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Hollywood
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• • After inadvertently getting crammed into the middle of the screaming sardine-can of fans, Larry and I were nearly crushed to the gills. As hundreds of Leo fans surged forward like spawning salmon, Larry and I proceeded to back-stroke our way out of there against the flow as fast as we could. • • On the way out we managed to catch a glimpse of Martin Scorsese posing for photographers who apparently had camped out two nights before in order to stake out the best photo-op turf. Later inside the theatre, Leonard Maltin and DiCaprio entertained the audience with a discussion before Scorcese presented the award to a grateful but somewhat surprised Leo. "I'm completely blown away. It's a lifetime achievement award. • • That is completely and utterly surreal, given I'm only thirty years old" said DiCaprio upon receiving his award. DiCaprio, who has already received a Golden Globe Award and an Oscar nomination for his role as Howard Hughes in "The Aviator" was selected to receive the Platinum Award because of the depth and breadth of his acting career, which actually started when he was a small child. • • His filmography includes such classic hit films as James Cameron's "Titanic", Lasse Halstrom's "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?", Woody Allen's "Celebrity", Steven Speilberg's "Catch Me if You Can", and Martin Scorses's "The Gangs of New York". Scorsese offered DiCaprio a personal tribute of his own telling him, "You've given me new energy for my work." Scorsese noted that DiCaprio is so dedicated to his work that one night while shooting "Gangs of New York" DiCaprio insisted on continuing his work even though he had been suffering with a high fever. • • At one point while the cameras were rolling, Scorsese noticed Leo staring strangely with a blank look on his face, turns out he had actually blacked out, and while still in character! • • Besides DiCaprio, this year's Festival also paid special tributes to other Oscar nominees as well. Larry and I managed to snap a couple of pics of Annette Bening as she arrived at the Lobero Theatre to receive her Montecito Award. On other separate evenings Kate Winslet received the Sapphire Award, and Kevin Bacon received the Riviera Award. This year the Festival featured a new highlight as several actors participated in special "Conversations With" sessions. Paul Giamatti, Thomas Hayden Church, and Catalina Sandino Moreno shared their insights and experiences with audiences. • • Question and Answer sessions were also conducted with Kevin Bacon, Dave Barry, Paul Reiser, David Duchovny and John Cleese. Festival attendees flocked to hear Giamatti, who has become a local favorite, along with the Oscar-nominated film "Sideways", since it was filmed in many locations throughout the Santa Barbara area. • • The Festival, which attracts more than 40,000 visitors each year, features a broad array of international and independent films. Among the hundreds of films shown, the special opening night film was Woody Allen's "Melinda and Melinda" starring Radha Mitchell, Will Farrell, Chloe Sevigny, and Josh Brolin. The centerpiece film was comedian "Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys" starring Dave Barry and John Cleese. Closing night film was "The Moguls" starring Jeff Bridges, Ted Danson and Joe Pantolino. • • Other highlights of the Fest featured Sir David Attenborough being recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his profound nature-themed films. The Festival's popular panel discussions were also a big hit again this year, beginning with "Movers and Shakers" which featured several prominent producers who discussed the fascinating world of filmmaking. Moderated by Variety's Elizabeth Guider, the panel consisted of Graham King ("The Aviator"), Stuart Benjamin ("Ray"), Richard Gladstein ("Finding Neverland"), Lee Daniels ("The Woodsman"), Michael London ("Sideways"), John Walker ("The Incredibles") and Michael Nozik ("Motorcycle Diaries"). • • It is always quite interesting to note how some of the most successful award-winning movies of all time are usually the ones that were first rejected for years by everyone in Hollywood. The hit film "Ray" was no exception. According to producer Stuart Benjamin, "It took 15 years of knocking on doors to get Ray made." Eventually real estate /telecommunications billionaire Phil Anschutz funded the $3 million development costs. • • When director Taylor Hackford pitched it to all of the majors, they claimed that "no one would be interested in a black bio-pic period piece." Anschutz offered to co-finance the costs for production with any studio. But there was still no studio interest, so he ended up putting up the entire $35 million budget himself. Even after the film was finished and it was shown to the major studios - one by one they all passed on it. Universal was the one that finally stepped up to distribute it. • • The film earned $20 million on its opening weekend and has gone on to become a smash success, even winning two Golden Globe awards and six Academy Award nominations. Benjamin said he is currently "working hard to enjoy this moment, since it took so long to get here." • • Another feature of the festival was "It Starts With the Script," the popular screenwriters panel, which was moderated by (AMPAS President) Frank Pierson. The panel featured writers Paul Haggis ("Million Dollar Baby"), Charlie Kaufman ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"), Zach Braff ("Garden State"), Bill Condon ("Kinsey"), Julie Delpy ("Before Sunset"), John Logan ("The Aviator"), Jose Rivera ("Motorcycle Diaries"), Brad Bird ("The Incredibles") and Jim Taylor ("Sideways"). • • Film legend Pierson entertained the enthralled audience and the admiring panel with a few sidebar stories of his own experiences in the biz as well. Cautious at one point that he may be inadvertently "taking over" the discussions, the audience and panel both urged him on to finish his fascinating story. One person in the audience even yelled out "we love you Frank!" • • The "Creative Forces: Women in the Biz"panel was helmed by Variety's Madelyn Hammond. The insights were inspiring with participants such as: Karen Baldwin (producer, "Ray"), Colleen Atwood (costume designer for "Lemony Snicket's - A Series of Unfortunate Events"), Virginia Madsen (actress, "Sideways") and documentary film maker Candice Schermerhorn. • • The audience was captivated by the lively discussion during "Directors on Directing." AMC's "Sunday Morning Shootout" Peter Guber was moderator. Their was a wide array of participants which included Alejandro Amenebar ("The Sea Inside"), Kevin Bacon ("Loverboy"), Jeff Arch ("Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys"), Terry George ("Hotel Rwanda"), Joel Schumacher ("Phantom of the Opera"), Michael Traeger ("The Moguls") and Luis Mandoki ("Innocent Voices"). • • There were many more star sightings among the festivities besides the afore mentioned. Legendary, movie glamour queen Jane Russell was seen at the Leo "Aviator" DiCaprio event. As you recall, Ms. Russell starred in the Howard Hughes 1943 film "The Outlaw". Other stars attending various festival functions around town included Harry Hamlin, who was seen in deep thought at the screenwriting panel; Christopher Lloyd; Martin Landau; Bo Derek; Richard Harris; Deandra Douglas (actor Michael Douglas' ex); Robert Carradine; Mark "Star Wars" Hamill; Lindsey "Bionic Woman" Wagner; Michael "Bat Man" Keaton; and Linda "Dallas" Gray. All in all the Santa Barbara Film Festival was a smash success, even if we did almost get smashed!! /// More Articles • Converging News 162005 / TeleCom Buy Outs and Asset Seizure Boom Respectfully
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