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Tuesday, February 26, 2008 12:00 AM

TV Daily

Tuesday: Watch the saffron flags fly in Antonio Ferrera and Albert Maysles' film about Christo and Jeanne-Claude's "The Gates." Plus: What did you think of "A Raisin in the Sun" on Monday?

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Monday, February 25, 2008 10:40 PM

One correction...

Christo isn't French, he's Bulgarian. That's all. I wouldn't have even bothered saying anything, except my wife is Bulgarian and she gets infuriated by these things. Just doing my husbandly duty.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008 12:28 AM

How long does editing take?

The Gates was 3 years ago. How long does it take to edit a documentary? Feature films are often edited in a few months.

I thought the Gates would be silly but after visiting them three times I thought they were great. A beautiful mid-winter break from drab, gray NYC to a lovely dance of fluttering fabric. Central Park was packed with happy, friendly people. Everyone seemed in such a good mood. Two small snowstorms made it even more beautiful. I have some great photographs. Christo and Jeanne-Claude paid for everything including police. They requested cops who could speak multiple languages to help tourists. The cops wore the flags of the nations whose languages they spoke. They paid union wages for all their workers. Workers who kept the Gates from bunching up handed out samples of the fabric. All the metal and plastic was recycled. It was a wonderful event.

They called it "saffron," but we New Yorkers knew it was the orange in NYC's flag (for our Dutch beginnings) and the NY Mets' uniform.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008 05:58 AM

Wis I could have seen

I remember all the publicity about the Gates project at the time. I had only recently moved away from the New Jersey area, where I had been able to take the train into NYC at least once a month, and gone back to my family home in the Midwest. I really regetted that I didn't get to see the installation in person. It sounded very intriguing to me.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008 08:04 AM

A Great American Classic

"A Raisin in the Sun" is 50 years old but sadly still relevant in so many ways - crosses racial, geographic and social lines in its depiction of a borderline-dysfunctional family seeking to balance traditional values with the desire for upward mobility.

This play should be revived at least once a decade for a new generation of viewers, until the great day dawns that its message is no longer necessary.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008 10:55 AM

I watched Terminator instead

I'm from the Sidney Poitier generation. To Sir With Love still makes me cry. I saw the original film when I was young and I didn't want to mess with that memory.

I did peek in a few times. I agree with the reviewers who say that Sean Combs was blown off the stage by the female firepower in acting department. A beginning actor surrounded by greatness.

I don't watch a lot of TV. But Sarah Conner Chronicles is still on my must-watch list. It's shaping up plot-wise and theme-wise even better than I expected. I'm hooked.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008 01:14 PM

A Raisin in the Sun

I did watch the entire show, although I started to OD from commercials after a while. I'd have to say at least Combs exceeded my expectations, which were admittedly very low. But, there's no question that the ladies blew him off the set. On the other hand, if Combs hadn't been in it, how many people who aren't from the Poitier generation would have watched it at all? I'll be curious to see what the ratings were, even with him in it.

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