“Blue Bloods” takes Bay Ridge

The stars shone brightly as, for two days, the cast and crew ofthe popular CBS show, Blue Bloods, set up shop in Bay Ridge tofilm scenes for upcoming episodes.

The first episode, which will air on May 5, will feature scenesusing the exterior of a house on Harbor View Terrace.

Locations Manager Dennis Voskov let the Home Reporter in on howthe house was chosen to be the Reagan House.

They [directors] wanted an area in proximity to the city thatlooked nice, and the structure of the houses and the quietneighborhood seem like a good fit, said Voskov. The ultimatedecision came to the director. We chose the [Reagan] house becauseof the exterior, it was just beautiful.

The house caught the location manager’s eye when he was drivingaround the neighborhood trying to choose a house that would be agood fit for the family at the heart of the show. It reallymatches the Reagans, he said.

The cast and crew try to fit in as many episodes as possible,Voskov explained. We shot scenes for four episodes, he said,.

But, don’t expect an inside view of the actual house where theexterior filming took place. The interior of the house — featuredin the dinner scenes — are filmed in a sound stage inGreenpoint, Brooklyn.

As the upcoming episodes were filmed, residents gathered on thesidewalks to try and catch a glimpse of their beloved Reagans –Police Commissioner Frank Reagan, played by Tom Selleck; son Danny,played by Donnie Wahlberg; daughter, Erin, played by BridgetMoynahan; and son Jamie, played by Will Estes — and if they werelucky enough, an autograph or two. Some were even venturing intopaparazzi mode, snapping photos with their cellphones.

It’s wonderful. They [the residents] are into the show, theyare super accommodating, and we get a lot of neighbors who love theshow, come out and greet us, said Voskov.

These welcoming sentiments are mirrored not only by area fansbut by members of the crew, like Paul Cabbad, a born and bred BayRidgeite.

I love working here. I just roll out of bed and come to work,he said teasingly.

Cabbad, the on-set publicity go-to person, lives just two blocksaway from the Reagan house and welcomes filming in the area.

We want business here, he stressed. We want to work here. Ourfamilies are here, and our homes are here.

Working for more than 60 hours a week could be hard for some.For Cabbad, who has worked on other sets, such as Sex in theCity, it’s easier if you’re surrounded by a great group of people,very much like the cast of Blue Bloods.

It’s good to have a great cast. It’s fun to go to work for 60hours – they become your family, he said.

While Estes, Moynahan, Wahlberg and Selleck were filming underthe rain on Monday, April 4 and Tuesday, April 5, that was not thelast time they will be in the area – since the Reagans call BayRidge home.

Blue Bloods airs Fridays at 10 p.m.

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