Ezio Greggio and Daniel McVicar

Right after our Thanksdinner, I jumped down to Montecarlo to present a Platinum award at Ezio Greggio‘s Monte Carlo Film Festival for comedy.

It’s great to see Ezio, and sharpen my with in Italian on stage.  He was sharp in four languages, English, Italian, Spanish and French. Grande!

Daniel McVicar and Max Tortora

I am working on another prime time feature film here.  I started a couple of weeks ago playing “Omar de Luigi”, a mysterious character in the light hearted mystery miniseries “Innocenti and Buonadonna”.  This film is directed by Giulio Manfredonia, with Max Tortora and Antonello Fassari.  Produced by Publispei, it should be on the air in early 2010.

This is my third Italian language film project in just over a year.

Cooking American Style

With my fiance Dr. Virginia De Agostini, I am putting together a benefit Thanksgiving dinner here in Torino…you can see more at http://thanksdinner.org/en .

I’ve found myself in Italy for at least five Thanksgivings, and was always searching for a good pumpkin pie.  This year, I thought that I would put together a dinner that would be authentically American, with Italian flavors.  I thought it would be a great idea to share the abundance of Thanksgiving with the less fortunate.  We will be raising money for the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, who provide 800 meals a day for the hungry here in Turin.

Marc Lanteri and Amy Bellotti

We are blessed to have an incredible chef, Marc Lanteri, who along with his  wife Amy Bellotti, a sommelier,  will lend their talents to the evening.  Chef Lanteri is creating a menu that is taking the traditional American Turkey dinner to new levels.

We will hold the event at Eataly, the premier gastronomic venue in the world, where you can find the finest foods from Italy.  I got lost there yesterday in the cheese and sausage rooms (yes rooms!) and was in heaven.  Thanks to the kindness of Oscar and Francesco Farinetti we will have a great evening in their private upstairs event room.

Usually I am a little jealous when it comes to Thanksgiving, as I would like to be at home in America eating pie.  This year, I am looking forward to some tasty slices here, and am so pleased that it is benefiting a great organization that is feeding people on a regular basis.

I presented alongside Davide Scalenghe who is with CurrentTV here in Italy. They are on Sky on channel 130, and many filmmakers were interested in how it would work to get their documentaries on the air.

I helped them learn how to let people know about their projects. In the prehistoric times, early man gathered around a fire to tell stories, now we are gathering around social networks like Facebook. It is important to know the new forms of communication, and to have a story to tell.

Thanks to Alessandro Signetto and the great team at European Days in Torino. It was an honor to be there.

During the presentation for the preshow, I introduced Wes, a singer from Cameroon. He finished with a beautiful chant for President-Elect Obama, and revealed the optimism that is growing world wide. I got to talk with him after, and in an emotion filled moment noted that we all see our face in Obama’s. Wes can see his face, I can see mine. Therefore I can see my face in Wes’s and he can see his in mine, and with this connection we can use this key to make something wonderful together. That is the optimism that we need right now.

It was a true honor to be at the special edition of the World Music Awards. Beyonce, Estelle, Kid Rock, Akon, Lola Ponce and many others helped celebrate World Music, with a special award gong to the Beatles, accepted by Ringo Starr.

The executive producers John Martinotti and Melissa Corken have created something worthwhile and extraordinarily fun. Presented for many years in Monte Carlo, with sidetrips to London, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, the show has benefited the Monaco Aide and Presence Foundation, and in Monte Carlo is presented with the good will of H.S.H. Prince Albert of Monaco, a truly splendid person.

Of course one of the best things was to go with my fiance, D.ssa Virginia De Agostini.

Marco and Antonio Manetti came over and told me of their love for American football and particularly for the Cincinatti Bengals. They follow the team religiously and have traveled to Cincinatti to see their heroes in action. Marco even has an immense Bengal tattoo, but I will let him show you where.

They found an American football courtesy of one of the background actors, a linebacker for the Bologna named Giacopo. He was over two hundred pounds, strong and fast. He had his football nearby.

We spent the morning shooting scenes and playing punt pass and kick. In honor of their beloved Bengals, we wrote Go Bengals on the ball and used it in a scene.

The rest of the morning went very well. I love working with the Manetti Bros. They are well regarded, and considered a hip cult pair…with good reason. Their work has a unique style, and is filled with a combination of hip irony and realism.

I enjoyed a day of filmmaking and football as autumn arrives in Bologna Italy. I appreciate the Manetti Bros fondness for the Bengals, but my heart and mind stay with my Denver Broncos. Forza Denver!