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Charitybuzz and Tribeca Film Institute Auction Lunch with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino

dorriolds — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 03:08:53 +0000

Tribeca Film Institute and Charitybuzz are bringing Robert De Niro and Al Pacino together again. One lucky person and their guest will dine privately with the two icons. The lunch will be in New York City. It’s courtesy of De Niro. Proceeds will benefit the Tribeca Film Institute. TFI provides funding and resources to exceptional filmmakers and media artists. Through TFI, these storytellers get the chance to influence their communities and the world.

The auction launched Thurs., March 22. Bidding closes on Thurs., April 5 at 3 pm (EST).

De Niro is a seven-time Academy Award nominee, a double Oscar winner (The Godfather Part II, Raging Bull). Pacino has been nominated for an Oscar eight times. He won for Scent of a Woman. In addition to The Godfather: Part II, they have starred in two films together: Righteous Kill and Heat. And they just wrapped production on The Irishman directed by Martin Scorsese. Pacino plays Jimmy Hoffa and De Niro plays his reputed assassin, Frank Sheeran.

And look who Scorsese coaxed out of retirement—Oscar winner Joe Pesci (Raging Bull). I’ve been wishing he might one day come back to moviemaking. The Irishman cast includes Harvey Keitel, Anna Paquin, and Bobby Canavale.

Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci

More About Charitybuzz

Charitybuzz offers online auctions that bring together hundreds of the world’s most acclaimed celebrities to fund incredible causes. Here’s a quote from the About Us page of the Charitybuzz website: “From walk-on roles with Hollywood A-listers to power lunches with Fortune 500 CEOs, when you join Charitybuzz every dream is a new way to make a difference.” Charitybuzz is a member of Charity Network, named one of Fast Company‘s 2017 Most Innovative Companies.

Tribeca Film Institute Original Trailer

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#Tribeca2018 Gearing Up For Another Tribeca Film Festival with Jane Rosenthal and Robert De Niro

dorriolds — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 02:02:30 +0000

#Tribeca2018

Top: Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer (Scarface). Bottom: Steve Buscemi (In the Soup), Liam Neeson (Schindler’s List).

Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) looks more exciting than ever this year. During America’s current horror show in the White House, it will be fabulous to see what’s in store for #TFF2018.
In years past, I’ve seen Goodfellas, Godfather, and Taxi Driver reunions. This year the exciting film anniversaries include Brian De Palma’s Scarface, Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece Schindler’s List (winner of seven Oscars) and Alexandre Rockwell’s independent film In the Soup.
Goodfellas Cast Reunion – photo © Dorri Olds

Schindler’s List

It’s been 25 years since Schindler’s List was released. After the screening, Spielberg, Liam Neeson, Sir Ben Kingsley, and Embeth Davidtz will answer questions and add commentary about the what went on behind the scenes during the making of the film. New York Times critic Janet Maslin will moderate.

Steven Spielberg – photo © Dorri Olds

Sir Ben Kingsley – photo © Dorri Olds

I’ve had the honor of interviewing the great Spielberg and Kingsley up close and personal. They were both wonderful to be around. Spielberg was surprisingly kind and generous with his time. Since I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Neeson, I’m looking forward to that, too. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, March 20 at 10:00 a.m.In
DATE: Thursday, April 26th
TIME: 6:30 PM
LOCATION: Beacon Theatre

Scarface

The legendary Scarface opened in theaters 35 years ago. It won three Golden Globe nominations and has become iconic. After the anniversary screening, director De Palma and actors Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer will reunite to discuss their gangland masterpiece. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, March 20 at 10:00 a.m.
DATE: Thursday, April 19th
TIME: 7:00 PM
LOCATION: Beacon Theatre

In the Soup

New York indie In the Soup was directed by Alexandre Rockwell and starred Steve Buscemi who played Adolpho, a man living in a deteriorating New York City apartment and trying to write a screenplay. It won a Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 1992, then disappeared. Only one damaged print remained in existence. TFF, the patron saint of independent films, will be showing the newly restored film for its world premiere! After showing the film, director Rockwell, actors Buscemi, Jennifer Beals, Sam Rockwell, and cinematographer Phil Parmet will sit down for a discussion.
Stay tuned. Much more to come!
#Tribeca2018

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Tribeca Film Festival 2017 Celebrates the 45th Anniversary of The Godfather

dorriolds — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 13:08:02 +0000

Update: Tribeca Film Festival The Godfather Reunion was magical.

Diane Keaton, James Caan, Francis Ford Coppola, Al Pacino, Talia Shire, Robert Duvall and Robert De Niro reunited at Radio City Music Hall, NYC

Tribeca Film Festival in the 16th year of the annual cultural movie marathon festival, announced the program’s big closer. On Saturday, April 29, movie lovers will be treated to a celebration of the 45th anniversary since The Godfather hit theaters. There will be back-to-back screenings of the The Godfather and The Godfather Part II at Radio City Music Hall. An all-star panel will follow the screenings. The discussion will include Hollywood gold including director Academy Award®-winning director Francis Ford Coppola and A-list actors Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, and Robert De Niro. Beyond our wildest dreams for us cinephiles.
Following this once-in-a-lifetime cast reunion at the Tribeca Film Festival in celebration of the 45th anniversary of The Godfather, Paramount will release all three films in the epic crime saga on Blu-ray^™, DVD and Digital HD May 9th.
The discs include hours of bonus content, including commentary by Francis Ford Coppola on all three films, as well as fascinating behind-the-scenes features on the unlikely events, intrigue, allegiances and luck that put together the unknown director with the “unwanted” cast. The special features also explore the film’s enduring influence on popular culture, the impact of the locations and music, interviews with the filmmakers and cast, a Corleone family tree and historical timeline, photo galleries, storyboards and much, much more.

PANELISTS

Al Pacino

Actor and director Al Pacino was born in East Harlem and grew up in New York City’s South Bronx. He attended the School of Performing Arts until he moved on to study acting at the Herbert Berghof Studio with Charles Laughton, and later, at the Actors Studio with Lee Strasberg. His first leading part in a feature film was in the 1971 drama Panic in Needle Park. The following year, Francis Ford Coppola selected him to take on the breakthrough role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award®.

Robert Duvall

A leading man since the 1960s, Robert Duvall has specialized in driven characters of all types. Respected by his peers and adored by audiences worldwide, he has earned numerous Oscar® nominations for his performances in The Judge, The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, The Great Santini and The Apostle. Duvall won the Academy Award® and a Golden Globe® as Best Actor for his role in Tender Mercies. In addition, he has received Golden Globe® Awards for his performances in the title role of HBO’s Stalin as well as for his memorable turns in Apocalypse Now and Lonesome Dove.

Robert De Niro

Robert De Niro launched his motion picture career in Brian De Palma’s The Wedding Party in 1969. In 1974, De Niro won the Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actor for The Godfather, Part II. In 1980 he won his second Oscar®, as Best Actor, for Raging Bull. De Niro has also received five Academy Award nominations for his work including Taxi Driver, The Deer Hunter, and Silver Linings Playbook. In 2009, De Niro was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors. De Niro takes pride in his production company, Tribeca Productions, the Tribeca Film Center, (which he founded with Jane Rosenthal in 1988,) and in the Tribeca Film Festival, which he founded with Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff. Tribeca’s A Bronx Tale in 1993 marked De Niro’s directorial debut and in 2016 he directed Tribeca’s The Good Shepherd.

James Caan

One of the most versatile actors in film, James Caan is best known for his Academy Award® nominated performance as Sonny Corleone in The Godfather and for his Emmy®-nominated portrayal of football star Brian Piccalo in Brian’s Song. Appearing in more than 50 movies, Caan also earned great recognition starring in Rob Reiner’s critically acclaimed film Misery; and For The Boys, co-starring Bette Midler. He was equally praised for his performance as a brain damaged football star in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Rain People. Caan made his directorial debut and starred in the critically acclaimed film Hide In Plain Sight.

Francis Ford Coppola

Francis Ford Coppola was born in Detroit and grew up in Queens, NY. After graduating from Hofstra and UCLA, he worked as screenwriter, film director, and producer. He is a five-time Academy Award® winner. His film credits include Patton, The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, The Conversation, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Francis has also been producing wine for over 35 years at his Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley wineries. His other business interests include luxury resorts in Central America, Argentina, and Italy, and an award-winning short story magazine, Zoetrope: All-Story. Francis’s current interest is in a new from of entertainment he calls Live Cinema, being a combination of theater, film, and television. He is presently working on a long-form screenplay he hopes to produce in this new medium.

Taylor Hackford

Taylor Hackford was the director of the Academy Award® winning films Ray and An Officer and a Gentleman. In addition, he helmed the beloved features Against All Odds, The Devil’s Advocate, Dolores Claiborne, and Blood In, Blood Out. Hackford most recently directed Robert De Niro in The Comedian. His feature documentary work is equally acclaimed, with Chuck Berry: Hail!, Hail! Rock n’ Roll and When We Were Kings, a behind-the-scenes look at the legendary 1974 bout between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, which won for Best Documentary Feature. He has served two terms as president of the Directors Guild of America.

Talia Shire

Talia Shire comes from a family of artists. The Yale drama school alum has appeared in over fifty movies and television shows, received two Academy Award® nominations, and won the NY Film Critics Award for her performance in Rocky (1976). She and her husband Jack Schwartzman independently financed and produced several movies among them Never Say Never Again (1983) and Rad (1986) whose sequel is currently in development. In 1994 she directed One Night Stand. In 1994 Jack Schwartzman died. In 1997 she was one of several producers on the Tony nominated play “Golden Child.” Family is at the center of her life. Talia’s children continue on in the same tradition of theatre and film. Her two step children John Schwartzman (Cinematographer) and Stephanie Schwartzman (Artist), her son Matthew Shire (Writer/Producer), Jason Schwartzman (Actor/Musician/Writer/Director/Producer), & Robert Schwartzman (Actor/Musician/Director/Producer).

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Robert De Niro Said For 40 Years He Has Heard, You Talkin’ To Me?

dorriolds — Tue, 27 Dec 2016 12:59:19 +0000

Did you miss Tribeca Film Festival’s 40th anniversary celebration of “Taxi Driver” on April 21 at the Beacon Theatre? I can help you pretend you were there. The evening began with an exciting red carpet, followed by a brief greeting from TFF’s cofounders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal. The audience was then treated to a pristine restored version of the classic masterpiece about a cripplingly lonely New York City cab driver, Travis Bickel (De Niro), who descends into madness and becomes a danger to himself and everyone else.
Post-film screening, cast and crew members took to the stage: De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, writer Paul Schrader and producer Michael Phillips. Hear what they had to say.
“Every day for 40 f—ing years, at least one of you has come up to me and said, ‘What do you think: You talkin’ to me?’” Then he told the audience to go ahead and get it over with by saying it all together and the crowd happily complied.

Jodie Foster on the TFF Taxi Driver red carpet • photo © Dorri Olds

Olds asked Foster on the red carpet, “Can you talk about the latest movie you directed?”
“Sure,” said Foster. “It’s called ‘Money Monster.’ I love it. It is a mainstream movie and it’s a thriller. It’s intense and all of that but it’s really quite intelligent and demands a lot of the audience and hopefully people will like the fact that it’s a combination of those two things—a great ride and also really quite smart.”
Cybill Shepherd looks radiant at ‘Taxi Driver’ 40th anniversary
Shepherd said, “This was definitely a very important film for me and I would’ve given my right arm to do it. I’m so honored to be here tonight with so much talent onstage and to have this great opportunity. It is a great film.” That’s when an audience member shouted, “I love you, Cybill!” Shepherd threw her hands up and yelled back, “I love you, too!”
Harvey Keitel tells it like it is at ‘Taxi Driver’ reunion. Keitel was asked, “You went to work with a real pimp, right?” He replied, “Does the statute of limitations still apply?” After he got a riotous laugh from the crowd he continued, “Yeah, I met a pimp — a former pimp. I don’t know what that means but we improvised for a few weeks and he taught me what it was like to play the role of a pimp. I played the girl and he told me what to do. Then we went into business together.”
‘Taxi Driver’ writer Paul Schrader joins the cast. Schrader said, “This script began in the best possible way because it began as self therapy. There was a person who I was afraid of that I was becoming and that was this taxi driver and I felt if I wrote about him I could distance him from me. And it worked! It does show that art has therapeutic powers.”
Producer Michael Phillips was on hand to talk about Taxi Driver. Phillips was seated next to Keitel. He said, “Brian De Palma was living next door to me and Paul [Schrader] was writing a journalistic piece on Brian and showed Brian the script. Brian said, ‘It’s not for me,’ but thought it might be something I would like. It was. I read it and I thought I was looking into a naked soul.”
Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal are the co-founders of Tribeca Film Festival. Both introduced the event. Rosenthal said, “When I was younger I was kind of isolated and alone, sort of like the Travis character. I identified with it as I think we all did.”
Scorsese said, “We were in this condemned building on 89th. The exterior was down on 13th Street but the hallway was on 89th and Columbus. Jodie’s room was on Columbus Avenue and the building was condemned but somehow we were still in it and we were shooting a movie in there, I don’t know what happened. The next thing, we started and because it was in the script [that] there was overhead tracking I said, ‘I guess we’ll have to cut through the ceiling.’ Which is what they did. It took them about three months and then when it came time to shoot it, uh, the uh, the whaddya call it? The child labor law person said, ‘You only have 20 minutes.’ So we were trying everything. ‘Oh please, just an extra shot?’ But we got it in 20 minutes.”

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2015 – A Year in Review

dorriolds — Sat, 19 Dec 2015 11:45:44 +0000

We all need a little brag time now and then so here is a smattering of my 2015 accomplishments. I feel giddy and grateful that I published way too many articles this year to list them all. I have selected just a few that I’m most proud of:

The Forward

Say No to the ‘C’
Interview with author Jennifer Margulis about the risks of Caesarean sections.

A Tour of Jewish China
Interview with Israeli entrepreneur Yael Farjun who runs a travel company in China.

A Journey of Recovery From Eating Disorders
Interview with comedian-actress Stacey Prussman who does outreach at campuses to help those suffering with eating disorders.

The Fix

Directing Sarah Silverman as an Addict
Interview with Adam Salky about the comedian-turned-dramatic-actress Sarah Silverman and his movie “I Smile Back” based on the novel by Amy Koppelman.

Sarah Silverman

Rape, Trauma, PTSD and Bill Cosby
A personal essay about my own experience with rape and why women are terrified to tell.

Bob Zappa on Frank, Smokes and Addiction
An interview with Frank Zappa’s younger brother about Frank’s addiction to cigarettes, which led to designing the cover and copyediting his memoir “Frankie and Bobby: Growing Up Zappa.” and becoming dear friends with Bob and his wife Diane.

Bob Zappa with a poster of his book cover

Meet the Remarkable Woman Who Is Saving Afghanistan’s Heroin Addicts
Since the fall of the Taliban, the production of opium has skyrocketed. Afghanistan produces 90 percent of the world’s supply and 11 percent of the population there are addicts. Laila Haidari, a former child bride, runs two addiction treatment centers and offers hope and healing to addicts in Kabul.

More 2015 Olds News

My New York Times Essay “Defriending My Rapist” became required reading for a course on Victimology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY

ASJA

I spoke on two panels at the 2015 American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) annual writing conference. The sessions included “Secrets of Interviewing Famous People” and “Use Social Media to Land Writing Gigs and Make Money.” And I have been asked back for 2016! So excited. My panel will be on Sat., May 21, 2016 2-3:30 pm at the Roosevelt Hotel. For more info visit the website: ASJA.org.

Book Expo

Spoke for Susannah Greenberg on a UPublishU panel a BEA about writers promoting themselves on social media.

Some stars I’ve chatted with. Dorri Olds

Celebrity Interviews and Photo Ops

And, of course, I interviewed a ton of celebrities, attended press events, and screened a gazillion movies during 2015. Some of the standouts were Robert de Niro, Julianne Moore, Glenn Close, Lily Tomlin, Laverne Cox, Kristen Stewart, Ben Kingsley, Sam Waterston, Lorraine Bracco, Kim Basinger, Patricia Clarkson, Alex Gibney, Edward James Olmos, Nancy Spielberg, Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac, Peter Sarsgaard, Amy Koppelman, Tim Blake Nelson, Shia LaBeouf, Nat Wolff, Paul Sorvino, Debi Mazar.

Websites

Created a bunch of new websites. Here are my faves:

Holly Rizzuto Palker
Juliana Neiman
Cheryl Morrison’s Docuclear

DOGS, DOGS, DOGS!
And let’s not forget the fantastic doggie fundraising events I photographed this year!!

Enjoy!!

And write to me on Facebook and tell me about your high points this year.

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Let’s Talk About the Red Carpet

dorriolds — Tue, 12 May 2015 08:42:56 +0000

Views from the Red Carpet and Beyond…

Covering a red carpet takes a certain kind of journalist: a masochist. Why? Because they’re jam-packed with paparazzi — mostly from Getty and other agencies — and a few rogue freelancers like me. There’s a ton of pushing and shoving from the photographers. I’m still recuperating from last month.
Doing press for Tribeca Film Festival in New York City every year is incredibly fun … and exhausting. Red carpets are intense. The 6-feet-tall guys from Getty try to shove me out of the way. I’m 5’2″ but manage to stand my ground. Then all of the Screenings! Interviews! Articles! It is always worth every second. Indies are a treat. They’re original, artistic and written for smart people, unlike your typical blockbuster. I’ve always been so impressed by co-founder Jane Rosenthal. She’s championed female filmmakers since the festival began.
At the end of each festival is an anniversary of a classic movie. This year it was the testosterone-heavy mob movie but what a classic film.

The 25th Anniversary of ‘Goodfellas’

This was the biggest thrill of the entire festival. It was also a cornucopia of stars, character actors, crew members and guests. Robert De Niro was there with his wife Grace Hightower, Lorraine Bracco with her daughter Margaux Guerard, Ray Liotta, Paul Sorvino with wife Dee Dee Benkie, Debi Mazar with musician Gabriele Corcos, actress Rachel Harris with musician Christian Hebel, Hank Azaria, Queen Noor of Jordan, actress Kelly LeBrock, actors Mike Starr, Kevin Corrigan, Pete Santora, Tony Darrow, Michael Rapaport, Federico Castelluccio and his wife Yvonne Maria Schaefer and Chuck Low, who is best known for playing wig man Morris “Morrie” Kessler in the film.
More highlights of the evening came from the stage. De Niro opened with, “Joe Pesci couldn’t be here, but he sent this e-mail: ‘Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck, fuck.’ I’ll translate. ‘Dear Bob, sorry I can’t be there. Love to all. Best, Joe.’” I laughed so loud I startled myself.

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