The Official Adam Pascal Love thread- Page 616

[Chloe]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 6:03pm

Maybe ALL the filming will be done in NY after all:

The San Francisco Examiner

Major film may pull out of S.F.
Treasure Island lease dispute threatens 'Rent.'
By J.K. Dineen | Staff Writer
Published on Friday, January 7, 2005
URL: http://www.examiner.com/article/index.cfm/i/010705n_rent

Barring a last-minute breakthrough, Hollywood director Chris Columbus and his "Rent" production crew may soon be saying farewell to Treasure Island, according to the island's director and film industry workers.

Treasure Island Development Agency Director Tony Hall said Thursday his agency and Columbus' movie production company had been unable to agree to terms of a lease. He said "Rent" had not met basic tenant requirements such as a security deposit, proof of insurance and financial statements.

The two sides remained in negotiations as of 8 p.m. Thursday.

"We have bent over backwards to make this thing happen. It seems you can never satisfy these people," said Hall.

The crisis caused great anxiety in the film community, which has not had a major San Francisco-based film in three years and saw the $40 million production as a boon for the local industry.

"'Rent' is gone," said Teamsters Local 85 assistant secretary-treasurer Patti Bode. "Unless somebody can turn it around in the next 24 hours, it's gone."

Peter Ragone, spokesman for Mayor Gavin Newsom, said the deal is still alive.

"We are still working on the details of the arrangements. Anyone who suggests otherwise is not in the loop," Ragone said.

From the beginning, the film project has been threatened by bad blood and misunderstandings between two recent Newsom appointees: Hall, a former supervisor, and Stefanie Coyote, a city-based film location manager with Hollywood connections. Coyote was unavailable for comment, except through Ragone.

Under Hall's proposal, "Rent" would lease Building 180, plus parts of two other buildings, for $10,500 a month through July. He said the company would be eligible for $50,000 in rent credits for improvements made to the dilapidated Nimitz Conference Center.

But in a Dec. 13 letter to Coyote, "Rent" executive producer Lata Ryan says the film producers were promised three buildings rent-free: Building 180, the Nimitz Conference Center and offices on the second floor of the administrative building, where Hall's offices are.

In the letter, obtained by The Examiner through a public-records request, the movie company threatened to move the project to New York or Los Angeles if the terms were not met.

"It would be a huge embarrassment to ... Chris Columbus and the city of San Francisco" if it moved elsewhere, the letter states.

Hall said at least three other companies are lined up to pay market rate for Building 180, which he said normally generates $500,000 a year. He said the building's revenues go toward the 11 homeless organizations on the island.
"I'm doing what is right for The City," Hall said. "My job is to care for the 3,500 people out here. As much as I want [the movie] here, they at least have to be willing to pay some rent, and if not, why not? What makes them special?"

Bode, the Teamster, said the movie would generate 45 jobs and that Columbus was prepared to make four movies on the island, creating long-term jobs.

"From the beginning, [Hall] has stymied this at every turn," said Bode. "The whole Bay Area looks foolish."

But Hall said he was simply unwilling to give the movie team "a sweetheart deal" or a "gift of public funds."

"If they walked away right now it might be a favor to The City in the long run," he said.

© 2004 San Francisco Examiner



Just so you know, "sweetheart deals" by cities, and even whole countries, are very common. That's why there are so many Hollywood productions being done in Canada and overseas. I think this guy Hall must have an axe to grind. I hope this doesn't jeopardize the production.

Edited for good English Updated On: 1/7/05 at 06:03 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 6:05pm

oooooh this is INTERESTING.

*head spins*

[BroadwayDiva]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 6:10pm

Hmmm... that's VERY interesting. I wonder what's going to happen.

[amasis]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 6:12pm

Congratulations, Emcee. That's wonderful news .

[camerangel]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 6:12pm

UGH!! I dont want Rent to pull out from San Francisco.. Now I'm being selfish..

**pouts**

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 6:13pm

hi amasis!

wheeeeeeeeee!

[Chloe]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 6:21pm

Cam, at this point I don't want them to pull out either. With all the pre-production that must have been done there already, it might hurt them.

Emcee, after the last hour or so, it's a wonder your head hasn't exploded.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 6:24pm

Come to think of it, my head does kind of hurt.

I feel really weird. I can't sit still.... or stop smiling. I've calmed down a bit, but every time I think of it I get all giddy and stupid again.

[amasis]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 6:25pm

I read an article about the location issue earlier this week - the change looks more likely to happen now, it seems. But who knows...

Chloe - it's not Emcee's head exploding you should be worry about. I'm afraid she won't be eating from now until March! Updated On: 1/7/05 at 06:25 PM

[BroadwayDiva]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 6:26pm

Time to break out the jello?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 6:27pm

I already told etheb that we'd better have enough jello to last me for about a month leading up to this. Unfortunately, I'll probably get myself awfully sick the day of.

[amasis]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 6:28pm

They better come out with some new flavors. Jello for the next 3 months? Phew.

Emcee - just don't throw up on Adam. I don't think he'd like *that* kind of attention. Updated On: 1/7/05 at 06:28 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 6:32pm

Oh my God! No, I won't do that. I might pass out from lack of food, but he can fix that.

[Chloe]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 6:32pm

I don't think there are enough flavors in the world to make that interesting. Maybe you'll get a little more used to the idea as time goes by, Emcee. But I can remember being so excited about going to see something that I couldn't eat when I was a teen.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 6:36pm

Problem is, I do it a LOT. Over the summer, I got sick a few times. I'd wake up the morning of something and be really excited... so excited that I felt like if I ate anything, I'd... not feel too well. I had to eat something if I wanted to make it through the day, so I did. Not fun.

Jello, bread.... you're going to be my new diet til March.

But wheeeeeeee!

[BroadwayDiva]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 6:38pm

It's going to be so worth it, though!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 6:51pm

*BOUNCE*

I'll have to take some "how to behave normally and actually SPEAK to people" lessons, I think.

[N0tThatGirl213]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 7:07pm

All right, one of my victims needs to get online right now so I can share some new snippets. I need opinions.

[QueenMuppet]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 7:11pm

Hey, just catching up on this. FANTASTIC news, Emcee, I'm really happy for you. You deserve it 100%!

Just read the article... very interesting. Do I have to be worried that the movie might not happen after all?

QM

[N0tThatGirl213]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 7:16pm

Article.

Ugh.

Just what I needed to add to my WONDERFUL day.

It is kind of ironic though, considering...RENT can't pay the rent...they thought they were golden...

[BroadwayDiva]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 7:18pm

"RENT can't pay the rent...they thought they were golden..."

That was great!!

[N0tThatGirl213]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 7:23pm

::shakes head::

My life is just that pathetic that that's what I think of...

[Chloe]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 7:23pm

"RENT can't pay the rent...they thought they were golden... "

Very ironic. I'm sure that they *could* pay the rent, but they evidently were promised certain things and are unwilling to accept different terms now. There seems to be some kind of power struggle going on between the city official who made the deal and the city official who's trying to make another deal.

I'm not too worried that the whole production will get cancelled, more that if a change is made it will cost them in time and money, possibly taking away from other aspects of the show. But it wouldn't be a major disaster, I don't think.

What do you need opinions about, NTG? And why hasn't your day been wonderful?

[N0tThatGirl213]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 7:25pm

Fanfic...I'm really just waiting for Em or Cam or Beka.

And my day...just lots of stress and nothing to look forward to. Read the angst thread if you want more.

I'm just kinda lonely tonight.

[Chloe]

Posted: 1/7/05 at 7:41pm

Sorry you're down. Don't forget, there's the morning show tomorrow to look forward to. Everyone seems to have gone away for the moment, probably because it's dinnertime. I think I'll go eat myself -- feel better!