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The Slice: The Slice: When are they going to make “Sleepless in Spokane”?

Another year has come and gone.

And still there’s no romantic movie making high-profile use of Spokane’s Empire State Building.

(OK, OK, I know it is now called the Great Western Building. But it still prominently says “Empire State Building” in a few places. So give me a break here.)

New York City’s Empire State Building has starred in 1957’s “An Affair to Remember” and numerous other film romances.

Ours? Well, it has been the backdrop for Bloomsday TV coverage a time or two.

The upshot? New York is viewed as an exciting, romantic city. Spokane is seen as a great place to raise a family if you aren’t poor or on drugs.

There might be a few other factors at work there. But I ask you. Is this fair? I think not.

Our Empire State Building is a bit shorter but it is significantly older. It deserves some love.

So lets examine the issue. Does the handsome structure at the southwest corner of Riverside and Lincoln merit a role in some kissyface movie?

Pro: Spokane is closer to Hollywood than is New York.

Con: The roof of the Spokane ESB doesn’t have an observation deck, so far as I am aware.

Pro: One of the lead characters could work at the Spokane newspaper right next door.

Con: Nobody would buy a good-looking movie star playing someone who works at a newspaper.

Pro: It would not be the first movie filmed in Spokane. We are not total novices here.

Con: People might be confused, expecting “Vision Quest II” or “Benny and Joon Got Old.”

Pro: There’s no love story like a Spokane love story.

Con: Nobody actually says that.

Pro: Might be a role for the Riverfront Park Garbage Goat.

Con: A gun owners’ rights rally in front of the federal courthouse could complicate filming across the street.

Pro: Easy access to the Spokane Falls, which has a certain touch of romance.

Con: People in Spokane might pick up some showbiz jargon.

Pro: The shape of Spokane’s Empire State Building is not ridiculously suggestive.

Con: Film crew apt to be told to “Get off my lawn!”

Pro: Hiring extras would bolster local economy.

Con: Movie crew would have a wrap party and not invite us.

Today’s Slice question: If you drew a pie chart illustrating how 2016 Spokane is influenced/shaped by people originally from other states, what would it look like?

Write The Slice at P. O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470. If you still write checks, it’s time to start using “2016.”

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