Once again the Apple Store along with Indiewire host an array of FREE filmmaker events as part of this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. Be sure to get there early (1 hr), you don’t need a ticket but seats and standing room fill up fast!

The Future of Filmmaking: Where Is It and Where Is It Going?A panel of acclaimed producers discuss the state of filmmaking today and where it’s headed tomorrow. Panelists include Karin Chien (winner, 2010 Piaget Producers Award), Lisa Cortes (producer of the Oscar-nominatedPrecious), Mynette Louie (producer of the award-winning film Children of Invention), Jason Kliot (leading producer of indie films), Jay Van Hoy (producer of Old Joy andTreeless Mountain), and Mary Jane Skalski (producer of Mysterious Skin, The Visitor, and Dare).Friday, April 23, 5:00 p.m.

Director Bryan Goluboff and Actors Ezra Miller and Zoë KravitzThe talented writer-director discusses his new teen comedy, Beware the Gonzo. The film stars Ezra Miller as Eddie “Gonzo” Gilman, who is kicked off his school paper by editor Gavin Riley (Jesse McCartney). Bent on revenge, Gonzo starts his own underground newspaper with surprising results.Friday, April 23, 6:30 p.m.

Emily and Sarah KunstlerThe sisters discuss William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe — their powerful documentary about the life of their father, the late radical civil rights lawyer William Kunstler. The film recounts the historic causes Kunstler fought for, revealing a man who risked public outrage and the safety of his family to promote justice for all.Tuesday, April 27, 6:30 p.m.

The Directors ofFreakonomicsJoin Eugene Jarecki, Morgan Spurlock, Seth Gordon, Alex Gibney, Heidi Ewing, and Rachel Grady as they discuss their documentary film collaboration, Freakonomics, in which they each interpret a different chapter of the best-selling book by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner.Friday, April 30, 6:00 p.m.

Jean-Pierre JeunetThe French auteur behindDelicatessen and Amélie discusses his latest film,Micmacs. The story follows Bazil (Dany Boon, Joyeux Noël), raised as an orphan, who now has a bullet lodged in his brain from a previous mishap. Gentle-natured and kind, he exacts a revenge plot against the giant weapons manufacturers responsible for his accident. It’s a whimsical David and Goliath story, reminiscent of Buster Keaton.Friday, April 30, 7:30 p.m.

FOR A FULL LIST OF SPECIAL TRIBECA EVENTS AT THE APPLE STORE CLICK HERE

For the second year in a row, I have been involved with Art By Chance, an ultra short film festival that screens short films on digital signs around the world. While these short films will be playing here and there, I organize the official New York screening of the films which includes a unique music element…

Art By Chance is currently seeking musicians to participate in the second annual Art By Chance Screening & Music Scoring party in New York on May 23rd.

Art By Chance is an ultra short film festival that screens short film on digital signs around the world. Part of the idea behind Art By Chance is to bring film to the public in an unexpected way, in an unexpected place, while also acting as an alternative means of short film distribution.

As part of our celebration of this year international festival we are inviting music makers of all kinds to create impromptu scores of the films live.

If interested in performing, please submit a sample of your work to stacey.burgay@anbean.org by April 16th.

For more information on Art By Chance visit us www.artbychance.org

THE 2010 ART  BY CHANCE “TIME” THEMED FILMS WILL BE ARRIVING TO A CITY NEAR YOU MAY - JUNE. If you would like to help bring the world’s largest public art event to your city, email us!

Most of my fondest childhood memories tend to include The Muppets. I used to LOVE to sing-along to the movies and watch all the “behind the scenes” clips on TV.  Before bed each night, I would listen to the Muppet Show record and even slept on Muppets sheets. Actually I still have them, I won’t let my mom throw them out.

I admire Jim Henson immensely; for his creativity, passion and commitment to his craft and company. I remember one time I was at MGM Studios in FL and saw Jim Henson in the cafeteria, I was too shy to go up to him. A few weeks later he passed away.  Where am I going with this short trip down memory lane?

The Jim Henson Company presents a wonderful treat for adults like me that still have a big thing for Muppets.

photo from official website.

STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG: It’s The Muppets. Off-Broadway. Improvised. For Adults. Produced by Henson Alternative, a division of the company that specifically creates adult-themed content. This show promises to provide laughs with a show that’s sure to be different every night of the week!

It’s The Muppets, meets Avenue Q, meets Upright Citizen Brigade. I AM SOLD.

Stuffed and Unstrung is now playing at the Union Square Theater in NYC NOW!

Get your tickets here!

p.s. It appears as if all the Muppets involved are new, so you don’t have to worry about  ruining your images of Kermi and Miss Piggy.

Do you walk around your neighborhood and find yourself nostalgic for that old favorite  bar, restaurant, coffee shop or  venue where you saw _______ band or ______ comedian for the first time. I do. Do you often wonder what your Grandpa or Grandma would say of that same neighborhood? I do.

Gallery Bar, another venue that doubles as an art gallery by day, lounge by night, unveils Sampling and Revisions: The L.E.S. deframed. This exhibit curated by Zoe Lukow opens tonight, March 3rd till March 24th and commemorates the neighborhood history through photographs of then and now.

Gallery Bar is located at 120 Orchard Street, north of Delancey.

I apologize as I totally dropped the ball. Only writing about pancakes for the month of February is shameful, unless of course I was a food critic blogger.

What’s going on this week in NYC? Tons of cool stuff!

Friday Feb. 26th

Wonderland: A Tim Burton Ball - dress up in your favorite character and learn to dance!

Dumbo Art Center: Pop Up Art Sale - Help support them and some wonderfully talent artists while also adding something to your wall. Art prices start at $50 a pop.

On Saturday 27th

The Music Hall of Williamsburg is screening UNPROTECTED, a series of 2 minute films by members of The FilmShop. For more information click here

Bike Buddy & Bike Tweetup in Brooklyn.

On Sunday Feb 28th

NYC Food Crawl Presents:  The February Pork Bun Crawl, Manhattan

Don’t forget to stop by City Bakery for the last day of the Hot Chocolate Festival! Sunday is their FINALE!!!!

So you are so over BAM’s Sounds Like Brooklyn festival, you’re in the mood for something more foreign, new or avant-garde, let me suggest the Unsound Festival that’s happening in venues throughout New York and Brooklyn starting tonight Feb 4th till 14th.

Opening night at Lincoln Center features Vladislav Delay, one of the most innovative musicians working in electronic music today, and Lillevan, the highly-regarded video artist who has worked with Fennesz and Morton Subotnik, continue an ongoing collaboration on a brand-new free-form audio and visual improvisation, creating their performance specifically for the David Rubenstein Atrium. There is also a special screening of Andy Warhol’s Kiss and Blow Job. You know if you want to star at one image on a screen for a very very long time. More information about Unsound Festival can be found at http://unsound.pl/en you can also find Unsound Festival 2010 lineup and music clips at though Last.fm page

Tonight you and I can relive our teenage years, that is if you spent most of your time in Tower Records. I know I did.

No Longer Empty (NLE) is bringing Tower Records back to life with a multimedia installation. “Never Say Goodbye” will include pieces made from sound, light and all the technology that made Tower obsolete. Sounds depressing! The exhibit will be open to the public through February 13th. More details here.

Friday // 7 to 9 p.m. // Broadway and E 4th St // Free

I can’t exactly remember the name of the music teacher but I can almost hear her the story and the music for Peter and The Wolf as I type this. Saturday, January 16, Arts @ Brookflield will put on a performance with the Knickerboxer Chamber Orchestra performing Peter & The Wolf with narration by Neil Gailman. The concert will also feature Broadway tenor Jason Danieley.

Saturday // 7pm /// World Financial Center // FREE

If you can’t make it, may I suggest watching the animated short Peter and the Wolf, Oscar winner 2007 Best Animated Short.

Now all I need to do is find a Muppet movie on Sunday to fully go back in time.

I am in the process of resurrecting an old idea, the idea came from a conversation with friends as to how we could take our documentary and turn it into something else. We thought maybe a webseries would be a quicker faster way to start telling some of the stories that we collected. I can’t quite remember the weather or the date on that faithful day but a good friend of mine had an idea and from this idea grew a very interesting project. We would go into the homes of random New Yorkers and cook a meal (there’s a twist here but I won’t reveal…)then while preparing this meal we would talk about whatever is on their mind as a New Yorker. Maybe it’s a strange hobby they have, a particular opinion on politics, the way their neighborhood used to be or maybe just their favorite sport team. I’m hoping that the topics will be far more interesting then I can predict. I know the meals themselves will be just as interesting…

So now I’m searching for interesting New Yorkers to talk to. What do you like to eat? What do you like to talk about over dinner with friends or in this case strangers that take over your kitchen for a day?

As we being this process from time to time I plan to post updates. Hopefully in the New Year we will breath some new life into an old, but fresh idea.

In the summer of 2009 millions of people were suddenly caught by a short film, on buses, subways and at their local coffee shop. How did this happen? Why we took over digital signage in several countries all over the world. Now, we’re reading to do it again!

ART BY CHANCE 2010 will take place in May 2010 in several countries and cities around the world again. The submission is open now for TIME themed 30 second films.

For more information on Art By Chance and how you can submit you film or get involved with the digital movement. Please visit us at  http://www.artbychance.org/

WE ARE LOOKING FOR REPS IN VAROUS US STATES TO HELP SPREAD THE WORD AND BRING SCREENING PARTIES TO YOUR HOME TOWN. IF INTEREST HEAD OVER TO ME CONTACT PAGE AND SEND ME A NOTE!

Last year I put together a screening in NY where I showed all 22 Art By Chance and had various musical acts perform impromptu live scores. Just think what you can do in your on city!

May I suggest the upcoming HUNGRY FILMMAKERS EVENT taking place on December 15th at 7:00pm at Film Anthology in NYC.

HUNGRY FILMMAKERS is an evening of excerpts from upcoming doc films that take on food and agricultural issues. Shelley is co-curating the event alongside food writer Cathy Erway. We’ve all asked the questions, so now it’s time to see some reactions to the growing discussion of the environment and food, farming and our eating choices. A panel discussion with the attending filmmakers will immediately follow the screenings.Anna Lappé, food activist and author, will keep the discussion rolling and get your questions answered as moderator.

Now, I did mention food? At 9 pm come on over to Jimmy’s No 43 for an after party filled with good people, good discussion and of course good eats. Sample some hors d’oeuvres from locally sustainable purveyors such as Blue Isle Oyster Company, Mama O’s Kimchee, 3-Corner Field Farm, Schoolhouse Kitchen and more. A bar and Restaurant, Jimmy’s No. 43 uses local farm-sourced ingredients from Slow Food NYC and believes in supporting local arts and sustainable food communities. Bon Appetit!