Cities show their sensitive sides

By Tom VanBuren

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Why do some cities get all the love? Last week’s Toronto International Film… ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Why do some cities get all the love? Last week’s Toronto International Film Festival premiered an early cut of ‘New York, I Love You,’ an anthology of short films by big-name actors and directors, all professing their undying affection for the Big Apple. It’s a follow-up to 2006’s ‘Paris, Je T’aime,’ which followed the same formula in France. ‘ ‘ ‘ Rumor has it that these movies are the start of a franchise, with the setting moving to locales like Shanghai and Jerusalem. But what then? How does one choose a city worthy of its own movie? ‘ ‘ ‘ To help the producers of this reported ‘Cities of Love’ series, I’ve compiled a list of the most sentimental cities in the world so that they may be featured in this whirlwind tour of romance. I humbly offer some suggestions for possible storylines, as well (royalty checks can be made payable to cash). ‘ ‘ ‘ Wasilla, Alaska ‘mdash; Home to award-winning adult film star April Flowers and pageant queen-turned-vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, Wasilla has a record of producing arctic beauties. Perhaps a couple of ice queens can hunt moose and warm hearts? ‘ ‘ ‘ Miami, Fla. ‘mdash; Party in the city where the heat is on with ‘Miami, I Love You.’ Will Smith’s favorite backup dancer is leaving him to pursue a career as a thong model for Sisqo. If he doesn’t want to get dumped like a truck, he’ll have to win back her heart ‘mdash; big Willy style! Possibly rework this concept as a crossover with the ‘Bad Boys’ franchise, get Michael Bay to direct. ‘ ‘ ‘ Cancun, Mexico ‘mdash; How does a young spring-breaker find love? Oiling up and doing body shots off a sloppy co-ed’s rack is a good way to start. This entry in the series will appeal to people in the MTV crowd who are longing for genuine, heartfelt relationships. All none of them. ‘ ‘ ‘ Washington, D.C. ‘mdash; ‘The American President’ is an endearing romance about a president finding love with a lobbyist. Now that our government loves lobbyists more than ever, a new movie practically writes itself. Maybe we could get Tom Cruise to appear as a young John McCain ‘mdash; the last time he played a maverick, we got ‘Top Gun,’ one of the greatest bromances of our time. ‘ ‘ ‘ Seattle, Wash. ‘mdash; The lead story of ‘Seattle, I Love You’ will be a star-crossed romance. A young coffee shop worker falls in love with a fellow barista, but she works at the Starbucks across the street from his ‘mdash; hearts will break in the climax, in which she tries to follow him in suicide by kissing the traces of a poisoned frappuccino off his lips. ‘ ‘ ‘ And of course, to cap off the series, we can finish with the most romantic city on earth: Pittsburgh. After all, what could be more enchanting than topping the charts as not only the United States’ most livable city but also one of its most polluted? The possibilities here are endless. So, some ideas to get started: ‘ ‘ ‘ In ‘Stillin’ My Heart,’ a tipsy Pitt student falls in love over the phone with a SafeRider operator, finally explaining why it’s so hard a shuttle. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Love Bus’ is the story of two freshmen trying to go on a date to Squirrel Hill, but every 59U is packed ‘mdash; will they realize that more than one bus goes there, or will they be dining on the sidewalk outside Antoon’s? ‘ ‘ ‘ And finally, a man is torn when his favorite dancer at Cricket Lounge gentleman’s club announces that she is leaving to work at Blush ‘mdash; will he follow her, or is Cricket’s all-you-can-eat buffet too good to leave behind?