The Sundance Awards were held about a week ago, and I still haven't unpacked from my trip to Park City! But blogging about the best Sundance parties is much more fun than unpacking. While I certainly agree with Robert Redford's belief that Sundance is ultimately a celebration of independent film, I spoke to many young Hollywood stars who are grateful for an opportunity to unwind on a dancefloor after a long day of doing press and/or hitting the swag suites. With this in mind, I now present the winners of my very own Sundance Nightlife Awards.
First up is the Award for the Smarty Party, which goes to...7 for All Mankind and Gen Art's presentation of "7 Fresh Faces in Film." Granted, this was the night that the lights went out at the Delta Lounge--and all over town, in fact--but the soon-to-be high-wattage newcomers still shined (thanks to all those paparazzi flashbulbs). What impressed me most about this event was the talent on hand and the fact that Oscar-nominated Juno director Jason Reitman served as the emcee, but I also have to give props to the caterer who served up yummy s'mores. "This is an incredible film festival," said Jason, who was proud to introduce actors who have been given "the USDA Sundance seal of approval. It means not only were they talented and skillful enough to get here but it means they are people with integrity--the kind of integrity it takes to make a Sundance film." And then Jason turned the spotlight on the guests of honor: Melonie Diaz, who had four movies at the fest, including Be Kind Rewind; Shoshannah Stern (Adventures of Power), Jason Ritter (The Deal and Good Dick), Paz de la Huerta (The Guitar), Rachael Taylor (Bottle Shock ), and Kate Mara (Transsiberian). Finally, Jason gave a special shout-out to Olivia Thirlby, who "made my film Juno glow," he said, then noted that she similarly "killed it" in her new movie The Wackness. After the applause and flashbulbs subsided, I congratulated Olivia and asked her about her Sundance style: "I go for rugged classic," she said--Olivia's not a fan of pink parkas. "I like wearing my flannel shirts and duck boots from L.L. Bean. It's all about staying warm because it's friggin' zero degrees outside."
Jason Reitman and the 7 Fresh Faces of in Film
Later, I caught up with Sundance It-Girl Melonie Diaz at the party for Be Kind Rewind, which deserves some kind of special catering award for the massive spread of sushi that I enjoyed as I took a break from my regular Sundance diet of popcorn and peanut M&Ms. Danny Glover and Jack Black were patiently posing for photos with fans while director Michel Gondry was looking adorably shy. Naturally, I wanted to know what Melonie's Sundance must-haves were: "My black Steve Madden riding boots and a black cardigan--somebody could spill wine on me and you would never know!" And Sundance is the kind of place where a lot of wine gets spilled. Melonie's take on the fest? "This is my third time at Sundance and it's always fun chaos, if that makes sense." It makes perfect sense to me.
Dave Annable and Brothers & Sisters co-star Emily VanCamp
The Award for...the Party that Put the "Dance" in Sundance goes to Motorola: I knew that I was in store for a good time when my fabulous friend from CNN, Lola Ogunnaike, and I were in line for the Motorola Late-Night Lounge--right behind uber-blogger Perez Hilton. Ironically, this blowout was held in a yoga-studio where guests usally do the downward dog instead of dance to Rihanna remixes. Host David Pinsky served up the kind of snacks that no one wants to admit they eat (Ho-Hos, Ding-Dongs and Zingers--oh my!) I bonded with adorable Brothers & Sisters star Dave Annable who intorduced me to his castmate Matthew Rhys and a real-life relative--his proud dad. "There’s good people, great music and a chill vibe--everybody’s having a blast," said Dave, who was also a fan of the cuisine. "I stole a Twinkie for later," he added, and his dad unzipped his pocket to reveal the Hostess swag. Matthew, meanwhile, consulted me about a fashion crisis: "I turned up wearing a black North Face parka and somebody told me: 'That's so three years ago!' Apparently it’s no longer the Sundance look. But to me, North Face is like my Chanel—it is classic and it never goes out of style." Later, my In Style coworker Ali Forman introduced me to her pal Maria Bello, who was rocking a sparkly Tory Burch top: "I'm so boring because I never do blowouts, but my boyfriend came with me to Sundance and I said, OK, I’ll go to one party with you." They also plan to hit the slopes: "I hate moguls--I’m more like an intermediate skier," Maria added. "I’m definitely not a ski bunny—I’m always in my black clothes. Except for tonight: I feel like Michael Jackson in this glittery gold shirt."
Maria Bello and Rachael Taylor
The Award for...Most Fashionable Fete goes to Fred Segal: The makeshift Fred Segal swag suite had the vibe of a party--apparently free clothes, like cocktails, give guests an infectious buzz. I chatted with two statuesque young costars from the film Bottle Shock who wouldn't look out of place on the runway at Fashion Week. Rachael Taylor from Transformers was trying on an Andrew Marc coat and posing for pictures when I greeted her: "This is my first Sundance," she said. "It's freezing ouside and I'm from Australia--I grew up in beach culture--so my must-haves are hats, earmuffs, scarves, thermals and I love my Coach boots—they have served me well on this trip." Hopefully there's some room left in her suitcase for the cool clothes that were being thrown at her: "The scene here is fun and kind of hilarious--I'm always thoroughly amazed that people will give me things," she added. "It’s nice that the Fred Segal guys to come out and support young filmmakers. There’s very little money in independent film. I guess that makes it okay to take a free jacket!" Nearby, I bumped into Chris Pine, the new Captain Kirk from J.J. Abram's upcoming Star Trek remake, who was browsing the Hurley hoodies: "I’m a Sundance virgin!" he told me. "So far it's been a hell of a lot of fun and completely overwhelming even though this town is like yay big. I did a little partying last night at Tao before the cops shut it down--there was lots of heavy bass and after a long day of doing press, all I really wanted to do was go to bed." As for the new Star Trek film, Chris said: "It's going well. Everybody has asked me if I was gonna copy Shatner, but it’s not something that I could or would want to mimic. I wrote Shatner a letter saying what he did was so iconic that all I could do was try to make him proud by doing my own Kirk." Somehow I resisted asking Chris if he booked his flight to Park City through Priceline.com.
Mary-Kate Olsen
Photo: Jesse Grant/WireImage.com
The Award for...Best Power Lunch
Aside from the rare opportunity to eat an actual meal (seared tenderloin with spiced red wine and brown butter jus!) at the Bon Appetit house, I was excited to get some face-time with The Wackness costars Sir Ben Kingsley and Mary-Kate Olsen. This afternoon embodied everything that I love about Sundance--where else do you get to chat with the Oscar-winning actor who played Ghandi and the fashion-forward Olsen twin? And did I mention that they make out in this movie??? M-K was rocking a stylishly disheveled look: Distressed skinny black jeans and a vintage leather motorcycle jacket that she accessorized with shiny black flats and several scarves. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and her eyes were shielded behind tinted round glasses. Ben was looking mighty stylish too in fitted black leather jacket, and yes, I asked him who made it. This just goes to show that you can be knighted by the Queen of England and still have a passion for fashion: "It's a very good designer," Ben told me, and he even took off his jacket so that he could verify the label--what a nice knight: "It's Calvin Klein. These are Juicy chords and the shirt is Hermes"--which he jokingly pronounced "Hermees." Having seen Ben's swag-themed episode of The Sopranos, I had to ask if he's enjoyed any freebies on this trip: "I have been given gift bags," he admitted. "They have been thrust into my hand—and I have thrust them into my wife’s hand." After lunch, Mary-Kate Olsen granted me a rare interivew--well, she agreed to answer one question. SO I asked her why she was excited about her role in this movie, aside from the opportunity to play tonsil hockey with Ben Kinsgley. "It’s clever and witty," she said of the script. "My character's got a sense of humor--I'm just in a few scenes, but it was fun to play her."
James and Sir Ben Kingsley
Photo: Jesse Grant/WireImage.com
The Award for...Most Elegant Dinner Party
Jeffrey Best is one of my favorite Hollywood party planners and when he threw a dinner to celebrate the films Diminished Capacity and Birds of America, he somehow transformed a tent into a super-chic scene that made me think I was at some L.A. hotspot rather than next to a ski lift (it helped that Hollywood power players like Jason Weinberg and Tracy Brennan were working the room). “Sundance has been great so far—I watched football all day and now I’m here at this party,” Birds of America star Matthew Perry told me. Matthew is just as hilarious as you would expect; on his way out, he jokingly shouted to no one in particular: “I’m in show-business! I’m a SAG member!” I also caught up with one half of a Sundance power couple, Matthew Broderick, who was seated next to his style icon wife, Sarah Jessica Parker. I mentioned to Matthew that he was one of my first-ever Sundance interviews (I remember asking him tough questions like how he deals with the dreaded hat-head and he gamely played along): “We didn’t bring James with us because we knew we would both be working," he said of his son. "Earlier we went to a small cocktail party for [SJP’s movie] Smart People, and now we’re at this classy dinner [for his movie, Diminished Capacity]. We’re staying at a lodge and all I did this afternoon was watch people skiing—some of them were good, some of them were not so good.” His Diminished Capacity costar, Virginia Madsen, can't wait to get in line for a lift ticket, and she'll be looking stylish on the slopes. "I just got this gorgeous Laundry coat—and it's not swag. I actually bought this coat!" she wanted me to know. "I plan on skiing for a few days after my work is done. I’m a novice but I like to do the black diamonds. What I lack in skill, I make up for in passion." And as someone who has seen countless great Sundance movies over the years, I can say that Virginia's last quote perfectly captures the side of Sundance that I haven't blogged about--all those amazing filmmakers!
The Award for Hottest Condo Party goes to...Marc Ecko, who treated his guests to an Alice in Wonderland-themed adventure, complete with a red carpet manned by a guy in a white rabbit suit. It was surreal scene for sure, because even though Alice was a no-show, Adrian Grenier (sans Entourage) turned up to hang with Marc’s hipster friends. And there was a celebrity chef cooking in the open kitchen: The host, who is a serious foodie as well as a fashion designer, had the party catered by the winner of Top Chef’s Season 2, Ilan Hall!
-- James Patrick Herman
