Chinatown block gets even Chinatownier, if only for a little while

If you need a reason not to use real phone numbers in movies, just call Jenny: 867-5309.

True, they usually use a 555 number, which is also fake. Maybe they decided 1** sounds less fake. I think you can't use a 1 at the beginning of an area code or exchange number because that is the cue for long distance and the direct dial system or some legacy systems might get confused.

Someone here knows for sure. Elmer?

http://www.thedirectory.org/pref/

This is most likely the case because, for landline phones, 1 is the first digit you dial to connect with a number that has an area code different from yours.

Also, I recall reading many years ago that Holywood deliberately uses fake phone numbers that will get you a "this number is not is service" message, to avoid people getting crank calls. I'm sure that, back in the day, Ma Bell had a big hand in encouraging this practice.

It's the new 555! NBD

No, Dotnet is correct, no area Code or exchange cannot start with a 1 or a 0.

I thought it was because 1 told the switch that you were dialing a direct long distance number, and zero meant you needed an operator assisted long distance call (typically international or collect), however wikipedia says differently.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the NANPA implemented calling procedures that required all long-distance calls within an area code to be prefixed with 1 in an effort to make it possible to assign central office prefixes with 0 or 1 in the middle position. As it had nearly run out of area codes using the existing assignment methods, it allowed the assignment of area codes of the form N10, such as 210 in the San Antonio, Texas, area and 410 in eastern Maryland. Therefore, someone calling from San Jose to Los Angeles before the change would have dialed 213-555-1234 and after the change 1-213-555-1234, which permitted the use of 213 as an exchange prefix in the San Jose area.

Which also makes sense.

But as far as 555...according to this wiki article (which I also didn't know) it says

In 1994, the North American Numbering Plan Administration began accepting applications for nationwide 555 numbers (outside the fictitious 555-01XX range). A number could be reserved in a single area code, a region or nationwide.[11] In theory, a consumer from any area code could be invited to dial a seven-digit number such as 555-TAXI and the owners of that number could connect the call to a local car service. However, according to a 2003 New York Times article, the desired functionality requires the cooperation of local phone authorities, and most phone companies have been reluctant to cooperate.[12] Despite the fact that the service is virtually unavailable so far, most of the available 555 numbers have already been reserved.

(yeah yeah I know wikipedia.. but in this case, it's true, with sources! but still interesting enough!)

they are going to be filming for a movie called "Flapjack" tomorrow

They've been filming scenes at what I thought was a Home Depot warehouse in Norwood lately. All the signs say "FJ Crew," "FJ Staging," and "FJ Set." This explains what FJ stands for, though the Ghostbusters car that's appeared a couple of times makes it pretty clear what's actually going on.

to work on shooting a movie that had some actual thought put into it. Instead we are getting another remake of an old film that, as cute and funny as it was, was still just a novelty in the larger scheme of things.