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Cute doggie!

December 28th, 2007 | Liz Gold

  I was taking photos in front of these mack daddy Xmas decorations, and Mz. Knit Cap says, “hey you want to pet my dog?” So the pup’s Mia, and I hear Grandma Santa was very good to her this year. Lucky bitch.

Cube alert

December 20th, 2007 | Liz Gold

I know, I know. I should be working right now. but what to do?
technically, I am working. working hard at looking like I AM working.
my ass has to be in this cube all day long & I’m lucky my buddy stopped by or i would have been face down, ass out on my desk. i am experiencing BOREDOM in corporate America like I have never experienced before.
Perhaps it is me. Perhaps I should lift a book off my shelf that my predecessor left and leaf through and learn something. Teach myself a little niblit about the profession I cover. Or not.
The story of the hour is 95 percent done. I’m ahead of the game. It’s about to be turned in. And it’s got an extra side bar to attract our readers’ eye. Editor will be out next week. It’s the HOLIDAZE. Nothing is happening. (Except cool stuff like chocolate & wine is coming in the mail). People are tuned out. Wearing red and scarves around their neck inside. The break room is breaking out in a rash of fattening snacks. I’ve been picking at chocolates. It goes right to the ass. Shhhh. Don’t tell my spin instructors.
So what do you do when your ASS has to be somewhere but you’re not sure what to do with it? HOWL at da mutha fuckin’ moon. Some would say my job is cush. I’d have to agree. But how much cush is a good thing? Answers in deliberation. Resolution to follow.
Diet Coke. Kick in. Now.

Denzel Washington & crew dazzle in ‘The Great Debaters’

December 19th, 2007 | Liz Gold

I had the opportunity to be at the Ziegfeld Theater tonight for the private screening of “The Great Debaters.” The film was produced by Oprah Winfrey’s production company, Harpo Films, and stars its director Denzel Washington. Set in the early 1930s in Texas (aka Jim Crow South) the film is based on a true story of four black students at Wiley College, taught by their teacher, Melvin B. Tolson, (Washington), who go on to become nationally renown debaters, beating a bunch of prestigious white universities. Of course, the film has multiple story lines, which makes it even more compelling, such as Washington’s role in forming a farmers’ union comprised of both black and white folks. Forest Whitaker plays a serious preacher, James Farmer Sr., whose 14-year-old son, James Farmer Jr. (played by cherub-faced Denzel Whitaker, no relation to Forest, I’m told) is on the debate team. The other two main students, Henry Lowe (played by Nate Parker) and Samantha Booke (played by the stunning Jurnee Smollett) are FIERCE, as well. It’s an amazing story of the underdog and it’s even more breathtaking to watch the racism unfold throughout the story and think it was only 70 years ago this country was hanging black people from trees.
Also striking is the concept of debate as a form of civil disobedience and the power of the spoken word when paired with passion and truth. Set against our current political administration where nothing is said through a veil of well-constructed jargon, it is humbling to think these students prepared debates, that were not only well-spoken, but radically far reaching with its content of social justice.
Seriously, an amazing film.
The photo above shows Washington (on the right) with Smollett, Whitaker and Parker, his three main students in the film. Also in attendance at the screening was Forest Whitaker and the newly married Harvey Weinstein of The Weinstein Company, the independent studio that released the film.

Cute doggie!

December 18th, 2007 | Liz Gold

Meet Alpine. He’s 252 pounds. His owner, (I assume), just smiled when I asked if I could take his picture. Then my car came and I had to go. I was all the way in Bushwick, had a disastrous night and just wanted a ride. I get in the car and after the dude chats with me about where I’m going and the landmarks and la dee da, I ask how much the trip is going set me back. He’s like $25. Mind you, from Bushwick in Brooklyn to where I live is FUCKING FIVE MILES. I’m like, “are you kidding me?” He’s like “what, what do they charge? $22?” I’m like, “for five miles? $10.” He’s like, “no.” I’m like, “well then just let me out of the fucking car.” Subway it was for me that Saturday night. The rest of the story may be told, or may not be told. Tune in.

At the Columbia School of Journalism …

December 18th, 2007 | Liz Gold

My buddy and coworker, Mike, (with wine glass) had to give a toast to the outgoing dean of the Columbia School of Journalism, where he got his graduate degree, and invited me to go along. Though the school is all the way on the Upper West Side (W 116st, I didn’t even hesitate with my acceptance. Mike is leaving the biz newspaper he works with (at my company) to work with A-list journalists out in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates near the Persian Gulf. I’m kinda sad he’s going. But it’s an amazing opportunity to work with top notch journalists in what is being called the “wealthiest city in the world.” He told me you can’t ever miss a Columbia party because there is always good food and an open bar. He was right. Little fancy chicken nuggets, assorted finger foods that I cannot for the life of me remember right now and SUSHI! We got there just in the nick of time for him to give his speech and get a few laughs in the process. This guy in the back of him, Rick, has a MBA, law degree, and a graduate degree in Journalism. But he told me he’s not sure what he wants to do. Not much to say about that, except, wow.

Oh, one last thing. This picture is mint because of the lady in the background. MINT.

The return of Johnny from Venezuela

December 15th, 2007 | Liz Gold

There’s just something about Johnny From Venezuela that thrills us here at 14 Karat Living. I love how he’s got his tie folded in his hand. Like he’s ready for adventure. Or perhaps getting ready to go to work. Either way, we don’t know. We just received this mysterious photo paired with this mysterious e-mail last Saturday (shame on me for sitting on it this long): ” hi lizz i want to know about me because i don’t remember what i did last night remember i’m a gentleman and the gentlemans has no memory….and i’m sure i don’t remember if my exgirlfriend left me when i start to drink or after….see you any day my phone ********** the venezuelan single on ny”

Evan Shafran goes to Hollywood

December 12th, 2007 | Liz Gold

 

Full disclosure: Evan and I go way back. He was about eight, I was 14. His parents left me in charge of his well-being while they got some adult time. Practically every weekend for four years I would come over and hang out with Evan and his baby bro in our neighborhoods in Portland, Maine. Lots of Chucky movies, cheese commercials and pizza.

I remember the first time I kidsat for him. I can’t remember exactly what we did that night, but we had a good time. But he would not go to bed. And it was late. His parents were coming home and I wanted a smooth operation. So when I tucked Evan in, I remember being like, “Look, I think we had fun tonight, right?” To which he nods in agreement. “Well, if you want me to come back you have to go to sleep, otherwise, your parents won’t think I’ve done my job.” It was at that moment that I knew Evan was ahead of his time. He understood completely and didn’t have to say he appreciated the truth, I just knew. That was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

Now, Evan is a recently turned 25-year-old (Dec. 7) and he’s three months into living smack dab in the middle of Hollywood, where it’s not unusual to see Britney Spears or Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz in his bowling alley hangout or find himself sitting next to Pee Wee Herman in a restaurant. Having grown up in Maine doing children’s theater, Evan headed to NYC to attend Manhattanville College, where he found, among other things, a passion for performing Shakespeare. He grew a community of friends and creative collaborators, became part of Mir Productions, an independent, multi-medium theater company and got involved in a variety of different performance-based projects. Ask him and he’ll tell ya straight up: he misses Brooklyn, he misses New York, and his impression is that the people in LA are kinda cold and out for themselves. But, ultimately, the move was the right decision. He needed a change.

It turns out his gut instincts were right. Within those three months he started working for ABC’s Cavemen show (a college friend’s cousin got him the gig)and it turned lucky: “He got me a job doing background work and the production people liked me, and they gave me a few parts to do in the show,” Evan said during dinner at Luigi’s Pizza, on 21st and 5th Avenue in south Park Slope. “Then I got SAG [Screen Actors Guild]eligibility.” This by the way, allows an actor to get better paid union jobs and is a coveted goal for many starting out.

In the meantime, the Writers Guild of America strike is happening. The strike, however, is turning out to favor the Cavemen show. The show got signed for the first 13 episodes. If the show gets signed for the season, after the 13 episodes air, they will be able to produce the last nine episodes of the season. Currently, the first 13 episodes are airing, and Evan is appearing on the last four episodes of those 13. The first of the four, is Tuesday at 8PM. Got it?

“They didn’t get canceled but they didn’t get resigned because of the strike so right now the show is in limbo,” Evan said. “I’m really hoping it gets signed after the strike. The good thing is that they were in danger of getting canceled before the strike, but now ABC doesn’t have other programming. They are going to show all 13 episodes, which is the only good thing from the strike.”

Of the show, Evan realizes it’s a mixed bag and many think the quirky Geico-inspired commercial won’t hack a sitcom run.

“A lot of people like the show, a lot of people hate it,” he said. “It gets funnier as it goes along. The first couple were a little rough.”

But for him, it’s been a great experience. He shot for eight days, did an extended scene with French Stewart (of 3rd Rock From The Sun fame) and experienced a make-up chair for four hours to do his one episode as an old Jewish caveman. In the other episodes, he plays “Nathan” a guy who works at an Ikea-type store.

“Sitcoms are fun,” he said. “If I got a little part on a good sitcom, I’d be very happy. You work five days a week, you get weekends off, you meet cool people and you get summers off, so you can do film, which is what a lot of people do. It’s a good experience and I don’t regret going at all.”

Living in LA has been a bit of a culture shock for Evan, as being back in Brooklyn for his birthday week made him really appreciate the subway system and well, all he has left behind in New York.

“I miss the transportation, the subway is amazing,” he said. “I was so happy when I got on the subway here because I knew where I was. Subways there suck, they don’t run frequently, they stop running at midnight. The buses run 24 hours. But it’s weird. Here if you take public transportation, it’s not considered a taboo thing because everyone does it. There, it’s considered a lower-class thing. People think Brooklyn’s dangerous. I’ve never felt uncomfortable here, maybe 5 o’clock in the morning coming home drunk from the bar or something, but out there, there’s a lot of sketchy places.”

As for his friends and artistic community here, he misses them dearly, but said the change was very much needed.

“I love New York, I really love Brooklyn,” he said, adding he’s been lonely out in LA except for a handful of people. “I miss it here. I feel so at home here. I’ve been in New York for the last seven years. I miss my friends, our company. People would talk about doing stuff but nothing would happen. I was ready for a change. I was like I have to get out of here for a while.”

In his off time, he’s been making music with his producer neighbor and sending out head shots. He’s got a couple of tracks up on a DJ Jewcy myspace site and he’s well, just adapting to living life on the West Coast.

“East Coast people are a lot more upfront, straight-forward, he said. “Out there, everyone’s a pothead which is fine, which is great I like to smoke a lot too, it’s just a huge part of the culture. They have the medical stuff out there now, they have pot shops, like pharmacies…if you get a prescription card you can just go to the store and buy up to like six ounces of pot. And they sell edibles, too.”

But the people are too stoned.

“It’s a huge part of the culture and because they grow it out there too, it makes them lazy,” he added. “From what I’ve heard from people from the East Coast, when they go out there they are well- liked because we’re hard workers. Because in New York we’re running around constantly.”