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Coveted Crib: Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin's Tribeca Loft

CasaSugar — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 07:00:00 PDT

Three years after I first posted photos of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin's feminine Hamptons house, it is still one of my all-time favorite celebrity homes. It's no surprise really: the woman's got fabulous taste. The only home that could top her Long Island digs in my book would have to be . . . one of her own! As all rocker/actor couples should, the pair also own homes in London and Manhattan. And now that I've gotten a glimpse of their Tribeca loft I can say it is equally gorgeous!

The duo hired NY-based design firm Roman and Williams, who designed the Ace Hotel New York, to make over their Manhattan apartment, and it's dripping in glamour! Much like her Hamptons dining room, it has a really airy feel to it, with plenty of neutrals and pastels. It's also quite comfortable, with low-lying furniture, flokati rugs, and even restaurant-style booth seating in the kitchen - key for a young family.

My favorite element is the hanging swing bench in the living room which was made from an antique Indian door and custom-designed. As Paltrow told W, "Even the chains are like a work of art." And little Apple is lucky enough to have the $15,000 Bird's Nest Tree Bed from Shawn Lovell Metalworks in her bedroom, which is absolutely dreamy! Take a look at the rest of the apartment below.

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Bettany and Connelly Are No Longer Brooklynites

CasaSugar — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 13:00:14 PST

Actors Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly have finally sold their 9-bedroom, 3.5-bath Victorian townhouse in Brooklyn, which they put on the market in May. The Bettany-Connelly Prospect Park pad still stands in my mind as the one of the most impressive celebrity digs I've yet to take a gander at. Not only are the prewar architectural elements absolutely stunning and nonpareil, but also the couple made simply tasteful interior design choices that create bold, uncompetitive statements throughout the house. My theory is that the combination of the Brooklyn home's overwhelmingly good looks and the couple's joint hotness was just too much to handle. So, they've purchased a nice and modern, but not-so-awesome penthouse in TriBeCa for $6.92 million. The new digs do have a roof deck overlooking the Hudson River and all of the luxe amenities you'd expect a celeb to have, but nothing exciting beyond that. Is Brooklyn over for the Hollywood elite? Will Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard be next? To see more photos of the Bettany-Connelly's new digs,

Justin Timberlake Takes Tribeca

CasaSugar — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:00:58 PST

Justin Timberlake wasn't kidding around when he said Manhattan is the greatest city in the world. He's such a great admirer of the city that he decided to buy his own little slice of the Big Apple. According to Real Estalker, Timberlake recently purchased a 3,000-square-foot, three-bedroom, three-bath loft home in Tribeca for $4.774 million. The listing for the property reads:

This 3 bedroom, 3 bath room loft home offers gracious entertaining space in the extravagantly oversized living area as well as four exposures, 14 floor-to-ceiling arched windows, fabulous river views and completed with a brand new lighting package and built in Sonos sound system featuring inclusive Lutron technology controlling temperature, lights, sound, shades and more. This Tribeca Condo is adorned with the highest quality finishes and appliances including Wolf cooktop w/ grill and Wolf double wall oven, 48" Sub-Zero fridge and wine cooler, Miele DW, Miele W/D. Truly a unique TriBeCa residence.

JT's new pad sits a block from the Hudson River Park which will soon boast a mini golf course, so you can bet he'll be brushing up on his golf skills - even though he finds the game easy. To see more photos of the digs,

In the News: Cold Storage Living

CasaSugar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 08:30:24 PDT

New York's "Warmer When Occupied" is a sneak peek into the TriBeCa home of architect Diana Kellogg and husband writer-director Neil Burger (Interview With the Assassin, The Illusionist). And, when I say "home," I mean a former cold storage warehouse. The couple had their eye on the place for years, "drawn to the mysterious qualities of the street and the house,” and finally jumped on it in 2001. Though a warehouse conversion is not uncommon these days, preserving its history is. In warehouse neighborhoods around the country, especially in New York, historic buildings are being transformed into distant semblances of themselves, looking more like a W Hotel than the remains of yesteryear. In this case, the couple opted to "preserve traces of how the building functioned,” rather than fighting it. They held onto to small details like "the drill holes for the hoist," as well as the open-floor plan of the space, setting kitchen appliances on the walls, rather than centered around an island. And not only did they preserve these features, they also made note of them; play swings for the children hang from hooks welded to the building’s steel support beams.
Source

Tribeca Review: Lioness

BuzzSugar — Sun, 04 May 2008 08:00:49 PDT

I was compelled to see the documentary Lioness at the Tribeca Film Festival because the basis is so intriguing. In the press notes for the film, this is the description: "Despite written policy banning women from direct ground combat, military commanders have been using women in direct ground warfare as an essential part of their operations since 2003. Though official policy forbids this operation and publicly denies its existence, this initiative and company of women have a name: they are called Team Lioness. Lioness. . .tells the story of the first group of Lionesses who went to Iraq as clerks, mechanics and engineers but returned a year later as America's first female combat veterans."

Much of the film deals with that last detail - that these women went abroad with the military, possessing expertise in certain fields but not having much training in direct combat. Mainly, it appears from the film, they were brought into hostile areas to help calm and placate the Iraqi women during raids, but when violence erupted, they were often forced to engage in direct combat, something official policy blatantly forbids. From here, the issues become not that women can't handle violence, but rather that these women simply weren't trained for that kind of action and that they innately handle the experience differently than men. For more about this complicated issue,

read more. The film primarily follows five female soldiers and their post-Iraq stories. Some are mothers and wives, some are now living with their parents, all of them have harrowing stories of finding themselves in traumatizing situations, like having one moment to decide whether to shoot (and kill) or be shot at. Through one-on-one interviews and from reading journal entries we learn that the women feel a constant need to check their compassion. More than once they wonder aloud, "What would I do if this happened to me?" They see the fear in the faces of the Iraqi women and figure they'd also be pretty upset if a bunch of strangers demolished their homes. And yet, when in combat these thoughts and emotions seem to work against them. One male chief chided a high-ranking female soldier for hugging one of the women after an emotional day, saying, "Remember you're in charge." Ultimately, they have to find ways of understanding the situation so that they're not entirely overcome with emotion. As one woman puts it, "We just have to put faith in the intel that these people are doing wrong." Another one insists, "To be honest, it's not our place to question," referring to the war and the government's actions. What they do question, however, is why they seem to be missing from accounts of the Iraq war. Because they aren't technically supposed to be engaging in direct combat, the military is reluctant to bring any kind of light to the Lioness teams. At one point, one of the women has her former Lioness teammates over to watch a History channel special on a particular mission they were a part of, one that was incredibly violent and gruesome, and there is no mention whatsoever about the women who fought alongside the male soldiers. There are, however, plenty of references to the "brave men" who faced this particular ordeal. This ignoring of the women's contributions seems to be at the painful heart of Lioness. As the movie's tag line puts it, "There for the action. Missing from history." Though it's not an easy movie to watch, it is an important film, as everyone should be aware of the actions and sacrifices of these courageous women. Source

Tribeca Review: Gotta Dance

BuzzSugar — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:31:06 PDT

OK, that's it. I think I'm tapped out on the ridiculously heartwarming documentaries about elderly folks doing things like singing Coldplay songs or learning hip-hop to perform during basketball games. It's not that I'm sick of them, it's that they reduce me to an overemotional puddle on the floor. And movie theater floors are sticky. Of course, I think other people should seek out these movies. I've just learned that they're like my emotional kryptonite. . . in a good way.

Gotta Dance is similar to the recent documentary Young@Heart in many ways. Both focus on groups of older people doing things that most older people don't do: singing "the young peoples' music" and "dancing the young peoples' dances." The joy this brings them, and the sense of self-worth and aliveness is so inspiring it brings tears to my eyes. Gotta Dance differs, however, in that these people are physically pushing themselves to do the dances, so there is a much heavier emphasis on the subject of growing old and what kinds of limitations one faces. More than merely having a difference in taste (Young@Heart features elderly people who, though it's not necessarily their taste in music, sing rock songs) this kind of activity poses physical challenges that end up making the dancers feel both old and young. To see what else happens and for more of my thoughts,

read more.
The film starts with the auditions for the first-ever senior hip-hop dance team for the New Jersey Nets. We get to know a handful of the hopefuls who end up getting spots on the team and who we follow throughout the film. The team ultimately consists of 11 women and one man and we watch as they learn the moves for their first show, gradually becoming more confident until the nerve-racking debut on the court.
Of course, the show is a smash hit and they soon find their pictures in the newspaper, followed by invitations to appear on morning shows. As the team becomes more popular, their pride grows and their routines become tougher. By this point, I felt like these people were my relatives and friends, and I could have watched them bond over learning how to shake, swivel and stomp to Jay-Z for many more hours. I also enjoyed watching the team's choreographers and leaders, young women from the Nets dance team who treat the seniors with respect and patience, but also determinedly whip them into shape during practice. The filmmakers (and the folks behind the Tribeca Film Festival) did well to feature the movie at Tribeca, as New York plays its own part in the film. Most of the seniors live in New Jersey, though a few live in New York City. One of them was even dubbed "Miss Subways" back in the day, and others remembered seeing her face plastered on the subway cars. So many documentaries are somber, frightening or provocative - and they're often important to see. But this makes Gotta Dance a huge relief within a genre somewhat glutted with fear and sadness. The joie de vivre in this film is completely infectious, and just like with Young@Heart, it makes growing old seem like a damn good time. Source

This Just In: Scarlett Johansson Sells Tribeca Loft at a Loss

CasaSugar — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:00:58 PDT

According to Big Time, Scarlett Johansson has sold her 1,300-square-foot duplex loft in Manhattan's Tribeca neighborhood for nearly $1.89 million. The starlet purchased the unit for nearly $1.95 million in January of 2006, meaning she took a loss on this sale, perhaps thanks to the looming housing crisis. But, a loss of $52,000 is uncommon in Manhattan, if not everywhere, so perhaps next time Johansson should hire a more experienced broker. The loft sits in a former textile building, a Beaux Arts landmark designed by renowned architect Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, which was built in 1901. To hear more about the property and see additional images,

Tribeca Review: Tennessee

BuzzSugar — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:36:06 PDT

Here's the good thing I can say about Tennessee: The effort behind the film is commendable. "A" for effort. "D" for most everything else. And you know, I wasn't altogether convinced that it would be a terrible movie simply because Mariah Carey was in it. I wanted to give Tennessee the benefit of the doubt, so I did, but now I just want those 95 minutes of my life back.

On paper, maybe a touching drama about road trips and brotherly love looked like cinematic gold. And some of the shots of bronzey Southwest sunsets are quite striking. But that's where the "pros" of this movie end. You know how sometimes a series of slow and quiet scenes can be evocative, tense and rich? Not so much here. In this case it just makes for an incredibly flat, boring film. The story comes out lackluster and cliché, and none of it is helped by Mariah Carey's mumbling, careless shrug of a performance. It’s not even worth it to go into the details of the plot, really, but still,

read more. Two brothers in New Mexico, one abusive dad in Tennessee. When one brother learns he has leukemia, the two men set off to find their dad, hoping for a match for a bone marrow transplant. The car breaks down, a sad waitress/aspiring singer quickly decides to leave her abusive husband and drives the brothers as far as Nashville. From there, some absurd, melodramatic "twists" take place before the inevitable ending. At one point I wrote "Crossroads" in my notes because parts of this film strongly reminded me of that road trip thing Britney Spears did in 2002. Tennessee is certainly just as frustrating and just as cringe-inducing (really, there's a singer-songwriter competition with a first-place prize of exactly the amount of money they need?! I wonder what's going to happen!). But the worst thing of all is that Tennessee is also trying so hard to be poignant, it ends up being simply pitiable. Source

Tribeca Review: Bart Got a Room

BuzzSugar — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:29:54 PDT

Bart Got a Room isn't high art and it's not fall-down funny, but it's easily the sweetest of all the Tribeca films I caught and the one movie I would wholeheartedly recommend. It's silly and goofy and fun, all the while washed in bright hypercolor Florida shades of pink and turquoise. It trots along quickly to swinging, squealing Big Band tunes, which is a funny juxtaposition of the old timers' Florida retirement community with the painfully hilarious adolescent experience at the center of the plot. At times the film seems to be reaching for something it can't quite grasp, but it still shakes out to be a great indie comedy.

Steven Kaplan plays high school senior Danny Stein, whose life’s challenge has come down to finding a date to the prom. Despite receiving an invitation from his best friend Camille (Alia Shawkat), Daniel wants a girl he can take back to the hotel room after the dance. And the hotel room has become the most important factor of all now that word has gotten around that "even Bart got a room.” The significance of this - and the elusive Bart's identity - is a mystery until the very end, but it’s clear that if even Bart's getting a room, then Danny Stein surely must have a prom to remember. So he goes on a quest for a prom date with the support of his divorced parents (William H. Macy and Cheryl Hines) who are each experiencing their own romantic adventures.

To see what else I thought of Bart Got a Room,

read more. The framing of time in the movie, with cards coming up to indicate “3 Months to Prom,” “2 Months to Prom,” etc. gives it a satisfying structure as Danny's quest for a prom date grows more and more frantic. Meanwhile, he dives into some of his biggest questions and concerns about relationships in general. He wonders if his parents maybe didn’t have to get divorced if they'd been more realistic about what relationships entail ("What's wrong with a little boredom?" he asks of his dad). He starts to realize that his date - and his prom experience overall - doesn’t have to be perfect, either. This whole movie is just sweet and lighthearted with an ending that left me wiping tears even as I laughed, not at all unlike the ending of Little Miss Sunshine. If you liked that movie, and funny indie films about bumbling high schoolers might make you laugh, you’d do well to check out Bart Got a Room someday. Source

Live From the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, Part II

BuzzSugar — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 05:30:57 PDT

OK, all this rain quickly went from comforting and good for snuggling up in movie theaters to just plain dreary. But it can't dampen my movie-loving spirit! The Tribeca Film Festival continues to deliver some awesome stuff - and now I have the pictures to prove it.

My time here in New York is soon to draw to a close, but it's been an exciting and thought-provoking four days. I can't wait until next year's festival! Check out some of my thoughts below and a slideshow of pictures here.

I stood on the red carpet for War, Inc., that surreal wartime movie that was co-written by John Cusack and stars Hilary Duff and Marisa Tomei. Cusack bailed on Tribeca altogether, but Marisa Tomei and Hilary Duff looked spectacular on the red carpet. Duff was whisked by me, so I didn't get to ask her about all the things that perplexed me about her role (was it really a live scorpion that she put down her pants in this film? Really?).

More thoughts and stuff if you