01/31/12

Hastings Native Wins Sundance Grand Jury Prize

It's a good time to be a local filmmaker. Last week, three Westchester natives woke up to news about their Oscar nominations. Bedford resident Glenn Close received a nod for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her Albert Nobbs.

Posted at 01:22 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/24/12

The American Library Association's Youth Media Awards Cures Your Young-Adult, Gift-Giving Woes

Whenever I need to get a present for a young person—or whenever anyone asks me for recommendations for a present for a young person—my first thought is a book. Books are the perfect gifts. You never have to worry about if it's going to fit right, and books don't make noise, so parents won't be giving you the side-eye behind the kid's back.

To make sure I'm not giving books that my recipients already have 1,000 copies of, every year I follow the American Library Association's Youth Media Awards, which include biggies like the Randolph Caldecott Medal and the John Newbery Medal. And, of course, I scan the...

Posted at 09:59 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/17/12

Paradise Lost 3 Is the Opposite of the Glitzy Golden Globes

I know everybody's still buzzing about the Golden Globes, with its voluminous dresses, puppy cameo, and not-really-all-that-unleashed host. Unfortunately, there's not much we can say about it here. Our area is not represented in the winner's circle. Bedford native Rooney Mara, nominated for Best Actress for her role in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, lost to—of course—Meryl Streep. Even our location lost out: Mildred Pierce, which was filmed partially in Peekskill, lost its Best Mini-Series award to the buttoned-up Brits in Downton Abbey. Maybe if someone from our area had made a delightful silent film with big smiles, tap-dancing, and an adorable dog, we would've fared a little better. Oh well—it’s onto the Oscars!

Posted at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/11/12

Dobbs Ferry's Max Greenfield and the Winter/Spring TV Preview

Max Greenfield

One of the biggest successes of the fall TV season was Fox's New Girl. This makes me happy because one of its stars, Max Greenfield, is a native of Dobbs Ferry. He plays Schmidt—the one who has to keep putting money in the d-bag jar because he can't help how lame he is. Here's how he described his character to

Posted at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/04/12

The Biggest References to Westchester in Pop Culture in 2011

It's written somewhere in the Blogger Handbook that we all must reflect upon the previous year with some sort of top-ten list. And so, as in years past, I bring you the biggest references to our area in 2011.

10. The County's Stealthy Stand-Ins
It's not quite a reference, but almost: Twice this year, the county got its close-up, and didn't get credit for it. I recently mentioned that White Plains and Greenburgh stood in for Mercury, Minnesota—a one-horse town outside of Minneapolis—in Young Adult. Earlier this year, portions of Peekskill doubled for Depression-era...

Posted at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0