[Dallas,TX – October 5th]
(Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
Just Announced today Spike Lee is the next grand marshal of the New York City Marathon.
“It’s gonna be a great day in my life,” Lee said in an interview about his new title, to be announced by race officials later Monday. “All those runners, coming from all over the world to New York? It’s gonna be a fun time.”
Lee, 58, is known as one of his hometown’s great boosters, and so it’s apt that he becomes the first New Yorker to get the title of grand marshal.
“When we looked at having a grand marshal for this year’s TCS New York City Marathon, we envisioned someone the world would immediately recognize as a sports enthusiast and quintessential New Yorker, and Spike was the perfect fit,” said Michael Capiraso, president and CEO of the New York Road Runners, in a statement.
Lee professes to having no idea why he was chosen for the honor, but notes he’s a lifelong fan of the race, which takes place this year on Nov. 1.
An added bonus for Lee: The race goes through the Fort Greene neighborhood in Brooklyn, where he grew up, and where his film company’s office is now.
It’s been a big year for Lee. In August, it was announced he’d be getting an honorary Oscar at the academy’s Governors Awards on Nov. 14. He’s a two-time nominee but has never won, and he has freely criticized the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the past for what he’s seen as a lack of diversity in the awards. He’ll be the youngest recipient of an honorary Oscar, which is tantamount to a lifetime achievement award.
Lee is certainly having an eventful end to 2015. In addition to the marathon and the Oscar presentation in November, he’s working toward an end-of-year release of his new film, “Chiraq.”
“We’re looking forward to ending the year with a bang,” he said.
Source : AP EXCHANGE
