With We Own The Night and Illegal Tender in theaters, American Gangster soon to be released and nary a film crew in sight, I was beginning to question my nabe's champion status as a movie set. My doubts are erased.

Under New Management, starring Kal Penn of Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle fame, will be filming on 118th Street between Lenox and Adam Clayton Powell tomorrow, Friday the 26th.

Despite Penn's comedic talents, the synopsis leads me to believe he may be branching out into a Michael Douglas-style Wall Street suspense thriller: Two co-workers send their boss on a sex cruise and then turn office into party central, causing profits to soar in the process.

Posted by Chris at 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bringing a level of meta-insanity that would knock the life out of Derrida if he was not already stone cold dead in a box, Harlem blogger Hoc Loco has indeed bagged the Street Shooting big one by posting this shot of WATPA? blogger Joe taking a photo!

Witness it. This is like seeing the sun being born.

Secretly, taking a photo of Joe taking a photo has been a goal of mine for over a year. Congrats to Hoc for making this happen.

Okay, I'm going back to practicing my ujjayi breath in an attempt to calm down.

Posted by Chris at 03:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

OnStar, GM's onboard emergency communications feature, looks to have been filming in ViVa yesterday. Was the far west Harlem micro-nabe under the Amtrak, Riverside Drive, 1 train, and Henry Hudson Parkway viaducts used for its foreboding appearance to stage a real life scenario where a hapless driver was stranded outside their vehicle with the keys locked inside?

Maybe.

But with Fairway and Dinosaur Bar-B-Que soon to be joined by recreational piers, Hudson River Cafe, and, of course, Columbia University's Business College expansion, future uses of OnStar in ViVa will probably deal with different complications.

Onstar: "Thank you for using your OnStar system, my name is Steve, how can I help you today?"

Brian: "This is horrible man. I just graduated CBS, and I'm only salaried at $150,000/yr. I mean, I'm driving a freaking Cobalt; it's tan!"

Onstar: "Sir, calm down. Will you receive a bonus?"

Brian: "Yes, but not until the end of Q4."

Onstar: "We understand. We are sending a representative to negotiate an accelerated compensation plan in conjunction with your three-month review."

Brian: "Thanks."

Posted by Chris at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Uptown Flavor (cat lovers) uses a Flickr post from Judy Jones (cat lover) to let us know of another Harlem filming of Rescue Me (cat status unknown).

This Thursday the set will be 144th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues.

Will Joe Schumacher (plush cat toy lover) be available for a plot spoiling shot?

Posted by Chris at 06:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I was fearing that Harlem's days as the movie set of choice were over. But filming of the new Franc. Reyes' movie was there on 5th Avenue at 127th Street tonight to calm my panic.

Reyes' new movie, "The Ministers," is the story of an NYPD detective who attempts to avenge the death of her father, but unwittingly becomes involved with one of his killers.

The movie stars ER's John Leguizamo, Manny Perez and Wanda De Jesus (who are also in Reyes' Harlem-shot "Illegal Tender" due out this year) and Harvey Keitel.

Posted by Chris at 10:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm becoming obsessed with the filming of American Gangster, simply because I see crews working in the nabe so often. By the production's conclusion, there will be few places in South Harlem that do not make it onto celluloid.

This week, Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting signs for the production, which is filming this Sunday, start around 117th Street and Lenox Avenue, where they overlap with signs for The Black Donnelys, which is filming on Lenox between 116th and 118th. The signs for American Gangster continue up into the 120's, and also head east to Mt. Morris Park West.

Lenox Avenue in this area has been transformed into 8th Avenue from 115th to 117th in the 1970's, the principal turf of Heroin kingpin Frank Lucas. More shots of Lenox Avenue as a stage are after the jump.

· Denzel Washington Is Getting Married Right Now, Again, And Again, And Again...
· Harlem Street Shooting: American Gangster
· Harlem Street Shooting: American Gangster (UPDATED 8/6)

Continue reading "Most Of South Harlem Is Now An American Gangster Set" »

Posted by Chris at 11:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I don't know what shooting was supposed to have taken place today on Lenox Avenue from 116th to 118th Street. The production company name on the Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting is somewhat illegible, and a call to the listed phone number was not helpful.

Cones and tape blocked off the west side of Lenox for two blocks, but as far as I can tell, nothing set up or filmed there today.

UPDATE: Allison, via the comments section, let me know that it is The Black Donnelys filming.

Posted by Chris at 09:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Denzel, as 1970's Harlem heroin kingpin Frank Lucas, is shooting a wedding scene right now for American Gangster at 122nd and Lenox Avenue. Below is video of one of the scene's many takes:

I could not get close enough to capture crisp details of Denzel or the other actors, but I could get close to the amazing parade of vintage autos.

Posted by Chris at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

American Gangster, the story of 1970's Harlem heroin kingpin Frank Lucas, was filming in the area again on Friday.

I saw crews staging for a shot at St. Martin's church on Lenox at 122nd. However, there were no cast trailers around, so no chance of spotting Denzel Washington or Russell Crowe.

On a different note, posting will be light over the next week, as work cuts into my free time. After that, things should be back to normal.

Posted by Chris at 09:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As per the ubiquitous Office of Film, Theater & Broadcasting no parking signs, American Gangster will be filming on Wednesday, August 9th, from 7am to 1am on Riverside Drive between 122nd and 125th Streets.

The location is not technically Harlem, more like Morningside Heights, but American Gangster tells the story of one of the more colorful characters of Harlem's past.

Denzel Washington plays notorious 1970's heroin kingpin Frank Lucas, who smuggled heroin into Harlem inside of Vietnam soldiers coffins, in this Ridley Scott film. Scott, who directed Russell Crowe in Gladiator, will be directing him again, this time as Detective Richie Roberts.

Rumor has it on imdb.com that Angelina Jolie is also considering a role.

BONUS: Emily from Misguided Misadventures In NYC said there are also no parking signs for American Gangster by Fairway Uptown in Viaduct Valley. So no parking from Riverside Drive around 122nd all the way to 133rd? Could this be a car chase scene?

Photos of a sign and a possible scout crew after the jump.

Continue reading "Harlem Street Shooting: American Gangster (UPDATED 8/6)" »

Posted by Chris at 09:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

First spotted filming on 117th Street and St. Nicholas in early April, I saw Rescue Me starring Denis Leary filming this morning on Adam Clayton Powell and 126th Street.

Sadly, I did not have the chance to take any plot spoiling photos.

Posted by Chris at 02:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Okay, the Fur has been somewhat anemic on posting for the past couple weeks. Because of the line of work I am in, Cheryl and I have not had a summer to enjoy in the nearly three years we have been together. So this summer, we are making room for a few things we want to do, and that is cutting into Harlem Fur's posting time.

However, I want all of Harlem to know that just because the Fur is not posting about it, that does not mean that somewhere, out there in the area roughly between 110th and 154th Streets, someone is not currently filming something with Harlem as a back drop. Case in point: Streets 2 Suites.

While heading to see MacBeth at Central Park's Delacourt Theater on Saturday, we passed Streets 2 Suites in the process of being filmed on Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard and 113th Street. Cheryl had a little dental surgery that day, with the regular embarrassing Novocain after effects, so we didn't stop to ask what the production was about. I'm guessing it is about one or more people who start out on the streets and end up in the suites.

Posted by Chris at 10:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Cheryl and I met up with Scott and Lizz Thursday night to catch dinner at Dinosaur BBQ. On the way, of course, we saw the ubiquitous Mayor's Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting no parking signs.

Around the corner from Dinosaur BBQ and the Fairway parking lot in the micronabe recently named ViVa (Viaduct Valley), no parking signs for "MJZ" production company to film the production "MJZ" were on the lampposts.

Unfortunately, street time for MJZ had come and gone, so there were no crew members around to be totally unhelpful when inquiring about what was being filmed. Cheryl and I took some guesses as to what MJZ stands for, which included "Mr. Jay-Z" filming a music video, his French counterpart "Monsieur Jay-Z" filming a music video that includes a baguette and aged cheese pungent enough to smell through the television, and, this is our favorite, MJZ is the code name for a secret crime fighting city program to put a film crew on every corner.

Anyone can put a cop on every corner, but a film crew? Imagine the possibilities.

WOMAN: Oh, the horror!
OFFICER: Mam, no need to tell us what happened. We have the prankster on high quality 35mm film placing the banana on the sidewalk. As we speak, our foley artist is dubbing a slide whistle over your slip and a bike horn over your subsequent fall.
WOMAN: Oh thank you!

This might seem far fetched, but seriously, who watches 'Rescue Me'?

Posted by Chris at 10:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Film crews have been out since Friday on Lenox Avenue between 119th and 122nd filming something. Given that it has been raining since Thursday, I had not ventured to find out what the production was. Today I braved a light drizzle and discovered that the project in question is "Illegal Tender," a Crunk Productions, Inc. movie.

I asked crew members nearby what the movie is about. When none of the them knew film's plot, I speculated based on the name. Was it about the age of women Elvis dated, someone sneaking Kobe beef across the U.S. border without testing it for BSE, or a conductor who powers his train with coal from a stolen railcar coupled to his locomotive?

It's none of the above. According to a press release, "Illegal Tender," written by the oddly punctuated Franc. Reyes (Empire) and produced by John Singleton ("Shaft," "Hustle & Flow"), "tells the story of Latino college student Wilson Jr. (Rick Gonzalez) and his courageous mother Millie De Leon (Wanda de Jesus) fleeing from the thugs that killed his father (Manny Perez). After years of uncertainty about the true meaning behind their life on the run, Wilson Jr. and his love, Ana, (Dania Ramirez) find themselves in life-threatening danger. Wilson Jr. must return to Puerto Rico to unveil the dark secrets from his family's past."

Posted by Chris at 09:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Law & Order SVU was filming tonight on 127th Street between Lenox and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevards.

Continue reading "Harlem Street Shooting: Law & Order SVU" »

Posted by Chris at 09:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We Own the Night, starring Mark Wahlberg (sometimes credited as Marky Mark), will be filming on my block at the end of this week.

From the looks of things, they own not only the night, but also street parking on the South side of 117th between Lenox and Adam Clayton Powell.

The movie's synopsis after the jump.

Also, Bagel has some hot celluloid action in her neck of the woods too.

Continue reading "Harlem Street Shooting: We Own The Night" »

Posted by Chris at 11:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Without A Trace will be filming this Friday on the North end of Marcus Garvey Park.

So, with Denis Leary saving kids on 117th earlier this month, Without A Trace here at the end of the week, and Tom Cruise dropping by at the beginning of next month, we can see why there is all the fuss about whether or not Harlem is the new TriBeCa.

Posted by Chris at 04:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ubiquitous photoblogger Joe Schumacher has an update on the 'Rescue Me' filming on 117th Street that took place yesterday.

A word of warning to hard core fans of the series: there is a plot-spoiling photo at the end.

Posted by Chris at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cheryl and I saw no-parking postings for 'Rescue Me' on our block tonight.

The positngs also went North up Adam Clayton Powell Blvd.

Is this the series with Denis Leary?

Posted by Chris at 11:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)