A group of documentary filmmakers are holding an art auction to benefit a middle school in Bed-Stuy and war orphans in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The auction is an extension of their documentary, BROWNSTONES TO RED DIRT, which is about a unique pen pal program that connects the kids in both places.
They’ve already raised $26,000 of the $100,000 they’re aiming for to help both schools and they’re in the midst of a big fundraising push: an eBay auction of original art.
They’ve enlisted over 150 artists from children’s books, animated films, graphic novels and comic books to participate in the auction. Each artist was given a plain birchwood postcard and asked to create a piece based on the theme “Pen Pals.”
They have amazing talent on board: Oscar-winning director Chris Wedge, Toy Story 3 Art Director Daisuke Tsutsumi, renowned painter Jeremy Geddes and legendary Sesame Street puppeteer Caroll “Big Bird” Spinney have all submitted postcards.
The auction runs until Saturday, March 13th at 1 PM PST. You can view all of the cards on their eBay page HERE. All of the proceeds go towards building a school in Sierra Leone and creating a library for the kids in Bed-Stuy. Here’s a LINK to the postcard blog with more information about the project and the kids.
I watched the film’s “trailer” and it’s quite wonderful. Have a look.
On Monday, March 22 at 8PM, Louise Crawford and Michele Madigan Somerville present POETS FOR HAITI, an entertaining and inspiring event designed to raise funds for relief efforts in Haiti.
Join poets/performers Sharon Mesmer, Joanna Sit, Wanda Phipps, Roy Nathanson, Bill Evans, Ellen Ferguson, Christopher Stackhouse and more at the Old Stone House in Washington Park in Park Slope (Fifth Avenue and Third Street).
It is sure to be a great evening.
There will be three Poets for Haiti events and each will take place in a different venue. On Friday, May 7th at 8PM Poets for Haiti will be at Vox Pop (1022 Cortelyou Road). Another event is still being organized.
All money raised from these event will be donated to Doctors Without Borders and AJRWS.
On Thursday, March 18th at 8PM, Brooklyn Reading Works presents Blarneypalooza, a literary celebration of Irish writers, music and influence planned with Saint Patrick’s Day in mind.
The following artists will read/perform at the historic Old Stone House in Washington Park on Fifth Avenue and Third Street in Park Slope: Ann Beirne, Jill Eisenstadt, Barbara O’Dair, David Freiman, Greg Fuchs, Patrick Brian Smith, and Michele Madigan Somerville.
Lisandro Perez Rey sent this fantastic video of a day in the snowy life of a snowman in Prospect Park. Lisandro lives in the South Slope and filmed this timelapse video through his front window into Prospect Park over the course of 9 hours last weekend. Indeed it offers a fascinating glimpse into human nature. Plus a snowman gets smashed!!!
Three young female filmmakers, recent college grads, just got in touch with me about a video they just produced called 82 Women, a celebration of 82 women working in the film and television industry in honor of the 82nd Academy Awards.
Happy First Woman to Win a Best Director Oscar Day!
Melissa Silverstein, the Brooklyn blogger who runs the very popular entertainment blog, Women & Hollwood, has a lot to say about Kathryn Bigelow getting the Oscar for Best Director, the first woman ever to receive that distinction.
The Time Has Come
Those were the words that Barbra Streisand uttered when she announced Kathryn Bigelow’s name as the winner of the best director Oscar. The moment came at the end of a long and boring show that featured many male winners in most categories, but DAMN, staying up was worth it.
I never really thought this was possible even six months ago since the gender problem in Hollywood is so pervasive, but DAMN, it happened – a woman won for BEST DIRECTOR. Director is the ultimate leader in Hollywood, the big kahuna, and now, finally a woman is in the club and that my friends, is a big deal.
After she won last night I was thinking about other female firsts that I have experienced in my lifetime. I remember when Sandra Day O’Connor became the first female Supreme Court justice; I remember when Madeleine Albright became the first Secretary of State; I remember when Shannon Faulkner became the first female to go to the Citadel; I remember when Eileen Collins became the first woman to command a space shuttle mission; I remember when Nancy Pelosi became the first female Speaker of the House.
On the heels of last night’s Oscars it was fun to hear from Nate Kensinger, who runs the Brooklyn International Film Festival. The final film submission deadline is fast approaching and he wants to hear from you if you want your film in the festival.
If your film fits one of the categories let the BFF know about it: Feature, Documentary, Short, Experimental, Animation. And there are awards at this festival: $50,000 in services, products, and cash.
The final deadline is fast approaching: March 17, 2010 and the entry Fee is $50 (Deadline is “Postmarked by.” Packages can be mailed until the day of the
deadline)
The dates of this Film Festival are: June 4-13, 2010
Joachim Back, the director of the short film, The New Tenants, which received an Oscar on Sunday night, is a Brooklyn Heights resident and P.S. 8 parent. Fellow Brooklynite Vincent D’Onofrio starred in the film. Over at the Brooklyn Heights Blog, they’ve got a video trailer of the film.
Katrhyn Bigelow – YES! It was great to see her and the film honored. And to see her be included in the hosts’ salutations. I hope Cablevision viewers enjoyed it.
Here on Third Street a group of us watched the Oscars and ate Dibs, those bite sized frozen snacks they sell at movie theaters.
What a blast to check in with Pops Corn every few minutes and read his on-going commentary, which was very interesting and fun.
For the first time we had a betting pool. The person, who picked the most winners won the $6 that was in the pool.
For me high points were the nominations for Best Actor and Actress written and read by friends and colleagues of the nominees.
The super highpoint was, of course, Kathryn Bigelow winning the award for Best Director for The Hurt Locker. She is the first woman to ever win in that category. It seems she avoided marking the historical nature of her win in her thank you speech. She’s too macho for that. She did recognize the armed services, first responders, firefighters, etc. and that was cool.
The occasion did inspire me to list all the women directors I can think of. I know there are so many more but here goes: Jane Campion, Nancy Myers, Sue Kramer, Agnes Varda, Chantel Ackerman, Barbara Kopple, Margarethe von Trotta, Lina Wertmuller, Sophia Coppola, Catherine Hardwicke, Barbra Streisand, Elaine May, Charlotte Zwerin, Chris Hedges, Jill Godmillow…(to be continued)
And finally, what an upset: I was expecting Avatar to win the Best Picture but, thankfully, it went to The Hurt Locker, surely one of the best anti-war films of recent times if not ever.
Oh, and my stepmother won the betting pool with 12 correct answers…
Finally, my gratitude to Pops Corn for his live blogging. What a fun way to watch the show!
Getting geared up for Best Foreign Language Film. Will one of the most respected European filmmakers of the last two decades get the statue? And will Michael Haneke be on prime time network television?
It was one of those weird pieces that was wonderfully researched, but nearly without value due to the writer’s opinionated stance. She treated the craft as though it had to adhere to her aesthetic. But she got her wish. Hurt Locker takes it.
I loved the speech for Best Costume Design. It’s true. Movies that win in that category are usually about victorian era extravagance and not truly brilliant work in movies that don’t require excessive lace.
I love when they do stuff like this. Taking time to talk about things that don’t usually make it to prime time. The interviews with the past winners gave great context.
John Hughes tribute was touching and unexpected, particularly considering his non-existence in the Oscar world. Yet, it went on long enough, you’d think he was cinema’s undisputed master.
Over Aviations at Prime Meats, Sarah Deming talked with the enchanting Andrea Weber about her career in modern dance and the legacy of the great Merce Cunningham.
Sarah: When did you know you wanted to dance?
Andrea: At my first dance recital at age four. I was mad because I wasn’t the tallest so I didn’t get to be in the center of the line. I could tell the center was the best place to be. As I got older I realized what a hard life dancers had, and I tried to do other things, but dance was the place where I felt like myself. My dad and I made a deal that if I got into Juilliard, I would make a go of it, and I did!
Sarah: What attracted you to Merce’s work?
Andrea: A friend told me to take his class. I was resistant at first, because I thought it was unemotional. But I went, and I fell in love with the technique and with Merce. My body was suited to it. I was too tall for ballet, but Merce loved tall dancers. I felt an electricity – I loved taking on something so difficult.
Sarah: How do you deal with the perfectionism the work demands?
Andrea: Merce used to say that when you teach a class there should be something that everyone can do and something that no one can do. Sometimes he would ask us to do something absurdly difficult – jump, jump, jump, then hold a crazy position for twenty seconds – but he was always more interested in the trying than in the success. The wobbles were okay. Realizing this has been a huge breakthrough for me, not only in dance but also in life. Right now I am looking for the fragility in the work. I’m trying to focus on the path between points.
Sarah: What’s the view of gender in Merce’s work?
Andrea: I think he was very traditional. There is this clear message in the dance: Man supports woman. The main duet is almost always between a man and a woman, and it’s almost always tender. He was influenced by ballroom dance. I feel very female in Merce’s work.
Sarah: Do you think the work is difficult for audiences to understand?
Andrea: It’s only difficult if the audience thinks there is something to understand. There is no story. If you can let go and stop making it mean something, then you can have the experience. Merce created events. If people walked out, they walked out. I think he died okay with being misunderstood.
Sarah: He’s famous for choreographing dance that is independent of the music. How much attention do you pay to the music when you’re dancing?
Andrea: It depends. Sometimes I zone it out, and sometimes I’m deeply affected. I had this solo one night in Italy, and the first time I did it, the music was very loud and jazzy. The next night it was total silence. I remember thinking, “People can’t tell me this work isn’t emotional, because it’s emotional for me.”
Sarah: Do you see God in the operations of chance?
Andrea: I feel God’s presence in those moments when it all just works. I’m at peace with it not always being magical, but sometimes it is, and that keeps me going. I do feel that I was supposed to meet Merce and do his work of chance. Whether that’s God or not, I don’t know.
Sarah: What did Merce teach you?
Andrea: When I first joined the company, he put rocks in my hands, and he said, “Feel the weight in your arms when you dance.” I think I made him laugh. I always felt sort of goofy around him. The last time I saw him, a few of us visited him at home and we had just come from a Bollywood dance class. We did a dance for him while he lay there and he said, “I can see why that’s so popular. Bravo.” He was ready to make up new steps even on his deathbed. In a strange way, I feel like his passing has made things clearer for me. I’m one of the oldest dancers in the company now. Before he died I’d been considering retiring. But now I need to see it through the next two years.
Sarah: What happens after two years?
Andrea: The company will disband. Merce specified that we should do a Legacy Tour for two years, concluding with a show at the Armory on December 31, 2011 with $10 tickets. He also left instructions that the dancers be helped with their transitions. If his wishes are followed, this will set a precedent for how all dancers everywhere should be treated. Merce didn’t want the company to outlive his ability to create new works. It’s sad, but we have to move forward. As he always said, “It’s like putting one foot in front of the other.”
THE AVIATION
Crème de violette gives this cocktail a futuristic silvery color reminiscent of a Merce Cunningham unitard. Mixologist Damon Boelte says, “I’ve been lucky to have had quite a few Merce dancers at the bar. I think of this as their official cocktail.”
2 ounces Plymouth Gin
1/2 ounce Maraschino liqueur
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
2 dashes Crème de violette (optional but delicious)
Shake all ingredients very well over ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry. Beware: if you drink more than two, you may start to act avant-garde.
I mean picture the scene at the Music Theater Group @ One Arm Red: a large group of sax players, trumpeters, trombonists, a piano player, drummer, bassist and conductor/composer Joshua Shneider arranged in a Dumbo loft with deep blue walls, double height vaulted ceiling and amazing acoustics.
It was just too awesomely cool.
And the music was sublime. It’s swing music on its head with an avant-garde vibe. Unexpected harmonies, surprising rhythm changes, ravishing, swelling and sweeping soundscapes. It could be the soundtrack of a an eccentric — and jazzy — New York life.
And when bluesy vocalist Saundra Williams joined them on “Cute Little Nightmare” an infectious song written by Shneider the whole audience was swooning.
I’m just saying: you just gotta catch this group next time they play. That’s what I plan to do. And I’m taking Hepcat this time.
Of all the shows around tonight, I would pick one above all the others: Chuck Prophet and The Mission Express tonight at Southpaw. It does not hurt that Chuck is playing right here in The Slope, and it’s an early show to boot. Details here.
I had one of those “Ow Wow” moments when I saw an artist new to me on Wednesday night; her name is Misty Boyce. Read why I’m going to be following her.
I’ve updated my March Advance Planning Calendar by adding two shows: Kelly Jones with The Madison Square Gardeners sing Tammy Wynette and Winterpills.
