The 401 in the Sun

I never thought I would see the day. Apparently, Rhode Island is going to be the new Hollywood. Or, perhaps, the new Boston. In that almost every television show takes place in New York, LA or indeterminate city/small town. Most shows about Boston are about the blue-collar, Good Will Hunting-type rough characters. Sometimes we get comedies set in Boston, like Emerson alum Anthony Clark's long-lost "Boston Common" and the main tourist draw to Boston other than Mike's Pastry, "Cheers."
Sure, Rhode Island had the schmaltzfest that was "Providence," but that was shot mostly in LA. And, quite frankly, it sucked. My Mom watched it, but she's the only person I know who did.
Of course, giving tax breaks to movie producers helps too. I'm surprised that Mitt Romney, in all his photogenic, bouffant-haired glory, hasn't done the same in Massachusetts. I guess it's a mixed blessing-- I'm all about the Rhody pride, but I think it's a dangerous stereotype to think that all Rhode Islanders have big hair and gaudy gold jewelry dripping off them, just as not everyone who lives in Boston is either a blue-collar worker or a Harvard-educated elitist. Some people are Johnstonites, with their big hair and flashy bling. Some people, like some members of my family, don't leave town except to go to the doctor, and if they need to go to Providence they have to take a test-run on the weekend so they're not nervous about the trip. Some people are crusty fishermen, some people are sleazy car salesmen, some people are rich, some people are poor.
Hopefully when things slow down for me next week, I'll come up with some pitches for shows set in Rhode Island. Perhaps I'll begin with the easy, "Dude, where's my coffee milk?"