The Daily Collegian
Town prepares for Clinton’s wedding
By Michael Hill
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
RHINEBECK, NY. Never
mind that the details about
Chelsea Clinton’s wedding are
being guarded like state secrets.
The postcard-pretty town of
Rhinebeck is ready for its close
up.
The former first daughter and
her parents have not even con
firmed that her wedding is being
held in Rhinebeck. Still, signs con
gratulating her hang in shop win
dows, residents are talking to TV
crews and officials are bracing for
crowds.
Clinton, 30, will wed investment
banker Marc Mezvinsky on
Saturday, and this little Hudson
Valley town of upscale boutiques
and pricey homes north of New
York City is expecting an influx of
A-List guests, reporters and rub
ber-neckers.
“I think this will put us on the
map in an entirely different wav,"
said Ira Gutner, owner of Samuel's
coffee shop, which featured a sign
in the window congratulating the
Methodist bride and Jewish
groom with “Mazel Tov, Chelsea
and Marc."
“People will say. ‘Oh. let's go to
Rhinebeck, Chelsea Clinton got
married there.'... We'll forever be
known for this," he said.
It’s all but certain that the cou-
Mich, theater
refurbished
by filmmaker
By John Flesher and Mike Householder
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITERS
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. For genera
tions, Americans viewed films in stately,
single-screen theaters that were pillars of
city business districts an experience
that faded with the rise of suburban multi
plexes and the decline of downtowns.
Michael Moore wants to bring those the
aters back. The Academy Award-winning
documentary filmmaker has a plan to
refurbish or prop up downtown movie
houses in his home state of Michigan
and eventually nationwide.
Such efforts have been made before. But
Moore's approach has a twist, modeled on
the successful resurrection of the State
Theatre in Traverse City, his adopted
hometown in northern Michigan.
The way to rescue downtown movie
houses, Moore says, is to run them as non
profit ventures staffed mostly with volun
teers. That slashes costs and gives the
community a stake in the theater's sur
vival, he says.
Moore plans to provide grants and train
ing to theater operators who use those
methods. The money would come from a
fund he's creating with his rebate from a
state film tax credit earned by producing
his documentary, "Capitalism: A Love
Story,” in Michigan. He expects the refund
to total about $1 million.
“One of our goals is to create an eco
nomic boost, particularly in struggling
downtown areas," he told The Associated
Press this week during the annual
Traverse City Film Festival, which he and
others established six years ago. "Another
is to save the art of cinema and encourage
great films to be made."
The Flint native moved to the Traverse
City area in 2003 and took an interest in the
State Theatre on the resort town's main
street. Opened in 1916, it had become a
shuttered relic.
“I just felt bad every time I passed it,
Moore said.
His team made the State the primary
pie will wed Saturday evening at
Astor Courts, a seciuded estate
along the Hudson River- built as a
Beaux Arts style playground for
John Jacob Astor IV more than a
century ago. The estate features
the sort of commanding view that
once inspired Hudson River
School painters, as well as 50
acres of buffer space to shield the
party from prying eyes.
The spot is a bit more than an
hour north of Bill and Hillary
Rodham Clinton's home in subur
ban Chappaqua and about 00
miles north of New York < 'in
The Clintons
Mezvinskys
Sphinxes when it comes lo 'od
ding details. The cone of silence
appears also to cover contractors,
who are as reluctant to talk about
their dealings with the (Tintons as
characters in Harry Pol ter books
are about uttering Yoldemort's
name
The agent at the iron; d; > k -
the Beekman Arms, which, reperi
edlv will put up weddin
politely said Wednesday b-- could
not comment on anythin: related
to the weekend. The slow
same at nearby Clinton
unrelated to the ton
dent which has in tin
tied special “Victory While" wines
for the Clintons during thc-ii polsti
cal campaigns.
'We've been inundated wiih so
Director Michael Moore explains his vision
of creating the State Theatre.
venue for the initial film lest. Moore even
tually convinced ttie owner to hand over
the $1.2 million facility for free so it could
operate full-time as a nonprofit.
It began doing so m November 2007,
after a dramatic -anset Its high, black
ened ceiling snurakw with tiny lights
resembling a c
Thick (Iran re
seats are wide an
system is state oi
feet wide
There's even an old style organ.
The theater has paid employees, but vol
unteers handle the box office, concessions
and ushering. An adult ticket for the typical
movie costs S 3; a large popcorn and soft
drink comb;; fr S 7.
Because of a eomractual hitch, the State
can't show manv first-run movies.
Its screenings consist largely of art
house fare: documentaries, foreign films,
classics, along wit hi second releases of
newer films.
Yet it's one of the nation's top-grossing
theaters and something of a community
center, with opera broadcasts and sporting
events.
“The State Theatre, with its bright lights
on the marquee, acts as a sort of beacon
for the downtown area," said Steve
Fairbanks, manager of Red Ginger, a
restaurant next to the theater. '‘There’s
buzz and energy coming off that building.”
Skeptics might question how aging, sin
gle-screen theaters can compete with
glitzy multiplexes where audiences watch
the "Transformers" and "Twilight Saga.”
many requests,” said Rita Flood,
who works at the vineyards.
The silence has hardly stopped
the media. The gossip website
TMZ reported that the couple's
wedding playlist includes Abba’s
"Dancing Queen.” Wedding plan
ners not involved in the ceremony
have quoted cost estimates as
high as $5 million. Two Norwegian
journalists were arrested last
week for trespassing at Astor
Courts.
On Wednesday, locals shared
the sidewalks with camera crews
conducting interviews. People
were generally supportive,
whether it was merchants expect
ing a boost in business or resi
dents caught up in the buzz.
A number of shops posted signs
like “Congratulations Marc and
Chelsea.” One shop posted pic
tures of the Clintons, and a sign on
a cosmetics store read: “Oprah!
Please make my soap one of your
favorite things.” (Winfrey was
reportedly invited.)
"Were excited, and were
respecting their privacy as much
as we can,” said Julie Turpin, as
she walked her dog Coco.
The official secrecy didn't
appear to bother residents too
much, mostly because few doubt
ed the wedding was going to hap
pen here. A couple of people said
they felt bad that Chelsea went
through tumultuous times when
Associated Press
oi u die walls. The 534
.riaiiie; the sound
-art: the screen is 50
Courtesy of daMyfill.com
Chelsea Clinton is set to marry boyfriend Mark Mezvinsky this Saturday.
her father was president, and said
they didn't begrudge the family a
little privacy now'.
"If tlii was my kid getting mar
ried and 1 w as as well known as
the Clintons. I think I'd do the
same thing." --.aid Nancy Amy. of
the Khinebtck Area Chamber of
Commerce.
The reaction wasn't totally posi
tive. Some worry about traffic
jams; others wonder why the
details are being kept secret so
close to the wedding. One man
waiting to gel his hair cut al a bar
ber pointed disapprovingly to a
tabloid headline Wednesday refer
ring to residents as "local yokels."
Anthony Bruz, smoking a cigar
Wahlberg receives HoUywood star
By The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - Kapper-iumed
underwear model-tumed-Oscar-tiosoinai
ed actor Mark Vahiberg im* been
enshrined in the HoiKwond Walk of Fame.
The 39-year-old ; ■ r was presented
with a star Thur-Ae. on Hollywood
Boulevard's famed sa;. walk monument.
Will Ferrell. who - '.us with Wahiberg in
the aetion-Lomv ;i\ 'The Oh ■ (hi; .
being released nt :-.t week, was on hand r ■■
the ceremony. The comedian got in a cou
ple of digs.
"I'm glad to be hero.” Ferrell said. "I
first became a fan of Mark's when I bought
his workout video. -Vad 1 love all your
'Bourne' movies."
The 'Bourne' soi
Matt Damon
Wahlberg first gained game in the 1980 s
and ‘9os with iho group New Kids on the
Block, then quit to form Markv Mark and
the Funkv Bunch.
That was followed by a übiquitous ad
campaign featuring him in Calvin Klein
underwear.
He then turned to acting and gol atten
tion with his breakout role as Dirk Higgler
in 1997 s "Boogie Nights." Wahlberg got a
supporting actor Academy Award nomina
tion in 2006 for "The Departed."
His wife and four young children were
on hand for the sidewalk ceremony
■ I'm so happy my kids are sitting
through this." Wahlberg said. "When I
heard I was getting this star. 1 felt like it
was a practical joke."
His other movie credits include ''Three
Kings." The Perfect Storm." ''The Italian
.Job," "Invincible." ''The Basketball
Diaries," ''Fear," ''Shooter," ''Max Payne,"
■'The Lovely Bones."’ ‘'Planet of the Apes,"
'The Happening,” 'We Own the Night "
and "Date Night."
Wahlberg is also an executive producer
of the HBO series "Entourage," and 'ln
Treatment," along with others.
as played bv actor
Friday, July 30, 2010 I 5
along the main street, said he'll be
"a little relieved" when it's over,
though he already had plans to be
out of town this weekend.
A theory that the Rhinebeck
activity is an elaborate feint
designed to shake off the press
faded this week as state. police
referred calls to the Secret
Service and the Rhinebeck Town
Council authorized spending
£2,500 for an extra 30 hours of
police coverage.
Town Supervisor Tom Traudt
said they "'expect this event to
happen.”
"People are very excited." he
said. "We're getting used to the TV
cameras."