Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
to, respectively, African American, Asian American, Mexican American and Native
American issues, among many others. Emerging novelists to watch out for include Junot
Diaz, Gary Shyteyngart, Nicole Krauss and Jonathan Safran Foer (the latter two are hus-
band and wife who live in Brooklyn).
Film & Television
The studio system actually began in Manhattan, where Thomas Edison - inventor of the
industry's earliest moving-picture technology - tried to create a monopoly with his pat-
ents. This drove many independents to move to a suburb of Los Angeles, where they
could easily flee to Mexico in case of legal trouble - and ta-da, Hollywood was born.
While most of the movie magic still happens on the west coast, New York retains its
fair share of film and TV studios. ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MTV and HBO are among
the Big Apple's big shots, and many visitors come expressly to see David Letterman, Dr
Oz or their other favorite talk shows taping. Many filmmakers and actors prefer New
York to the west coast - Robert De Niro, Spike Lee and Woody Allen most famously -
so keep an eye out on local streets. Other film-friendly cities include Miami and Chicago,
and one you wouldn't normally think of: Wilmington, North Carolina, which hosts
enough studios to earn the nickname 'Wilmywood.'
As YouTube, Hulu, Netflix and their ilk have entered the industry, the networks have
responded by creating more edgy, long-narrative serial dramas, as well as cheap-to-pro-
duce, 'unscripted' reality TV: what
Survivor
started in 2000, the contestants and 'actors'
of
American Idol, Duck Dynasty
and
The Voice
keep alive today, for better or for worse.
THE GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICAN TELEVISION
By the 21st century, cable TV was targeting all manner of niche audiences and pro-
ducing sophisticated, complex dramas that surpassed most risk-averse Hollywood
fare. The result? Some might say that the 2000s, not the mid-20th century, have
proved to be the 'golden age' of American TV. Shows that give an eastern USA per-
spective include:
»
Dexter:Can a serial killer have morals? A Miami police detective with a big secret
proves that the answer just may be 'yes'.
»
Mad Men: It follows the boozy antics of 1960s advertising execs in New York City.
»
Tremé:New Orleans gets its close-up in this drama of the city's historic African
American neighborhood trying to rebuild post-Katrina.
