A balancing act

Oscar-balancing town of Olive resident Philippe Petit attended the screening of "Man on Wire" at the Tinker Street Cinema in Woodstock for a question-and-answer session. The screening was a fundraiser for the Woodstock Film Festival.

In this Naomi Graphics photo, Petit is holding a gold colored bowling pin, which was retrofitted to weigh the same as an Academy Award statuette, according to festival organizers, who added that the pin was made to practice balancing the trophy on his chin in the event that "Man on Wire" won an Academy Award, which it did.

Organizers said that during the Woodstock talk, Petit said that he practiced with a real Oscar at Woody Allen's apartment in Manhattan.

The 10th festival takes place Sept. 20 to Oct. 4.

Bill Plympton ends college tour

Oscar-nominated animator Bill Plympton will be presenting a selection of some of his favorite work and following each screeening with a question-and-answer session at Bard College Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

Plympton appeared at Marist College in Poughkeepsie on Monday and at SUNY New Paltz on Tuesday.

In 1997, Plympton received his first Oscar nomination for his short "Your Face." In 2005, he was nominated for "Guard Dog." Other shorts from Bill Plympton include "How To Kiss," "25 Ways To Quit Smoking," "Plymptoons."

In addition to his many shorts, Plympton has made seven feature films, (five of them animated) including "The Tune," "Mondo Plympton," "I Married A Strange Person," "Mutant Aliens" and "Hair High."

His most recent feature, "Idiots and Angels," has won two prizes at the Fantasporto Festival in Oporto, Portugal for Best Film and Best Screenplay.

The event is free.
Call (845) 758-7097 or visit www.plymptoons.com for more information.

Following is the trailer for "Idiots and Angels"

Jimmy's nervous, and happy

Saugerties High School graduate Jimmy Fallon finished his first show today and wasted no time to post a Tweeter entry. The taped show was not available for critics, so you'll have to see it to judge it.

"New York City was hit with a huge snow storm," he said in his opening monologue, the Associated Press reported, "and I woke up this morning and said, 'Please, let it be a snow day!'"

The photographer and the pawnshop

The New York Times's Allen Salkin reported on Tuesday that photographer of the stars Annie Liebovitz has recently borrowed a lot of money, putting her house in Rhinebeck and other assets - including her famous photos - as collateral.

"In other words," The Times article reads, "according to loan documents filed with the city, one of the world’s most successful photographers essentially pawned every snap of the shutter she had made or will make until the loans are paid off."

She took $15.5 million from the pawnshop, I mean, Art Capital Group.

That amount, coincidentally, is exactly how much money I needed to coat my Chevy with gold, diamonds and $100 bills which would themselves have been coated with gold, diamonds and $50 bills, because that's how I roll.

So I feel her pain, and I'm pretty sure Freeman readers who are in serious need of $15.5 million do too.

I wonder how much money I could get for my car's AM-FM radio.

Liebovitz has recently been signing her ($40) book, "Annie Liebovitz at Work," at Merrit Bookstore in Millbrook and at Oblong Books in Rhinebeck.

Jimmy Fallon talks to local press

And the local press is us!

The 1992 Saugerties High School grad talked to the Freeman's Bonnie Langston on Monday, and he even made reference in one of his Twitter posts, above.

But you'll have to wait until Tuesday to read about that.

I'm mean like that.

UPDATE: OK. So it's Tuesday. The story is up.

TANGENT: Twitter stalker Owen Thomas of the gossip site Gawker didn't like Fallon's post where he "schmoozed the Twitter-loving press" as he "uttered Twitter gibberish." (like Owen's use of "Twitteronia" and "Twitteratti"). I sort-of understand the anger. Twitter would be a horrible beat to cover.

LOCAL TANGENT: New Paltz-based band Ratboy might like the Freeman's story.

BONUS: In this clip from Monday, Fallon shows off some of "the coolest kids, out there, working for free, while I reap all the credit."

Arrivals — Melissa Leo

Melissa Leo, nominated for an Oscar for best actress in a leading role for her work in "Frozen River," arrives for the 81st Academy Awards Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles.

All AP photos, by the way.

UPDATE: The award went to Kate Winslet, for "The Reader." Leo herself kind-of called that one when he talked to the Freeman last Friday.

Arrivals — Courtney Hunt

Chatham resident Courtney Hunt, seen here arriving at the Oscars, was up for an award for "Frozen River" in the Best Original Screenplay category.

UPDATE: The award went to "Milk."

Arrivals — Philippe Petit

French tight-rope walker and Shokan resident Philippe Petit, the subject of the Oscar-nominated documentary "Man on Wire," arrives for the 81st Academy Awards Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles.

10:15 update: "Man on Wire" won Best Documentary Feature.

Boiceville's Steve Heller makes news again

Boiceville artist Steve Heller's Marquis de Soto was voted Collectible Car of the Year by the New York Times.

The Times has a nice slideshow with audio.

Heller was the subject of the documentary "Dinosaurs and Rocketships," which premiered at the Woodstock Film Festival in Octover.

He is also a staple of the annual Soapbox Derby in Kingston and the Kingston Sculpture Biennial (his T-rex adorns the corner of Chandler Drive and Ulster Avenue in the city).

Here's Heller at last year's Soapbox Derby.



He's married to interviewer of the stars Martha Frankel, a writer whose first book, a memoir called “Hats and Eyeglasses,” was released in paperback by Tarcher last week.

The Times also wrote about her recently.

Stone Ridge resident Leo wins Spirit Award

Stone Ridge actress Melissa Leo holds her award for best female lead for "Frozen River" backstage at the Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, Calif., Saturday. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

The Freeman has the details.