Partyhopper

Star-studded movie premieres are much more common in L.A. than in N.Y.C., because let’s face it: Working the red carpet is tough enough without getting frostbite on your ankles—and trust me, you’ll never see an actress rocking a pair of Timberlands outside of Sundance.

Will Ferrell and Dustin Hoffman at the Stranger Than Fiction screening
Photos by Patrick McMullan

So I’m grateful to Peggy Siegal for hosting a series of recent screenings, including Curse of the Golden Flower the other night, which stars the glamorous Gong Li (she's sort of like the Chinese Meryl Streep). But Peggy doesn’t go only for artsy fare with subtitles: Granted, she also screened the Spanish film Volver, but that’s a crowd-pleasing tale of mothers and daughters with universal appeal. Her other screenings include Stranger Than Fiction and A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints—one of my favorite films of the year.

I first saw this coming-of-age story, which was written and directed by Dito Montiel, at Sundance last January. It also made a big impression on Terrence Howard, whom I bumped into at the Sundance Awards (this was a few weeks after I accidentally “introduced” him to Mariah Carey at In Style’s Golden Globes party, having somehow forgotten that they were both in Glitter). I remember how Terrence raved about the talented ensemble cast, which features breakout star Channing Tatum: “That was like an acting lesson!” Terrence told me, referring to Tatum’s powerhouse performance.

Penélope Cruz and Helena Christensen at the Volver screening

Sure, Channing is probably better known for the guilty-pleasure movie Step Up (out on DVD Dec. 19th, for all you Chan Fans out there). He’s a former fashion model who used to strike A&F-style poses for Bruce Weber, but his acting chops have drawn comparisons to Brando. Could he be the male Charlize Theron?

I didn’t grow up on the mean streets of Queens in the '80s, but Guide still hit home for me. That's because it was filmed in my increasingly trendy neighborhood of Astoria (the area's bars have become a hit with the hipster set because you can still get away with smoking at most of them). Years ago, when I lived in the West Village, it seemed like a movie crew was camped out on my scenic stoop every other week. And you'd better believe that you don't want to bump into Julianne Moore or SJP if you’re sporting sweatpants and bedhead. I remember thinking, "I’ll never have to worry about running into movie stars en route to the deli if I move to Queens!" But then one day last summer, a funny thing happened to me on my way to the laundromat: I saw Robert Downey Jr. And Rosario Dawson. Not to mention Chazz Palminteri, Dianne Wiest, Shia LaBeouf and, of course, Tatum—all cast members of A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints.

Trudie Styler and Sting at the Guide to Recognizing Your Saints screening

If you didn't have a chance to catch this movie but you’re still curious to get a taste of my suddenly hot hood—without ever having to cross the 59th Street Bridge—all you need to do is order the gourmet ice cream whipped up by my cool upstairs neighbors, Kim and Scott. They've devised a pretty clever and witty marketing ploy for what they call 5 Boroughs Ice Cream, which is just so New York, kids: The various flavors are inspired by colorful locales like Little Italy, Staten Island (it's called Landfill!) and, yes, a baklava-packed ode to Greek-centric Astoria.

When you live in a big old apartment building in an outer borough, you inevitably begin to wonder about your neighbors. (The characters in Guide would agree with me.) And naturally, you tend to suspect the worst. All sorts of illegal activities spring to mind: Maybe you think they’re drug dealers. Or serial killers. Or, for all you know, they could be keeping a tiger as a pet. Fortunately, the little secret that Kim and Scott were keeping turned out to be—in a word—yummy. (Check our their super-cute Web site for store locations and more information.)

-- James Patrick Herman