(Photo borrowed from Downtown Express)

While the film buffs are taking in the cinema, the less cultured are hatching plans to encounter as many celebrities as possible during the Tribeca Film Festival, which began on Wednesday and runs through Sunday May 4th. And though the public screening dates and locations are no secret, if you're looking for the scoop on what events will draw the celeb guests (i.e., what street corners to casually find yourself on), look no further. Here's your chance to snap a few pics of the beautiful people and live vicariously through those of us who were able to wrangle enough press clips to score a pass to the festival--and word to the wise, stick to admiring from afar, and don't even bother trying to finesse your way through the door if you're not supposed to be there.

Tribeca All Access Awards and Party
Tonight at Buddakan ... Arrivals begin at 7pm, and attendees will include Jesse L. Martin and Adam Beach (both of "Law & Order" fame), actress Joy Bryant, Damon Dash, actor Anthony Mackie, Jaime Hector ("The Wire") and more.

"Bart Got a Room" Premiere After-Party at Tenjune
As if Tenjune wasn't hard enough to get into on a Friday night, at 8pm tonight the MePa hot spot transforms into the Cadillac Lounge to host the "Bart Got a Room" after-party. There's lots of buzz about this little charmer, which stars William H. Macy and Cheryl Hines, both of whom are expected to attend the party. (If you're too excited to wait 'til 8pm, you could race over the AMC theater at 19th and Broadway to catch the red carpet arrivals for the screening at 5:20pm, but let's be honest, Macy and Hines are no Brangelina.)

"SqueezeBox!" Red Carpet Premiere and After-Party
The film debuts tonight at Tishman/ New School (66 W 12th Street between 5th and 6th), and at 8:20pm, celebs like John Waters, Debbie Harry, Jesse Malin and Patricia Field will begin to arrive. There's also an after-party later on at the Blender Theater at Gramercy.

Shorts: "Cold Feet" Red Carpet Premiere
Head to the AMC Village 7 (66 3rd Avenue at 11th Street) at 10pm to catch a glimpse of Matthew Modine and Rider Strong--yes, the same one who played Cory Mathhews' best friend on "Boy Meets World"--who was also in attendance at Wednesday night's "Big Mama" fete at the MoMa.

"Hotel Gramercy Park" and "Savage Grace" Red Carpet Premieres
Hotel aficionado Ian Schrager will be on hand at the Village East Cinemas (181 2nd Avenue at 12th Street) on Saturday, April 26 at around 6pm. (But don't bother asking him why you can't get into Rose Bar. Anyone who would ask that doesn't deserve to get in.) Later, "Savage Grace" director Tom Kalin and actress Julianne Moore will walk the red carpet at BMCC/ TPAC (199 Chambers Street), circa 8:45pm.

Mariah Carey and a Bunch of Other People at Tenjune
Technically tomorrow night's event at the Cadillac Lounge at Tenjune is an after-party for the premiere of "Tennessee," but somehow I think no one on the stalkerazzi circuit is as interested in that as in the fact that Mariah Carey, who is in the movie, will be there. Doors at 8pm.

That should be enough to keep you occupied 'til next week, when we'll be back with more  from the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival trenches.

Meet Mickey "MeMpHiTz" Wright, Vice President of Jive A&R, the new face of P. Diddy's latest Sean John ad campaign, and the man responsible for signing T-Pain, J-Kwon and other superstars to the Jive label. With so much on his plate, 2008 is shaping up to be a year of big things for the young record exec, so when we were approached about giving him the opportunity to reach our readers, we were happy to oblige. Read on for MeMpHiTz's list of his favorite spots to get his swagger on in NYC, in his own words ...

CLUBS

Corio
Last summer my boy Ant Rich did a weekly party at Corio (this is where I discovered DJ Love on the Run), and I never missed it. Those were some of my most memorable Summer ’07 nights! It’s the perfect place for a chill vibe with great music. Don’t let the small space fool you though; we got it popping in there! The running burlesque show in between DJ sets is legendary.

GoldBar
Besides the specialty drinks that get right quickly, the room is incredibly fly, the music is always upbeat, and the women dancing to the tunes are some of New York’s finest. Also, the décor is second to none as far as clubs go.

Soho House
The only place in New York where you can have glass of wine from an award-winning selection, order some food at the bar, take the food to a screening room and watch a pre-screening, then go to a rooftop for some more drinks and pool time. It’s a members only club, but Ant Rich (who is a founding member) always takes care of me. 

The Box
Anyone who knows Memphitz knows that I am a HUGE fan of outright outrageousness. The Box falls nothing short of that. The cabaret-style performance coupled with the exclusivity at the door makes for the type of nightlife experience you can only get in New York.

Love
Every Thursday I go to Love and watch Q-Tip, Kid Capri, DJ Premiere, and other legendary DJs put it down. They remind me of when I originally fell in love with hip-hop and why I got into this business in the first place.

Above: The graffitti-filled corridor that leads to Soho hot spot Upstairs--just one of the many places where I punished my liver this weekend

Welcome back to the perma-hell that is your 9:00 to 5:00--or, as the case may be, 10:00 to 6:00. OK, fine, 10:30 to 6:00--after another weekend, one that was likely filled with various acts of depraved indifference of the liquid kind. This weekend alone, my drinking problem (and my poor choice in friends) led me to hit up Phebe's, Bowery Electric, Bella's, Pastis, Upstairs, Boss Tweeds and Whiskey Ward. In at least one case (that I recall), I wound up behind the bar, pouring my own shots, before the night was over. 

But there is no amount of liquor in my apartment on God's green earth that could ever cause a blackout so severe that I'd forget any part of what I witnessed Sunday night at The Tank, where a friend of mine performed in a play called "Sherri Zahad and Her Arabian Knights." The Village Voice recently described the show--which runs every Sunday and Wednesday at 7pm until April 30th--thus:

The Middle East is a big topic in theater these days—but taking an unusually lighthearted approach in yet another desert-set play is Laboratory Theater, whose new piece, "Sherri Zahad and Her Arabian Knights," turns Sir Richard Francis Burton's translation of the "Arabian Nights" into a Vegas lounge act.

The whole spectacle pretty much defies all logic, and though I don't suspect my friend will appreciate it, I've posted several short video clips on YouTube; I figure it doesn't really do any further damage to post them here. He's the one wearing the miniature novelty monkey hat and the jockstrap (oh, and sometimes he's also wearing a blazer, but mostly, it's just the jockstrap). Here's one--click through to view all 9 clips.