There are a lot of great films out there to be seeing. I find watching a movie, especially in a theater, to be a wonderfully uplifting experience. In hard times, a good film can really change my mood. First and foremost, you must see Hidden Figures. It is not because it is such an artfully crafted film, but because it has so many messages of hope …
A very moving experience at the movies on Monday. One of the previews showed a woman hiding Jews from the Nazis (The Zookeeper's Wife, true story). It is still astonishing and upsetting to me that humans could have let this happen. My hope and belief is that we will not let this happen again. We are certainly better equipped today than we were then …
It's been quite the season of loss and I don't know how to say anything brillaint about that. So I give you this: So this is Christmas And what have you doneAnother year overAnd a new one just begun And so this is ChristmasI hope you have funThe near and the dear onesThe old and the young A very merry ChristmasAnd a happy New YearLet's hope it's a …
My mantra for the coming year seems to be: "I will not stand idly by." I think it originates in the Bible from Leviticus, I'm no expert in that department. For me it means that I will stay aware of my own life, my own home, my own "village," my own country and my own planet. I will not stay quiet when injustices are happening. I will speak up and t …
Gotham is abundant with wonderful, meaningful opportunities. Yesterday, the Gotham Book Club® hosted Tom Rinaldi, author of The Red Bandanna. Its the story of Welles Remy Crowther, son of our very own Jefferson Crowther and wife, Alison. They were both in attendance. I can't recommend this book more highly, especially the audio version, which is re …
So I told this story at the MAD meeting yesterday, but I thought I'd share it here as well. My wife was reading the NY Times and saw a book she wanted to read, went to the library, that book wasn't available, she got another by the same author, loved it , googled what the author was writing about, and we ended up in Costa Rica riding shoeless, bitl …
As Fred often says, Down is Up and Up is Down. In 1810, on this day, Oliver Winchester was born, known for manufacturing and marketing the Winchester Repeating Rifle, with thousands of rifles in the hands of the average pioneer, the rifles gained a reputation as "the gun that won the West." In 1993, on this day, the Brady bill was signed, making a …
I am in paradise. Naturally, I love to have time travelling and experiencing our wonderful planet, but this is extraordinary. I trekked into the jungle for 2 hours and spent time filming the Mountain Gorillas - Dad, Mom and Babies. It wasn't easy, you are either going up the steep side of a mountain or down the steep side of a mountain. And I mak …
Uganda is a country where you can be killed for being homosexual. The law doesn’t protect you. I’ve just arrived and there is an American religious group staying in the same guest house as us. The setup is similar to a motel in that the rooms are side by side and open to the outside, but instead of bordering a parking lot, they border a huge gras …
I'm certainly no expert, as anyone who has spent more than 20 minutes with me can attest, but I do know that it is the single most important thing in our world today. Especially in the week ahead, with the Presidential election happening, I am encouraging kindness to all. Don't tell me why someone is awful, tell me why you love someone. Wikipe …
So I went to the Twitter Trending topics page and the first three topics I saw were: 1. Kyle Schwarber - had absolutely NO idea who that was, but World Series fans will know that he is an outfielder* that has just been added to the Cubs roster for the games. *originally I called him a pitcher, FK told me he is not. 2. Pablo Picasso - definitel …
Today is Jeannie C. Riley's Birthday. A nice day for some history. Released in 1968. There's still a lot of judgement going on... "Harper Valley P.T.A." (Tom T. Hall) I want to tell you all a story 'bout a Harper Valley widowed wifeWho had a teenage daughter who attended Harper Valley Junior HighWell her daughter came home one afternoon and didn …
Sometimes I am able recognize the privilege of being connected to something longstanding and wonderful. Now we all have an opportunity to participate in saving a small monument. I am fortunate to call Robin Hirsch a trusted friend. Born in London during the blitz, he ended up opening a cafe in Greenwich Village in 1977. (For more of his fascinating …
It's no surprise that everything around us, effects us. I've found this to be increasingly evident in my Facebook feed. Like a garden it needs frequent weeding. Or, since I'm a filmmaker, it needs good editing. The hostility this election cycle has revealed is quite upsetting to me. I know logically that there is so much more hope and joy in t …
