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Peekskill Girl Goes Retro

These days there can be so much retro in the clothes we wear that the style loses meaning to abundance. By definition, the 1940's and 50's custom-made dresses Alana Felton of Peekskill produces could easily fall into that category. But her Retro Shreds stand the most import test to originality that any girl could ask for.

One of her own biggest customers, she says, "Not a day goes by when some boy asks me out on a date."

At this point with a boyfriend of four years, she's not a taker but her original interest in dress design began on a much smaller scale when she was 10. "I sewed clothes for my dolls," she says.

Eventually, actual sized dolls - like herself - became a fit to her fashion sense. "I learned to sew grownup clothes when I was 16 and it took off from there," she says.

Starting with plaid and mini skirts, her high school interest in Punk Rock was the vehicle that let her time warp to where she wanted to be fashion-wise. It's a short step from old school Rock 'n Roll and then rockabilly, she says. Off that continuum, she took on a new look, and going back to the future, became a business through all the compliments she got from both boys and girls.

Officially, that would be in 2007 when she went to a rockabilly festival in North Carolina with nothing but a dress and a new business card. Nonetheless, she says, "I wouldn't sell my first dress until 2009."

In turn, with a dress like the "Goody-Goody" or the "Going Steady" a Retro Shred can eliminate a girls biggest fear. "You don't want to be caught out wearing something another girl is wearing," she says.

At Chucky Cheese or out to dinner on a date - probably not a big concern, but at a swing convention or square dance, the wrong retro could easily make a chick look like a copy. Starting with seven baseline dresses, she has a long conversation with the client to iron out the right fabric, trims, colors and buttons. So once she buys just the right amount of fabric, it takes a few weeks to make a dress that no one else in the world has.

Of course, what a great gift for a GI to give his girl but should a strong man really know how to sit down with her to custom piece a dress together? A gift certificate is so the boy can pick out a baseline dress for his riveter, she says, and Rosie can take it from there.

Either way, she'll make no judgment as to the fact that he always picks out the sexiest 50's dress, but it evens out as she finds a lot of girls are weary of dropping two or three hundred dollars on her designs.

As is, she sold nine dresses last year in between her work at the Peekskill Coffee House and the Coop at 103 South Division Street . It's just a small business, and I don't really have time to branch out, she says.

On the other hand, if she does get a sudden bump in sales, her wardrobe would be the only thing suffering the shortage of time. I still make most of my own clothes, she says, and I'm sewing all the time anyway. That's just as well, it seems there's no time for boys anyway.

Ato Essandoh of Copper Takes Pride in Role of Real Life African American Civil War Doctor

Ato Essandoh of BBC America’s Copper Takes Pride in Role of Real Life African American Civil War Doctor

 

By Rich Monetti

Ato Essandoh is (or was?) one of these actors who’s face you definitely know but appears before on screen with no name recognition. Movie roles in blockbuster films like Blood Diamond and Hitch have been frequently woven around TV appearances in shows such as Damages, The Good Wife and Law and Order. Most recently, the Schenectady born actor has emerged into a reoccurring role on Elementary with Lucy Lui. But now also playing Dr. Matthew Freeman on Copper has finally given him a permanent place to hang his shingle every week. Set in Civil War New York City, he couldn’t help but continue in that vein in accepting a small part in Django Unchained – even if it meant playing “the method” to a bloody conclusion. Actually mauled to death by a vicious dog as an oft escaped slave, Essandoh gladly met his untimely end in exchange for the chance to work with Quentin Tarantino. At least that’s what the internet reported.

 

Times Square(TS): I’m confused, I heard you were dead.

 

Ato Essandoh(AE): Yes, I’m calling from Heaven. Actually, I’m calling from Hell.

 

TS: Small gruesome role but I guess you really wanted to work with Tarantino.

 

AE: Hell yeah. There was no way I was turning that down.

 

TS: I get it. So you studied Chemical Engineering?

 

AE: Yes.

 

TS: Did you act before then?

 

AE: I didn’t. My girlfriend at the time dared me to do a play. I was on my way to a PhD at some point to become a professor or researcher, but that brought the acting bug out of me.

 

TS: What did your parents think?

 

AE: My parents went crazy but now they see me on TV, and they’re ok with it.

 

TS: I would think so, but when actors complain about the difficulty of their job, do you tell them to go try learning physics?

 

AE: All the time – especially when somebody is trying to memorize lines. I’m like dude, I did organic chemistry. You have no idea.

 

TS:  I studied Computer Science so I have a pretty good idea. Tell me about Copper’s Civil War setting.

 

AE: Outside of Gangs of New York, you have never really seen this side of the city. It was grimy and gritty – just a cesspool of disease and awful people in the Five Points section.

 

TS: Is it Copper as in Cop?

 

AE: Yeah from the copper badges, but the origin is still up in the air.

 

TS: I heard it stands for Constable on Parole. I mean patrol

 

AE: Parole, yeah that was how bad it was. The cops were like a gang too.

 

TS: So when you get this role of a black doctor, do you go look it up?

 

AE: Oh absolutely. I thought it wasn’t possible but there were actually six practicing African American doctors during the Civil War. Educated in Scotland, Freeman was the first with a degree, had a practice and wrote many papers excoriating a lot of the eugenics ideas that were being pushed by people like Thomas Jefferson.

 

TS: What’s it mean to you to play this part?

 

AE: It means a lot, and there’s a notion that it’s hard to be cast in meaty three dimensional roles as a minority actor. But here I am, offered this incredible role that’s not just a token character that appears once in a while to give some token advice or something. He actually has a life and struggles of his own to deal with. That then carries a responsibility to portray this as realistically as possible, and it’s hard not to feel pride that I get to represent this part of African American History on TV.

 

TS: How have you used personal experiences with racism to play Dr. Freeman?

 

AE: What I realize is that because I live in these times I haven’t experienced racism anything like then. So my character can’t pop off like if somebody used the N-word now. There’s a fine line you have to walk because you’d get lynched doing that.

 

TS: Do you have to remind yourself after a scene that it’s Bob the Irish actor who just spewed that horrible dialogue and not a real racist?

 

AE: What is funny, and kind of pisses me off, is I get people who apologize to me before doing a scene. I’ll be like Dude, you’re ruining it – I know it’s fake. Like there was this one actor approaching me, and you could see he was about to apologize. I cut him off – do not apologize. This is the only chance you’re going to get to call me that word and live to tell about it. So have at it.

 

TS: How do you feel about not having much name recognition?

 

AE: I love the anonymity because nobody knows who you are so you can get away with a lot more. Not to pick on Paris Hilton but imagine if she was an incredible actress, but because we know her so well, it would be hard for her to pull off playing - let’s say, Mother Theresa. It also helps in keeping me from becoming typecast, and resulted in all these amazing characters I’ve played.

 

TS: You’ve played the bad guy and the good. What do you like more?

 

AE: I’m a nice guy so to get away with playing a bad guy you have to find what makes you bad, which is way more interesting.

 

TS: Seems like Dr. Freeman is a nice guy.

 

AE: I get a lot of leeway – especially in the second season. He’ll be less perfect, more warts on display, which will make him even more compelling to play and watch.

 

TS: You ever get confused going from Elementary to Copper?

 

AE: I do. Sometimes I’ll be shooting in Toronto til late, and then I’m jumping right on a plane to New York. Dr. Freeman stands and talks completely different from the thuggy character on Elementary. You’re all jet lagged, and you essentially have to get into another body and mind. Then before you know, there’s a cell phone in your hand, and you’ve got to figure out who you are.

 

TS: When is the season premiere of Copper?

 

AE: June 23^rd

 

TS: I’m not just saying this, but how do I get BBC America?

 

AE: Call you’re cable company.

 

TS: Thanks, really nice talking to you.

 

AE: Nice talking to you too.

The Japanese Version of Godzilla is an “A” Movie with Bite

Easily available on Full Movies, we've all probably seen the original Godzilla - Hooky toy dinosaur, breathing lightning and smoke, as Tokyo is trampled. This all while Raymond Burr looks on paternally - knowingly equipped to save the model buildings and emasculated Japanese Army. But the comical B-movie farce we know actually owns a real story line, which was too much to bear for American censorship - leaving a brilliant piece of political commentary without any bite. 

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https://vocal.media/futurism/the-uncut-godzilla-1954-japanese-version-is-an-a-movie-with-bite?via=rich 

My Occupation of Wall Street

Occupy Wall Street kind of excites me but attending means a trek into the city. The distance would seem shorter if my like minded friend rode the train south with me. I was correct in assuming that he'd exercise unrest from his couch, but on Saturday, I finally set my sights on the occupation.

My first action was to get lost in lower Manhattan. I found a member of the 99% and asked for directions to the revolution. "Huh," was all the hotdog man could muster until he realized I was talking about "the big crowd over there."

Making my way past the tourists, I anticipated something big. I reached Zuccotti and was first struck by - I'm sad to say - body odor. I walked further and more of the same, but as I continued, that was it. Intermittent traces of body odor contained among a thousand people. Sorry detractors, you could say the same about the Subway and there's no talk of hosing down that undeniable vehicle of civilization, democracy and capitalism.

Overcoming the olfactory aspect of my initiation, I likened my next impression to going to a football game. On TV, football looks like this grand game far removed from mere mortals. But when seen live, you realize, it's just 22 men playing a game.

In other words, both come off less dramatic than when focused by the camera. Of course, that doesn't leave either devoid of the drama due it.

That said, seeing there were actually people living onsite was inspiring. I found two mic-checked speeches interesting and counted myself among a mass of people who probably hoped being there could make a difference. Signing numerous petitions also helped me justify my appearance.

A Laptop booth put a modern spin on revolution and kept a running count of online signatures. Importantly, a comment box enabled me to provide the cohesive message that I came prepared with in case the media - absent an ice pick - tried to portray me as a Trotskyite.

I didn't smell so there was little chance of that. But I had already devised one for the family derision I'll get from a group that last collectively nourished a novel when The Catcher in Rye came up on their high school syllabus - save one or two. Needless to say, I am surrounded by conservatives.

Nonetheless, my cohesion is this. The founders based our society on a balance and separation of power. Currently, our economic and political system is so dominated by money wielded by the rich that our republic is in danger of becoming something that exists only on paper.

In accordance, I looked for common ground from at least the "save one" from above. That would be my conservative brother. He believes many things that would upset liberals, but if you take him on, be ready because he'll put you in your place. He has a PhD in Math and devours books like they are Doritos at the mercy of a bong circle.

What he says about the 1% is that despite their shortcomings they are the ones who make the continental shifts that move the country. All those buildings above and transportation systems below didn't get there by following Jerry Garcia around in a fog or kicking the stuffing out of a Hacky Sack.

I agree and an efficient middle ground might have the 1% possessing half the political power instead of all of it. Luckily, attending OWS allowed me to place our disproportionate society in terms of a daily occurrence that all could understand. When I'm flipping radio stations and have a choice between Katie Perry and The Who, I choose Katie Perry.

Huh!

The Beatles first indoctrinated me in the 70's. I had my 15-20 albums and couldn't get enough of the old Album Orientated Rock format. Due to my economics and the corporate control of Rock, that amounts to a pretty small sampling.

So by the mid 80's, classic rock became a repetitive droning that only the likes of the latest Katie Perry could cure. So who cares? Sitting down to the Hari Krishna song circle at OWS provides the answer.

It was rhythmic, soulful and uplifting. Who knew? The point is the corporate controlled art form that Jack Black held so dear limited us to 200 songs to maximize profit. In turn, the shortened play lists that incurs less risk has made Lady Gaga seem more talented than Neil Pert. Me being swayed by Hari Krishna music shows I've been thrown out of balance and so has our country.

July 4th America in pictures