Film Fest Penfolds Reception & Dinner at The Riviera

Film Festival events are well underway, adding some glamor and fun to the impressive line up of films being screened over the next two weeks. Last night I attended the Penfolds reception held at the legendary Riviera Resort. I arrived early, along with the team making sure everything was ready-set-go for the evening. The special red carpet was in place and ready to greet celebrities and filmmakers like. Penfolds featured several of their terrific wines, so naturally I felt compelled to conduct a tasting of them all. They certainly offer a nice variety of reds- their Cabernet Sauvignon Shirz was my favorite, although I do not recall the vintage. Penfolds added to the status and class of the evening, I think it was a great fit. 

Anyway, I attended the cast dinner party for an upcoming Independent film called "A Thousand Cuts", which was filmed here in Palm Springs. A Thousand Cuts is a psychological thriller about a vengeful father who hunts down the Hollywood director whom he believes made a film that inspired the murder of his daughter. Executive Producers are Palm Springs' own Wonderstar Productions and J&J Productions, and was produced by Audrey Loggia (photo below). 'Cuts' was directed by Charles Evered, written by Eric Barr and Marty James, it stars Michael O'Keefe, Oleysia Rulin, Michael A Newcomer, Jimmy Van Patten and Charleen Closshey who were at the dinner party at the Riviera.

Producer Audrey Loggia and actor Robert Loggia on the red carpet

 

Enjoying my usual martini during all the madness.

Its always interesting watching the photographers going wild with their cameras, all vying for "THE PHOTO" of the night. I stood back and observed the frenzy and snapped a few photos of my own. In this photo here are: Executive Producer Kim Waltrip, actor Michael A. Newcomer, actor/writer/producer Jimmy Van Patten, actor David Naughton, Executive Producer Jim Casey, all from their latest project "A Thousand Cuts" 

A legend in her own right, the enchanting Miss Diahann Carroll, singer, actress and trailblazer in Hollywood. I had a lovely chat over dinner with Miss Carroll, she is to be inducted into the Television Academy of Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame on January 20th. I'll be at that event in Hollywood so I hope to write about that evening here on my blog. Diahann Carroll is a class act, one whom other modern day performers would do well to emulate. Alas, there are few true entertainers today who can compare to the generation of Miss Carroll. 
It was a fun evening, but just a warm up to the big star-studded Film Festival Awards Gala Saturday night...so stay tuned for more.
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World Premiere of "Expecting Mary" at the Palm Springs Film Fest

Last nightI attended the world premiere screening of the new film "Expecting Mary", featured at the Palm Springs International Film Fest. Expecting Mary is an independent film with close ties to Palm Springs. Written and directed by Dan Gordon, the Producer was Kim Waltrip and the Executive Producer was Jim Casey, both residents of Palm Springs. Expecting Mary is the story of a young well-to do girl who finds herself pregnant and runs away from him. While hitch-hiking across country, she ends up in a small New Mexico town, in a downtrodden trailer park for a few days. There, in this unlikely place she learns the real meaning of family, friends, and love. It is a wonderful story with lots of genuine laughs, emotional and touching moments and a strong story line. An incredible cast brings the story to life. Linda Gray plays Darnella, a sort of washed up Vegas showgirl, Cloris Leachman is hilarious as Annie, an aged neighbor in the trailer park who raises and cares for pigs. Olesya Rulin (of High School Musical fame) plays young Mary, Elliot Gould is a polka-loving truck driver, Cybill Shepherd is the snobby mother of Mary, Della Reese is the owner of the dumpy trailer park and is hysterical. Lainie Kazan plays Lillian Littlefeather, the last of an Indian tribe who owns a tiny casino, Gene Simmons is Mary's aging rock-star father and Fred Willard is a has-been Vegas agent whose clients are all of the by-gone era. There is a really hilarious scene when a crazed Cybill Shepherd arrives at a small local airport and interacts with the baggage handler, gate agent, and rental car clerk (all the same person, but just changes a hat or jacket). It was a very well done scene with perfect comedic timing. Several cast members were on hand for the premiere, including Linda Gray, Cloris Leachman, Olesya Rulin and Teresa Ganzel (see photo above).

above: at the after party, I had a chance to spend some time with Olesya and catch up on things. At just 23 years old, she is very sweet and developing solid skills as an actress. For those of you who may not know Olesya, she is a Russian born actress best known for her role in the first three High School Musical films as Kelsi Nielsen, along with Zac Effron,Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale.

above: the official movie poster from Expecting Mary. This is a scene where Darnella (Linda Gray) is out walking a little pig who lives in the trailer park. In full disclosure, imagine my surprise when at the end of the film, as the credits were rolling, I saw my name listed, as thanks from the Producers. Such a sweet gesture (thanks Kim and Jim). My contribution was a connection to get one of the stars to sign on for the film, but I was happy to do so. Anyway, mark this film down as one to watch- it will be a gem of a film in 2010. Not sure of the official release date yet, but I"ll keep you posted when I hear more.
-Rick Rockhill

Palm Springs Film Fest Awards Gala

The 21st Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival kicked off this past week. I'm a huge film buff, and especially enjoy independent films that rely on film festivals to be seen and gain awareness. The black tie Awards Gala is a major event that attracts tons of media and paparazzi, along with thousands of fans all looking to catch a glimpse of their favorite star. The film festival itself has grown to one of the largest in the world, with hundreds of films from around the world being screened on 15 screens in Palm Springs over the span of the festival. I always enjoy attending the festival and the Awards Gala. I've been quite busy this past week so I'm posting these photos later than I had planned, but I hope you still enjoy them.
The Red Carpet Arrivals

above: Actress Eva La Rue outside the Palm Springs Convention Center

above: Eva La Rue arrives on the red carpet

above: The throngs of media and papparazzi go wild as Mariah Carey arrives on the red carpet

above: before the event, Mariah Carey was all smiles and still sober...

above: Jeremy Renner

above: The great Helen Mirren
The Awards Gala

above: Inside the convention center, the room was filled with tables illuminated by glowing centerpieces

above: close up of the centerpieces, the flowers were really beautiful.

above: two kinds of desserts: a chocolate souffle

above: ...and a white chocolate mousse
The Awards Ceremony
Mary Hart, of Entertainment Tonight was the the master of ceremonies once again. She lives here in Palm Springs and brings a touch of glamor to the night. My photo of her didn't come out too well so I'm not posting it. I was fortunate to be the guest of a friend whose table was right up front, so I was able to get mostly pretty good photos as each person was on stage.

above: Anna Kendrick receives the Rising Star Award for her performance in "Up in the Air" with George Clooney.

above: Helen Mirren receives the Career Achievement Award, well deserved in my opinion!

above: Clint Eastwood speaks at the awards gala

above: Jeff Bridges accepts the Desert Palm Achievement Award in recognition of his 28 year screen career. He has been in a surprisingly large number of films.

above: Jeremy Renner receives the Breakthrough Performance Award for his role in The Hurt Locker. He was a really nice guy.

above: French actress accepts the Desert Palm Achievement Award.

above: Michelle Pfeiffer was on hand to present the award to her friend Jeff Bridges.

above: The great Morgan Freeman accepts the Career Achievement Award. His role in Invictus was incredible.

above: Sean Penn speaks about the Awards Gala

above: Songstress and newcomer actress gives her now famous acceptance speech for the Breakthrough Performance Award for her tiny role in Precious. If you have not seen it yet, here is the You Tube video of her...

Sneak Peek at the Palm Springs Film Festival Awards in January

Things are starting to heat up in preparation for the Palm Springs International Film Festival, now in its 21st year which will run from January 5-18. Our film fest is recognized as one of the largest in the world; it features 400 screenings of more than 200 films from some 60 countries. It has built a strong reputation for support of independent films, and provides a platform for international film makers whose own home nations barely support their film industry. Each year, the film festival committee tirelessly reviews a huge number of films to present a broad range of quality pictures. Since its inception, the film festival also brings a heavy dose of Hollywood glamor, with the Awards Gala, a star-studded red carpet event that attracts throngs of fans, international news media and paparazzi to cover the event. I have a few hot tips to share about the upcoming Awards night. I have learned that Morgan Freeman will receive the Career Achievement Award for Acting. Also, the lovely Anna Kendrick will be honored with the Rising Star Award for her performance in Up in the Air. And here's a surprise: Mariah Carey will receive the Breakthrough Performance Award, in recognition for her performance in “Precious,” about a social worker based on the novel "Push" written by Sapphire. If you have not heard of it yet, Precious opens nationwide this Friday and already has tremendous buzz. As we get closer to the film festival, there will be plenty of other big names announced as award recipients, so stay tuned for more. The host of the Film Fest Awards Gala once again will be Palm Springs' very own Mary Hart of TV's "Entertainment Tonight". So start planning your trip to our desert so you can catch the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Here is what you need to know:

• Dates: January 5-18, 2010
• Films will be seen on 15 screens throughout Palm Springs.
• Tickets: Passes, awards gala, opening and closing night tickets and packages are available now.
• Individual ticket sales begin Dec. 24 for Palm Springs International Film Society Members, Dec. 26 for the general public.
• Information: (760) 322-2930 or psfilmfest.org

I've covered the Palm Springs Film Fest for several years. If you want to refresh your memory, here are a few prior posts I've written right here on this humble little blog:

• Retrospective of Past Winners
• 2009 Palm Springs Film Fest
• 2008 Palm Springs Film Fest
• Sonny Bono's Vision of the Palm Springs Film Fest

Thanks for stopping by!
-Rick Rockhill

Palm Springs International Film Festival: A Retrospective of Past Award Winners

With the Palm Springs Film Festival now underway, the city is buzzing from all the excitement from the Awards Gala on Tuesday. The evening was a huge success, in large part because of the turnout of celebrities in attendance. Here are a few more photos from the Red Carpet (freshly borrowed from the Desert Sun) for your viewing pleasure! Above left is Rosemarie DeWitt, who is surprisingly shy and demure.


above: Taraji Henson

above left: Zoe Karzan with Paul Dano, above right: Tom Bosley and his wife Patricia. I also saw Kay Ballard and Wiliam Dafoe, who live here in the desert.
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A Retrospective of Award Winners From Now Through The Past 20 Years:
As you will see below, the list of celebrities who attend each year has grown over the past 20 years. Today the Palm Springs Film Festival is seen as a "preview" to the Golden Globes and Academy Awards. Regardless, we think it is a lot of fun.
2009
Breakthrough Performance Award: Freida Pinto
Career Achievement Award: Clint Eastwood
Chairman's Award: Dustin Hoffman
Desert Palm Achievement Award - Actress: Anne Hathaway
Desert Palm Achievement Award – Actor: Sean Penn
Ensemble Performance Award: The cast of Revolutionary Road
Frederick Loewe Award for Film Composing: Alexandre Desplat
Life Achievement Award in Directing: Ron Howard
Rising Star Award: Dakota Fanning
Sonny Bono Visionary Award: Gus Van Sant
Spotlight Award: Amy Adams
emcee: Mary Hart

2008
Sonny Bono Visionary Award: Joe Wright

Desert Palm Achievement: Halle Berry and Daniel Day-Lewis
Breakthrough Performance: Marion Cotillard, “La Vie en Rose”

Rising Star: Nikki Blonsky and Emile Hirsch

Chairman's Vanguard: “Juno”

Ensemble Cast: “Hairspray” (Nikki Blonsky, Amanda Bynes, Zac Efron, Allison Janney, Elijah Kelley, Queen Latifah, James Marsden, Michelle Pfeiffer, Brittany Snow, John Travolta, Christopher Walken)

Director of the Year: Sean Penn, “Into the Wild”

Frederick Loewe Award for Film Composing: James Newton Howard

Screen Actors Guild Foundation Patron of the Arts Jerry Weintraub

emcee: Mary Hart

Festival awards: Audience Award Best Narrative: “Then She Found Me,” Helen Hunt (U.S.); Audience Award Best Documentary Feature: “Autism: The Musical,” Tricia Regan (U.S.).
2007:
Sonny Bono Visionary: Todd Field
Career Achievement: Cate Blanchett
Desert Palm Achievement: Kate Winslet
Breakthrough Performance: Jennifer Hudson, “Dreamgirls,”
Rising Star: Adam Beach, Jessica Biel
Chairman's Vanguard: “Little Miss Sunshine”
Ensemble cast: “Babel” (Adriana Barraza, Gael García Bernal, Cate Blanchett, Boubker Ait El Caid, Rinko Kikuchi, Brad Pitt, Said Tarchani, Kôji Yakusho)
Director of the Year: Alejandro González Iñárritu, “Babel,”
Frederick Loewe for Film Composing: Philip Glass
Screen Actors Guild Foundation Patron of the Arts: Sydney Pollack
emcee: Mary Hart.
Festival awards: Audience Award Best Narrative: “The Lives of Others,” Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (Germany); Audience Award Best Documentary: “Blindsight,” Lucy Walker (UK).
2006:
Sonny Bono Visionary: David Cronenberg
Lifetime Achievement: Shirley MacLaine
Desert Palm Achievement: Jake Gyllenhaal, Charlize Theron
Breakthrough Performance: Felicity Huffman, “Transamerica
Rising Star: Terrence Howard
Frederick Loewe for Film Composing: Thomas Newman
Producer of the Year: Michael London
emcee: Mary Hart
Festival awards: Audience Award for Best Narrative: “Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont,” Dan Ireland (UK), “Mother of Mine,” Klaus Härö (Finland); Audience Award for Best Documentary: “Five Days in September,” Barbara Willis Sweete (Canada).
2005:
Sonny Bono Visionary for Acting, Producing & Directing: Kevin Spacey
Lifetime Achievement in the Arts & Humanities: Kirk Douglas
Career Achievement in Acting: Samuel L. Jackson
Desert Palm Achievement: Laura Linney, Liam Neeson
Rising Star: Bryce Dallas Howard
Chairman's Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Arts: Nicole Kidman
Director of the Year: Alexander Payne
Frederick Loewe Award for Film Composing: Howard Shore
emcee: Mary Hart
Festival awards: Audience Award Best Narrative: “The Sea Inside,” Alejandro Amenábar (Spain); Audience Award Best Documentary: “Watermarks,” Yaron Zilberman (France/Israel/USA).
2004:
Sonny Bono Visionary: Sidney Sheldon
Lifetime Achievement in Film Production: Richard D. Zanuck
International Filmmaker Award for Writing & Directing: Anthony Minghella
Career Achievement Award in Art of Cinema: Kevin Costner
Career Achievement Award in Production Design: Dante Ferretti
Desert Palm Achievement: Naomi Watts
Rising Star: Scarlett Johansson
Frederick Loewe for Film Composing: Danny Elfman
Distinguished Achievement in Directing & Producing: Jim Sheridan
emcee: Mary Hart.
Festival awards: Audience Award Best Narrative: “The Best of Youth,” Marco Tullio Giordana (Italy); Audience Award Best Documentary: “Paper Clips,” Joe Fab, Elliott Berlin (U.S.).
2003:
Sonny Bono Visionary: Christopher Nolan
Lifetime Achievement: Stephen Frears
International Filmmaker: Stephen Daldry
Career Achievement in Acting: Lynn Redgrave
Career Achievement in Cinematography: Conrad Hall
Career Achievement in Producing: Mace Neufeld
Director's Achievement: Franco Zeffirelli
Frederick Loewe for Film Composing: Michel Legrand
emcee: Lily Tomlin.
Festival awards: Audience Award Best Documentary: “OT: Our Town,” Scott Hamilton Kennedy (U.S.).
2002:
Sonny Bono Visionary: Baz Luhrmann
Lifetime Achievement: Irwin Winkler
International Filmmaker: Alan Bates
Career Achievement: Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Mira Nair
Spotlight Award: Michael Apted
Desert Palm Achievement: Andy Garcia
Director's Achievement: Arthur Hiller
Da Vinci Cinematographer: Bruno Delbonnel
Frederick Loewe for Film Composing: Hans Zimmer
Excellence in Film Distribution: Miramax Films
emcee: Leonard Maltin.
Festival awards: Audience Award for Best Narrative: “I Love You Eugenio,” Francisco Josè Fernandez (Italy).
2001:
Lifetime Achievement: Sean Connery
Lifetime Achievement in Cinematography: Giuseppe Rotunno
International Filmmaker: Ang Lee, Liv Ullmann
Career Achievement: John Schlesinger
Career Achievement in Art of Cinema: Lasse Hallström
Spotlight: Joan Allen
Desert Palm Achievement: Nicolas Cage
Director's Achievement: Ridley Scott
Da Vinci Cinematographer: Luciano Tovoli
Frederick Loewe for Film Composing: Randy Newman
Excellence in Film Distribution: Sony Pictures Classics
emcee: Nancy O'Dell
Festival awards: Audience Award Best Narrative: “Sky Hook,” Ljubisa Samardzic (Serbia).
2000:
Sonny Bono Visionary: M. Night Shyamalan
International Filmmaker, Catherine Deneuve
Career Achievement, Pedro Almodóvar
Career Achievement in Art of Cinema: Owen Roizman
Career Achievement in Producing: Yimou Zhang
Charles A. Crain Desert Palm Achievement: Annette Benning
Director's Achievement: Milos Forman
Da Vinci Cinematographer: Janusz Kaminski, Dirk Brüel and Gernot Roll
Frederick Loewe for Film Composing: Alan and Marilyn Bergman
Distinguished Achievement in Directing & Producing: Dino DeLaurentiis
Excellence in Film Distribution: Landmark Theatres
emcee: Swoosie Kurtz.
Festival awards: Audience Award Best Narrative: “East-West,” Régis Wargnier (France).
1999:
Sonny Bono Visionary: Jack Valenti
Lifetime Achievement: Debbie Reynolds
Desert Palm Achievement: John Travolta
Frederick Loewe for Film Composing: John Barry
Excellence in Film Distribution: Vittorio Cecchi Gori
emcee: Christine Baranski.
Festival awards: Audience Award Best Narrative: “Life is Beautiful,” Roberto Benigni (Italy).
1998:
Lifetime Achievement: Michelangelo Antonioni
Charles A. Crain Desert Palm Achievement: Sylvester Stallone
Director's Achievement Award: Kasi Lemmons
Frederick Loewe for Film Composing: Jerry Goldsmith
emcee: Leonard Maltin.
1997:
Lifetime Achievement: Lauren Bacall
Career Achievement: Sydney Guilaroff
Charles A. Crain Desert Palm Achievement: Richard Dreyfuss
Director's Achievement: Norman Jewison
Frederick Loewe for Film Composing: Bill Conti
Festival awards: Audience Award Best Documentary: “Blue Eyed,” Bertram Verhaag (Germany); “Queens of the Big Time,” Adriana Trigiani (U.S.); Audience Award Best Foreign Language Film: “The King of Masks,” Tian-Ming Wu (Hong Kong); Audience Award Best English Language Film: “Soulmates,” Duane Clark (U.S.)
1996:
Lifetime Achievement: Leslie Caron
Career Achievement in Choreography: Michael Kidd
Charles A. Crain Desert Palm Achievement: Susan Sarandon
Director's Achievement: Stanley Donen
Frederick Loewe for Film Composing: Marvin Hamlisch
emcee: Donald O'Connor.
Festival awards: Audience Award Best Foreign Language Film: “French Twist,” Josiane Balasko (France); Audience Award Best English Language: “The Grass Harp,” Charles Matthau (U.S.); Best Director: Tim Robbins, “Dead Man Walking,” (U.S.)
1995:
Career Achievement in Costume Design: Jean Louis
Charles A. Crain Desert Palm Achievement: Tony Curtis
Director's Achievement: George Sidney
Frederick Loewe for Film Composing: Henry Mancini
emcee: Donald O'Connor.
Festival awards: Audience Award Drama: “Farinelli,” Gérard Corbiau (Belgium); Audience Award Comedy: “Spider & Rose,” Bill Bennett (Australia).
1994:
Desert Palm Achievement: Sophia Loren
Festival awards: Audience Award Best Narrative: “The Boys of St. Vincent,” John N. Smith (Canada).
1993:
Lifetime Achievement: Marcello Mastroianni
Desert Palm Achievement: Frank Sinatra
1992:
Desert Palm Achievement: James Stewart
Festival awards: Audience Award Best Narrative: “Mediterraneo,” Gabriele Salvatores (Italy).
1991:
Desert Palm Achievement: Cyd Charisse and Ruby Keeler.
1990:
Retrospective honorees: Denys Arcand, Lucille Ball, Bob Hope, Frank Capra and Kirk Douglas
I hope you enjoyed this retrospective. Thanks for checking out the past 20 years of Award Recipients from the Palm Springs Film Festival. As you can see by the number of awards, the event has grown significantly since its humble beginnings in 1990. Today it is part of what has made Palm Springs sparkle once again.
-Rick Rockhill

Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala

Last night I attended the 20th Annual Awards Gala for the Palm Springs International Film Festival. The black tie event was held at the Convention Center in beautiful downtown Palm Springs. Thousands of fans and celebrity-watchers lined the streets early for a glimpse of their favorite stars. When I arrived, there were stretch limousines lined up approaching the red carpet, dropping off celebrities non-stop. The press was in full force, hundreds of international photographers, TV networks, Entertainment Tonight, and newspaper reporters all packed along the red carpet entrance. As I walked in I saw Ron Howard giving an interview, Dakota Fanning signing autographs, Tom Bosley posing for photos, along with Kathy Bates, Mira Sorvino, Suzanne Somers and Mary Hart just to name a few. It was a night of celebrities galore. I took most of the photos here, although I borrowed a few of the red carpet from the Desert Sun. Enjoy!
The Red Carpet!

above: the Red Carpet entrance, where celebrities were ushered into the building.

above: Mary Hart, host of the evening's events

above: Mira Sorvino poses on the red carpet

above: Dakota Fanning who was so sweet and gracious to fans.

above: Leonardo Di Caprio looking dapper.

above: Leonardo DiCaprio really looks great up close too.

above: Kathy Bates says hi
The Awards Gala

Once inside, there was a cocktail hour to allow all the guests to arrive and be seated. The Pat Rizzo orchestra entertained the audience with terrific jazz and swing standards.

above: the dinner tables were festive and set with salads ready to go. Beautiful centerpieces of red roses adorned the tables.

above: Dessert was a delicious "chocolate bombe" cake. Yum!
The Award Ceremony

above: Amy Adams accepts the Spotlight Award

above: Anne Hathaway with the Desert Palm Achievement Award for Acting

above: Clint Eastwood accepting the Career Achievement Award

above: Ben Stiller was a presenter who introduced Dustin Hoffman.

above: Dustin Hoffman with the Chairman's Award

above: Dakota Fanning accepts the Rising Star Award

above: Donald Sutherland

above: Frank Langella

above: Freida Pinto accepts the Breakthrough Performance Award for "Slumdog Millionaire"

above: James Cromwell

above: Josh Brolin

above: Leonardo DiCaprio accepts the Ensemble Performance Award on behalf of the cast of Revolutionary Road, who were also present on stage.

above: Sean Penn accepts the Desert Palm Achievement Award for "Milk"

above: Ron Howard accepts the Director's Lifetime Achievement Award

The Glamorous VIP After Party!

Following the Awards Gala, I attended the exclusive VIP After Party, held at the Parker Palm Springs hotel and resort. The after party had a restricted guest list, most of the celebrities attended and chatted with the guests. The dance floor area had "Pop Art" images of the celebrity award recipients.

above: the curtain into the VIP area within the After Party. Leo DiCaprio's Pop Art image hangs at the entrance.

above: a Pop Art image of Dustin Hoffman

above: Leo Di Caprio and Amy Adams Pop Art outside the VIP seating area.

above: Anne Hathaway Pop Art above the dance floor.

above: here I am posing with a bejewelled guest with a fan that read "No Paparazzi", which illuminated when a flash went off. Great way to dissuade photos, huh?

The Palm Springs Savant Celebrity Friend Photos

above: With Freida Pinto

above: with the lovely and talented Anne Hathaway

above: Pals Ben Stiller and Josh Brolin

above: James Cromwell is so much taller than me. We had a nice chat.

above: With Suzanne Somers-she's practically my neighbor, and really, really sweet. We discussed her new book "Breakthrough".

Well that's all for today-hope you enjoyed my coverage of the Palm Springs Film Festival Awards Gala. I'll cover a few of the films later this week. Thanks for stopping by today!
-Rick Rockhill