Where C-SPAN is the local TV news
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| The Washington Canard Where C-SPAN is the local TV news |
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Friday, August 27, 2004
PASSING THROUGH In less than two hours I'll be getting on a northbound Amtrak train. Soon after I'll be strip-searched by a bomb-sniffing dog (or so I assume). Then a tactical ops team of drivers, bellhops and security guards will insert me on the western bank of midtown Manhattan. After that, somehow, I'll thread my way out of the secure zone and meet up with friends for drinks. The convention doesn't begin until Monday, but for me it all starts early this evening. So, I had promised you poor-quality pictures from the set of "Syriana," the Clooney-Soderbergh political thriller that's been shooting around my neighborhood on and off through August. For whatever reason, Blogger and my HTML are barely on speaking terms. It's really all I can do to post this quick update. It'll be another week. Now. The Washington Canard will again go dark while I'm not actually, you know, in Washington. OSF will stay dark, as advertised. But over at Armed Prophet, I will provide anecdotes, factoids and maybe a bit of actual convention reporting. See you there. Wednesday, August 18, 2004
THE GREAT WENT  1. I have photos from the set of "Syriana." I may post them soon. I may not. Okay, I probably will. Give me a few days, though. I'm busy.2. After 12 hours in line along Route 5 in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, we were not turned back at the gates. But after it was all over, we couldn't leave for another 18 hours. At one point I crawled under a car to escape the rain. It didn't work. 3. There will be more on Phish, mud, Coventry, Vermont, hippies, drugs and mud in this space before long. But surely not before the "Sryiana" pictures. Monday, August 09, 2004
HIATUS/VACATION I hate to be like this, but I've got to be like this. Starting today, keeping any sort of satisfactory blogging schedule will be untenable. I'm working furiously to finish work on a handful of projects by midweek when my brother arrives in town. We'll promptly be heading to Vermont for what I'm told will be a defining cultural event. When we return, another friend -- known to some as Ad-Rock -- will be flying in as well. When the two of them leave late next week, I'll be frantically preparing for a trip to New York City that will be my last if Osama bin Laden has any say in the matter. I'll be covering the convention for work, and probably not much for this blog. Anyway, this is a DC blog. So, until I have time to write about the District, I'll sign off. I'm guessing September 4, but no promises. P.S. The Canard may return sometime next week to post pictures from the set of "Syriana," should there be any. Feel free to drop in at any time and leave comments. Consider this an open thread. Maybe I'll join in. Wednesday, August 04, 2004
GREAT SPAMS OF THE INTERNET Abbrev.:
Subject: This ain't gonna happen twice... The Internet Explosion will only happen once. Let us show you how to be part of history in the making! Tuesday, August 03, 2004
RETURN TO SYRIANA So a locations guy from the Warner Bros. office in Baltimore called back this afternoon and filled me in on a few details. It turns out they actually will be filming on the street, in fact right next to my building. Alas, neither Clooney nor Damon will be on the set; I'll have to settle for Jeffrey Wright. And the guy didn't know exactly what time filming would take place, so I don't know yet if I'll even be around to see it. But I was right about one thing: the location was indeed chosen for the almost-sweeing vista up here. For that, I feel vindicated. Monday, August 02, 2004
MOVIE MADNESS  So I did call Warner Bros. today, and though I didn't get all my questions answered, I did find out enough for the time being. Most importantly, the production coming to my neighborhood is not a made-for-TV morality play but rather a high-tech, big budget action thriller, "Syriana," about which Ain't It Cool News apparently has nothing but the IMDb has some. Turns out it's a Soderbergh/Clooney production starring Clooney and Matt Damon. Plus Amanda Peet, if you care. (According to Counting Down, also John Malkovich, Angelica Huston and Steve Buscemi, but it sends mixed signals on Damon and is the only site mentioning Malkovich, Huston and Buscemi, so don't get your hopes up.)
"Syriana" seems a timely Middle East terrorism flick, but in fact there's more: it's based on a memoir by ex-CIA official Robert Baer, See No Evil. Baer also wrote a gripping Atlantic cover last year on the eventual doom of the House of Saud. In the mid-90' s Baer recruited a number of Iraqis, including senior military officials, to topple Saddam Hussein. The coup was hours from execution until (I believe) Washington refused to promise back-up support. In the end it was the disloyal Baathists who were executed instead. All right, enough. I have another blog for such discussions. So now I know what's going on. What I do not know yet is where they are going to shoot around here. The high school is still likely, but it's possible they've rented an apartment or even a whole building. Come to think of it, the building next to mine has been under renovation for about a month now. And the street itself does look like classic DC -- arches, parapets, turrets cupolas and other nifty classical architecture words I'm probably misusing. I'll find out this week or I'll find out next week. You will find out shortly thereafter. P.S. This all may sound good, but let's not forget the last DC-based Soderberg/Clooney production. The horror, the horror... Sunday, August 01, 2004
TV NATION On Saturday afternoon I got a letter underneath my front door, from the Government of the District of Columbia. Here is a bit from the top and bottom:
Dear Resident: Warner Bros. will be filming a project in your area next month. The District Government has granted the production company permission to park their production vehicles from 6:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. on August 10, on [the street right outside the front door to my apartment building and around the corner, on the street underneath my balcony.] … We regret any inconvenience and we appreciate your support of the Washington, DC film industry. With your cooperation, we can make the District a key part of the filming community, creating jobs and revenue for the people of this city. Anyway, "project"? That's a bit vague. Makes me think it's more likely to be an after-school special and less a major motion picture. Another reason is that a large brick high school sits on one of the three blocks to be annexed. Plus, the letter refers not to filming, only parking on the street. And the school is of course empty right now. Moreover, it seems Warners' choice of location validates what I've said about the view from up here. The full letter includes several telephone numbers offering more information, so tomorrow sometime I'll try to find out exactly what the project is. And If I can get my hands on a digital camera by then, I'll post those pictures here. Otherwise, get ready for more low-res Sprint PCS snaps. |
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