Proposal floated to turn Izod Center into giant film studio by Russell Ben-Ali/The Star-Ledger Friday October 03, 2008, 9:06 PM William Perlman/The Star-LedgerThe Izod Center in East Rutherford. A proposal by members of the Bergen County Film Commission to turn the soon-to-be shuttered Izod Center into one of the largest movie production studios on the East Coast drew the ire of local politicians today. The idea drew accusations of closed-door meetings and nefarious intent, adding a new chapter to a feud that erupted last year when Newark opened its own competing arena just miles away. "Newark politicians have been clamoring for the closure of the Bergen arena for years so as to eliminate competition for the Prudential Center," an angry East Rutherford Mayor James Cassella said in a prepared statement. "I am afraid that this seems to be just an underhanded way to accomplish their goal." The future of the Izod Center, the Meadowlands home of the New Jersey Nets, has sparked fiery debate since the team announced plans to move to Brooklyn. The team has pushed the move to the new Barclays Center back to at least 2010. But the talks are particularly passionate in Bergen County, where the East Rutherford sports complex provides hundreds of jobs. A release accused county politicians in Bergen of agreeing to fund a study that could lead to the shutdown of the arena, although one freeholder denied that is the case. Carlstadt Councilman Joseph Crifasi added, "Where was the public meeting at which the movie studio idea was discussed? Or was this some idea cooked up in private by people who want to get the county into the movie business?" Actually, the idea was floated by commission members at a film festival in Rutherford as a way to increase the number of films produced in New Jersey. Bergen County Freeholder Bernadette McPherson, a liaison to the Bergen County Film Commission, confirmed that some members of the commission have floated the idea and are hopeful the state could study the matter. "There is merit to doing a feasibility study," said Tom Meyers, head of the Bergen County Film Commission, which encourages filmmaking in Bergen County. The group promotes Bergen County as the birthplace of American cinema. A proposed rail link to the Meadowlands could give the arena site an advantage over other smaller studios in New Jersey, according to Steven Gorelick, executive director of the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission. "We think the concept is exciting," he said. "The location is very suitable. It would bring hundreds of part-time and full-time jobs. But obviously it has to be contingent on the facility becoming available." Link
hey, NJ is the original Hollywood. I'm not against this idea at all. ...but a film studio in the middle of a football stadium and the world's largest mall/whateverthehell Xanadu is? not sure about that.
