cannes – Downtown Magazine

For many dancers, the dream is to be a Rockette at Radio City Music Hall. In the case of Keltie Knight, being a Radio City Rockette for six seasons was only the beginning of an illustrious career. Since 2012, Keltie has been an anchor for the syndicated CBS show The Insider. Keltie’s Insider duties regularly have her covering events all over the world, working the red carpets at the Grammys, the Primetime Emmys, the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, the People’s Choice Awards, and Cannes alike. Her bubbly and fun personality has also been seen in Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! and as part of the 2016 Miss USA Pageant.

This Thursday, Keltie returns to host the Thanksgiving Day Parade Live On CBS alongside Kevin Frazier of Entertainment Tonight. Keltie spoke to Downtown about what is to be expected from this year’s parade, which will include performances by Sting and Miranda Lambert. The parade is also set to feature appearances by the casts of the Broadway musicals The Color Purple, On Your Feet! and School Of Rock.

Keltie Knight can be visited online at www.keltieknight.com. She can also be followed on Instagram and Twitter, where she is known to post fun multimedia content.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKUtO9N4OSY

You started off as a dancer. Now, you’re a TV host. How exactly did that transition happen?

Keltie Knight: Much to my teachers and choreographers’ disdain, I was the loudest, chattiest and craziest dancer ever. When social media began, I was obsessed with sharing my behind-the-scenes experiences working with huge stars like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé with my followers, and I usually got in trouble. I started a blog so people could follow my journey and it got so big that eventually the TV world took notice. There are bruises, major rejections, and some pretty epic hairstyles in between those 10 years, but here I am!

Looking back, is there a highlight from your dancing career?

KK: Taking my first little tap step on stage as a Radio City Rockette. A lifelong dream for me.

Was it always the goal to doing what you are doing now?

KK: I’ve always been a performer and I’m naturally very curious. I couldn’t have dreamed a dream THIS big, so I’m honestly shocked and still have to pinch myself daily.

How did the opportunity to host this year’s Thanksgiving Parade come about?

KK: Speaking of shock, I was totally shocked when CBS asked me last year, I am friends in real life with the longtime host Kevin Frazier, and we’ve always had amazing, natural chemistry. Last year was the highlight of my year, and to be asked back again was the ultimate compliment. Also, my husband HATES to be in front of the camera, and at the end of the parade we bring out our families, so I am really excited to see him turn all red and shy again this year!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9DAWbT6t74

Any idea who will be performing at this year’s parade? Anyone you’re especially excited to see?

KK: Well, we have Sting and Miranda Lambert— no big deal. (laughs) The fact that these major superstars want to spend their Thanksgiving with us is incredible. Do you think I can ask for an autograph? (laughs)

You’ve been part of The Insider for almost five years. What is a typical production day like for you?

KK: I wake up at 4:30 AM and head to the studio, do hair and makeup and look through the show. We film starting at 7:00 AM, and I’m usually out the door by 11:00 AM to run around Los Angeles to do various interviews. In the evenings I am often at Red Carpets, or screening upcoming movies. I work VERY hard. There is an incredible amount of research and preparation to do. I also am on a first-name basis with all the American Airlines flight attendants because I spend half of my life on the airplane to New York and back.

Do you have to travel a lot for the job?

KK: I have almost one million miles THIS YEAR alone. That girl yelling into her phone, running through the airport in sneakers — it’s me! Side note, can we all please sit down until our boarding zone is called? We are just boarding a plane, it’s not The Hunger Games, everyone!

What is your favorite part of working on The Insider?

KK: I would be lying if I didn’t say I really enjoy wearing the fancy gowns and borrowed diamonds! But, beside the material things, being in places like Cannes, France with George freakin’ Clooney one on one, knowing I am having a once in a lifetime experience, is what keeps me going.

Is there anyone you haven’t yet interviewed but still hope to?

KK: My two bucket list items: covering Paris Fashion Week, and Michelle Obama!

Do you have any upcoming projects besides The Insider and hosting the upcoming parade?

KK: Yes! This year I co-created a podcast called LadyGang with actress Becca Tobin and fashion designer Jac Vanek. We are almost one-year old, and the response has been incredible. We have launched our site www.theladygang.com, and LadyGang Emojis, and a LadyGang subscription box- trying my hand at multimedia mogul. P.S. I need a nap!

When not busy with your career, how do you like to spend your free time?

KK: My ideal day off is waking up for a late brunch with my husband, a massage, cuddling with my doggie and then watching extended marathons of Fixer Upper on HGTV.

Do you have a favorite restaurant in New York?

KK: My 100% fav in the WORLD: Paesanos in Little Italy. I’ll be eating my Thanksgiving dinner there this year with friends. It’s so small, cozy and the best food in New York City.

What about a favorite neighborhood?

KK: I’m really partial to Greenwich Village in Manhattan, because that’s where I lived in New York City. It was before it was as fancy as it is now, and I have tons of memories of spending my last $100 on BINGO night at Tortilla Flats drinking margaritas. There is so much magic in that area of the city. If you want a kick, read A Freewheelin’ Time by Suze Rotolo. She shared her time being Bob Dylan’s muse in the Village in the 1960’s — you’ll never see that area the same.

Finally, Keltie, any last words for the kids?

KK: It’s certainly a time of uncertainty and change, but I would want them to know that your life truly is what you make it. I have a Gwyneth Paltrow quote on my office wall that says “give yourself permission to be everything.” We have to work hard to make our dreams come true, and fight hard for what we think is right. Don’t give up the first time a door slams in your face, or the tenth time things don’t go the way you thought they would.

As a media-oriented city, there is no shortage of film festivals in New York City. However, there are limited opportunities to watch great movies in a relaxed outdoor setting. For nearly a decade, the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, FACE Foundation and the New York City Department Of Parks & Recreation have been collaborating to present Films On The Green. A free outdoor French film festival in New York City parks, the series is free and open to the public, with most of this year’s events running in June and July.

The next Films On The Green event will be a screening of Cleo From 5 To 7 by Agnès Varda at Tompkins Square Park on Jul. 22. Following that, Boyfriends And Girlfriends by Eric Rohmer will show at Tompkins Square Park on Jul. 29. The last 2016 event from the series will be Girlhood by Céline Sciamma, as playing at Columbia University on Sep. 8. Not only is there a 2017 lineup in the works for New York City, but the Films On The series is also thriving in Miami, Boston and Chicago.

To learn more about Films On The Green, Downtown caught up with Bénédicte de Montlaur. As Cultural Counselor of The French Embassy in the United States, Bénédicte de Montlaur helps facilitate French-American cultural relations and support French universities and arts, literature and education organizations within the States. Prior to her involvement with the French Embassy, she had worked as part of the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York. The very-talented Bénédicte speaks four languages fluently and has run the New York City Marathon.

More information on Films On The Green can be found on the French Embassy’s website, the FACE Foundation’s website, and also on the series’ Facebook page.

How would you describe Films On The Green to someone who hasn’t yet attended it?

Bénédicte de Montlaur: Films On The Green is one of the Cultural Services’ most exciting summer events. It’s a free, annual film festival in New York City parks that screens classic and contemporary French films to a community of francophiles and film lovers. Screenings take place every Friday night and DJs from NYU and Hunter College play tunes before screenings. People of all ages attend and bring picnic blankets and food. The atmosphere is lively and fun. You arrive and suddenly a theater seems to pop up before your eyes, in the middle of the grass!

Who picks the films that are shown? Are there criteria for what is shown?

BDM: Throughout the fall and winter, the Film Department at the Cultural Services of the French Embassy spends months brainstorming, in close communication with our partner at NYC Parks, to define a curated list of 10 French and Francophone films that all fit together around a central theme. We try to showcase both newer and established talents, rare films that you would never find in theaters, and a diverse selection of actors and directors with different backgrounds and styles.

Each year, Films On The Green takes us on a cinematic voyage. Last year we invited viewers to travel around the Mediterranean Sea, from the French Riviera to Lebanon and Tunisia. This year, Films On The Green is part of the first ever Paris-New York Tandem 2016, a five-month-long cultural exchange between the two cities that began in June and aims to bring the cultural richness and diversity of Paris to New York and vice versa. Thus, we’ve taken our viewers this year through the streets of Paris, from iconic areas like the Champs-Élysées to the less represented outer suburbs with the theme, A Summer In Paris. We wanted our selection to capture Paris’ urban development and its transformation across decades.

What’s been your favorite film shown in this year’s series?

BDM: One of my favorites is Girlhood, a film by Céline Sciamma that was the Directors’ Fortnight section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. It’s a really powerful coming-of-age drama that portrays a group of African-French teenagers growing up in Parisian suburbs and struggling to reconcile their lives in the projects with their experiences in central Paris. I love that it was made by a female director, since women are still — to this day — underrepresented in the sphere of film directors. I also love that it captures the diversity of Paris and reveals a side of the city that might not immediately come to mind for an American audience. Girlhood will be screened outdoors at Columbia University on Sep. 8.

A still from "Boyfriends & Girlfriends" — A still from “Boyfriends & Girlfriends”

What’s ahead for the series? Will it be back next summer?

BDM: Absolutely! Films On The Green is here to stay. We’ll be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the festival in 2017. We’re very happy with how it’s grown over the past several years. There are off-shoots cropping up all over the country near our other Cultural Services locations — there’s Films On The Beach in Miami, screenings on campuses in Boston, and this year in Chicago, we’ve even started Films On The Lake!

Are there any other New York City events coming up in the near future from the Cultural Services of the French Embassy?

BDM: Starting in late September, we’ll be launching an exhibition of Franco-Belgian comics at Cooper Union in partnership with the French Comics Association, which includes major French publishers such as Casterman, Dargaud, Delcourt, Gallimard BD, Rue de Sèvres and more. There will be comics-related events all around the city featuring major players of the comics world, plus we’ll have a presence at NY Comic Con. Keep an eye on FrenchCulture.org for more details.

We recently launched a brand new year-long program aimed at engaging young audiences called Kids Trail. We think it’s essential to expose kids to art as early as possible. It creates such a positive impact on their lives and education. Two shows will be presented by renowned French companies in October at the Brooklyn Academy Of Music in the framework of Kids Trail—Monchichi by Wang & Ramirez and Minuit by Yoann Bourgeois.

Finally, when you’re not busy with work, how do you like to spend your free time?

BDM: I’ve been Cultural Counselor of the French Embassy here in New York for just over a year and it’s been amazing to have the chance to engage deeply with culture through the Embassy’s projects. Before coming to New York, I worked as a political negotiator and counselor in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. As a career diplomat, I adore that work, but this new focus on culture has been fun to explore as well.

I especially love reading. I recently read Just Kids by Patti Smith, which I recommend to everyone. I also love running, traveling, and most of all, spending time with my husband and seven-month-old daughter, Marguerite, who was born right after Christmas here in New York. So she is officially more of a New Yorker than I am!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYeZsW267P8