Sundance 08 Day 1: Let it snow!

I arrived in Park City just as a blizzard descended in the wee hours Monday (which made the plane landing a bit harrowing). It was expected to dump up to 2 feet, and it’s still flurrying tonight, but it doesn’t look like a full 2 feet to me. Midday in the sun was fine temperature-wise, but in the evening the cold is pretty severe. Due to copious amounts of salt sprinkled everywhere, the ground is a slushy mess.

I arrived here around 4 a.m. Mountain time, way too early to check into my hotel or do anything else, and it turns out the hotel where I’m staying doesn’t have a lobby where I could wait. They did, however, stash my luggage. So I made my way to the press headquarters, which is in a Marriott with lots of comfy leather couches in the lobby. I immediately zonked out for about 2 hours, and not only did they not kick me out, but somebody covered me with a blanket while I slept. I love Park City!

My first event was a press conference with Dennis Hopper, Morgan Spurlock of “Super Size Me” fame, Josh Lucas of “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Poseidon,” Tim Daly of “Private Practice” and “Wings,” and a few other notables (I sat right beside Lukas Haas, who at age 5 played the kid in “Witness” with Harrison Ford). They talked a lot of inside-baseball about moviemaking and there was nothing particularly colorful, although Hopper stood out – he’s still looking quite dapper at 71, and still enjoying playing bad guys onscreen.

I then headed to my first screening, “Phoebe in Wonderland,” starring 9-year-old Elle Fanning, who is every bit as much of a prodigy as her older sister Dakota. I really liked the movie - it's about a little girl who may be mentally ill or maybe just 'different,' and it's got a bunch of great acting in it.

Afterward, I must confess I made a shameless gambit for free food. With the plethora of cocktail-and-appetizer parties during Sundance, it becomes sport among many attendees to see if you can get through the week eating free. I was invited to a media event in Robert Redford’s restaurant Zoom, and when I showed up I only had about 20 minutes until my next press event, but that didn’t stop me from downing a glass of free wine and snarfing down lots of antipasto and crab claws. I didn’t see any famous people, just a bunch of freeloading reporters like myself.

Afterward I got to have a ‘roundtable’ interview with several cast members of the “Phoebe” movie, including Elle Fanning, Patricia Clarkson and Felicity Huffman of “Desperate Housewives.” I was able to do my mini-interview with Felicity for TV Guide, and she was really cool, though a little bit scary in a Cheryl Carpenter sort of way, for those who know her. Elle was particularly delightful, bouncing around and bubbly but speaking like 29-year-old.

Here it is just 7:30 p.m. local time and I already feel like I’ve been here three days. I have a little time to rest, but I have a ticket to a midnight screening (crazy I know), so it isn’t over yet. I do plan to be a bit more leisurely for the rest of the week!

More later!