The Georgetown Metropolitan » Plumegate

The Morning Metropolitan

Topher — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:00:41 +0000

Good morning Georgetown. GM’s prayers are with the victims of the Metrorail crash yesterday and their friends and families. While it seems particularly trite this morning, here’s the latest:

The Georgetown Running Company gives us a well needed laugh with its fantastic coverage of the Georgetown Fathers Day 8k, it brought back in GM some chilling memories from high school XC
Something will be filming down at the Georgetown Waterfront all Wednesday afternoon. It’s not clear whether it’s that James L. Brooks movie or if it’s more from Plumegate. Apparently it will involve fake rain, although with the weather as it’s been, maybe they can forego the fake part.
(After a little digging, turns out it is that Brooks movie). Hey, at least it’s not the Real World. At least not yet…

Photo of the garden behind the Old Stone House by Flickr user Jaime Bazan used under Creative Commons license.

The Plume is Off the Rose

Topher — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 23:11:29 +0000

People really waited five hours for that? Wow. It’s amazing what a few “accidental” rumors about a giant 2 minute long fireball will do to people’s attentions span…

Plume Watch 2009 Continues

Topher — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:16:43 +0000

Don’t forget (as if you could) today’s the day for Plume Watch 2009. Please, please, somebody get a photo of this.

Plumegate 2009 Continues!!

Topher — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 01:35:23 +0000

No boat was exploded in the filming of this baseless artistic rendering.

It all began as a simple email sent out to a few listservs warning people not to be freaked out by a “20′ to 30′ high fire ball that will last approximately two (2) seconds” that will be set off on the Potomac just above the Key Bridge Wednesday morning. Somewhere in translation the two seconds became two minutes, and people did exactly what DDOT was advising them against: totally freak out.

Well this led to a hasty statement by Josh Friedman of the D.C. Film Office to stop, drop and roll the rumors about a sustained giant fireball. Friedman stated:

It will be a self-contained pyrotechnic special effect. . . . It’s actually out on the water. Nothing is being blown up. There’s no impact or force of any kind. I think there was some indication that a boat was going to be blown up, and that’s not the case.

Which leads GM to his ultimate point: who really believes the rumor of the two minute fireball wasn’t intentionally put out there? By whom, you ask? Why, none other than the producers themselves. You know the old saying, no publicity about a giant, extended explosively fireball that makes a low thud sound is bad publicity.

So Georgetowners, when you’re startled by the flash of light and a plume of smoke, gather your thoughts and remember this one important point: this show is going to be dreadful.