"He Poured Out His Love...And His Wine" - My Grand Wine Collection

Published in Fresno Bee, Nov. 3, 1999

I once had a grand collection of wine..

Mostly Bordeaux from the heralded 1982 vintage, a few bottles from the legendary 1961 crop, and one glorious bottle of 1947 Chateau Cheval Blanc that I treated like a newborn, swaddling it in terry cloth towels when ever I moved it.  My temperature-controlled wine locked in West Los Angeles cooled the hottest of California Cabernet Sauvignon from the '84, '85, and '86 vintage. 

Then I met Carmen.. 

Carmen lived the high life. She had a town house in swanky Century City and an apartment on East 50th Street in Manhattan, two blocks from the famous French restaurant Lutece where she was a fixture in the dining room. 

She had dresses that cost more than my 1983 Ford Ranger.

We met four years ago (1995) when we sat next to each other at a luncheon featuring 1988 red burgundies at trendy Campanile in Los Angeles.  Though there were eight other people at the upstairs private dining room, we hardly noticed them

After the luncheon, we walked down the street, sat on a once-elegant - now tattered - old couch that a La Brea Avenue used furniture store had on sidewalk display and talked until the sun went down 

I called her the next day, but she was off to New York. When she came back to Los Angeles, we went to dinner. I brought along a Chateau Beaucastel, 1978.  The next morning, I brought her some blood orange juice. It did the trick better than the classic Rhone.

We had a great week and the she went back to New York for business.

Then I lost my job. I was a city hall reporter from the Los Angeles Times and was smacked in a huge layoff.

But, I didn't tell Carmen about the job loss. I mean, why tell someone 3,000 miles away you're unemployed? What good does that do?  Certainly wouldn't score me any points. Anyway, I figured I'd be back on the job soon.

But, work didn't come so easily. Freelancing was rough. 

Still, I was having fun. We talked every night. Like kids, sometimes for an hour. She had class and she knew white burgundies like no one I'd ever known. 

She would be back in LA. in a month and we'd have a swell time, she told me. 

But, at that time, my money, never a strong point, was hitting new depths. The checking account was dwindling faster than a bottle of Krug on New Year's Eve. My savings account, like the gas tank on a V-12 Ferrari Enzo after a drive from Sanger to Sonoma, was on empty. My credit cards were as useless as merlot from North Dakota. 

My only financial plus was my 401(k) account, but I knew if I went into it, I would be taxed and penalized 50%. The financial crisis had not yet reached that panicked stage. No, this was just run-of-the-mil desperation.

Plain and simple, I needed a lot of extra cash to lavish on a girl. Why else does one need extra cash anyway?

One July night, she called and said she was coming back to Los Angeles in three days. She couldn't wait to see me, she said softly.

I needed some romancing cash, I thought.

I did the unthinkable.

Now, I know any true wine lover reading this may find what follows deplorable But, this might be love. Or at least a romantic case of lust.

I started selling my wine collection.  

The first to go were the extras I had of first-growth Bordeaux from the '82 and '83 vintages.  Heck, some of them aren't drinkable for another decade, I reasoned to myself. What good are they doing me collecting dust in some freezing Westside warehouse, I rationalized. Anyway, I'd sell them, get back on my financial feet in a year or two and start buying them back, I planned. 

I walked into 20/20 Wine in Los Angeles like I was carrying letters of transit out of Casablanca. I sold an 1982 Cheval Blanc I had bought for $60  I got $150, $160 for it. A Latour, Margaux, a Mouton from 1982 and I had $700.

Then I took a few bottles out of my cellar to drink.

Carmen came to town and I was ready for her with a magnum of '85 Dom Perignon Rose at her townhouse and reservations at Valentino, my favorite Italian restaurant.

That was a grand week.

She went back to New York, wanting to know when I was going to come see her in Manhattan.  I sold more bottles, mostly California Cabernet, and soon boarded a midnight flight to New York City.  

We dined grandly thee: Lutece (Zind Humbrecht Tokay Pinot Gris); Lespinasse (Montrachet from Ramonet); Union Square Cafe (Screaming Eagle Cabernet with the best cheeseburgers). It was wonderful.

I flew back to LAX. My cousin Greg took me home. I borrowed five bucks to eat the next day.

This continued for six months. Carmen would come back. I'd go to New York. Soon, my wine locker looked like downtown Beirut during the civil war. Desolation reigned. Only a few bottles, like the survivors of the Battle of Stalingrad, remained. 

Then, over a  series of  painful phone calls, Carmen let me know that it was all over for us. She had met a rich man. I knew all along this wasn't gong to be a lasting relationship, but, still it kinda hurt.

However, no sooner did I get dumped, I got a new, better job back at the Times covering South Central Los Angeles and Watts. Within  a few months, I met a beautiful woman and forgot about Carmen.

Through that disaster, I managed to keep the 1947 Chateau Cheval Blanc. But,  the '82 Bordeaux are gone. A few drunk, the majority sold.

I thought about that foolish period of my life - one of many - the other day when I saw a bottle of 1982 Cheval Blanc for $595.

But, hey, things are going better now. Maybe my irrational logic for selling them wasn't that far off. I have an even better job now at the Fresno Bee and maybe one day I will be able to buy them back. That would be nice.

photo (18).JPG



Nancy's Fancy Garners Second Highest Number of Superlatives in the United States This Week

During its three-day premiere at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, Nancy's Fancy, the gelato of Nancy Silverton, was the subject of 56,242 registered superlatives, the second highest total for any noun in the United States during that time period, an official said Wednesday.

"Great","Wonderful", "Do me, Baby, do me", "Magnificent", "Amazing", "Oh, my God" "Wow!", "Delicious" and others were being gushed during the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday event in the Moscone Center at such a rapid clip that the Superlative Board of America (SBOA) had to add a second counting machine.

Praise for the four flavors of Nancy's Fancy, ( three gelati and one sorbetto) ranked 2nd only to the superlatives uttered by visitors at the Tunnel View in Yosemite National Park which tallied 61,061 praises. (An estimated 12,000 utterances were for the two lunatics climbing El Capitan's "Dawn Wall" without climbing aids other than harnesses and ropes.)

The flavors, members of  the elite "Squad Seven", were Salted Peanut Butter with chocolate, Greek Yogurt with red fruits of the forest, Cold-brewed Stumptown Coffee with cardamon, cinnamon and nutmeg, and Coconut sorbetto  with chocolate strands. An employee of Nancy's Fancy, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the other three flavors that comprise Squad Seven did not travel to San Francisco from Los Angeles  "due to security issues." The employee would not elaborate further.

Nancy's Fancy is expected to be available to the public in early Spring. 

Jerry Hauser, the director of SBOA, said that he expects Nancy's Fancy numbers to get even higher upon release and he was seeking federal funding to acquire a faster counting machine.

"Both McLaren and Ferrari are working on a high-speed superlative counter," Hauser said. "We might need both of them this spring when people come to Yosemite and gaze out from Tunnel View while savoring Nancy' Fancy."

Fancy food show



Nancy Silverton To Unveil New Gelato at the Fancy Food Show, San Francisco Officials Urge Calm

When a photo showing what appeared to be two pints of gelato with the name "Nancy's Fancy" was leaked to the press earlier this week, speculation in the ice cream world revved up like a McLaren P1 down the Mulsanne straight in Le Mans. Was it a hoax? Or was this for reals? Was it Granada I see, or only Asbury Park?*  Well, now, it is official. Nancy Silverton will be making gelato and sorbetto in pints that will be sold in stores across the United States.

After  the announcement was made Wednesday morning in Grape Street Park that "Nancy's Fancy" was indeed happening, the grand chefs of America could not contain their delight.  Mario Batali was the first to comment  (see below) issuing a statement akin to a Hendrix solo. Legendary pizzaiolo Chris Bianco soon followed, riffing off "Jaws", ("I'm gonna need a bigger spoon"), as did Jonathan Waxman and many more.  San Francisco chef Dominique Crenn emailed thoughts on "Nancy's Fancy" so titillating, so rife with sensual possibilities, that she has been banned from Brazil for six months. 

The public grew excited, too. After all, this wasn't a treat that would only be available to the chosen few, only offered to a smattering of the privileged. Nancy's Fancy will be offered throughout America later this year.

"In the frozen section of the supermarket, it is s going to be like all the other ultra-premium ice creams and gelato will be wearing a nice department store outfit and then, boom!, here comes Nancy's Fancy decked out in Marni, looking like she's going to the Academy Awards. No, Make that the James Beard Awards since Nancy has already won there four times”, said Suzanne Tracht, chef owner of the acclaimed Jar in Los Angeles. (Silverton has been honored by the James Beard Foundation for Outstanding Pastry Chef in America, Outstanding Restaurant (Campanile) in America, Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America, and, just last year, as the Outstanding Chef in America.).

The public will get their first opportunity to sample Nancy's Fancy this coming Sunday, January 11 at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco ( https://www.specialtyfood.com/shows-events/winter-fancy-food-show/) which will continue on Monday and Tuesday at the Moscone Center, Nancy and her executive pastry chef Dahlia Narvaez will be there to hand out 5,000 samples of four Nancy's Fancy flavors.  

Still, with all the excitement, there is concern that the rush for the stuff will be overwhelming. Therefore, the City of San Francisco is taking extraordinary measures to  ensure bedlam doesn't ensue both inside and outside of the Moscone Center. 

"Nancy's Fancy is the greatest thing to happen in the ice cream/gelato world since Noah let two cows on that Ark," said San Francisco Mayor Jerry Rice. "But, on the other spoon, we need to contain this as the Fancy Food show has the potential for calamity. There will be 5,000 portions of Nancy's Fancy available. There are  837,442 people living in San Francisco. You don't have to be 'ol Stevie Hawking to figure out there's gonna be 832, 442 disgruntled citizens in my town.".  

A San Francisco Police Department commander, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said police have been carefully studying the classic "Do's and Dont's of Crowd Control" by Attila the Hun, the colorful 5th-Century invader known for, among other things,  his unique way of handling large groups of people.  (It should be noted the book is now considered a masterpiece on how not to address large crowds, including avoiding such sayings as "You're  gonna wish you never came here", and "What the fuck did i just say?".

Still, most say the excitement to get the Nancy's Fancy will be worth a line or two. 

These are the four flavors will be available at the show  Chunky Salted Peanut  Butter/with Crunchy  chocolate; Cold-Brewed Spiced Stumptown Coffee with Cracked Cocoa Nibs, Greek Yogurt & Mixed Berries; Coconut Stracciatella with Bitterweeet Chocolate Strands.

A Special Report on the Flavors is coming soon. But,revisit this article about Nancy and Dahlia's Salted Peanut Butter.  http://krikorianwrites.com/blog/2014/1/12/nw6s2jk2qectcua6hpzok65h65cc2n

Here's what Mario Batali said about Nancy and her gelato.  “Nancy is the goddess of the delicious and the most inspired and inspirational cook I know in everything from pizza to panini so its natural that I have always been/will forever be in LOVE/LUST for her gelato  it is if the angels opened their freezers and delicate flakes of frozen genius are falling from the skies like notes from a jimi hendrix solo, each one different yet mellifluous and delightful on its own or as a full on symphonic poem to the magnificence of her creamy, sensational and ultimately satisfying work in frosty frolic.”

 * - "At Long Last Love"  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRFbKBHvLXs

pB gelato

 

 

 

 

NRL Shocker - Pizzeria Mozza Trades Tagorda For Chi Spacca's DeNicola

In news that sent shock waves throughout the National Restaurant League, United Mozza announced Sunday that Pizzeria sous chef Joe "GQ" Tagorda will be traded to Chi Spacca for their own sous chef, Ryan Vito DeNicola. 

Although complete details of the trade were not made public, sources said Spacca would also get two first round 2015 draft choices from the Culinary Institute of America, while Pizzeria Mozza would get a new front door which completely shuts..

Pizzeria Mozza general manager Arielle Chernin said she was delighted to be getting DeNicola. "He's a very nice guy and I say any time an Italian restaurant can get guy who has 'Vito' for middle name, go for it."

Tagorda who worked at the Pizzeria for nearly five years, was excited about the trade.  "I'm thrilled to be joining the Chi Spacca team and I know i can make the place more stylish," said Tagorda in his last official oven appearance Sunday evening at the Pizzeria. "The food is great at Spacca. but have you ever seen the way Chad dresses? Not exactly Ralph Lauren."

In his career at Pizzeria Mozza, Tagorda made 2,130 pizzas, burning 145. for a very fine 93% success rating.  (In comparison, storied pizzaiola Chris Bianco, of Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix has 98.8 % completion rating, highest of all active pizza makers in the National Restaurant League.. On the other end of the spectrum, former cook Sam Schramberg had a 5% completion rating, burning 19 or the 20 pizzas he made as a line cook before moving onto management.)

DeNicola, in his nearly two years at Chi Spacca, grilled for 520 bistecca alla Fiorentina, botching only 26 or them,  (95%) and had a very impressive 93.2% satisfaction rating on his tomahawk chop..

Tagorda was unfazed by those numbers. "Yes Ryan is fine cook, but I look better."

Spacca's chef Chad Colby said he would miss his long-time right hand man  but was glad to get out of DeNicola's five-year contract, rumored to be $7 million a year, plus incentives. Tagorda will start out making $9 an hour, but could go up to $13.25 by 2017. In addition, Spacca will pay for Tagorda's personal grooming, said to run upwards of  $1,500 a day. 

Chef Vito








Top Secret Photo Reveals the Future of Gelato in Nancy Silverton's Freezer

Rumors have been circulating for months that Nancy Silverton was going to be making gelato and sorbetto sold in pints available in markets across the United States. Every time reporters had questioned her about this venture, she would simply reply "Nothing has been signed."

When reached in Italy early Sunday morning, January 3rd, Silverton told a reporter "Haven't you anything better to write about? Aren't there all those killings on the streets that begin with 80?" Then she hung up.

However, an appliance repairman, making a routine house call to Silverton's home in Green Meadows, was both pleasantly surprised and deeply disappointed when he opened her freezer New Year's Day and saw an enticing pint of something labeled. "Nancy's Fancy".

The repairman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said "I hadn't been so excited since opening night at Pizzeria Mozza."  He quickly snapped a  photograph (seen below) with the Hassleblad 503CW he carries on his tool belt.

Alas, the thrill was soon over. The container was empty. However, there was evidence something had been ravaged  inside that container as fork marks were clearly visible.

Novelist Ruth Reichl, no stranger to Silverton's freezer, would not comment on the photograph's credibility even though, according to the repairman, the back of the container recounts a story of Reichl seeing Silverton sitting on a floor churning away.

Renowned San Francisco chef Dominique was thrilled at even the prospect of a gelato made by Nancy Silverton. When told of its possibility, she dipped into a sensual reverie. "Hot winter in San Francisco. I am taken by surprise by 100 degree Fahrenheit. While strolling the streets, my body is craving a sweet luxurious taste of refreshing goodness  I need to find that place, not negotiable. Nothing can take the place of my Nancy's Fancy.

More to come as this important story unfolds. And folds. 

A spokesman for Tim tam said "That's one classy ass freezer."

A spokesman for Tim tam said "That's one classy ass freezer."


Dec. 31, 2014 LA Weekly Aritcle on The Legendary Career of LAPD Homicide Detective Sal LaBarbera

Sal LaBarbera sees dead bodies.

Driving from Watts to USC — up Central Avenue, west over on 83rd, up Figueroa — the LAPD homicide detective can envision the slain bodies of his cases. Hundreds of them. Hell, no, thousands of them.

"There is not a street, not a corner, from the Nickerson Gardens to the Sports Arena [where] I haven't been part of a homicide investigation," LaBarbera said as he drove that route recently. "I don't remember all the names. How could I? But I remember the bodies."

Detective Sal LaBarbera's days of seeing dead bodies are winding down. After 33 years with the Los Angeles Police Department, 27 of those investigating homicides, he is retiring. On Jan. 31 he will be, as police say, "KMA367." End of watch.

He'll leave a legacy as one of the best homicide cops in the history of LAPD, meaning one of the best anywhere — built on a foundation of loyalty to his peers but, even more, to the victims and their families.

"The level of compassion and the commitment he has are unsurpassed by any detective," said LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, who has worked with LaBarbera his entire career. "We're really going to miss him. Not just because he's a great detective but because he's a great friend."

LaBarbera said the best part of being a detective is "driving Code 3 in reverse around LAX chasing somebody." The worst? "Statistics are bullshit. One murder is one too many."

LaBarbera, 55, was raised in New York's Westchester County by his detective father and homemaker mother. He played semipro baseball in New York as an outfielder.

But his grandparents lived in the San Fernando Valley, and when he visited them he would sit outside the LAPD Van Nuys station and watch the officers come and go. "I was so impressed by their size, their professionalism and that sharp uniform," he said. "They were unlike what I was used to seeing in New York."

He graduated from the Los Angeles Police Academy in 1981 and fairly quickly was assigned to the wild 77th Street station, becoming a detective trainee. By 1990, he was working homicide at South Bureau amidst the era's gang bloodbaths.

"It's the most rewarding and demanding job. Thirty-six-hour shifts were normal," he said. "My goal was always to catch the bad guy before the victim's funeral. To get suspects to cop out, that's so rewarding. I have a half-dozen assholes on Death Row."

The worst thing about being a homicide detective: "Seeing the carnage left behind." The best: "A little bit of closure for families."

LaBarbera's boss, Lt. Jeff Nolte, said the detective is "going to be impossible to replace."

"There's more art to homicide than science," Nolte said. "It's a feeling. It's about tension. It's about having relationships. There is no one like Sal when it comes to naturally building a relationship. When a witness senses that feeling, they become comfortable, and that's when they come forward. Sal is unwavering in his oath to make things right."

Thirty-one years ago, at Manchester Avenue and St. Andrews Place, LaBarbera was on patrol when a man got shot, his femoral artery taking a potentially fatal hit. But the detective reached his fingers into the victim's leg and pinched off the artery, saving him.

The best thing about his job, LaBarbera said: community contact. The worst: "Department bullshit."

Det. Chris Barling, supervisor of the 77th Street homicide unit, has known LaBarbera for 27 years and calls him "Hollywood Jack," a nod to the detective's frequent press conferences and oft-stated desire to "go Hollywood" after he retires.

When Barling heard L.A. Weekly was profiling the detective, he asked, "How much is he paying you?"

But then Barling got serious. "Sal's compassion and caring about people both on the force and on the street, the victims, the families, is second to none. He is a compassionate and a passionate advocate for victim's families."

Det. Tim Marcia of the Robbery-Homicide division explained that the detective taps into something deep in these families, then turns it into a tool that propels him forward.

"He's carried the loss of a victim close to his heart, and he used the pain and anguish that violent crime brings to a family as motivation to do the job right," Marcia said. "Sal was a real murder cop, and the city of L.A. is a better place because of him."

It's not difficult to tap into compliments from co-workers. What's unique about LaBarbera is that he gets compliments from "the other side."

Infamous 89 Family Swans gang member Cleamon "Big Evil" Johnson lauded LaBarbera for his "come at you as a man" straightforwardness.

Johnson is incarcerated at Men's Central Jail, awaiting his retrial for two murders for which he served 13 years on death row. In 2011, the California Supreme Court overturned his conviction, finding that a juror leaning toward acquittal was wrongly excused by the trial judge. A few months ago, asked by a reporter about the guest list for his "homecoming party" if he wins at retrial, Johnson said, "Hey, you gotta invite Sal. Just tell him to leave the badge at home."

Homicide detectives who listen to Johnson's jailhouse phone conversations gave LaBarbera a full ration of shit for that.

Betty Day, the mother of Wayne "Honcho" Day, a former Grape Street Crip whom the FBI once labeled the "Godfather of Watts," also praised LaBarbera

"That Italian is retiring, and I'm just now hearing about it?" Day said. "He knows my son, and he was after him, but Sal was and is always fair. A good cop. He better invite me to his party."

Donny Joubert, a respected Nickerson Gardens peacemaker who convinced the project's Bounty Hunter Bloods not to retaliate against a rival gang — and to instead let LaBarbera do his job — remembered, "Sal sat down with me, and I could feel his determination, his concern for my family."

"Sal got the killer," Joubert said. "We have nothing but respect for Sal in Watts."

LaBarbera said his best moments include "hijacking an ice cream truck and treating the neighborhood." His worst: "The nightmares, the not sleeping."

LaBarbera's dedication to families of the murdered came at a cost to his own family. He recalled "getting yelled at for almost not being there for my own child's birth," even as he celebrated the fact that he delivered "three babies over the years."

When asked if her father ever left a special occasion to rush to a crime scene, LaBarbera's oldest daughter, Marissa, 21, replied with a laugh, "Which special occasion would you like me to start with? Easter, Christmas, my birthday?

"My dad would get home from a 12-plus-hours workday, sit down at the dinner table, ask us girls how school was, and all of a sudden his cellphone is ringing and he is out on the porch, smoking his cigarette, with his work face on. His demeanor would stiffen, his tone would become more stern. And I would watch through the window and realize my dad is going back to work."

Younger daughter Emily, 18, said she has some of his traits.

"I don't want to be a cop, but what I will do, to follow his footsteps, is to be a wolf, not a sheep. Meaning, I'm going to be a leader; I'm going to help others, and I won't be afraid of anything."

For LaBarbera, the worst part of the job has been "someone dying in your arms."

The best: "Being there with prayers and kind words for someone dying in your arms." 

http://www.laweekly.com/informer/2014/12/31/the-best-and-worst-of-a-legendary-homicide-detectives-9800-days-at-lapd

This story was edited by Jill Stewart.

Sal and a suspected assassin . As the above photo shows, , Labarbera's style was to get close to suspects before arresting them 

Sal and a suspected assassin . As the above photo shows, , Labarbera's style was to get close to suspects before arresting them 

Man Shot to Death Monday Evening on 84th Street and St. Andrews Place

A young black man walking along 84th Street near St. Andrews Place died early Monday evening after he was shot several times by an assailant firing from a passing car.

The man, whose identity was not immediately known, was carrying a bag of snacks and was walking westbound around 7 p.m. on 84th when the car drove along side. The shooter did not get out of the car, authorities said, and the victim collapsed on the street.  

"Someone is waiting for their baby to come home and he ain't coming home," said a woman standing outside the crime scene tape and looking at the familiar white "murder tent" the LAPD had set up to keep the body out of view.  "Where's the protest for him? I mean, I know it just happened, but, I'm telling you,  no one is going to be protesting for this kid."

The neighborhood has for decades been a stronghold of the Eigth Trey Gangster Crips.

murder tent



Saturday Morning Killing on 82nd, Saturday Evening Killing on 88th

LAPD homicide detectives were busy Saturday investigating the deaths of two adult black males, ages 26 and 24, shot to death in separate incidents on the Southside..

Early Saturday evening, Maurice Reliford was fatally shot and three companions wounded near 88th Street and Figueroa in Vermont Vista when an assailant opened fire on the group.

Shortly after the shooting, friends and relatives gathered outside the crime scene tape near the Full Moon Motel. Reliford's father walked among the crowd telling everyone "God bless you."

Reliord's aunt said she ran to the shooting site and saw her nephew laid out.

"I kept saying 'Maurice! Maurice!', but he wouldn't wake up, " said Judy Ann Reliford, adding emphatically that her nephew was not a gang member. 

Reliford's cousin, Brandia Cook, stood by in a dazed state before she spoke. 

"If you needed something to eat,  Maurice would get you something to eat," said Cook, who spoke to Reliford five hours before he was shot. She said he was from Victorville, had moved to Los Angeles two years ago and was the father of two young children. . "You hear this all the time, but he was just a really nice guy who kept to himself and mainly hung out with his cousins. He loved hip hop. Especially E-40 and Nipsey Hussle.  He was a great cousin. "

Saturday morning detectives were at 82nd Street just east of Vermont Avenue in Vermont Knolls where the 24-year-old, an reputed Avalon Crip gang member with a lengthy criminal record, lay dead. He may have been shot as early as Friday before midnight, but the body was not discovered until 6 a.m., authorities. A U.S. Post Office is 20 feet away from where the victim died and detectives are hoping the surveillance cameras there will provide valuable information.

Outside the crime scene tape and the 'murder tent" where the victim's body lay hidden from view and covered with a sheet, the man's mother wailed. "Not my son!. Oh, my god, not my son1"

88th and Fig . Maurice

Maurice Reliford with one of his two boys. 

 

 

 

  

Internet Movie Site IMDB Possibly Hacked by Sony Loyalists As "The Interview" Gets 9.9 Rating

Either IMDB, the internet movie rating site, has been hacked by people loyal to Sony or "The Interview" is the greatest movie of all time. The site, which lists "The Godfather" and "The Shawshank Redemption" as their highest rated movies ever with 9.2 scores, has the controversial film about North Korean dick-tator Kim Jung-un listed at 9.9. Yeah. Nine point nine.

"Casablanca" gets an 8.6, "Lawrence of Arabia" an 8.3 and  "On the Waterfront" an 8.2. But, "The Interview" is coming in at 9.9.  And no, this is not a few votes. According to IMDB 38,956 votes were cast.

Check it out. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2788710/

I didn't even know 38,956 people have seen this movie.  I won't be one of them when it is made available, but I bet Sony wishes 38,956 have seen it.

Hold up. Forget the lede. It just hit me. This movie must have been furrowed  into the North Korean concentration camp Hoeryong and the inmates watched it, loved it and voted. Aka "Penal Labor Colony #22", Hoeryong, located  in the northeast corner of North Korea, has housed up to 50,000 inmates so getting 38,956 to love a movie about off the guy who put them  - or at least keeps them - in prison would not be all that difficult. 

If that's the case, then one puzzling question remains.Why not a perfect 10

imdb