NYC has served as the backdrop of approximately a billion and one movies and it’s always cool to see Gotham City landmarks in supporting roles up on the silver screen. But living in a Brooklyn hood that’s seen a seemingly endless stream of productions roll through in the last few months moves from a fun novelty to annoying fucking nuisance quicker than a cross fade: trailers take up blocks of parking spaces, shoots close down local restaurants and bars, paparazzi clog the sidewalks. What a nightmare! Except when the production is Boardwalk Empire,” director Martin Scorsese’s new drama pilot for HBO starring Steve Buscemi (Mr. Pink from Reservoir Dogs) and hot dirty blond Michael Pitt (who played the Kurt Cobain-like dude in Last Days). Empire offers a look at Mafia-run Atlantic City during its gilded Prohibition-era high mark days, with Pitt playing an up-and-coming gangster learning the ropes from hardened criminal Buscemi. Seeing Pitt walking down my very own block isn’t exactly on par with his full-frontal turn in The Dreamers, but I’m not complaining.