New York – It’s not so often that you find out that one of the most popular actors for the last 30+ years is not just an actor but a musician, too. Kevin Bacon and his brother Michael Bacon (The Bacon Brothers) stopped by the Cornell Club on Monday night for a talk and performance.
There was a rather huge attendance for the event at the Cornell Club. Between Cornell alumni and Hudson Union Society members, you had to get there early if you wanted a good seat.
You can hear the half hour conversation with Michael and Kevin Bacon in the audio clip below. For those who ever wondered what Kevin Bacon thought of the Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon, he talks about it in the audio clip. Unfortunately, you will not hear the actual music performance. I wanted to leave that for the Youtube video (i.e. something that they put out themselves).
This photo below is my favorite of the bunch. It’s also a photo I plan on adding to the Rockstar Collection of photos I’ve been taking over the last few years.
This is another favorite (below) that will go into the Rockstar collection.
[All photos by Michelle Kenneth]
You can find the Bacon Brothers on theirwebsite, Twitter: @baconbros and @kevinbacon, and on Youtube.
After the New York City International Film Festival, the award winning short “Family On Board” made a trip to Cannes, France for the Cannes Film Festival. Now, the film is heading to Hollywood! The film short is headlining the HollyShorts Monthly Screening Series on June 25th at the TCL Chinese Theatre.
Tickets to the series are currently on sale. You can purchase them for $15 HERE. If you share the event with your friends at checkout, you can get $2 off your order.
For those actors in Hollywood looking for work, you may get a chance to be in the upcoming full feature film. Here’s how you can be considered:
Pogatsia is sticking to his motto that actors and filmmakers should champion each other. All LA actors who come out to support Family On Board at HollyShorts will be given special consideration when casting begins for the feature (in development). Hashtag #FamilyOnBoardmovie to any of Family On Board’s social media accounts with a photo of yourself with your ticket stub at the event. Academy Award-winning director John G. Avildsen (Rocky) is interested in directing.
Here’s the full press release:
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If you’re in LA, I highly recommend going to see this film. It is a film you will never forget. If you’re in the business, this is definitely a film you want to be a part of.
While I would normally do a general review of a film, “Testament of Youth” will be a little different because this film hit very close to home for me.
Synopsis – This film is based on the memoir written by Vera Brittain (played by Alicia Vikander from “A Royal Affair”). This young woman’s sole desire was to go to Oxford, just like her brother. Her father wanted her to remain home. As a consolation, while they were out swimming with a friend, her father purchased a piano for her. It was enough money to pay for one year at Oxford.
When she arrived home to discover this, she was angry. As she’s telling her father that she will never marry, not ever in this lifetime, the man she would fall in love with walked into the house. Roland Leighton (played by Kit Harington from “Game of Thrones”).
This was right before World War I began.
Her brother managed to talk their father into letting her take the entry exams at Oxford. SPOILER ALERT: She got in.
As she prepared to go to Oxford with her brother, Roland and friends, the Great War began. All of the boys decided to sign up.
During the summer before the war, Roland and Vera started to fall deeper and deeper in love with each other. When Roland broke the news to her that he had enlisted, it was on the day they should have been heading to Oxford to begin school together.
As more time went on, she decided she had to do something, so she took leave from Oxford to work as a nurse. She started in the hospitals in Britain before later heading to the front.
War changes people. Roland was no exception. He tried to put the walls between them, but she refused to allow him to do it. That was when he proposed to her, promising to marry during his next leave.
SPOILER ALERT: He died. On the day they were to wed, his mother called the hotel to inform her that he had died.
He wasn’t the only one that died in the war. Her brother died, as well as their friend, Victor. She lost all of the people she grew up with and loved to the Great War.
After the war had ended, she became one of the greatest female pacifists in history and a writer.
Close to Home
If I’m going to be honest, I almost got up and left several times. It wasn’t because the film was bad. Quite the contrary. It just hit a little too close to home for me.
Before Roland died, I knew it was coming, because like Vera, those moments of reflection reminded me of having those moments. You remember their skin jutting out from their shirt sleeves, the way their hair tossed in the wind, the way they looked at you, the way they smelled, or the way their heart beat against their chest. You remember how it felt when they touched your skin. You remember that pure, untainted love.
These are the memories that stay with you forever. These are the memories you create with your soulmate. Roland and Vera were soulmates.
There were so many elements to what happened in this story that was just like my life story: the need to know exactly what happened when he died, the writings he left for her, being separated due to choices, being taken away at such a young age. All of these elements to Roland and Vera’s story gave me goosebumps. It made me remember my own soulmate. He killed himself just two weeks before my high school graduation.
You have to learn how to live after your soulmate dies. There was a quote in the movie that stuck with me: “We are all surrounded by ghosts. We just have to learn how to live with them.”
The director really communicated what that loss felt like. There were even moments where Kit Harington (with his clean cut) reminded me of those memories I had made with my soulmate.
For those who have felt that great loss of losing your soulmate, you can begin to understand why she took the stand for humanity…to say no to war. War was what took the people she loved deeply away from her.
Her stand against war was about those who have lost loved ones due to war. It wasn’t about politics. It was about humanity. Each side is sending their fathers, brothers, fiancés and husbands to fight in a war. Each side is losing those very people. Each side feels that loss just as deeply as the other side. Her pacifism was about protecting human lives, not about where those lives came from or whose side they were fighting on.
As each person approaches the end of their life, they’re not talking about killing the enemy. They’re calling out to the people they loved.
I’ve been in Vera’s shoes. I’ve been in them for 20 years now…the part where I’m learning how to live with those ghosts. The end of this movie was very important. It was about remembering and honoring those men she lost. When you lose your soulmate and people you were very close to, you can sometimes be on the brink of insanity. You try to forget them in order to survive another day. There were times where Vera almost completely lost herself in her grief.
Vera’s choice in the end was not to forget them. What she did was take that pain and suffering and turn it into something better. The truth is, the reason why people try so hard to make others happy, or advocate for peace like Vera did, is so that others will not experience the same loss they have gone through. They know what it feels like to be destroyed by that loss. They don’t want other people to experience what they’ve experienced. Even if they put a smile on their face to distract others from seeing their own unhappiness, it’s only in an effort to make sure others never go through what they went through. Some pain and suffering need not be repeated. People will do anything to protect others from experiencing that same suffering. Vera spent her life trying to do just that as a pacifist.
Quotes from Kit Harington (Roland) and James Kent (Director)
Kit Harington speaks to the audience about his new film “Testament of Youth.”
Tribeca – Kit Harington and James Kent stopped by after this special screening to talk about the film on Wednesday night.
“She spoke for a generation, because they were the survivors and they needed that time to have the courage to go, ‘No, no more.’ Hitler was beginning to come to power at that time and there was a real fear that Europe could be sliding into something unsavory. I think [Vera] does speak for the lost generation.”
The reason why Harington worked on “Testament of Youth” was because he had read about it in school and knew the story well.
Kit Harington:
“I knew this text quite well, actually…I studied it at school, both the history and for English literature, studying the war parts. I knew the formidable person Vera Brittain was from her books, from her memoirs. I think that sounds a little bit wishy washy and wanky… Sorry. What I really learned was through Alicia [Vikander’s] depiction of her, I felt it was so accurate, so beautifully done by her that I thought I was talking to that person. In the movie, I thought I was talking to that person, the Brittain I knew very well and loved. That was kind of amazing to experience.”
James Kent:
“I would hope if [Vera Brittain] came back and saw this film, and watched this film in this day and age, in this audience, that she would see a huge difference in who she was.”
Kit Harington:
“One thing that really scares me about my generation is that we are not as active as [Vera] was. Our discussion is a hard one. In some ways, you can argue that we, with social media, have a greater voice. In some ways, it’s completely dumb’ed down. I think, to me, it’s a very important discussion that has to be had. To my shame, I have never been in a political march in my life. I should have done it.”
Kit Harington:
“When I first read [Testament of Youth] in school, it actually triggered a real interest in this period for me. I had already been taken to the the Northern War graves, the French War graves, by my father, kind of a right of passage. I think he thought it was important that me and my brother go and see the consequence of war. There’s no better visual consequence than seeing those graves, those names on the wall. I read it at school and it kicked off a far greater interest about that period, about the literature surrounding that period. So when this came through the door, it was important to me that it was done well. Juliette (Towhidi) actually wrote it. I instantly knew when it was halfway through, it was doing it great justice. She had imagined the scenes around the ones that were in the books. They were written and respectfully done.”
On deciding on Kit to play the role of Roland, James Kent:
“What he has is the X-factor, the extra thing, which is a sort of soulful kind of intelligence, intellectual curiosity…a really soulful practical side. It was so important to get Roland right. If you got him wrong, it diminishes Vera as well. That she chose him and fell in love. She wore those dried flowers that you see that he sent her from the front, around her neck in a locket for the rest of her life. She married and she still had these flowers around her neck.”
James Kent:
“It’s very important to me that at the end of the film, she goes out into that pool of water again, because she’s trying to regain the conversation that she had with Roland in the woods where she says she wants to be a writer. He said that you need some experience first. She goes back to that lake with all that experience and finally by going into the water, it’s a baptism. It’s a renewal. It’s a purging. She can make that promise to the boys. I now got what Roland advised me to get. I can now enshrine your story for generations to come. And that’s exactly what you’ve experienced [with this film].”
The film is due out in US theaters on Friday, June 5th.
Fathers tend to give advice that is very unusual and quite different than the wise sage advice we get from our mothers. Here are a few quips from the book:
“Do it right or do it again.” – Norm, father of Erik
“Those of you who are standing around saying it can’t be done are bothering those of us who are doing it.” – Dewey, father of Jean
“If you can’t go one way, go the other.” – Henry, grandfather of Josie
“Do whatever you want to do-Figure it out and I will explain it to mom later.” – Bob, father of Robin
“Don’t ever think you are better than another person.” – Edward, father of Tina
“When you surround yourself with good people and work hard, good things happen.” – Dick, grandfather of Tommy
“Your only responsibility in life is to be kind.” – Freddie, father of Marion
“Keep your head down and stay the course.” – Robert, father of Christina
I selected these quotes to share here because they go right along with the theme of this site. It’s about living every single dream possible. These little instructions above are just a few of the many items you will find throughout the book.
This book will make a great gift for fathers, or just about anybody out there. As I was reading through this, I had wished my father had given some sort of bits of wisdom like this. But after reading the advice from all of these different fathers, I feel much wiser than I did before.
I think the most interesting quote in this book came from Brad Meltzer. I had just met him the day before when I read his contribution to this book. It really made me laugh at how supportive his father was of his writing career. He was his biggest fan, so much that when he woke up from anesthesia after his surgery, he told his son that he was selling his books in heaven. Brad’s response had me laughing.
That was the story that touched my heart the most.
If you pick up this book for your father for Father’s Day, make sure to pick up a copy for yourself and your siblings, too. All of the sayings in this book are great advice for everyone. It’s a quick read that you will definitely enjoy.
I always say it takes a village in order to help each other. McHugh managed to create a village of fathers to give sound, maybe a little crazy, but wise advice to us all.
The book is available now.
You can follow Erin McHugh on Twitter: @ErinHere
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Disclaimers: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive monetary compensation. I received a free copy of this book from the author and Harry N. Abrams Books in exchange for writing a review on the blog. All content and opinions are my own.
Children seeing large bubbles for the first time in Paris, France.
If you’re like most people, you have a dream. And then you have several other dreams of things you’d like to do in this lifetime.
Take me, for instance, I always dreamed of going to Morocco. I always wanted to see U2 from stage level. I always wanted to be a writer. I dreamed of being a hockey writer. I always wanted to get married and have a family of my own.
Four out of five isn’t bad. There’s the dream (which hasn’t happened yet), and then there are the lesser dreams (which are easier to make come true).
I always dreamed of going to Morocco. I dreamed about it for years. Then one day I realized that I had the resources to go and make that dream come true. I did a quick Google search on “Morocco Tours” and ended up booking with the first site I found. I don’t regret going by myself one bit.
The experiences I had from that trip went far above and beyond anything I could have ever expected. It was a dream worth having and one worth living. I made friends there and learned many things. Who knows? One day I may write a book about the amazing moments I had when I was there. Maybe I’ll even buy a home where displaced women and orphaned children can live some day.
As for seeing U2 at stage level, that hasn’t happened yet, but it will happen this summer. I was able to get tickets down by the stage this summer. It will be my third U2 concert in this lifetime. I had always wanted to be down by the stage. This time, I had the resources to purchase a ticket down by the stage, and actually be able to find one. The latter part is always the harder part.
Being a writer…well, that’s something I’ve been doing for years. Blogging, writing newspaper articles, freelancing, and even writing content for Fox Sports and Inside Hockey (being a hockey writer). All of those dreams came true.
I know there are many people that dream of those things and still wonder why they can’t seem to make it or (for hockey writers) get credentialed into the media. Writer (for Marie Claire, and many other magazines) and fashion blogger/stylist Nicolette Mason talked about privilegebeing one of the factors that got her foot in the door to be able to write for the big names in the fashion industry.
While it may be shocking to most, privilege is also what factors into opportunities. Privilege does help you get your foot in the door. But it also takes intelligence, drive and hard work to actually make dreams happen.
For instance, I was granted my first interview back in October 2007 by a hockey player that had seen me sitting in the front row of New York Rangers games for a few years. It wasn’t just an exclusive, it was his big ‘f you’ to the New York Rangers. I had to make a decision on how the article should be released. I opted to protect the player, which meant protecting the Rangers.
When the article was released, the Rangers breathed a sigh of relief. The player hated me for it. But I ended up making the correct choice, because eight years later, he’s retired and I’m still allowed to cover the Rangers in their press box. I was even asked to cover them while they were in Europe (both times). The reason why they asked has a lot to do with knowing that I have the resources to cover them in Europe during an age when other North American media are told to scale back their costs due to the economic landscape.
Privilege gets you in the door much easier. It gets you the jobs you want, the stepping stones you need to make a dream come true, and the fast track to making those dreams come true. It also provides you with opportunities that some people will not have access to because they do not have the resources.
Privilege is money, education, background and access to things that most people do not have access to.
How does one attain privilege?
Well, not everyone is born with privilege. You have to make it part of your dream in order to succeed.
When you graduate from high school, you may have dreams of how you plan on living your life. For the career minded, you know exactly what you’re going to do and how you’re going to get there. I’m going to tell you now that the best laid plans very rarely, if ever, get to the finish line because life happens.
When I was in high school, I wanted to be a politician. I mapped out the course, the school, the city, the major, the internship, and whatever else I needed to do to get myself into the Capitol building. I told all of my plans to this guy that I’d been in love with since junior high. He was also my best friend. He said to me, “Wow. It really looks like you have your life all mapped out.”
Would you believe those were the last words he ever said to me? Two weeks before my graduation, he put a bullet into his heart. One of the things he cited (and there were many) as the reason why he was committing suicide…I had made life plans without including him in it.
He put an end to that dream and life plan.
I still followed the course I mapped out for myself, but my heart and passion were never in it. Life had happened to me.
I didn’t start to move forward until my late twenties. It took a broken heart, an insane monthly education loan bill to get me to decide to change my life. I was getting peanuts working for the government. I could barely afford to buy food with the amount they paid me. I realized that I didn’t have to live this way. How you choose to live life is a CHOICE. I decided I was going to put myself out there and demand I get paid two times the amount I was getting paid, get a better health plan, and find a better life.
That’s how I ended up in New York. It was the only place in the world that bit when I put myself out there. I hopped on a plane. Did an interview and walked away with a job. I moved to New York two weeks later.
This is where dreams started to unfold. It was NY that gave me many opportunities. I took advantage of them as they became available. I fell in love with hockey and the New York Rangers. I decided to take two loves, writing and hockey, and put them together. Over time, I started to command higher and higher salaries, because I became good at what I do and I love doing what I do. I became passionate about the things I was doing. Passion makes you a valuable part of any team, and they will pay you well just to keep you from leaving.
My point in sharing this is that you can create your own privilege. You can make more money. You can create your own opportunities. It starts by believing in yourself and making yourself go out there and make things happen.
So how do you start?
Before I get into the numbered points below, start with a notebook. Write down every single dream you have for yourself. Consider this your bucket list. Each year, go through it so you can see what dreams you accomplished and which dreams you would like to accomplish in the upcoming year. Highlight your accomplishments so you can always go back to see what dreams you have fulfilled. It will motivate you to keep chasing after each and every single one of your dreams.
Pick a few dreams you’d like to accomplish over the next year and pursue it at all costs, no matter what the outcome may be. It’s better to know what happened instead of regretting never having done something.
1. It takes telling yourself that YOU DESERVE A BETTER LIFE. You may be getting paid peanuts. You don’t have to accept that life anymore. Work on your resumé. Don’t just list the jobs where you’ve worked. List your experiences you’ve had in life, especially the things you are passionate about. If you’re out making a difference in the world, volunteering, part of a community project or not-for-profit, LIST IT. I have always found that the most interesting things about a job candidate is in that miscellaneous area. The reason why I got hired all rests in the things I did outside of work. It told potential employers more about me than what school I went to or where I worked before.
2. If you haven’t been doing things that would make that miscellaneous part of your resumé look good, then go out and do things that you can get passionate about and DO IT FOR FREE. I refuse to take money for writing about hockey. I have turned down paying job offers to write about hockey. I just never felt right about taking money for it. I believe you lose a sense of yourself and the passion behind what you’re doing when you agree to take money for something you love so much.
I helped musicians in my twenties. The best thing they could do was put me on their VIP list so I didn’t have to pay to get in to see their show. It really helped when I was getting paid peanuts by the government. I helped startup and work for a not-for-profit FOR FREE. I chose projects to work on that I was passionate about. I did that all FOR FREE. Doing that helped boost my resumé even more because what I did for free was actually why I got hired and could command a large salary and get exactly what I was asking for and even more. It was doing these life experiences that created my work ethic and character. I know exactly what I’m worth, and I expect to be paid more than what I’m worth.
The most important thing about choosing your projects you’ll work on for free, you’re assisting people that are trying to live their dreams (or people that need help). You help them without expecting anything in return. In exchange, you are actually gaining life experiences, as well as your own job training that can be applied to other facets of your life. Choose a project based on your dreams. If you dream of doing something in music, get involved with something that has to deal with music. Always do things that are closely symbolic to your dreams. You have to pick up and learn how to live your dream. It helps if you start by learning directly from others that are out there living their dreams.
3. No matter what your dream is, you have to pay the bills. You can’t go chasing after a dream without money in tow. You still need to eat, have a roof over your head and have your bills paid. Many people work a day job so they can have their real career – their dream. It is that main job that pays for everything, including your health care. I’m sorry to say, you still have to work your main job before you can work the dream job full-time. I’d say wait until you’re making more money from your dream job before quitting the day job. Just make sure you equate in how much you really cost your employer (after all the benefits, like health care, are computed in). Don’t quit until what it costs your employer to have you employed at their office is equal to (or less than) what you are making at your dream job.
4. Become involved in the things that will bring you closer to your dream. I will have to say that I fell into a lot of things that became a part of creating a dream. I didn’t get into hockey until my first New York Rangers game in 2005. After that, a hockey writer dream began. I went to as many games as I could, sitting down in the first few rows just to study the game. There were things I picked up down at ice level that I definitely would never have noticed if I sat further up (like in today’s day and age, sitting all the way up in the press box). Those days sitting in the front row was what prepared me to cover the game of hockey.
GMs of teams appreciated reading what I saw. There were things that they may not have been aware of that I would pick up. For instance, did you know that alcoholics sweat differently than regular people? I could tell a player was under the influence just by the way he sweated. I could tell which minor league player had the potential to make it to the NHL permanently. It’s that je ne sais quoi that sets them apart. Very few people can pick up on it. That’s why they’re called scouts.
These days, I attend a lot of arts related events because that is where my life is steering me. When I asked myself what I loved to do now, movies, the arts, books and theater came to mind. So that’s where my new course is heading. What do I do to make that dream happen? I throw myself right in and pursue whatever comes at me. That is usually in the form of film festivals, conferences, premieres, going to shows, meeting and speaking to the people in the industry, and developing friendships with them. There are a lot of facets involved with making a dream come true. Just go out there and put yourself directly in the middle of it all and watch it unfold.
5. Having money helps in this area. It buys you better experiences and VIP treatment. I find that it removes the wall from being an outsider to becoming an actual insider. Instead of dreaming of being one of them, you become one of them. No matter what anyone tells you, Sean Avery (former hockey player) put it best when he said that money gets you a lot further in life. It definitely helps you get to where you are going.
Money is the most important resource to have when you are pursuing a dream. It paves the way for you. It gets you into the things you need to get into without putting a wall up between you and the dream. I find that life is a lot easier when you have the money to afford your experience. Dreams, unfortunately, cost money.
Putting together a film…it costs money. Creating a book…it costs money (and a lot of times right out of the author’s pocket). Creating artwork…it costs money to make it. Becoming a professional athlete…it takes money to prepare, train and buy equipment. How are you going to become the next big basketball star without a basketball?
6. Education is crucial. No matter what field you are pursuing, you need the expertise. You need the credentials. You have to be knowledgeable in your chosen field, no matter if it’s the arts or sports, you need to have the brain to go along with the game. You need to become an expert. You need to continuously learn, because nothing stays the same. It always evolves.
Lawyers and doctors have to continually learn, because laws change, scientific breakthroughs happen. They have to attend continuing education courses all of the time in order to stay abreast of their practice, as well as change with the times. Everything is constantly evolving, you always have to evolve with the times, or lose in the game of life.
Even in hockey, players that know the game and have been playing it their entire life, they are always learning from each other, trying out new equipment, and adapting to the game as it changes. The hockey game is very different today than it was the day you were born.
As the owner of this site, I am constantly reading how to make the site better, what I need to focus on to create better content as a writer. I attend conferences. I take classes. It’s not because I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m learning how to do things better than I did before.
7. Practice makes perfect. If you’re a writer, athlete, actor, etc. you have to constantly work towards perfecting your craft. In Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell’s most important message is that it takes 10,000 hours to perfect your craft. That means, no one will take you and your dream seriously until you have perfected your craft, so start practicing.
Bill Gates spent over 10,000 hours working on his dream before he could even make a penny off of it. He wasn’t just an overnight billionaire. He put in many, many hours before Microsoft came into being. It’s the same for Mozart. He wasn’t just a prodigy. He had to work many hours to perfect his craft.
For some people, they may ask how I was able to get these interviews for this site. Throw in every single factor above, including spending the last eight years writing about hockey. Writing about hockey helped prepare me for this next adventure in life. Spending all of that time interviewing, writing, and establishing the type of person I am when it comes to being a writer, that’s how I was able to perfect my craft. It’s not just the constant practice, it’s who you become after you put in all the work. You’ll find that practice does make perfect, but it also helps shape you into the person you are setting yourself out to be.
8. It’s all in the mindset. Staying positive and thinking only positive thoughts all of the time will help you achieve your goals. If you need more money to make things happen, don’t get down on yourself. Write out what you need to do to make each dream happen, every single little detail. Focus on each detail.
Do you need to make more money? How much do you need to make to make the dream happen on top of the expenses you have already? What are your options to getting more money? Do you need a better job? What would a better job be for you?
Do not discount happiness throughout this entire process. One of the reasons why I love my job so much is because of the people around me. They make me happy…even my bosses. Make sure that wherever you put yourself, you have a positive atmosphere around you. If you constantly hate everything about your job, you can’t make the dream happen. There’s no “When X happens in the dream job, then I’ll be happy.” No. Start the happiness now. Only choose a job where you will be happy. You’ll find that happiness is very much a part of making the dream happen. If you’re not happy, you’re going to be stuck.
When I found my current job, I had written out the things I wanted most. I wrote down an insane number of how much I wanted to be paid. I wrote down insane things of what kind of benefits I wanted. I reached for a pot of gold and came back with diamonds. The job I ultimately chose was the job that not only matched what I was asking for, but gave me way more than I could ever ask for. There was something else I had written down on that piece of paper. I wrote down…to have way more than I was asking for. To have way more than enough.
I got exactly that.
If you need resources on how to get into the positive mindset, I recommend starting with Rhonda Byrne’s “The Secret,” moving on to Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist,” and then to Eckhart Tolle’s “A New Earth.” It’s all about changing your mindset. Your mind is much more powerful in making the most incredulous dreams come true. Your mind calls into your universe exactly what you put out there. So if you’re thinking negative thoughts all of the time, a lot of bad things are going to happen to you. If you focus only on good things, amazing things will happen to you.
It’s not some new age quack thing. I’m living proof of that philosophy. I’ve been practicing it since 2007. How else do you think I scored that interview from a New York Ranger on my first try as being a hockey writer? Positive thinking.
I also highly recommend meditation to help you find that inner peace that will keep you happy all of the time.
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As you can see, making dreams come true is multi-faceted. The most important thing is believing in yourself and your dream. Making dreams come true is a lot easier when you’ve created your own ‘privilege.’ You’ve got to put in the work (and a lot of hard work at that) to make that privilege happen. Most importantly, you have to keep your mind positive. Think negatively, and plan on everything falling apart on you. Feel free to ask questions by posting below or sending me a comment in the Contact Page. You can also ask on my Twitter account: @MichelleDoPW
Winter film premiere at NYCIFF. (Picture Courtesy of Heidi Greensmith)
Closing out the New York City International Film Festival was the amazing premiere of the film Winter starring Tommy Flanagan, Tom Payne, Judith Godrèche, Jessica Hynes, Bill Milner and Kate Magowan. The film was written and directed by Heidi Greensmith.
The film picked up four awards at NYCIFF, including Best Drama Film, Best International Director (Greensmith) and Best Actor in a Leading Role (Tommy Flanagan).
Heidi Greensmith was kind enough to do an exclusive interview for PerfectionistWannabe.com on her film “Winter.”
1. First, can you tell us a little about yourself?
I grew up the second youngest of seven children in the south east of England countryside. I have been making films since I was a teenager. I went to the London Film school and studied cinematography. My first job was as an undercover reporter at a documentary production company. I went on to make music videos and commercials at a London production company. I started writing when I had my first baby. I met my husband drummer Dominic Greensmith shooting a music video for the British rock band Reef. We have been together for 15 years and have 4 children. We live in the Somerset countryside.
2. “Winter” is your first feature film, and the writing is absolutely incredible. Can you tell us how you came up with the idea for this story, as well as the characters? Where did you take inspiration from?
Thank you. I was drawn to explore male grief as I believe men process grief in a different way to women. As they find it harder to talk about how they feel it can lead to feelings of depression and anger. I lost my mother when I was quite young and my father coped very badly which had a lasting affect on all us kids. I have three sons and I believe that this generation of boys should be taught and encouraged to be more open with their feelings. They need to learn that it is entirely acceptable to talk and feel and cry and I hope that Winter will help to shine a spotlight on this.
3. Diving into what was happening in the mind of Woods, can you explain how you were able to dive so deeply into a complete mental breakdown and then bring that character out of that darkness?
I have had personal experience to draw upon so I always knew that Woods would be a broken man that would break my heart. Woods comes out of the darkness with the love of his family and his passion for painting which I can relate to also as I think most artists can.
4. Throughout the movie, you break down a lot of stereotypes where people would easily place judgment on someone. For instance, at the beginning, Woods looks like just a regular homeless man. Yet, he’s not homeless. Then we start to believe that Tom is the child of an abusive, alcoholic father. Yet again, that’s not the real story. Then we start to believe that Woods is a neglectful, abusive parent that can’t take care of himself or his children. Yet, once again, that is not what the story is about. Was there a greater lesson you were trying to teach the viewer (as in, don’t judge a book by its cover)?
Yes I suppose so. Every addict, every homeless person they have all been broken in some way. They are trying to avoid life or numb the pain of their memories. People that find themselves in these unfortunate circumstances need help not judgement.
5. Tommy Flanagan did a phenomenal job as Woods. What made you decide that he was the right person to bring Woods to life?
Casting director Des Hamilton suggested Tommy for the role of Woods. I met with Tommy and within five minutes I knew he was Woods. Tommy had already decided he was playing Woods before we met so it was lucky I felt the same.
(Courtesy of Heidi Greensmith)
6. Flanagan’s scene that sticks out most is when he crouches on the stool in front of the canvas. The camera capturing the different expressions going through Woods’s mind was intriguing, frightening, and ultimately beautiful all at the same time. Can you take us through what you were looking for in that moment?
I think I was after that feeling you get as an artist when you are so involved in what you are doing that you step out of reality, like you are in dream. It can be quite scary. Sometimes when I read a script back I can’t remember writing some bits of it.
7. How did you decide which pieces of artwork would be used? What were the meanings behind the different paintings featured? Who was the artist(s) behind each of the paintings? What happened to the paintings afterward?
I went to a Paul Benney exhibition in London by pure chance. I was blown away because I had already written the script and described some of the paintings that I was looking at in that exhibition! I found Paul there and explained to him. He then read the script, called me up and told me he felt a strong affinity with Woods. So, he allowed me to use his Night Paintings exhibition. The art department got all the paintings replicated so that there was no chance of damaging the originals. You can find all the images on Paul’s website.
8. Tom is the hero of this story. The sacrifices he made to help his father went far above and beyond anything anyone could ask (or not ask) of their child. His understanding of his father’s ‘genius waiting to be unleashed’ and the ‘broken heart’ is something most people would not understand if they were in his shoes, especially at that age. That is what makes his role in this movie so powerful…that love he has for his father. Tom’s story is multi-faceted. Can you describe your development of his character through the writing process? What were the elements you were focused on when you created his part of the story?
I have always found it incredibly heartbreaking, that moment when out of necessity a child becomes the adult in the relationship with his parent. Two of my favourite films are Paris Texas and Paper Moon because of the way the kids have to grow up so fast and develop a whole new relationship dynamic in being the responsible one. I originally wrote Tom and Max much younger but due to our very low budget we couldn’t afford chaperones and reduced working hours minors would require.
9. What are your favorite moments in the film? Do you have any favorite characters?
Obviously I love Woods. Tommy and I have become very good friends since we made the film and we talk about that character with such affection. Old Woodsie. But I love all the other characters too. My favourite scenes are the ice skating scene with Tom and Stacy because you feel so much for Tom right then, just wanting him finally to have a nice time, but at the same time knowing that his dad has gone awol again so it’s super charged, and I love the flashback of Woods walking to the park and finding his dead wife, because you finally get to see the exact moment that his heart broke. Both scenes have the most beautiful score by Dominic too.
10. Can you take us through the timeline of developing “Winter” from start to finish (i.e. how long it took to write the script, create the film, bring it to the screen)?
I wrote the film when I had just had my fourth child. I would write while I was breast feeding at night. It’s really hard making an independent film, working all hours for no money and at the same time trying to dodge the sharks and remain focused and true. We shot Winter all on location in 24 days, edited it in 9 weeks but then it all stopped and lost momentum when the post budget ran out. Thankfully Winter was selected to be the closing night gala film of NYCIFF so everything happened very quickly from then.
11. It is never easy being a working mom, but to be a working mom, wife, writer and a director working on making a dream come true, how were you able to balance everything in order to create Winter?
It’s amazing what I can fit into 24 hours. I have a lot of energy, mental and physical. My husband is always telling me to sit down but I find it impossible. I am so passionate about everything I do that I have to do it full time all the time. I know it can drive the people I work with mad. Sometimes I’ll be writing at midnight or recording music for the score with my husband at 3am. I left home at 16 and have had to work since then, even through film school I had two jobs. I hope I am helping to install a good work ethic in my kids. I think they probably think I’m crazy but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Official Winter poster.
12. There are very few women directors in the industry. NYCIFF showcased several women directors during the festival, including yourself. Can you describe what adversity women are going through in this business? What adversity have you faced to bring your film into being?
I think things have just started to change but for a long time it was very difficult to be taken seriously as a female director and funnily enough I don’t think men were entirely to blame. The most important thing is that things have started to change and I hope that the broadcasters, studios and financiers continue to address the imbalance. The cinema has been dominated by the male voice for too long. I hope that Winter also proves that female writer/director’s can tackle any subject not just subjects relating to women.
13. This site is about people that are out there making their dreams come true. In your own words, can you tell us what bringing this incredible story to the screen means to you?
It means everything to me. All I have ever wanted professionally is to be able to tell a story that moves people. The incredible response the film has had so far is overwhelming, and we’ve only just started!
14. What is coming up in the film’s future? Is there a release date, yet? Is it traveling to any more festivals? Any talks of Oscar considerations? Are there any other projects you are working on that you would like to share?
Winter is at the start of it’s festival run. We are looking at a UK release in the autumn. My next film ‘Bloody Mary’ is in development right now and we have just started casting. It’s a totally different film, dark and very funny with two female protagonists. Very exciting.
If you get the opportunity to see “Winter,” it is a must see film. It is a film that will move your soul. You’ll walk out in complete amazement of Tommy Flanagan’s acting, and with a new perspective on life. What Heidi has created here is something phenomenal. This is the kind of film you will never forget, because of how you grew as a human being during those moments you spent absorbing the film.
When I first began this site, it started off as just trying to make myself into a better person by doing things that I had always wanted to do (like figuring out how to make Coq au Vin), and sharing the journey along the way. Over this last week, the site sort of took a different turn in a new direction. This is ultimately the direction I wanted the site to go in all along.
There is a life motto I have been telling people since I was a teenager. Ironically, the first time I ever said it, it was to my grandfather.
I was 16 at the time and had just gotten back from Paris. I was telling my grandfather about my Parisian adventure. He said to me after I finished sharing my story that he wished he could do that. I remember looking at him a little funny…like it was crazy for him to say that. That’s when I said to him, “Life is short. Do anything and everything you ever dreamed of doing.”
For years, his kids had told him he should go out and travel during his retirement. He never did. But it was those words that day that prompted him to go out and chase every last dream he had for himself. He spent the last 15 years of his life traveling all over the world. Over those years, he would share those stories with me in the letters we wrote back and forth to each other. He was my pen pal from the day I was a kid and could send out a letter on my own, until the day he died.
After he died and I started traveling more, I continued our travel tales. With each place I visited, I felt like he was near, sharing this adventure with me. He used to collect coins from every country he ever visited. This goes all the way back to World War II, when he was in the war. He had brought back coins and stamps from Nazi Germany. Those are coins that I ended up inheriting after he passed away.
Every time I visit a country, I make sure to have a handful of coins to add to our collection. This is a ritual I have kept going since 2007. That’s why traveling all over the world is so important to me. It’s about keeping an important memory going by adding to it long after the other person you shared it with is gone.
Those words I told my grandfather that day is the same motto I have repeated to so many people throughout this lifetime (and to myself, because sometimes you have to remind yourself what your life motto is). Do anything and everything you have ever dreamed of doing.
After the NYCIFF Awards, I was talking with George Pogatsia (director/writer/star of “Family On Board”) about his speech on championing each other. It takes a village to create success. We all have to help each other make our dreams come true. We cannot make a dream come true on our own. It is absolutely foolhardy to think we can make our dream happen on our own. It takes many people along the way to help us get to where we are trying to go. It takes a village to make every single dream come true for each individual.
When you work together to help each other make dreams come true, you’re creating amazing energy together in order to make each and every dream come true for each person involved. Consider it karma working in everyone’s favor.
Creating this kind of energy helps inspire each person involved to be greater than we were before. That kind of energy is a really good, positive feeling.
When you help each other, you go into it believing in the other person and their dream. You help them any which way you can within your own limitations. You do this without wanting anything in return. The way the universe works is that when you help others, wanting nothing in return, someone will return the kindness to you. It may not be the same person you’re helping. It could be someone else, the right person that can help you get to the next step in the process.
The amount of energy you put into helping someone else’s dream come true, you’ll find that the same energy x7 comes back to you. It’s just the law of the universe (aka the law of attraction). Do good for others, and the kindness will be returned somewhere down the line in a variety of different ways from so many different people.
Your vibe attracts your tribe.
That being said, that is the direction this site has gone. This site is about sharing people’s dreams and how they’re making them come true. This content will be brought to you through interviews and collaborations. There will be a lot of repeat offenders here because of the collaborations. A collaboration means that we are working together to share the story of how one person is making their dream come true.
For instance, we will be documenting Family on Board’s journey to the Oscars. This will be done in collaboration with George Pogatsia, the film’s director.
In the upcoming days, I’ll also be sharing with you one artist’s journey to creating a new arts festival in the Bahamas. That artist is no stranger to this site. He created my Mads Mikkelsen as Hannibal painting.
Journalist friends I’ve made over the years in hockey will also be contributing to the site in their own ways. Russ Cohen (from Sportsology, author of various books including “100 Ranger Greats”) recently added his first collaborative post to the site. Russ and I have known each other since the start of my hockey writing career. He’s been a great friend and mentor over the years, so having him contribute non-sports related content here…I am definitely a very lucky person.
There are other hockey reporters that will be submitting stories, recipes, DIY projects, etc. in the upcoming months. In a way, this site allows them to have a place to share their other passions that are outside of hockey. [i.e. There is life outside of hockey for hockey writers.]
This site is about building a trustworthy community of individuals that this site supports in their journey through life. It is about believing in that person and their dream. As of now, sharing each person’s journey is a stepping stone. As time progresses, perhaps this little community we’re building can do more for each other.
That’s what this site is doing on its backend as far as bringing forth content. The purpose of creating this content is for one simple reason. It’s to help inspire people out there to go after every single dream they can have for themselves. Life is about pursuing each and every dream. You could fail at a dream or get to the end of its path and decide it wasn’t meant for you. It happens all of the time to every single one of us. Eventually, you’ll find there are some dreams that were worthwhile and others that weren’t. That’s what life is all about.
The worst thing anyone could ever do is dream and never pursue it. You will always ask yourself ‘what if.’ What is the point of asking yourself ‘what if?’ Just go out there and live the dream. You’ll find that life is more amazing when you are pursuing your passions in life.
If a story is shared here, it’s not a one time deal. We’ll continue to follow their journey, sharing their story as a way to get people to be more interested and involved in something that is absolutely incredible. The people you’ll find here are people I believe in. The things they have created or done…they are projects I am passionate about seeing do well. If you love something…you’ve got to say something. That’s what this site will be doing.
There are very few films that come into existence that becomes one of the most important films you need to see in your lifetime. “Winter” from Heidi Greensmith is one of those movies that should be on your list of things to see before you die.
This film premiered as the finale at the New York City International Film Festival. It was adequately placed at the end of the festival because it would have blown all of the other feature films out of the water.
Tommy Flanagan (“Gladiator” and “Sons of Anarchy”) stars in this heart-wrenching tale of a man who has lost his way. The film begins with a drunken man that could easily be mistaken as a homeless man. He’s not homeless, he has a home. It’s his son, who deferred a fellowship with Columbia University for two years, who tries to bring his father out from underneath this gloom that has consumed him.
At first, you may think this film is about an alcoholic father who is abusing his kids and has lost the rights to see his youngest son (who is in foster care). No. That is another mistaken assumption.
This story is about a family who lost a wife and a mother to a very violent crime. It’s the story of a man who is broken and blaming himself for his wife’s death. As a result, he falls into an abyss of mental illness. This artist is trying to get his kid back, and his eldest son is just waiting for his dad to return to normal. He sacrifices so much trying to help his father get back on his feet again.
Heidi Greensmith and Tommy Flanagan win for “Winter.”
The amazing thing about this story is that it teaches you not to judge a book by its cover. This man’s mental illness came about because of grief and regret. His son put it perfectly. His dad was not crazy. His heart was just broken.
It is in this man’s healing that he returns to painting again, but in a whole new light. He’s a different man working out his demons and creates complete and utter genius. His eldest son saw this from the beginning. He saw the man his father truly was. To him, this story is not about an abusive alcoholic father that has fucked everything up for their family. This story is truly about a man that had a broken heart and lost all sense of himself the day his wife died. He just needed time (and help) to find a way out of that grief.
I believe this quote from Lisa See’s “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan” adequately describes the journey this man takes out of sorrow.
Only through pain will you have beauty. Only through suffering will you find peace.
This incredible tale makes you re-evaluate how you look at life and at people who are going through a difficult time in their life. On the surface, we instantly stereotype them as drunks, alcoholics, abusive/neglectful parents, homeless, mentally ill, etc. All of those labels are incorrect. This man is an artist who is waiting for his next inspiration. He’s waiting to discover his own genius that is inside of himself.
Sometimes it takes a life-changing event to discover the genius within. That is the journey this artist was on.
Tommy Flanagan’s role was phenomenal. The way his various emotions were captured on his face…it is a moment of beauty and brilliance. This role opens your eyes to see how incredible of an actor he is. I would say, one of the best in the business after seeing him in this film. He brought his A+ game to this film and his performance is Oscarworthy.
In the story, the eldest son tried his best to keep the family together and help his father at the same time. He is the real hero of the story. The way he saw who his father was deep down inside, most children are not that perceptive. They would have cowered in fear, be mortally wounded with each derogatory word yelled at them. Not this kid. He was just waiting for the genius he saw within his father to emerge. What he was willing to sacrifice for his father to discover that, shows just how much he loved him.
Heidi Greensmith, Director of “Winter.”
Heidi Greensmith has brought this thought-provoking tale to the screen. Most importantly, you need to note that she is a female director. There are very few in the business. She’s also a mother and a wife and despite her other duties, she was able to make something this brilliant.
The film picked up an award for Best Drama Film at NYCIFF. Tommy Flanagan picked up the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Heidi Greensmith picked up the Best International Director award.
Congratulations to everyone from “Winter.” This film was brilliance.
The New York City International Film Festival hosted their Sixth Annual Awards on Thursday night, where they also announced that “Family on Board” and “Malan Breton: A Journey to Taiwan” would be submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for an Academy Award consideration.
Closing out the festival was the film “Winter” by Heidi Greensmith, featuring Tommy Flanagan.
Here is the list of a few of the winners from NYCIFF’s website. It is not the complete list.
You will find a special thank you video from William Shatner posted on their site. Shatner won multiple awards for his film “Chaos on the Bridge.” Sebastian Roché also picked up the Matthew Cowles Award for acting.
THE NYCIFF 2015 AWARD WINNERS
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
THE SINKING OF SOZOPOL – BULGARIA
*****
Cast and crew of Phantom Halo.
BEST USA FEATURE FILM
PHANTOM HALO
*****
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
TOMMY FLANAGAN FOR WINTER – UK
*****
BEST DRAMA FILM
Heidi Greensmith and Tommy Flanagan win for “Winter.”
WINTER – UK*****
BEST INTERNATIONAL DIRECTORHEIDI GREENSMITH
*****
BEST USA DIRECTOR
ANTONIA BOGDANOVICH
******
BEST INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE SHORT FILM
IT’S ME – LEBANON
*****
BEST INTERNATIONAL ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
ASSIL AND JAD By BANE FAKIH – LEBANON
*****
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT FILM – USA
Gino Cafarelli and George Pogatsia of “Family on Board.”
FAMILY ON BOARD
*****
BEST DIRECTOR IN A NARRATIVE SHORT
GEORGE POGATSIA – FAMILY ON BOARD
*****
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A SHORT NARRATIVE FILM
GEORGE POGATSIA – FAMILY ON BOARD
Wallis Murphy-Munn wins for Best International Actress.
*****BEST INTERNATIONAL ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A SHORT FILM
WALLIS MURPHY-MUNN – SANDBOY – USA / IRELAND
*****
BEST USA ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A SHORT FILM
ELISABETH JAMISON – FALLING TO PIECES – USA
*****
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Malan Breton wins for his film “Malan Breton: A Journey to Taiwan.”
A JOURNEY TO TAIWAN – USA/TAIWAN by MALAN BRETON
*****
BEST INTERNATIONAL ANIMATED SHORT
MYRIAM OBIN – ÉLOÏSE, LITTLE DREAMER – QUEBEC / CANADA
*****
BEST USA ANIMATED SHORT
YVONNE GRZENKOWICZ – ARCHAEOLOGY – USA
*****
BEST TV PILOT
TOPSY MCGEE – USA
*****
BEST MUSICAL VIDEO
STELLA – UK
Congratulations to all of the winners. Many of these films are heading to the Cannes Film Festival.
(Courtesy of George Pogatsia, Director, Writer and Star of “Family On Board”)
Gino Cafarelli and George Pogatsia of “Family on Board.”
The big news coming out of the New York City International Film Festival (“NYCIFF”) is that “Family on Board” and “Malan Breton: A Journey to Taiwan” were submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for a 2016 Oscar consideration.
“Family on Board” won in every category the short film was nominated in. It picked up three NYCIFF awards for Best Narrative Short Film USA, Best Director in a Narrative Short, and Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Short Narrative Film.
You can read more about the short film Here and Here.
Congratulations to everyone that was a part of “Family on Board.” If you get an opportunity to see it, it is a must see. This short is the type of production that sticks with you long after you have seen it. You will constantly be wondering about the fate of Mike Petito. It will leave you with questions on whether a hero trying to save someone deserves to be thrown in prison. It will also teach you a life lesson about staying true to yourself no matter what the circumstances are.
Kudos to George Pogatsia. He created a masterpiece which (hopefully) is the beginning of a much bigger masterpiece down the line.
We’ll keep you updated on the film’s journey to Oscar night.
Philadelphia – M. Night Shyamalan is at Wizard World Comic Con talking about his upcoming TV series “Wayward Pines.” My good friend, Russ Cohen, is covering the event for Culture Burst. Video from the event can be found here: M Night Shyamalan at Wizard World Philadelphia.
Opening up the NYCIFF gala on Thursday night was a heartbreaking film short from George Pogatsia called “Family on Board,” a story of a man who attempts to help save his neighbor who is being abducted after a burglary in their home. What could be seen as being a heroic moment, he gets the book thrown at him by the justice system as he is portrayed as a violent vigilante and is sentenced to five years in prison.
Being a family man, he is forced to leave his wife and two children. Because of the honorable circumstances surrounding the events of that night, the judge allows him to have a month with his family to get his affairs in order before he is ordered to report to prison.
The events that follow on that morning he reports to prison are the few short minutes that will leave you heartbroken.
Mr. Pogatsia was kind enough to do a short email interview for PerfectionistWannabe.com.
1. What was the inspiration behind the story? Was it based on a true story?
I read a story a while back about a man in Texas who called 911 about 2 guys burglarizing his neighbor’s home. He ended up shooting and killing both. He never recieved any jail time. It made me think, what if this happened in New York City? Also, I was living in downtown Manhattan on 9/11. The towers falling actually woke me from bed and I had a friend who was scheduled to report to prison downtown on 9/11 … I threw those stories into a pot, I sprinkled in my imagination and mixed it up. I came out with Family on Board.
2. While we take a look at the conflict between hero vs. vigilante, the main part of this story is about a man who has to leave his family. We see an outstanding citizen who was trying to do the right thing, but the court has decided differently and he has to leave his family. The irony of this story is that even though he was turning himself in, you have to wonder just what would have happened if he was asked to turn himself in on 9/12/2001 rather than 9/11/2001. He wasn’t just leaving his family for 5 years. He was saying goodbye to them forever. He was able to get those last moments with them that morning, something not too many people were able to do. Why did you choose to write the story this way?
On 9/12 Mike Petito would have reported to prison to serve out his jail sentence. I chose to tell the story this way because I enjoy having the audience participate. I like developing characters they can relate to and care about. I try get them invested in their lives then have them theorize on what happened in the end. Did he leave forever? I hope to provoke thought and discussion. Almost like thinking about an old love and what may have become of them.
3. Will this eventually be turned into a full feature film?
I’m developing a feature version of Family on Board. Tony Sirico (“The Sopranos”) is a big supporter of the project, his role will be considerably larger in the feature. Oscar winner John Avildsen (“Rocky”) wants to direct.
If you get a chance to see this film, I highly suggest seeing it. I contemplated leaving when I realized the day…9/11/01. I didn’t know how far he would take the actual events occurring in that moment. 9/11/01 was a real nightmare that many of us had to live through and haven’t quite healed from. But luckily, the story quickly changed to post-9/11 and I was glued to my seat in those next couple of minutes. It left you questioning just what happened to Mike Petito that day.
I would love to see this as a full feature film, especially with the same cast of characters. It’s a story that will keep you wondering long after you’ve stepped out of the theater.
NYCIFF hosted their Awards ceremony on Thursday, May 7, 2015.
During its opening night gala, with actors and directors out on the red carpet for the launch of the festival, the two main features were a film short called “Family on Board” directed by George Pogatsia and the feature film “Phantom Halo” directed by Antonia Bogdanovich.
On the second night of the festival, William Shatner graced himself on the red carpet to showcase his new documentary “Chaos on the Bridge,” the chaotic tale of what it took to bring “Star Trek: The Next Generation” to a television screen.
Fashion designer Malan Breton was also in attendance both nights. He’s at NYCIFF to present his new film “A Journey to Taiwan.”
Family On Board
Tony Sirico (“Sopranos”) stars in “Family on Board.” He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. Matthew Cowles, who also stars, received the award posthumously.
George Pogatsia not only directed, but also starred in this sad tale about a misjudged hero. He was in attendance at the gala on Thursday night.
Here is a clip from the film:
[youtube=https://youtu.be/xOCOjkLUqos]
The film leaves you with a lot of questions about more than just what happened. It makes you question whether it’s right for a hero the court has deemed as a vigilante to end up in prison just for saving someone’s life. It’s also about a hero staying true to who he is no matter what the circumstances are.
This short film is a must see.
Phantom Halo
Cast and crew of Phantom Halo.
Phantom Halo stars Sebastian Roché (“The Originals,” “Supernatural,” “Once Upon a Time”), Thomas Brodie-Sangster (“Love Actually,” “The Maze Runner”) and Rebecca Romijn (“X-Men”).
Sebastian attended the gala with his wife Alicia Hannah. Clare Grant (who also stars), Antonia Bogdanovich (co-writer, director) and Anne Heffron (co-writer) also attended.
[youtube=https://youtu.be/XHRFzHJiEsw]
Here are a few takes from the Q&A:
The story is very reflective of the co-writers childhoods and upbringing.
There is a reference to a ‘pound of flesh,’ but don’t mistake it for a “Merchant of Venice” reference, even though Shakespeare quotes appear throughout the movie, it is purely Anne Heffron’s take on people calling her Asian daughter ‘Chinese,’ when she’s actually Korean.
Heffron is a master of writing male lines.
At the end, Roché and the panel discussed what acting means in an independent film. You’re not doing it for the money in an indie film. You are doing it for the pure passion of what you love, so you bring your A-game to every scene. It’s about the passion of the art.
Gbenga Akinnagbe is not African (like his name would suggest). He is an American, born in Washington, DC. He spent some time living in Mexico. He was not originally cast in the role of Roman. There was another actor cast, but he did not work out.
Roman uses an English accent (like Roché does), but this was a fluke. Roman was not originally a British character. It came about after they were messing around on set.
Even though Thomas Brodie-Sangster speaks in an American accent, it was very important to Bogdanovich that they cast a British actor.
Chaos On The Bridge
William Shatner arrives on the red carpet.
William Shatner’s newest documentary is “Chaos on the Bridge.” A movie about the chaos that went into bringing “Star Trek: The Next Generation” to life and into the homes of every American.
If you are a Star Trek fan or even a TNG fan, this is a must see. It will give you a whole brand new perspective of what it meant to create TNG…the chaos that went into it is just unbelievable. Not only is it visually stimulating, but it is absolutely hilarious as well.
Shatner was in attendance both on the red carpet and after the feature to do a Q&A.
Here’s a glimpse at his new film:
[youtube=https://youtu.be/t4UAInrMiT4]
Shatner’s next project includes taking a little road trip on his new motorcycle and filming it. NOTE: This isn’t just any kind of motorcycle. You really need to see it.
Malan Breton
Fashion Designer Malan Breton.
Fashion designer Malan Breton was in attendance for both the opening night gala and Shatner’s film on Friday night. The designer was at NYCIFF to showcase his new film “Malan Breton a Journey to Taiwan.”
He showcased many of his beautiful designs prior to the film, which was shown prior to the gala on Thursday night.
As you can see in the pictures here (from William Shatner’s night), he wears one of his designs.
Here’s a glimpse of his moment at NYCIFF:
[youtube=https://youtu.be/3TfMFw63IEQ]
Other glimpses from NYCIFF
Here are a few pictures from the first two days at NYCIFF.
Alicia HannahFashion Designer Malan Breton.Sebastian Roche and Alicia Hannah.Sebastian Roche and Michelle Kenneth (Perfectionist Wannabe “PW”).William Shatner presented his film “Chaos on the Bridge” at NYCIFF.Sebastian Roche with his wife Alicia Hannah.PW dress by Ralph Lauren, J Crew cardigan, Blue by Betsey Johnson shoes.PW on the red carpet.Tony Sirico receives a Lifetime Achievement Award.
New York – Director Thomas Vinterberg (“The Hunt”) stopped by the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center to speak to the Lincoln Center Film Society members about his new film “Far from the Madding Crowd.”
Based on the book by Thomas Hardy, Carey Mulligan (“The Great Gatsby”) and Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts (“The Loft”) star in this tale of a young, independent and headstrong woman who attracts three very different suitors (a farmer, a soldier and a landowner).
Along with Vinterberg, Schoenaerts stopped by as well to discuss the film.
Here are a few pictures from the evening.
Some notes on the talk:
While shooting the final scene of the movie, Carey Mulligan fell off the horse and concussed herself.
Schoenaerts is heading to Cannes Film Festival for another film he starred in called “Maryland.”
When Schoenaerts met Vinterberg for the first time, he was waiting for him in the lobby of a hotel. Based on the past work Vinterberg had done, as well as his long history in film, Matthias thought he would be meeting a much older gentleman. When Thomas walked up to Matthias, he thought this was Vinterberg’s son. When he realized it was Thomas himself, he couldn’t believe it. He did not expect someone so handsome and young, but then it made sense, because Thomas was 28 when he hit the first wave of stardom of his directing career.
The most important scene in the entire movie was the kiss at the end.
ENDING SPOILER: Originally, Vinterberg wanted Matthias’s character to leave on a ship to America and not turn back. Instead, he was asked to keep the ending with the kiss and he stays.
An American in Paris is playing at the Palace Theatre on Broadway.
The classic show “An American in Paris” is back on Broadway. Before they had their Opening Night, I was able to see the show during previews and I have to say, it literally blew me away. It is no surprise at all to see that “An American in Paris” tops the nominees for the Tony Awards, receiving 12 nominations.
Let me explain what was so fabulous about “An American in Paris.” First, for those who do not know, the show is a musical ballet. What made this show absolutely breathtaking was the prima ballerina Leanne Cope (Lise Dassin).
In the scene where she is trying out for a role in a ballet company, she is not allowed to rehearse with the other ballerinas after arriving to the rehearsal late. At one point, she goes ahead and sneaks in and starts dancing with the others before taking off to dance on her own. It is this moment that is particularly breathtaking because you not only see a phenomenal performance, you see Cope’s passion in her dancing. It is this passion that set her apart from any other character in the production. Her awe-inspiring performance throughout as a ballerina was like watching a ballerina in heaven dancing before your eyes. That was how perfect she was. You could get lost watching her dance. Her passion for ballet could be seen in each step she took. That is what made her so incredible. That is what makes any actor so incredible…their ability to come up with a spectacular performance because they are doing what they love.
I knew nothing about the background of the musical, so I was surprised that there were a few numbers I grew up with like “I Got Rhythm,” “‘S Wonderful,” and “Shall We Dance” that were in the show.
The costumes throughout were absolutely gorgeous. I wish I could add all of the dresses into my wardrobe. They were so beautiful.
The story is about three men who are in love with a young ballerina. There’s the composer who writes an entire ballet to immortalize her. There’s the rich man who wants to marry her because that’s what his parents want him to do. Then there is the soldier who steals her heart, but her obligations to the rich man prevent her from being with him.
These three men…just so happen to be friends and they are all in love with the same girl.
Who does she choose? Well, you’ll have to see the musical for yourself. Here’s a sneak peek…
If you’re in NYC looking for deals to shows, use the Today Tixapp. You can scroll through and find the cheapest tickets available and purchase them through the app. A Today Tix representative will meet you at the theater half an hour prior to the show to give you your tickets. You just grab the tickets and go. One of the simplest processes of getting your theater tickets. It beats waiting in that long TKTS line (plus, it’s cheaper). You can also take $20 off by using the code: KCZJB.
The $1.50/day challenge ends tomorrow. For me, it ended sooner than I thought it would. Even though it did, I have to say that this challenge was very humbling.
On Day Two, I continued eating the pre-made meals I made for the week. Breakfast consisted of the congee soup, free coffee and soy milk, and water. For lunch, I had fried rice with a few carrot/celery sticks. For dinner, I tried to be a little more inventive with my food and attempted to create an Indian version of a burrito using the leftover lentil soup and some of the shredded chicken. I added Naan bread to the dollar count ($0.50).
Dinner was where the problems started to set in. I ate a few bites from dinner and then stopped. The cat ended up coming over and eating the rest of it for me. I just wasn’t interested in it. By breakfast on Day 3, I tried to eat some of the free cereal and free soy milk, only to find I had no interest in eating at all. This is where I could sense a problem is arising. To go two meals in a row and choose to not eat than to eat a poor man’s meal, that says something very strongly to me. There was a health problem arising.
As I contemplated ending the challenge to eat something healthier and more heartier (i.e. more than $1.50), I looked at my lunch of lentil soup and realized I was not hungry at all. I was about to go 3 meals straight without eating.
The last time I went through multiple meals of not eating, I was in a poor country…Morocco. I went 3 days without eating before my driver had to step in and arrange for me to eat something that met my palate (which ended up being Chicken Tagine Citron). That’s just the way that I am. I’d rather not eat than to eat something that was mediocre or boring.
This challenge humbled me in realizing just how fortunate I am. I’m thankful for the bounty that God has given to me over the years. Then I was humbled in realizing that even though I felt like I was starving by day three on only $1.50/day, there are people out there that don’t even have $1.50/day to eat the bounty I was able to create. Some may go days without eating, but that’s not by choice or stubbornness because the food doesn’t agree with their palate. They’d gladly eat a rotten banana peel from the dump if that’s all they could find.
I never really appreciated the life that I’ve been afforded until I took this challenge. It makes you thankful for the little things you take for granted. At the same time, it makes you feel compassion for those who only dream of being able to have access to such bounty. It also makes you wonder what is wrong with this world when there are so many countries that have way more than enough to feed their people that we find ourselves wasting so much food at every meal. Somehow we can’t find a way to share the wealth with those who have nothing.
Why can’t we help those find means to fight their hunger? I know in this day and age we are faced with countless issues on why we cannot end hunger, like war and politics. But when you look at hunger as a human rights issue, war and politics do not matter. Human beings matter more. They always will.
After I ended my challenge on Day Three, I noticed that I started getting very ill. I knew my health may become an issue by changing my diet and not having access to plenty of fruits and vegetables. That was the main reason I decided to end the challenge. At the beginning, I did have that ‘what if’ this lowered my immune system and I became ill, but I was willing to forego the scare just to challenge myself to understand what the majority of the world is struggling with. Well, the ‘what if’ went into a full blown fever, vomiting, inability to keep liquids or solids down, and later a horrible respiratory infection.
I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the medical services available to me. Yet, there are people out there that don’t have access to medicine or medicinal food (i.e. the good ole chicken noodle soup, broth, or orange juice). Some people don’t even have access to clean water. Some people have to walk miles just to fetch a jar of water. This is the world we live in. The difference between the haves and the have nots? Money and Where You Live on this planet.
I think many of us dream of One World someday where hunger and access to clean water is a thing of the past.
I donated $250 (my fundraising goal) to UNICEF through theLive Below the Line challenge. If you’d like to donate a few dollars to help children worldwide have access to food, water and medical supplies, please join me in donating.
If you can’t donate a few dollars, think of gathering a few non-perishable food items from your kitchen and dropping them off at a local food pantry or food kitchen. If you can’t afford to spare food or money, consider donating some of your time to help out at a food kitchen or pantry. They always need volunteers. Find ways you can help stamp out hunger in the world. Sometimes it starts in your very own neighborhood.
I decided to do this $1.50 A Day Food Challenge a week earlier and post up my results for each day of the 5 day challenge.
First, I just want to make the disclaimer that during this time period, I used free items as part of the challenge. After all, if you’re lucky enough to get free food anywhere in the world, it counts towards food on the table, including what you’re paying out of pocket.
BREAKFAST
Granola w/ soy milk Coffee w/ soy milk
Today’s breakfast was a free meal. One day, I was given a bag of Cascadian Farm Organic Protein Granola. It’s one of those free merchandising bits that happens around New York City every now and again. Some marketing group stands outside handing out samples. In this case, I was given a full bag of granola.
I had a bowl of the granola along with soy milk that I got from my office (free).
I am also a coffee fiend. I won’t be able to make my own coffee because it fits outside of this week’s budget. This week, I’m going to use the free coffee and soy milk offered at the office.
Throughout the week, I’ll be using the carrots/celery. A bag of carrots was $0.99, and the celery was $0.89.
For lunch, I had a bowl of Lentil Soup I made from my crock pot. The ingredients pictured here produced 4 bowls of soup at $0.24/bowl.
Keep in mind, that lentil soup can be drab and boring. In order to make it more flavorful, it is important to sauté the onions and tomatoes prior to putting them into the crock pot. It makes a world of difference.
LENTIL SOUP
Ingredients
2 Cups of Lentils
Water
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup onions, diced
1 1/2 Tablespoons of Madras Curry Powder
Salt
Pepper
Directions
1. In a crockpot, put the lentils in the pot, covering it with water, leaving about an inch of water above the lentils.
This recipe produces 4 bowls of lentil soup. Each bowl is $0.24/bowl.
2. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and a pinch of salt, cook until translucent (about 1-2 minutes). Add the diced tomatoes, cooking until the tomatoes are soft, almost liquid (about 3-4 minutes).
3. Add the curry powder, salt and pepper to the crockpot along with the tomatoes/onion mixture. Stir the ingredients.
4. The lentils are done in 2-3 hours if cooking on high temperature. At low temperature, it is 4-6 hours. Check the lentils after 2 hours and stir to make sure the lentils do not clump or burn at the bottom. The lentils are done when the beans are soft.
Makes 4 servings
Cost breakdown:
1 4 lb. bag of lentil soup = $2.00 (only used roughly 1/2 a pound, which equates to $0.25)
2 tomatoes (6 pack of tomatoes = $1.29. 2 tomatoes=$0.43)
1 onion = $0.30 (1/4 of an onion = $0.08)
Spices/oil $0.20 TOTAL: $0.96 for 4. 1 bowl = $0.24.
Lentil Soup.
Lunch Cost breakdown:
Lentil soup: $0.24
Carrots: $0.99/bag (cost will appear this one time to encompass all 5 days)
Celery: $0.89/bag (cost will appear this one time to encompass all 5 days)
Ranch dressing: $0.05 (One bottle was $0.79. I used only a fraction of it and may not use it again)
TOTAL SO FAR: $2.17
NOTE: Challenge is $1.50/day for 5 days. Because I’ll be using the carrots/celery over the course of 5 days, it’s just easier to calculate the cost now for the entire bags instead of trying to figure out the cost of a single stalk of celery or a single carrot and how much was used in each dish. Total amount of money that can be used over these 5 days is $7.50. Money remaining: $5.33.
DINNER
Fried Rice BBQ Chicken Sandwich Green Beans Fried Bananas
Basic Ingredients: Chicken, Carrots, Celery, Garlic and spices.
One thing that I always make when I buy chicken is stock. I boil the chicken with carrots, celery and various spices. After it’s done, I not only have chicken stock to use in various soups and recipes, but I also have the chicken, carrots & celery to use in other dishes.
Using these ingredients as the base, so far I’ve created chicken fried rice and congee (rice porridge).
When making chicken stock, you can use whole chicken, chicken quarters, or any chicken part you want. You can also use any spice you’d like. I generally use Asian spices, especially star anise, to flavor the stock and the chicken, because I like to make a lot of Asian dishes with the chicken and stock. I recommend not just throwing in a variety of ingredients. Try to stick to a ‘spice theme.’ For this batch, I used ground cilantro, garlic, ginger, ground ginger, bay leaves, and kaffir lime leaves. It allows for a bit of an Asian flare, but not too powerful like it would be if I added star anise to the mix. Star anise will give you the equivalent of the Pho soup flavor.
Keep in mind that there are a variety of ways to make chicken stock. This is my way, which I find to be the easiest, hassle free way to make stock.
CHICKEN STOCK
Ingredients
chicken
water
2 sliced carrots
2 sliced celery stalks
spices
salt
pepper
NOTE: To make this process easier, if you have a stock pot with a deep steamer insert [like the one featured from Cuisinart here], use it so that it will make it easier to keep the stock and the ingredients separate. If you do not use a deep steamer like the one featured in the link, you’ll have to manually separate the ingredients from the stock and then feed the stock through a cheese cloth as seen in these examples.
Directions
Fill a large stock pot with water, place over medium high heat. Place steamer in the stock pot.
In the steamer, place the chicken, carrots, and celery in it, along with the spices, salt and pepper. Boil for a little over an hour (i.e. until the chicken is fully cooked).
When the chicken is done, remove the steamer from the pot and put the chicken/vegetables into a large bowl to cool.
All that should be left in the pot is the stock. Wait for it to cool down to a warm (manageable) temperature before transferring the stock to jars or bottles.
After the chicken/vegetables have cooled, separate the chicken from the vegetables/etc. and shred the meat, put the meat aside into a resealable container. Use the vegetables immediately after for your next dish.
NOTE: If you are using glass to transfer the stock into, here are some points to remember. 1. When the stock is between warm to hot, transfer it to the glass container. Make sure to use a towel to hold the glass while you fill up the container. 2. Quickly put the lid on it and set the jar aside to let the stock cool down. 3. When you hear a pop, that means that the jar has sealed. 4. Keep the jar out until it is lukewarm (room temperature) to the touch before putting it into the refrigerator or freezer. This usually takes a few hours.
Glass is very temperamental to hot/cold. You do not want to put hot glass into a cold environment or vice versa. The glass will break.
THE MEALS
Fried rice
Since the meat/stock is being used to create other dishes, I’m going to list the meals as they go, but include the cost to make the base here and add the supplemental costs as we go along.
COST BREAKDOWN:
2 chicken quarters (4 lbs. at $2.16 (it was on sale), each quarter at $0.54/each) = $1.08
Celery/Carrots added to price from lunch.
TOTAL SO FAR TODAY (+Lunch): $3.25
Keep in mind that this is $1.50/day challenge. The total cost here is going to be combined for the 5 days of the $7.50 total, because each of these recipes are being used for multiple meals.
What I ended up having for dinner was 1/2 serving of fried rice, bbq chicken on a biscuit, and green beans. For dessert, I had some fried bananas that were given to me for FREE from a Thai restaurant I go to all of the time.
Additional costs:
Rice ($1.49/3 lbs. 1/2 lb. of rice used) = $0.25
1 egg ($1.29/12 eggs. 1 egg used) = $0.11
1 bag of frozen green beans = $1.00
1 biscuit ($1.09/10 biscuits) = $0.11
OVERALL TOTAL TODAY (All meals): $4.72
I made fried rice from the chicken/vegetables mixture. It netted 2.5 servings.
Congee (rice porridge)
I also made congee (rice porridge) from the chicken/vegetables/stock. This netted 4-5 servings. [The garnish is spring onions that I grow at home.]
I will be using the green beans over the course of the next few days, so I thought I would add the total cost to today’s total for the entire bag (like the carrots/celery). Between the fried rice and the congee, I was able to generate 6-7 more meals for the next few days.
There is still rice, chicken, carrots, celery and green beans leftover to create additional meals over the next few days. There are also 3 more bowls of Lentil Soup to devour. As we go through each day, I’ll only add any additional costs beyond what was already accounted for today.
Kyle Mosher with 2 of his paintings: Pharrell & Kanye.
As a first in the artist spotlight series, artist Kyle Mosher takes a moment to do an exclusive interview with Diary of a Perfectionist Wannabe.
1. Tell us a little about yourself.
Nothing like an ice breaker to get us going here! My name is Kyle Mosher and I am originally from Canada. I moved to the States when I was about 7. My entire family still resides in Canada and I go back and fourth quite frequently. I would spend part of my summer living with my grandparents going to hockey camp at Standstead College in Stanstead, Quebec until I was about 15.
I grew up in New England, but I’m currently residing in Charlotte, NC.
2. How did you get into art?
Being the only child of Canadian parents, art was never seriously encouraged. I always had a natural eye for being able to render though. I would draw a lot as a child, but stopped probably around high school when I made my varsity hockey team. The team was a very competitive Division 1 school. Our sophomore year we were the 7th rank public team in the US and were state champions. So I really had to focus on hockey. Don’t get my wrong, I loved hockey, but it got difficult the older I got and it really stopped being fun in University. I couldn’t stay healthy and my injuries started to take their toll on me, not just physically, but also mentally. I had to stop playing because of injuries. I had a lot of down time and started to read and reflect. I took a serious look at my life and made the decision I have too much of a wild spirit to make it behind a desk and I was too broken to do physical labor so I decided to leave the University I was at and enroll in an extremely traditional Fine Arts institute. My parents had no idea. I took a summer drawing class at a community college on my own dime and told the teacher, “I need you to condense 20 something years of everything I missed into this one class.” I then took my “portfolio” to the NH Institute of Art and somehow managed to get in! As I look back at it now, it’s pretty crazy. I guess it was just one of those things that was meant to be.
3. Having interviewed hockey players for the last 7 years, I know how hard it is to move your life in a different direction. Was it difficult to focus on an art filled life instead of a hockey life?
I was very resentful of hockey for a long time. Walking away was easy. I was really trying to separate myself from that person and that life. I wanted to be my own person and carve out my own life. I spent a lot of years searching for who I was without hockey. It was very therapeutic and allowed me to exorcise a lot of demons. I really liked the person that I have become. I’m proud of what I was able to do and I did it 100% by myself with no support. No one really gave me a shot doing this art thing, but I used all the negative energy to push me. I am definitely very mediocre in terms of talent with art, but my passion and drive is what has allowed me to become a full-time artist. I would describe myself as a 3rd or 4th round draft pick that just worked my ass off, ha! It’s funny because I have so many great memories from hockey. I traveled all over, won championships, lost championships, and formed a brotherhood with some amazing friends. [They’re] memories I’ll cherish forever, so I really miss it now. Looking back there are a million things I would’ve done different, but I’m comfortable with my life. I’m just grateful and thankful I was able to play hockey for as long as I did. I wish I could’ve done it on my own terms though without the pressures from my family.
Kyle Mosher in his studio.
4. What was the first painting you ever sold? How did it feel to sell that first piece?
I think the first painting I ever sold my mom bought, haha! Typical mother! The first painting I ever sold to a client was….not until four of five years after I graduated college. I spent those first few years bouncing around from one shitty job to another (the typical artist story). I actually stopped making art for almost a year. I had another life changing moment and decided I didn’t want to be another statistic, so I kicked my ass into gear and really started focusing more on how to make it as an artist. Life was very humbling after college. I can really appreciate now all the hardships I was dealt. It made me a stronger person, a more humble person, and definitely made me a better artist.
People can view the art on my website. If they are interested in purchasing a piece they can shoot me an email: Me@KyleMosher.com, with the piece they are interested in or I can send them the list of available pieces with other details. I also have a “Rent-to-Own” program, which, is an honor based payment plan that allows people to make a down payment, have the painting hang in their home, and they make payments at an agreed upon amount and frequency. Alternatively, I am currently accepting commissions, but there is a 2 month wait list.
6. What are your favorite pieces you’ve created thus far?
Such a difficult question! I hate this question, because I really love them all. The Kanye and Pharrell pieces hold a special place in my heart because they really set it all off for me. They are definitely 2 of the crown jewels in my collection and the pieces most people associate me with. My most recent series, Heist and Showroom, are really rad. I love the direction I went with those and had some major breakthroughs. I really can’t pick a favorite though!
7. What work are you most excited about sharing right now?
I’m working on an epic painting for Andrew Ference (captain of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers). I’m not giving away any other details other than it’s going to be epic! It’ll be finished in a month or so. I also befriended a really well known gallerist and art-critic based in NYC. He’s taken me under his wing and we are working on some really exciting paintings. Probably the most difficult paintings I’ve ever worked on. I say paintings, but we aren’t even really in that phase yet. I’m still in the planning phase of sketching and conceptualizing. I usually have insane amounts of clarity when it comes to my work, but he’s really pushing me, which, I love, and putting me in this uncomfortable space I’m not used to. The idea is create more dialogue, rhythm, and intrigue, and also more sophistication to my work.
You can find Kyle Mosher’s works at www.kylemosher.com
8. Your work focuses on a lot of branding from hip hop artists to commercial items. Can you explain your appeal to these subjects?
I love pop-culture. I’ve always been really into music and I joke a lot about that being my real calling in life. Music really inspires almost more so then visual art does. I’m inspired by the stories I hear of musicians who “make it” so that’s why I like to portray them. I dig the “rags-to-riches” story as I can relate. More so the rags, not yet the riches, ha! Believing in yourself and putting your all into your dreams and overcoming adversity is a beautiful thing. In terms of the logo and branding, I started as a graphic design major when I was at the liberal arts university so graphic imagery also holds a special place in my heart. When I would work contract design jobs, companies always had these brand guidelines, which specifically stated, “DO NOT EDIT OR CHANGE THE LOGO IN ANYWAY.” There are 2 things about that which intrigue me: 1. I’m rebellious so immediately it’s like the forbidden fruit, and 2. I am very much drawn to the idea of taking well-known logos or branding and putting my signature look on them. I am my own biggest fan. 100% I love my work so to create a “mock” marketing campaign or a piece of fine art using my signature style is very much self-indulging, haha. Plus, I think these companies could leverage my signature style and learn a thing or two from this rebellious artist!
9. What do you do when you’re not creating masterpieces? What are some of your other passions in life?
I fumble around with music, but I am far from a musician. That would be an insult to musicians. I like staying active, go to the gym and such. I’m into fashion so I like staying up on that. I aggravated another major injury a couple summers ago playing pick up with my college buddies so I’m still saving to get my second shoulder surgery. I’d love to eventually start playing hockey again. I haven’t played in over a year, probably the longest I’ve ever gone without skating in my life.
10. Any exciting announcements or projects you want to share?
Lots of exciting things in the works! I signed a few NDA’s so I cannot go into anything specific, but I’m in talks with a few major brands to do some cool work with my signature style. The Ference painting is really rad and the new series I’m working on for the NYC gallerist is going to be really different from anything I’ve ever done, but still in line with my brand. I’m constantly working, always pushing myself, and always pushing my art. There is no Plan B so it’s just about finding ways to make it happen as an artist, but never compromising the morals I have as an artist or as a person.
******
You can find Kyle on Instagram and Twitter (@TheKyleMosher) and on his website.
For those who would like to purchase a Mosher painting or print, email him, follow him on Instagram and Twitter (sometimes he has flash sales), reach out to him and work a deal using his Rent to Own program, or you can commission a piece with him. You’ll find that the majority of artists out there are looking for ways to get their artwork out there, and they realize that not everyone can afford art. You never know what you can afford from the artist unless you ask. You’ll find a lot of times they’ll work with you to make their work more affordable for you.
You can read more about Buying and Acquiring Art here.
How would you like to spend a few days in someone else’s shoes?
Over the weekend I received two challenges to live on $1.50/day. At first, I thought that was ridiculous. There’s no way that I could. But it stuck in my mind.
This morning, The Today Show spoke of how Gwyneth Paltrow accepted Mario Batali’s challenge and how she did it. Her challenge though was $29/week. A family on food stamps generally lives on $4/day.
This is what $29 gets you at the grocery store—what families on SNAP (i.e. food stamps) have to live on for a week. pic.twitter.com/OZMPA3nxij
$1.50/day for 5 days is $7.50. That was the challenge presented to me. That was the challenge that One.org is putting out there to the world. Nearly 1.2 billion people in the world live on $1.50/day for food.
I’ve read a few articles from people that accepted the challenge [like this one who lives on a vegan diet]. The comments I’ve read on these articles are really first world problems. There was a constant: you can’t eat healthy on that diet. That was the point of the experiment. It’s not a matter of ‘You can live on $1.50/day’ challenge. It’s a challenge for us to understand what it means for 1.2 billion people in the world that live on $1.50/day.
1.2 billion people in the world don’t care about GMOs, pesticides on their food or whether the food they purchase was organic or not. All they care about is that it’s food on the table. I’ve watched documentaries on children going through the dump (completely barefoot) looking for anything edible to eat…like a rotten banana peel. Sometimes all people can afford is the rotten food that’s being thrown out.
I’ve been in markets where all they’re selling is rotten meat, vegetables and fruits. The smell is so atrocious, but that’s how they live. Even the indoor supermarkets have flies swarming all over the food. This is normal to them.
The humbling part of my journey was realizing that even though I was witnessing poverty, I was seeing them through Burberry sunglasses. I had security with me. I had my own driver. Yet, I was witnessing hardships and the life of people in a third world country. Even though many are starving and are destitute, they look at you with a smile in their soul. Their kindness is genuine. They do unto others as they hope God will do unto them. They live with the philosophy that if they work hard and do things pleasing in God’s eyes today, then tomorrow God will shower kindness upon them. If the next day they find that God did not find their works good enough to reward them, they work harder the next day. They give to the widows and the elderly, even when they have very little. They are always performing acts of charity.
To me, that is a life principle. It also makes me thankful for each and every day I wake up to the life that I live. There are times when I feel like I’m not doing enough for my works to be pleasing in God’s eyes. But then I’m reminded of the people I’ve met in third world countries that live by this principle of doing things to be worthy of God’s favor. All they want is food, a roof over their head…the basic necessities. That’s the only favor they are asking from God. It makes what I ask for completely selfish and foolish. Just take a look at my purse wardrobe. One bag could feed someone for 1,000 days…and yet, I think I’m not doing enough to be rewarded properly… (first world problems).
From April 28-May 2, One.org is challenging the first worlders out there to see what it is like to live on $1.50/day. PerfectionistWannabe.com is accepting that challenge.
Considering that this site leans more towards the good eats, this will be somewhat of a challenge. Luckily, these past few weeks, I’ve already been putting the challenge to work.
For those who have access to an Aldi, I highly recommend going in and buying your groceries from them.
Just recently, I picked up 4 chicken leg quarters (about 4 lbs worth of chicken) for $2.17. Wow, right? I just happened to walk in when they put the $2 off sticker on the packages. Normally, they’re $4.19 for the 4+ lbs. of chicken. It’s $0.95 per pound.
With that chicken, I can easily make chicken stock by boiling a couple of the chicken quarters. I shred up the boiled chicken for other dishes. That’s roughly $0.54 per chicken quarter.
For the chicken that has fallen off of the bone, I make chicken noodle soup with the leftover celery and carrots (celery and carrots vary in price, but are both under $1 per 1-2 lb. bags).
The chicken stock I reserve for other dishes (including soups).
I picked up a bag of dinner rolls that came out to $0.50. There were 8 rolls in the bag. You can generally get a loaf of bread for $0.85.
A can of tuna is $0.59. A six pack of tomatoes is $1.29.
In other words, Aldi is a great place for the budget minded folks. After discovering I could buy chicken for $0.95/lb. there, I have a difficult time wanting to spend 3-4 times that at the supermarket for the convenience just because I’m there buying other groceries.
There are a variety of dishes you can make with this sort of budget. Believe it or not, there are also ways of getting free food on top of it all. So during April 28-May 2, I’ll be sharing with you just how I was able to live for 5 days under this budget AND still be a foodie. And yes, I will find ways to get free coffee and almond/soy milk. There are ways.
As I’ve been spot checking the site to see what needs to be updated, I was going over my About page and remembered that I wanted to learn how to make coq au vin. What better way to learn but to learn from the master herself, Julia Child.
Before we begin, I’m going to say this…this was the first time, as well as the last time I will ever make coq au vin. While it was challenging and interesting, it was also very time consuming.
Since it was Easter Sunday when I made this, I also had to make up a few other things before the main course could be served.
Baked Camembert
Baked Camembert
I had never made Baked Camembert before. I have to say that it was extremely simple to make and came out like a piece of artwork.
I used the Thyme and Garlic Baked Camembert recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking. The only thing I did differently was use truffle oil instead of olive oil.
This easy starter recipe was so good and absolutely hassle free to make, I almost ate the whole thing on my own, forgetting that Easter Sunday was just beginning.
I highly recommend making this.
As an additional side dish, I also made Honey Hen wings. I adapted it from Laura Calder’s recipe and used wings instead of chicken quarters. It was so delicious the first time I made it (last week), it was well worth making it for the second time in a row.
Julia Child’s Coq Au Vin
Since this recipe is rather lengthy, as well as the process, Life’s a Feast made this same recipe and posted up the original Julia Child recipe, including what she had for dessert: Charlotte au Chocolat.
The coq au vin recipe isn’t just for the chicken. Her post also includes the additional two recipes: Champignons Sautés au Beurre (Sautéed Mushrooms) and Oignons Glacés à Brun (Brown-Braised Onions). In order to make this dish, you have to make the mushrooms and the onions on the side. Braising the onions alone takes around 45 minutes to do.
For the alcohol content, I used cognac (which was a really cool process…I’d never flambé before) and chianti as the wine.
It took about 3 hours to make this dish from start to finish. Was it worth the wait? No. It wasn’t. The meal was delicious, but by the time everything was complete, I was so exhausted, I couldn’t enjoy the fruits of my labor.
While the chicken was simmering over the flames, I put together this rather simple pear flan recipe from Julia Child (as found on Bettunya’s blog).
I tried to use up as much cognac as I could on Sunday, so I decided to use cognac to soak the pears in. You’re only supposed to soak the pears for an hour in the alcohol. Because I was taking so long with the coq au vin, the pears ended up soaking for 2 hours. Trust me, this ended up being a good thing.
By the time the main entree was on the plates, the clafouti was ready to come out of the oven to cool. The cognac made the dish smell so good!
After dinner, the clafouti was passed around, topped with some ice cream and when I say this was the treat of the day…oh believe me, it was a treat! I felt so drunk after eating half a slice. Like I said, the pears soaked in cognac for 2 hours was a good thing.
I usually do not make French desserts, so I was happy with how easy this was to put together. Julia’s original recipe called for Bing Cherries, but it can be substituted with apples, pears, etc.
This is a dish you will definitely enjoy. It is a must try!
