'Who's getting custody of Cobble Hill?'

I'm breaking my Labor Day blogging moratorium to report from Ground Zero of the Heath Ledger/Michelle Williams breakup, which would be, um, downtown or south Brooklyn, one neighborhood and mere blocks from where the onetime couple set up housekeeping...could it have been only three years ago? I feel as if they've been here forever. And the question above is on the lips of every celeb-conscious denizen of the burg, and boy are there a lot more of them here than there were when I first moved in 18 years ago, about the same time as Kurt Anderson, who, unlike myself at the time, was smart and solvent enough to buy. Oh how I hate him. Before Heath and Michelle, all we had was one-time State member and future The Baxter director/star Michael Showalter, who was unfailingly referred to by local merchants as "the guy who thinks he's famous." I don't know how long What Not To Wear cohost Stacey London has been a neighbor, but I only ever spotted her on the street shortly after my lovely wife accused me of crushing on her, on account of my being impressed by the fact that she had majored in German lit or something in college. No matter. It was Heath and Michelle who brought the New Hollywood mojo, and soon enough Kate Hudson's supposedly having a baby shower at Frankie's 457 and Maggie Gyllenhal and Peter Saarsgard are moving in... (Before anybody thinks of bringing them up, I'll point out that Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany are in Park Slope, which is another universe to Carroll Gardeners.)

Does the Ledger/Williams split spell the end of Cobble Hill chic? Geez, I dunno—given how long I've lived here, what do you think I think? I absolutely pray that it does. I will leave off with a tale of my only Ledger sighting. It was a Sunday afternoon over the Thanksgiving weekend of 2005. BAM Rose Cinemas was having a mini-retro of rare Spaghetti Westerns, and myself, my lovely wife, and my unindicted co-conspirator Aaron Hillis were taking in a screening of The Big Gundown. I actually didn't spot Ledger, as I was busy puzzling out the Coca-Cola sponsored trivia questions they show before the movie, ar ar ar. It was Aaron (although lovely wife remembers that it was she herself, but hey, she can get her own blog) who made out the knit-cap wearing schmoe a couple of rows in front of us as Ledger, and anticipating that my reaction would be one of mild boredom and vague hostility, shared the find with my lovely wife, who was somewhat more enthusiastic. They filled me in after the picture as they again spotted Ledger (who, just so you know, I think is a fine actor) ahead of us while we all made our way toward Atlantic Avenue—I seem to recall the man was skateboarding—and I reflected that his choice of film spoke well of him, and that living in Brooklyn would be good for his education. I also took some husbandly pride in the fact that I was able to succeed where Ledger had failed—that is, to pursuade my significant other to sit through a Spaghetti Western with me.

Comments

[Josh]

I always thought you were a good film critic.

But you, sir, are a fantastic blogger.

[phildickian]

New Yorkers are hicks, about ten years behind the rest of the country.

[Filmbrain]

Well...we still have Gabriel B. And that guy from The Host. He's pretty chic.

[Aaron Hillis]

And what about spotting Marky Ramone lose his cell phone after a screening of "Fahrenheit 9/11" at the Cobble Hill Cinema (whose marquee was featured prominently as a concert venue for last night's season finale of "Flight of the Conchords," and retitled Stuyvesant Cinema for a scene in "Spider-Man 3")?

*sigh* You're right. All that's left is Showalter. Cobble Hill is sooooo over.

[Ashley]

I heard Gyllenhaal/Sarsgaard were moving to Park Slope...if true that doesn't help Cobble Hill's case, which apparently you will be happy about!

[Claire K.]

Well, and Aaron, what about the day when your own lovely wife had the Danes-Crudup sighting on Smith St.? Who in those heady days ever dreamed that soon the neighborhood would go the way of Soho House and UGGs?

[Dave V.]

My only celebrity sighting in Cobble/Carroll was Glenn Kenny.