New Amsterdam (TV series)

New Amsterdam is an American television drama which aired for eight episodes in 2008 on Fox. The series starred Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as "John Amsterdam" (real name Johann van der Zee), an immortal Dutch man born in 1607, who has lived in New York City on and off since he was 14 years old, and who is a homicide detective in the present day. The series was nominated for an Emmy for Main Title Design.

Premise and plot

John Amsterdam (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) is an NYPD homicide detective who is 400 years old, but has the appearance of a 35-year-old. He was a Dutch soldier in Manhattan in the year 1642 when he stepped in front of a sword to save the life of a Native American girl during a massacre of her tribe. The girl in turn rescued Amsterdam by weaving a spell that conferred immortality upon him. It was also prophesied that he would not age until he finds his one true love, and only then will he become whole and ready for mortality. Flashbacks in different episodes of the show reveal Amsterdam's centuries of life since, using many names, though usually retaining "John", marked by loss as his friends, lovers, children (63), and dogs gradually grow old and die. Amsterdam is a recovering alcoholic who regularly attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, having remained sober since 1965. In his lifetime he has joined the Army three times, in addition to the Coast Guard, Marines, and Navy. He stated that he never joined the Air Force because he "doesn't like heights". He has taught history at a university, served as a physician during the American Civil War, was a furniture maker at the turn of the 20th century, a portrait painter just before the outbreak of World War I, and by 1941 an attorney. At some point he attended Columbia University and served in the CIA. (See below for a detailed timeline.)

New Amsterdam: Live at Heineken Music Hall February 4–6, 2003

New Amsterdam - Live at Heineken Music Hall is the second live album by Counting Crows, released by Geffen Records on June 19, 2006, in the United Kingdom and the following day in the United States. The live performance was recorded in the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam, The Netherlands between February 4–6, 2003.

Reception

Allmusic's Thom Jurek praised the release, stating that it "feels warts-and-all, like a special kind of bootleg," that ultimately gives an insight into vocalist and lyricist Adam Duritz' state of mind. Jurek states that the track listing, "as strange and beguiling as it is, is a flawed and fitting testament to the Counting Crows' continued trudge out there on the margins of rock & roll."

Track listing

All tracks written by Adam F. Duritz unless otherwise indicated.

Amsterdam (Jacques Brel song)

"Amsterdam" is a song by Jacques Brel. It combines a powerful melancholic crescendo with a rich poetic account of the exploits of sailors on shore leave in Amsterdam.

Brel never recorded this for a studio album, and his only version was released on the live album Enregistrement Public à l'Olympia 1964. Despite this, it has been one of his most enduringly popular works. It was one of the songs Mort Shuman translated into English for the Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris musical.

Brel worked on the song at his house overlooking the Mediterranean at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, the house he shared with Sylvie Rivet, a publicist for Philips; a place she had introduced him to in 1960. "It was the ideal place for him to create, and to indulge his passion for boats and planes. One morning at six o'clock he read the words of Amsterdam to Fernand, a restaurateur who was about to set off fishing for scorpion fish and conger eels for the bouillabaisse. Overcome, Fernand broke out in sobs and cut open some sea urchins to help control his emotion."

Amsterdam (disambiguation)

Amsterdam is the capital and largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Amsterdam may also refer to:

Places

United States

Other places

Amsterdam (Van Halen song)

"Amsterdam" is a rock song written by the group Van Halen for their 1995 album Balance. It was released as single to mainstream rock radio and peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart during the summer of 1995 (see 1995 in music).

According to a 1995 interview on Dutch radio, the song is based upon Sammy Hagar's tourist impression of Amsterdam, such as the freedom he felt in the city.

According to Everybody Wants Some: The Van Halen Saga, Eddie and Alex Van Halen didn't like the lyrics, feeling the song did their birthplace a disservice. Sammy, however, wouldn't budge, as it was about his tourist impression over the memories of the Van Halen family homeland.

Music video controversy

A music video was shot for "Amsterdam" in January 1995 during their promotional tour in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. After the finishing touches was completed in April, Warner Bros. sent the video to MTV, who sent it back due to the song's references to marijuana, specifically the lyric, "Score me some Panama Red, yeah." They altered the lyrics for the video for airplay, but MTV still refused to play it. The altered video eventually aired on MuchMusic in Canada.