Lidia Bastianich

On Saturday, November 5, 2011, Fairway Stamford and public television host and renowned chef Lidia Bastianich will celebrate food and community in an event to support WNET New York Public Media, the parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21, New York’s public television stations and operator of NJTV.

Fairway Market will donate ten percent of sales on Friday, November 4th, and Saturday, November 5th, from its Fairway Wines & Spirits shop in Stamford to WNET as part of Fairway’s corporate sponsorship of the inaugural season of Vine Talk, a series about wine airing nationally on public television.

Lidia’s new series, based on the book of the same title, Lidia’s Italy in America, airs Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. (ET) on THIRTEEN and Mondays at 8 p.m. (ET) on WLIW21 (check local listings).

Enter to win a prize pack, including Lidia’s new book, Lidia’s Italy in America, a gift card from Fairway, and a THIRTEEN/WLIW21 tote bag!

Watch a preview of Lidia’s Italy in America:

Lidia will kick-off the festivities at 11 a.m. with the signing of her series companion cookbook, Lidia’s Italy in America (Knopf) and her popular children’s book, Nonna Tell Me a Story: Lidia’s Christmas Kitchen (Running Press Kids).  Filled with adventures and irresistible recipes, both books are  journeys into the heart of authentic Italian cooking.  Wine tasting will follow the book signing at the adjacent store, Fairway Wines & Spirits.

At the event on Saturday, November 5th, Fairway Stamford will feature a free spectacular sampling of LIDIA’S pasta and sauces and Fairway food specials for the fall. Guests are also invited to a tasting of Bastianich’s wines at the Fairway Wines & Spirits shop in Stamford.  (There will be wine tastings on both Friday, November 4th*, and Saturday, November 5th.)

EVENT SCHEDULE:
Fairway with Lidia Bastianich for WNET
Saturday, November 5, 2011
11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Fairway Stamford (699 Canal Street, Stamford, CT 06902)
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Book signing: 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Fairway Wines & Spirits (689 Canal Street, Stamford, CT 06902)
Friday, November 4, 2011
Wine tasting: 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.*

Saturday, November 5, 2011
Wine tasting and bottle signing:  12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

*Lidia Bastianich will not be at Friday’s wine tasting.

Sample a recipe from Lidia’s Italy in America:

Spaghetti and Meatballs
Spaghetti con Polpette di Carne

Photo credit: Christopher Hirsheimer

Everybody loves meatballs. I think meatballs are an example of Americana and they belong on the American table. This is a great and simple recipe. It calls for three types of meat, but a combination of any two—or even a single meat—will work as well.

The recipe makes four dozen meatballs, but you can cut it in half and it will work just as well. The sauce and meatballs freeze well, but are best frozen in smaller quantities (1⁄2 pint, or six to eight meatballs and sauce) so that they reconstitute quickly.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Combine the carrot, celery, and onion in a food processor, pulsing to make a fine-textured paste or pestata. Scrape the pestata into a large bowl, and add the three meats, eggs, oregano, parsley, bread crumbs, and salt, mixing with your hands to combine well.

Roll the meat into golf- ball- sized balls, and place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. (You should get about forty- eight meatballs.) Bake the meatballs until browned all over, about 18 to 20 minutes. (They do not need to be entirely cooked through, because they will cook more in the sauce.)

While the meatballs are baking, begin the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Toss in the onion, and sauté until it turns transparent, about 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle in 1⁄2 cup of pasta water, and simmer the onion to break it down, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Once the water has cooked away, sprinkle in 1 teaspoon of the salt, the bay leaves, and peperoncino. Let the peperoncino toast for a minute, then pour in the tomatoes. Slosh out the tomato cans and bowl with 4 cups hot water, add to the pot, and stir. Stir in the remaining teaspoon of salt, and bring the sauce to a simmer while the meatballs finish baking; simmer sauce about 10 minutes more.

When the meatballs have finished baking, gently add them to the sauce and return to a simmer. Simmer, shaking the pan periodically to move (but not break) the meatballs, until the sauce is thick and flavorful, about 1⁄2 hour.

As the meatballs are cooking in the sauce, bring a large pot of salted water to boil for pasta. After the meatballs have cooked in the sauce about 20 minutes, slip the spaghetti into the boiling water. When the pasta is al dente, drain and plop it back into the now- emptied pasta cooking pot. Add half of the sauce (with no meatballs) and toss. Set in a hot bowl, and top with meatballs and additional sauce if necessary.

Serve immediately, offering the remaining sauce and meatballs at the table with the grated cheese.

Makes enough for 1 pound pasta, serving 6 people, plus about 3 quarts extra (total of about 4 dozen meatballs and 3 quarts sauce)

for the meatballs
1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground veal
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1⁄2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 cups bread crumbs
1 tablespoon kosher salt for the sauce
1⁄4 cup extra- virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1⁄2 cups)
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
2 fresh bay leaves, or 3 dried bay leaves
1⁄2 teaspoon peperoncino flakes
Three 28- ounce cans Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, crushed by hand
1 pound spaghetti
1 cup grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano

Excerpted from Lidia’s Italy in America by Lidia Bastianich. Copyright © 2011 by Lidia Bastianich. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

The Festival will feature evening performances by Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber, China Institute in America, Ballet Hispanico, the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Jazzmobile, Elisa Monte Dance, Jennifer Muller/The Works, RIOULT, and daytime programs from City Winery, operamission, the Rubin Museum of Art, PuppetMobile, and Vital Theatre Company.

Families can look forward to a new addition to the Festival line-up: pre-performance interactive programs presented by Kids Club Thirteen on September 20, 22, and 23, along with lunchtime presentations on 9/17 and 18 (see schedule below for details).  The performing arts come to life with workshops, hands-on activities, favorites from PBS kids shows, and more.

Fans of THIRTEEN on Facebook are able to enter to win VIP treatment on all eight nights of the Festival. Benefits include: priority reserved table seating for two (in front of general seating), light snacks from ‘wichcraft, two drink tickets compliments of City Winery and more.

Check out the full event schedule:

Friday, September 16

12:30 pm: City Winery

Red Poetry: wine and poetry collide in City Winery’s latest limited edition wines.  Grape-inspired poetry gets a rhythmic beat with live music and readings by the Bowery Poetry Club.

6 p.m.: Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber

Greg Tate, Vernon Reid, Melvin Van Peebles, and Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber rock the James Brown, Bowie, Van Peebles, Miles, and Sugar Songbooks. Presented by the Black Rock Coalition.

Saturday, September 17

1:00 pm: Kids Club Thirteen presents the PuppetMobile

Master puppeteers tell the story of Bessie the Cow’s dream to join the circus.  Don’t miss the pre-show workshop at noon.

6:00 pm: China Institute in America

The Shanghai Restoration Project and Le Zhang.  Classical Chinese music meets jazz, hip hop, and electronica.

Sunday, September 18

1:00 pm:  Kids Club Thirteen presents Vital Theatre Company

Sing along to a medley of favorites from Pinkalicious, The Musical and Uncle Pirate.  Celebrate all things pink and meet Pinkalicious herself.

6:00 pm: Ballet Hispanico

Theatrical and passionate works from the nation’s premier Latino dance company.

Monday, September 19

12:30 pm:  operamission

Figaro al fresco: a comic cliffhanger.  Acts I & II of Mozart’s opera Le Nozze di Figaro in a fresh and vibrant new staging.

6:00 pm: Jennifer Muller/The Works

Electrifying and virtuosic movement by the world-renowned contemporary dance company.

Tuesday, September 20

5:00 pm: Kids Club Thirteen Pre-Performance Workshop

6:00 pm: The Metropolitan Opera’s  Lindemann Young Artist Development Program Opera’s rising stars perform a selection of favorite arias, songs, and duets.

Wednesday, September 21

12:30 pm: Rubin Museum of Art

Famed opera and theater director Peter Sellars and the dramatization of the irreverent and profound Vimalakirti Sutra.

6:00 pm: Jazzmobile

Seasoned drummer and vibrant band leader Winard Harper leads a superb septet in a non-stop set of Jazz and African rhythms.

Thursday, September 22

5:00 pm: Kids Club Thirteen Pre-Performance Workshop

6:00 pm: Elisa Monte Dance

Ferociously exciting modern dance company – a performing tour-de-force.

Friday, September 23

5:00 pm: Kids Club Thirteen Pre-Performance Workshop

6:00 pm: RIOULT

Musically astute, visually arresting, kinetically thrilling modern dance.

**Additional support for the Bryant Park Fall Festival is provided by the Durst Organization Inc. and HBO, and by media partners WNET New York Public Media, WNYC, and amNEWYORK.

Congratulations and good luck to all of our nominees!

2011 Primetime Emmy Nominations:

Outstanding Cinematography For Nonfiction Programming

American Masters • Troubadours: Carole King / James Taylor & The Rise Of The Singer-Songwriter • PBS • A Starcon LLC production in association with Thirteen’s American Masters for WNET.org

-Nicola Marsh, Director of Photography

-Arlene Nelson, Director of Photography

Outstanding Directing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Special

Sondheim! The Birthday Concert (Great Performances) • PBS • Ellen M. Krass Productions and Thirteen in association with WNET.org

-Lonny Price, Directed by

Outstanding Directing For Nonfiction Programming

American Masters • A Letter To Elia/Reflecting On Kazan • PBS • A Production of Sikelia Productions with Far Hills Pictures in association with Thirteen’s American Masters for WNET.org

-Martin Scorsese, Directed by

-Kent Jones, Directed by

Outstanding Picture Editing For Nonfiction Programming

American Masters • LENNONYC • PBS • Co-production of Two Lefts Don’t Make A Right Productions, Dakota Group, Ltd and Thirteen’s American Masters in association with WNET.org for PBS

-Ed Barteski, Editor

-Deborah Peretz, Editor

Outstanding Music Composition For A Series (Original Dramatic Score)

American Masters • John Muir In The New World • PBS • Global Village Media and Thirteen’s American Masters in association with WNET.org

-Garth Neustadter, Music by

Outstanding Music Direction

Harry Connick Jr., In Concert On Broadway (Great Performances) • PBS • Produced by Cinemusica and FogoLabs Corp for Conn-X Productions, Inc. in association with Thirteen for WNET.org

-Harry Connick Jr., Music Director

Hitman Returns: David Foster and Friends (Great Performances) • PBS • A Production of Warner Bros. Records and Thirteen for WNET

-David Foster, Music Director

Outstanding Nonfiction Series

American Masters • PBS • Co-production of Two Lefts Don’t Make A Right Productions, Dakota Group, Ltd and Thirteen’s American Masters in association with WNET.org for PBS

-Susan Lacy, Executive Producer

-Stanley Buchthal, Executive Producer

-Michael Cohl, Executive Producer

-Prudence Glass, Series Producer

-Julie Sacks, Supervising Producer

-Michael Epstein, Producer

-Jessica Levin, Producer

Outstanding Sound Editing For Nonfiction Programming (Single Or Multi-Camera)

American Masters • Jeff Bridges: The Dude Abides • PBS • Produced by Thirteen’s American Masters for WNET

-Deborah Wallach, Sound Editor

Outstanding Sound Mixing For Nonfiction Programming

American Masters • LENNONYC • PBS • Co-production of Two Lefts Don’t Make A Right Productions, Dakota Group, Ltd and Thirteen’s American Masters in association with WNET.org for PBS

-Ed Campbell, Re-Recording Mixer

Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special

-Don Pasquale (Great Performances At The Met) • PBS • A Metropolitan Opera production in association with PBS and WNET.org

-Emmett Loughran, Technical Director

-Miguel Armstrong, Camera

-Joseph DeBonis, Camera

-Manny Gutierrez, Camera

-Shaun Harkins, Camera

-John Kosmaczewski, Camera

-Bob Long, Camera

-Jay Millard, Camera

-Alain Onesto, Camera

-David Smith, Camera

-Larry Solomon, Camera

-Ron Washburn, Camera

-Mark Whitman, Camera

-Anthony DeFonzo, Video Control

-Matty Randazzo, Video Control

-Paul Ranieri, Video Control

News & Documentary Emmys:

Outstanding Nature Programming

Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air

Wolverine: Chasing the Phantom

The Peabody Awards are the most prestigious of all broadcasting awards,  recognizing outstanding achievements in electronic media, including radio, television and cable. The ceremony for this year’s winners will take place on May 23rd.

Congratulations to all of our award recipients!

Watch videos from the winning programs here:

Great Performances – Macbeth:

American Masters – LennoNYC excerpt:

Highlights from American Masters – A Letter to Elia:

The conference brought together experts from a wide range of fields, including the Arts, Global Awareness, Health & Wellness, Instructional Technology, Social Studies, Special Education, and Whole School Issues.

Among this year’s notable speakers were NBC’s Brian Williams, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Chief of Staff to the U.S. Secretary of Education, Joanne Weiss; Mayor Cory Booker, and WNET’s own Jon Meacham (Need to Know).

Check out our photo highlights from the event:

This premier professional development conference brings together over 10,000 educators from all 50 states, D.C., and across the globe with experts, advocates, practitioners and academics to help shape the future of schools.  It is also the marquee event of New York City’s annual “New York Celebrates Teaching & Learning Week,” as proclaimed by Mayor Bloomberg for March 16-19, 2011.

THIRTEEN spoke with Smiley to celebrate this exciting new partnership.

Q: Through the Tavis Smiley Foundation, you work closely with youth. How does that inform the guests you invite and the issues you tackle on your daily show?

A: I’m constantly thinking about the future. I have grave concerns about the decay of our civilization and the devolution of our culture. So not a day goes by when I don’t think about my own nine brothers and sisters (most all of them younger) and the young people we work with daily through our Foundation. My hope for and belief in them informs and inspires my choices almost daily.

Q: Which three living African Americans have influenced you the most in your life and career?

A: Joyce Smiley, Emory G. Smiley, and Cornel West.

Q: In 2009, Time magazine named you one of the “The World’s 100 Most Influential People.” If you could use your influence to resolve one issue in the world, what would it be?

A: In a word, poverty. The gap between the “have gots” and the “have nots” continues to grow in this country. I shudder to think of what will ultimately happen if we continue to ignore the plight of the poor and the weak working class here in America.

Q: Given the challenges facing public television today, why does public television still matter?

A: Put simply, there are certain questions that don’t get asked if we don’t ask them; certain issues that don’t get raised if we don’t raise them; and certain persons who will not get profiled if we don’t profile them. I believe public television is at its best when we challenge folk to reexamine the assumptions they hold, help them to expand their inventory of ideas, and introduce Americans to each other.

Q: What are your favorite places to visit when you’re in New York?

A: Wow, there are so many! I always try to check in on my friend Wynton Marsalis over at Jazz @ Lincoln Center. If something’s jumping off at Dizzy’s or The Blue Note, I start begging for tickets. New York is such a great sports town, so I always check who has a home game before I arrive to see if I can sneak in a game or two. And, of course, there’s always a Broadway show to see. But most importantly, I schedule nightly, intimate dinner parties with friends all over the city at my favorite restaurants.

Q: You’re an avid reader, as well as the publisher of SmileyBooks, a co-publishing venture with Hay House. What book are you currently reading, and what books are you recommending to people?

A: As they say, reading is fundamental! I’m currently reading Nassim Taleb’s The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms. As for my recommendation, Isabel Wilkerson’s The Warmth of Other Suns.

Q: Of all the interviews you’ve conducted for Tavis Smiley, which was the most memorable?

A: That’s easy, the most memorable conversation has yet to be conducted. What I love most about the work that I do on public television is that on any given day, I’m likely to walk into a memorable moment that takes my breath away. I live for that, which is why I’m always so anxious to get to the studio.

Watch Tavis Smiley weeknights at midnight on THIRTEEN.

Learn more at thirteen.org/tavis.

The interview will take place  live from 3-3:30 p.m. and on replay after 6 p.m. The podcast will also be available for download beginning this weekend.

Listed to the interview below, or check it out here.

WABC-TV anchor Sade Baderinwa and special guests John Pizzarelli, Eileen Ivers, and Chia’s Dance Party kicked off the festivities with the annual tree lighting. The evening also featured street performances, food tastings, in-store activities, and shopping from Columbus Circle to 68th Street.

WNET opened the doors of its new Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center for guests, offering studio tours and meet and greets with Digit, from THIRTEEN’s hit kids show, Cyberchase.

Check out photos from the event here:

On November 17th, 2010, the Korean-American Friends of Thirteen hosted a celebration to support the recently launched Friends of Thirteen Pacella Fund for Community Engagement. The lively event took place at Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center and included authentic Korean cuisine and a live musical performance from Na Sun, a Chinese-born violinist with the New York Philharmonic.

WNET.ORG President and CEO Neal Shapiro attended with his wife and Good Morning America correspondent Juju Chang. Young-mok Kim, Ambassador from the Republic of Korea was a special guest. The event was chaired by Raymond Kang and Calvin Kong, President and Vice-President of the Korean-American Friends of Thirteen.

“When Dr. Joon Jai Bang formed the Korean Friends in 1994, he did so because he believed that public television belongs to everyone and it’s also everyone’s responsibility,” said Shapiro in his address to the crowd, “Over the past 16 years, the Korean Friends have lived up to that ideal.”

Since its inception, Korean-American Friends have helped to raise substantial financial support for WNET and were instrumental in helping to produce programs like the Korean-American Spirit, produced in 2001:

This event was sponsored by generous donations from the Grace and Mercy Foundation, State Farm, Earth Therapeutics, the National Unification Advisory Council, New York Chapter as well as individual donors Mr. & Mrs. Richard Han, Mr. & Mrs. Jason Chon,  Ms. Kyong Rhee and Mr. Simon Seo.

About Korean-American Friends of Thirteen

The Korean-American Friends of Thirteen bridges the New York Metropolitan Korean-American community and Friends of Thirteen by creating awareness and celebrating both cultures.

About Friends of Thirteen, Inc.

The Friends of THIRTEEN is a nonprofit organization of volunteers who act as liaisons between THIRTEEN and the community to: INCREASE engagement with the station’s quality programming; PROMOTE use of its innovative educational resources; and EXPAND support for public media as one of our nation’s great cultural resources. For more information about Friends please contact Executive Director Dorothy Pacella at 212.560.2800 or Pacella@thirteen.org.

A chef prepares Korean-style sushi and sashimi for the guests.

Chinese-born violinist Na Sun performs Bach’s Chaconne.

Neal Shapiro poses for a photo with Ambassador Young-mok Kim and Raymond Kang, President of the Korean-American Friends of Thirteen.

Neal Shapiro and Juju Chang with Ambassador Young-mok Kim.

Unlike most apps, the Religion & Ethics app cannot be downloaded – rather, it is a Web page that behaves as an iPhone app. Check out and explore the app at: http://www.pbs.org/renews.

Religion and Ethics Newsweekly is a THIRTEEN production, and airs airs Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. and Sundays at 5:30 p.m.

Watch the most recent episode of Religion & Ethics Newsweekly here:

Watch the full episode. See more Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.

Brian Leith (pictured far right), noted producer of natural history films including Nature’s Deep Jungle, presented the Wildscreen award to the Nature team (pictured left to right), Fred Kaufman, Executive Producer; Janet Hess, Series Editor; and Bill Murphy, Series Producer.

On October 13, Nature became the first American production to win the prestigious Christopher Parsons Outstanding Achievement Award in the 2010 Wildscreen Festival in Bristol, U.K.  Executive Producer Fred Kaufman and his colleagues Bill Murphy and Janet Hess accepted the award.  The Wildscreen Festival  celebrates excellence in wildlife and environmental filmmaking, and is one of the most influential events of its kind.

A production of THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG, Nature is currently in its 29th season and is one of PBS’ most watched programs.  It airs Sunday nights at 8 p.m. on THIRTEEN.

Inside Thirteen had the chance to speak with Nature’s Executive Producer Fred Kaufman about the Wildscreen Awards and his experience working on Nature.

Inside Thirteen: What does winning  Wildscreen’s Lifetime Achievement Award mean to you and the production team of Nature?

Fred Kaufman: We were completely unaware of the Award..usually you are told about these things beforehand and then you spend a month agonizing over your speech. Still, it was thrilling to get up and thank the natural history film industry for their contribution to Nature. We were honored to be the first Americans to receive the recognition. I always hear from independent producers how much they want to work with Nature and usually I feel that they probably say this to everyone – but now I realize that we offer a very special brand and a commitment to the kind of filmmaking that producers crave.

Fred Kaufman, Executive Producer of WNET.ORG's NATURE series on PBS. Credit: Joe Sinnott, WNET.ORG

IT: You have been with Nature from the very beginning – can you tell us a bit about your experience with the show?

FK: I began in 1982 with a six month contract. I was waiting for a job at CBS Sports to come through, which never happened. I have no background in natural history and in this genre it is so easy to embarrass yourself. From the beginning I was very clear with producers, telling them that I wasn’t a natural history guy but I could tell them instantly whether their film was good or bad, and then offer suggestions on how to make the whole thing better. I developed a reputation of being brutally honest. Its an approach that works. We are very clear about what we like and don’t like and that is universally appreciated.

IT: How the show has grown since its start 29 seasons ago?

FK: Twenty five years ago you would never see a human in any of our shows. The focus was strictly animal behavior in far-off places. Those shows are probably unwatchable today…the pacing was slow and the level of story telling was quite limited. Today everything has gotten better. The technology, the talent and the approach to filmmaking has gone up considerably. Now, we are focusing on characters, drama and emotion.

IT: Do any episodes stand out as your favorites, over the years?

FK: Echo: An Elephant to Remember, which we just aired; Christmas In Yellowstone and The Urban Elephant.

IT: Nature has consistently been one of PBS’ most watched programs. What do you hope audiences take from the show?

FK: If they’re thinking about Sunday’s show on Monday then that is extremely satisfying to me. I don’t have any specific take-away message, rather I just hope that here is something in our films worth remembering days, months, even years later.

American Masters: LENNONYC premieres on THIRTEEN on Monday, November 22 at 9 p.m.

Crowd at Rumsey Playfield, Central Park

Waiting in line

Singer Lou Reed addresses the crowd

Radio personality Dennis Elsas

Director Michael Epstein and Producer Susan Lacy

Baseball: A New York Love Story airs Thursday night at 10:30 p.m. on THIRTEEN.

Watch the full episode. See more THIRTEEN Specials.

Baseball: A New York Love Story is a multi-part series that lends a New York perspective to tie in with Ken Burns’ The Tenth Inning.  The film airs this week on THIRTEEN on Tuesday and Wednesday from 10-11 p.m., and Thursday at 10:30 p.m.

Karen Radwin and CEO Don Distasio of the American Cancer Society address the crowd

Producer Marc Rosenwasser

THIRTEEN will tape the first event, set for broadcast on Friday, September at 9:30 p.m. on THIRTEEN and 11:30 p.m. on WLIW21.

Hosted by the New York Public Library, the event will feature Governor David A. Paterson and former New York Governors George E. Pataki and Eliot Spitzer.  The panel will be moderated by the Wall Street Journal’s Greater New York reporter, Michael Howard Saul.  The discussion will focus on the New York’s top priorities, including balancing the state budget, reviving the local economy, and fostering compromise in Albany.

Previous appearances by New York’s former governors on THIRTEEN programs:

Former Governor Elliot Spitzer on Metrofocus:

Former Governor George Pataki on Charlie Rose:

WNET.ORG is among the media organizations supporting the event, along with WNYC and amNEWYORK.

This year’s Festival includes daily afternoon talks, Inside Fall Festival, featuring up-close discussions with the people that create the fall season of NYC culture and the artists and producers that bring the evenings at the Festival to life.  Each afternoon, Festival goers can learn about the evening performances as well as about the institutions’ upcoming seasons.

Inside Fall Festival talks begin at 12:30pm on weekdays and at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday on the Fountain Terrace beginning on Monday, September 13 with a discussion among artists and critics about the upcoming fall season of culture in NYC.  Evening performances begin at 6:00 p.m. on a stage located on Bryant Park’s Upper Terrace.

The festival will take place from September 13-20, 2010.  For more information and a complete schedule of events, please visit the Bryant Park Fall Festival site.

Enter to win VIP seats to the Festival, courtesy of THIRTEEN.  Contest ends on Tuesday, September 14.

The event was held at Brooklyn Borough Hall and began with a press conference, which included Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.  Afterwards, over 2,000 free backpacks filled with essential school supplies were distributed to some of New York City’s neediest public school students.

Karen Boykin-Towns, NAACP Brooklyn Director, and Brooklyn Borough President, Marty Markowitz address the crowd

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz

Jackie Robinson slides into home plate

Yesterday, Inside Thirteen was a fly on the wall during the taping of the upcoming THIRTEEN documentary, New York Baseball Memories. Before filming began, we also had the opportunity to sit down with the film’s producer, Marc Rosenwasser, for a brief Q&A.

Inside Thirteen: When will New York Baseball Memories be airing?

Marc Rosenwasser: We don’t have an air date yet, but it will be in late September, shortly before the Ken Burns series [Baseball and The Tenth Inning].  I should say, late September, probably before the Ken Burns series.

IT: How many story submissions have you received?

MR: I don’t have an exact number, but it’s dozens and dozens.

IT: How do you choose stories for the piece?

MR: We’re looking to choose the best stories, the richest stories, but also the stories that cover all different aspects of NY Baseball history.  So, we’re hoping not to have any glaring omissions in our piece.

IT: Are there any stories that stand out to you?

MR: There are many stories we’ve heard that stand out. There truly are just very emotional stories.  People have remarkably vivid memories of baseball games that they went to 50, 60 years ago.  It has a lot to do with family memories, and how family memories and baseball memories are interwoven.

IT: What led you to produce the film now?  What makes it relevant?

MR: We wanted to produce a New York version in conjunction with the Ken Burns national version, so it’s really something of a companion piece.

***

The New York Baseball Memories crew was on their second day of filming, and Inside Thirteen had the chance to observe two of today’s interviewees: each with a unique, vivid take on the world of NY Baseball –  just a sample of what’s to come in the film.

“Just like an apple tree creates apples, New York created baseball,” opened Peter Laskowich, an urban historian and professor.  Laskowich elaborated on the significance of Jackie Robinson joining the Brooklyn Dodgers (including the chain of reactions it set off for race relations in the U.S.), and emphasized that such a ground-breaking move could have only happened in Brooklyn, which he considered the most progressive of the boroughs at the time.  He also broke down the fan makeup of NY’s top teams during the 1940s and 1950s:  the Giants (baseball aficionados), the Dodgers (the underdogs), and the Yankees (the well-to-do).

In direct contrast with Laskowich’s  historical perspective was Steve Handelman, a retired IT manager, who offered his own unique bit of baseball nostalgia.  In 1961, Handelman witnessed NY Yankee Roger Maris hit his record-breaking 61st home run of the season, from the first row behind the dugout.  He eagerly waited to catch himself on camera during the evening news, but with no luck.  Thirty years later, in Cooperstown, NY, Handelman finally stumbled upon a photo of the historic day, with himself clearly visible in the front row.  In 1981, Handelman also managed to catch a ball from Reggie Jackson, only to give it away to a young boy before the end of the game.  ”It seemed like the right thing to do at the time,” he said.

For more stories like these, and to submit your own, visit New York Baseball Memories, and check back in September for air dates on THIRTEEN.

Worldfocus anchor Daljit Dhaliwal

Yesterday, it was announced that four THIRTEEN-produced programs have been nominated for a total of eight News and Documentary Emmy Awards. Among the nominees: Worldfocus (three nominations), Wide Angle (two nominations), Secrets of the Dead ( two nominations), and Nature.

Congratulations to all the nominees! Find out the results on the 2010 Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony on August 29, 2010.

OUTSTANDING CONTINUING COVERAGE OF A NEWS STORY IN A REGULARLY SCHEDULED NEWSCAST

Worldfocus
Vietnam: Legacy of War
Correspondent
Mark Litke
Producer
Ara Ayer
Executive Producer
Marc Rosenwasser

OUTSTANDING FEATURE STORY IN A REGULARLY SCHEDULED NEWSCAST

Worldfocus
Haiti: Mud Cookies
Correspondent
Benno Schmidt
Producer
Ara Ayer
Executive Producer
Marc Rosenwasser
Editorial Producer
Peter Eisner

BEST STORY IN A REGULARLY SCHEDULED NEWSCAST

Worldfocus
Vietnam: Legacy of War
Correspondent
Mark Litke
Producer
Ara Ayer
Executive Producer
Marc Rosenwasser

OUTSTANDING CONTINUING COVERAGE OF A NEWS STORY — LONG FORM

Wide Angle
Crossing Heaven’s Border
Executive Producer
Tom Casciato
Senior Producer
Nina Chaudry
Director
Jung In Tack
Producer
Lee Hark Joon
Correspondent
Aaron Brown

OUTSTANDING INFORMATIONAL PROGRAMMING ­ — LONG FORM

Wide Angle
Heart of Jenin
Executive Producer
Tom Casciato
Senior Producer
Nina Chaudry
Directors
Leo Geller, Marcus Vetter
Producers
Ernst Ludwig Ganzert, Ulli Pfan
Correspondent
Aaron Brown

OUTSTANDING HISTORICAL PROGRAMMING ­ — LONG FORM

Secrets of the Dead
Mumbai Massacre
Director
Victoria Midwinter Pitt
Producer
Andrea Quesnelle
Executive Producer/Producer
Andrew Ogilvie
Executive Producers
Phil Craig, Jared Lipworth

OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN A CRAFT: RESEARCH

Secrets of the Dead
Mumbai Massacre
Researchers
Sandra Fonseca, Victoria Midwinter Pitt

OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN A CRAFT: CINEMATOGRAPHY—NATURE

Nature
Victoria Falls
Cinematographers
James Charlie Hamilton, Jamie McPherson
Aerial DP
Simon Werry

Watch the full episode. See more Secrets of the Dead.

Watch the full episode. See more Wide Angle.