Mike on the Mic

You have a problem running an event when Mayor Mike is your most charismatic speaker. Such was the case at the opening press conference of the Tribeca Film Festival where he joined festival co-founders Bobby De Niro, Charlie Gargano and others to try out a few zingers, as witnessed by our Jake Brooks.

"This has been an exciting twenty-four hours for me. Last night I was introduced by Elizabeth Hurley," said the mayor, who looked tan—either because of the theater lights or all that time spent playing golf in the Caribbean—in a pink shirt and light purple tie. "Today, it's Robert De Niro." He then added with a mischievous grin, that he has to be nice to Mr. De Niro to get "a last-minute reservation at Nobu," which De Niro, in part, owns.

He also quipped that film commissioner Katherine Oliver had "worked [Kofi Annan] over" to let Sydney Pollack shoot The Interpreter at the U.N. "Nobody stands in Katherine Oliver's way," he said. When a reporter asked why it had taken so long to create a festival of TFF's stature, Mike responded, "Well, I wasn't mayor before then. I'm not taking credit. I'm just stating a fact." Bobby D stood there and laughed.