Saturday, October 28, 2006

Note:

There have been problems posting featured photos from flickr directly to this blog.

Feel free to check the Puerto Rico Sun photo group at flickr directly. You will enjoy a wonderful mix of photos by a diverse pool of photographers.

Friday, October 20, 2006

BomPlenazo on PRSUN TV

Highlights of the BomPlenazo extravaganza at Hostos Community College will be featured in the next PRSUN TV to start airing at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Channel 69, Bronxnet. Show repeats at 8:30 a.m. Tuesdays and 12:30 p.m. Thursdays.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

REMINDER: TONIGHT'S THE FUNDRAISER FOR THE Bx3M.

Come Support
YERBABUENA PERFORMING
WINE WILL BE SERVED
Crew and cast members of this exciting new movie by filmmaker Judith Escalona expected to attend.

6-8:30 p.m.
Suggested Donation: $5 minimum
PRdream/MediaNoche, 161 E. 106 St., El Barrio

Saturday, October 14, 2006

PRSUN TV Nominated for a BETA Award

PRSUN TV, a cultural arts show that airs on Bronxnet's Channel 69, has been nominated for a Beta award in one or more categories. The Beta awards recognizes the work of independent producers on public access television in the Bronx.

Winners, selected by a panel of judges, will be announced at Bronxnet's Beta award ceremony in November. This is Bronxnet's version of the Emmy awards.

Thanks.

PRSUN TV

Monday, October 09, 2006

Bx3M 161 East 106th Street, First Floor, New York, NY 10029, 212.828.0401


A LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Hello, I'm Jaime Sanchez the executive producer of an exciting new film project entitled Bx3M. It's written and directed by Judith Escalona, a fresh talent with a bright future in filmmaking -- if she can acquire the funding to get her projects done. I ought to know. I'm a veteran film and stage actor who played a leading role in Sidney Lumet's The Pawnbroker, and Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch. I also worked directly with Judy as the lead in her short film The Krutch. That film is currently in the film festival circuit.

Bx3M is her new feature-length film project, the story of three Latino youths growing up in a city going up in flames. Think of the Bronx circa 1978, now fast forward to the present. The Bronx looked like a war zone then, thankfully that's changed. What hasn't, and probably never will, is the struggle involved in growing up. Maria, Mona and Michael are adolescents who have to make choices that will change the course of their lives. Like most teens, and I was one of them, they aren't even aware of this profound fact. Two of them will make it, one of them won't. But I don't want to reveal the ending. You'll have to see the film for that and it hasn't been made yet.

That's why I'm writing you today, to ask for your support in getting Bx3M produced. The production team of Clarisel Gonzalez and Izzy Ruiz have been working closely with Judy to put together a fine cast of young actors. The crew too is almost ready to go. All of them are volunteering their time to get this wonderful film made. There are expenses, however, that can't be bartered or deferred. Your contribution will help us meet these costs.

Any contribution you make, whether it's $5 or $5,000, will help and is deeply appreciated. PR Project Inc., a not-for-profit cultural organization, is acting as the fiscal sponsor for Bx3M so that your donations are completely tax-deductible. Actually, I like to think of these donations as an investment in filmmaking that is smart, thought-provoking, and compassionate -- as this project certainly is.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. Should you wish to make a contribution, and I urge you to do so now, please send a check or money order to:

Bx3M
c/o PR Project Inc.
161 East 106th Street, First Floor
New York, NY 10029

The check or money order should be made payable to: “PR Project Inc. (Bx3M)” . Thank you again.

Jaime Sanchez
New York City
October 5, 2006
NEW FILM ABOUT COMING OF AGE IN THE BRONX
SCHEDULED TO BEGIN SHOOTING
FUNDRAISING RECEPTION

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 6PM – 8:30PM AT PRDREAM

New York City, October 9, 2006 – Bx3M begins shooting at the end of October. Written and directed by Judith Escalona, the film is the story of three Latino youths coming of age in a city going up in flames. Think the Bronx circa 1978 or Manhattan 2002. The comparison may not be immediately apparent but urban blight and human suffering are as common today as they were then. So are the youth growing up during those confusing, turbulent years who must make choices that will change the rest of their lives.

The “3M” stands for Maria’s Birthday, Mona’s Move and Michael’s Revenge – the three interlacing stories that together make up Bx3M. Escalona is actually returning home to the “Boogie Down” to make this feature-length movie after spending most of her adult years in Manhattan and abroad. It is her way of coming to terms with what she left behind, according to the director, the “friends who never made it out when the Bronx was burning. And I don’t simply mean the tenements that were torched.”

Real life experiences inform the lives of Maria, Mona and Michael, the fictional characters Escalona has created. She previously wrote and directed The Krutch, a surreal narrative about a Puerto Rican psychoanalyst with an identity problem. The short film stars veteran film actor Jaime Sanchez and is currently on the film festival circuit. Sanchez is Executive Producer of Bx3M. Clarisel Gonzalez and Izzy Ruiz-Calaf are the film’s producers. They grew up and currently live in the Bronx.

Filming is expected to be completed by early next year and post production by early Spring.

Bx3M is sponsored by PR Project Inc., a 501 ( c ) (3) not-for-profit, new media enterprise located in Spanish Harlem. Its mission is to empower community through technology, documenting the Puerto Rican/Latino experience in the U.S. Donations to Bronx3M are welcomed and fully tax-deductible. Visit their web site at www.prdream.com and click on the donations button. By mail, make checks or money orders payable to PR Project Inc. (Bx3M). The mailing address is: Bx3M c/o PR Project Inc., 161 East 106th Street, First Floor, New York, NY 10029.

On Thursday, October 19, between 6PM and 8:30PM, a fundraiser for Bx3M will take place at PRdream, 161 East 106th Street, First Floor, between Lexington and Third Avenues. For more information, call 212.828.0401.

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Community calendar

ELLIOT, A SOLDIER’S FUGUE
▪ October 6 - 29, various matinee and evening performances at 3:00 pm, 8:00 pm.
Page 73 Productions (P73)and El Museo del Barrio proudly reprise the critically acclaimed play "Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue" written by Quiara Alegría Hudes and directed by Davis McCallum on the stage of Teatro Heckscher of El Museo. Page 73 Productions first presented the play’s premiere in early 2006 at the Culture Project, where it received critical praise and played to sold-out houses.

Mateo Gomez is Elliot in "A Soldier's Fugue."

"Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue" tells the story of three generations of Puerto Rican men in one family and their experiences in the US military. At 18, Lance Corporal Elliot Ortiz crossed over to Iraq . At 19, he received the Purple Heart. Now, back from active duty, Elliot is a hometown hero. As Elliot comes to terms with his own memories of war, the military experiences of his father and grandfather unfold, revealing startling similarities that unite the Ortiz men across time. As Elliot’s tale moves back in time, the stories of his father, mother and grandfather move forward until past and present collide, wringing love and beauty from devastation.
Admission: $35 per ticket, $25 for El Museo members. Call 212 279 4200 for tickets
or visit www.p73.org.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Featured story

Puerto Rico mulls abortion for pregnant 10-year-old allegedly raped by stepfather
International Herald Tribune - Sunday October 1, 2006
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Doctors and child rights groups are pushing Puerto Rican authorities to decide whether to perform an abortion on a pregnant 10-year-old allegedly raped by her stepfather.

Read more:
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/10/01/news/CB_GEN_Puerto_Rico_Pregnant_Child.php