Film Festival Opening Film Night: 'Potiche'

Last night was the opening film for the Palm Springs International Film Festival. It runs for the next twelve days screening primarily Independent films from the US and around the world. Over the past 22 years, we have distinguished ourselves from other film film festivals through the broad variety of films from new filmmakers. In fact, one third of the films being screened this year are by filmmakers whose entry was their first feature film. The festival screening board watches 3,000 films over the course of a year and selects roughly 200 that make it to the festival, so it isn't an easy task to select the very best from so many submissions.

The opening film last night was a French feature film called 'Potiche' (for plot description, see yesterday's post). If you are not accustomed to reading subtexts in foreign films, it can be challenging; however in the case of Potiche, I didn't mind at all. I was immediately drawn into the story and couldn't wait to read the next line of English text to keep up. I tried to listen in, but my French vocabulary is a bit weak. In my opinion, this film is marvelous! Catherine Deneuve is clearly the star of this picture, commanding attention from the very start. She plays Suzanne Bujol, a potiche, or trophy wife who suddenly finds her voice and becomes a modern business woman. It's a delightful comedy, directed by François Ozon, and based on a 1980 stage play by Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Gredy. Based in the late 70's it has a zany, screwball comedy style that has direct ties to modern French politics. For the observer of French life, the film has numerous "inside" jokes to delight the French, and astute foreign viewers as well. Among other things, the story reflects the casual French attitude toward mistresses and affairs, so be prepared for the winks and not-so-subtle mentions of extramarital relations. Despite being a comedy, the film has an excellent storyline, with messages built in to inspire and delight. Well cast and directed with precision, Potiche is well worth your time.

The venerable Catherine Deneuve is masterful at comedy yet graceful too.

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Palm Springs International Film Fest Kicks Off

Regular readers of this blog know that I am a huge supporter of Independent film making. On my radio show The Palm Springs Savant & Co, I regularly feature directors, writers, actors and producers to raise awareness of Indie films and inspire future generations of filmmakers.

So, I'm thrilled its that time of year when the sparkle of Hollywood shines a little brighter here in the Coachella Valley. The Palm Springs International Film Festival kicks off today with the opening night screening of a French comedy entitled 'Potiche'. 

Each year I try to cover various events of the film fest, along with a few reviews of Independent Films screened here. The Palm Springs Film Festival has an outstanding reputation world wide for its diversity, range of topics and broad international representation. In fact this year we boast 196 films, from 69 different countries around the world! I was reading in Variety magazine that they plan to honor Mark Wahlberg and the “10 Directors to Watch" at our upcoming Black Tie Gala event this Saturday, January 8th. As usual I'll be at that event, and hope to have plenty to share about the celebrity speeches and more. To see my post from last year's gala, click here.

The film festival runs through January 17th; its easy to buy advance tickets or day of "rush" tickets just before screening. This is a perfect time to come to Palm Springs to relax, enjoy the festival and experience life in the desert. Visit the festival website for full details.

  

The Palm Springs International Film Festival has the following information on its website about this evening's opening screening film, 'Potiche':

"Catherine Deneuve commands the screen with a regal wink as Suzanne Bujol, a trophy wife (“potiche”) whose mettle is tested when catastrophe strikes in her husband’s umbrella factory. Under the assured direction of prolific French filmmaker François Ozon, this stylish French farce is an irresistible romp through 1970s kitsch, politics and female emancipation. Like many wives of the 1970s, Suzanne’s realm is the home. Her smug, philandering husband Robert, who secured the factory through her dowry, is virtually oblivious to her needs--not that she expresses them. But when Robert is taken hostage by his employees, it is Suzanne who swiftly negotiates his release, with the help of Babin, the union leader (Gérard Depardieu) with whom she once had a brief fling many years prior.

Robert ends up in hospital, and having little choice, leaves Suzanne at the helm. Proving to have a natural flair for business, she quickly assesses the situation, enlists the help of her devoted son to create a new line and her daughter (daddy’s girl) and her husband’s secretary (and lover)--and the business positively booms! Babin, who has never quite gotten over their brief tryst, can neither repress his feelings, nor his admiration for her: she is a force to be reckoned with. If she can do this, what else could she take on? But her husband will soon be out of hospital and duty calls…Cleverly drawing parallels with present day issues in France, Ozon’s Potiche uses emotion and humor to explore themes that are as fresh today as they were four decades prior."

Director: François Ozon
Producer: Eric Altmayer, Nicolas Altmayer
Editor: Laure Gardett
Screenwriter: François Ozon, based on the play by Pierre Barillet, Jean-Pierre Grédy
Cinematographer: Yorck Le Saux
Music: Philippe Rombi
Principal Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieu, Fabrice Luchini, Karin Viard, Judith Godrèche, Jérémie Renier

I'll weigh in tomorrow with my opinion of this film along with any inside scoop from the red carpet.

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My View of The 122nd Annual Rose Parade

Finally, dawn broke and the parade route started to light up

Once again I had the privilege of attending the Tournament of Roses Parade in beautiful Pasadena, California. This was the 122nd Annual Rose Parade, which is a really spectacular parade that showcases life in Southern California. My employer, Natural Balance Pet Foods had a float in the parade- our third year in a row in fact. Last year we made history with the World's Longest Parade Float. This year we broke another record with the World's Heaviest Float, but more on that later. Some people who attend the Rose Parade camp out along the route as much as 24 hours in advance to secure a prime spot. I was fortunate to have seats in the viewing stands from my company. I was also entertaining/hosting a number of customers with whom my company does business.

Parade organizers request attendees to be in their seats by 6:30 AM, mainly because of the sheer volume of people who turn up. We arrived by 6:00 AM- it was quite cold, 39 degrees Fahrenheit (4 Celsius) so it was rather chilly! We sat in the viewing stands, waiting for sunrise and observing the massive crowds settle into position along the route. I was seated at 90 S Orange Grove, which is the very beginning of the parade, just before it turn onto Colorado Boulevard.

I love the Rose Parade- the beautiful flowers that cover all the floats are a remarkable sight to see. I also love seeing marching bands and hearing their music too. When our float finally came into view, it was truly exciting. You see, working at Natural Balance is not just a regular job. We have FUN. We love animals and find ways to express that through our brand. Our Rose Parade float is a great example of that. Our float features the world famous Tillman and gang- who can all skateboard, snow board, and surf. This year they were skim boarding, while in another part of the float a group of Dock Diving Dogs were jumping into a heated pool and having a blast.

As the float approached, this is the front view!

Our co-founder actor Dick Van Patten once again rode on the float with his son Jimmy Van Patten. Together they cheered on Tillman, Rose, Lyle and Sully as parade viewers watched in amusement. Being a family company, the Van Pattens are involved and love being with the dogs on the float. The dock diving dogs wore body suits provided by Body Glove, who are experts in water sports gear. It was so much fun to see our float and to hear the audience's genuine appreciation and affection for these dogs.

This photo is from the LA Times of our Dock Diving Pool

Be sure to click on this photo below to biggify it!

Side view of our float. In the center is the massive pool, to the right is the skim boarding area!

Rear view of the Natural Balance float

The official certificate!

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As I mentioned earlier, our float was certified by the Guinness World Records as the Heaviest parade float in history. Weighing in at 84,300 pounds, all the water in the heated pool (not to mention the 14 dogs) made for a record-breaking float! It was made by Fiesta Parade Floats, the best float makers in the business!


If you were not able to see the Rose Parade, the clips below had coverage of the Natural Balance float. First ABC:

And here is the clip from KTLA- our float is right around the 4:00 minute mark:
 
And here are a few other floats I saw that caught my eye for some reason or other:

Look closely on top of the coach- POODLES!

This guy was doing some fancy rope tricks on his horse!

My favorite: The Ronald Reagan Foundation Float!

Kaiser Permanente (health insurance) had a neat float

Namco, the makers of Pac Man video game!

Cunard Cruise Line- this one is for Bee!

Rose Bowl team University of Wisconsin

Rose Bowl team TCU, Texas Christian University

US Bank, I just liked this one for some reason.

Warner Bros Float- you can see Sponge Bob!

Here are some of the goodies from this year's Rose Parade. My company made commemorative bags, pins, hats, mugs and t-shirts for our guests (see photos left). We also made blankets but I gave mine to someone in the stands. 

The whole experience was a lot of fun, and I was so proud of my company's float. It felt great to see first hand how well the parade viewers responded with cheers of support and applause when the Natural Balance float glided by. Those dogs sure are a hit. I can't imagine how we will top this next year, but I'm sure we will find a way!

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A Pre-Rose Parade Celebration with the Dogs

I spent a wonderful New Year's Eve in Pasadena at my company's pre-Rose Parade party. Our co-founder Dick Van Patten was on hand to thank everyone too. He rides on our float tomorrow with his son Jimmy. The party was for 200 people, including those involved in our amazing Natural Balance Rose Parade float, and our customers too. Most of the dogs who will be on the float were at the party, including Tillman, Rose, Sully, Lyle, all of whom will skim board on the float. Several of the Dock Diving dogs were also at the party too. I brought my own two dogs along for the fun. They had a blast, particularly during the concert, which was a Michael Jackson impersonator who was actually very good.

The Michael Jackson impersonator was a lot of fun.

Sully is an amazing skim boarding Bulldog!

Tillman, Rose and Sully at the hotel before the Rose Parade

Sheldon enjoying the concert and watching people dance.

Duncan celebrating on New Year's Eve

We were all excited that the officials from Guinness World Records certified the Natural Balance Rose Parade float as setting the record for the World's Heaviest parade float in history- amazingly at over 84,300 pounds! We love breaking records and having fun! Here is the official certificate presented to us. So all in all, it was an enjoyable New Year's Eve celebration. I hope you can catch the Rose Parade on New Year's Day and see for yourself how much fun we have at Natural Balance. If you watch the parade and see our float, Tweet about it on Twitter. Just include #PETCORose in the tweet so I can follow along and see it!
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Reflections on a Blessed Year

The change of a calendar year has always been a time of reflection for me. Even as a kid, I perceived the passing of time as something sacred and solemn. As 2010 draws to a close here in Palm Springs, I find reminders all around me of just how blessed I have been. To make a list of things for which I am grateful would be exhaustive and rather boring for you, gentle reader. But I would be remiss not to acknowledge just a few things for which I am especially grateful; good health, having a home shared with someone special, two beautiful nieces, and pets who bring joy to my life everyday- all these make me very grateful indeed. When I think back just one year ago to the day, I realize just how many blessings have come to me in the year.


It was a strange twist of fate that I will not get into here, but the upshot was the opportunity that presented itself that led to me joining the management team at Natural Balance. Without hesitation, I can say it was one of the best things that ever happened in my life. Over the past year I found a new perspective on work, just from a slightly different angle and it has made all the difference. 

Regular readers know that I deeply believe in karma and the power of positive energy in one's life. Practice random acts of kindness. Think good thoughts. Surround yourself with good energy- and remove any negative energy or toxic situations from your life. You'd be surprised at the results.  

Remember the wise Buddha Wisdom: "We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make our world".

As the remaining hours in this year slip away take a moment to consider what you are grateful for and focus on the positive things. Greet the new year with a clear head filled with positive energy to create the world you want in 2011. I wish you all the best.

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Get Ready for Another Amazing Rose Parade Float!

Most of you have no doubt heard of the Tournament of Roses Parade, more commonly known as The Rose Parade. For the past three years, my employer, Natural Balance Pet Foods has had a float in this granddaddy of American Parades. Dick Van Patten himself and his son Jimmy Van Patten, both ride on our float waving to the millions of people who watch the parade annually. Our float is known for having the amazingly talented, entertaining and world famous Tillman, the skateboarding bulldog. Along with Tillman are the other bulldogs Rose, Lyle and Sully all of whom will be skim boarding on the float. In addition, this year's float will also feature a group of Dock Diving Dogs who will be jumping into a pool while the Bulldogs do their thing on the lower level. With all the water in the float, we are seeking to break a new record for the World's Heaviest Parade Float. The officials from The Guinness Book of World Records will even be on site to inspect and certify our float!

We're now down to the last few days before this year's "Havin a Splash" parade float makes its debut to the world. Over 100 million people are expected to see the Rose Parade. The dogs have been in rehearsals for weeks and their trainers are confident, yet some level of fear is always lurking. Pictured at  left is "Porter", having fun but hard at work learning the routine. I hope you can watch the Rose Parade on January 1st and cheer on our float from home.

The Rose Parade is broadcast on nine TV stations, including, CBS, NBC, ABC, Hallmark Channel, HGTV, Tribune, Univision, RFD-TV and Sky Link TV. The parade begins at 8:00 AM Pacific time, so please tune in.

I'd really appreciate your vote for us as your favorite Rose Parade Float. You cannot vote until after the parade ends on January 1st. It's easy to vote for "Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Pet Foods Float"  You can either text FLOAT39 to "50649" starting Jan. 1, 2011 at 8:00 a.m. PST or Vote online from the link below:
http://www.tournamentofroses.com/the-rose-parade/vote/viewers-choice-award

Oh, by the way, we have an awesome SWEEPSTAKES going on- click here to learn more.

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Queen Elizabeth's Christmas Broadcast 2010

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