Is It Too Soon?

Oliver Stone is currently in the process of shooting a feature-length motion picture, “World Trade Center”, inspired by the events of September 11, 2001. The movie will tell the gripping story of the last two survivors pulled from the wreckage of the former World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan. Nicholas Cage will play Sergeant John McLoughlin and Michael Pena will be playing the role of William J. Jimeno. These real-life Port Authority officers are working very close with the production crew, directors and actors, making sure every detail is exact to that day, as they are the best witnesses to their story. Universal Pictures has already filmed “Flight 93“, a movie (directed by Paul Greengas, director of “Bloody Sunday” and “The Bourne Supremacy”) about the events on the ill-fated flight 93 that departed from Newark International Airport on September 11th and crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. “Flight 93″ will be released in April 2006. Adam Sandler is set to play a grieving man who lost his family on 9/11 in “Reign O’er Me.” Another film, “102 Minutes” will be released in 2007 as an adaptation of the book by New York Times reporter Jim Dwyer, that “recreates the moments between the first plane’s crash into the World Trade Center and the second tower’s collapse.” Since Hollywood is coming out in full force on the topic, the question on everyone’s mind is: Is it too soon for a major motion picture depicting the disaster that is still painfully fresh in our minds? We all remember the exact emotion we felt when we first realized the magnitude of the tragedy on that day. We can all remember where we were when we saw it on the news, heard it on the radio, or heard the announcement over a public address system. Can we possibly stand reliving that day, with every detail, a mere five years later?

Calatrava: New York’s New Leading Architect

Santiago Calatrava is bursting onto the New York architecture scene, even outdoing Gehry. Calatrava, widely known for his “Sundial Bridge” in California and “Turning Torso” in Malmo, Sweden, is in the midst of planning numerous projects in Manhattan. His residential tower, 80 South Street, is poised for construction. Calatrava has been chosen to build the new World Trade Center Transportation Hub. Recently, in a proposal to the city for redevelopment of Governor’s Island, Calatrava introduced the new idea for a suspended aerial tram out over the Harbor and to the island. Calatrava’s sleek and minimal designs are sure to change New York’s image from dank and boxy to organic and soaring. Santiago Calatrava’s biomorphic designs are now on display at the MET in New York in the exhibit, “Santiago Calatrava: Sculpture Into Architecture.” www.metmuseum.org

Museum Wing Location:
The Helen and Milton A. Kimmelman Gallery, Lila Acheson Wallace Wing, Modern Art, 1st floor, from October 18, 2005–March 5, 2006

Dubai: Tourism Capital…Of the World? برج دبي

Burj Dubai is now about 30 stories in height and is “laying the foundation” for an international chain of Armani Hotels. The tower, an art deco spire that will climb to a height of 800 meters, or 2,625 feet, will become the largest structure in the world. The tower and surrounding complex is becoming the new center of the City of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, a country whose economy is based entirely on oil production. The country is looking to diversify its economy by introducing tourism, mainly from western nations. Emaar Properties, the principle developer, is spending upwards of $9 Billion on the complex and is in no way spending conservatively: the Burj Dubai’s interior will be decorated by Georgio Armani and its facade will be clad in a chrome-glass composite. The city is becoming home to a few “world’s firsts.” The downtown marina, Dubai Marina, is set to be the largest man-made marina in the world. The Palm Islands, a residential retreat, is in the process of becoming the largest artificial island on the face of the earth. The city is already home to the world’s tallest hotel, the Burj al-Arab. Many Westerners have misconceptions of the Middle East and what it has to offer as a tourist destination. Europeans are beginning to become acquainted with Dubai, as it is a midway point between Europe and the capitals of Asia.  Most Americans won’t step foot in the Middle East. Cities like Dubai are proving the opposite of popular belief, that Arabia is much more than terrorists and a sandy desert.

Mo’ Sex, Mo’ Power…

Recently, MOSEX, or the Museum of Sex opened at 233 Fifth Avenue in New York. Currently the museum, a recent hit with Manhatten tourists and residents alike, is featuring exhibits like: “Stags, Smokers and Blue Movies: The Origins of American Pornographic Film,” “Mapping Sex in America,” and “Men Without Suits: Objectifying the American Male Body.” If you’re in the city at any point, I recommend checking it out…I’ve heard some good things…

A Cartoon

My response to the turmoil in the Middle East because of the caricatures of Mohammed…

(Click to Enlarge.)

Launch: Semantic Paranoia v. 1.0

Technology.     Sex.     Politics.     Art.     And what in the *$@&! does it all mean?! This blog is a haven for philosophical discussion, political discourse, and mental masturbation.