How I Got My Tan - Part 1

I left home this morning at 9 a.m. and returned at 11 p.m. with a brand new haircut and tan. My boyfriend wondered if I was cheating on him. I had started the day with a screening of Moon- an intriguing portrait of a man trapped on the moon while he completed a three-year contract with a solar energy firm. Sam Rockwell pulled off a brilliant Tom Hanks ala Castaway impersonation but added a sci-fi twist to it. After, I clawed my way through the intense Park Avenue traffic to the middle of Main and the Harry O's complex where the Rock Band Lounge was in full swing. Not real rock bands there but Rock Band- the game- stood center stage; the one I sucked at during a Best Buy demo this Xmas when I tried to follow along on the electronic drums and some 8-year-old stepped up and schooled me. I’m no musician and after about a month of Rock Band’s competitor, Guitar Hero (and a strained shoulder), I knew this wasn't my kind of game. Still, it was fun watching others have fun as they rocked on fake instruments singing and pretend strumming/beating to the songs on the TV screen behind them (and on the monitors in front).
The Lounge, formally The Marquee, was noticeably low key this year. Was it hard to find sponsors? I asked one of the coordinators of this gifting suite. "Impossible," she answered, shaking her head. The economy had forced corporations to back out of deals and bail on the Festival. There was plenty of room now to maneuver among the companies present and time to spend with each representative.
First, I was marched over to KangaROOS (http://www.kangaroosusa.com/) where they were gifting to men, the Walter Payton Limited Edition basketball shoe. The retro shoe company that faded into obscurity in the mid 80s is back with side pocket and all, and using Sundance to help relaunch their US line. I snagged a pair of Tort 2 distressed velvet mid-cut shoes with Velcro closures that looked like a classic black Hollywood bootie.
Lia Sophia (http://http://www.liasophia.com/), the home-based jewelry business, returned to showcase their 2009 Cape Town Collection of animal prints and mixed metals. Tt Mates (http://http://www.ttcollection.com/) had a handy product- Supima cotton undergarments (camis and leggings), oh so soft and perfect for chilly days and nights. I reached out and bagged a yummy smelling Ecoya sweet pea and jasmine soy candle as I walked over to graphic artist Omar Vega and his line of new T-shirts called No Love Lost (http://www.fuckthatbuythis.com/). He aims to create works of art on his shirts so the public can view what the artist's perceives. Essentially, he's taking the art and political thought out of the galleries and putting it on our chests to reflect what's on the minds of today's "forward thinking" people. I pounded a bottle of low-cal Muscle Milk Shake before I hurried out and headed to the Hollywood Life House. The suites typically close by 6 p.m. It was 5 p.m.

More on how I got my tan in the next report...

Three Fests in One

The way I see it, Sundance is really three festivals. There's the film part. You go up to Park City, have a movie marathon until your butt can take no more, then you take a couple of pain killers and keep watching. With screenings from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. you can be scheduled out the entire time. There's the party part. This is not an all day thing but rather an all night thing starting at around 4 p.m. each day. Every movie has its premiere party; every production company like IndieVest hosts a party, often, companies like Kenneth Cole, Gen Art, and Vitamin Water do it up big- usually at private homes where they can go till 3 a.m., take some painkillers and keep partying. Hence, you are wasted for any of the daytime activities; and then there is the gifting part. An all day traipse up and down Main Street, hauling paper or eco-friendly sacs a forearm thick.
Sundance organizers frown on gifting as they see it disrupting the creative process and turning their event into something of a corporate commercial enterprise. Plus, those doing the gifting are outside the sponsor realm. Marketing firms set up "houses", "lounges" and "suites" around Park City and rent out booth space to boutique companies, promising their products exposure from A++ celebrities and media attending Sundance yet they don't give any money back to support the Festival itself. Plus, they're terribly exclusive and off-putting to the average festival goer.As I sat next to Jeff Best at the MySpace Cafe in the Village at Sundance, I heard him lament about the transformation of his brainchild. Best Events took the Town Lift project and turned it into a mini Hollywood gifting village for four years, dubbing it the Village at the Lift. After the same number of years of contention with festival organizers, Best caved for the greater good. After all, his number one plan all along was to show support for the film industry and if it helps everyone get along, he's willing to play nice. But while we sat munching on scrumptious cheeseburgers (better than you would get if you paid for it at the actual restaurant taken over by MySpace for seven days), and the paparazzi angled for a better shot of Paris Hilton in the booth behind us, he dropped his head and spoke about the financial hit he took. "I had sponsors in line for this year but when I told them they also had to be official Sundance sponsors as well (and pay the official pricetag and no gifting allowed) they backed out," he said. It's often too much money to go mainstream with not as much promise for celebrity exposure.They found other places to go- Fred Segal, one of the VAL's anchor 'stores', joined the Village at the Yard on Kearns Blvd. for five days of gifting products you typically see in their store- Retro Brand with their vintage sports team and college logo T-shirts, skate and urbanwear by Hurley, George, Gina and Lucy eccentric yet chic handbags, Undun eco-denim, Nightcap primo cottonwear. K-Swiss shoes and more. The Yard also started their own café courtesy of T-Mobile. Nickelodeon nabbed some first-class acreage across from Fred Segal to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of SpongeBob Squarepants and next door to them was drugstore.com, gifting travel essentials like bronzer, shampoo, Advil, Alka-Seltzer and Chapstick. Living Proof showcased a line of no-frizz hair products by having stylists blow and style your do. I had a brief conversation with Eliza Dushku (star of the new series Dollhouse) about snowboarding in Utah while they primped her for her movie premiere. She says she'll be skiing from now on as she's not too keen on pain. The conversation started because she noticed my luscious Scope Zip Hoody from Oakley and said she picked out the exact same one at the Oakley House during their Learn-To-Ride event over the weekend. Yep. I was there.
Oakley organizes these Learn-To days for celebs and VIPs who want to learn a sport from snowboarding to motocross without the hassle of going through the public process. It's an intimate setting with Oakley products and athletes and a one-on-one introduction to both to ensure they have a positive experience.
Singer/songwriter Kelly James escorted me onto the bunny run at Park City Mountain Resort for an unofficial snowboard lesson. He was a sweet guy; extremely patient. He spent a few runs with me and then kicked me out of the nest. Luckily, I had already had time (last year) with a 'real' instructor at Brian Head and the few great tips Kelly gave me made sense. I felt sorry for Eliza as she should have had a professional instructor first and not a professional boarder. Those who 'can', can’t necessarily teach. But whether we could ride, we sure did look good.
Oakley's gifting centered around the Gretchen Bleiler signature line of women’s snowboard apparel. The line, designed by the 2006 Olympic Silver medalist and S Games champ rocks. It fits flatteringly well, the colors pop, and the details make sense for the most part (except that I wasn't wild about the giant belt and buckle at the bottom of one of the jacket styles). Even her signature goggles sit well on the smaller frame of a woman's face.
Beyond the Oakley House (which was located way off Main in Park Meadows), some of the usual suspects still turned up on Main.
In order to try to get a little taste of all that is Sundance, I find myself like a chicken with its head cut off; running in all directions, not sure where to go next and just missing someplace I 'should have been.' The horrific traffic doesn't help. The police have blocked off Heber Avenue so there's no way to get from Park Avenue to Deer Valley Drive without heading up Main Street.

(Look, Ma, I'm snowboarding thanks to Oakley)

Coming down Swede Alley or Deer Valley Drive is the nightmare-especially if it's past four.

Avoid, avoid, avoid driving in Park City right now and park and ride the bus. You also need to get creative. I went into the Yarrow and was able to find a hotel guest who gave me his parking pass. Another girl I met, whipped out a handicap pass and her cane for VIP parking. A taxi driver picked me up after I stuck out my thumb. I got in when he said he was going my way and wouldn't charge me. Turns out he and his son are driving for his friend's cab business and pulling in $400 a day. Next year, I'm coming back as a cabbie!
I've set small goals for myself. Two suites a day, one movie a day and one party a night. So far so good. And lucky me, each movie has been noteworthy- Moon, Humpday, Max and Mary, September Issue and Adam. Both Moon and September Issue had been flukes. I showed up at the theater expecting different films but they had been switched last minute. September Issue about the making of Vogue's Fall Issue impressed me with its storytelling, infusing warmth into Editor Anna Wilson a compact woman with a cold as ice reputation. Moon, with Sam Rockwell, was supposed to be Castaway in space but instead turned out to be a compelling sci fi tale about a man whose last weeks on the moon turn into a nightmare of diabolical discoveries and thoughts on the humanity of man and machine. There's more to tell but I must get some sleep.

FYI, the major push for the Fest is over now and though the coming weekend will bring another rush of celebrities, it'll be nothing like it was last weekend. Now's the ideal time to see a movie (lots of tickets are still available) or get into a party. Chat chat chat. That's how. We went to a party for "Carmo, Hit the Road" Monday night and a woman handed us invites to the closing party at the Queer Lounge on Wednesday. Earlier, I ran into an old friend from my Deer Valley teaching days who promised to get us into the Kodak party Tuesday night. The parties are last on my to-do list but may be first on yours. If so, get some sleep, dress warm and hit the pavement by 4 p.m. for the intel.

Breakfast at Sundance

I'm going to make this quick as I'm about to get the boot from the T-Mobile Diner at the Village at the Yard (on Kearns). Apparently, they're hosting a VIP luncheon for the filmmakers of the Killing Road. I'm not on the list. Go figure. lol. Breakfast was a lot of fun- texting my drink order via the new G1 phone and slamming down eggs and taters next to Kevin Sorbo and his gorgeous little girl. I'm bringing Sage in for sure. She would love the scene around here. Especially the Sponge Bob corner. On Sunday the cast is doing a live reading of one of the SB episodes. Talk about bedtime stories!
Well it's off to my first round of gifting. Wish me luck! BTW, I was right about the more casual atmosphere this year at Sundance. I dig it. Even the check in girls for the Village from BWR public relations were sweet and attentive. NO attitudes. Very refreshing!

Sundance. Bring it!

Mary and Max

Live in Livs

I headed to the New Frontier on Main at noon today with the promise of a 'luncheon' and a ticket to the Fest's Opening Press Conference. We journalists love our free food and the promise of easy entry into the party. The lunch consisted of sandwiches slathered with dressing so I opted for a tiny cup of squash soup and half a brownie- enough to take the edge off while I canvassed the underground venue at the top of Main Street. The space under the Main Street Mall has been transformed into an underground techno nightclub looking place with performance-art-meets-the-web exhibits. It's free and open to the public so you should definitely stop in. There were journalists from every corner of the world sneaking bites in between note-taking. You could feel the buzz as we anticipated the Fest's kick off. How eventful will the next 10 days be? Will the celebs come? Will no-name films sell for millions? Who will create the wake Paris Hilton used to at the parties? Will there be big parties during this celebration of American independent film?

Most of them were friendly; a little reserved, maybe, but willing to mingle after a bit. As I scooped ice into a glass, I turned to see Sean Means, a local film critic from the Salt Lake Tribune. He gave me a quick nod before gazing down to my pass. Guess his Express Pass trumps my General Press Pass and he quickly backed away, afraid he might catch what I have. It's funny how some press actually think theyre more important than the subjects they cover. Or maybe I intimidate him. Yeah. That's it. But I'm not the one who stands up in front of a crowded theater and yells for everyone to use library voices because "some of us have to work here." We're all just doing our jobs and I'm sorry, reviewing films is not the same as solving the world's economic crisis or inventing the next Facebook. It's simply a fun, cool way to make a living.

Whoa Is Parking

15 minutes until the Opening Conference across the street at the Egyptian. The clock was ticking. I had hustled up to Main thinking to grab a vacant spot on the street when I saw the no parking signs everywhere. Both sides of Main are loading only and lower Main is pedestrian only. Sure, you can park in a lot on Swede Alley -if you can find a spot and are willing to pay $20. Luckily, the Wasatch Brew Pub lot was still the normal $1/hr today (Thursday) so I slimed in. Tomorrow, when the Fest hits third gear, it'll be a different story. You probably shouldn't try to get creative this year with your parking. The City needs revenue so they'll be out for parking ticket and towing blood. Best bets are to park in the City Park or ski resort lots and ride the bus to Main. Hitching is also an option, and you get to meet some pretty cool people along the way. If you're coming up from Salt Lake, don't even bother treading past Redstone. Park in the Park n' Ride near the Olympic Park and catch the free Express Bus.Today's calm makes you wonder whether turmoil will ensue or we're over-estimating the sitch. What I mean is, maybe it won't be crowded this year. Maybe the economy, Prop. 8, the brilliant sunshine baking what little snow we have will keep the east and west coast hoards at bay. Someone asked Robert Redford at the conference about the economic climate and its effect on Sundance. "Art will always find a way," he said prophetically. Geoffrey Gilmore, the event's director said that ticket sales were ahead by substantial numbers and that they were pleased with the sponsor dollars they've received. "We're weathering the crisis," he added. The times certainly didn't stymie filmmakers. A total of 118 features (chosen from 3,661 submissions) will screen over the next 10 days.

Sundance's "Housing" Market
Rumors, on the other hand, speak to a lower volume of film sales in 2009. Variety Magazine predicts that film acquisitions will fall below last year's $15 million mark and that was significantly lower than the $45 million spent on independent films at the 2007 festival. Walking Main Street today, there also looks to be quieter times for what Sundance organizers call 'ambush marketers '. "In recent years, Sundance Film Festival has been overwhelmed by organizations without an official relationship to us who target festival attendees with their swag houses, lounges and nightclubs," said Sarah Pearce, Director of Festival Operations, Sundance Film Festival. Sundance nabbed a prime location once called The Village at the Lift on Lower Main Street and turned it into "The Sundance Lift". The area will provide space for press junkets and filmmaker events, free from gifting suites and other non-film-related activity. "Our hope is that it will send a message to those hangers-on who do not support the Festival," said Pearce. With VAL gone, that leaves The Village at the Yard (Anderson Lumber's space on Kearns Blvd.), the Style Lounge, The Hollywood Life House, Moving Pictures Magazine Media Lounge, House of Hype, Sephora Lounge, Gibson Lounge, and the Rock Band Lounge. About half the players of last year.

But those gifting suites are so cool! How else would I stay 'up' on the latest rocker fashions and hip gear? Certainly not by living in Park City where 'dressy' means 'no jeans.' Those suites happen all the time at Hollywood events like the Golden Globes and Academy Awards; even at the Superbowl and the X Games. I understand that Sundance is meant to be free of issues like the bottomline but those of us fashion don'ts like to see what walks our streets of Utah in January. I poked my head into the House of Hype today on an invite to visit their sponsors. Livs (livs.biz), the original crochet boot that UGG apparently blatantly copied, was in full gifting mode and I picked up a pair of cute and extremely comfortable pink boots with buttons down the middle. Even with the 'venting', my feet stayed warm and dry outdoors. I kind of felt like I was cheating though by wearing slippers as shoes- that's how cush they feel. I met with members of the Philadelphia Film Commission in the back room. About six films at the Fest were shot in Philly, they figured this would be a good year to draw more attention to their location. True Philly cheese steak sandwiches will be flown in for VIPs Friday- Sunday. Downstairs, I checked out WiiMusic, Wii's version of Rock Band without the instruments but with the hand controllers, and was handed a hat designed by a woman with a boutique company called Contraband (mycontraband.com). She had been to Sundance as a guest before and decided to make hats and tanktops for the rocker market. Upstairs, I snagged a seated massage and had the girl work in some Nivea lotion. Our dry air brutalizes my hands. Nivea and its brother Aquaphor are in the House showcasing their products; perfect for our climate. One, a new body firming gel called Silhouette, I can't wait to try.I thanked everyone for their hospitality, grabbed a cup of Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf coffee imported from L.A. and headed over to the Yarrow for the opening night film. Mary and Max was a somewhat warped, funny and sad tale of a 44-year-old, obese New York Jew with Aspberger's Syndrome who befriends an 8-year-old penpal in Australia. Done entirely in claymation animation, this is no Disney film. Not even close. Mimes die from falling air conditioners, gold fish get toasted in a toaster, moms drink embalming fluid and Max farts. Still, the message of friendship and acceptance in a bleak judgmental world will touch many hearts and the painstaking craft of animating this 92-minute feature won't fail to astound audiences.

It's late and I'm back at it again tomorrow. Did I mention that I saw the members of Hoobastank as I left the House of Hype? Bet they're playing in town somewhere this week. Later!

Sundance Is Coming

OMFG. I just break through the holidays only to realize that the Sundance Film Festival, The SIA Show and The OR Show are about to wrestle me to the mat. ARGGGGGHHHH! I just got over the most evil cold. Congestion, chest cough, drippy nose. Then I wind up with food poisoning from the chicken tortilla soup at Loco Lizard, recover the next day only to drive to Jackson Hole for the week. When will it end? Some of you will probably offer no sympathy. After all, why should I whine from skiing 8 days of the last 10? There are worst things to happen to a person. But friends, family, super cold weather and burning the candle at the ends and in the middle destroy your psyche no matter whether you're playing or working. Plus, I was doing both. Skiing by day, writing by night. and worse- by morning. Sometimes I would finish at 3 a.m., crawl into bed only to wake at 8 to head to the resort. I paid for that and now I'm terrified of a repeat performance. Sigh. A high has set in, causing zero new snow and warm temps. Good news for Sudnance attendees; bad news for locals hungry for more pow. Like a vampire that ha smelled fresh blood, we're ready to ravage.
I will say, though, the economic times have taken their toll. Sundance starts Thursday and all is a bit too calm in town. Where anticipation should be building along with traffic, tonight felt like any other. Traffic into town was manageable, restaurants had seating and I had no trouble finding parking on Main. We'll see if that changes in a day. If you've always wanted to attend Sundance, this may be the year. I hear many of the shows still have tickets available, there are vacancies everywhere (especially after Jan. 20) and deep deep discounts as renters struggle to get at least something for their condos.
Chnaging the subject, Sage just came back from checking out pre-schools at the PC Moms preschool fair. I can't believe she's ready for something formal but by next August she'll be three and that's the time- supposedly. Man, I'm not looking forward to shelling out that kind of cash. But it's for a good cause we tell ourselves. The place I'd really love to enroll her wants $1100/mo! That's about as much as I make in an average month. Makes you seriously consider home-schooling. Perhaps I'd make more once she's in school full-time and then cost would even out. Hmmm. For now, she's a bright young sprite with a zen for fishies, butterflies, hearts, Finding Nemo and Cars, and realityTV dance shows. She loves bread with peanut butter, eggs (scrambled and hardboiled), graham crackers, bananas, baths and putting diapers on all of her stuffed animals. She wears jeans and dresses equally but demands her Roonwear 'face' socks; and at night she insists we turn on her starlight globe (purhcased for .50 at a yard sale last summer) before we kiss her goodnight and shut her door. She still sleeps until 9 or 10 am and takes 2-3 hour naps inthe afternoon- hate me yet? :)