A real-life version of the infamous Bluth’s Frozen Banana stand has been touring the city to coincide with the fourth season of Arrested Development—and The Observer managed to get a real inside scoop.

Heading down to the Columbus Circle location on Tuesday, the queue was so long it had its own security guard. We quickly made friends.

“It’s been crazy all day," he said. “Some people have been here since like six in the morning.”

The show that revels in its cult status seems to have the fans to match: director Ron Jeremy and NFL player turned White Chicks actor Terry Crews both stopped by.

“People yesterday were bringing their babies up for photos. It was like we were the Beatles or something,” divulged an impossibly helpful lady called Rebecca. “Loads of people were doing the chicken dance. It’s like we started an Arrested Development Harlem Shake”

“So a Banana Shake?” we chipped in, overly satisfied with ourselves.

Charms applied, we managed to get inside the hallowed wooden hut. Kitted out in a flawless replica yellow shirt and blue apron, we happily handing out the b-a-n-a-n-a-s.

We held up banana after banana for photos with fans who seemed less interested in the show and more in the possibility of free stuff. (Who could blame them?)

We enjoyed every second; our TV-fueled dreams fulfilled. We ignored request after request to step down, pretending we didn't hear them ask "You had enough?" Sneaky frozen banana in hand, we finally said adieu.

The actual product? Quite nice.

David Cross.

Before his conversation with Michael Cera began last Wednesday night, comedian David Cross could be spotted chatting with a comely blonde in one of the aisles of 92Y’s Kaufmann Concert Hall. He was gawked at, but not accosted, by a crowd clearly composed of die-hard fans. Nearly every seat was taken, and the audience hung on Mr. Cross’s every word: absorbing tales of his misfit childhood, cracking up at his quips—and sometimes at nothing at all.

“I truly don’t understand why that was funny,” said Mr. Cross at one point, visibly perplexed by the crowd’s paroxysms of laughter over a half-sentence he hadn’t meant as a joke.

Messrs. Cross and Cera, both dressed casually in sneakers with bright red laces, bantered easily. After all, the two know each other well from their days on Arrested Development, which will return with over a dozen new episodes in May. Though many attendees probably knew Mr. Cross best as Tobias Fünke, most of the conversation was devoted to the days before—and after—Arrested.

“What kind of a boy were you?” asked Mr. Cera.

“Like, was I desirable to priests?” wondered Mr. Cross. (Answer: he was not.)

Conversation soon turned to Mr. Cross’s two forthcoming films: Kill Your Darlings, in which he plays Louis Ginsberg (father of Allen), and It’s a Disaster, which he recently viewed and said he can personally vouch for. “One can’t say that about all the work that you do. We were in Year One together,” he said with a nod to Mr. Cera, referring to the regrettable caveman quest-cum-biblical odyssey, which also starred Jack Black.

“I assume everyone had too much respect to see it,” said Mr. Cera.

The actors then reminisced about the Year One shoot (a “great time”) and its location (Shreveport, Louisiana): “honestly one of the worst places in the United States.” The actors recalled one night down South when they went to see There Will Be Blood in a local theater and Mr. Cross had an altercation with two fellow moviegoers who were speaking too loudly.

Messrs. Cross and Cera launched into an imitation of the scene: “What’s he doing? He’s getting oil?” Mr. Cross intoned in his best redneck drawl.

“I’ll do you,” said Mr. Cera, twisting around in his seat to sharply rebuke the offending parties: “Hey guys, shut up?” Like most of his characters, Mr. Cera is not built for confrontation. “I was expecting to be punched in the back of the head,” he confessed. Even more so, perhaps, when Mr. Cross asked the gentlemen, “Are you fucking retarded?”

In addition to movie talkers, Mr. Cross informed the room that he doesn’t like the Barenaked Ladies—“They’re like corporate picnic fun”—or Larry the Cable Guy.

“The Barenaked Ladies of comedy?” suggested Mr. Cera.

“That’s not fair to the Bare Naked Ladies,” said Mr. Cross.

Oh, or Jim Belushi. Especially not Mr. Belushi.

Now that we had already heard all of Mr. Cross’s dislikes, the night almost started to feel like a personal ad when he launched into his description of a perfect date (it involved a velvet skateboard), which quickly veered into a riff on Seamless.com’s subway ads.

“One of their slogans is, and I’m paraphrasing here, ‘Seamless.com—Getting to third base just got a lot faster.’ And we all know what third base is,” said Mr. Cross. “So their advertisement to you is: ‘Use our app, and you will [here, Mr. Cross named a sexual act involving one’s finger] your date quicker than you would if you didn’t use Seamless.’”

The jury is still out as to whether the talk amped up Mr. Cross’s love life (he’s married to Amber Tamblyn), but it was excellent advertising of at least one sort: Mr. Cross is planning a comedy tour for mid-fall.

There we go (YoureGonnaGetSomeWalkOns.com)

Arrested Development, the show that has lived in suspended animation for almost twice as long as it was actually on television, is coming back to life through a new Netflix season and a feature film. The rumors are true! And not only that, but you, average person who is not a film extra, now have an opportunity for a walk-on role in the show!

(Insert your favorite Arrested Development line here. Ex: "I just blue myself," "But where did the lighter fluid come from?" "Gene Parmesan!" etc.)

Here's how you enter:

Create
Show that you deserve a walk-on role by creating an original piece of Arrested Development content. Entries can be videos (less than 2 minutes), photos, artwork, essays and more.
We’re looking for entries that are the most creative, unique and relevant to the show.

Share
Post your entry on Instagram, Tumblr or Twitter with the hashtag #BluthWalkOn by October 16th to enter. Or enter using this form.

Walk On

Six fans will be selected to win a trip to LA to visit the set of Arrested Development.
*Must be 18 or older and a resident of the U.S. (excluding AK and HI) to win. Contest ends October 16th.

Yikes. Or, you could just go down to Central Casting and try to get yourself a walk-on without begging all your friends to "heart" the Instagram photo of you in your jean shorts and blue body paint.

Just a thought.

Liza Minnelli, in a recent live performance (Getty Images)

Liza Minnelli, who played mother figure / love interest "Lucille II" on the late, lamented Fox series Arrested Development, is to return for the show's Netflix revival, says TV Guide. The Minnelli character on Arrested Development is a wacky socialite whose vertigo makes it impossible for her to have a satisfying relationship with her much younger boyfriend, Buster Bluth. She didn't appear at all in the show's final season, and has lately made limited TV appearances in shows like Drop Dead Diva and Law and Order: Criminal Intent. (Her last film appearance was in Sex and the City 2, in which she played herself.) Finally: the Oscar-winning actress will get some good material!

Gob, in the billiards room, with the candlestick.

Nancy Franklin may be taking a sabbatical from her post as television critic for The New Yorker, but it looks like she's got one more small-screen magic trick up her sleeve before she goes.

In a surprise addition to the magazine's annual festival, Ms. Franklin will moderate a panel with the entire cast of Arrested Development and its creator, Mitchell Hurwitz. Topics up for discussion include banana stands, never-nudes, and, oh, we don't know, Steve Holt? (STEVE HOLT!).

Seeing as the long-rumored movie based on the beloved show may never happen, this might be your last chance to see the Bluth family together. And it will certainly be a highlight of the festival. The Observer revealed the Writer-Celebrity pairings a few weeks ago, but it seems there were saving the best for last.

Buy your ticket soon, or else it will sell out and all you can say to yourself is, "I've made a huge mistake."

The development is the last piece of Riverside South, the giant string of apartment towers along the West Side Highway that were started by Donald Trump in the 1990s (it was once called, affectionately, "Trump City.") The site has a long and contentious history, and now the developer of the final segment, Extell Development, is proposing to change the zoning to residential (it was intended to be a television studio for NBC), and add more density.

Mr. Stringer, a onetime assemblyman from the Upper West Side, took issue with a number of points, but principally focused on the density (he wants 480,000 square feet less), the open space (he wants it to be more open and inviting), and the schools (he wants Extell to fund a bigger school).

Specifically, on the density issue, Mr. Stringer's recommendation was critical of Extell for essentially seeking more density than it should be entitled to, given that Extell is leaving 60^th Street closed off, getting more development rights as a result (allowable density is based on the size of the site; with a street closed off, the site is significantly larger).

From the recommendation:

[T]he proposed project will result in unmitigatable traffic impacts associated with the project's density Consequently, this finding cannot be met unless there is a reduction in proposed on-site density. The reduction should reflect an amount that is, at minimum, equivalent to the density gained from not mapping West 60th Street - approximately 480,000 SF.

...

It is not sound public policy to encourage development with unmitigated impacts that strain existing infrastructure and reduce the quality of life of all residents in the neighborhood.  Consequently, the density increase remains unwarranted.  

While this is a common argument to be made by any elected official on any development, the question of density seems particularly relevant at Riverside Center. Extell, as Mr. Stringer points out, is asking for 600,000 square feet, more than a hard-fought mid-1990s agreement with the community and Upper West Side elected officials allows. Extell's argument is that it is both giving more to the community than envisioned a decade ago (it's planning to spend tens of millions to help pay for a school), and it would not be economically viable with a smaller project. As for the latter point, perhaps that is true given the amount Extell paid for the site, but no one forced Extell to spend such a high sum.

A spokesman for Extell, George Arzt, said the firm is "disappointed that the recommendations by Borough President Stringer do not adequately recognize these continuing difficult economic times.

"The proposed reduction in density, along with some of the Borough President's other recommendations, threaten the economic viability of Riverside Center," he said, adding that Extell would continue a dialogue with Mr. Stringer throughout the process.

The community board also recommended "no" on the project, with conditions that included removing one of the five towers, and it now heads to the City Planning Commission.

The final step is the City Council, which is expected to vote by December.

Late last month, Extell bumped up the amount of below-market rate housing in the project to 20 percent. 

Mr. Stringer's full recommendation is here. 

RiversideCenterULURP

Cross is slated to play what's described as a "radical enviromentalist" something which seems right in his wheelhouse. The part was played by actor Andrew Daly (Eastbound and Down) in the original pilot, but apparently his presence was no match for Hurwitz's loyalty to Arrested Development. At this point, don't be surprised if Keri Russell (the female lead) winds up being replaced by Portia De Rossi.

Of course therein lies the problem: Hurwitz is undoubtedly talented, but he hasn't gotten anything off the ground since Arrested Development was canceled. And really, does trying to capture that lightning in a bottle again seem like the best course of action -- especially since, from a ratings standpoint, it didn't work in the first place? Yes, the cult of Arrested Development has grown exponetially since the show has gone off the air -- if only all the people who say they love Arrested Development had actually watched the show, it would still be on the air -- but that doesn't mean fans will automatically embrace Arnett and Cross on Running Wilde. Some of the best AD moments came when Arnett's Gob Bluth was paired with Cross' Tobias Funke. If their pairing doesn't live up to those lofty expectations -- and, Inception-style, even loftier memories -- how long will it take fans to revolt? If Hurwitz wants to do more Arrested Development, he should do more Arrested Development. Otherwise, maybe he should have left well enough alone.

So what kind of development projects does CNN actually have in the works these day?

Here's one....

Recently, according to CNN sources, the network's in-house team shot a pilot for a news show featuring David Shuster of MSNBC and Michel Martin of NPR as co-anchors. The pilot, we're told, also featured medical and opinion segments, and included appearances by several current CNN contributors, including Chrystia Freeland, the U.S. managing editor for the Financial Times and Jeffrey Toobin of The New Yorker. 

Reached on Wednesday night, Ms. Martin declined to comment. Ditto Mr. Shuster. Ditto CNN.

Will the project ever see the light of day?  It's a toss-up. You can bet that the CNN cupboard is well stocked with ideas like the Martin-Shuster pairing that might never make it out of TV purgatory--that well-populated land where ideas exist when they are not quite alive and not quite dead.

More >> CNN Still Very Pro-America in Lou Dobbs' Old Slot

For example, last September, Fishbowl L.A. reported that CNN was casting for a Crossfire-like show, which would feature a conservative pundit dueling with a liberal over the news of the day.

And in March, Dylan Stableford of The Wrap reported that CNN was working on a pilot for a Morning Joe-like morning show.

TV networks are constantly testing out anchors and toying with new show ideas. Most never make it on the air. In the end, despite the best efforts of agents, development executives, and research departments (and despite the friendly speculation from colleagues past and present) most big casting decisions in TV news (see Stephanopoulos, George) still come down to the gut instincts of the network's top boss.

With the Arrested Development movie firmly ensconced as the Sasquatch of film projects, forever-taunting fans with glimpses and false positives—get excited: apparently the script is being worked on right this second!—thank goodness for small favors like Whip It. Drew Barrymore’s sunny grrlpower romp, which easily qualifies as one of the best movies we’ve seen in nearly two months, might feature Ellen Page, Drew Barrymore, Kristin Wiig, Ari Graynor and a host of other interesting leading ladies (why yes, that is Zoe Bell from Death Proof), but the only actress we found ourselves paying complete attention to was Alia Shawkat. Perhaps there is a big future ahead for Maeby Funke after all!

Whereas Michael Cera has had a full, E! True Hollywood Story career since Arrested Development went off the air—in just a year, he’s gone from “put Michael Cera in everything!” to “there is a good chance Youth in Revolt goes straight-to-DVD”—Ms. Shawkat has been quiet. In fact, unless caught yourself watching episodes of The Starter Wife, the chances are good that you haven’t even thought of her since the last time you popped in your old Arrested Development DVDs. Being out-of-sight-out-of-mind works to her advantage in Whip It, however, where she tones down the acerbic sarcasm and detachment that made Maeby so winning. Her scenes with Ms. Page have an easygoing comfort to them, that makes their on-screen friendship feel realistic and lifelong; Ms. Shawkat manages to create one of most believable “best friend characters” that we’ve seen in a teen movie in quite some time.

(We realize that calling Whip It, with its sparking cast and below the line crew—amongst them editor Dylan Tichenor, who was Oscar nominated for There Will Be Blood and Robert Yeoman, who has shot all of Wes Anderson’s films—a “teen movie” is a disservice, but for purposes of genre organization, the shoe unfortunately fits.)

Perhaps the continuous delays to the Arrested Development movie will end up being a boon to Ms. Shawkat’s career. By the time it comes out (if it comes out; pardon us if we don’t share Ms. Shawkat’s positive enthusiasm) she’ll have co-starred in Whip It and the Runaways biopic, aptly titled The Runaways, with Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning, not to mention whatever else she gets cast in over the next year. Her chances of being typecast are dwindling.  Hopefully Michael Cera is paying attention…