Last post was on July 23, 2011. Wow, I thought it had only been a couple of months since I last posted. Have been busy with the family business thing in China, not the good kind of busy. Busy enough to not have posted about our recent and current shows. Will be doing that very soon, plus a review or two.
I am fascinated by many things Japanese. Their culture, philosophy, language, art, etc. I also fancy myself having a Japanese dog as a pet. (That won’t happen for a while.) So I did some research on the Japanese canine breeds. Shiba, Akita, Kishu, Kai Ken, etc. I came across the story of Hachiko, which sounded familiar to me. Maybe I read stories about the famous dog as a child. I don’t know. Then I found out that the story (true story by the way) was made into a movie starring Richard Gere. Richard Gere? That sounded odd, but I rented it anyway. As it turned out, it was a remake of another movie made in Japan in 1987. Anyway, I watched the remake, it was a lot of cheesiness, but the ending had me in tears big time. THEN, as if I needed another good cry, I had to google and find the original movie. Found it, watched it and YEP, tears!
I would definitely recommend skipping the remake and just watch the original. Much more nuanced, giving you a peek at the culture. Also more character building. Before I share the link to the movie, here’s an excerpt from Wikipedia about Hachiko:
In 1924, Hidesaburo Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo, took in Hachiko as a pet. During his owner’s life, Hachiko greeted him at the end of each day at the nearby Shibuya Station. The pair continued their daily routine until May 1925, when Professor Ueno did not return. The professor had suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage and died, never returning to the train station where Hachiko was waiting. Every day for the next nine years the golden brown Akita waited at Shibuya station.
Hachiko was given away after his master’s death, but he routinely escaped, returning again and again to his old home. Eventually, Hachiko apparently realized that Professor Ueno no longer lived at the house. So he went to look for his master at the train station where he had accompanied him so many times before. Each day, Hachiko waited for the return of his owner.
The permanent fixture at the train station that was Hachiko attracted the attention of other commuters. Many of the people who frequented the Shibuya train station had seen Hachiko and Professor Ueno together each day. They brought Hachiko treats and food to nourish him during his wait.
This continued for nine years with Hachiko appearing precisely when the train was due at the station.
Read a more detailed account of Hachiko’s life here.
Here’s the link to the movie on YouTube. The movie is broken up into 8 segments and with English subtitle. You might need tissue!
Nickel Diner (some people call it 5¢ Diner because of their sign) is a great neighborhood restaurant in the Historic Core Downtown Los Angeles, within one block of our gallery and home. They are especially famous for the bacon donuts. The catfish is very delicious, too. For vegetarians, there’s grilled veggie sandwich that is just phenomenal. Here’s a segment from last year’s episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, hosted by Guy Fieri, featuring Nickel Diner.
After living in Downtown Los Angeles for a while, I can say that, YES, it’s true that it is like living in a backlot of a movie studio. Movies, TV shows, commercials, photography, etc., you name it, are done here regularly . One time it was so busy that you ran into a film crew every corner you turn in the Old Bank district. CSI: NY films in the Historic Core quite a bit. Yes, you heard that right, CSI: NY in Los Angeles. Inception filmed a couple of important scenes right here in the neighborhood. Remember that scene in which a locomotive crashed through the street? Filmed right here on our street. The new Victoria’s Secret commercial? Filmed across the street on the second floor. The rooftop of our building was used for Iron Man 2, and most recently for Southland. Our mysterious marble basement, which is an old bank vault, was used for filming for a few days. I wish I knew for what. I’ve never seen the basement, but I’ve heard that it is really grand. I should ask someone to give us a tour.
One of the most fun moments was when the Muppets used the big entrance next to our gallery as a police station entrance. They filmed the Muppets exiting the station, walked pass the gallery to Broadway, then broke out a musical number. At first they changed the name of our gallery to, wait for it, OB1 Gallery (may the force be with you.) But CB told them we really wouldn’t mind our real name being used, they changed it back. So, look out for a cameo appearance of CB1 Gallery in The Muppets, in movie theaters this November.
Another fun moment was when they filmed a video game commercial, setting up the outside of the gallery as a cafe. The game’s name is da Blob, with strange colorful characters. Lots of bluescreen with this one.
And, just a few days ago, they transformed the sidewalk in front of the gallery into a New York street scene for this season’s finale of CSI: NY. They forgot to take the fake bus stop signs with them! The signs were still up the next day. How confusing was that for the bus riders!
Added: just found this Law & Order: Los Angeles promo that was partly filmed in front of the gallery.
SLIDESHOW
