Recent Party Blab

Hokay, here’s some par-tay stuff for ya…

So, I attended the first Gala Party last Sat. (5/21), in the wake of “The Dying Gaul.” It was at the Red Lion Inn downtown, a hotel I’d never been in, though I have been in the faux British pub that’s beneath it, the “Elephant & Castle.”

It started at 9 pm, and was in the restaurant/lounge on the 5th floor. Spent some time talking w/Karen Hansen, head SIFF PR rep. Her husband’s band was providing entertainment, I made a joking reference to nepotism. In talking to her husband, I learned the two had an Elvis impersonator at their wedding (he sang “Love Me Tender” and “Are You Lonesome Tonight”) and not just one, but two bubble machines! I was fantastically impressed. If I ever got married, it would be by an Elvis impersonator, though I am also tempted by the Phantom of the Opera wedding offered by the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel in…well, take a guess.

You got drink tickets as you entered, thus seemingly limiting your drinking, though I managed to score some more with little difficulty. First a champagne, which was strangely flat, considering I saw the bartender open the split bottle in front of me. So had two g&t’s next. There was decent food, artichoke dip and little bread slices to stick it on, meats, cheeses, crackers, and fruit (the strawberries were especially popular). And on side tables, rows and rows of chocolates!

All the usual folks were there. I did speak briefly to Kirby Dick, director of “Twist of Faith.” I’d just talked to a passholder who’d enjoyed it, so was able to pass that on. Kirby seemed pleased. Spent most of my time at the passholders table, where we shared much movie trivia. Opinions were divided on “Me and You…” But they were in agreement on “The Dying Gaul,” which everyone I talked to thought started out well, then took a detour south. Peter Sarsgaard’s Q&A appearance was rated less than scintillating (I didn’t attend). In other discussions, I was able to clarify that it’s Ava Gardner, not Elizabeth Taylor, who stars in “Night of the Iguana,” a new favorite for me (great dialogue, thwarted passions, 1950s, Tennessee Williams!). A passholder told me that as a youngster he stayed up late to watch it on TV as he thought it was a horror movie! (for the record: it’s not).

The background music did just what it should, stayed in the background so you didn’t have to shout over it. Because of the preponderance of tables, most folks stayed seated, so not much mingling. Kinda low key, actually. Wish I’d met more SIFF guests, directors, etc. I left early, wishing to attend a concert on Cap Hill, so I handed my extra drink tickets over to various deserving folks.

Went up to the Capitol Hill Arts Center to see Two Ton Boa. I got their gloomy doomy EP on Kill Rock Stars some years back and saw ‘em in 2000, thought they rocked. Lead singer/bassist Sherry Fraser also looked fetchingly scary in her bleached blonde ‘do and bowler hat. They’ve been out of commission for a while, but are back with a new single on KRS, and a full length to follow next year. The lineup is keyboards, drums, and not one but two basses! At the show, Sherry did material from the single and EP, and now sports black hair. “Things change,” she told me. I said I was glad the music was still “weird and twisted.” “I’ll always be that,” she assured me. No, it’s not SIFF related, but I wanted to plug her anyway. You should hear her hit those high notes!

At the Gala, I was tipped off to an “extra” late night screening of “The Aristocrats” this past Sun. at the Egypto, so I showed up for that. It was late in starting, so I chatted with various SIFFers, and indulged a wee bit at the bar when that opened up. Then Helen L shooed us into the theater (BTW, SGN writer Shani confessed that she finds Helen to be “way hot” in this week’s paper. Yes, the woman does have her admirers. And she mixes a mean cocktail to boot!). The film’s about various comics doing their take on a vulgar joke. It is funny, but does become monotonous after a while; it would’ve worked better as a short, I think. But then, where would it screen? It’ll open soon, you can check it out then.