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We would like to welcome you to the third issue of The Brownbag. We at Brownscape Productions thank you for your continued support and interest in our varied projects. This issue contains exciting film festival updates regarding our feature film, Made in India?, continued status updates of Browntown, and as always the interesting reads about everything from travel to music. It is also with great sadness that we announce the death of our dear friend and talented artist Wilson E. Batista. A long time personal friend, supporter of BP, and an invaluable contributor to the world of music and dance, Wilson Batista will forever be in our hearts. We hope you continue to enjoy our newsletter, and please pass it on to your friends and family! Sincerely,
Featured Story: In Memorium: Wilson E. Batista
It is with sadness and deep regret that we at Brownscape Productions report the passing of our dear friend Wilson E. Batista. A brilliant pianist, dancer, and friend to many, Wilson led a distinguished and accomplished life. At the age of only 29, Wilson’s contributions to his craft were numerous. He performed at such world-renowned venues as the Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall, Caramoor, Merkin Hall, El Gran Teatro del Cibao (Santiago, Dominican Republic), El Centro de Bellas Artes (San Juan, Puerto Rico), and The Clore Music Center (Israel). In addition, he made television appearances on ABC’s ‘El Tiempo,’ and NJN’s ‘Hispanic Youth Showcase.’ In addition to being a gifted artist, Wilson was truly an incredible person, and a friend to all of us here at Brownscape Productions. He gave his time generously to many causes, including the “Made in India?” fundraiser. We here at Brownscape will miss him deeply. He will forever be in our hearts. To view a sample of his musical performance from the fundraiser, please click here. You can also share any memories or kind thoughts you have about Wilson at his Memoriam webpage at www.myspace.com/wilsonbatista. There will be an Endowment created in honor of Wilson's memory and his contribution to the arts, that will benefit student's from Fiorello H. La Guardia High school of Music and Arts and Performing Arts. If you would like to contribute to this fund please do so at www.alumniandfriends.org or by mail to P.O Box 231485 New York, NY, 10023-0025. If contributing by check please note "In Honor of Wilson Batista". Wilson E. Batista - January 22, 1977 – June 17, 2006,
Browntown's Driving Force by Noel Agnew
Brownscape’s cop feature Browntown, currently at the scriptwriting stage, aims to show the true spirit of independence. Today’s climate is one where it is growing increasing difficult for independent filmmakers to compete with the monolithic studios of Hollywood. According to Browntown writer Alex Heyward, however, perspectives from outside the mainstream are as vital as ever: “It's a voice or vision that doesn't become compromised by studio Interference or one that caters to a "Hollywood" formula”. He continues, “….it’s a voice that needs to be heard”.
The Truth Behind the Second Avenue Subway by Elizabeth Paul
The Second Avenue Subway, according to the New Yorker, is New York City’s very own Loch Ness monster. Some New Yorkers think of the subway as nothing but pure myth. Others who were around longer, however, can firmly attest to the sporadic bouts of legislation and construction for the new line. Every time construction is due to begin, however, it somehow manages to coincide with some sort of historically, financially or politically significant event that drains New York City of its ability to pay for it. Originally conceived of in 1920s, the Second Avenue Subway would stretch from the Harlem River to Pine Street, and would cost an estimated $98.9 million. The main reason the Second Avenue Subway has been pushed for through the years is the fact that the Lexington Avenue Line is overburdened. The Second Avenue Subway was intended to replace the Third Avenue El and work in conjunction with the Lexington Avenue Line. The Lexington Avenue Line was never meant to carry the burden of the East Side on its own—it carries more than any other line in New York City. In fact, on any given weekday, the Lexington Avenue Line carries 1.5 million passengers, more daily riders than the metro systems in Washington, D.C., Boston, and Chicago—combined. So why, you may ask, hasn’t the Second Avenue Subway happened, if it is so needed? Unfortunately, in a city, demand is not the only factor that goes into the building of a major public works project. Politics, economics, and social impacts all play a hand in the making of the Second Avenue Subway. Though the city government plays a significant role in the subway, the most influential key players are those involved on the state and federal level, as it is they who will foot most of the bill. Unfortunately, it is difficult to obtain money because New York City has long been viewed as the bane of New York State’s existence, draining the state of its money. Economically, however, there are significant drawbacks—the people and the small business owners lose out. Some businesses along Second Avenue will need to be permanently relocated due to the construction. Residents, who have lived in condemned rent-controlled buildings for long periods of time, are not well compensated under the laws of eminent domain. Many residents are against the Second Avenue Subway, but their voices are barely heard. The MTA paints a rosy picture of the project on their website, but, as you can see, not everyone benefits from it. A resident of a building on the corner of 82nd and 2nd left a community board meeting with the MTA crying, after she learned she would be getting evicted. “I have lived in that building for 48 years,” she said. “I grew up there, I got married there, I raised my kids there, and now you’re going to tell me I have to move?” The Second Avenue Subway is more complicated than it initially appears to be. It’s more than a question of political, economic, and social factors. It’s also struggle between the common good and the individual needs. In fact, the conflicts and shortcomings that arise in the making of this project are exemplary of the conflicts and shortcomings of New York City.
A few years ago I flew to Syria for a wedding. Although the wedding was only an excuse for the three-week holiday, it ended up being the most memorable event of my whole trip. I know what you’re thinking- “Who goes to Syria- on vacation??” But that question alone was reason enough for me to go. After arriving in Syria, I got off the plane and went to the baggage claim to wait for my luggage. I waited…and waited…and waited. No luggage. And a full two days after our arrival, with the wedding about to take place, I still had no luggage. And as family is apt to do, one of my cousins decided to donate one of her dresses to me. Which happened to be a hand down from my very own sister…handed down sometime around…oh…1985. Then she shoved me off to get my hair done…circa 1985. While I was there, I was forced to also have my make-up professionally done. Boy George would have been envious. I made a way better drag queen. Being the low maintenance kind of girl that I am, I made the best of my lovely green eye-shadow, heavily rouged cheeks and over-sprayed hair. I arrived at the wedding in style, only to I find that I was seated at the “youth” table. Lucky me, there was an older single man with glasses at the table, who, with his tufts of chest hair poking out of his unbuttoned canary yellow button-down, smelled worse than the homeless in New York. Deodorant was apparently not a high priority for my extremely hairy friend. Just as I was starting to have some fun (and learned to breath through my mouth) I realized that this odiferous man was taking a liking to me. Either he was into younger women…or drag queens. Either way, this was very bad news for me. He insisted that I dance with him. I politely declined, stating, “No thanks, my feet hurt too much from these borrowed shoes,” but he dragged me out onto the dance floor anyway. And in Syria, it’s all about group dancing, arms over arms, with big lines of people dancing around in circles. So let me paint a picture here--smelly hairy man had his arm slung over my BARE shoulder. His armpit on my bare shoulder. Need I say more? Since showering immediately was simply not an option, as there was a good 4 hours left to this wedding, I did what any other self-respecting girl would have done in the situation. I drank. I drank a lot.
I was fourteen years old the first time I went out to eat at a restaurant on my own. My best friend Mery and I had gone down to the village with one hundred dollars each. We had saved our money for about a month or two, so that we’d be able to afford the coveted Bronx shoes. They were very trendy back in the early nineties, and anxiously needing to fit in Mery and I woke up early on that Saturday morning, walked up and down 8th street until we found these shoes. Happy with our purchase we decided to go into the bright neon lights of Dallas BBQ. Dallas BBQ on 8th street is large establishment serving food drenched in barbeque sauce, with baked potatoes and corn bread. The food was unexceptional and the décor left much to be desired, with its sticky floors and wobbly tables, but what I remember was the fun I had eating with my friend. There was another moment that I still remember, which was not having enough money for the tip. We counted our money, left it on the table and ran out. It would be a couple of years before we went out to eat on our own again. Last night Mery and I went out to eat to celebrate my husband’s birthday. Much has changed since our dinner at Dallas BBQ. We went to the Park Terrace Bistro, a small restaurant in the upper Manhattan neighborhood of Inwood. We started with a bottle of Bordeaux wine, which made the conversation flow with ease. We shared bread, and generously dipped it in rich green olive oil. We then had an appetizer plate full of tasty Mediterranean specialties such as: falafel, leafy greens, eggplant, bell peppers, hummus and pita bread. The falafel was truly spectacular, it was big, crunchy, spicy, but not too overpowering. The four of us had a different entrée. I had an orange and date salad, with creamy dressing, Thomas my husband had the grilled salmon with potato puree and vegetables, Mery had the grilled pork chop with spinach and sweet potato mash, and Josh her boyfriend had the lamb shank with rich red sauce, almonds and dates. All of our dishes were presented beautifully in small portions, which just left you wanting more. The food was not the center of attention last night. The food was good, but what was truly memorable was the fact that we were able to share a meal with great friends. That is what I love about eating. http://www.parkterracebistro.com/
Golden Wagon Film Festival in Fire Island
The Curb Arts Space
Katrina by Anna Paul Imagine if you will: it’s raining. ddAnd raining..........
John Lennon (guitar and vocals), Paul McCartney (bass, guitar, vocals), George Harrison (lead guitar), and Ringo Starr (drums): The Beatles are perhaps the biggest rock and roll band of all time. Their music has influenced musicians through the years, from their first record called Please please me in 1963 to the last one called Let it be in 1970. I say “perhaps” because there have been so many amazing rock bands like Nirvana (my personal favorite), The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Who, The Doors, the Ramones, Black Sabbath, Radiohead, Pink Floyd - the list is endless. All of them could have a strong influences on any musician. I started listening to music with Nevermind, the second record from a band from Seattle, Washington called Nirvana. Consisting of Kurt Cobain guitar and vocals, Krist Novosellic bass, and Dave Grohl on drums, their first record was called Bleach and was released in 1989, and their last studio record was In Utero in 1993. Their career stopped with the tragic death of their leader in 1994. Nirvana was another band influenced by The Beatles, as well as Led Zeppelin and Sex Pistols. At this time a bunch of incredible bands came out like Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden, this trio also having their roots in heavy metal and hard rock. On the circuit today you can find The Strokes, Interpol, the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s who are thriving bands from New York City, mixing great records with vital live concerts. Classic rock, hard rock, punk, heavy metal, British rock, alternative rock, grunge, power rock, progressive….just a couple of the categories of rock, but I think at the end categories are not the most important thing. The most important thing is to make good music. I conclude with the words of Beatle rivals, the Rolling Stones: “I know it’s only rock and roll but I like it, like it, yes, I do.”
Archive: May-June 2006 April 2006 |
©2006 Brownscape Productions LLC |
Dear Reader: 
by Gisela Aydin 
Wish you traveled more? Then this is the monthly column for you. I’ll share stories, tips, and more stories about the places I’ve been (and the places I wish I hadn't). This month I’m going to talk about weddings…Middle Eastern Style. Welcome to the summer installment of Drive-Thru Travel.
by Ines Saldana
Check out “Made in India?” at these film festivals!