Variety On the Town

Palm Springs Fest: He Said / She Said

At the Palm Springs Film Fest gala on Saturday, Bruce Willis noted the fact that the WGA was on strike and the gala was unscripted. “I’m making this up as I go along,” he said.  Some speakers came off better than others:

Jerry Weintraub, who received SAG Foundation’s award for being a patron of the arts had this groaner, “I really do believe I deserved this award because I’m a patron of Art’s Delicatessen in Studio City.”

“Hairspray’s” Nikki Blonsky said, “I want to thank John Travolta, the best mommy a girl could have.”

James Newton Howard: “I’ve reached this stage in my career where I get to work with great directors and sometimes even with great friends.”

Emile Hirsch, for whom Laura Linney adjusted the mic, said, “I’m always learning from her.”

Joe Wright who was clearly distracted by Dale Chihuly-designed glass award, held it up to his ear and said, “I can hear the ocean.”

Afterward host Mary Hart apologized to Chihuly, who was in the audience. “Dale, don’t take it personally.”

Norman Jewison: “All directors are paranoid.” And then presenting to Sean Penn added, “Besides being paranoid, he’s sensitive.”

John Singleton, who presented Halle Berry with her award, said, “She’s done some classics and she’s done some stinkers.”

A very pregnant Berry thanked him for referring to the latter and said, “I’m three times the girl I was. It was the first time I walked up the red carpet and didn’t need to hold in my stomach. It’s also the first time I sat at an awards dinner and ate the whole thing.”

(S. Dore)

Fest Springs Into Action

The Palm Springs International Film Festival kicked off last night with a screening of "Then She Found Me," helmed by Helen Hunt who also stars in the film alongside Colin Firth, Matthew Broderick and Bette Midler.  Hunt said she decided to direct the pic because, "I finally found a story I love so much I couldn't stand to give it to anyone else." Other stars expected this weekend in the desert include Daniel Day-Lewis, Halle Berry, Sean Penn and Emile Hirsch.

Clooney, Pitt catch festival fever

The reviews are in and the stars are out promoting their latest films in a fury of festivals.

At the Deauville Film Festival in France, Brad and Angelina are perfectly poised for the preem of "The Assassination of Jesse James", left, while George Clooney gets animated while pushing "Michael Clayton." All three thesps had just come from the Venice Film Festival a day earlier.

Meanwhile, at the Venice Film Fest, Bill Murray heads for cover while promoting the "Darjeeling Limited" and Charlize Theron's dress takes up three seats at the preem for "In the Valley of Elah."

Canucks Yuck It Up

The 25th annual "Just for Laughs" festival took place in Montreal over the weekend with Canadian William Shatner taking the stage Saturday night as well as comedians Billy Connolly and Eddie Izzard. During his routine at the Maisonneuve Theater, Connolly poked fun at airport security. "And how about that question at the airport as to whether you packed your own bag? Oh, I'm dying to say, Nooooo, some big Arab guy in the hotel did it. He was packing everyone's bag. His name was Mohamed something, and I think he was taking flying lessons." The Montreal's Gazette was kind enough to compile a list of the fest's best punchlines. Click here to read them.

Rockwell's Parenting Lessons

Sam Rockwell and young Jacob Kogan debuted their latest pic, "Joshua" at the LA Film Fest's centerpiece screening and reception Tuesday night.  Rockwell has said the movie, a psychological thriller about a young boy, has opened his eyes to the trials and tribulations of raising a child. "Parents should get a medal for a lot of the stuff they go through," he said. During the filming, it was up to director and dad George Ratliff to give Rockwell some parenting tips. "Any time I would have to pick up a baby, George would show me how to do it," said Rockwell. Also in attendance at last night's soiree was co-star Michael McKean along with producer Johnathan Dorfman and Fox Searchlight executive Peter Rice.

Hollywood Heads to Dallas

Dallas got a taste of Hollywood as the inaugural AFI Dallas International Film Festival rolled into town March 22 - April 1st.

The festivities kicked off on Thursday with a screening of "Music Within" and a presentation of the Dallas Star Awards handed out by Sydney Pollack to Lauren Bacall, Alan and Marilyn Bergman and Veronique Peck on behalf of her late husband, Gregory Peck. Guests then headed over to a fashionable soiree at Neiman Marcus. On Saturday night, at the Landmark Magnolia Theater, David Lynch, was on hand for a screening of his latest pic, "Inland Empire," which was followed by a Q&A with AFI Dallas CEO Michael Caine.

Other guests at the fest included: Bill Paxton, Chris Klein, Ron Livingston and AFI's Jean Firstenberg.

Hong Kong's Galas Galore

Monday's gala cocktail reception at the Convention + Exhibition Center in Hong Kong marked the official launch of the 31st Hong Kong Intl. Film Festival. Or maybe it was the official pre-launch. Or simply one of the official launches.

Even organizers can be forgiven if they're confused, because the umbrella title Entertainment Expo, which kicks off this week, encompasses nine simultaneous events, including the fest (which runs a mind-boggling 23 days), the four-day FilMart (a market that starts on Tuesday), the Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum, a music confab, an Asian film-finance powwow, etc.

The goal is to make Hong Kong the place to be, to establish its reputation as the center of the very hot Asian entertainment industry.

Monday's cocktail party gave plenty of evidence that the plan is working. The gathering of 300 people featured filmmakers, distributors, buyers and plenty of media members, with a multitude of languages being spoken indicating that the world is indeed keeping its eye on Asian showbiz. The event was held on a mezzanine at the convention center, with the guests huddled in an area next to the theater where "Eye in the Sky" was about to be screened.

The film's producer, Siu Ming Tsui, and director, Nai-Hoi Yau, spoke briefly to the crowd, and the horde of paparazzi went into high gear when the two were joined by the film's stars, Kate Tsui and Simon Yam, and Johnnie To, the director who served as co-producer of "Eye." The crowd then went into the screening and presumably went home to rest up for the endless parade of gala launches that will ensue this week.

Oh, and lest there be any confusion, Tuesday's Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong are not to be confused with the Hong Kong Film Awards, which are coming up in April. They are sure to be galas. (T. Gray)

Variety's 10 Directors to Watch

Variety's 10 Directors to Watch party in Sundance was scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Monday night. Judging from the crowds that lined up for entry at the dot of seven, that was not a moment too soon.

It was one of those nights that made you wish that the festival had a centralized social registry. Indiewire, Cinetic Media, William Morris Independent, ICM, BenderSpink and Netflix, among others, also chose this evening to get their Park City ya-yas out. Variety had consistency on its side -- we've had its 10 Directors party at Sundance for 10 years -- but there was some stiff blowout competition.

Variety publisher Charlie Koones, Heather Graham
and her "Adrift in Manhattan" helmer Alfredo de Villa

As it turned out, people behaved as if the only other thing angling for their attention was a "Murder, She Wrote" rerun. By 7:30, the ballroom was at capacity.

Part of the credit, to be fair, goes to the food; five flavors of macaroni and cheese and a dim sum bar go a long way toward luring festgoers who don't often get the opportunity to consume a full meal. However, in a Sundance party scene often ruled by corporate sponsorship, it's also one of the events reliably dominated by filmmakers (eight of the 10 DTW, "Zoo" director Robinson Devor), industry figures like Lakeshore Entertainment's David Dinerstein and Endeavor partner Phil Raskind, as well as actors John Cusack and Heather Graham.

"Grace is Gone" producer-star John Cusack,
who came out to support "Grace is Gone"
helmer and DTW James C. Strouse

By 9 p.m, the lights were on and people were still reluctant to head back down the mountain. "If it were five years ago," said helmer and party straggler Doug Liman, "this would be the kind of party that I'd be licking the back of my hand to get me and five of my friends in." (D. Harris, S. Swart)

Channeling van Gogh

Saturday night, actor-director Steve Buscemi and Sienna Miller were guests of honor at a small dinner to celebrate their Sundance Film Fesival entry "Interview," an English-language remake of a film by the late Dutch helmer Theo van Gogh. (He was killed in 2004 by a Muslim extremist.) Miller stars as a soap actress and Buscemi as a political journalist reluctantly assigned to profile her.

Addressing his collaborators, Buscemi said, “Theo set a high bar,” finishing his speech by picking up a cactus from the dinner table’s decor and kissing it. (Van Gogh, who also hosted talk show “Een Prettig Gesprek” (A Nice Chat), used to make his guests kiss a cactus after engaging in a prickly discussion.)

Katja Schuurman, the Dutch actress who had Miller's role in the original pic, initially thought the cacti had been deliberately chosen for the "Interview" event; actually, they were intended to underline sponsor Desert Essence body products. “Oh, it's a coincidence," she said.

“No, this is Theo, so it's definitely not a coincidence,” Buscemi said. The outspoken van Gogh, while no longer on earth, still made his presence known. (Sharon Swart)

Winds Whip Up Palm Springs FF

    Gale-force winds and chilly temps didn't dissuade hardy partiers during Palm Springs Film Fest's opening weekend. Last Friday evening House & Garden magazine sponsored a cocktail party at Frank Sinatra's onetime desert hacienda, complete with piano-shaped swimming pool and a cracked bathroom sink where Frank famously threw a champagne bottle at Ava Gardner. Guests including Variety's Peter Bart, New York Times film reporter and PS jury member Dave Kehr, fest honchos Darryl Macdonald and Earl Greenburg and House & Garden contributing editor and "tastemaker" Paul Fortune admired Frank's original stereo system as well as vintage copies of Daily Variety tastefully scattered on a coffee table.

Meanwhile, Saturday's awards gala -- like most kudos ceremonies -- weathered some longeurs, but a moment of drama ensued when an interloper was ejected from the men's room with trousers at half-mast.

Kate Winslet read a charming awards speech consisting of two letters to God -- one written when she was 12 and one contemporary. "Dear God, let me always wear corsets so that my boobs look big, and let me always want to be an actress," read the first. The latter missive confided, "Dear God, please let my co-stars have good breath, and please, let me always want to be an actress."

The after party at the hipper-than-thou Parker Palm Springs hotel was impeccably art-directed (as always), with tiny caramel apples and mini cotton candy cones for late night snackers. Honorees Brad Pitt, Kate Winslet and Cate Blanchett beat a hasty retreat back to L.A., while director honoree Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and "Little Miss Sunshine" cutie Abigail Breslin and helmers Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton hit the after party. (P. Saperstein)