Results tagged “fx”

The British motoring series Top Gear (Monday, 8:00 p.m., BBC America) has a world wide following and happens to be one of the funniest shows on television. It's sort of a combination of Monty Python, Mythbusters, Motorweek, and a talk show all rolled into one crazy hour of British madness with three crazy British hosts. This week, they add beautifully filmed travelogue and a bit of road movie to the mix as they journey to Africa.

More Rescue Me for Next Season

A look at some noteworthy television this week:

A look at some noteworthy television this week:

A look at some noteworthy television this week:

John Scurti is an actor originally from Long Island and a graduate of Fordham University. He currently he plays Lt. Kenny “Lou” Shea on FX's Rescue Me. We recently talked with him about the show, filming in the city and of course if he really does yoga.

A look at some noteworthy television this week:

A look at some noteworthy television this week:

A look at some noteworthy television this week:

Bradford Reed is the inventor and probably the only player of the pencilina, an instrument that he describes as "an electric ten-stringed collision of the hammer dulcimer, slide guitar, koto and fretless bass with six pickups of varied types" and looks something like a surf board caught up in a fishing net. He has played with King Missile, the Blue Man Group band and has composed for film and animation. He has appeared on MTV, Sound FX and the Tonight Show, as well as on the streets of New York.

Gothamist is a big fan of the FX show, Rescue Me - it's incredibly funny, realistic, and riveting but also difficult to watch. And last week's episode was no different, as Denis Leary's character may or may not have raped his estranged wife in the final scenes. The ambiguous scene, where firefighter Tommy Gavin overpowers his wife into having sex (she protests some, but seems to have enjoyed it by the end; he leaves with a smirk), has prompted a lot of debate in the news. And executive producer Peter Tolan even went to the Television Without Pity messageboards to explain and defend the scene. We were distressed by the scene, but it seemed to work with Tommy's overall moral depravity and lack of control when it comes to his personal life (another recent example - Tommy beating his brother to a pulp over said estranged wife in front of his children). And while some critics say the show is merciless towards women, it's actually merciless towards everyone.

The NY Sun looks at Lincoln Center's redesign as the arts organization broke ground on the first part of their redevelopment plans:

The project is already underway, and the public will start to see evidence of construction soon. The Paul Milstein Plaza, which extends over 65th Street and is a hangout for Juilliard students, will be destroyed, and a temporary footbridge constructed between the Rose Building and the plaza level by Lincoln Center Theater. This will eventually be replaced by a translucent glass footbridge.

Continue reading "Lincoln Center's New Look"

Yesterday, the Daily News reported that the Fire Department was starting a new advertising campaign to attract female and minority recruits. The U.S. Justice Department has been investigating the FDNY's diversity, and at a City Council meeting, the FDNY said its 8.6% of its 11,491 members are minorities and 0.2% are women. Yeah, that's not very diverse. The NY Times reports the ads will shower a softer side of the FDNY: "firefighter in civilian dress spending time with her daughter in a park, lieutenants at a backyard barbecue and firefighters playing basketball in a gym." And the Times also has a graphic showing that many of the minorities and women who apply to the FDNY drop out even before taking the exam. Maybe it's because the FX show Rescue Me (supposedly to be the most realistic depiction of a firefighter's life but with lots of dramatic license) is too realistic about the hazing?

A couple weeks ago, the planned renovations of parts of the Lincoln Center complex were approved by the area's resident board with construction on the $500 million project to begin this week. The project is supposed to transform West 65th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam with construction that will affect several organizations on the street. One of the biggest changes will be to Alice Tully Hall, which will undergo exterior and interior renovations. The resident board also approved conceptual designs for Josie Robertson Plaza, one of the signature areas of Lincoln Center.

Lanaird Granger is suing the fire department and city, claiming he's been harrassed and discriminated against by his fellow firefighters during his service as a firefighter. Granger, who is black, says that he found a noose in his gear last year, and his lawsuit also notes that he was told to "step and fetch it." Granger says that when he complained, he was transferred, versus the whole firehouse being disbanded. He is also worried that other firefighters' attitudes towards him might put him at risk while responding to calls.

In a city that specializes in specialties, New York is a playground for those who love wine. Whether it’s an unknown Turkish wine you crave or a spicy Tinto Fino from the Ribera del Duero, we have it all. But in a place where your options are endless, the biggest challenge is selecting where to go. The good news is New York also happens to be the city that never sleeps. So with a desire for great unique wines and a few free nights, Gothamist sets out to find the best spots to bring a date, entertain some friends or just throw back a glass or two.

So now that they caught Peter Braunstein the papers are having a field day wrapping up the case as it now stands. The Times and Newsday keep their coverage simple and to the point (Braunstein, wanted for kidnapping, burglary, robbery and sexual abuse, was arrested in Memphis after an attempted suicide and will be extradited to Manhattan upon his recovery), but the Post and the News have taken their coverage to the next level.

One would think that if you happened to have a gun with you, you wouldn't forget about it like a cellphone or housekeys. But that wasn't the case with rapper-actor Sticky Fingaz (aka Kirk Jones), who left his 9mm gun at the Flathotel in Midtown. A hotel maid later found it and the police were alerted. The Post says Fingaz/Jones surrendered and was charged with weapons possession. One wonders if hotel rooms should have signs on the doors that say, "Please check the room to make sure you haven't left anything behind," and then have a list of notorious examples, like "your gun" and "your baby."

The Javits Center is like the stepchild of the city's development projects: No one really cares - they want flashy architects or scary renderings of what a Jets stadium might look like. But now the Javits Development Corporation has selected an architect to design a new expansion, British architect Richard Rogers. Not only is he knighted, he designed the Centre Pompidou in Paris (with Renzo Piano) and the Millennium Dome in London, making Gothamist wonder if the next James Bond film will film at the Javits expansion! The NY Times reports that Rogers was selected over Rafael Vinoly and Thom Mayne, and the rest of the team will include FX Fowle and A. Epstein: "The current plans for the $1.4 billion project would extend the convention hall to 40th Street from 39th Street, expanding the exhibition space to 1.1 million from 760,000 square feet" - plus develop a hotel nearby, because apparently the car and boat shows aren't doing it for them - they want the trade show business. If the Javits expands, you can bet that more high end strip clubs will open up in the area to cater to the trade show types. And the community was worried about businesses!

While it's all about the season premieres this month, there's one season finale tonight that we're excited about. Gothamist has really gotten into watching Rescue Me, catching up on this season by watching the first season DVD, and we've been loving it. Rescue Me is profane, racist, questionable, hilarious, sweet and tragic, with characters that seem like real people and less like stereotypes networks revert to because that'll make advertisers happy (probably why it's on FX). And it's shot in New York; Gothamist remembers reading how Denis Leary paid a Mr. Softee truck driver to stop playing the song...only to have more Mr. Softee trucks come to the location, looking for some easy money. The second season finale is at 10PM on FX and looks to be distressing and disturbing; we originally thought it'd be dark to counterbalance watching The Gilmore Girls, but New York magazine's John Leonard says that season premiere (tonight at 8PM on the WB) is "angry and sad."

Leary is also premiering his new TV show about life in the FDNY, Rescue Me, which tomorrow night on FX. Naturally, there's been a lot of NYC press coverage of it, with a fat feature in the Daily News and Leary told the NY Times in an interview:

There's a backlash in New York right now with firefighters getting arrested for drunk driving and testing positive for drugs. The spotlight was shone on these guys and we thought they were so heroic. But they're just human beings and the tendency for them is to self-medicate rather than go see a psychiatrist so that they can keep going into these buildings and saving people. This is something we're going to deal with in the course of the show.