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So You Wanna Be In Pictures? Two Upcoming HBO Series to Film in Capital Region; Locals Sought as Extras to Cast as Extras
Filming for two upcoming HBO series - “The Gilded Age,” and “The White House Plumbers” - will set their sights in the Capital Region over the next few months, and a New York City based casting company is looking for locals to portray various roles as extras.
“The Gilded Age” will site filming locations in Troy in May and June. For this production, Grant Wilfley Casting is seeking men, women, and children from Troy, Albany, Schenectady and Saratoga Springs to portray various roles as extras in the series.
The story of “The Gilded Age” begins in 1882 against a backdrop of change, during a period of immense economic change, of huge fortunes made and lost, and the rise of disparity between old money and new.
“The Gilded Age,” comes from the creator of Downton Abbey.
Actors Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City), Carrie Coon (The Leftovers), Morgan Spector (Boardwalk Empire), Denée Benton, Louisa Jacobson, Taissa Farmiga, Blake Ritson, Simon Jones, Harry Richardson, Thomas Cocquerel, Jack Gilpin and Jeanne Tripplehorn (Big Love) have all signed on to the series.
Requirements for locals interested in working as extras in the series: must be OK working around smoke and have natural-colored hair.
Interested? Email your name, union status (SAG-AFTRA or NonUnion), phone number, height, weight, clothing sizes, and current photos to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. This casting is for paid background/extra work. Visit www.gwciol.com or call 212-685-3168 for more information.
In order to be considered or booked, you must be registered with Grant Wilfey Casting. To register, go to: https://gwci.app/talent/
A second upcoming HBO series, “The White House Plumbers,” will be filming in Hudson Valley starting in May and in Albany in late Summer / early Fall.
Based in part on public records and the book “Integrity,” by Egil “Bud” Krogh and Matthew Krogh, the five-part limited series “The White House Plumbers” will tell the true story of how Nixon’s own political saboteurs and Watergate masterminds, E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy, accidentally toppled the presidency they were trying to protect.
Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux will star as Hunt and Liddy, respectively.
For this production, Grant Wilfley Casting is seeking Albany locals to portray various roles as extras in the HBO limited series, which takes place in the early 1970s.
Requirements: Anyone interested in working on either project should note the following extra (aka Background) work is PAID; adults must be OK working around atmospheric smoke; men must be ok growing hair out and/or getting a period appropriate hair cut; everyone must attend a costume fitting prior to filming, and mandatory COVID testing will be provided by production.
To be considered, anyone can register for free at https://www.gwci.app/talent/. When registering, be sure to: Select Hudson Valley and/ or Albany as your employment area (you may select multiple employment areas); Upload at least two recent photos (a close up and a full body shot); Fill out ALL required fields and press save; Fill out as many non-required fields as possible.
Grant Wilfley Casting: We strongly encourage people to register. However, anyone who doesn't want to register can submit via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. When emailing submissions, include: your name, union status (SAG-AFTRA or NonUnion), phone number, age range (actual age for minors), current height, clothing and shoe sizes and current photos. Photos should be recent and please do not submit photos where you are wearing a hat or dark glasses. Please include one that clearly shows your face and a full body photo. Write "Albany Local" in the subject line of your email.
‘Rochmon’ Rocks On with Hall & Oates
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Rochmon Record Club will meet Tuesday, April 20 at Caffe Lena to listen and learn about Hall and Oates – Greatest Hits Part 1 “All Killer, No Filler.”
There are a limited number of tickets for the in-person event, which will also be livestreamed.
A Rochmon Record Club Listening Party is meant to inform and deepen our understanding of the history of the individual performers, songs and the stories that went into the making of this classic album. By listening together, we get to hear the music again for the first time.
Daryl Hall and John Oates are one of the most successful writing duos in music history. Rochmon will play, show pictures, and tell stories about 11 Hall & Oates Top 40 Hits staring from 1973’s “She’s Gone.”
The duo arrived in New York City in the early 1970s and hung around the infamous Max’s Kansas City. “Always interesting people, always good music, decent food; it was a very cool place to hang out. We actually played there a bunch of times as well. We even opened for Bruce Springsteen there in 1973,” Oates told journalist Chris Epting, co-writer of Oates’ memoir, in a piece published last week by the website Please Kill Me.
“Andy (Warhol) would still be there once in a while and we would get to know him really well later on. But it also became another home away from home for the New York Dolls.” Oates recalled “one frigid December late night,” waiting for his date to show up. “She said she would come over and meet me, so I settled in on the sofa and began strumming my acoustic guitar to pass the time. 9 o’clock became 10 o’clock became 11 o’clock. No girl. I had been stood up.”
He kept strumming. And adding words. “I started singing this folky little refrain: ‘She’s Gone…Oh I better learn how to face it…She’s Gone Oh I…” The disappointment of getting stood up didn’t last long but that simple melody and chord progression was about go on forever.” The very next day, Oates got together with John Hall and his Wurlitzer electric piano. “The song almost wrote itself through our hands. In less than an hour, ‘She’s Gone’ was born and in a way, so were we.”
For information about how to attend the event or to watch live online, go to: caffelena.org.
Saratoga Springs: Volatile Year for City Election Begins to Take Shape
SARATOGA SPRINGS — All five seats on the City Council, as well as both supervisor positions, will be up for vote in November. Of those five council positions, at least four will look different, effectively creating a major overhaul of governing powers in City Hall.
To date, 11 potential candidates have filed “designated petitions” to run for the five council seats. Six candidates have similarly filed regarding the city’s two supervisor positions up for election.
This week, Democrat Ron Kim announced his candidacy for city mayor.
“We have gone through difficult times. We’ve lost good friends. We have seen suffering. We have witnessed injustice. As a community we will only recover if we come together,” Kim said, during his announcement staged in front of Saratoga Springs’ 9/11 Memorial in High Rock Park. Former elected city Democrats Peter Martin and Tom McTygue were in attendance.
“I want to help this community come together. I will do it as your next mayor, as the People’s Mayor working for all of us,” Kim said. “In this new post-pandemic era, we need to have a kinder and more effective city government.”
Kim, a local lawyer who served as Saratoga Springs’ Commissioner of Public Safety from 2006 to 2010, said If elected mayor, his top priorities would include building a long-discussed eastside public safety station, assisting city businesses in reopening safely while also developing long-term strategies to protect their viability, “reimagining” the city police force so there is accountability and transparency, and working with federal and state funding to develop green policies that create a carbon neutral Saratoga Springs by 2030.
The position of city mayor is one of several seats on the city council that will be inhabited by new candidates. Eight-term Accounts Commissioner John Franck, five-term Finance Commissioner Michele Madigan and two-term Mayor Meg Kelly have each announced they will not seek reelection. Additionally, current Public Safety Commissioner Robin Dalton recently announced she will seek re-election, but that she will do so as a “no party” member, after changing her party registration to no longer being an active member of the GOP.
WHO IS RUNNING:
The 17 designated petitions filed by candidates are aligned with the four currently existing political parties. Recent changes in election law have altered the landscape regarding the number of political parties. Voters previously registered with the Green, Libertarian, Independence, or SAM party, are now considered No Party (NOP). The four political parties that now remain in New York State are Democratic, Republican, Conservative, and Working Families.
The deadline for candidates to file designated petitions was March 25. Independent petitions - that is, potential candidates interested in running for a city position under a newly created party – may still actively pursue their candidacy. In Saratoga Springs specifically, these independent candidates would need to secure 305 signatures. The timing-window to secure those signatures begins April 13, and they must be filed the week of May 18-25.
What this means is that in addition to the 17 candidates aligned with existing parties vying for seven city seats, additional candidates, independent of the four existing parties, are expected to soon come forward. Of the 17, only three currently hold office and are seeking re-election.
According to the Saratoga County Board of Elections, the 17 candidates who have filed designated petitions, their party affiliation, and the seat they seek is as follows:
Mayor: Ronald Kim (D), Heidi Owen (R, C).
Accounts: Dillon Moran (D), Samantha Guerra (R,C).
DPW: Domenique Yermolayev (D), Anthony “Skip” Scirocco INCUMBENT (R, C).
Finance: Minita Sanghvi (D), Joanne Kiernan (R,C), Sierra Hunt (WF).
Public Safety: James Montagnino (D), Tracey Labelle (R,C).
Supervisor (two seats): Tara Gaston INCUMBENT (D, WF), Shaun Wiggins (D), Matthew Veitch INCUMBENT (R,C), John Safford (R,C), Bruce Altimar (WF), Gabriel O’Brien (WF).
Supervisor seats will be up for vote in nearly all county municipalities in November, as well as an array of council and justice positions. County Sheriff and County Clerk will also be up for vote at Saratoga County.
In Saratoga Springs, among approximately 20,000 registered voters, registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by about 2,000, according to the most recent (Feb. 21) party affiliation enrollment report from the New York State Board of Elections. That percent breakdown is roughly registered Democrats: 42%, registered Republicans: 32%, registered but unaffiliated with any party: 25%. City voters registered with the Conservative, and the Working Families parties account for the remaining less than 1%.
“In Person” Saratoga Stress Reduction and Management Program Begins at Caffe Lena April 10
SARATOGA SPRINGS – An eight-week course of classes in mindfulness meditation and stress reduction will take place - in person - at Caffe Lena, starting April 10.
The Saturday Morning Sessions are held 8:30 to 10 a.m. and run April 10 through May 29 and provide instruction in formal mindfulness meditation methods including a body scan, gentle yoga, sitting meditation and walking meditation.
“We know from research that the eight weeks works well for major changes in people’s mental health and well-being. And we do know it creates lasting traits like tolerance, patience, loving kindness, compassion,” says Pierre Zimmerman, of One Roof holistic health center in Saratoga Springs.
The practices offer students a means of self-regulation and encourage the cultivation of greater awareness. Students learn to reduce their particular symptoms of psychological and somatic distress as well as to respond to challenges with less reactivity and greater clarity. The course also provides instruction in informal mindfulness meditation practices such as being in nature and eating with awareness.
Midway through the course, students learn about the physiology of stress and how it relates to their individual stress reactivity patterns. Using the latest scientific research, we explore how the act of mindful noticing activates innate internal resources that can change our perception of daily events, including stressful ones. This altered appraisal allows students to use a broader range of both internal and external responses so that they need not remain locked in stress patterns.
The Stress Relief & Management program takes place at Caffe Lena, 47 Phila St. Pre-registration is required. Masks must be worn at all times, and coronavirus safety measures, including distancing, will be practiced.
The complete schedule and fee information is available at: https://www.oneroofsaratoga.com/saratoga-stress-reduction/. To register or for more information, call 581-3180 and contact the administrative director at ext. 300 or Dr. Selma Nemer at ext. 307.
Upgrading Oklahoma
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The work continues at the Oklahoma Training Track where an approximate-$1 million project is underway.
The New York Racing Association received approval from the New York State Franchise Oversight Board in January to proceed with improvements of the training track in advance of the anticipated 2021 racing season.
The upgrades will include a new base, improved drainage, a width expansion of the track where possible, and a plan for new safety railings – which specifically accounts for about $350,000 of that estimated $1 million cost.
Members of the Franchise Oversight Board said in January they were working with Saratoga preservationists related to the width expansion of the track, as the project will likely impact existing pine trees that were planted alongside the track in the mid-1980s. The training track has not had any significant renovation in 40 years.
The Oklahoma Training Track signals the start of “spring training,” in advance of the summer racing meet at the main track located across the street at Union Avenue. It typically opens in April, although in the pandemic-affected year of 2020, a delayed opening pushed the opening to the first week of June. Last year’s summer meet was held without fans in attendance.
Longtime City Councilmember John Franck Will Not Seek Re-Election; Signature Petition Process for Candidates Independent of Party to Begin April 18, State Announces
SARATOGA SPRINGS — At the conclusion of his eight two-year term as City Accounts Commissioner, John Franck will not be seeking reelection, the longtime councilmember announced this week in a statement.
“It has been my honor to serve the city I love,” said Franck, citing an ongoing family medical concern as the reason.
All five seats on the City Council, as well as both supervisor positions, are up for vote in November. Franck is the third of five current council members who have announced they will not be running in the fall. City Mayor Meg Kelly – who has served two, two-year terms, and Finance Commissioner Michele Madigan – who has served five terms - each said they will not seek re-election.
Additionally, current Public Safety Commissioner Robin Dalton recently announced she will seek re-election, but that she will do so as a “no party” member, after changing her party registration to no longer being an active member of the GOP.
Recent changes in election law have altered the landscape regarding the involvement of the number of political parties. Voters previously registered with the Green, Libertarian, Independence, or SAM party, are now considered No Party (NOP).
The four political parties that now remain in New York State are Democratic, Republican, Conservative, and Working Families.
While all registered voters are eligible to vote in the November General Election, No Party voters are not eligible to vote in any Primary Elections, which takes place June 22.
Prior to the February 14 deadline that allowed registered voters to change their party affiliation - and therefore be eligible to vote in primaries of that new party they joined - 71 Saratoga Springs residents previously registered with other parties or unaffiliated with any party, switched their affiliation to the Working Families Party, according to voter enrollment documents secured from the Saratoga County Board of Elections.
The Working Families party line in Saratoga Springs now counts 107 voters. Those 71 new members of the Working Families Party line came from various previous affiliations: 30 were previously registered Republicans, 17 Democrats, 7 Independence Party members, and a combined 5 members previously enrolled with the Conservative, Libertarian and Green party lines. Twelve had no previous party affiliation. The shift in enrollments may have ramifications leading up to the election season.
Potential candidate interested in running for a city position who does not have the endorsement of any of the four existing parties may do so independently, via independent nominating petitions. The number of petition signatures required varies according to municipality.
In Saratoga Springs specifically, potential candidates interested in running for the City Council would need 305 signatures. The timing-window to secure those signatures begins April 13, and they must be filed the week of May 18-25.
Wellnow Urgent Care Announces it is Distributing COVID-19 Vaccine in Saratoga Springs
SARATOGA SPRINGS — WellNow Urgent Care, which opened an office on South Broadway in January, announced it will begin distributing the COVID-19 vaccine to eligible patients at its Clifton Park, Latham and Saratoga Springs centers, effective immediately.
Appointments are required to receive the vaccine and can be booked online at Clifton Park, Latham and Saratoga Springs. Appointment times will be released as more vaccines become available. For an updated list of vaccine appointments available, go to: www.clockwisemd.com/hospitals/6471/appointments/schedule_visit.
Once an appointment is booked, patients will receive a text confirmation and will be asked to complete e-registration prior to their visit. Vaccines are 100% covered by insurance for those with insurance, and of no cost to those without insurance. Some COVID-19 vaccines require two doses for effectiveness; appointments for the second dose will be made at the time patients receive their first dose. All WellNow centers are staffed by a Provider who can administer care in the unlikely event of a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine.
More than 13,000 Saratoga County residents – approximately 5.8% of the county population - have tested positive overall with COVID-19, approximately 1,650 of those confirmed cases in Saratoga Springs.
As of this week, more than 80,000 Saratoga County residents – 35.5% of all county residents – have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
The FDA has issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the use of the Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna and Janssen vaccines, although manufacturer brand may vary by location. Patients must meet New York State eligibility requirements to receive the vaccine and may be asked to present proof of eligibility at the time of their visit. For an updated list of priority groups eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, visit covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov.
The Vote Is In: Saratoga Springs Adopts Police Reform Resolution
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs City Council Wednesday night voted to accept the Police Reform and Reinvention plan, in advance of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s April 1 deadline.
Last year, in the wake of the death of George Floyd, Gov. Cuomo signed an executive order requiring each local government in the state adopt a policing reform plan by April 1, 2021, with municipalities not certifying adoption of a plan prior to the deadline subject to having their state aid jeopardized.
Wednesday night, during the 60-minute public comment period, one speaker after another, with few exceptions, raised questions regarding the council’s lack of willingness to fully accept the 50-point plan, as submitted by the ad hoc Saratoga Springs Police Reform Task Force, in its entirety. The topic of implementing a Civilian Review Board was a major theme.
The city council draft of the plan specifies that the council agrees with the task force recommendation of a Civilian Review Board “in principle,” but stipulates an evaluation process is necessary to determine potential legal, union, Charter and community elements that may impact the ability of its development.
“The Council is not under any type of directive or mandate to accept every single recommendation provided by the (city) task force,” said city attorney Vince DeLeonardis, adding that he had confirmed this directly with the deputy secretary of public safety under Governor Como’s administration.
Of the 50 recommendations, there are two items the city does not have the authority to implement, he said. Those are to divert seized assets, and to ban county, state and federal law enforcement from entering the city if they participate in a DOD program.
Two other recommendations the council identified as requiring further review: the ban of no-knock warrants, and to implement a Civilian Review Board.
“These recommendations have not been rejected, but instead called out for further evaluation...the components of a Civilian Review Board will need to be determined by the City Council, including the purpose, scope and function...further evaluation is required,” DeLeonardis said.
As a next step, the council agreed that an independent advisory committee be created to ensure plan implementation, and that such a committee be established by the mayor by June 1. That advisory committee may further review the issues of no-knock warrants and the development of a Civilian Review Board.
“One of the first priorities of the independent advisory committee will be to review the recommendation for a Civilian Review Board. The scope of authority and responsibilities of such a board must be defined and then considered within the provisions of the City’s Charter before it can be established,” city Mayor Kelly said, in a prepared statement, released just after the conclusion of Wednesday night’s meeting. “As with other boards commissioned by the City, a Civilian Review Board would also be subject to applicable laws, rules, regulations, budget appropriations, collective bargaining and contractual obligations.”
The council approved its updated draft plan 4-1, with Commissioner John Franck casting the lone vote against.
Under Development
The Downtowner Hotel
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Downtowner Hotel is seeking modifications to an approval from the city Design Review Commission for exterior changes to the existing structure at 413 Broadway. It is anticipated the DRC will review the application at its next meeting, which will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 7.
Additional applications under consideration for the meeting include: an Architectural Review of 18 townhomes – exterior; an Advisory Opinion to City Council regarding the proposed installation of missing link sidewalks located in the right-of-way within the city’s Historic District (project title: Saratoga Springs Missing Sidewalk Links Project), and modifications to an approval for exterior modifications – specifically a south façade porch extension, new east façade porch – at Mouzon House.
• A sketch plan conducted by the LA Group regarding a subdivision at 110-114 Nelson Ave. was submitted to the city Planning Board on behalf of applicant JW Hemmingway LLC, and property owner CRND Properties, of Watervliet.
The sketch plan calls for 2.16 acres to be subdivided into 12 lots. The land, which is currently vacant, sits opposite the Saratoga Race Course on the Nelson Avenue side, and across from Frank Sullivan Place. In addition to the independent lots, the property is also proposed to site a “neighborhood rooming house,” according to plans, that will house three guest suites.
Washington Street
SARATOGA SPRINGS — A proposed 21st century development may return the corner where Broadway meets Washington Street to the visual splendor it enjoyed in the 19th century.
A newly proposed application under review by the city’s Land Use Boards calls for the construction of a five-story apartment and hotel structure on Washington Street that would tie in with the neighboring former Rip Van Dam Hotel, and the property of the Adelphi Hotel.
The application, filed by 353 Broadway Acquisitions, calls for the construction of approximately 86 new apartment units – 30 two-bedroom units and 56 one-bedroom units (for a total 116 bedrooms) - as well as 31 one-bedroom hotel rooms. The hotel office will be set in the existing stone house at 23 Washington St.
The corner building which houses a Starbucks Coffee Company store will remain. The existing building adjacent to it at 5 Washington St. will be demolished.
The dimensions of the proposed five-story structure on Washington Street would stand 70 feet in height, 118 feet in width, stretch 273 feet long, and would require a dredged/ excavated area of just over a half-acre.
Plans also call for new street frontage walkways on both Broadway and Washington Street to overall improve the streetscape. Vehicle access will be on Washington Street and a split-level parking layout, on the lower level and ground floor, will include spots for about 100 vehicles.
Earlier proposals approved for a portion of the site but never materially developed in the past have included the construction of a 176-room hotel with a 200-seat banquet hall.
City Holds Meeting, Expected Vote Wednesday Night Regarding Police Reform Proposal
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The City Council will host the second of two special meetings regarding proposed police department reforms on Wednesday.
The meeting will be held via zoom at 7 p.m. on March 31 and will include public comment, after which the council is anticipated to vote on the matter, in advance of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s April 1 deadline.
Last year, in the wake of the death of George Floyd, Gov. Cuomo signed an Executive Order requiring each local government in the state to adopt a policing reform plan by April 1, 2021. Municipalities not certifying adoption of a plan prior to the deadline are subject to having their state aid jeopardized.
The first of two special City Council meetings to address police reform was held via zoom on March 23. The near-two-hour meeting, which grew testy at times among some council members, included approximately 40 public speakers, the overwhelming majority of whom urged the council to “adopt and ratify” a 50-point plan submitted to the council by the ad hoc Saratoga Springs Police Reform Task Force. Among the 50 points are Task Force recommendations that the police department be precluded from initiating no-knock warrants under any circumstance, and that a Civilian Review Board, or CRB, be implemented.
A group of residents gathered on the steps of City Hall earlier this week to call on the council to adopt and ratify the plan and to express that the council be clear in its language by stating specific steps should be outlined for a CRB to be implemented, and not merely as being potentially considered. It was an expression similarly echoed by a great majority of comments made by public commentators during the council meeting that followed: specifically, from “accepts for consideration recommendation,” to “adopts for implementation.”
The city’s most recently updated resolution draft may be viewed on the city’s web site, at: saratoga-springs.org. The March 31 meeting will be broadcast live on the city’s web site. Those interested in making public comments to the council during the meeting must do so via Zoom, and a Zoom registration link is also available on the city web site.
