Harp + Silver

Phil Villarreal
covers the Harp+Silver event in Caliente

Independent Filmmaker Deborah Stratman Visits

Chicago-based experimental filmmaker Deborah Stratman will screen “In Order Not Be Here” and other experimental short films at 7pm Tuesday, March 31 at The Screening Room (127 E. Congress Street). The event is free and open to the public.

Stratman’s work plies the territory between experimental and documentary genres. Shot entirely at night, “In Order Not Be Here” is a flight through hysteria and police surveillance in suburban America. Stratman will also screen 16mm prints of "The Paranormal Trilogy,” a series of works that collectively address concepts of the paranormal in the information age.

Stratman’s work has screened at the Sundance Film Festival, the Rotterdam Film Festival, the Whitney Biennial, Centre Pompidou and MoMA – NYC, among other venues. The program is from 7:00pm-8:15pm and will include a Q&A with Stratman. For more on Stratman’s work see: http://www.pythagorasfilm.com/

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Visiting Artist: Julie Sandor

BIO:
Julie Sandor is an independent producer who has worked on films within a wide range of genres such as horror, comedy and thriller. She has worked with actors such as Matthew Broderick, Philip Baker Hall, Jeremy Sisto, Parker Posey, Paul Rudd and Danny DeVito.

Ms. Sandor is currently a Producer at Strive Productions and she has worked for Castle Rock Productions, Out of the Blue Entertainment and she was Head of Development for Ambush Entertainment. Ms. Sandor received her masters from New York University in Cinema Studies and her PhD from Northwestern University in Communication Studies.

Sandor will speak to Media Arts students and the public about The Producer and Script Development in ILC 130, on March 23.

more info:
Facebook Event * CFA Calendar

Mr. Palminteri Was GREAT!

Students from Theatre Arts and Media Arts gathered on Tuesday at the Marronney theatre to speak about their craft with Chazz Palminteri.

Mr. Palminteri gave a brief intro to his career and professional philosophy, and then entertained questions from the audience.

He encouraged students to pursue creative relationships and to be pleasant, enthusiastic, and well-prepared. He advised Theatre students to be ready with a monologue that they could give at a moment's notice and to demonstrate the importance of the monologue, he brought a student onstage to share her work.

UA Alum Trent Othick is producing Mr. Palminteri's Broadway show, "A Bronx Tale", and made the actor's trip to campus possible.

more:

• Return of the Othicks - By Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star
• One man, 18 characters, By Brandon Specktor, DailyWildcat.com
  

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. :)

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.

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!

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!

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!