Power Hauer

Tonight, I saw one of the best movies I've ever seen in a theater. And it's a 25-year-old film. Sure, the film's artistic merits (great direction, bristling performances by stars Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer, a genre-bending screenplay) had much to do with how joyful the experience of watching Blade Runner: The Final Cut was for me. But that sparkling new print! That remastered soundtrack! Those new shots and effects! It also helped that the film was shown at the Ziegfeld, a gracefully aging movie palace in midtown Manhattan with a fantastic digital projector.

This was also the first time in years I've seen a movie in a theater all by my lonesome. Perhaps this was for the best -- more time to myself, to savor every stunning frame, and to realize that Rutger Hauer's Roy Batty is one of the great screen villains of all time. I've seen multiple versions of the film, on both VHS and DVD, and only ever on a TV screen, but this was like watching it for the first time.

Following Britney Spears

How do you know you're in Hollywood? When you're looking for a parking space outside an apartment building at 2:00 in the morning on Friday, and you have to gently swerve to avoid giggly blond girls spilling out of their cars (and their dresses). Wait a minute, you say. How is that different from New York? Well, in New York, all the cars are cabs, and no one drives except cabbies.

As with New York, I arrived in Los Angeles with a list of things to do, places to go, and food to eat, all of which we will get to in the next few posts. The morning after we arrived, for example, I checked "drive on Mulholland Drive" off my to-do list. Also, I checked "drive past the the parking lot on Ventura Boulevard where Britney Spears drove into a car and left the scene on August 6 2007" off my other list. This other list is called "Things I did unintentionally." Obviously, there is a major sub-section of this list that involves celebrities, because no matter how hard you try, you cannot escape the stifling awareness of celebrity in Los Angeles.

I use the word "celebrity" in the loosest terms, of course.

Coming up... the blondest state.

Leaving on a jet plane

Today I'm kicking off a short series of blog entries about my trip to the great state of California. Yes, I know this is a New York City blog, which is why I'm calling this series "Finding New York in California."

The thing you have to understand about leaving NYC on an airplane is that New York's most prominent airport, John F. Kennedy International, is one of the worst international airports in the world. The reasons are numerous: misleading signage, unreliable and expensive methods of transport to and from the airport, dilapidated facilities at certain terminals, and unattractive architecture. On top of that, the unpredictable weather patterns over the region frequently cause flight delays, as it did on the evening we boarded our Virgin America flight bound for Los Angeles. We were supposed to take off at 7:35 PM -- it was closer to 10:30 PM by the time our Airbus A320 finally left the ground.

The only consolation was that Virgin America has live TV channels at every seat. However, this convenience taught me an important lesson: When flying on an airline that does not provide free meals, do not watch the Food Network. Not even for a moment.

Coming up... how to tell you've arrived in Hollywood.