Albert Maysles is about as humble and earnest a man you will find anywhere in the world, which makes the fact that he’s a filmmaking legend all the more amazing. He and his brother David pioneered “direct cinema” in the 1960’s, revolutionizing documentary filmmaking, and are responsible for the great films Salesman, Grey Gardens and Gimme Shelter. On 8.26 Albert regaled a rapt crowd at the Rogan store on the Bowery in NYC with stories from his improbable and fascinating career, interspersing never-before-seen clips from his extensive film catalog. Criterion will soon be releasing extended versions of these gems on DVD, including a buzzed and slaphappy Marlon Brando trying to get through a press junket, The Rolling Stones listening to the mixdowns of Wild Horses for the first time, a wigged Salvador Dali speaking jibberish to a bikini-clad Raquel Welch and Muhammad Ali shadow boxing the camera on a deserted road in Africa.

Above, that’s Al and Fred [gripped tight in his right] giving an interview to Vanity Fair after the show. For a little guy, Fred is a huge fan.

Michael Stipe and designer Rogan Gregory [checkout http://rogannyc.com] launched their collaborative art exhibit at Rogan’s studio on Bowery in NYC on June 26, 08 for a month. Bronzed cassette tapes above, by Michael, represent the power of media as a blank canvas for art, retro-style. Fred was cold chillin’ at the studio in about the most humid environment of his career [a sweaty night it was]. Other interesting folk at the event included ColdPlay’s Chris Martin, brother-in-law Jake Paltrow [ NYPD Blue, Director and brother of Gwyneth ], Mike D of Beastie Boys and artists Jeff Koons, Michael Halsband and Terrence Koh. As the consummate blackbelt in hanging out, take Fred’s word for it when he says: “Checkout Rogan Jeans.” They must be Fred-friendly…

Don’t miss your chance to stand up and ask one of those crazy modern artists, “Hey do you know Matthew Barney? Can you ask him to tell Bjork that I think she’s the bomb?” On Tuesday, video artist Mika Rottenberg will be at the MoMA taking questions about her art (see above image) and possibly about Matthew Barney’s wife as well. Check out event details here.

If you don’t know about Wakozi.com, go there right now and order some booze from your local booze shop. Or some pilsner and pork rinds from your local bodega. Or Fred from either place. Then sit back and relax as your favorite items are delivered right to your door. Simply amazing. You know what else is amazing? The sweet peeps at Wakozi are treating us New Yorkers to free beer on Thursday night, June 5th at Fontana’s on the Lower East Side. The beer lasts all night, but the freeness is only from 7-9pm. Fred will, as always, be there to keep things cool.

LVHRD’s second live photography competition is happeneing next Tuesday, March 25th in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Three artists will be creating pieces of mosaic art using Polaroid pictures in a celebration of the art of storytelling. Attendees are asked to dress like grandmas. Weird? Yes. Fun? Absolutely. Will Fred be there? He wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Check out LVHRD.org for more strange details.

Check out the Providence-based, all-female art collective Dirt Palace as they chronicle their own fantasy, fake, true, science-fiction, candy-coated, stripped-bare, all-lies history. Song, dance, costumes, projections and puppets all come together in this deceptively sweet yet completely unruly evening celebrating the WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution show at the MoMA’s P.S.1 in Queens.

Check PopRally more more details.

HOLY COW, this is a big one. DFA Records is the postpunk/dance label founded by NYC studio gurus James Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy. Since DFA’s breakout success with The Rapture’s “House of Jealous Lovers” single, these guys have been as hot as any production team in the world. And then of course, there’s Murphy’s own Grammy-nominated band, LCD Soundsystem, which has brought even more adoration and acclaim to the DFA club. However you slice it, these guys are on fire, so a DFA dance party is not something you want to miss.

On Saturday the 1st of March, PopRally is hosting just such an event to celebrate the MoMA exhibition Color Chart: Reinventing Color, 1950 to Today. Color Chart, which explores artists’ use of ready-made color from paint chips to colored tape, features works by 44 modern and contemporary artists, including Gerhard Richter, Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst and Angela Bulloch. This event is an exclusive preview of the monumental exhibition before its official opening to the public.

Performing at the event are The Juan Maclean (pictured above), T&T featuring Tim Goldsworthy & Tim Sweeney, Holy Ghost! and Justin Miller & Jacques Renault. Wear your boldest and brightest colors and get ready to move! There will be no parking on the dance floor. A wide spectrum of cocktails will be served, and Fred of course will be chilling all night, from 9pm-1am. Guests receive a colorful custom-made gift designed by PopRally and DFA. Check out the PopRally page at MoMA.org for more information. This is gonna be ridiculously rad.

What other venue in the city can even come close to the Museum of Modern Art for throwing a shindig? None, unless there’s another glass atrium with a Formula One race car hanging from the wall. PopRally once again proves that if you get an invitation to a party at the MoMA, you say “yes” and “what time?” And oh yeah, the printmakers from Cannonball Press and Space 1026 were pretty cool as well.

Fred loves the lovers. So it comes as no surprise that Fred digs Valentines Day in a major way. This Feb 14 Fred will be hanging out at PopRally, the MoMA event that brings underground art to the hip young kids of New York. This installment features Brooklyn printmaking house Cannonball Press and the merry tricksters of the Philadephia-based art collective Space 1026 (pictured). Following presentations by the artists, Gretchen Wagner, Curatorial Assistant in MoMA’s Department of Prints & Illustrated Books, moderates a discussion about the artists’ work, printmaking, collaborations, and more. A cocktail reception follows the event, and you know Fred never fumbles on a reception. He’ll be there cooling with the crowd all night long. Click here for more details.

So Fred is cooling out on the VIP deck at the AT&T, a tournament rich in tradition. It was first put on in 1937; Bing Crosby hosted the Championship at Rancho Sante Fe, California. Sam Snead won the tournament that year – first place check: 500 buckaroonis. At Pebble since 1947, celebs and pros play together in this highly-touted Pro-Am. From Huey Lewis to Ray Romano to Don Cheadle. From Jon Daly to Greg Norman to Phil Mickelson to Tiger [Nope, not here, hasn’t been for the past 5 years] - kinda bummed. Bill Murray, a mainstay at this event, is in Ireland filming for a video game; Ghostbusters. In the video game, you’ll play a new recruit in Ghostbusters International [GBI], and just as you get started with GBI an ancient evil descends upon NYC and a few familiar faces show as back up [says IMDB]. Bill got to protect the franchise! Game sounds lame. Anyway, more to come each day on the unfolding of this historic tournament.