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.

And this is fun? Funny? Sometimes. More often, it leaves us confused and excited/really upset for the amount of time it takes to send the link to a friend, whereupon we immediately realize that we have fallen for more April 1st tomfoolery.

This year, there were three "pranks" that really took the cake for their humorous/not humorous lies and misinformation.

1. HBOWatch Announces Peter Dinklage Replacement on Game of Thrones.

Okay, you got us. For a second, we were terrified and outraged. Now we're just mildly annoyed.

Ah, we could never stay mad at you, P-Dink!

2. Seamless Web's Deluxe Delivery Service
Upgrading your meal by having a supermodel, "Adonis," or what looks like a future Bravolebrity was a funny concept for a Fools' joke. The problem is when we click on an offer from Seamless Web, our Pavlovian response is to start counting quarters for a cheaper meal. Finding out the meals are normal price is a total buzz kill.

3. Netflix's Somewhat Plausible, Overly-Specific Categories
The fact is, we have a category on Netflix dubbed "Dark, Independent Road Trip Films." So when we logged in and found this:

It wasn't even that far off from the believable.

Kevin Spacey plays a very intense person (Netflix)

http://youtu.be/ULwUzF1q5w4
"The nature of promises, Linda, is that they remain immune to changing circumstances." BOOM! Classic, dead-eyed Spacey. We would not like to be Linda in that scene. Unless, right afterward, Kevin Spacey started doing his Christopher Walken impression, in which case we guess we would kind of like to be Linda because we've always wanted to see him do that in person.

All Walken impressions aside, this looks like a really, really good series. Good job, Netflix! We feel like that extra streaming fee is actually going to some worthwhile projects now. Re-subscribe!

Icahn.

Sometimes, sheer absurdity can be a beautiful thing to watch. Like Karl Rove on Fox News on election night. Or Will Arnett in pretty much any role he’s ever played. Or the behavior of Netflix stock over the past few weeks. After a year in which NFLX has Ping-Ponged between $53 and $133, it was suddenly—and absurdly—a safe haven in the midst of a post-Obama-re-election market meltdown. Apple may be taking over the world, but Netflix stock rose 2.5 percent to $78 last week while that of the Cupertino juggernaut fell by more than 5 percent. In hopes of getting by email spam filters and pesky copy editors, I will pose the resultant question as simply and cleanly as I can: WTF?

It’s been quite a month for shareholders of the DVD rental and online video streaming service. In late October, Netflix reported an 88 percent decline in third-quarter net income along with hefty international expansion costs. The shares nose-dived as a result, falling 16 percent to $57.35 on the day of the news. That fall completed a one-year round-trip from the $50s to the $130s and back to the $50s again. A year ago, you may recall, Netflix was pilloried for thinking that investors might cough up a mere $6 more a month for unlimited video rentals online. (Yes, the selection could be improved. But you can still watch all of Arrested Development, which includes Will Arnett at his most appealingly preposterous. What else do you need?)

I wrote about the subscriber/shareholder revolt at the time, saying that subscribers were being babies and shareholders shortsighted. People pay $150 a month for their cellphones and another $150 for cable and internet. And $16 a month for free video streaming (plus DVD rentals) was a bill too far? I suggested people get a grip. I say so again today.

When the stock rebounded to more than $130 a few months later, I felt like a genius. (This is not an unusual occurrence, but it seemed particularly acute in this instance.) But 2012 has been a tough year for the company, with disappointing subscriber growth, worries about the rising cost of content, and the renewed focus of a deep-pocketed competition—I’m talking about Apple and Amazon here—all against a backdrop of general market malaise. So the stock didn’t stay up for long, and has been all over the place through the summer and fall. Which brings us to the present. How the hell does Netflix become one of the only stocks to hold its value with the terrible—unthinkable!—news that Obama was re-elected and will soon put into motion his plans to destroy capitalism, job creation and bottle service in Manhattan? Answer: Carl Icahn, with a Hurricane Sandy chaser.

Let’s deal with the Sandy part first. Remember before the power went off, when everyone was stuck inside for two days, waiting for and then riding out the hurricane? Well, it turns out that a lot more people than me got sick of watching CNN’s Ali Velshi standing in that intersection in Atlantic City and decided to watch a thing or two on Netflix. When word of this got out, the stock popped a little. Let’s set aside the fact that the reaction was backward—all other things being equal, if current Netflix subscribers watch more online video, the company’s costs rise with no increase in revenues—and stipulate instead that upon hearing said news, maybe a few folks who had been living under a rock actually discovered Netflix and decided that when the next hurricane comes, they, too, would like to be able to watch streaming video as the wind howls outside. Maybe. But banking on that is like projecting CNN’s own prospects based on the network’s viewership during a hurricane. It might make for a nice-looking chart, but not one to bet on.

On to the more salient news, then: the arrival of the old dog himself, Carl Icahn, who revealed in an October Securities & Exchange Commission filing that he had quietly amassed a position equal to nearly 10 percent of Netflix, at an average cost of $58 a share. When is this guy going to retire? I guess never. And why would he? Call him an “activist investor” or a corporate raider or just a pain in the ass, I don’t care. But legalized extortion—and let’s not quibble, that’s precisely what he does—must be pretty fun, if you think about it. Wake up, go into the office, find some new company (deserving or not) to pick on, make your play, and then sit back and wait for the financial press (including yours truly) to come along with pens out, ready to amplify your latest impassioned argument on behalf of the little guy, yourself. It’s worked again, if you consider a 35 percent gain in just a few weeks a nice payday. As I said, Mr. Icahn picked up his Netflix shares for an average of $58. Today, it’s pushing $80.

Although, truth be told, even Mr. Icahn seems like he’s getting a little bored of his own game. When CNBC brought him on last Thursday to let him talk up his position after Netflix responded to his takeover bid by instituting a shareholder rights plan—the so-called poison pill—he told them that the move was “a travesty of corporate governance” and “really reprehensible.” And legal, Carl. And totally predictable. Why so surprised? Oh, right, you’re not. The man was going through motions he’s gone through so many times that he’s worn a groove beneath his wingtips.

And he dutifully kept at it when asked about the possibility of a hostile takeover. “The thought has certainly crossed my mind,” he said, in a statement of the obvious so painful one wonders why he felt the need to say it at all. “It certainly is one alternative, but I have to say we haven’t made that decision yet.” Again, obvious: it’s quite clear he hasn’t made the decision, as there’s no hostile bid in play. But Mr. Icahn, ever the crafty old coot, says it’s “an alternative.” So is everything else, Carl. The gist of it all: won’t someone come buy it from him and his fellow shareholders?

It’s doubtful. I once put Netflix on a list of companies that I’m glad the market has funded—but that I personally wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot portfolio. I didn’t actually stay true to that claim—I did buy it last fall, and rode it all the way up to $130, before selling half of it (again, I’m a genius), but even though I’m a gigantic fan of Netflix the service, I don’t think anyone is buying it at these levels. Plus, those who might buy Netflix certainly didn’t need Carl Icahn’s help to make them aware of the idea, and they certainly aren’t going to cash him out at a 35 percent gain for the non-favor of alerting them to the opportunity. (On that note, if Mr. Icahn had bought when I told him to last year, he would have doubled his money. Just saying.)

Amazon, for one, is going to employ its usual modus operandi, aiming to steamroll Netflix with lower pricing and more choice. The online retailer just made a change in its Amazon Prime pricing last week, offering subscribers a $7.99-a-month deal—the same as a streaming subscription on Netflix—for free streaming of its video library, with the added bonus of free two-day shipping on all Amazon orders. Amazon is taking dead aim at Netflix. But it’s not looking to buy it; it’s looking to kill it. (Of course, Amazon did buy Zappos.com after being thoroughly outflanked by the quirky online shoe retailer. So stranger things have happened.)

Apple? It’s got other fish to fry. And even if Netflix could make for a great fit with iTunes, the people holding the purse strings at Apple aren’t dumb enough to buy at Icahn-inflated levels. Facebook? Netflix CEO Reed Hastings sits on the board of the social network, as well as that of Microsoft. Won’t either of those two step in and save the day? Again, doubtful. Netflix, a true trailblazer in online video, is nevertheless the kind of company that you cripple before you buy it. And Icahn knows that. You want my opinion? He’s probably  already selling his shares as we speak.

Duff McDonald is the author of Last Man Standing: The Ascent of Jamie Dimon and JPMorgan Chase. Follow him at @duffmcdonald.

Kevin Spacey (Getty Images)

Never let it be said that Netflix doesn't understand how its users watch TV shows--all at once, in a binge-y, snack-filled fugue state. The online video service is launching all thirteen episodes of its new original series produced by Media Rights Capital, House of Cards, on February 1, 2013. Recap culture is to be thrown into chaos by the method that will allow for, presumably, at least a few marathon sessions. Kevin Spacey plays a powerful Congressman in the series, produced and with the first two episodes directed by David Fincher. Hold our calls for the weekend of 02/01/13 (yep, it's a Friday)--we'll be indoors, huddled in front of our laptop!

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!

Video Free: Still Standing (Alex C., Yelp)

Our hearts surged with hope when we heard the news:  unlike so many of its charmingly archaic compatriots, Video Free Brooklyn will live another day. (And just after we learned that older immigrants were keeping VHS tradition alive in far-flung corners of the city!)

Might there be a small, but loyal band of movie lovers who want their rental stores back? Who are disappointed with Netflix's poor streaming selection? Who wish to turn their backs on the drudgery of the queue? Dare we dream?

The Wall Street Journal reports that film aficionado Aaron Hillis bought the beloved Carroll Gardens shop, banking on Brooklyn's love of all things niche. After all, in a borough where stores specializing in mayonnaise and other oddities are opening nearly every day, why not a video store?

"Now that we're in a post-Netflix age and we see that technology is not perfect and they don't have everything, there's still something lovely and wonderful about being able to go into a store and browse," Mr. Hillis told The Journal. "You can treat it in the same way as the vinyl resurgence. It's about being able to chat about movies with someone knowledgeable behind the counter, being able to pick up a box and not just click but have it in your hand. It's somewhat steeped in nostalgia and a reaction to this overly digital world we live in."

And that overly digital world, with its promise of endless varieties of entertainment always at one's fingertips, has proven to be both less than exhaustive and deeply exhausting, as we cobble together an evening's entertainment from Netflix accounts and borrowed HBOGo passwords, Amazon and iTunes purchases and bit-torrented TV shows.

But are we really ready for a resurgence? As much as we might wish for the simplicity and elegance of a one-stop shop to satisfy our screening desires, video stores are still disappearing all around the city. Just last month, West Village staple World of Video shuttered its doors for good, Park Slope's Reel Life South closed in March and Video Forum on Seventh Avenue died last year.

Video Free Brooklyn may be a last stand,  a turning point or a much-needed tonic. But at the very lease it is a holdout, where film lovers are free from the tyranny of Netflix.

kvelsey@observer.com

The new 8-track cartridge? (Chris Campbell, flickr)

At this point, visiting a video store is somewhat akin to smoking a pipe or traipsing around town on a penny farthing—well, unless you live in Williamsburg. But the city's few survivors have trudged on, against all odds, for so long that it's not only sad, but weirdly surprising, to see them go.

The latest casualty of the Netflix era is West Village staple Video World, The New York Times reports. After 30 years, the store will  close on Saturday. It was one of Manhattan's few holdouts, after Midtown East's New York Video shut down its store last fall, reinventing itself as a DVD delivery service.

Like so many other dearly departed Village institutions (R.I.P. Lakeside Lounge), the trouble with World Video had to do with a lease, in this case, a lease that was lost to someone who was almost certainly willing to pay more money, in a neighborhood and a borough where someone always seems willing to pay more money.

Of course, the declining number of customers who still rent DVD's and the medium's impending obsolescence were not factors in the store's favor. For most people, a physical place where you go to rent a physical movie is nothing more than a hazy memory.

But still, it was nice to think that there was a place where such things still existed, staffed by evangelical film buffs for whom movie recommendations were an art rather than an algorithm.

"When I came in one night and said I needed to laugh, Pete did not recommend The Hangover," reporter Bill Hayes, a devoted customer, writes. "Instead, he steered me to Alec Guinness in Kind Hearts and Coronets. I will always be grateful for that."

kvelsey@observer.com