Will Holst's uanews.org profile on GR

My Favorite Photo from GR Day

BFFs! I'm campaigning for this to be Jorge's Christmas card this year.

Fox Tucson Theatre Event

Jim Nintzel and Geraldo discuss border issues with 200 audience members on Wednesday night.

By this point in the day, Geraldo was still on fire ... very passionate about border issues and race. I, on the other hand, was experiencing the faint tickles of exhaustion.

After the Fox event, Geraldo spoke with invitation-only event participants over dessert. I have no photos out of respect for the private citizens at the event.

*** IMPORTANT NOTICE: The reason I gave for having no dessert reception photos was somewhat untrue. A more accurate portrayal would be: I was too tired for cake. ***

Press Conference

After GR's book signing event, he spoke with local media. He answered questions and even praised Media Arts for our hospitality and insisted that he was very interested in supporting our community in the future. Cool.

The Saga of the RiveraPod

Okay, pals, sit down for a moment while we discuss the theory behind giving Mr. Geraldo Rivera an iPod.

After all, you might opine, this man can certainly afford his own iPod. Okay while that might very well be true, our goal was to give Mr. Rivera a thank-you gift for visiting us. He paid for his own way to Tucson, and he paid for his own hotel room, and he visited with faculty, staff, and students. He deserved a big thank you.

And then a brilliant idea was presented ... why not thank Mr. Rivera with an iPod, on which we will place our media? After all, he'll hop on a plane to Vegas the next day, traveling to Vegas to roast Cheech Marin. He could watch some movies on his way, then trade Cheech his new iPod for, perhaps, a nice new pair of hemp shoes.

So, we ("we" includes Sekinger, Makino, Demers, Urbina, Askey, among others) put twenty-five shorts on the RiveraPod. Most of the work was created by students, including an excerpt from the student interview conducted with Geraldo earlier in that morning. Thus, he saw what we could do, and what kinds of things we wanted to do with our media, media, media.

That, dear reader, is the Saga of the RiveraPod.

Geraldo Rivera still stands but I have collapsed.

I collapsed just thinking about Geraldo Rivera's day in Tucson. Yep, I'm writing this from a local spa where I'm bathing in medicinal mud. I'm exhausted, I tell ya, and all I did was follow him around with a camera like a puppy-dog.

The event at the Fox Tucson Theatre was well-attended by the local community. He spoke with Tucson Weekly journalist Jim Nintzel for an hour and a half, and then took questions from the audience for 30 or 40 more minutes.

Dr. Maurice J. Sevigny, dean of the UA College of Fine Arts introduced Mr. Nintzel who in turn threw it to video footage of Mr. Rivera sparring with Bill O'Reilly on the O'Reilly Factor. GR soon emerged from backstage to explain that it was that very interaction that inspired him to write his book HisPanic.

I'll be uploading new photos and video in the coming days. For now, I must sleep. GR is probably writing another book at this very moment but Coffee Times cannot produce enough espresso to keep me up for one more moment. :)

Signing, signing, signing

Personal signatures on no less than five books. Post-its have personalized messages for each. heehee!

Oh and also ... he signs with great enthusiasm and patience

Mr. Rivera has signed a great deal of books, even indulging the odd visitor in a stack of requested signatures. He's speaking to his audience very warmly, in English and Español. He spoke with one gentleman for quite some time, all the while signing personal messages on five separate books.

Book Signing Success!

I'm typing from the ASUA Bookstore, right in front of two very knowledgeable bookstore employees. They know all about GR's events, and are patiently discussing them with anyone who has a question. Very impressive.

I have photos, but alas, I have no time to upload them from here. I'll be back in the office in about 20 minutes, however, and I'll get some photos up from there.

Okay, true confession ... I've taken several photos. They are blurry. Totally disgusting. Completely embarrassing. I need to retake them. Like, now.

Jorge and I are headed, cameras in hand ...

to the book signing at the ASUA Bookstore, where Mr. Rivera is signing copies of his book, HisPanic: Why Americans Fear Hispanics in the U. S.

>> more book signing info here!

Read this while I breathe ....

Geraldo's visit, as covered by uanews.org:
http://uanews.org/node/22577

Geraldo Rivera Sneak Peek

Hello!
Mr. Rivera just finished an informal lunch with faculty and staff. Three films were screened for Mr. Rivera and he was presented with an iPod as a thank-you gift.

We were able to place about 15 videos made by students and faculty on his new iPod, as well as the below snippet from this morning's interview with students.

You're the first to see it!

Brilliant Student Interviews With GR

Valerie Richarmé-Grotto and Stefan Koski, Media Arts Students, just finished interviewing Mr. Rivera in the Media Library. Their questions were brilliantly insightful, and Mr. Rivera responded with thoughtful analysis of border issues and the politics of race in America.

Posting a clip soon ... stay tuned!

Geraldo Day!

Okay word on the street is that Mr. Rivera is breaking his fast at a lovely local eatery. After breakfast he's visiting campus. Dr. Beverly Seckinger is due in the office any minute to give Mr. R a tour of our facilities. The tour culminates in an on-camera interview with two Media Arts students. I'll upload a clip in a few hours, so you can see how brilliant Valerie and Stefan are.

More news later!

Geraldo Rivera Visits Media Arts Tomorrow

The School of Media Arts, the Hanson Film Institute and the College of Fine Arts are busy with last-minute details surrounding Geraldo Rivera's visit to the University of Arizona tomorrow. He's got a full day of events, including a screening of student films, book signing, meeting media, and a discussion with the Tucson Weekly's Jim Nintzel at the Fox Tucson Theatre.

In addition, I'll be blogging all the day-long. Uploading photos and videos. So stay tuned for more info!

Contact UA Media Arts