I got a press release from the Govenor's Office this morning which said that filming for the next installment of The Amazing Spider-Man movie would begin tomorrow (Tuesday- April 30) in Rochester.

That may be what Columbia Pictures is calling the second edition of the new Spiderman series. Personally, it's better known as: Thank God they Made Another Spider-Man Movie (Especially Without Tobey Maguire). This is pretty much what I've been praying for ever since I saw Maguire try to wear the red/blue suit. Andrew Garfield is a *much* better fit - in more ways than one.

And it's even more exciting that they're filming entirely in New York State. A 9-day shoot of The Amazing Spider-Man 2's second unit will include 150 local extras (I have some friends who applied) and 250 local crew for a car chase scene filming in Rochester.

Rochester isn't too far of a drive for those who might have gotten hooked on watching the process during filming for "Salt" or "The Other Guys" in Albany (both in 2009), or - more recently - "The Place Beyond The Pines" which had a wide release earlier this month and was filmed with Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling in Scotia and Schenectady.

(from the Yahoo site/synopsis)

 

Here's the entire press release if you want to learn more about the upcoming filming:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that Columbia Pictures’ The Amazing Spider-Man™ 2, which is being filmed entirely in New York State, will be shooting in Rochester starting on Tuesday. During the nine-day shoot, the production’s second unit will film a car chase scene. The film is slated for release on May 2, 2014.

To film the scene, 200 crew members will be coming to the city, where they will be joined by 250 local crew hires and 150 extras. It is expected that the production will require 3,000 hotel nights and spend $400,000 on local vendors, $120,000 on craft service, and $120,000 on restaurant meals.

“The wait is over: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is coming to Rochester,” Governor Cuomo said. “Since the day we announced the shooting of this movie in New York, franchise fans in Rochester and all across the state have been eager to get a glimpse of the action happening right in their backyards. In addition, having this production come to Rochester will mean new jobs and investments in the area. We are pleased to welcome Peter Parker and company to the beautiful City of Rochester.”

“The City of Rochester could not be more thrilled that the Amazing Spider-Man 2 will begin shooting scenes in Rochester,” Lieutenant Governor Robert J. Duffy said. “Not only will this bring new jobs into the community and give the city an economic boost, but it will be an exciting moment for Rochesterians watching the film, knowing that such familiar places are in the background. As the former mayor of this great city, I am excited for this tremendous opportunity, as it speaks to the work that this state government under Governor Cuomo has done over the past two years to truly make New York the Hollywood of the East.”

Producer Matt Tolmach said, “We’re grateful for the incredible welcome that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has received from the city of Rochester. The city’s beautiful downtown is the perfect place to film our key car chase scenes.”

Producer Avi Arad added, “Many thanks to the State of New York for their continued support throughout the filming on The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the first film in the Spider-Man franchise to film entirely in New York State. New York’s film crews, artists, and craftspeople are among the best in the business.”

Director Marc Webb agrees. “We’re all very excited to be filming this key action sequence here – I’m grateful to the people of Rochester for lending us their Main Street for nine days,” he said.

Filming The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in New York is generating millions of dollars in economic activity across the state.

The State’s popular film and television tax credit program began in 2004. Since Governor Cuomo took office, the program has taken off - experiencing a surge in program applications. It is estimated that the 338 projects that have filmed or applied to the program during the Cuomo administration will result in over $5.2 billion in direct spending in New York.

Many major television and film productions, including The Amazing Spider-Man 2, have cited the State’s film and television tax credit program as a leading factor in their decision to film and produce in New York. Hundreds of thousands of jobs have been created and billions of dollars have been injected into New York’s economy as a result.

About “The Amazing Spider-Man™ 2”

In The Amazing Spider-Man™ 2, for Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), life is busy – between taking out the bad guys as Spider-Man and spending time with the person he loves, Gwen (Emma Stone), high school graduation can’t come quickly enough. Peter hasn’t forgotten about the promise he made to Gwen’s father to protect her by staying away – but that’s a promise he just can’t keep. Things will change for Peter when a new villain, Electro (Jamie Foxx), emerges, an old friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns, and Peter uncovers new clues about his past. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is directed by by Marc Webb from a screenplay by Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci & Jeff Pinkner, with a previous draft by James Vanderbilt, and based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach are the producers. The executive producers are E. Bennett Walsh, Stan Lee, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci. 

Despite the recent events at the Boston Marathon, there is a lot of beauty in our world. And I think people need to recognize that now more than ever.
As CNN points out, it's also summer vacation planning season so Gogobot recently put out their top choices for natural wonders of the world.

They include:

1) The Diamond Head State Monument, Hawaii
2) The Grand Canyon, Arizona (which, can I say - personally - I think is overrated. It's cool, but overrated. Nothing to plan your cross-country trip around, like we did in the below photos. I hear there is a larger canyon in Mexico - Cooper Canyon. I'm wondering if that might be more impressive.)

(A shot I took on my second visit to the Grand Canyon, cross-country trip - July 2011)

3) Muir Woods National Monument, California (can't beat the feeling of walking through a redwood forest)
4) Old Faithful Geysir, Upper Geysir Basin in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

(Waiting for Old Faithful to fully-erupt)

 

5) Gullfoss, Iceland (part of the usual tourist loop called the Golden Circle outside Rekjavik)
6) The 12 Apostles, Australia
7) Iguacu Falls, Argentina/Brazil (according to a CNN caption, it's nearly three times larger than Niagara Falls on the NY/Canadian border)
8) Badlands National Park ( I could not agree more here - it truly is an amazing and unexpected sight in South Dakota, not a bad place to stop and stretch your legs when visiting Mount Rushmore and/or the Crazy Horse Monument)

(Hiking around the Badlands is certainly no easy feat, with very crumbly/unique terrain)

9) Arthur's Seat, Scotland (I'll hold my tongue here, though I kinda think the Scottish Highlands are a better visit than a volcanic hill outside Edinburough)
10) Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (ohhh, someday.....)

Others on the top 25 list:
#11 Niagara Falls, #12 Matterhorn, #15 Red Rock Canyon in Las Vegas, #16 Maroon Bells in Aspen, #18 Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park, #19 Joshua Tree National Park in California

My new site I want to visit:

Antelope Canyon, Arizona #21 - (It looks like a screensaver)

(Inside Lower Antelope Canyon

from the Wikipedia site)

It was just brought to my attention today that ironically the very ship that had issues in mid-February and left hundreds without their usual cruise ship services, ended up adrift on Wednesday (April 3) due to hurricane-strength winds.
Considering folks trying to get home from the Triumph cruise ended up breaking down too, I'm starting to think the ship *may* be cursed.
More info on the most recent incident here.