Chelsea Now April 18, 2012 by Schneps Media

Earth Celebrations, p. 2

VOLUME 4, NUMBER 43

THE WEST SIDE’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

ARPIL 18 - MAY 1, 2012

ULURP-certified, Chelsea Market vetting process accelerates BY SCOTT STIFFLER Having cleared the first hurdle in its quest to vertically expand Chelsea Market, Jamestown Properties came to an April 16 Community Board 4 (CB4) meeting with a visual presentation and a firm commitment. By the meeting’s end, it seemed increasingly likely that Jamestown’s longstanding plan to add 90,000 square feet of hotel space on Ninth

Photo by Winnie McCroy

Ed Kirland receives a Proclamation from Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer.

CB4 honors Ed Kirkland, welcomes new additions BY WINNIE McCROY The Fire Department’s EMS station on 23rd Street, proposed additions to the Chelsea Hotel. Permits for local street fairs and national budget issues were among the topics discussed when the full board of Community Board 4 (CB4), including 10 new board members, gathered at Fulton Houses Auditorium on April 4 for their monthly meeting. Before the meeting began, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer arrived to present outgoing member Ed Kirkland with an official certificate of appreciation for his years of service to CB4. “The Proclamation I’m going to give tonight to Ed Kirkland, who’s always been someone who pointed the way on so many issues, the mayor cannot give. Andrew Cuomo cannot give this Proclamation, only I can do this,” said Stringer. “Whereas Ed Kirkland

has served on the board of CB4 for 29 years and played a lead role in just about every important matter from the High Line to Hudson Gardens and the Hudson River Park…and whereas we are sad he will step down…I hereby proclaim April 4, 2012, as Ed Kirkland Appreciation Day in the borough of Manhattan.” “I’m just glad it wasn’t on April 1st,” said Kirkland to laughter. “It’s time. I know it’s time. I want to thank all of you with whom I worked and… thank you for this Proclamation.” “Ed sets the standard for community reform, between his work with Chelsea Market and Waterfront issues, and will continue to help give you all the resources you need to handle these issues,” said Stringer. Kirkland will stay on the board in a consultant capacity, with Board Chair Corey Johnson noting, “It is a loss not to have him on the board of CB4, but

we will recruit him as a public member.” “We did not want Ed to leave; a host of us actually called him and asked him to stay, but he felt it was too much to go to all the meetings,” said CB4 District Manager Bob Benfatto. “But he agreed to stay on the Landmarks Committee as public member, and chair emeritus of that committee.” “Ed Kirkland is one of the most prominent, well respected and irreplaceable community activists that CB4 has ever been blessed with,” echoed Johnson. “He is one of the foremost experts and activists on preservation, not just on the West Side but throughout the entire city, and about four years ago almost single-handedly helped secure the West Chelsea Historic District, which is just one of many accomplishments he has under

Avenue would be replaced with a lesser amount of office space (to augment its unchanged plans for adding 240,00 square feet of office space on the market’s Tenth Avenue side). The move may prove to be an effective concession in the effort to secure zoning changes necessary for the project to become a reality

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NYU scales back superblocks plan BY ALBERT AMATEAU & LINCOLN ANDERSON New York University President John Sexton joined Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer on Wednesday to announce a scaled-down revision of the university’s plan to redevelop its two superblocks south of Washington Square Park. The revised version reduces the total density of the project, between LaGuardia Place and Mercer Street from Houston to West Third

Streets by about 17 percent. The revision reduces the height of the proposed Mercer Street and LaGuardia Place “Boomerang Buildings” on the north superblock. Specifically, the Mercer building — the taller of the two — would be lowered from 248 feet to 162 feet, the same height as the Washington Square Village buildings on Bleecker Street and West Third Street.

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EDITORIAL, LETTERS PAGE 8

TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL PAGE 13

Continued on page 3

April 18 - May 1, 2012

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Earth Celebrations Art Workshop Climb aboard the historic steamship LILAC for Earth Celebrations’ new ecological art workshop series. In anticipation of the 4th Annual Hudson River Pageant (May 12; rain date, May 13), artist and educator Rhett Godfrey will help kids ages 7-12 create colorful marinethemed headdresses representing species native to the Hudson such as seahorses and blue crabs. Participants will also learn about the local plants and animals just under the Hudson River’s surface. The costumes you craft can be worn to the

Hudson River Pageant — a day of ecological parades and performances along the Hudson meant to draw attention to local wildlife and issues like climate change. The workshops take place Sunday, April 15, 22 and 29 from 2-4pm (materials will be provided). Located on the steamship LILAC, docked at Hudson River Park’s Pier 25 in Tribeca. Register in advance (suggested donation, $20). Email eli@earthcelebrations.com to sign up. For more info, call 212-777-7969 or visit earthcelebrations.com.

April 18 - May 1, 2012

Chelsea Hotel tenants voice construction concerns Continued from page 1 his belt as board member for 29 ½ years. We are saddened by him leaving the board, but happy he is staying on as a public member and helping us when we need his expertise.”

EMS STATION DEBATED Board member Brett Firfer led the session of the meeting dealing with the site selection and acquisition of property at 512 West 23rd Street for the Midtown West EMS Station. David Harney, chief of staff of the Deputy Fire Commissioner for the Bureau of Technology and Support Services, explained that the NYFD would like CB4 to support their move to obtain a lease at their temporary location. Joining him were Captain James Foley and Police Chief James Murley. “When the [St. Vincent’s] hospital closed, the five units and 15 tours that served the area disappeared,” said Harney. “The Fire Department assumed control of those tours. The problem is simple. We do not have the facilities [for this].” Harney said that the EMTs were forced

‘We did not want Ed to leave; a host of us actually called him and asked him to stay, but he felt it was too much to go to all the meetings,’ said CB4 District Manager Bob Benfatto. ‘But he agreed to stay on the Landmarks Committee as public member, and chair emeritus of that committee.’ to work out of Bellevue, running 13 units in a facility built for six. Having this East Side location also kept units out of service for much longer when clean-ups were needed. Unwilling to wait three years for the city to acquire, design and build a permanent facility, the NYPD found a temporary facility on 23rd Street, and seeks board support for their ULURP review. “What the board needs to recognize is that traffic is not getting better; there is no hospital for this area and the call volume is increasing three to four percent yearly,” said Harney, who noted that the EMS responds to 3,600 calls every day. Board member Betty Mackintosh ques-

Photo by Winnie McCroy

Left to right: Captain James Foley, Police Chief James Murley and David Harney, chief of staff of the Deputy Fire Commissioner for the Bureau of Technology and Support Services.

tioned the officers about vehicles left idling, and how the exhaust fumes impacted the neighbors. Jay Marcus asked about the unsightly parking booth at the area, and Johnson questioned the impact of the noise from vehicles and sirens. Damyanti Radheshwar asked about the possibility of keeping ambulances and their coolers at ambient temperature via electrical charge; NYFD reps said that the current fleet of ambulances did not support the technology. “We welcome the opportunity to work with the board. But our first quality of life issue is life itself,” said Harney. “Captain Foley and his team are more than ready to work with the neighbors on these issues.” But eight others echoed the issues brought up by board members during the public comments section. Ron Perez, a resident and co-op board member at a building on West 23rd Street, said that he was there on behalf of the residents to note that, “The fumes are particularly concerning, and can’t dissipate because the High Line is right above it, and tunnels it directly into residents’ windows. There is also the issue of sirens starting before the ambulance departs to the streets, which reverbs and is loud.” The NYFD reps listened to all comments, but when asked what they could do to mitigate the problems, Harney said, “The chief, the captain and I will discuss these issues, but at the moment, we are trying the best we can. Once the licensing agreement is secured, improvements can be made.” The EMS center was listed as Item 6 in

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April 18 - May 1, 2012

Chelsea Market plan likely to drop hotel, add more office space Continued from page 1 by Jamestown’s estimated completion date of 2015.

CB4 AND PUBLIC ASK QUESTIONS, VOICE CONCERS The capacity crowd, which filled the chairs and snaked along the walls of Fulton Auditorium (119 Ninth Avenue), shared microphone time with members of CB4’s Chelsea Preservation & Planning Committee (CP&P). It was the first public vetting session since the City Planning Commission granted Jamestown ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure) certification on April 9. Clocking in at a brisk two hours, the meeting was nonetheless epic in scope. After opening remarks from CB4 Chair Corey Johnson and CB4 District Manager Bob Benfatto, attorney Melanie Meyers (a partner at Fried Frank) and Todd DeGarmo (CEO & Principal of Studios Architecture) — both representing Jamestown — made a 40-minute visual presentation illustrating everything from neighborhood FAR (Floor Area Ratio) comparisons to proposed zoning text amendments. For the next 45 minutes, CP&P members directed questions to Jamestown. Then, Benfatto and CB4’s Betty MacKintosh read remarks and inquiries from index cards (both anonymous and signed) filled out before the meeting began. Finally, eight people — including longtime neighborhood activist

Bob Trentlyon, Save Chelsea Co-President Justin Hoy and Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) Executive Director Andrew Berman — opted to articulate their concerns via one-minute slots at the podium. None who spoke or submitted written questions favored the Jamestown plan. However, the night stood in stark contrast to the past several months’ worth of contentious community forums and CB4 gatherings, owing to the robust presence of members from the Chelsea Market Coalition (CMC) — a pro-expansion group whose members include the Greenwich VillageChelsea Chamber of Commerce (GVCCC). Both the CMC and staunch opposition group Save Chelsea handed out stickers —

Save Chelsea Co-President Lesley Doyel joined Gottfried in her declaration that the project is unfit to see the light of day. providing the visual equivalent of a straw pole if one scanned the room (advocates on both sides of the issue wore the stickers as a declaration of where their loyalties lay). On a table near the entrance was a flyer from the GVSHP and statements from the CMC as well as Assemblymember Richard N. Gottfried.

Gottfried’s letter noted that zoning changes necessary for the Jamestown proposal to be realized would “involve adding the site (the full block between Ninth and Tenth Avenues, from West 15th to 16th Streets) to the Special West Chelsea District.” That change, which surfaced as a bone of contention throughout the night, was rejected by Gottfried — whose written condemnation of the project tersely declared, “The negatives strongly outweigh any gains the community might receive from this expansion.” Speaking by phone the day after the meeting, Save Chelsea Co-President Lesley Doyel joined Gottfried in her declaration that the project is unfit to see the light of day. “We’re sad that it was [ULURP] certified,” Doyel noted, “and we don’t think it should have been. It’s a flawed plan. If it was just the Ninth Avenue building, this wouldn’t have been such a big issue.” The CMC’s written statement aggressively advocated for expansion, calling it “the perfect example of responsible development in New York City — it requires no subsidy, no condemnation or relocation, will generate billions of dollars in economic activity, and create jobs at a time when unemployment in the City is over 9%.” Shortly after the meeting was over, Chelsea Now (along with all others on their list) received an email from the GVCCC. “We are pleased this project is moving forward,” it stated, “and we look forward to the thousand permanent jobs the project will bring to our city.” That figure was cited multiple times at the CP&P meeting by Jamestown — often, as an example of how the influx of new office workers would increase revenue for Chelsea Market concourse businesses.

CB4 ASKS FOR CONCOURSE COMMITTMENT The face, and future, of the concourse was on the minds of Save Chelsea as well as CP&P member Joe Restuccia. “Are you amenable,” he asked, “to a legally binding document, such as a Restrictive Declaration” regarding food-related uses for the concourse. Phillips responded by characterizing the present concourse amenities as, “central to why our office tenants want to be there… so yes, we’re amenable to some sort of con-

versation.” Save Chelsea countered that notion in their April 17 phone interview — with Doyel asserting, “We just don’t believe it’s necessary to build this [Tenth Avenue addition]. We don’t understand the statements by Jamestown that they need to build this so the tenants upstairs can continue to support the food concourse. The place is full local residents who are in there seven days a week, patronizing the stores. It is a huge tourist draw, largely because of the High Line and we don’t think it’s credible that they need the expanded office space to support the concourse. We also feel that the flood of people coming in that will be attending the redeveloped Pier 57 is going to create huge traffic congestions.” In his April 17 phone interview with Chelsea Now, Phillips further speculated on the future of the ground floor, noting, “The concourse has always had fashion in it. It’s always had lifestyle goods, food and flowers. That dynamism has to be allowed to remain. As is said last night, the original impetus of this place was a flower market. If we’d stuck to that commitment, it would have never become a great food hall.” That said, however, Phillips did assert, “I think there’s some room for a long-term commitment for some percentage of the interior concourse being food-related.” As for the notion of a Restrictive Declaration, Phillips said, “We’re open to it and we’re pursuing what that would look like and how that would work.”

HOTEL LIKELY TO BE SCRAPPED While the height, outer skin and setback of the proposed Ninth and Tenth Avenue additions were all bones of contention at the April 16 meeting, a rare consensus emerged regarding the notion of replacing a Ninth Avenue hotel with more office space. Meyers and Phillips both indicated, several times, that they would take plans for a hotel off the table if CB4 made that request. In an April 17 phone interview with Chelsea Now, Benfatto confirmed that such a request is forthcoming. “The board is going to ask them to put in writing an agreement not to have hotel use,” he said, noting that CB4’s formal articulation of

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April 18 - May 1, 2012

Image courtesy of Jamestown Properties

CB4 preps for June 6 Chelsea Market recommendation Continued from page 4 this scenario “will come at the Preservation and Planning meeting in May.” As of this moment, Benfatto stated, “We are working under the belief that the hotel will not be part of the project in the end.” Jamestown is also proceeding ahead with this in mind. “We’re beginning that process of evaluating the impact of an office space there versus a hotel space,” said Phillips during his April 17 phone interview. Should that happen, current plans for height and square footage would likely change. A rendering presented at the April 16 CP&P meeting illustrated how Space currently dedicated to the hotel could be reduced from 90,000 to 70,000, should offices be put in its place. That scenario, which has been in the public ether for some time now, is an option Save Chelsea first discussed with Jamestown at a recent face-to-face (their fourth since September, 2011.). At that meeting, held on February 14, Doyel noted, “When they suggested changing the use from a hotel to an office, we said, ‘Would that eliminate the need to build up on Tenth Avenue?’ — to which they replied, ‘No.” ” Phillips confirmed that conversation in our April 17 phone interview, rebutting the

notion that their plans for Ninth and Tenth Avenue construction are, or should be, intertwined. “It’s a whole city block,” Phillips said of the two designated locations for vertical expansion, “and there are very different cultures from one end of the block to another. It’s not as if all the floors or tenants go through [the whole block].” An addition to Tenth Avenue, he maintained, “is localized in that environment — and an addition on Ninth is localized in its environment. They really are two different conversations.”

THINGS TO COME Asked what changes CB4 would like to see in advance of CP&P’s vote in May (date and location TBA) — and a final recommendation by the full board on June 6 — Benfatto stated, “We want commitments on landmarking, affordable housing and parks funding.” He noted that restrictions on keeping food production in the market would come at the City Council level. The next full board meeting of CB4 takes place at 6pm on May 2 (at Roosevelt Hospital, 1000 Tenth Avenue). “It’s going to be straightforward,” Benfatto says. “There will be a sign up sheet just for Chelsea Market. Everybody will have two minutes. We’ll probably be there for two hours.” For more info, visit nyc.gov/mcb4.

April 18 - May 1, 2012

Rent Board reform push as Supreme Court delays decision on taking challenge BY ANDY HUMM The U.S. Supreme Court put off, until at least April 23, a decision on whether to hear a constitutional challenge to New York City’s longstanding rent regulations. While the prospect of a complete end to rent protections has tenants on edge and landlords salivating at the prospect of 1.1 million deregulated apartments, tenant activists and their supporters in government are plowing ahead with a proposal to reform the City’s Rent Guidelines Board — but not in time to affect the setting of this year’s annual rent hikes. That process begins with a preliminary vote on May 1 at Cooper Union (last year, the board voted 3.75 percent increases on one-year leases and 7.25 percent for two-year leases). All nine members of the board are appointed by the mayor. The proposed state bill would not change that but would make the mayor get City Council approval for the appointees. And while the board would continue to have two tenant and two landlord representatives, the fi ve “public members” (who rarely speak at meetings and invariably do the bidding of the mayor) could be drawn from more diverse backgrounds than those who fulfill the current requirement of having five years experience in “finance, economics or housing.” The bill, unveiled at a press conference on April 16 at City Hall, will likely be passed by the Democrat-led State Assembly where Brian Kavanagh (D-Manhattan) is

Photo by Andy Humm

State Sen. Daniel Squadron speaks out for state legislation to give the City Council the power to approve the mayor’s appointments to the Rent Guidelines Board. Joining him, left to right: City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Assembly Member Brian Kavanagh, Council Member Jumaane Williams, Assembly Member Dick Gottfried, Council Member Margaret Chin and Amelia Adams of New York Communities for Change.

the chief sponsor and be a tougher sell in the Senate, which has a thin Republican majority. Daniel Squadron (D-Manhattan)

is the lead Senate sponsor. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has not weighed in on it. Squadron said the fate of two million

tenants was “too important to leave in one person,” the mayor. Kavanagh said the board should be allowed to include people with experience in “social services, social sciences and philanthropy.” Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Chelsea) called the current board “a kangaroo court.” She said, “The rents go up every year regardless of the data,” which can allow the board to lower or freeze rents — something that has never happened. Adrienne Holder, a longtime tenant member of the board, called for “accountability.” She said, “A majority of rent stabilized tenants are not able to afford their apartments based on the HUD benchmark for housing affordability.” Maggie Russell-Ciardi, executive director of Tenants & Neighbors, complained that public members of the board vote down tenant proposals “without discussion. We want them engaged in the issues.” Sponsors of the bill are not pushing for the Council to be able to make their own appointments to the board. Speaker Quinn demurred on the question of Council appointees. “It’s a state bill,” she said, “but I’ve never said no to power.” Council Member Jumaane Williams, a former director of Tenants & Neighbors, promised a lively tenant presence at the board hearings and meetings over the next two months. “We’re going to go down with Occupy people and shout them down again” until the board becomes more responsive to tenants.

April 18 - May 1, 2012

NYU’s 17 percent solution Continued from page 1 The new version of the project, to be built over the coming 20 years, also eliminates a temporary gym replacement of the current Coles gym that would have been built on the site of two community playgrounds on the northern superblock. There were no specifics given on where the temporary gym would go, but Councilmember Margaret Chin, who was also at the press conference, said she has a few spots in mind. She said she hopes the temporary gym would also be open for community use. In addition, the agreement provides for the preservation and designation of two public strips as parkland and the elimination of a dormitory in the project. While Stringer said he would “conditionally approve” the revised project currently undergoing the city’s uniform land use review procedure, Chin and members of CB2 who also attended the April 11 news conference said the reduction was only a beginning for them. “There’s still a lot of work ahead. There are more issues to discuss,” said Chin, whose district includes the two superblocks. “Today we do have a road map to further negotiations,” said Brad Hoylman, chairperson of CB2, whose district covers the superblocks. “The project is still too big and threatens to overwhelm the neighborhood but the concessions are significant,” Hoylman added. Stringer explained that his approval, which is only advisory, was conditioned on the plan’s further review by the Department of City Planning and the City Council, which has the final decision. Stringer said the changes were the culmination of his office’s five-year involvement in the NYU 2031 project starting when he organized his Community Task Force on NYU Development. “It’s a model for future growth that strikes a balance between a great university’s need to grow and the importance of preserving Greenwich Village’s distinctive historic character,” Stringer said. Sexton said the university “is deeply space-deprived” compared to Columbia University, for example, which has about 50 percent more space per student than NYU. “We need more space for faculty, offices, labs,” said Sexton, recalling that when he became NYU president 10 years ago, genomics (computer analysis of genes) did not exist. “Now we have a genomics building where 50 people are working,” he said. Sexton said the university is still intending to locate about two-thirds of its needed expansion outside of the superblocks and the Village, in Downtown Brooklyn and along the First Avenue corridor location of the NYU Medical Center. “The plan for the core [the superblocks] hews to a few important principles established by the task force,” Sexton said, “to build on our own property, to avoid the use of eminent domain, to avoid displacement of existing residential tenants, to protect and enhance open public space and make it more

Photo by Lincoln Anderson

accessible for public enjoyment.” Lawrence Goldberg, president of Friends of LaGuardia Place, said the revisions are “a significant first step.” He cited the elimination of the temporary gym and the designation of the strips as parkland as important community issues. Goldberg also said he looked forward to working with Chin, the Parks Department and NYU to ensure that Adrienne’s Garden, which is currently being built, and the LaGuardia Corner Gardens remain uninterrupted public space. The revisions also eliminate the proposed student dormitory on top of the proposed public school space on the south superblock. Asked if NYU or the city’s School Construction Authority would build the 100,000-square-foot, K-to-8 public school, Sexton indicated the latter, responding, “We’re giving them the land.” NYU also conceded to trim 15,000 square feet from the proposed “Zipper Building” on the south superblock, and to leave more space in front of this new building on its Mercer Street side. This would increase the width of the currently 15-foot-wide sidewalk by another 15 feet. NYU’s plan is still to relocate the Mercer-Houston Dog Run, currently on this Mercer Street strip, to the west of Coles, replacing a playground that’s there now. But Assemblymember Deborah Glick and Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP), who were not at the Wednesday news conference, denounced the agreement as inadequate. “This is just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic,” said Berman. “A slight decrease in the size of a few buildings does not change the fact that this massive plan is fundamentally wrong for the Village, the city and for NYU. It would be tremendously damaging and overwhelming to a residential area. It’s unfortunate that the borough president was willing to give away his vote

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Borough President Scott Stringer announced the agreement, along with NYU President John Sexton, left, and Councilmember Margaret Chin, right. They were joined by community leaders, from left to right, Zella Jones of the Noho Neighborhood Association; Lawrence Goldberg, president of Friends of LaGuardia Place; David Gruber, co-chairperson of the Community Board 2 NYU Working Group; Lois Rakoff of CB2; Martin Tessler, co-chairperson of Community Action Alliance on NYU 2031 (CAAN); Brad Hoylman, CB2 chairperson; (hidden behind Hoylman) Anne Hearn, Washington Square Village Tenants Association president; Jo Hamilton, former CB2 chairperson; and Terri Cude, CAAN co-chairperson.

April 18 - May 1, 2012

EDITORIAL 9/11 heroes’ health Recently, a group of health specialists and 9/11 survivor representatives known as the Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) made a historic recommendation to the federal government to add more than 30 types of cancers to the James L. Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. It is historic because, since the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) was first established shortly after the attack, people have been fighting to have cancer added under the law. They continued fighting even when the VCF closed in 2003, and their determination increased when the fund was re-established in 2010. But the noble mission to treat cancer-stricken 9/11 survivors is far from complete. First, Dr. John Howard, director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the chief administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program under the bill, must make his own determination about which cancers should be included. Howard has roughly 60 days, until early June, to make a ruling based on the scientific evidence provided by STAC. Next, assuming Howard decides to add one or more cancers to the bill, there is a federal rule-making process in which Howard would solicit public comments during a 30-day period. If he wishes, Howard can alter his initial decision according to the feedback. Yet a troubling fact remains: When the latter process starts and finishes, and when the 9/11 cancer patients would begin to receive care at the World Trade Center Centers of Excellence is an unknown. It took six months for the clinics to begin accepting WTC patients following the bill’s passage by Congress in late 2010. It’s imperative that Howard speed up the process to add the cancers he deems worthy of inclusion, so that our 9/11 heroes can get chemotherapy and other medical treatment they need as soon as possible. New York’s congressional delegation has requested a special meeting with Kathleen Sebelius, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary, to discuss the process and hopefully figure out a way to accelerate it. We urge her to schedule that meeting sooner rather than later. By adding cancer to the bill’s health portion, Howard will also enable the cancer-stricken survivors to apply for financial compensation through the bill’s legal portion, the VCF. Any new illnesses Howard includes will automatically be considered for reimbursement by VCF Special Master Sheila Birnbaum. On the city side, we applaud Public Advocate Bill de Blasio for convincing the Bloomberg administration to release critical health data for 321 city police officers purported to have developed cancer from their time at Ground Zero. Thanks to de Blasio’s efforts, the city and Mt. Sinai Medical Center have hammered out many of the privacy issues pertaining to the officers’ identities. As a result, late last month, data including the officers’ age, cancer type and year of diagnosis was handed over to Mt. Sinai for its continued research on the correlation between the disease and Ground Zero exposures. But Mt. Sinai could benefit from even more data. Now, the city and the medical center must solicit the officers’ ongoing participation in long-ranging studies, so researchers have as full a picture as possible. Cancer has already taken the lives of too many 9/11 victims who got sick from inhaling the toxic soup of chemicals at Ground Zero in the days and weeks after the September 11 attacks. It’s now time to provide care to those who are still alive but who may not be able to afford treatment. One scientific fact we know about cancer is that, typically, time is of the essence. The sooner the disease is diagnosed, the better the odds often are of treating it and beating it. So the sooner we get through this red tape, the better the chance we have of saving lives.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR EMS facility is a better neighbor than the High Line To The Editor: I live 15 feet away from the EMS facility in Chelsea. IT IS NOT A PROBLEM, AT ALL. If only the management of the High Line were as thoughtful, accountable, responsible and kind as the FDNY EMS facility planners and operators. There ARE problems with the High Line being so close to my apartment, with no evergreen barrier that was promised in the planning stages years ago, and not implemented. There ARE NOT any problems with the EMS facility. I am the closest resident in the city to it, and I would be the first to express concern IF it were a problem. I am sorry I could not be at the April 4 Community Board Meeting discussing this topic to express my gratitude for how the EMS facility has operated so well. Their approach to planning it engaged me as a local citizen. High-flying Robert Hammond and his crew at the High Line did the contrary. My outdoor terrace faces the facility and I have never experienced noise or fume problems. Further, the facility was built in such a, literally and figuratively, low profile manner, it blends in beautifully with the cityscape. I keep my windows open at night, and never once have been awakened by sirens or noise from the EMS operation. I can breathe just fine and people still want to join me on my terrace. The complaints about this facility are fabricated by the very people who will complain the ambulance didn’t get to them in time if it were somewhere else. Phil Micali

Bloomberg and Occupy To The Editor: The Bloomberg administration shows its true disdain or disregard for the First Amendment by the hostile way it engages Occupy Wall Street

demonstrations. (This seems to evince a pattern exhibited with the Republican National Convention demonstrators and the Critical Mass bike rides.) The administration could find and offer any number of public parcels in proximity to Wall Street — in spots that would not significantly disrupt life or business — to the Occupiers for overnight use. Encampments, a historic form of American protest, send a different message than other types of protest, or place a distinct emphasis on a protest. The First Amendment is supposed to accommodate the full spectrum of political messages and peaceful protest accentuation. The New York Police Department should show zero tolerance for continual drum banging or other noise invading people’s premises or for other illegal activity within an encampment. But if demonstrators conduct themselves quietly and lawfully, the city that never sleeps should conduct itself according to the spirit — and many would argue the letter — of the nation’s highest law of the First Amendment: by accommodating a demonstration which never sleeps. Alan J. Gerson Gerson is a former councilmember who represented Lower Manhattan’s First District, and was a First Amendment free speech scholar at Columbia Law School. To The Editor: Personally, I agree with the basic idea of “Stand Your Ground.” As a matter of fact, one of my favorite slogans, one that I first heard when Reclaim the Streets set up a 20-foot tripod in the middle of Broadway and Astor Place, is “Maintain your cool, but stand your ground.” I believe that rather than run like a coward and risk my life waiting for the cops, I have a moral obligation to stand my ground and defend myself. No questions asked, no quarter given. I also believe that it is child abuse to raise a child and not teach that child to defend itself. And if basic self-defense techniques and martial arts were taught

in school, black youth and women would less likely be faced with the fear of pursuit in the night. And we would no longer have what is clearly a racist law like Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law. Jerry the Peddler

What’s Quinn’s beef? To The Editor: Does the New York City Charter assign any responsibilities to the Council speaker to organize boycotts of restaurants? Recent photos of Council Speaker and aspiring 2013 mayoral candidate Christine Quinn handing out fliers near McDonald’s on West Third Street, urging citizens to boycott it made a great photo-op for her, but missed the bigger picture. It is not the legal responsibility of any business to patrol and protect citizens on public streets outside their establishments. They would be subject to legal liability and potential litigation if their employees violated the civil liberties of citizens on a public sidewalk. My wife and I periodically shop and dine at a number of restaurants in the Village. There are many other establishments that customers patronize that are used as a base of operations for illegal activities. If the consumption of marijuana and prostitution were both legalized, there would be fewer incidents at this McDonald’s. With our regular police force already overstretched, it might make more sense to ask for auxiliary volunteer police officers to patrol periodically outside this McDonald’s. Larry Penner E-mail letters, not longer than 300 words in length, to scott@chelseanow. com or fax to 212-229-2790 or mail to Chelsea Now, Letters to the Editor, 515 Canal Street, Unit 1C New York City, NY 10013. Please include phone number for confirmation purposes. Chelsea Now reserves the right to edit letters for space, grammar, clarity and libel. Chelsea Now does not publish anonymous letters.

April 18 - May 1, 2012

Community Contacts To be listed, email info to scott@chelseanow.com. COMMUNITY BOARD 4 (CB4) CB4 serves Manhattan’s West Side neighborhoods of Chelsea and Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen. Its boundaries are 14th St. on the south, 59/60th St. on the north, the Hudson River on the west, 6th Ave. on the east (south of 26th St.) and 8th Ave. on the east (north of 26th St.). Call 212-736-4536. Visit manhattancb4.org or email them at info@ manhattanCB4.org. The board meeting, open to the public, happens on the first Wednesday of the month, at 6:30pm. The next one takes place on May 2, 6:30pm, at St. Luke Roosevelt Hospital (1000 10th Ave., btw. 58th And 59th Sts.). Visit nyc.gov/mcb4. COMMUNITY BOARD 5 (CB5) CB5 represents the central business district of New York City. It includes midtown Manhattan, the Fashion, Flower, Flatiron and Diamond districts, as well as Bryant Park and Union Square Park. The district is at the center of New York’s tourism industry. The Theatre District, Times Square, Carnegie Hall, the Empire State Building and two of the region’s transportation hubs (Grand Central Station and Penn Station) fall within CB5. Call 212-465-0907. Visit cb5.org or email them at office@cb5.org. CB5’s board meeting, open to the public, happens on the second Thursday of the month, at 6pm. The next one takes place on May 10, 6pm, at Xavier High School (30 W. 16th St., btw. 5th and 6th Aves., 2nd fl.). THE 300 WEST 23RD, 22ND & 21ST STREETS BLOCK ASSOCIATION Contact them at 300westblockassoc@prodigy.net. THE WEST 400 BLOCK ASSOCIATION Contact them at w400ba@gmail.com. LOWER CHELSEA ALLIANCE (LoCAL) This group is committed to protecting the residential blocks of Chelsea from overscale development. Contact them at LowerChelseaAlliance@ gmail.com. THE GREENWICH VILLAGE-CHELSEA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Call 212-337-5912 or visit villagechelsea.com. THE MEATPACKING DISTRICT INITIATIVE Visit meatpacking-district.com or call 212-6330185.

THE BOWERY RESIDENTS’ COMMITTEE: HOMELESS HELPLINE If you know of anyone who is in need of their services, call the Homeless Helpline at 212-5335151, and the BRC will send someone to make contact. This number is staffed by outreach team leaders 24 hours a day. Callers may remain anonymous. For more info, visit brc.org. THE LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL & TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY CENTER At 208 W. 13th St. (btw. 7th and 8th Aves.). Visit gaycenter.org or call 212-620-7310. THE ALI FORNEY CENTER Their mission is to help homeless LGBT youth be safe and become independent as they move from adolescence to adulthood. Main headquarters: 224 W. 35th St., Suite 1102. Call 212-222-3427. The Ali Forney Day Center is located at 527 W. 22nd St., 1st floor. Call 212-206-0574 or visit aliforneycenter.org. GAY MEN’S HEALTH CRISIS (GMHC) At 446 W. 33rd St. btw. 9th and 10th Aves. Visit gmhc.org. Call 212-367-1000. HUDSON GUILD Founded in 1895, Hudson Guild is a multi-service, multi-generational community serving approximately 14,000 people annually with daycare, hot meals for senior citizens, low-cost professional counseling, community arts programs and recreational programming for teens. Visit them at hudsonguild.org. Email them at info@hudsonguild. org. For the John Lovejoy Elliott Center (441 W. 26th St.), call 212-760-9800. For the Children’s Center (459 W. 26th St.), call 212-760-9830. For the Education Center (447 W. 25th St.), call 212-760-9843. For the Fulton Center for Adult Services (119 9th Ave.), call 212-924-6710. THE CARTER BURDEN CENTER FOR THE AGING This organization promotes the well-being of individuals 60 and older through direct social services and volunteer programs oriented to individual, family and community needs. Call 212-879-7400 or visit burdencenter.org. PENN SOUTH Visit pennsouth.coop. The Penn South Program for Seniors provides recreation, education and social services — and welcomes volunteers. For info, call 212-243-3670. Member of the New York Press Association

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Member of the National Newspaper Association Chelsea Now is published biweekly by Community Media LLC, 515 Canal Street, Unit 1C, New York, N.Y. 10013 (212) 229-1890. Annual subscription by mail in Manhattan and Brooklyn $75. Single copy price at office and newsstands is 50 cents. The entire contents of newspaper, including advertising, are copyrighted and no part may be reproduced without the express permission of the publisher - © 2010 Community Media LLC, Postmaster: Send address changes to Chelsea Now, 145 Sixth Ave., First Fl., New York, N.Y. 10013.

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The Publisher shall not be liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The publisher’s liability for other errors or omissions in connection with an advertisement is strictly limited to publication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue.

PUBLISHER & EDITOR John W. Sutter ASSOCIATE EDITOR / ARTS EDITOR Scott Stiffler PUBLISHER EMERITUS Elizabeth Butson REPORTERS Lincoln Anderson Albert Amateau John Bayles Aline Reynolds EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS

Latima Stephens Kaitlyn Meade

FULTON YOUTH OF THE FUTURE Email them at fultonyouth@gmail.com or contact Miguel Acevedo, 646-671-0310. WEST SIDE NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE Visit westsidenyc.org or call 212-956-2573. Email them at wsna@hcc-nyc.org. CHELSEA COALITION ON HOUSING Tenant assistance every Thursday night, at 7pm; at Hudson Guild (119 Ninth Ave.). Email them at chelseacoalition.cch@gmail.com. FRIENDS OF HUDSON RIVER PARK Visit fohrp.org or call 212-757-0981. HUDSON RIVER PARK TRUST Visit hudsonriverpark.org or call 212-627-2020. SAVE CHELSEA Contact them at savechelseanyc@gmail.com. MANHATTAN BOROUGH PRESIDENT SCOTT STRINGER Call 212-669-8300 or visit mbpo.org. CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER CHRISTINE QUINN Call 212-564-7757 or visit council.nyc.gov/d3/ html/members/home.shtml. STATE SENATOR TOM DUANE Call 212-633-8052 or visit tomduane.com. ASSEMBLYMEMBER RICHARD GOTTFRIED Call 212-807-7900 or email GottfriedR@assembly. state.ny.us. CHELSEA REFORM DEMOCRATIC CLUB The CRDC (the home club of City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, State Senator Tom Duane and Assemblymember Richard Gottfried) meets monthly to exchange political ideas in protecting the rights and improving the lives of those residing in Chelsea. Visit crdcnyc.org or email them at info@crdcnyc.org.

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April 18 - May 1, 2012

POLICE BLOTTER: SPECIAL LARCENY EDITION The April 5 opening reception for artist Julie Tremblay’s exhibit (“Some Kind of Nature”) was marred by a thief who made off with an $850 iPad that was being used to provide music for the event. The incident was reported to police by an employee of the 571 Projects art gallery (located at 551 W. 21st St., at 11th Ave.).

state license and car keys, was taken from a 27-year-old woman in the early morning hours of Sun., April 8. The woman told police that she was sitting at the bar the Dream Hotel’s rooftop club (at 355 W. 16 St.), when an unknown perpetrator took the above listed property. The hotel’s head of security informed the victim that the perp was seen, in video footage, walking off with the property. The victim informed police that she cancelled her AmEx and Chase credit cards.

PETTY LARCENY: Scooter thief bolts, with plate

PETTY LARCENY: Cabbie held her phone hostage

After parking his scooter in front of 355 W. 16 St., at around 4pm on Tues., April 3, a 27-year-old male told police that when he returned from his work shift, he discovered that the vehicle’s plate (from NY state) had been cut and stolen. The victim noted that the plate had been bolted on.

After departing her cab on the northwest corner of Ninth Ave. & W. 25 St. around 2am on Fri., April 6), a 21-year-old female resident of Manhattan realized she left her cell phone (a T-Mobile worth $50) behind. Using her friend’s cell to call the phone, the woman was relieved when the cabbie answered — but distressed when he told her he’d return it in exchange for $40. The cab driver quickly returned to the scene — where, the victim says, he refused to give the cell phone back, then left before money was exchanged. The victim told police she planned to cancel the cell phone upon returning home.

PETTY LARCENY: The night the music died

GRAND LARCENY: Nightmarish rooftop theft at Dream Hotel A Michael Kors wallet worth $60, containing several credit cards, a New Jersey

GRAND LARCENY: Dancer returns to find bag long gone A 34-year-old woman told police that around 3am on Sun., April 8, she was at the club 1 Oak (at 453 W. 17th St.), dancing — while her bag was left unattended. When she returned, she discovered her Caterina Lucchi bag (valued at $2,000) missing. The victim cancelled the Visa cards that were in the bag (which also contained an iPhone worth $200 and an Apple iPod worth $300).

GRAND LARCENY: Smash and grab At around 8:30pm on Thurs., April 5, a 26-year-old resident of Brooklyn left a 2006 black Mitsubishi parked in front of 456 W. 19th St. Three hours later, upon return, a window had been smashed and property (on the passenger side front floor and behind the passenger seat) was missing. Among the items: a GPS TomTom ($140), an external hard drive ($350), a Versace perfume set ($230), a 4G Tablet ($230) and an iPod nano ($90).

—Scott Stiffler

THE 10th PRECINCT Located at 230 W. 20th St. (btw. 7th & 8th Aves.). Deputy Inspector: Elisa Cokkinos. Main number: 212-7418211. Community Affairs: 212-7418226. Crime Prevention: 212-741-8226. Domestic Violence: 212-741-8216. Youth Officer: 212-741-8211. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-741-8210. Detective Squad: 212-741-8245. The Community Council Meeting takes place at 7pm on the last Wed. of the month. The next meeting is April 25.

THE 13th PRECINCT Located at 230 E. 21st St. (btw. 2nd & 3rd Aves.). Deputy Inspector: Ted Bernsted. Call 212-477-7411. Community Affairs: 212-477-7427. Crime Prevention: 212-477-7427. Domestic Violence: 212-477-3863. Youth Officer: 212-477-7411. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-477-4380. Detective Squad: 212-477-7444. The Community Council Meeting takes place at 6:30pm on the third Tues. of the month. The next meeting is May 15.

CASH FOR GUNS $100 cash will be given (no questions asked) for each handgun, assault weapon or sawed-off shotgun; up to a maximum payment of $300. Guns are accepted at any Police Precinct, PSA or Transit District.

CRIME STOPPERS If you have info regarding a crime committed or a wanted person, call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS, text “TIP577” (plus your message) to “CRIMES” (274637) or submit a tip online at nypdcrimestoppers.com.

April 18 - May 1, 2012

Chelsea Hotel tenants voice construction concerns teur stargazer workshops at 14th Street.

Continued from page 3 the meeting agenda, and when it came up for a vote, was denied unless the proposed changes were made.

CHELSEA HOTEL TENANTS OBJECT TO CONSTRUCTION First Vice Chair Christine Berthet then opened up the general public session. A volunteer with the NYPD Auxiliary informed the community that auxiliary members would be on patrol, wearing a similar uniform as officers, featuring a patch with a wagon wheel and horse head. Several community members, including Janet Ray Kalson, attorney for the Chelsea Hotel Tenant’s Association, objected to ongoing construction plans at the hotel that feature controversial new roof additions, including a greenhouse and a 3,800 square foot commercial space. When architect Gene Kaufman displayed his renderings and referenced this “unobtrusive rooftop addition…scarcely visible from any vantage point,” one audience member responded with a loud guffaw. “My window is on the roof of the Chelsea, and you can see it from Seventh Avenue,” said Michele Zalopany. “When you go on the roof, it’s a whole different thing from those pictures. There’s a shaft where there’ll be noise, and I’ve heard nothing about soundproofing. This is a utopian building that is being gutted and raped by this ugly thing on top. It is just wrong.” Joshua Schwartz, an MFA student at Hunter College, thanked CB4’s Quality of Life Committee for their permit to close down a midtown street on May 16 for their MFA Thesis Show. The event, which was Item 10 on the agenda, was eventually voted against by CB4, who cited concerns about obstructing traffic. Similar denials were handed down to Holy Cross, who in agenda Item 14 sought to close down 42nd Street on May 28 for their anniversary block party. Board members suggested that Holy Cross investigate holding the event on 43rd Street instead. A representative from the High Line noted that new spring hours had the park open until 10pm, with Tuesday evening ama-

NEW DEVELOPMENTS FROM ELECTEDS Representatives from elected officials then shared their latest news. Senator Tom Duane’s office reported that they had tackled the complaints about Megabus’ double-decker buses, turning one away at Port Authority. Assemblymember Dick Gottfried’s office

‘What the board needs to recognize is that traffic is not getting better, there is no hospital for this area and the call volume is increasing three to four percent yearly,’ said Harney, who noted that the EMS responds to 3,600 calls every day. noted that the state budget had been passed on time, with no cuts to the health budget. District Attorney Cyrus Vance’s representative invited all to join an April 22 Candlelight Vigil for Victims of Crimes. Representative Linda Rosenthal’s office noted her work in the fight to save the EPIC senior prescription program in the budget cuts, and referenced the passage in the Assembly of a domestic violence prevention bill. Speaker Christine Quinn’s representative Michaela Miller noted that the recent death of a construction worker in a crane collapse “highlighted the need for coordination between the MTA and the City of New York. Currently, the law says the city can’t have oversight of this, but we must make safety standards.” Councilmember Gale Brewer showed up in person to express her disappointment around the budget cuts for cultural institu-

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tions like libraries and museums. She also decried cuts in day care, noting “child care in this neighborhood falls into the highincome zone. The slots by ACF serve 4,700 kids; this could fall to 1,500 slots, which is not good news for working parents.” Brewer also noted that the $14 million renovation of the 59th Street Recreation Center should be completed by the end of the fall. Later, Congressman Jerrold Nadler arrived to speak at length about the national budget. The news was not good. After explaining that redistricting had found him no longer representing areas of Brooklyn including Coney Island, Brighton Beach and Sea Gate, he noted that the new budget was “an incredibly radical document.” The Congressman found issues with the plan to balance the budget but cut taxes by $4.6 trillion over 10 years. “We would get nowhere by cutting Pell Loans, food stamps, housing; it will be savage,” said Nadler. He found unrealistic the plans to cut discretionary spending, noting that this would mean an end to government services from the Weather Bureau to cancer research, education, housing and more. Rather than closing all tax loopholes, many of which help the middle class, Nadler called for higher tax brackets for the rich. He also filed an amendment against a bill that would eliminate all funding for mass transit, which he said was “larded with poison pills.” Nadler closed by informing his constituents of a possible government shutdown on October 1 and bemoaned the partisanship that has immobilized the legislature. But he looked optimistically at the future, saying, “Hopefully the next election will give people the ability to make some decisions. I expected when I joined Congress that I would be fighting anti-abortion legislation; I never expected it now.”

NEW BOARD MEMBERS WELCOMED Benfatto then delivered the District Manager report, saying that at long last, Jamestown Properties submitted their ULURP certification for review for the expansion of the Chelsea Market (certification was granted on April 9). He also noted that CB4 was working to reduce glare from the 43rd Street Jumbotron, that Bowery

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Resident’s Committee (BRC) workers would now be wearing orange shirts on patrol and that the water tunnel project would result in five years of torn-up streets in Hell’s Kitchen. Board Chair Johnson then introduced 10 of the 11 new board members. Mackintosh noted that, per the new by-laws, officers would be nominated in June and voted on via paper ballots, and that new members would serve an 18-month term. “A lot of them are new faces; I know three from working with them on other things,” said Benfatto. “I know Tina DiFeliciantonio from working with the BRC’s Community Advisory Committee, and she is a good community person.” DiFeliciantonio, an Emmy and Sundanceaward-winning filmmaker of movies about war, HIV/AIDS, and LGBT civil rights at Naked Eye Productions, said, “I am looking forward to being a source for social justice. I think it is important to listen to all sides in learning what all the issues are, not just what I think they are.” Benfatto also knew parent Katherine Consuelo-Johnson from the four years she served on the PS51 Task Force, which dealt with building a new school in Hell’s Kitchen. Bruce MacAffer, 47, who has an advertising background at WPP Group USA, noted that he was interested in land use issues and the arts. “I’m excited to have someone with a labor perspective, especially since we’re have a significant number of new hotels go up in the area,” said Johnson about Miranda Nelson, 26, who works for New York Hotel Trades Council. Newcomer Elizabeth Zechella will employ the savvy she uses as editor at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, about which Johnson noted, “It’s always good to have someone with an arts and culture perspective, especially because we have so much of that in CB4.” David Warren will share the expertise he has gained as a staff analyst for the New York Fire Department, and via his work on transportation issues in Hell’s Kitchen. “Frank has been active in the West 44th Street Block Association, and we’re always

Continued on page 12

Classic Modern Dance Taught By Award Winning Mary Anthony and Staff Shaun Smith, Jay Crane 736 Broadway - 7th Floor 212-674-8191

Five $1,000 Class Scholarships Awarded for Spring/Summer Schedule For Details: ashleypi@aol.com Studio Concert June 16 at 8pm & June 17 at 3pm Student/Alumni Choreography Casting in Progress for Charles Weidman's Delightful “Fables for Our Times”

April 18 - May 1, 2012

New CB4 board members introduced Continued from page 11 excited to have active block association members come and be part of CB4,” said Johnson of attorney Frank Holozubiec, who brings a deep understanding of the legal issues CB4 often broaches. Outspoken member Delores Rubin shares her knowledge of finance, and as a resident at 57th Street, represents the interests of the northern border of CB4. Also excited to join the board were Democratic Club activist Khemraj Singh, an advocate for the elderly and small business, retired teacher and “diehard community activist” Charles Bayor and Aldona McCarthy, also retired. “Aldona lives in The Orion on 42nd Street, one of the new, large rental buildings, and although she hasn’t been in the neigh-

‘Frank has been active in the West 44th Street Block Association, and we’re always excited to have active block association members come and be part of CB4,’ said Johnson of attorney Frank Holozubiec, who brings a deep understanding of the legal issues CB4 often broaches. borhood for a huge amount of time, she has been really involved in issues related to 42nd Street,” said Johnson. Benfatto said that new members would be assigned to committees in June, when all board members will be asked to reapply, except chairs. “We usually have people give us their

Photo by Winnie McCroy

Congressman Jerrold Nadler informs CB4 members about upcoming budget cuts.

top four choices, and we try to get them into their top two,” said Benfatto. “We don’t like committees to have more than 13 or 14 people, because quorums become difficult.” Benfatto said that new board members will vote in the June paper ballot elections for the new slate of officers, but noted that likely only one of the officer positions will be vacant.

LATE IN GAME, AGENDA ITEMS TACKLED With the meeting already an hour over its scheduled end time, board members then tackled the 19 agenda items. They quickly voted to send letters of support to the State Liquor Authority for five new businesses,

including a smaller lobby bar within Marble Lane, and allowing a 16-table outdoor café at Anejo Tequileria, despite initial concerns about sidewalk blockage. After much discussion on Item 6 — the proposed EMS location — board members delivered a verdict of “denial unless,” via a roll call vote. Board members including Paul Ceres and Firfer were uncomfortable endorsing the station in this residential area. Johnson believed it was “a political reality,” while Pamela Wolff called it “a square peg in a round hole.” Board members insisted that the FDNY must investigate SurePower technology that would allow the ambulances to be batterypowered instead of emitting exhaust fumes while idling. They demanded that a search for a more appropriate location be conducted, and insisted that strong language be included stating that the location was not permanent. They also wanted an enclosed garage with adequate ventilation. Calls for a letter to Speaker Quinn outlining these demands was eventually withdrawn, as the facility will have to go through the ULURP process, which will place it before City Council in the end. The board passed Items 7 and 8, letters to the Landmarks Preservation Committee, with little discussion. Item 7 dealt with a denial of a proposal to replace the twin round-headed dormers on the rear of 357 West 20th Street with a large, single dormer. Item 8 dealt with proposed changes to the Chelsea Hotel at 222 West 23rd Street. The letter gave approval to replace existing

windows and the Chelsea Hotel sign, but denied a proposed 3,800 square foot rooftop addition. These proposed additions were also rejected in an April 10 letter to the Landmarks Preservation Committee from Nadler, Quinn, Stringer, Duane and Gottfried, who cited that the proposed materials were “not contextual with the original façade,” noting, “There is a clear case that this modification would detract from the historic character and qualities of the building which make it such a prominent landmark.” After much discussion about traffic, pedestrian safety, and bike safety, the board passed Item 9, a letter to the Department of Transportation (DOT) regarding extending bike lanes on Eighth and Ninth Avenues. There was some consternation about Items 10-14, letters to the Street Activity Permit Office regarding street fairs. Despite early support, the board denied closings of streets leading up to the Lincoln Tunnel for the Hunter College MFA Thesis Show and a Memorial Day anniversary party on 42nd Street for Holy Cross. In a vote of 22-19, the board voted to oppose the street fair, but offer 43rd Street instead. Item 15, a May 19 street fair for PS11’s PTA, passed. Items 16-18 were passed with minimal discussion, and dealt with a letter to the BSA for Physical Culture Establishment, changes to by-laws, and the DOT 34th Street Transitway. The next full board meeting of CB4 will be held on May 2 at Roosevelt Hospital, 1000 10th Avenue. For info, visit nyc.gov/mcb4.

April 18 - May 1, 2012

April 18 - May 1, 2012 BY BONNIE ROSENSTOCK “Xingu” (pronounced “shingoo”) is a major river in northern Brazil, a tributary of the Amazon. Co-writer/director Cao Hamburger loosely based his film on the real-life saga of the three Villas-Boas brothers. Orlando (Felipe Camargo), Cláudio (João Miguel) and Leonardo (Caio Blat) spent almost two decades struggling to create the Xingu National Park in the state of Mato Grosso, the first major Indian reservation in Brazil. In 1943, the 20-something, upper-middle-class adventure-seekers signed on to a trailblazing expedition through central Brazil. One of the group’s first missions was to build an airstrip in the wilderness. But first, they must make contact with tribes

XINGU Feature Narrative Directed by Cao Hamburger Screenplay by Elena Soarez, Cao Hamburger and Anna Muylaert In Portuguese with English subtitles Runtime: 102 Minutes Sat. 4/21, 9:30pm, Tues. 4/24, 4pm & Sat. 4/28, 7pm at Clearview Cinemas Chelsea. Mon. 4/23, 3pm at AMC Loews Village.

Photo by Lois Siegel

Dylan Smith as the guy with the nasty nocturnal cravings.

BY TRAV S.D. Certain movies are much better than their titles give them credit for. Off the top of my head, “The Thing from Another World,” “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” and “Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx” all spring to mind. Such is the case, too, with “Eddie — The Sleepwalking Cannibal.” Don’t get me wrong. This is most definitely a film about a sleepwalking cannibal named Eddie — but it’s also about the guilt that artists have in consuming the lives of others in order to produce their work. Thure Lindhardt (“Pelle The Conqueror,” “The Neverending Story”) plays Lars Olafssen, a once-hot Danish painter who has arrived at a provincial (in both senses) Canadian art school to clear his head and teach. Having hit a dry spell since his breakthrough success a decade earlier, Lars is asked

Don’t get me wrong. This is most definitely a film about a sleepwalking cannibal named Eddie — but it’s also about the guilt that artists have in consuming the lives of others in order to produce their work. to care for a troubled mute man named Eddie (Dylan Smith), the son of one of the school’s benefactors. Since he can’t speak, it’s hard to tell if Eddie is mentally challenged, crazy or both — but it becomes apparent that some-

EDDIE — THE SLEEPWALKING CANNIBAL Feature Narrative Written & Directed by Boris Rodriguez Runtime: 83 minutes Fri. 4/20, 8:30pm at Clearview Cinemas Chelsea. Sat. 4/21, 11:30pm & Sat. 4/28, 11:59pm at AMC Loews Village.

thing is definitely off when dismembered animals start appearing under Eddie’s window every morning. At first, Lars is shocked. Then it turns out to be a stimulant to his imagination, allowing him to paint again. And then, you know how it is…one thing leads to another and soon Lars is encouraging Eddie to make a lot of bad people go away. Boris Rodriguez wrote and directed this over-the-top black comedy, a Danish-Canadian co-production which echoes past classics. It owes a lot to one of my personal favorites, Roger Corman’s “A Bucket of Blood” (the original serial-killing-artist satire). The gradual transformation of Lars from a reasonable human being into a monster far worse than Eddie turns it into a sort of horror noir — and the fact that we manage to feel sympathy for him in the end is a hat trick that calls to mind yet another horror classic (“The Fly”). The most distinctive element of all may well be David Burns’ interesting score, which distorts familiar melodies into sickening dissonances. If you’re inured to the sight of tumbling arms and legs by now, perhaps a soundtrack that sounds like it’s being played on melted records will get you reaching for the barf bag. Remember, it ain’t horror if no one goes running for the exits!

Photo by Beatriz Lefèvre

Three brothers go up the river, for 20 years.

that had never before seen white people. In a tense first encounter standoff, the courageous and levelheaded brothers diffused the tension without casualties on either side. However, the encounter proved fatal, as the Indians contracted the white man’s flu, which wiped out half the village. From this tragic experience, the brothers — now expedition leaders — pledged to protect the rights of the Indians and their diverse cultures while opening the interior to Brazilian and foreign interests. “We’ll be the poison and the antidote,” said Claudio. The brothers forged deep friendships based on mutual trust and respect during the 20 years they traversed the selva, encountering tribes assumed to be fierce and unfriendly. In scene after scene of village life — well-woven thatched huts, semi-naked people with simple needs, wants, shy smiles and generosity — the brothers resolve, while sometimes faltering, is ultimately strength-

ened. Hamburger’s 2006 award-winning film, “The Year My Parents Went on Vacation,” took on a tragic chapter in Brazilian history (the year 1970, in the middle of the military junta’s 20-year rule). With “Xingu,” he has made an important biopic, which not only celebrates the work of the brothers, but also humanizes and gives voice to the indigenous peoples. Adriano Goldman’s camerawork of lush jungle and meandering rivers, which the expedition navigates to get from one new village to another, complements the project. While there is cause to celebrate this important 51st anniversary, Indian land is still under siege. The construction of the Belo Monte dam on the river in the state of Pará, the third-largest hydroelectric project in the world, would leave indigenous communities along a 62-mile stretch without water, fish or river transport. Who speaks for them now?

April 18 - May 1, 2012

FRANCOPHRENIA (OR: DON’T KILL ME, I KNOW WHERE THE BABY IS)

manic killer also called Franco. His thoughts increasingly switch between those of an actor (who finds himself on a strange film set as if abruptly woken from a dream) to those of an aggressive killer seeking revenge. As a result, the soap’s over-dramatized storyline involving kidnapping and murder becomes

Feature Narrative Directed by Ian Olds and James Franco Screenplay by Paul Felten

Rather than bathing in his celebrity, Franco has chosen to explore its inherent irrationality in various art projects. In this particular film, he does so with a sense of humor that still allows for a dark undercurrent.

Runtime: 70 Minutes Sun. 4/22, 5:30pm at SVA Theater. Tues. 4/24, 8:30pm & Sat. 4/28, 12pm at Clearview Cinemas Chelsea.

BY STEPHANIE BUHMANN In 2010, James Franco participated in a one-night-only shoot for General Hospital, which was held at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. It is as unusual for a popular Hollywood star to make an appearance in a soap opera as it is for a leading cultural institution to host such an event. By presenting his experimental “Francophrenia” at the Tribeca Film Festival, Franco now reveals his ulterior motive. On the day of the shoot, he showed up on set with his own film team in tow. They followed him closely, compiling no less than 40 hours worth of behind-the-scenes footage. Franco later hired award-winning filmmaker and editor Ian Olds and screenwriter Paul Felten to sift through the material and come up with their own storyline. In collaboration with Franco, who allowed them total

TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL DIRECTORY SINGLE TICKETS: Evening & Weekend screenings (after 6pm, Mon.-Fri. and Sat./Sun. prior to 11pm) are $16. Matinee & Late Night screenings (prior to 6pm, Mon.Fri. or after 11pm daily) are $8. Tribeca Talks are $25. VENUES: 1 Clearview Cinemas Chelsea (CCC), 260 W. 23rd St. (btw. 7th & 8th Aves.). 2 AMC Loews Village 7 (AV7), 66 Third Ave. (at 11th St.). 3 SVA Theater (SVA), 333 W. 23rd St. (btw. 8th & 9th Aves.). 4 BMCC Tribeca PAC (BMCC), 199 Chambers St. (btw. Greenwich & West Sts.). 5 Tribeca Cinemas (TC), 54 Varick St. (at Laight St.). 6 Apple Store, SoHo, 103 Prince St. (at Greene St.). 7 Chanel Art Awards Gallery at NYAA, 111 Franklin St. 8 Barnes & Noble Union Square, 33 E. 17th St. 9 Tribeca Film Center (TFC), 375 Greenwich St. (2nd floor, btw. N. Moore & Franklin Sts.). 10 Tribeca Drive-In, at the World Financial Center Plaza, West St. (btw. Vesey & Liberty Sts.). 11 Apple Store, 401 West 14th St. (at 9th Ave.). 12 Hudson River Park’s Pier 40, 353 West St. (Houston at West Side Highway). 13 92YTribeca, 200 Hudson St. (btw. Canal & Vestry Sts.).

Photo by Doug Chamberlain

James Franco, left…or a murderous facsimile.

freedom (and, as Olds stated, “never once intervened to defend his celebrity”), they transformed the documentary footage into an avant-garde psychological study. By first intersecting and finally deeply entangling multiple realities, “Francophrenia” investigates notions of illusion and delusions that can manifest through fame. From the start, the viewer follows Franco’s usual routine. He arrives on set, gets prepared by makeup artists, signs autographs for fans,

TICKET PACKAGES: (sold online and by phone only) A HUDSON PASS costs $1,200 and includes access for one to all evening, weekend and matinee/ late night priced screenings, Tribeca Talks and Filmmaker/Industry Lounge. More passes available at tribecafilm.com. DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE for students, seniors and select Downtown Manhattan residents (ticket outlet locations only). Service charges and fulfillment fees may apply. CHELSEA TICKET PACKAGE is $75 for six general screening tickets to films showing at SVA Theater and Clearview Cinemas Chelsea (two per screening). DOCUMENTARY FILM FAN PACKAGE is $75 for six general screening tickets (two per screening). MATINEE FILMS TICKET PACKAGE is $39 for six matinee screening tickets (two per screening). LATE NIGHT/MATINEE SINGLE TICKET PACKAGE is $39 for six single late night or matinee screening tickets (one per screening). EVENING/WEEKEND SINGLE TICKET PACKAGE is $75 for six single evening or weekend screening tickets (one per screening). RUSH TICKETS: Screenings and panels that have no more advance tickets available will be listed as Rush Tickets. Rush ticket lines will form approximately 45 minutes prior to scheduled event times at the venue. Admission will begin approximately 15 minutes before program start time based on availability. Rush tickets are priced as noted above, except at the BMCC Tribeca PAC Theater, where all Rush tickets will be $8 and Tribeca Talks will be $15. No discounts apply and admission is not guaranteed.

waits around for his scene and finally acts out his part according to the director’s demands. By adding a subjective internal monologue (spoken by Olds playing the voice of Franco), the film tricks us into believing that we have access to Franco’s most intimate thoughts. The plot becomes more complicated as the actual shoot of the soap’s episode progresses. Franco the actor slowly turns into the fictitious character he is supposed to play for General Hospital — an artist and

more and more reflected in the dubbed documentary footage. In the end, both worlds seem equally irrational and absurd. Rather than bathing in his celebrity, Franco has chosen to explore its inherent irrationality in various art projects. In this particular film, he does so with a sense of humor that still allows for a dark undercurrent.

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April 18 - May 1, 2012

This is my neighborhood Schechter’s slice of urban life stays close to home

Photo by Richard P. Ulivella

Darryl Wiggins (Tarik Lowe), left, and Nick Berger (Alex Karpovsky) are a film editing duo at personal and professional crossroads.

BY SCOTT STIFFLER Decades after “Taxi Driver” and “Annie Hall” left indelible marks on the silver screen, audiences continue to eagerly consume and digest their iconic visions of NYC. The result? Many who’ve never been to the island (and don’t plan to visit) will forever regard it as a land of foreboding urban decay or whimsical neurosis — or, worse yet, the place where Carrie Bradshaw clones shop, sleep around, sip cocktails and dish, dish, dish. Filmmaker Daniel Schechter — whose “Supporting Characters” takes place in modern day Manhattan — set out to create a film that would give audiences a more realistic, and equally enduring, vision of Gotham. It’s a daunting task to change the popular notions so firmly established by Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen. Even Queens-born Schechter finds it difficult to escape their gravitational pull. When I see New York films,” he notes, “I see a very wealthy, polished ‘Sex and the City’ New York or gritty ’70s urban dramas.” But, the Manhattan resident maintains, “I live a very ordinary, almost middle class life in New York City. These guys,” says Schechter of the two main characters, “don’t make a fortune. They barely get by. They don’t go to the hottest clubs or the trendiest restaurants. There’s none of that in the film.” What “Supporting Characters” does have to offer is a casual, practically mundane rendering of life’s everyday epic struggles — set against a million dollar backdrop that the filmmaker found right outside his doorstep. “My first goal,” he says, “was making a high production value-looking film for practically no money.

Shooting in New York affords you skylines and view you couldn’t do in a rural area. We made the movie for fifty thousand dollars in twelve days…and I don’t think there’s been a [New York] film that looks as good as this.” From park bench conversations to restaurant brainstorming sessions to a striking shot of two friends standing in the middle of a street framed by tall apartment buildings (as a yellow cab whizzes past and clouds hang low in the sky), the film’s title could be as much a reference to the city itself as the characters who find themselves at personal and professional crossroads. Film editing duo Nick (Alex Karpovsky) and Darryl (Tarik Lowe) are thinly veiled versions of real life friends — and “Supporting Characters” screenwriters — Lowe and Schechter. Their bromance is tested when Nick is offered a gig sans his longtime partner — while, unbeknownst to him, Darryl is planting seeds of dissent with the director of their current project. As that project’s flirtatious starlet injects some temptation into Nick’s stable relationship with his girlfriend, Darryl falls for a pop star who may have a hidden agenda of her own. Life’s never-ending editing process soon makes the splicing being applied to the film-within-a-film pale in comparison — as all the characters contemplate the costs and benefits to changes to their own narrative. Schechter’s decision to favor wry realism over the punchlines and pratfalls usually associated with such

Continued on page 17

April 18 - May 1, 2012

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS

‘I live a very ordinary, almost middle class life in New York City. These guys,’ says Schechter of the two main characters, ‘don’t make a fortune. They barely get by. They don’t go to the hottest clubs or the trendiest restaurants. There’s none of that in the film.’

Feature Narrative Runtime: 87 Minutes Directed by Daniel Schechter Screenplay by Tarik Lowe & Daniel Schechter Fri. 4/20, 10pm & Fri. 4/27, 10pm at AMC Loews Village. Sun. 4/22, 6pm at Clearview Cinemas Chelsea.

Continued from page 16 comedies of error pays off — as does the casual, understated way he portrays the city. “Whenever I make a film,” Schechter asserts, “I want to ground it as much in reality as possible so my audience can see what it would be like to live in New York City. It’s a really personal story. I wanted to reflect my life, my friendships and my career…so we shot in the actual locations where these [real life] events took place.” By the time the script was done, Schechter’s own personal trials and tribulations weren’t the only things that served as fodder for what would end up on the screen. “It seemed like every location was written for some place I go, or work at or live,” he recalls. His own apartment ( and those of friends) served as the main characters’ Brooklyn and Union Square domi-

Photo by Richard Ulivella

We can work it out: Darryl Wiggins (Tarik Lowe), left, and Nick Berger (Alex Karpovsky) put their relationship on the chopping block.

ciles. Shooting a scene at the restaurant he frequents for soup dumplings (China Fun, on the Upper West Side) was an easy sell, Schechter recalls. “One day, I was sitting there thinking, why not ask them if we could shoot a scene there.” Soon after, the scene

was in the can — and Schechter found his real and cinematic life blurring. While that may be enough to freak some people out or push them over the edge (see another Tribeca Film Fest entry, “Francophrenia,” for an extreme example), Schechter notes,

“I thought it would be more surreal to see a doppelganger of myself [and my life] than it turned out to be.” After awhile, he says, the shoot for “Supporting Characters,” became like that of every other movie. The filmmaker’s casual disregard for synchronicity will be put to the test when he begins his next project this summer. He’s been tapped to write and direct “Switch.” Based on the Elmore Leonard novel, it’s a prequel to “Jackie Brown” that stars another veteran of Manhattan friendships — Jennifer Aniston.

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April 18 - May 1, 2012

Beyond the red carpet Tribeca fest more then the sum of its flickering parts BY SCOTT STIFFLER During the April 18-29 run of the Tribeca Film Festival, you’ll be able to hunker down in a stadium seat, sink your choppers into a tub of popcorn and not come up for air until the sprawling event has presented 89 features and 60 short films (most of them, several times over). Just beyond the red carpet arrivals, the world premieres and the freewheeling Q&As that follow many screenings, there’s an equally packed schedule of outdoor events and panel discussions. For much more information, visit tribecafilm.com.

TRIBECA FAMILY FESTIVAL STREET FAIR Greenwich Street, from Hubert to Chambers, will be packed with food, games, activities and entertainment — and not a single vendor hawking cheap sunglasses in sight. That’s what sets this annual spring event far apart from the crowded field of cookie cutter street fairs poised to clog up our city streets, somewhere, pretty much every single weekend throughout this summer. Broadway veterans and emerging Tribeca talent will perform on stages, while local restaurants and merchants will offer the immediate area’s finest foods, refreshments and merchandise. The screening of a classic family-friendly film will be held at BMCC Tribeca PAC (at 199 Chambers Street). At 4pm, at the Tribeca Film Center Screening Room (375 Greenwich Street, 2nd Floor), there will be a special screening of “Freej Folklore” — presented by the Doha Film Institute and directed by Animator and TFF Juror Mohammed Saeed Harib. Tickets are limited, so email ldomnitz@tribecaenterprises.com for reservations, Outside, weather permitting (it rarely rains on this street fair), kids can create kidsized bubbles in the Bubble Garden, dance to live music and channel their inner artists at one of the Arts & Crafts pavilions. FREE. Sat. 4/28, 10am-6pm, on Greenwich St. (from Hubert to Chambers Sts.).

Photo by John Bayles

The Tribeca Film Fest Family Street Fair includes the ESPN Zone for kids interested in shooting some hoops, tossing a few touchdown passes or playing a little street hockey.

Photo courtesy of the Tribeca Film Festival

Kenneth Anger’s “Rabbit’s Moon” will be discussed, and dissected, at a Tribeca Talks panel. Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival

From 2011’s NYFEST Soccer Day.

TRIBECA/ESPN SPORTS DAY The activities include football and cricket training as well as an appearance by former New York Knicks shooting guard John Starks (as well as some mascots and members of other sports teams).

The “Wheels of Freestyle BMX Stunt Show” has BMX riders flying high and performing daring tricks (on North Moore Street, at noon, 1:30pm, 3pm and 4:30pm). This free event happens Saturday, 4/28, from 10am-6pm at North Moore St. (from Greenwich St. to West St.).

TRIBECA/NYFEST SOCCER DAY With its debut last year and return this year, Soccer Day seems locked down to join the Family Festival Street Fair as a regular featured event that encourages the exploration of festival life outside the screening room. Produced by TFF in partnership with NYFEST, this day of soccer and special invites (or, more accurately, challenges) you to “kick it.” Company teams from the film, music, sports, fashion, TV, advertising and design industries will compete in a 5-aside tournament — while the Youth Soccer Showcase provides skill-sharpening drills, pointers and competitions. FREE. Sat. 4/21, 9am-6pm. At Hudson River Park’s Pier 40 (353 W. St.).

TRIBECA TALKS This series of panels and conversations brings together creative minds and big thinkers with one eye on the past one on the present and the other on the future (that’s not fuzzy math, folks, these are all capable multitaskers). Our favorite: “Avant-Garde Masters: A Decade of Film Preservation” celebrates the 10 Anniversary of the Avant-Garde Masters grants — which were created in 2003 by the National Film Preservation Foundation and The Film Foundation to preserve American Avant-Garde cinema. Among the films screened will be Kenneth Anger’s “Rabbit Moon” (195070), Carolee Schneemann’s “Body Collage” (1967) and George Kuchar’s “Motel Capri” (1986). Afterwards, filmmakers Carolee Schneemann, Abigail Child and Larry Gottheim participate in a conversation with Tribeca Film Festival experimental film programmer Jon Gartenberg (moderated by Assistant Director of the National Film Preservation Foundation Jeff Lambert. On Sat. 4/21, 5:30pm at Chelsea’s SVA Theater (on 23rd St., between 8th and 9th Aves.). For ticketing info, visit tribecafilm. com.

April 18 - May 1, 2012

Photo by Edan Sasson

Asia Naifeld, as Anna, demands answers.

ROOM 514 Feature Narrative Written & Directed by Sharon Bar-Ziv In Hebrew & Russian with English subtitles Runtime: 90 Minutes Sat. 4/21, 7pm & Thurs. 4/26, 3pm at AMC Loews Village. Sun. 4/22, 9:45pm at Clearview Cinemas Chelsea.

BY TRAV S.D. “Room 514” is a laudable attempt by first time writer/director Sharon Bar-Ziv to talk about the complexities of the unsolvable tangle of the Israel-Palestine crisis. Anna (Asia Naifeld) is a deceptively pretty interrogator for Israeli military police who has taken it upon herself to investigate claims that patrolling soldiers abused a Palestinian family. Her relentless pursuit of answers takes her up the food chain from a low-level sergeant (Guy Kapul), to the commander of a special unit (Udi Persi), to a General Major (Rafi Kalmar). Every step of the way she is being pressured by her own superior officer (Ohad Hall) to close the file on the investigation, which of course only strengthens her resolve to continue. There are plenty of interesting elements here. Anna and her supervisor are lovers, and he’s about to get married — adding nice cross currents to the dynamic. The fact that she is a woman adds another layer of tension beyond that caused by the Palestine question. Each man she deals with treats her with an arrogance they would never show to a male inquisitor in the same situation. Anna must use every arrow in her quiver to throw them. When intimidation doesn’t work, she uses feminine tactics. There are many challenges here for the actors to tackle, and I don’t really see any missteps from them (although a couple of them seem too young for their roles).

Especially well written are some of the impassioned speeches the soldiers make in their own defense, which shows a largeness of spirit on the part of Bar-Ziv since his point of view is obviously closer to Anna’s. The main problem with the film is that there’s too little on the screen. As a defender (and even an advocate) of low-budget cinema, this may be the first time I have ever had this particular problem with a film. “Room 514” feels like it really wants to be a play. As the title implies, almost all of it takes place within the elevator-sized interrogation Room 514, which is barely large enough to contain a desk, a filing cabinet and two chairs. If the entire movie had been set there, there might have been some justification (it might have been seen as a gimmick, a challenge on the part of the filmmaker). But there are also several scenes staged on a bus, which makes it seem less an artistic

But the camera doesn’t lie, and we can’t help but have a strong sense that there is nothing outside that room. How can there be war out there if there isn’t even an outer office? choice than an economic one. Particularly worrisome were scenes where the interrogated officers enter the room, armed, and hand their weapons over to her. Surely they have some better procedure for this? Something outside the room. But the camera doesn’t lie, and we can’t help but have a strong sense that there is nothing outside that room. How can there be war out there if there isn’t even an outer office?

April 18 - May 1, 2012

Finding a festival within a field of 5,950 New TFF programming team, on making the cut BY ALINE REYNOLDS Although the 10th anniversary of 9/11 has come and gone, the Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) — launched in 2002 to help revitalize a neighborhood shattered by the terrorist attacks — continues to thrive as an internationally recognized event that showcases films from all parts of the globe. Since its inception, TFF has hosted upwards of 3.5 million theatergoers and has generated approximately $725 million in economic activity for New York City. The festival turns 11 this year with a new programming team of seasoned film curators and movie aficionados who chose 150 films from a record number of 5,950 submissions (including nearly 3,100 features and 2,900 shorts). TFF’s new artistic director, Frederic Boyer, recently ran the Directors’ Fortnight at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. “Programmers not only need to have good taste, they need to have a deep pool of contacts, [which Boyer has,]” said TFF Executive Director Nancy Schafer. Many of this year’s films are by firsttime filmmakers, and more than 50 of them are world premieres, according to new Programming Director Genna Terranova. The themes range from psychological and action thrillers to love tales to documentaries. Nine of them, including four feature films and five shorts, are available for viewing on the

festival’s revamped website, tribecafilm.com. Four additional shorts will be available for viewing, starting April 25, once they’ve had their world premieres at the festival. This season, the festival is also putting on its usual activities targeting the local community, including the Tribeca Drive-In, the Family Festival Street Fair, the Tribeca/ ESPN Sports Day and the second annual Tribeca/NYFEST Soccer Day. To select this year’s feature films and shorts, which represent 46 different countries, Terranova and her team traveled around the world to view them and then spent hours upon hours discussing them to reach a consensus about whether or not they would make the final cut. The programmers don’t go into the screenings with a set agenda, Terranova noted. “It’s a bit of an organic process,” she said. “It’s never really forced. You want to go in with a clean slate and try and experience every film for what it is.” The challenge comes when the programmers must explain why they thought a particular film worked, said Terranova, deeming it an “imperfect science” that is comparable to alchemy or wine tasting. “I think there’s a matter of personal taste, but I wouldn’t say it’s a completely subjective process,” she said. “The films are put through too rigorous of a screening process.”

Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival

New Programming Director Genna Terranova logged lots of couch time to help whittle down the record number of hopefuls for this year’s TFF.

“In the end,” Terranova added, “the filmmakers are the true tastemakers.” As the program gets filled, the programmers become increasingly selective as they strategize about what types of films are missing, Terranova said. “There’s a balancing act that goes on,” she said. “If we have 10 movies from one country [for example], maybe we should think about what other countries have quality movies.” The programmers make a point of cultivating rapport with filmmakers from the getgo so that, following each TFF, they continue

said Terranova, “all we can rely on is finding quality films and help launch them on whatever journey they’re going to go on — whether it’s distribution, more film festivals or university tours.” As in previous years, the programmers settled on a modest count of TFF films to show on the web this year since, while wishing to expand digitally, the festival’s free web-viewing feature is in no way meant to undercut the live experience of going to the theater. “It’s not meant to replace the festival that’s actually happening on the ground,” commented Schafer. “We’ve chosen the four [feature-length] films because we believe they create an interesting film festival experience online.” Schafer and Terranova have no shortterm plans to wind down the festival’s live element and go completely digital. If anything, they said, smartphones and the Internet have strengthened the movie-going experience by compelling filmmakers and festival curators to nurture a countermovement to web entertainment. “I feel like every time we step further into the virtual world, someone else is also stepping forward in the real-life world,” said Terranova. Moving into the digital realm, she said, has been a “natural evolution.” “We’re thinking about expanding the different ways people are storytelling and exploring what’s happening with narrative in a different medium.” TFF also has no plans to do away with its local, interactive events, which attract hundreds of thousands of parents and children each year. This season, the festival is aiming for a turnout of 300,000 to 400,000 people for its annual Family Festival Street Fair on April 28, the last Saturday of the TFF season.

Schafer and Terranova have no short-term plans to wind down the festival’s live element and go completely digital. If anything, they said, smartphones and the Internet have strengthened the movie-going experience by compelling filmmakers and festival curators to nurture a countermovement to web entertainment. to support their work through media visibility and distribution. Tribeca Enterprises’ distribution branch Tribeca Film releases an estimated 25 movies per year through videoon-demand cable providers as well as on DVD, premium TV and in theaters. “It’s really to try to make this experience go across the country,” said Terranova. Gauging a film’s success post-TFF screening is difficult, she noted, since it entails predicting the forces of a constantly shifting marketplace. “Because everything changes so quickly,”

The Tribeca Drive-In, held April 19-21, will present screenings of the classic 1970s thriller “Jaws,” the 1980s adventure-comedy “Goonies” and the 2007 sports documentary “Knuckleball.” All three evenings will offer games and activities inspired by the featured movies, including pitching clinics by New York Mets starting pitcher R.A. Dickey and former New York Yankees pitcher Jim Bouton. The events are first-come, first-served, and all activities are free of charge. For more information, visit tribecafilm.com.

April 18 - May 1, 2012

DEATH OF A SUPERHERO Feature Narrative Directed by Ian Fitzgibbon Screenplay by Anthony McCarten Runtime: 94 Minutes Fri. 4/27, 3pm & Sat. 4/28, 7:30pm at Clearview Cinemas Chelsea. Sun. 4/29, 1pm at AMC Loews Village.

BY STEPHANIE BUHMANN Donald is a teenager with striking artistic talent. Most of his graphic drawings depict a mysterious superhero who fights various evil villains. These ink fantasies fill his books, cover the occasional city wall and increasingly preoccupy his thoughts. We soon learn why fiction and reality frequently blur in Donald’s world — and why he’s raging with anger. Having been diagnosed with cancer, Donald has long realized that he is doomed (although his parents are still fighting for a glimpse of optimism). Outraged and frightened by the fact that he

Donald (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and his alter ego prowl the streets.

that always ends with death,” he announces to his psychologist (who was hired by his desperate parents to stop him from suicide).

Outraged and frightened by the fact that he has no control over his life, and by the fact that he will never be able to experience an adult life, Donald seeks refuge in cynicism. has no control over his life, and by the fact that he will never be able to experience adulthood, Donald seeks refuge in cynicism. “Life is nothing but a sexually transmitted disease

the little amount of time he has left is precious. Life is life, no matter how long it lasts, and it surely needs living. Tides turn for Donald when he meets a girl in school, who does not approach him like a victim but rather as someone she finds attractive. He falls in love — and though he has to pass several hurdles to keep her close, Donald finally finds a reason to be thankful. An exceptional film stylistically, and in its ability to tell a sad story without relying on clichés, “Death of a Superhero” infuses beauti-

fully rendered animated fantasy sequences into a realistic storyline. Donald’s anger initially provokes both empathy and criticism. Yes, we can understand his devastation — yet we cannot help but judge his many outbursts, especially when they destroy things or hurt the people who love him. Rather than siding with him from the start, we get to know him slowly. As we come to understand his fears, we find ourselves rooting for him wholeheartedly.

An extraordinary study of helplessness, the film quickly makes us understand that Donald is right. He will not win his fight against cancer. The challenge is to make him understand that

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April 18 - May 1, 2012

are now in their 70s to late 90s and living in Paris, Marseilles and across Algeria. The Jews fled their homeland during and after the bloody war. “It was the suitcase or the coffin,” one displaced musician recalled. Then Muslims from the Casbah were relocated, their neighborhood left to crumble and disintegrate. Chaabi (pronounced sha-bee) has been described as a rhythmic cocktail of European and Arabic traditions — classical Andalusian music carried to North Africa from the Jewish/Arab expulsion from Spain in 1492,

plus Berber melodies and religious chants. It is sweet, mournful, nostalgic, deeply emotional. The lyrics (translated in the subtitles) are surprisingly conservative, but also feisty and provocative. They sing of injustice, betrayal, spiritual, moral and political corruption, exile, loss, God’s and man’s retribution, freedom, independence — and, of course, love and lots of drinking. It is a sublime blending of traditional percussion and stringed instruments and flute (plus piano for concerts), and that ethereal, guttural North African voice. No electric instruments

(unlike hip, urban rai) are permitted. Chaabi, which means “people” or “folk” in Algerian, originated in the poor and working class Casbah (old part of the city), where Muslims and Jews lived, worked and played side by side. (Christians and Europeans lived elsewhere in the city.) Concerts took place in concert halls and theaters, at festivals and weddings, as well as in barbershops, cafes, brothels and cannabis dens, giving it its populist roots. In addition to the nostalgic interviews and wonderful music, cinematographer Nuria Roldos uses her exquisite camera skills to explore all the nooks and crannies of the narrow, winding Casbah streets, as if we were walking besides the old-timers, stopping from time to time to remember and reminisce. Comparisons to “Buena Vista Social Club” are inevitable. Old guys, a long forgotten musical form rediscovered by independent filmmaker, accolades, recording contract, tours, CDs. It has that going for it (including the tours and CD), but it is so much more. It a heart-warming and heartwrenching 50-year history of a country, of two peoples, old friends, shattered lives of suffering and sacrifice. El Gusto means pleasure or passion — and the name given to the revitalized 42-member orchestra, featuring the original musicians with younger talents. And as one thrilled veteran commented, “On the El Gusto ship, you’ll always be content.” If the movie doesn’t make you tear up, you have no gusto.

The film’s producer and narrator, Keanu Reeves, sits down with an astounding number of Hollywood insiders at their workplace and elicits candid opinions on the state of filmmaking (past and present) to learn, in his words, “the impact on motion pictures and the way stories are conceived, created, and experienced.” Master craftsmen interviewed include directors and cinematographers who frequently collaborate — such as Martin Scorsese and Michael Ballhaus (“The Departed,” “Goodfellas”) and Danny Boyle and Anthony Dod Mantle (“127 Hours,” “Slumdog Millionaire”). A relentless stream of sound bites from the interviews, combined with educational footage on film equipment and processes,

form a narrative that takes viewers through a history of film mediums and techniques. A broad picture is created by also questioning actors, curators, 3D experts, camera manufacturers and many others. There is a nod to inclusivity with interviews of female cinematographers Ellen Kuras (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”) and Reed Morano (“Frozen River”) as well as African-

had the agility to hike through the jungles of Bolivia to shoot “Che.” Not everyone is happy that the industry is moving away from traditional methods, particularly the relatively young director, Christopher Nolan, and his frequent cinematographer Wally Pfister (“Inception,” “The Dark Knight”). It seems inevitable that 35mm film will

EL GUSTO Feature Documentary Written & Directed by Safinez Bousbia In French and Arabic with English subtitles Runtime: 88 Minutes Mon. 4/23, 8:30pm at AMC Loews Village. Tues. 4/24, 6:45pm & Sat. 4/28, 3pm at Clearview Cinemas Chelsea. BY BONNIE ROSENSTOCK When Safinez Bousbia wandered into Mohamed Ferkioui’s cluttered antique shop in the Casbah of Algiers (the capital of Algeria) in 2003, to inquire about a mirror, little did she suspect that she would find herself embarking on a two-year quest which would unite old friends and change many lives. Craftsman and musician Ferkioui, 83, regaled the Algerian-born filmmaker (who lives abroad) with tales of chaabi music. He showed her precious memorabilia — including photographs of a music class from the 1940s where Muslim and Jewish musicians played together, before the Algerian revolution against the French (1954-1962) tore them apart and destroyed their beloved music. Her interest piqued, Bousbia began searching for the surviving members, who

SIDE BY SIDE Feature Documentary Runtime: 99 Minutes Directed by Chris Kenneally Tues. 4/24, 8:30pm at SVA Theater. Thurs. 4/26, 7pm, Fri. 4/27, 2:30pm & Sat. 4/28, 4pm at AMC Loews Villager. BY RANIA RICHARDSON Celluloid or digital film — which is the better format? Directors, cinematographers, editors and other film professionals weigh in on the question in Chris Kenneally’s densely packed new documentary.

Photo by Jakie King

Safinez Bousbia’s visit to a cluttered antique shop led to a two-year quest.

Photo by Chris Cassidy

Reeves and Scorsese invite you to join the digital age.

American Bradford Young (“Pariah”). Analog filmmaking is rapidly becoming obsolete, due to the ease, speed and economic advantages of working with new technologies. Even films shot on celluloid are now edited and visually enhanced digitally, and often projected that way. Director Steven Soderbergh, who regularly acts as his own cameraman, says that without the smaller, lighter cameras he would not have

join vinyl records and newsprint as a marker of a romanticized past, of quality over convenience. Nevertheless, the continual improvement of digital systems convinces holdouts to embrace a new world — even if they still fight for the richer images of celluloid which, as it turns out, will last longer in the archives. As resolution and overall on-screen image improve, though, it looks like there is no turning back.

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April 18 - May 1, 2012

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES BY SCOTT STIFFLER

auction, 6pm; performance, 7pm. At The Kitchen Performance Space (512 W.19th St., btw. 10th & 11th Aves.). For tickets ($30 to $100), visit arts-for-all.org or call 212-591-6108.

ARTS FOR ALL SPRING BENEFIT

10TH AVENUE “BLOCK PARTY”

Help support Arts For All — a non-profit that matches professional artists with youth organizations to reach children ages 4-19 who have little means, or opportunity, to explore the arts due to economic disadvantages, physical and mental disabilities, hospitalization, socialization issues or emotional trauma. Their 4th Annual Spring Benefit (“Growing Up, Reaching Out”) features a reception, a silent auction and a cabaret performance. Sun., April 29. Reception and

They’re not closing down the street and selling funnel cakes and tube socks — but several businesses along 10th Avenue are celebrating Earth Day with special events. Stroll the sidewalks and bask in the warm glow of free stuff! On Sunday, April 22, start your jaunt at Appellation Wine & Spirits (156 10th Ave. btw. 19th & 20th Sts.) with a complimentary biodynamic wine tasting (3-6pm). From 2-3pm at Story (144 10th Ave. at 19th St.), take their “BD 101” tutorial, with the importers of biodynamic producer Château Maris. At Moran’s (146 10th Ave. btw. 19th & 20th Sts.), receive a complimentary mojito cocktail with any entrée ordered between 3-6 pm — and at Cookshop (156 10th Ave. at 20th St.), receive a complimentary Highline Ramp cocktail with any reservation starting from 5:30pm. For more info, visit appellationnyc. com, thisisstory.com, moransrestaurant.com and cookshopny.com.

(To submit an event, send an email to scott@chelseanowcom.)

TALK: “THE LION & THE JOURNALIST” Photo by Steven Barall

Arts For All’s benefit promises a good time, for a good cause.

Photo courtesy of Appellation Wine & Spirits

Appellation’s biodynamic wine tasting is a fine way to celebrarte Earth Day.

and the author’s great granduncle, Joseph Bucklin Bishop. The event takes place, fittingly, at the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace (a National Historic Site). The author’s book is informed by more than his blood relation to half of the subject matter. Bishop (Chip, that is) serves on the executive committee of the Theodore Roosevelt Association, New England Chapter. Sat., April 28, 2pm. At the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace (28 E. 20th St., btw. Broadway & Park Ave.). Space is limited, reservations required (call 212-260-1616). Visit nps.gov/thrb.

were running.” Additional program works include “O Virtus Sapientiae,” by conductor and composer Karen P. Thomas and “Six Songs for Female Chorus,” by Sergei Rachmaninoff. Artistic Director Cynthia Powell conducts. Sun. April 29, 4pm & Sat. May 5, 8pm. At Church of the Holy Apostles (296 Ninth Ave. at W. 28th St.). For tickets ($20 in advance, $25 at the door; $15, advance, for students/seniors), call 800-838-3006 or visit melodiawomenschoir.org. For info, call 212252-4134.

Chip Bishop’s 2011 book “The Lion and the Journalist” concerns the quarter century friendship between our 26th president

Photo courtesy of Melodia Women’s Choir of NYC

Melodia Women’s Choir performs rarely heard music.

SAGE WOMEN’S “SPRING FEVER” DANCE

Image courtesy of the publisher

Bully for him: Chip Bishop opines on our 26th President.

MELODIA WOMEN’S CHOIR Melodia Women’s Choir of New York City’s ninth season concludes with “Colors of the Sun.” Featuring rarely heard music for women’s voices, the selections include Johannes Somary’s rarely heard “Many Colored Brooms” (which takes its name from the opening line of Emily Dickinson’s poem “She sweeps with many-colored Brooms”). Dickinson’s work is also featured in contemporary British choral and opera composer Jonathan Dove’s “It sounded as if the Streets

The “best women’s dance in NYC” earned that laurel, and plans to keep it, by welcoming women of all ages and all backgrounds to swing and sway into the spring season. The event is sponsored by SAGE, which is dedicated to improving the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults. Tonight, they do that to a beat you can dance to. DJ Nancy B spins hip-wigglin’ music from the past and present — and those available as a dance partner can pick up a red dot (or a bunch of them) to indicate that fact. The Dance Raffle offers cash, dinner for two at popular restaurants and other choice gifts. Sun. April 29, 3:30-8:30pm. At LQ Nightclub (511 Lexington Ave. at 48th St.). Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 general admission at the door. $15 for students (to preorder, call 212-741-2247 or visit sageusa. org/womensdance). Proceeds go to SAGE (Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders) to help provide assistance to GLBT seniors.

April 18 - May 1, 2012

Army agrees to hold Chen trials on U.S. soil BY ALINE REYNOLDS Community advocates and elected officials involved in the Danny Chen case have scored a major victory by helping to persuade the U.S. Army to hold the trials of eight soldiers implicated in the soldier’s apparent suicide on U.S. soil. Last week, Army officials announced that the courts-martial, which were scheduled to begin earlier this month at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan, will instead be administered at the Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina. The military’s decision about the trials’ locale follows months of petitioning by the New York chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA-NY) to have the trials moved to the U.S. “This is a welcome victory for the community and the family,” said OCA-NY President Elizabeth OuYang at an April 12 press conference at the organization’s Chinatown offices. “It’ll be easier for our community to get there, and it’ll be easier for the family to get there. The family deserves to be there, and the public needs to see what’s going on, in order for there to be legitimacy to this process.” Making the courts-martial accessible to Chen’s parents and other relatives is one of the main reasons why the Army decided to hold them on U.S. turf, according to Colonel Kevin Arata, chief public affairs officer at Fort Bragg. The Army had previously advised the family against

Downtown Express photo by Aline Reynolds

At a press conference last week, community advocates and elected officials praised the U.S. Army’s decisison to hold the trials of the soldiers accused in the death of Chinatown resident Danny Chen in North Carolina rather than Afghanistan.

traveling to Afghanistan for the trials for safety reasons. Another factor was that Chen’s unit is being redeployed back to America this week, Arata noted. Holding the trials in Afghanistan, therefore, “would involve keeping people deployed [overseas] for more than one year, which is not congruent with our timeline,” he said. Chen’s grieving parents were comforted by the news. “When she heard the news, her heart felt so much better,” said Council Member Margaret Chin, translating for Chen’s mother, Su Zhen Chen. “She wants to make sure they bring the eight people back to the U.S. so she could see the trials.” Chin expressed her own thoughts, saying, “I hope that from now on, we can help heal her heart. Together, we got the Army to listen… In North Carolina, the parents will be able to look at these eight people in the face, in their eye, and ask them, ‘Why, why did you do that to Danny?’ And hopefully we’ll get justice.” U.S. Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez also praised the Army’s decision, particularly since the Army wasn’t forthcoming in the weeks after Chen’s death. Velazquez vowed to continue fighting along with the community against the wrongdoings tied to Chen’s death.

Continued on page 26

April 18 - May 1, 2012

NYU block plan a little less ‘super’ Continued from page 7 and get so little in exchange for it,” Berman said. Immediately after the press conference, GVSHP put out a press release noting that the society and NYU Faculty Against the Sexton Plan (FASP) have retained the Gibson Dunn law firm to challenge the NYU 2031 plan. Gibson Dunn’s Randy Mastro and Jim Walden will be working with attorney Alice Greenberg, a former CB2 member, on the matter. “We’re not filing a lawsuit yet,” Berman said. “We’re not at that stage. What we’re doing is fighting the plan as it goes through the review process.” “We need to make sure our voices are heard and fairly represented,” said NYU Professor Mark Crispin Miller, “which is why we have now turned to Gibson Dunn. We did not authorize any elected official to ‘compromise’ on our behalf, which convinced us we need a powerful voice speaking behind us.” Berman said NYU should do what Yale, Harvard and Brown are all doing — focus on developing a satellite campus. “This is not enough,” said Glick. “Although I’m appreciative of the efforts of

Borough President Stringer to negotiate with NYU, the end results are minimal change and do little to negate the devastating impact the NYU 2031 plan will have on the surrounding community. There are no real concessions in this agreement,” she said. Glick said she planned to organize “a large-scale community response to the plan” on Friday, April 20, with details to be announced later. On the north superblock between the two Washington Square Village buildings, under the revision, NYU has agreed not to develop underneath the two parkland strips. This eliminates 185,000 square feet of underground space, or about 25 percent of the below-grade density. As for which, if any, additional parts of the plan might possibly be cut out in subsequent phases of the review, a source close to the Stringer negotiations said, “The entire Mercer building was being negotiated…. Most people think the hotel will be removed from the plan.” The “Zipper Building” still contains an NYU hotel in the proposal. “We can’t forget the commercial overlay east of Washington Square Park,” the source said. “For me, that is not a heavy lift” by the university to drop it from the application, the source said.

Chen trials moved, but a battle remains Continued from page 25 “I’m so proud of the Asian community for coming together and forcing the army to take a hard look as to how we put in place measures that will prevent another death to take place among our soldiers,” said Velazquez. “This is the best reassurance that we can give to any mother or father who confronts the reality that one of their children might be joining the army.” Last October, Chen, a 19-year-old native of Chinatown, was found lifeless in a guard tower in Kandahar, Afghanistan, with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Kandahar is where Chen’s unit has been stationed since last summer. It wasn’t immediately clear exactly when the court-martials would begin. The trial of 25-year-old Army Sergeant Travis Carden, charged with having assaulted and recklessly endangered Chen, was supposed to start in Afghanistan on April 4. However, due to the change of venue, the trial has been delayed, and the charges against Carden that were recommended by Major General James L. Huggins, Jr., the Afghanistan-based Staff Judge Advocate, have been transferred to Fort Bragg. According to the military, the process is following normal protocol. As of Monday, April 16, none of the eight cases had been referred to courts-martial, according to Col. Runo Richardson, an attorney from Fort Bragg’s Staff Judge Advocate’s office. Using the evidence presented to them, the S.J.A. attorneys are charged with recommending by the month’s end which of the eight soldiers’ charges should be referred to the courts-martial, Richardson said. Lieutenant General Frank Helmick, representing the Court-Martial Convening Authority, will then make a final decision on the referral of charges, based on the attorneys’ recommendation. “If charges are referred,” Richardson said, “the accused will be arraigned, and their cases will be scheduled for trial.” Another locale previously under consideration for the Chen trials was Fort Wainwright, Alaska, the home base of Chen’s military unit. But holding the trials at Fort Bragg, one of the military’s largest domestic installations, ultimately made more sense, according to Arata. “The bottom line is resources,” said Arata, noting that Fort Bragg has ample facilities, including courtrooms and hotels, to accommodate the trials and their participants. Fort Bragg also has a pool of approximately 56,000 soldiers to choose from in appointing members for its panel, the courts-martial equivalent of a jury, as well as a plethora of judges to arbitrate the cases. “We have the ability to pull a lot of support from there,” said Arata. “We also

have a large pool of people within our post for both the prosecuting and defense trial counsel.” The Army cannot predict how long the trials will last. An attorney representing Chen’s family told OuYang that the military is expected to complete the trials in seven months, but Arata said that this time frame might be wishful thinking. “Putting us down for a specific [end] date would be kind of dangerous, since we haven’t referred charges yet,” said Arata, noting that unforeseen snags could potentially stall the judicial process. “The important thing from our end is going through the correct court procedures to make sure we do it right.”

CONTINUING THE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE Chen’s family, OCA-NY and elected officials continue to pressure the Army to pass on all of the soldiers’ initial charges to the courts-martial, including involuntary manslaughter, which carries a 10-year prison sentence, and negligent homicide, which carries a maximum sentence of three years. Following last week’s press conference, OuYang resent the petition advocating the cause to Major General James L. Huggins, Jr., in Afghanistan. Some 2,400 people from around the globe, including Malaysia, Vietnam and Europe, have signed the petition in just the last month, OuYang said, bringing the total signature count to 3,600. “The family and community has every expectation they will be referred to the court-martial,” said OuYang. “They need to be tried to the fullest extent of the law.” To commemorate Danny’s 20th birthday, which is on May 26, OCA-NY is organizing an arts performance at Pace University High School featuring artists including R&B singer Taiyo, photographer Corky Lee, and spoken word artist Kris Lew, among others. OuYang anticipates a large turnout for the event, scheduled for Thursday, May 24. OCA-NY is also sponsoring a birthday card campaign for Chen, with the goal of collecting 10,000 cards and handdelivering them next month to the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington, D.C. “The fight for justice is far from over, and we need your help with the next step,” reads a template created by OCA-NY available to card-writers. Alternatively, people may make their own cards or submit a message online at www.justicefordannychen.tumblr.com/ submit. The cards are due by Monday, May 14. Participants making their own cards are asked to send them to OCA-NY, P.O. Box 3233, Church Street Station, New York N.Y. 10018.

April 18 - May 1, 2012

Underwood latest fella to yell ‘Stella’ Current Broadway incarnation of timeless ‘Streetcar’ still stabs at heart THEATER BY JERRY TALLMER This guy walked out on stage and I swear to God he was Eddie Szemplenski and John J. Wodarski all rolled into one. Edward Szemplenski, from Hamtramck, Michigan — not the Polish town of Thornton Wilder’s great play, but Polish nevertheless. Eddie Szemplenski, rough-hewn, six-footthree or four, mottled complexion, bigfisted, ready to laugh or to fight at the drop of a dime — a hard-boiled “dese and dose” roughneck who dragged me through every Polish bar and one or two miscellaneous whorehouses (I was unready for that) in East St. Louis, Illinois, the nearest civilization, of a sort, to where the U.S. Army Air Corps was sorting and disposing of us at Scott Field, Illinois. John J. Wodarski, likewise PolishAmerican — no taller than myself, but 30 or 40 pounds heavier — we’re talking now, not about East St. Louis, but an airbase in the jungle 30 miles up the Demerara River from Georgetown, British Guiana (as it then was), where the Air Corps (as it then still was) has sent me to operate and repair (!) the odd protuberances of black magic radar affixed to the noses of slow-moving obsolete ruptured-duck B18B’s on antisubmarine patrol in the Caribbean. John J. Wodarski, from someplace or other in New Jersey. “Whitey” Wodarski, so nicknamed because of his ample shock of white-gold hair; not at all a “dese and dose” type roisterer who would hurl a radio out the window in boozy anger or rip the fancy clothes off his wife’s nutty sister — and then take her by force — but a tough enough customer for all that. What I most vividly remember is John Wodarski — just like Prew in James Jones’ superb postwar “From Here to Eternity” — going under the upraised squadron barracks to beat the bejeezuss out of a bullying non-com who had called Brooklyn’s brash Isadore Lieberman “a fucking kike.” Cut, cut, cut. In the colored bar, here in New Orleans, on a street called Elysian Fields, where the streetcar has dumped Stella’s sister Blanche, someone is singing “Paper Doll,” the Mills Brothers’ hit. I’m going to buy a paper doll that I can call my own, a doll the other fellows cannot steal…. It is 1947. The four-year WWII is a thing of the recent past, and I am sitting in the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway, watching a play by this new young writer, Tennessee Williams — who’d already knocked the socks off me with his very different “The Glass Menagerie” a year earlier while I was still in uniform. From that one I could still hear — today, 65 years later, still hear — the great Laurette Taylor at 6am braying: “Rise and shine! Rise and shine!” to her grown son and daughter. In this one, “A Streetcar Named Desire,” the star would seem to be the unknown young man playing Stanley Kowalski, Stella’s husband.

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE Written by Tennessee Williams Directed by Emily Mann Currently in previews Opening night, April 22 At the Broadhurst Theatre (235 West 44th St., btw. 7th & 8th Aves.) Tuesday and Thursday at 7:00 PM; Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 8:00 PM; matinees Wednesday & Saturday at 2:00PM and Sunday at 3:00 PM For tickets ($49.50 - $199), visit telecharge. com or call 212-239-6200 For more information, visit StreetcarOnBroadway.com or facebook.com/ streetcar2012

Photo by Jeff Fasano

It’s 1947 all over again. The cast of 2012’s “Streetcar” is (L to R): Wood Harris, Nicole Ari Parker, Blair Underwood, Daphne Rubin-Vega.

Suddenly the play bangs open and here he is: loud, intense, Polish-to-the-core, Eddie Szemplenski, John J. Wodarski and Stanley Kowalski all wrapped together in a storm cloud of masculine pride and anger, hungry for bowling and poker and beer and nooky, sizing up the visiting Blanche in one burning look and hurling that radio out the window in a rage before sobbing in his wife’s arms like a baby. And I know him! I served in a couple of places with him! All America, all the world, will soon know him. And because I know him so well, it legitimizes this whole extraordinary drama set forth by a poetic sensibility and a sexual engine exactly the opposite of Stanley Kowalski’s. I look at the program. The name is Brando — Marlon Brando. What kind of a name is that? Well, no more Polish than will be miraculous Meryl Streep, some years later, in a film called “Sophie’s Choice.” Marlon Brando’s Stanley Kowalski is the kind of portrayal that, for better and for worse, reshapes America’s idea of maleness for three or four generations to come, amplified and softened by his befuddled Terry Malloy in the 1954 “On the Waterfront” that will be directed by the same Elia Kazan who has crafted this “Streetcar” on stage, and will do so again — a good deal less sensitively — on screen. Still and all, I had not thought of Stanley Kowalski as being a man of color — with Stella and Blanche likewise as agents de couleur, French Huguenot descendants of mixed blood — which is the whole idea of the interracial “A Streetcar Named Desire”

that comes to us under Emily Mann’s direction. Well, why not? I mean, we now have an American president who is himself a mixedblood man of color. We also have had, seven years ago come August, Hurricane Katrina that devastated a great many people of color in New Orleans, not foreseen by the Tennessee Williams who left us in 1983. “ ‘Streetcar’ is maybe my favorite play but I’ve never directed it,” says Emily Mann, the artistic director of Princeton’s esteemed McCarter Theatre, who on and off campus — and on and Off Broadway — would seem to have directed almost everything else in the world. “I’ve been wanting to do an interracial ‘Streetcar’ since 1990 or ’91. Ntozake Shange [playwright, poet, actress] said she’d love me to do ‘Streetcar’ with her as Blanche, but we never got it together. “But the idea germinated, and a year and a half ago I read that Stephen C. Byrd and Alia M. Jones, the, producers of a black-cast ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,’ wanted to do an interracial ‘Streetcar.’ So I looked them up and said: ‘Here I am.’ ” “New Orleans has an intricate culture,” says Ms. Mann, who went down there with her Blanche and Stella — Nicole Ari Parker and Daphne Rubin-Vega — to research the piece and take a look at Belle Reve, the DuBois sisters’ lost-to-debt-and-death family mansion. “Blanche and Stella are of white French Huguenot, black, and some Spanish blood, but in marrying Stanley, a Pole of mixed blood, Stella had ‘married down’ — or at

least Blanche thought so.” “When I got the role of Stella,” says slim café au lait Daphne Rubin-Vega, whose name and birth in Panama indicates her own mixed parentage, “I picked up the play with Brando’s picture on the cover. Then I downloaded the movie on my computer, but the movie turned out to be totally sanitized by the elimination of Stanley’s rape of Blanche” — a hand wobble, indicating Marlon Brando doing something vague to Vivien Leigh — “as well as the homosexuality of Blanche’s young husband,” who kills himself after Blanche walks in on him in bed with a boyfriend. Emily Mann, born in Boston, is the daughter of the late historian Arthur Mann, author of the two-volume “La Guardia: a fighter against his times.” When the 1960 Broadway musical “Fiorello!” came through Boston, her father took her backstage to meet its star, Tom Bosley. “I was 6 or 7 and I was thrilled.” She has been what they call stage-struck ever since. “My father,” she says, “was always talking about the multi-ethnicity cultural pluralism of the United States.” Ms. Mann has found her Stanley in Blair Underwood and her Mitch, Stanley’s buddy, in Wood Harris — two black men with a strong track record. It is Mitch, not sneering Stanley, who forces Blanche to look at herself without the benefit of paper light bulb shade — the cruelty that ultimately drives Blanche over the brink. I once heard, or read, that Tennessee Williams, who liked to laugh at his own stuff — giggle at his own stuff — thought that one of his great comedic lines was Blanche’s fade-away “I’ve always depended on the kindness of strangers.” Maybe so, but it can still stab you in the heart, black or white, white or black.

April 18 - May 1, 2012