Seems like everyone is buzzing like bees over Canon DSLRs these days, us included. It is as if some sort of new technological renaissance has begun, with Canon seemingly merging two technically separate worlds and uniting them in the same fashion they’ve always existed in artistically. The still, motion pictures’ roots and video, where motion picture has been ever evolving, have made many leaps and bounds in the last year alone with advancements in mobility, portability and ease of use, while also raising the bar in what consumers, prosumers and professionals want out of an image.

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New “Close.” Trailer from Tahir Jetter on Vimeo.

This seems to be becoming a series. Tahir Jetter is a buddy of mine. Perhaps the most prolific tweeter on Twitter with 20,000 updates. Anyway, this is another story of a young NYU hustler who once worked for me, then with me, and is now forging ahead making waves. I think I had something to do with him appreciating Jigga more than he used to too. He’s a funny dude too as we had many a laugh in South Africa on a project for Ubuntu Education Fund. Check out the trailer above for his short film “Close.” which will be premiering at the Urbanworld Film Festival in a few weeks.

It was my pleasure to see this project come together from the sidelines.

The Wilderness Downtown is an experimental interactive film using Google Chrome created by Chris Milk in collaboration with Arcade Fire and Google. A perfect merging of technology and creativity, it’s definitely worth watching. I suggest using your childhood address (you’ll understand) if you do, you’ll get nostalgic.

www.thewildernessdowntown.com

I couldn’t wait until today to post this trailer. Say what you will about Ben Affleck, I believe he will have a long celebrated career as a director. Gone Baby Gone was a good movie and if this trailer is any indication this one will be as well. I should qualify this by admitting that I’m a sucker for trailers and this one had me at Warner Brothers Pictures presents.

Over the years I’ve become a fan of Clooney. Great choices in roles and stories. Always pushing the envelope, then doing something like Oceans, LOL. Anyway, this looks pretty good. Who’s gonna see it?

Be sure to support Hill’s latest book, THE CONVERSATION, in stores September 7th! And become a fan of The Double Down Film Show HERE!

Summer break is over, the leaves are turning and the buzz of a new school year is in the air, which can only mean one thing…Time for the new season of The Double Down Film Show! On Wednesday, September 15th @ 9pm we’re gonna kick off the 4th season with an uplifting conversation about acting and managing a career in the industry with actor/author Hill Harper (CSI:NY, Premium, Lackawanna Blues,etc.). Hill took a most unusual route to acting, first earning a law degree from Harvard and a Masters from The Kennedy School of Government, before leaving it all behind and gambling on his newfound passion – acting. It turned out to be a good bet that paid off with roles in many tv shows, plays, indie and studio features. Today Hill is reprising his starring role as Dr. Sheldon Hawkes for the sixth year on CSI:NY and just completed his third book, The Conversation.

· Why did he pursue acting despite having a Harvard Law degree?

· What do great actors do that others don’t?

· Why does the best actor not necessarily get the job?

· What’s the most important thing you can do to last in Hollywood?

· What do you do if you don’t have access to great roles?

All this and more will be revealed on the 4th Season premiere of Double Down Film Show with CSI New York’s, Hill Harper.

I’ll have a water. Tap is fine, hold the shrimp. What’s in the NYC tap water.

Sean Penn sits down with Zach’s twin brother, Seth.

Director: Scott Aukerman (Comedy Deathray, Mr. Show)

Confronting Doctor Death from Field Agent C on Vimeo.

“Marchands d’anthrax” (“Anthrax War”) directed by Bob Coen is a feature documentary about bio-warfare that I’ve shot over a year long across the USA, the UK, Europe, Russia, Siberia, the Ukraine, Switzerland, and South Africa. It will be on ARTE September 7. Please check the ARTE website; we’ll be releasing one new video a day – things that did not make it in the movie.

http://www.arte.tv/fr/3090730.html
Watch more clips on Vimeo!

Urban Art Beat is in competition for $50k in grant funding on Refresh Everything, the Pepsi marketing/philanthropic initiative. All you have to do is VOTE every day in September. UAB, as you’ll see in the above Biocast, is a great program that brings back arts education in underperforming inner-city schools that don’t have programs of their own. It’s an incredibly positive thing, and the people that do Urban Art Beat are incredibly good-hearted and hardworking people. So donate some clicks, why don’t you?

Vote HERE