjà entendu parler ? Sais-tu à quelle genre de musique apocalyptique il est associé ? Et surtout, l’as tu déjà vu chanter Le bon vieux temps du Rock’n'Roll en duo avec Sylvie Vartan?

J’en viens à me demander si la récupération systématique des ringards de tous bords qui est depuis toujours ton fond de commerce n’est pas un prolongement de ta mégalomanie croissante (comme l’a très justement fait remarquer le génial compositeur Alexandre Desplat au sujet de ton refus d’utiliser de la musique originale). Si ta résistance de plus en plus persistante à faire tourner des grands acteurs/noms (non, Brad Pitt et Uma Thurman ne sont pas des grands acteurs) n’est pas la manifestation d’une peur panique de partager tes précieux lauriers. Si le fait de choisir des tocards, des has-been ou des inconnus n’est pas tout simplement pour toi la meilleure façon de t’approprier le succès de leurs performances, ou du moins la primeur de leur découverte. Imagine: si tu tournais Reservoir Dogs aujourd’hui, tu offrirais sans doute les rôles principaux à Treat Williams, Tom Berenger, ou même David Hasselhoff, juste pour faire ton malin. Et crois moi, ça serait beaucoup moins bien.

Alors laisse-moi te donner un conseil d’ami: descend de ton putain de piédestal, souviens toi de l’époque où Tarantino rimait avec Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, Samuel L. Jackson ou Christopher Walken, et essaie de nous donner un peu envie.

Parce que Johnny Hallyday, même avec toute la bonne volonté du monde, comment te dire?

Non.

En su retorno a Nueva York, después de cinco años alejados de los “mamones de Hollywood” como él mismo dice, Woody Allen, en plan estajanovista, malacostumbrándonos a película por año, se saca de debajo de la manga a Boris Yellnikoff, un físico de mecánica cuántica, profesor en Columbia, cuasi aspirante al premio Nobel, casado y acomodado en la clase media-alta neoyorquina, que decide hacer borrón sin más y tirarse por la ventana. La cosa no irá demasiado bien, atendiendo al fin que buscaba, claro está. Caerá sobre un toldo, por lo que evitará la muerte y ganará un divorcio y una cojera de por vida.

En su nueva vida, trasladándose a un cochambroso piso, conocerá por casualidad a una inocente chica del sur que ha huído de su familia tradicional y conservadora para hacer una nueva vida en Nueva York. Qué vida le espera. Un lío sentimental junto al hipocondríaco de Boris, un tipo que es un manual en vida que trata de qué mal está el mundo, qué jodida está nuestra civilización y demás teorías acerca del amor, la esclavitud, África, las enfermedades, etcétera.

En medio de tal absurdez, físico inteligente de 60 años liado con niña necia de unos 18, la bola de nieve se hace más grande cuando les da por aparecer a los padres de la criatura. Dos beatos reconvertidos del día a la mañana en gay y puta. Una puta que apartará  a Boris de Melodie, quien acabará liada con un guaperas de tres al cuarto que se atribuye como mayor virtud el ser “muy romántico“. Ante tal comprobación empírica de su teoría acerca del amor, Boris decide lanzarse por segundo intento por la ventana. Tampoco resultará. Esta vez caerá sobre una mujer a la que destrozará en dos, pero que acabará saliendo con vida y liándose con él.

En fin, todo un cúmulo de líos sentimentales y familiares, propios del genio de la comedia Woody Allen, que una vez más nos regala un guión desternillante que da como resultado unas cuantas carcajadas y multitud de situaciones cómicas. Con un claro mensaje desde el lado del perdedor: la vida está tan jodida, que si la cosa funciona, por breve y accidental que sea, aprovéchala. A pesar de todo, “Whatever works” no perdura, no cala hondo. Buena, sin más.

A primeira-dama francesa estará no próximo filme de Woody Allen. Será que vai ter outro beijo lesbo com Scarlett Johansson (indagação meramente jornalística, que fique claro)

Manhattan (Woody Allen – 1979 – EUA)

Eu fiquei um pouco frustrado em rever Manhattan, porque lembrava dele como o meu Woody Allen preferido. Ainda é um belo filme, mas falta uma certa maturidade emocional nele. Allen demonstra aqui uma boa compreensão de como funcionam relacionamentos. É fácil de entender e acreditar na aproximação dele com Diane Keaton (os dois tinham mesmo boa química). Mas seu filme permanece num nível racional demais, há dor e emoção de menos nos desencontros amorosos.

A relação mais passional do finme é do cineasta e do fotógrafo (o grande Gordon Willis, praticamente co-autor de Manhattan) com a cidade em si – são planos e mais planos de grande beleza. Allen só se interessa pelo que seu lar tem de mais bonito (ao contrário de Scorsese, Spike Lee, etc), mas é sincero em seu amor.

Hannah e Suas Irmãs – (Woody Allen – 1986 – EUA)

Aqui sim, Woody Allen retrata as dúvidas do ser humano diante da vida e das grandes questões, equilibrando com perfeição drama e humor. Seus vários personagens frequentemente pensam uma coisa (em off) mas fazem outra – é muita engraçada a cena em que Michal Caine beija sua cunhada de surpresa. Woody Allen, como ator (em uma de suas melhores interpretações), interage pouco com o resto do elenco.

Seu personagem, um angustiado hipocondríaco, tem as melhores piadas do filme e sua busca pelo sentido da vida e provas da existência de vida após a morte serve como reflexo do que no fundo todos os outros personagens buscam. Pois é disso que se trata: seres humanos procurando uma direção e companhia para suportar incertezas (mesmo relações extraconjugais). Por não depender de ninguém, Hannah (Mia Farrow) é a última a entender isto. Grande filme!

“i thank god for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees & for the blue dreams of sky & for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.” — e.e. cummings

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough” — Oprah Winfrey

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” — Marcus Tullius Cicero

“I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose.” — Woody Allen

“I do not think we have a “right” to happiness. If happiness happens, say thanks.” — Marlene Dietrich

Jax

“Purring is not so different from praying. To a tree, a cat’s purr is one of the purest of all prayers, for in it lies a whole mixture of gratitude and longing, the twin ingredients of every prayer.”  — Kathi Appelt (The Underneath)

“I am as bad as the worst, but, thank God, I am as good as the best. “ — Walt Whitman

“When we find someone who is brave, fun, intelligent, and loving, we have to thank the universe.” — Maya Angelou

“Everyday, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.” — Dalai Lama XIV

“In the end, though, maybe we must all give up trying to pay back the people in this world who sustain our lives. In the end, maybe it’s wiser to surrender before the miraculous scope of human generosity and to just keep saying thank you, forever and sincerely, for as long as we have voices.” — Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia)

“The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude. “ — Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

“You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance.” — Kahlil Gibrán (The Prophet)

GiGi

“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy: They are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” — Marcel Proust

“Be present in all things and thankful for all things” — Maya Angelou

“Fell in love with a beautiful blonde once. Drove me to drink. And I never had the decency to thank her. ” — W.C. Fields

“True forgiveness is when you can say, ‘Thank you for that experience.’” — Oprah Winfrey

“Gratitude is a ‘heart’ memory” — French Proverb

“He was still too young to know that the heart’s memory eliminates the bad and magnifies the good, and that thanks to this artifice we manage to endure the burden of the past.” — Gabriel García Márquez (Love in the Time of Cholera)

“In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” — Albert Schweitzer

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ” — John F. Kennedy

“I tell you this, my friends, in the experience of my life time, the failure and the pain have certainly outstripped the triumphs. But this has not destroyed my faith — my faith in reason, in truth, in human solidarity — but, on the contrary, it has made it indestructible. I see the hope of the world in you. And, from my heart, I thank you.” — Frida Kahlo

“Thank you, God, for this good life and forgive us if we do not love it enough.” — Garrison Keillor

Happy Thanksgiving!

France’s first lady said she has accepted a proposal from U.S. film director Woody Allen to act in his next movie.

Carla Bruni has agreed to star in Woody Allen’s next movie.

“I don’t know for what role, but I said yes,” Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, a model-turned-singer and the wife of President Nicolas Sarkozy, told French pay-TV channel Canal Plus late Monday.

Ms. Bruni-Sarkozy, 41 years old, said acting in a film by Mr. Allen was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity she couldn’t miss, though she lacks experience as an actress. “Perhaps I will be very bad,” she said.

The news came a week after the U.S. animated television series “The Simpsons” featured Ms. Bruni-Sarkozy as a cartoon character.

A spokeswoman for the first lady didn’t reply to requests for comment.

Mr. Allen said in recent interviews with European newspapers that he planned to shoot a film in Paris next year and had offered Ms. Bruni-Sarkozy a chance to play a role.

When she married Mr. Sarkozy in February 2008, Ms. Bruni-Sarkozy said she would put her career as a singer on hold. Last year, in December, she was appointed ambassador of a humanitarian program led by the United Nations.

In an episode of “The Simpson” titled “The Devil Wears Nada,” Ms. Bruni-Sarkozy is portrayed as a femme fatale. Unlike some public figures, such as former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, who voiced over their characters for the show, Ms. Bruni-Sarkozy’s appearance was unsolicited. The episode hasn’t yet been broadcast in France, but excerpts have circulated widely on the Web.

“The Simpsons” is broadcast by News Corp.’s Fox television network. News Corp. owns The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires.

David Gauthier-Villars, Wall Street Journal

___________

Full article and photo: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125906620127562183.html

Trailer Film:

Comedie | Romance – Durata: 92 min.

Plot Keywords: fizician, geniu, mizantrop, căsnicie, sceptic, nevastă, fiică, religie, schiop

Vaaaai, de mult nu m-am mai amuzat cu aşa o comedie bună, probabil de la Snatch încoace. Larry David m-a făcut să râd în hohote, cum doar Bernie Mac se mai pricepea atât de bine la treaba asta.
Comedia asta îşi merită toţi banii, e în regia genialului Woody Allen, şi are ca subiect, intersectarea mai multor destine prin intermediul unui mizantrop (Larry David). Deci pot să spun că iubesc persoanele care au asemenea caracter şi care probabil s-au regăsit în acest rol, cum de altfel m-am regăsit şi eu pe alocuri.
Un film EXCEPTIONAL!!!…musai de văzut.

Torrent Name: Whatever Works [2009] LIMITED DVDRip XviD-SAPHiRE
Download Subtitrare RO: >>Link<<

hoje faz exatamente um ano que resolvi mudar… e mudei…

daqui há alguns dias este ‘coração de poeta’ fará seu primeiro aniversário… lembro-me, ao sair do cinema (que ia com uma moça, mas estava sem vontade – caso ela leia, que me perdoe, ok? – mas preferia ir com meu irmão [madura], nunca tinha visto um woody allen com ele), o sentimento de ‘por quê não faço isso?’ me corroendo… a vida inteira querendo e nada fazia…

fui lanchar e, na sequência, fui à uma loja de filmes fotográficos para desencalhar uma máquina que minha vó havia me dado já há 2 anos… e ela lá, parada… ‘filme preto e branco, por favor’… não sabia da dificuldade de revelar… as máquinas digitais acabaram com as reveladoras antigas… pouquíssimos lugares ainda fazem… p/b é mais difícil…

na época eu não entendia nada de abertura, velocidade, iso, exposição, ponto focal… confesso não saber, mas pelo menos já sei os nomes de cabeça… mas por conta de outra coisa, que um dia eu exponho a vocês…

antes dessa data, queria que muitas e muitas situações fossem diferentes, mas nada fazia para mudá-las… até que percebi: a mudança tem que ser interna…

sempre vejo nesses textinhos de auto-ajuda que ‘antes de mudar o mundo, mude você’, e posso confessar que é verdade… ainda não consegui mudar o mundo, mas o que me impede? tirando a minha insegurança, preguiça, falta de vontade e de confiança, nada, né?

nem todos os que conheço gostaram desse filme… alguns até dizem que odiaram… não sei explicar se foi ele que me fez mudar… mas foi a força motriz… poderia até ter sido outro filme, uma peça, uma exposição, música, zumbido de mosquito, o que fosse… era necessário… e assim foi…

aconselho a todos, não o filme (embora adore), mas que faça uma revolução interna… comece a fazer algo que nunca pensou, ou, que sempre quis e nunca fez… o resultado é fantástico! os frutos não têm valor!

mas prepare-se: você será uma nova pessoa… não precisa ter cuidado… essa pessoa será melhor…

The Irish Government has just released a report by a Commission of Inquiry into the response of the Church and State to abuse carried out in the Roman Catholic Church’s Archdiocese of Dublin between 1975 and 2004. 

The report makes clear, as Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern highlighted at a press conference to launch the report, that in many cases action wasn’t taken against the abusers out of deference to their role as priests. 

At the press conference, Dermot Ahern, said: “The persons who committed these dreadful crimes will be pursued and punished.”  He went on: “justice, even where it may be delayed, will not be denied”; and he added: “a collar will protect no criminal.”

Justice, it seems, is finally coming for the many innocent victims of this scandal.

In 1978, a 13-year-old girl was drugged, plied with alcohol and buggered by a respected much older man.  The abuser admitted his crime but fled the jurisdiction before he could be sentenced.  The abuser has never expressed regret or contrition for the abuse and has spent the past 31 years fighting extradiction and justice.

The abuser in this case is the film director Roman Polanski.  He too is subject to deference and respect which has led to a whole range of people from the actress Whoopi Goldberg to the French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner defending him. 

After he was arrested by Swiss authorities acting on a US arrest warrant, Hollywood greats circulated a petition calling on his immediate release.  Stars such as Woody Allen, Asia Argento, Martin Scorcese, and Tilda Swinton are amongst the signatories, according to Associated Content.

Now, what if Roman Polanski wasn’t a talented multi-award-winning film producer but a Roman Catholic Priest?

Would Father Polanski receive as much public support?

Polanski has spent the past 31 years, effectively on the run.  In two weeks time the Swiss justice system will decide whether or not he will be extradited to America. 

And yet he is now set to spend those two weeks on bail – staying in a house close to the French Border.  I’m no expert on the Swiss legal system; but in the UK you generally can’t expect to be released on bail if you’ve already fled justice and have spent 31 years on the run.  You are considered a flight risk.

To prevent him fleeing, the Swiss court which granted bail has seized his passport.  That might be useful in a place like Britain, which, unless you have access to your own boat, you can’t easily leave without passing through passport control.  The Swiss borders, however, allow you to drive through with only random vehicles being pulled over for further checks.

Should he be minded to do so, he would easily be able to drive to France where the French government will happily supply him with a fresh new passport and protect him from further extradition claims.

The protection of Catholic Priests who abused children and the cover-up of their crimes was wrong.

The protection of Roman Polanski who abused a child and the celebration of his crime is also wrong.

La primera dama de Francia y ex-supermodelo y cantante, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, está de acuerdo en estar en la siguiente película de Woody Allen.

Según lo publicado en el Hollywood Reporter, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy no sabe que papel tendrá y admite de que a la mejor es una terrible actriz.

“Allen me pidió de que estuviera en esta cinta” Dijo ella por el canal de televisión Canal Plus, donde apareció para dar una entrevista con Harry Connick Jr.

Cuando le preguntaron sobre que papel tendría, la hermosa dama contestó “No. Pero dije que sí, todo lo que hago lo hago un poquito a ciegas. Si no, no haría nada”.

“No soy para nada una actriz, tal vez y sea absolutamente terrible” agregó.

No han dicho cuando van a comenzar a filmar esta película.

France’s first lady, former supermodel, singer and all round hottie, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, has agreed to be in Woody Allen’s next film.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bruni-Sarkozy doesn’t know what role Allen has in store for her and admits she could be a terrible actress.

Allen “asked me to be in his next film,” she said on Canal Plus television, where she appeared for an interview and duet with crooner Harry Connick Jr.

Asked if he had told her what part she would play, Bruni-Sarkozy replied: “No. But I said ‘yes’… I do everything a little bit blindly. If I don’t, I won’t do anything.”

“I’m not at all an actress. Maybe I’ll be absolutely terrible,” she added.

Bruni-Sarkozy, now a singer-songwriter, has largely shelved her concert tour plans to make way for her responsibilities as France’s first lady.

Quel che si dice una dichiarazione d’amore,ecco ogni volta che lo si ri-ri-rivede. Sono dell’idea che Allen non abbia vie di mezzo o piace o non piace, il suo modo di far cinema è basato sui rapporti umani, anzi no meglio, sull’uso spasmodico del dialogo fino all’essere logorroico, addirittura fino all’uso del monologo e questo spinge ad ascoltare più che a guardare e i suoi personaggi da psicoanalisi cinici , ironici e sarcastici nonchè molto autobiografici e quasi sempre felici sconfitti ci portano a riflettere.  Manhattan è le note di Jazz di George Gershwin che apre il sipario con Rhapsody in Blue (firmando una delle colonne sonore più belle di sempre) in quei minuti iniziali dove il regista lascia spazio alla sua città natale facendone un piccolo ritratto al mondo.Manhattan è la cornice di grattacieli, strade e luci dove si innestano le vicende dei protagonisti.Manhattan è il luogo dove il protagonista , Isaac Davis, si rifugia o da cui forse è frenato. Essì perchè Isaac Davis è un autore televisivo la cui moglie Jil (Meryl Streep)l’ha lasciato per un altra donna,che ora ha una storia con Tracy (M.Hemingway) una ragazza liceale il cui padre potrebbe essere più vecchio di lui per sua stessa ammissione, e come se non avesse buoni motivi per troncare il proprio curriculum relazionale incontra Mary (Diane Keaton , più volte compagna di set di Allen), amante del suo migliore amico Yale (M.Murphy)che scombussolerà ancor dippiù la sua vita. La verità la dirà Tracy al termine con quel ‘bisogna avere fiducia della gente‘ e di risposta Isaac abbozzerà un triste sorriso, sicuro almeno questa volta della sua verità. Il finale ricorda un po’ Io ed Annie.  Signori, questa è Manhattan (c’est la vie)!

Chevvolete che vi dica io stravedo per Allen, sono estremamente di parte nel giudicarlo ma questo è proprio il suo capolavoro, lasciatemelo dire eh. Sono convinto che tutti noi, a nostro modo, siamo abitanti di quella Manhattan, a tutti noi è stato concesso un tempo da trascorrere che non è uguale a quello degli altri ma dell’altro abbiamo comunque bisogno e questo ci rende tendenti all’imperfezione ma estremamente umani. (nel suo cinismo il messaggio è rassicurante, ebbè!)

☺☺☺☺☺

I’m listening to Empire State of Mind by Alicia Keys (awesome song). Miss Keys was playing in Rockefeller Plaza this weekend when I was in New York City. It is that kind of event that makes you realize that this is where everything is happening. In my entire life I have been to this city seven times, and every time I go there it is a completely different experience. Ironically, I am more free in New York than I am in Toronto, and I am a Canadian. Maybe I should move. Anyway, here is a list of some cool things I did this weekend.

The Apollo Theater

1. The Apollo Theater

My wife and I took the subway to Harlem, getting off at 125th and Malcolm X Blvd. For some reason I was surprised by how many Starbucks there were. I was also a little surprised by how small The Apollo Theater is on the outside. There is so much history here I just assumed there would be a big gift shop and a huge outer-facade (is that even a word?). There is a tour you can go on that we couldn’t do because there was a matinee performance of Dreamgirls (I saw the original on Broadway).

2. We walked the entire length of Central Park

IT'S A CONCRETE JUNGLE!!!!

For the first time I walked the entire length of Central Park from Harlem to the Upper West Side. Next to Stanley Park in Vancouver this is the nicest park in the world. It barely seemed like any time went by, but we walked miles. We watched people skating, saw a turtle, witnessed a wedding and watched two jazz trios. I kept remembering all of the movies I have seen that take place in this park (mostly Woody Allen movies).

3. Angelo’s Pizza (Next to the Letterman studios)

Angelo's Pizza

New York has six million people, but we actually bumped into my family at this restaurant. Maybe it was because I wouldn’t shut up about how great it is. We all sat at Madonna’s table right there in the front window. We also ate at a few Italian restaurants with more nouveau cuisine, but there is something about the basics that will work forever. Good tomato sauce, white bread, cheese, pepperoni and spaghetti done in an old fashioned New York Italian style. The last time we ate here my wife talked to David Letterman shortly afterwards.

4. The Empire State Building

The Empire Strikes Back

One night we went up to the top of the Empire State Building. It seemed to be going through a cloud and it was snowing even though on the ground there was no snow. It was still a great view and we were able to see people practicing for the Macy’s Parade. Interesting factoid: the observatory that is further up was supposed to be a waiting room for zeppelin balloons.

5. Macys Parade Practice

Macy's Parade

Well we didn’t get to watch the parade but we did see them practicing. There is always something happening in this town.

6. We stayed near Times Square

WHAT TIME IS IT?!!!

Um…if there is a recession someone forgot to tell Times Square. It was much more crowded then it was two years ago when I was last here. And yet I never felt like I wasn’t safe. And I was mugged here once in the 80s. It is now completely different from the Times Square I was mugged in. It’s all chocolate and toys now. I’ll save my Broadway experience for my next blog, but here is a teaser: GO SEE IN THE HEIGHTS!!!! Also Rihanna played here on Monday morning for Good Morning America. I missed it but my niece saw her.

We stayed at the Westin off of 43rd. Nice comfy beds.

7. The Brooklyn Diner

The Mixed Marriage of Irving and Gina

This is my favorite place to eat in New York. This is an interesting breakfast they have called The Mixed Marriage of Irving and Gina which has challa bread and Italian sausage. It was delicious. I love mixed marriages myself and this was as delicious as my own mixed marriage. I also had pancakes the next day that were also soft and yummy. They serve polenta instead of hash brown.

8. FAO Schwarz

The BIG Piano at FAO Schwarz

One thing I love about New York is that they are proud of their film history and they take every chance they can to exploit/celebrate that rich culture. Here two FAO Schwarz employees gleefully dance on the piano while dozens look on.

9. Gray Line Tours

Part of the Berlin Wall stands near the WTC ruins

We took the Gray Line Downtown tour. This was the only way we could see everything we wanted in the short time we were in the city. The only place we got off the bus was at the WTC site. My father told me that when I was a baby we stood there as they were building the World Trade Centre. In the 80s we both went to the top of the World Trade Center. And now we stand looking at the construction of the Freedom Tower.

10. We didn’t get in to see The View but we did stand in a cold line

Take some time to wait outside in the cold hoping to get in to see The View

Actually this wasn’t a cool thing to do. It was a freakin’ cold thing to do! And we didn’t get in to see The View. We stood in the stand-by line early in the morning. They do give you a complimentary breakfast which is nice. And I did get to see producer Bill Getty walk into work. And I learned that The View is actually filmed in a really ugly building. And they don’t have enough seats, because even people with tickets couldn’t get in. Get a bigger theater Barbara!

Of course the real reason it was so busy and crowded is because it is much cheaper to go to New York City now because of the recession. So there are a lot of deals and I encourage you to go down and experience the city Toronto can only pretend to be. Most of my immediate family went down to spend some time together and celebrate some birthdays, good health and my sixth wedding anniversary.

La primera dama francesa, Carla Bruni, tindrà un paper en la pròxima pel·lícula que el director Woody Allen rodarà a París el juliol del 2010, i “no serà un cameo”, segons ha avançat avui el president de Mediapro, la productora del film, Jaume Roures.

Roures ha assegurat en declaracions a RAC 1, recollides per Europa Press, que Bruni parlarà en francès en la pel·lícula, “perquè és com ella se sent segura” i que està “molt il·lusionada amb el projecte”. La proposta la va fer Allen en un sopar que va tenir amb el matrimoni Sarkozy, “i va caure molt bé”, segons el productor.

Tot i que encara no se sap el títol de la pel·lícula en què apareixerà Bruni, està confirmat que Allen no estarà entre el repartiment d’actors, i que s’estrenarà el setembre de 2011.

De moment, el director novaiorquès ultimarà, fins a gener, la pel·lícula que va rodar a Londres a començament d’estiu, l’estrena de la qual es preveu per a la tardor del 2010.

El film és una comèdia romàntica en què participen Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Gemma Jones, Freida Pinto, Lucy Punch i Naomi Watts, i gira al voltant dels diferents membres d’una família, les seves variades vides amoroses i els seus intents de solucionar uns idil·lis molt complicats.

Wenn man anfängt Geschichten zu erzählen, könnte man beginnen wie im Märchen: Es war einmal…, oder nach Schema F: ich wurde geboren, ich lebte, ich starb.
Aber was ich erzählen möchte ist im hier und jetzt. Es sind keine Geschichten über besondere Dinge, sondern Geschehnisse, die jedem passieren. Von daher bedürfen sie keiner besonderen Einleitung, sondern sollten wie das Geschehen selbst einfach mitten im Leben anfangen.
Es gibt irgendwann einen Punkt, an dem man sich selbst Regeln auferlegt, denn sie erleichtern einem das Leben und sind auch einfach da um gebrochen zu werden. Und die selbst auferlegten, sind oft die, die am leichtesten zu brechen sind.
Eine Regel, die ich mir, was zwischenmenschliche Beziehungen angeht, sehr schnell angelegt hatte, war, wärme niemals alte Beziehungen wieder auf. Seien es gute Freunde oder Expartner, was vorbei ist, ist vorbei.
Doch irgendwann passt diese Regel nicht mehr, das Herz und der Kopf sprechen plötzlich eine ganz andere Sprache. Im Grunde genommen stehen die zwei sowieso immer im Widerspruch zu mir. Ich halte es da sehr gern wie Woody Allen: „Das Schwierige am Leben ist es, Herz und Kopf dazu zu bringen zusammenzuarbeiten – in meinem Fall verkehren sie noch nicht mal auf freundschaftlicher Basis.“ Deswegen mag ich Woody.
Die Geschichte mit IHM begann eigentlich unter ganz schlechten Sternen. Gerade aus einer längeren Beziehung herausgetreten und auf meinem imaginären Selbstfindungs- und Egotripp, trat er einfach auf, wie ein Statist, der plötzlich für die Hauptrolle nominiert wurde. Und so spielten wir auch dieses Stück, als zwei Protagonisten, die nicht recht in ihre Rolle passen wollten. Die Gefühle waren da, aber konnten sich nicht wirklich in dieser Beziehung definieren, denn eine überaus große Portion meines Egos, stellte sich mir in den Weg. Dazu gesellte sich SEINE Unerfahrenheit und das Chaos war vorprogrammiert.
Und so passierte das, was passieren musste. Einmal ein paar unglücklich gewählte Worte ausgesprochen und schon drifteten wir beide auseinander, wie steuerlose Boote. Aber es war, als hätte ich ein imaginäres Band zu ihm geknüpft, was ihn dennoch immer in meiner Nähe und niemals außerhalb meines Blickpunktes treiben ließ. Dennoch traute ich mich nie dieses Band einzuholen. Im Gegenteil, ich steuert neue Gewässer an und hoffte auf den Neuanfang.
Die Geschichte wäre hier zu einfach erzählt, wenn ich Glück gehabt hätte, denn wo bleibt da die Spannung? Es gab Neuanfänge, doch heute kommen sie mir vor wie Filme, die nur mit Nebenrollen besetzt wurden, weil alle nicht das Zeug für eine Hauptrolle hatten.
Und so kam der Tag an dem ich das Band einholte und einfach gegen meine aufgestellte Regel brach, die ich mir, was Exfreunde anging, auferlegt hatte.
Das der Zeitpunkt unglücklich gewählt war, konnte ich nicht wissen. Denn ER verschwieg es. Sicher könnte man hier die Lehre daraus ziehen, warum man manche Sachen nicht aufwärmen sollte. Denn sie könnten einen sehr, sehr bitteren Beigeschmack haben. Aber was macht man, wenn man durch solch eine Sache feststellt, dass es da doch so etwas wie DEN Richtigen gibt?

VOTED THE NEW KING OF CONDOMS!

COCKSOXXCONDOMS ALLOWS CUSTOMERS TO CHOOSE

WHAT BRAND OF CONDOMS THEY WOULD LIKE IN THEIR

CONDOM PACKS THAT CONTAIN AFREE ADULT DVD 9 NAMEBRAND CONDOMS

AND LUBE!……FOR ONLY 9.99…OMG!

WWW.COCKSOXXCONDOMS.COM

Carla Bruni nem hesitou quando Woody Allen a convidou para participar num filme seu. “Ele sugeriu que eu aparecesse no seu próximo filme. Eu nem sei qual será o papel, mas disse sim. Eu meto-me em tudo de olhos fechados, caso contrário, não faria nada. Não sou actriz. Talvez não tenha jeito nenhum, mas não posso perder uma oportunidade como esta”, explicou a primeira dama francesa. “Quando for avó, quero poder dizer que fiz um filme com Woody Allen.”

Além de ex-modelo, Bruni é cantora e participou no filme “Prêt-A-Porter”, em 1994. O próximo será realizado por Woody Allen.

Big Brother

Seit dem Fall Kurras wundert einen Berliner heute nichts mehr. Mal sind es Nachrichten aus Brandenburg, Dr. Hoffmann, die LINKE sei hier nur als ein Beipsiel aufgeführt, dann wieder Gerüchte um IM Erika und nun eben die Tophotelmanagerin aus dem Edelviertel Grunewald, Uta Felgner. Sie soll wohl den VW-Skandal um VW ins rollen gebracht haben, so jedenfalls ihre Ausführungen.

>> Vor dem Hintergrund dieser Biografie mag man kaum an einen Zufall glauben, dass ausgerechnet Uta Felgner es war, die den VW-Skandal ins Rollen brachte. Im Sommer 2005 beschwerte sich die damalige Hotelchefin in der VW-Zentrale über den Angestellten Klaus-Joachim Gebauer. Der Personalmanager, der Betriebsräte auf Firmenkosten ins Rotlichtmilieu führte, war schon einige Zeit zuvor durch einen anstößigen Auftritt im Barbereich aufgefallen. Damit begann jener Wirtschaftskrimi um Macht, Freudenmädchen und Korruption, der Vorstandsmitglied Peter Hartz den Job kostete. Felgner zeigte sich später überrascht, welche Folgen ihre Meldung nach sich zog: „Es war nicht meine Absicht, einen Skandal auszulösen.“<< (1)

Stasiregal

Und dabei war Uta nur eine kleine Krankenschwester in der DDR, als sie ihre Topkarriere begann, nach offizieller Lesensart, die es im Westen rasch nach der Vereinigung zur Tophotelmanagerin im edlen Fünf-Sterne-Haus im Grunewald brachte. Dort hat sie dann  ”Berühmtheiten aus aller Welt” betreuen lassen, wie etwa ”Woody Allen und Roman Polanski, Henry Kissinger und Jean-Claude Juncker, Vitali Klitschko und Uwe Seeler” sowie die DFB-Nationalmannschaft.

Wen wundert es, wenn man weiß, dass Uta Topagentin im Stall von Erich Milke war und eines seiner besten Pferdchen. Sie war zu allem bereit und gab auch alles, was sie hatte. “In Devisenhotels wie dem ,Metropol‘ oder dem ,Palasthotel‘ in Berlin sowie während der Leipziger Messe haben wir nach West-Männern Ausschau gehalten und sind mit ihnen auch ins Bett gegangen. Auch im Haus von Uta in Berlin-Kaulsdorf war einiges los. Wir hatten dadurch ein interessantes Leben und konnten dem Alltag entfliehen.“

Man darf sich dann fragen, wer hat es eigentlich von der Topetage der Stasi nach der Vereinigung nicht zu etwas gebracht? “Ihr Wissen nutzte Felgner offenbar aus. Monate vor der Flucht ihres Förderers Asbeck, der ihr ein Auto zur Verfügung gestellt und ein Luxusleben im tristen Realsozialismus ermöglicht haben soll, verriet sie diesen laut Aktenlage mit dem Ziel der Erlangung materieller Vorteile an die Stasi”.(1)

Offenbar sind die Qualifiaktionen der Stasispitzel die beste Auusicht auf Topjobs im neuen Deutschland, insbesondere, wenn man weiß, wie man im Bett sich verhalten muss. Da sage noch einer, Frauen hätte keine Chance.

Keine Chance hatten die VW-Mobbingopfer Detlef Lengsfeld, Rainer Beutler, Milan Petrovic und Michael Semenow. Es würde einen nicht wundern, wenn da die Stasi auch ihr hätte nach 89 im Spiel hatten. Denn eines konnten die Damen und Herren von der Firma, leuten bespitzeln, beobachten und Akten anlegen, bei Rainer Beutler wohl zu viele Akten, der Staatsanwalt in kassel hat heute noch Probelme die Akten zusammen zu halten.

1)http://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article5290474/Das-Stasi-Geheimnis-der-Hotelchefin.html

Pour sa première saison, l’Entracte vise haut avec Adultère, une pièce de Woody Allen. La maîtresse d’un réalisateur connu menace de révéler leur liaison à la femme de ce dernier s’il ne lui donne pas d’argent. Les trois couples découvrent alors qu’ils se sont tous trompés les uns les autres ; Phillis annonce à sa meilleure amie, Carol, que son mari la quitte pour une autre…

Tout le monde a rappelé que le nouveau film de David Fincher est basé sur une nouvelle de Francis Scott Fitzgerald. Il aurait sans doute été beaucoup plus inspiré s’il avait adapté le texte de Woody Allen intitulé “Next Life”.

« In my next life I want to live my life backwards. You start out dead and get that out of the way.

Then you wake up in an old people’s home feeling better every day.

You get kicked out for being too healthy, go collect your pension, and then when you start work, you get a gold watch and a party on your first day.

You work for 40 years until you’re young enough to enjoy your retirement. You party, drink alcohol, and are generally promiscuous, then you are ready for high school. You then go to primary school, you become a kid, you play. You have no responsibilities, you become a baby until you are born.

And then you spend your last 9 months floating in luxurious spa like conditions with central heating and room service on tap, larger quarters every day and then Voila! You finish off as an orgasm!

I rest my case. »

« La vie n’imite pas l’art, elle imite la mauvaise télévision » (Woody Allen). Cette variation sur la célèbre citation d’Oscar Wilde selon qui « La vie imite l’art bien plus que l’art n’imite la vie » est un point de vue qui se défend tout autant.

« L’espèce humaine vit sous une sorte de régime d’empoisonnement interne – si je puis dire – et je pense au présent et au monde dans lequel je suis en train de finir mon existence. Ce n’est pas un monde que j’aime » avait déclaré le centenaire et plus que jamais lucide Claude Lévi-Strauss. Déclaration que l’on pourrait résumer par l’aphorisme cinématographique suivant : « Confier la Terre aux humains c’est comme confier un Western à Woody Allen ».

De hoofdrolspeelster in de volgende Woody Allen film is een verassende. Niemand minder dan de Franse presidentsvrouw Carla Bruni, gaat een rol vertolken in Allens nieuwste film. Voor het resultaat zullen we nog wel even moeten wachten want de opnames beginnen pas volgend jaar als Allen de opnames van You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger heeft afgerond.

Whatever Works (2009) – Woody Allen

Staring: Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood

Viewed: 25 November 2009

Woody and the French

“A year is not forever. How much can a person change?…”

“…I’m an artist. I don’t bake pies. I don’t go to church. I do collages, sculpture, photography. I live in Manhattan with two men who I love… In a very happy ménage à trois… We all sleep together. A ménage à trois.”

“I knew we never should have trusted the goddamn French!”

American Brilliance (Sub: Ignorance)

“Yes. It’s true. I have been very patient with your phenomenal ignorance.”

“See, I’m the only one who sees the whole picture. That’s what they mean by genius.”