Touch down just after 12 AM at JFK. Catch a quick LIRR to Penn Station but even after midnight still wait over two hours to check in at the Hotel Pennsylvania.
3 AM: Take advantage of the late NYC closing times and hit the Hop Devil in Alphabet City for a nightcap of Kuhnhenn Blueberry Lambic and Sixpoint Bengali Tiger IPA.
8 AM: Red-eyed meeting with potential investor on New Project at the Chelsea Savoy. Flail at securing a larger equity chunk, but settle for a handshake deal to fund a pitch trailer and skeletal audio/storyboard blueprint for $Xy,000.
11 AM: Reluctantly visit Urgent Care after I'm no longer able to ignore my apparently gout-y foot. Spend an hour waiting but leave with an arsenal of drugs and a well-wrapped toe.
2 PM: Recon meeting with New Project animation director to assuage his fears re: the stability of our private equity and bring him/the studio back into the fold.
5 PM: Beer break at Rattle n Hum, one of the best bars for cask ale in Manhattan, where I try beers from a pair of breweries I've been aching to sample for some time - Cigar City and Pretty Things.
8 PM: Make it down to BMCC PAC (after stumbling around with the wrong address - D'oh!) in time to walk the red carpet for the Freakonomics premiere. A warm, enthusiastic crowd and an quickly sold out 1000 seat auditorium; everything goes well, but my nerves never quite settle and I wish I'd taken a shot of something strong beforehand.
10:30 PM: _margot_ and I hit the invite-only afterparty and over an open bar, I allow myself to bask ever so slightly. The space is nice enough, but crowded, loud and definitely not our scene. We surprisingly stick it out for an hour and a half before splitting early. . .
1 AM: . . . and convening in the Village at Burp Castle, one of our favorite beer bars. We end the night by bringing delicious Belgian fries and dipping sauce from Pomme Frites into Burp and sipping pints of Southern Tier ales, the closest thing to a surefire zen moment that I experience on this earth.
The next morning I (jittery as ever) check the early reviews, which are mixed but generally positive. The big exception is the NY Post which, in keeping with its nature, fabricates a quote from Stephen Levitt and slams the film's "lefty idealogy," which we all take as a badge of honor. IndieWIRE raves however, and the typically merciless Variety is generally very positive and rather optimistic over our prospects:
(T)his frisky adaptation of the Steven Levitt-Stephen Dubner bestseller on human behavior by the numbers adds up to a revelatory trip into complex, innovative ideas and altered perspectives on how people think. Pic aims to bring the book's concepts to a wider audience -- though not necessarily take them further -- through the varied but eminently accessible styles of several prominent nonfiction directors. Magnolia will release the film this fall, to what will no doubt be egghead rapture.
. . .
There's little in "Freakonomics" that isn't provocative, compelling or slightly perverse, but such is its attraction.
Back in LA now. Catching my breath. Planning the next steps. And missing the abundance of fantastic bagels and pizza slices ever so much.
Speaking of pizza, were you at Tomato Pizza in West Hollywood on Santa Monica Blvd Saturday night?
I could have sworn I saw you at the counter ordering a slice!
Rather then make a food of myself if it wasn't you... I just figured I'd ask over here.
Now of course, I'm kicking myself!
So how was the pizza? I haven't tried it yet as Vito's is my go-to place for pizza around these parts.