Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Famous Hollywood tidbits about Maryland I never knew- Why don’t we get more hype for the positive?

I was trying to fight sleep at work so I did a random wikepedia search to wake me up and found that Maryland (my state) has quite a few famous folks from or who grew up in the area. I knew about Tupac, Jada Pinkett, Julia Louis- Dryfuss, Michael Phelps, Carmelo Anthony and Billie Holiday but some notables I never knew were- Babe Ruth, Martin Lawrence, Ben Stein, Good Charlotte, David Hasslehoff, Kathy Lee Guildford, Taraj P Henson, Goldie Hawn, Harriet Tubman, Adam Duritz from the Counting Crows
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_from_Maryland#Musicians

We need more Maryland Hype Men/Women. People leave and you don’t ever hear about it from them. I think the biggest Hype man we have is John Waters (of Hairspray movie) and he is particular to Baltimore and then a very certain subculture of Baltimore. I know it’s difficult but if collectively we put a little more pride into Maryland and it saw continued housing/retail/job growth as well as a real stomp out on crime it would seem like a much more appealing place to live.

Here are all the movies shot in Baltimore
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_shot_in_Baltimore,_Maryland
Some notables I never knew- Beauty Shop, Live Free/Die Hard (although one scene was supposedly at the SSA building in Woodlawn- let me tell you I don’t know what SSA building that was but it was no parts of around here!), Runaway Bride, Silence of the Lambs, Sleepless in Seattle, 12 Monkeys, The Sum of All Fears, Something the Lord Hath Made (you mean Mos Def was filming in Bmore and I didn’t know?! For shame!)
Films shot in Maryland but not specifically Baltimore are Enemy of the State and Wedding Crashers.

I’ve heard that Baltimore is the perfect location for movies because you can find a neighborhood that looks like one in another city or time period. So you don’t have to travel as much. You can do a setting in New York and one in Philly in present time and then in the 1960’s all right here.

All I say is, if Baltimore is so darn dangerous would they really let Rene Zelwegger film her current movie here (she filmed in the county and the city)?
And the show Ace of Cakes (on either Bravo or TLC) is set in Baltimore at the Charm City Cakes place in Mt. Vernon (the city) I believe.

You know for all this stuff you’d think we’d have a better reputation, just a little… I mean the president’s own daughter lives down the street from me (well almost, I could power walk to her area) and Michael Phelps is buying a ridiculously pricey condo in the city (I could go for a long distance jog to get to his area- not that pressed).

I’m just saying…

6 comments:

Erika 2004 said...

A few more: Meteor Man with Robert Townsend, they filmed in a Baltimore neighborhood to look like DC. The Bedroom Window (1987) with Steve Guttenberg. That was filmed mostly in the Mount Vernon area. There is a Morgan Freeman movie, I think you mentioned it, there is one part where the characters run into a DC subway station but ends up on a Baltimore subway train.

A few more actress to add to the list: Nicole Ari Parker (who I will forever hold a grudge against for marrying Boris Kodjoe!!!) and Anna Faris of Scary Movie fame (born in B-more, although I don't she grew up here).

Actually, quite a bit of Enemy of the State was filmed in Baltimore, around Mt Vernon and around the Hanover St bridge. I also remember the "highway to nowhere" being closed due to filming.

And how's this for a switch. The movie First Sunday was filmed, I believe in Los Angeles, but the storyline placed the location in Baltimore on the corner of Preston and Greenmount. I suppose at least they got the geography right.

Sorry for such a long comment!!! I got on a roll.

Diva's Thoughts said...

Things like this make me proud to be from Baltimore.

All-Mi-T [Thought Crime] Rawdawgbuffalo said...

Never knew that Beauty shop

Unknown said...

You must have been bored. smile.

Interesting facts and tidbits.

I would have to be bored nearly to my death to go look up City of Pittsburgh tidbits.

CC Solomon said...

He-he, I was fighting back sleep!

charmcitygirl said...

Tin Men, a movie with Richard Dreyfuss and Danny Divito was filmed in Baltimore. As was And Justice for All, one of Al Pacino's very first movies.

I lived right around the corner from one of the Tin Men locations and watched them film a bit of it.

Also, that John Travolta flick, somefirefighter movie, Station 41, or something like that.

I love my city which is why you will find only positive information on my blog. I am glad you stopped by and left a comment.

If you go back a ways on my blog you will find some posts about famous people born in Baltimore, such as Eubie Blake, John Astin, etc...