Thirteen/WNET just posted an interview with me about Coney Island.

Check it out HERE.

Up on the Roof, my documentary about pigeons above and changes below, will premiere July 7th at 1pm on WNET/Thirteen. If anyone in the tri-state area has yet to see this film (and frankly, that’s most people), this will be their chance. Thirteen is one of the best programmed and highly regarded PBS stations in the country and I’m proud that they’re following up the successful broadcasts of “Last Summer” with this movie. And because they’re currently running encore broadcasts of Last Summer at Coney Island on both Thirteen and the sister station, WLIW/21, both films will be running concurrently. Up on the Roof will likely have other air dates, too, but I probably won’t find out about them before they happen. So check your local listings or heck, just go to the website and order your own copy on DVD! Bonus features include two historic films about New York pigeon keeping from past decades.

It’s award season, which I normally pay little mind, but this time I’ve got a dog in the race. My film Last Summer at Coney Island has been nominated for a New York Emmy Award. I’d like to thank the Academy for their inclusiveness and nodding.

I am very proud to announce the launch of the Pontani Pages podcast, an audio adventure I’ve embarked on with burlesque superstar and alluring conversationalist Angie Pontani. Check out our first episode: Valentines. We’ll be endowing the airwaves with monthly installments so please subscribe, share and let us know what you think!

THE PONTANI PAGES IS LIKE NO OTHER PODCAST OUT THERE. INTERNATIONAL BURLESQUE SUPER STAR ANGIE PONTANI BRINGS HER INSATIABLE CURIOSITY AND PENETRATING CONVERSATIONAL STYLE TO THE PERSONALITIES BEHIND NEW YORK’S NIGHTLIFE, AND BEYOND. LISTEN HERE FOR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS WITH FILMMAKERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS, AUTHORS & ACTIVISTS, MUSICIANS AND MAVERICKS, COOKS, CABARET QUEENS, AND PERFORMERS OF EVERY STRIPE.

Last Week, I had the opportunity to attend this amazing event and shoot interviews with some of its esteemed participants. CGI is an annual summit of world leaders, non-profits, non-governmental organizations, philanthropists and activists. Toss in some editorial journalists and academics and stir. Founded and MC’d by Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative focuses on the key issues of the day (climate change, development in the developing world, preventable disease, etc) with forums and keynotes, interspersed with pledges where a foundation will announce its commitment to supporting a worthy program.

President Bill Clinton in conversation with NY Times editorial columnist Nicholas Kristoff

Supplementing webcasts of some of the panel discussions and presentations, I worked with a small team to present live interviews with some of the notable attendees such as Muhammed Yunus (Nobel-winning economist and pioneer of micro-finance), Mandy Moore (pop star and anti-Malaria spokesperson), Melanne Verveer (US Ambassador for Women’s Issues), Gavin Newsome (California Lieutenant Gov.), Valentino Achak Deng (Sudanese activist and co-author with Dave Eggars of “What Is the What?”), and Chelsea Clinton who was quite charming. You can watch all the interviews HERE on Facebook.

Other highlights from the week: Desmond Tutu in a skype conversation with Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, President Obama stopping by for a speech, Chelsea Clinton interviewing her mom onstage, “the panel on “mega-cities, mega challenges,” and the panel called, “From Conflict to Creativity: Reducing Violence through the Arts.”

So, I’ve started doing camera work for Livestream, the premiere web streaming outfit, and one of my first assignments with them was one I could have only dreamed up. The principle cast of one of my favorite films was brought together for one evening at Hammerstein Ballroom for a live chat about their experiences making the film and then living with it for the past 13 years or so. It was the final evening of Lebowski Fest, an improbably annual affair that started as a party in Louisville, KY, but it was also a big studio expense to promote the blu-ray release of The Big Lebowski. John Goodman (Walter), Steve Buscemi (Donny), John Turtoro (Jesus), Julianne Moore (Maude), music supervisor T. Bone Burnett, and of course the Dude himself, Jeff Bridges, were all in attendance.

When asked by the moderator what message they all felt could be taken from The Big Lebowski, Jeff Bridges responded with a line from the film. John Turtoro’s character has just promised the Dude and his bowling team, in colorful expressions,  that they would be defeated mightily in the upcoming tournament. “Yeah well,” the film’s hero somewhat confidently replies, “That’s just, like, your opinion, man.”

The event itself was quite colorful with maybe a couple thousand Lebowski heads packed into the Ballroom and balconies, many dressed as different characters from the film, and most drinking white russians.

Click on the photo to watch the event. (I shot the center camera position.)