great things to come

spirit awards
Originally uploaded by walkingdistraction.

Good news abounds. Since I'm working for IFP (non profit independent film sponsor/ educator/ promoter/ all around good guy) I've got all access to a number of insanely awesome events. Firstly, I'll be at a 20th anniversary Independent Spirit Awards Nominee reception on Thursday February 24th. It's for this years nominees and past winners of the Spirit Awards. An impressive list of celebrities have been invited. So far the following are coming (but many more will show):
Quentin Tarantino
Selma Blair
Javier Bardem
Catalina Sandino Moreno
Gael Garcia Bernal
Diego Luna
Like I said, many more incredibly awesome indie icons have been invited. I hope they come.

But if not, there's always the actual Independent Spirit Awards ceremony, which I'll also be at. Everything is working out wonderfully. Especially since I tried to get into the Spirit Awards as a volunteer before I even came out here but since I couldn't be present for a training day in December they shot me down. But now since I work there and am a highly trusted intern, I get to not only be there, but have a lot more access and cooler duties than the average volunteer. Here's a list of people who will for sure be at that event (they are presenters):
Benjamin Bratt, Patricia Clarkson, David Alan Grier, Maggie Gyllenhaal (all my dreams are coming true), Salma Hayek, Val Kilmer, Laura Linney, JaneLynch, Ewan McGregor, Michael McKean, Bridget Moynahan, Megan Mullally, Annette O’Toole,Robin Wright Penn, Quentin Tarantino, Marisa Tomei, Robin Williams, and Elijah Wood. Samuel L. Jackson will be the Master of Ceremonies.

In addition, anyone who is nominated for an award this year will be there. Big names there, too. Check out the website, www.ifp.org

I'm sure I'll post again regarding all this after it happens, but in other news tomorrow my screenwriting class is going to a Writer's Guild conference with many of the nominated writers for the WGA awards. We'll listen to them talk, ask questions, and then eat desert with them. Here's who will be there (that I care about):
Zack Braff, Julie Delpy, Charlie Kauffman, and Alexander Payne. Tina Fey was nominated for Mean Girls but won't be there. I shed a tear for that one.

So that's a lot of name dropping, but after all, isn't that the point of this blog? Hollywood's a good time.