Tricked Into the Press Kit

REMEMBER WHEN WE all got excited that there might be a new falafel joint opening along Glendale Blvd., only to find out it was merely the set for a Tony Shaloub movie? Well, our collective delusion hasn't gone unnoticed. From the AmericanEast production notes: Principal photography for AmericanEast began in July, 2006. Shooting primarily took place in the Atwater Village neighborhood of Los Angeles, the location of the film's main set - Habibi's Cafe. Because much of the story takes place at Habibi's, it would have been impossible to close down a real Middle Eastern restaurant for such an extended period of time, so, instead, the design crew, led by production designer Frank Bollinger, converted a vacant, storefront retail property into a kawha that would look familiar to anyone who ever sipped an Arabic coffee in downtown Cairo. In fact, both the exterior and the interior of the building was so convincing that Atwater Village residents from time to time strode onto the set expecting to order falafels and kebabs. The smoky, hothouse look brought to the set through the lighting and lensing of director of photography Michael Wojciechowski added to the location’s Middle Eastern feel. Ha ha on us. Maybe Shaloub and company can make it up to us by opening an actual falafel joint. Till then, with AmericanEast in the can, we await the film's release date.