The Weekly Recap No One Asked For

I've got a lot of stories flying around right now, but some are better than others, so here's a weeks worth of highlights you may have missed the first time around. If you are stalking me, then feel free to skim, you've probably seen these already.

First, in case I haven't mentioned it before, I've begun writing bar reviews for New York Magazine. I rarely drink or go to bars, but if you offer to pay me I'll do just about anything. My first review debuted this week, you can check it out here.

You may recall that I cut my writing teeth adapting Barry Gifford's novel Baby Cat-Face to the stage; I interviewed Barry about screenwriting this week for AMC, you can see what he has to say here.

I am probably going to hell for exploiting MetaFilter yet again, but this thread in which lostburner asks for advice on how to look normal (read: less like a Matrix reject) in a black trench coat inspired me to return to the watering hole. Here I offer up AskMe's fashion advice to AMC's readers, in hopes that we all learn a valuable social lesson on the occasional benefits of peer pressure.

This trailer for the upcoming film The Fall makes me cry a little. The story seems incredibly sharp, the little girl's performance seems genuinely childlike (compared to the precocious future Promises applicants we're used to). The premise seems almost von-Triersian. Who will go see this with me?

Last (and quite possibly, least) I posted a bit of news this week explaining exactly how Jonathan Rhys-Meyers wound up being cast in the new psycho-hilbilly romp Shelter. Turns out the casting calls have all been looking for interestingly deformed would-be actors. That's practically the headline of his resume!

(As for the photo above, that's a group I came upon this weekend that was protesting the Beijing 2008 Olympics because of China's occupation of Tibet. NYC City Council Member Tony Avella is hoping to compel American teams to withdraw from the games because of China's egregious human rights violations. The protest was especially noteworthy due to the sight of hundreds of colorful flags lighting up the grey March afternoon.)