5 days of celebrating contemporary photography in Brooklyn’s DUMBO district starts up this week May 12th. Promising an array of exhibitions in almost every gallery in DUMBO as well as a whole program of talks and panels. Let the picture taking and talking commence!

See full schedule and get your tickets here

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

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.

Take 1: Brooklyn Vegan pre-SXSW showcase at The Knitting Factory (Brooklyn) on March 15th

BrooklynVegan.com are throwing a pre-SXSW party on March 15 at the Knitting Factory with some of their favorite bands…all on their way to Austin for the festival: Let’s Wrestle, Casiokids, The Wave Pictures, Banjo or Freakout and WhoMadeWho (DJ only).

Take 2: New Directors, New Films starts March 24th to April 4th.

You really can’t go wrong with NDNF, close your eyes and just point anywhere on their program and you will see something good.

Take 3: Who needs the Salt Lick anyway? There are plenty of good BBQ places here in NYC (Daisy Mays, Blue Smoke, Bone Lick, Rub BBQ)

and then call me in the morning.

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!!!!

What’s going on this week in Stacey Land? I was interviewed by The Film Talk two weeks ago, along with my counter part in Istanul but the interview was kind of cut out of the show and replaced with a really great promotion of Art By Chance. I guess we have to work on our audio interviewee presence…

Anyway, BIG THANKS to Jett Loe and Gareth Higgins for graciously giving our festival props on their show. If you are unfamiliar with The Film Talk and their podcasts head over to their website and hear intelligent conversations / arguments on the latest film releases.

Submissions for ART BY CHANCE are open till March 24th. Plenty of time to make a 30 second “TIME” themed film.

In other news, this Thursday at 8pm, I’ll be hosting a screening/fundraiser of  Poto Mitan, a documentary exploring the roles of Haitian women in the global economy. All proceeds go towards Partners in Health an organization that has been working on the ground in Haiti for 20 years.

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

I LOVE food, which is evident if you’ve read my Stacey Eats: East Village or Stacey Eats: Williamsburg. Food is the one common denominator that I have with the people closest to me. Not a day goes by where someone I know isn’t sending me a picture of something they ate or commenting on a picture of something that I’ve eaten. This also explains my love and need for the gym. Without it I’d be like 400lbs.

I have been experimenting in the kitchen and reading My Life In France which lead me to do a search for cooking classes in NYC. I already tried to volunteer for Astor Food and Wine, if you volunteer your time, you can take a class for free. So far, I haven’t been selected as a volunteer. So, I started searching for alternative options and I found a few.

Brooklyn Kitchen, Offers an array of classes from pizza making to chocolate making to butchering a pig with the one you love see Date Night: Pig Butchering). Classes range from free to about $80.

I also found… Trinisoul Offers class for adults, kids and for parties. Learn to make Caribbean and Trinidadian food!

If money is no object then by all means check out Astor Food and Wine. It’s seems like a fancy smancy cooking experience ($125/class).  They theme classes (Tuscan, Wine, Green Market). You can always get on their volunteer list like me and wait and wait and wait your turn.

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.