Thanksgiving in approaching (Black Friday too!), and 92YTribeca is bringing it down a notch next week. But we still have some great events scheduled, particularly on Black Friday. That evening you can catch a double feature of Mallrats and Clueless for $12, which includes one beer.
92YTribeca Video: The Art of Giving: The Future of Philanthropy
This Tuesday, 92YTribeca hosted philanthropists Charles Bronfman and Jeffrey R. Solomon, of The Andrea & Charles Bronfman Philanthropies Inc., for a conversation with The Economist’s Matthew Bishop on the future of philanthropy for donors. The event was part of Bishop’s Business of Giving series that has featured interviews with former President Bill Clinton, Eli Broad, Vartan Gregorian and others.
Bronfman began by responding candidly to a question from Matthew, listing three “major errors” the foundation made in the beginning:
We funded the foundation with too much money...We hired people without really thinking it all through, and number three, we entered into a couple of programs that were frankly, disastrous. Through those mistakes though, we learned a lot.”
Jeffrey furthered the candor by discussing their successes and mistakes with the Birthright Israel program.
Interestingly, the New York Times City Room blog also tackled the issue of philanthropy this week in a three part series: Answers About Community Philanthropy. (See part two and three.)
Upcoming events at 92YTribeca:
Shabbat dinner with Hazon, featuring From Farm to Table’s Zachary Adam Cohen: TONIGHT
Travel Gets Social: The New World of Travel Media with Bowen Payson, Matt Gross, Adam Wallace and Mark G. Johnson: Dec 3
A pattern seems to be developing here. Choire Sicha, previously editor of Gawker, and current Los Angeles Times columnist and proprietor of The Awl, wrote a blurb for Tina Brown‘s The Daily Beast: Smart People Recommend. The premise being having an insider in their field offer one recommendation. Spending his days online, Choire wrote:
When you find an entrancing Web site that offers something valuable, exciting, and nearly impossible to get—and for free!—it’s like finding a unicorn in a barn full of bleating goats. In the interest of sharing the magic, I give you: Awesome Tapes from Africa, an anonymous and irregularly updated blog which features fantastic, gorgeous music in mp3 form from Zambia, Kenya, Morocco, Angola, and Egypt.
We couldn’t agree more. Awesome Tapes from Africa is an incredible blog. That’s why this May, 92YTribeca hosted Brian Shimkovitz, the man behind ATfA, for a rocking night of music from his blog. WNYC arranged to record the full set of music, you can check that out here.
92YTribeca, incubating cool six months in advance. And you can be right there with us. Sign up for 92YTribeca eNews to be the first to learn about added events, late-breaking news and exclusive offers. As well, 92YTribeca has active and frequently updated Facebook pages to help you can stay abreast of what is going with 92YTribeca Film, 92YTribeca Music, and 92YTribeca Comedy.
Panelists include Kathy Bloomgarden, CEO, Ruder Finn, Mark J. Penn, Worldwide CEO, Burson-Marsteller and Steven Rubenstein, President, Rubenstein Communications. The discussion was be moderated by Matthew Bishop, US Business Editor and New York Bureau Chief for The Economist.
The highlights above feature the panelists talking about the changing world in PR, and much discussion about the recent Rolling Stone article on Goldman Sachs that made quite a splash.
At one point, (seen at the 7min. mark) Bishop asserted that the rules of engagement are being disturbed, particularly online with Twitter and the proliferation of blogging, and asked the panel how they are figuring out what the new rules of engagement are. Kathy noted her firms segments bloggers into four different areas. One group include the most trustworthy bloggers, people they really feel they can engage with, who will stay on message. The second group includes bloggers they want to inform, who are trustworthy, but who might not be following the industry as intently as the first. A third group contains blogger they are “monitoring,” and the fourth group are filed under “ignore.”
This is the vendetta types, who are out to kill. And they’re very happy to spread all kinds of rumors of one sort or another. And misinformation that gets out into the blogosphere is absolutely impossible to shut down...There’s some group you just don’t want to give any information to. You just want to keep them, you know, you’re not going to engage at all with them. There’s nothing you can do to some bloggers that is actually going to have a positive interaction.”
Watch the whole clip above. Though not shown in the clip, the other panelists on stage were not so sure, and argued that ignoring people was not a good course of action. For our readers in the business of PR or media, what are your thoughts?
Coming up Dec 3 at 92YTribeca: Travel Gets Social: The New World of Travel Media with Bowen Payson, Matt Gross, Adam Wallace and Mark G. Johnson.
How many of you will be lining up at stores for Black Friday next week? If you are, you surely know there are a number of sites online dedicated to tracking the deals to be had. Here, here, and here are three of many.
Whether or not you will be shopping on Black Friday, we have an idea for what you might want to do that evening, after you’re done eating leftovers. Next Friday at 7pm, 92YTribeca is hosting a double feature, showing Mallrats and Clueless. And they are offering a special price not yet displayed online. Use code TDAY at checkout to purchase tickets at $12.00 which includes both movies and one free beer (must be 21+). Before the screenings, there will 80’s music and half off all beers in the café from 6-7pm!
That sounds like the perfect segue into the weekend after all that eating and shopping.
Talks: Restoring a House in the City with Ingrid Abramovitch, a former editor atMartha Stewart Living and House & Garden, and a Brooklyn brownstone dweller.
Film: Los Angeles Plays Itself Part of the series Not Coming to a Theater Near You, presented by the film blog of the same name. Editors Rumsey Taylor, Leo Goldsmith, Jenny Jediny introduce the film.
Mark your calendars for Wed, Nov 18, at 92YTribeca, when we will present a free screening four films that showcase New York City in the 1970’s, with 16mm film prints from the archive of the New York Public Library.
Bowery Men’s Shelter, directed by Tony Ganz and Rhody Streeter of the Eccentric Circle Cinema Workshop; Crosby Street, directed by Judy Saslow of the New York University Graduate Film School; Huberts, directed by Vicki Polon, Rhody Streeter and Tony Ganz; and Coney Island, directed by Steve Siegel and Phil Buehler of the Film Club/Youth Film Distribution Center.
You won’t find these films on YouTube or Facebook, or at your local video store, no matter how obscure their titles. For those that love all things New York City, this is a rare chance to view the city from the eyes of people who were here in 1970, as they filmed the New York City they knew and loved. The screening begins at 6:30 pm. See you there!
What You Missed: A Conversation with Wes Anderson and Jason Schwartzman
Photo L-R: Dave Karger, Wes Anderson, Jason Schwartzman
Last night at 92YTribeca—in a discussion moderated by Entertainment Weekly‘s Dave Karger—92YTribeca, Borders, and Twentieth Century Fox presented an evening of conversation with director Wes Anderson (The Darjeeling Limited, The Royal Tenenbaums) and actor Jason Schwartzman (The Darjeeling Limited, Bored to Death). In advance of the release of Anderon’s newest film, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Wes and Jason discussed working together on the film, a stop motion animated adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel.
Karger asked Anderson about the process he used for the voice overs, noting that in many animated movies, the actors will be alone in the studio reciting their lines, in “a very sterile environment,” separated from the other actors in the film. For Fantastic Mr. Fox, Wes had everybody “on set” at his friend’s farm in Connecticut, where the actors worked together, recreating scenes from the book. Jason explained if the scene called for a tree, they would find a tree outside. “Yah, ok this tree looks good.” They would then proceed to run around, or do what was called for in the scene, acting out the roles while giving the voice overs. The movie’s website has video from the making of the movie, where you can see this process in action.
Our favorite part of the evening was the Q&A with the audience. One attendee asked Wes about his use of Futura in his films. “Font? Did you just ask a question about his use of fonts?” Karger responded. “Wow, we’ve got hard core font fans here tonight!” We smiled, because it’s true. We do have hard core fans, of all kinds. That’s how we roll at 92YTribeca.
You can view a photo album from the event at 92YTribeca’s Facebook. And keep abreast of all 92YTribeca Film offerings, here.
The Art of Giving: The Future of Philanthropy with Charles Bronfman and Jeffrey R. Solomon
As mentioned yesterday, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and author Matthew Bishop are up next in Bishop’s The Business of Giving series tomorrow, Nov 11, when they discuss Gates’ pioneering career in business and philanthropy. Use code “SNET” at checkout to receive 25% off ticket prices.
And next week on Nov 17, Bishop will continue the series downtown at 92YTribeca with philanthropists Charles Bronfman and Jeffrey R. Solomon, furthering the discussion and analysis on the future of philanthropy.
In 1815, Paris had 3,000 restaurants; New York had none. (In fact, the word itself wouldn’t enter the American lexicon until the middle of the 19th century.) Those forced to eat out could choose between “a slab of beef or mutton with potatoes and gravy” at a boardinghouse or chophouse, reports William Grimes, a New York Times domestic correspondent and formerly the newspaper’s restaurant critic, whose latest book is a chronicle of New York’s transformation from a Dutch village at the edge of the wilderness to what he sees as the most diverse restaurant city in the world.
In the 1820s, Grimes reminds us, time spent eating was time taken away “from the serious business of making money,” and Manhattanites were distinctly lacking in culinary sophistication. Even at the best hotels, the notion of courses didn’t exist: everything was set out at once, squab compote jostling with cream puffs. At the sound of a gong, the American guests stampeded the dining room where, to the surprise of their European counterparts, they set about “gobbling down” their meals “in silence.” So it was quietly revolutionary when, in 1827, two Swiss brothers named Delmonico brought “a whiff of Paris” onto William Street with their “little French confectionery and café.” Delmonico’s, Grimes writes, “established the tone for fine dining in New York almost overnight, and it would remain pre-eminent until the 1890s.”
This has been quite a week for former New York Times restaurant critics. Frank Bruni, their most recent critic, was here earlier in the week to talk about his career at the Times, as well as his own book, Born Round. Only days later, we learned yesterday from New York‘s Grub Street that he recently signed a deal to turn the book into a movie.
This is causing us to have a future case of Déjà vu, as William Grimes is coming to 92YTribeca on Dec 8 for a discussion on his book, “an extended historical tour of the city’s hash houses, oyster cellars and four-star restaurants, from the days of the Delmonico’s to the era of Per Se and the superstar TV chef.” And if you find yourself hungry, our Cafe makes wonderful foods!
So now the question is, who will be the first to report on his book to movie deal, should it materialize?
Upcoming talks at 92YTribeca:
How to Break In: Culinary Careers with Dorothy Hamilton and David Bouley Nov 11
Feasting with Edith Wharton: Foods of the Gilded Age: Nov 12
We’ve done an extensive numbers crunch for you. Counting number of shows, most frequents guests, and more—including esoteric stats, such as the number of Foursquare Check-ins (203 as of 11/3/09) most requested beer (PBR) and the number of hits on our New York Timesparody video on YouTube (110,337 as of 11/3/09).
We were going to write a little blurb about what went down at Kevin Geeks Out About...Vincent Price, but then we read Kevin’s own recap. It became clear that adding anything more would be futile and redundant. Kevin has written the greatest blog post about one of the greatest Kevin Geeks Out About... and we don;t think that is hyperbole. Allow us to show you, as we recap his recap in bullet points:
Lisa Beebe served TWO kinds of Vincent Price cupcakes (portrait cupcakes as well as “fly” cupcakes with a plastic fly caught in a web of icing).
Writer Eric Drysdale (The Colbert Report) edited down footage from the promotional film for Sears’ Vincent Price Collection of Fine Art, followed by clips from a Price-hosted instructional VHS tape that came with the Nishika 3D Camera. (At the end of the segment, an audience member won said camera!)
...we heard a first-hand account of a teenage boy writing a fan letter to Vincent Price (promising him a role in a horror movie)
“Hey, I’m your host: DJ Sufjan. Thanks for coming,” he says, trying to stir the audience.
It will be a night of art — but exactly how, or what kind of art, no one is certain.
Stevens speaks for a brief moment and introduces the first act, singer/songwriter DM Smith. Unlike most folk singers, Smith is backed by six other musicians: a percussionist, a bassist, a cellist, two violinists and a viola player. The classical backing only serves to assist his enchanting howl, which channels Eastern rhythms. His short set is defined by simple, delicate arrangements, like an appetizer before the main course.
A few moments pass, and Stevens climbs the stage once more. This time, he explains that his second album, “Enjoy Your Rabbit,” was an electronic experiment that no one seemed to understand. As a result, he had the songs rewritten for the string quartet Osso, a group of classically trained women who perform interpretations of Stevens’ songs. Stevens’ experimental computer distortion transforms into high notes. The audience, formerly busy in conversation, is respectably silent. Dreamy sequences approach and linger as each song reaches a close. It is, most definitely, a non-traditional take on a classical medium.
Talks: On Stage with Next to Normal: Join us for an evening of music from the Tony-winning Broadway musical Next to Normal, featuring members of the cast and creative team in this one-night only event.
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In 1815, Paris had 3,000 restaurants; New York had none. (In fact, the word itself wouldn’t enter the American lexicon until the middle of the 19th century.) Those forced to eat out could choose between “a slab of beef or mutton with potatoes and gravy” at a boardinghouse or chophouse, reports William Grimes, a New York Times domestic correspondent and formerly the newspaper’s restaurant critic, whose latest book is a chronicle of New York’s transformation from a Dutch village at the edge of the wilderness to what he sees as the most diverse restaurant city in the world.
Unlike most folk singers, Smith is backed by six other musicians: a percussionist, a bassist, a cellist, two violinists and a viola player. The classical backing only serves to assist his enchanting howl, which channels Eastern rhythms. His short set is defined by simple, delicate arrangements, like an appetizer before the main course.
