the 941

On Friday night Facebook was blowin up with infos. Party here, party there (and there, and there, and there); it was sure to be a fun night in the city. However, I decided to honor my promise to myself that I would stay in this weekend after so many SFF parties over the last several weeks. But it was not an easy decision. I was bummed to miss the Epic Future House Show over in Gillespie Park where some of my fave local acts like Maid Mosephine and the Equines, Jesus Chrysler Supercar, and This Is an Adventure played to a packed house. I also skipped the Kidrobot party at Clothesline, a cool senior thesis show at Ringling, and Jack Dowd’s opening party downtown. Damn!

Nonetheless, it was a much-needed weekend of rest. I indulged in some oft-neglected beauty rituals (painting toenails, plucking eyebrows), watched a movie and caught up on my fashion magazines. And by the time Saturday night rolled around, I was recharged and ready for a little action, so when friends called to invite me to an engagement party I strapped on my gold high heels and set out. (more…)

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THURSDAY, APRIL 2 – SATURDAY, APRIL 4 — 11TH ANNUAL SARASOTA FILM FESTIVAL, SARASOTA

Looking out at the sparkling gulf waters on Sunday afternoon, I pause to reflect on the weekend that was. The refreshing bay breeze clears my foggy head after a weekend of Film Fest frivolity and fun. The Late Night Wrap Party was certainly quite the note to end it on…

I happened to arrive at Ceviche just as Mr. Steve Buscemi did. He looks sort of like death warmed over, but was very gracious when I asked to take his picture. Also heading up to the VIP lounge was Stanley Tucci, decked out with a blonde in a short dress. (My date was observant enough to note that you could see up her skirt from the first floor — charming.)

Of course the next stop was the bar for a little Szam-balama-ding-dong and then to the roof, where most of the crowd was congregated. It was a beautiful night and the crowd a diverse mix of young ’uns, press, notable names, and certified hot messes (see photos).

Jon Voight was the only celeb with enough courage to brave the crowds outside the VIP mezzanine. He hit up the fourth floor, sangria in hand, to mix it up with the people for a bit. After that, things began to deteriorate into all-out party mode pretty quickly (to be expected for an event that begins at 11:37 p.m.) and we drank and danced until the wee hours. I felt the need to really break loose and have some fun after the previous night’s rather lame Night of a Thousand Stars.

The courtyard at Michael’s on East was packed when I arrived, making it difficult to navigate my way to a bar (priorities!). The celebs were velvet-roped-off on the raised back area being interviewed and photographed while us plebs milled through the rest of the maze-like setup. It only took 30 minutes of fighting with the crowds for me to decide to leave this party for the comforts of home.

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FRIDAY, MARCH 27 — SARASOTA FILM FESTIVAL OPENING NIGHT GALA, VAN WEZEL PERFORMING ARTS HALL,  SARASOTA

What’s big and purple and filled with a mountain of cocktail shrimp, bad ’80s dance music, members of the armed forces, and a handful of movie stars?

Answer: The Van Wezel, decked out for the Opening Night Film and Gala of the 11th Annual Sarasota Film Festival.

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Hot off the pressy presses this morning comes a release stating that, after ten years, Sarasota Film Fest Executive Director Jody Kielbasa has resigned his post. The official statement says Kielbasa’s “leaving the festival to pursue other artistic ventures,” according to the event’s Executive Board of Directors.

Fest exec board member and founding figure Mark Famiglio succeeds Ian Black as President of the Board.

Stay tuned for more details…

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It’s been a busy weekend for us social climbers. On Friday, the Sarasota Film Festival kicked off its ninth season with star-fucking force. Tickets to the opening-night screening at Van Wezel were sold out; the bedizened Festival Gala brought guests to the Ringling courtyard in glamorous throngs. Saturday films were equally well-attended — and the evening’s Lakewood fête, complete with fish-tailed Weeki Wachee mermaids, was unsinkable despite the rain.

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With all the glitz and glamour, stars and shindigs that will take over Sarasota in the coming days, it’s easy to forget what makes the Sarasota Film Festival special: the movies.

True, the parties are nuts and the Q&As informative (see “An eventful week”). SFF’s year-round community outreach is downright stunning and we couldn’t be more in favor of the free movie series at Metro Coffee & Wine.

But a film festival should be about films, and this year’s crop is the best yet. Over 100 feature-length flicks have made their way to Sarasota, as well as dozens of shorts. The Festival will pay tribute to director Norman Jewison with a retrospective of his work, screen one series on architecture and another on faith, and show enough documentaries to start its own cable channel. It all kicks off on Friday night at the Van Wezel, with David Sington’s In the Shadow of the Moon, a documentary about the Apollo space program. (The over/under on “stargazing” puns that night: 1,346.)

So to guide you through this smorgasbord of options, we’ve cooked up a taste test — a SFF pu pu platter of sorts.

CL film critic Lance Goldenberg’s picks for the best of the fest are here, but below you’ll find one sentence on absolutely every movie that will be shown at Hollywood 20 between April 13 and April 22.

Overwhelmed? Hey, so were we. That’s why we’ve highlighted a few can’t-miss CL Picks each day.

Enjoy the show.

• An eventful week
• Saturday, April 14
• Sunday, April 15
• Monday, April 16
• Tuesday, April 17
• Wednesday, April 18
• Thursday, April 19
• Friday, April 20
• Saturday, April 21
• Sunday, April 22

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This just in from the folks at the Sarasota Film Festival:

Academy Award nominated actor Edward Norton and writer/producer Brian Koppelman (who recently teamed together as actor and producer of the critically acclaimed and commercially successful The Illusionist), will join in the festivities at SFF’s big first Saturday night (April 14) event, “The Reel Experience at The Lake Club.”  Mr. Norton will be honored with the Festival’s Humanitarian Award with Koppelman receiving an ‘Excellence in Screenwriting’ honor for his work (which includes the upcoming Ocean’s Thirteen, as well as Runaway Jury, and Rounders starring Edward Norton).

Frickin’ rad! I was already geeked about the festival, but come on, Edward. Norton. The guy’s been in countless CLB faves: Fight Club, The 25th Hour, Keeping the Faith, Death to Smoochy, The … um … Italian Job. Okay, so he’s had some missteps. I’m still dissolving in girlish squels as we speak.

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Still recovering from last night’s film festival bash…

Who’s ready for some more Joe Pantoliano? Check out the Film Festival’s massive lineup.
[sff]
Headline of the day: When treats don’t lure cat, it’s chain saw time.
[st. pete times]
Runner-up: I am trying to break your heart.
[slog]
A sneak preview of This American Life’s new TV show. It airs Thursday on Showtime.
[slate]
Better get rid of those $.39 stamps — $.42 here we come!
[usa today]
$7.2 mil added to Pineapple Square.
[ht]
Today’s your last chance for the PZZAs, folks. Competition’s tough, we’ve gotten almost 500 entries.
[cl]

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