2008 SUNDANCE Film Festival Announces Awards

The jury and audience award-winners of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival were announced tonight at the Festival’s closing Awards Ceremony hosted by William H. Macy in Park City, Utah. Films receiving jury awards were selected from the four feature-length Documentary and Dramatic competition categories by distinguished jurors. Films in these categories were also eligible for the 2008 Sundance Film Festival Audience Awards as selected by Film Festival audiences. Highlights from the Awards Ceremony can be seen on the Sundance Channel, the Official Television Network of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, beginning Sunday, January 27 as well as on the Festival website, www.sundance.org/festival.

In addition to awards for feature-length films, the Shorts Jury awarded Jury Prizes in Short Filmmaking to American and international short-form films. Other awards recognized at the ceremony included the Alfred P. Sloan Prize, awarded to a film which excels in addressing compelling topics in science or technology, and the Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Award, created to honor and support emerging filmmakers with their next screenplays.
"The Festival has been incredibly fortunate this year to have esteemed, diverse jurors committed to advancing independent film, filmmakers willing to take risks with their work and audiences in search of yet-to-be-discovered voices," said Geoffrey Gilmore, Director, Sundance Film Festival. "This year's award recipients, including eleven first-time feature filmmakers, have taken on the world through a personal lens and audiences have responded."
"When we programmed the Festival in November, we knew we would be working with an amazing group of directors, writers and cinematographers," said John Cooper, Director of Programming, Sundance Film Festival. "It is always an incredible experience to watch audiences discover new talent and connect with filmmakers in unexpected ways. We are thrilled by the jury and audience response and excited to see these films out in the world."
The 2008 Sundance Film Festival Juries consisted of: Dramatic Competition: Marcia Gay Harden, Mary Harron, Diego Luna, Sandra Oh and Quentin Tarantino; Documentary Competition: Michelle Byrd, Heidi Ewing, Eugene Jarecki, Steven Okazaki and Annie Sundberg; World Dramatic Competition: Shunji Iwai (Japan), Lucrecia Martel (Argentina) and Jan Schütte (Germany); World Documentary Competition: Amir Bar-Lev (US), Leena Pasanen (Finland/Denmark) and Ilda Santiago (Brazil); American and International Shorts: Jon Bloom, Melonie Diaz and Jason Reitman; and The Alfred P. Sloan Prize: Alan Alda, Michael Polish, Evan Schwartz, Benedict Schwegler and John Underkoffler.

Music Plays Big Role at Sundance Film Festival

Music always plays a major role at Sundance and last night was a spectacular night of music. Every year the crew over at the Sundance Institute - under the direction of production extraordinare - Maxwell Morrill - close down a long stretch of Main Street and they construct a giant stage.

Bios and Photos Courtesy of the Sundance Institute

The breakout emerging artists that provided the entertainment for this years event were opening act Gold Streets, with Ha Ha Tonka in supporting role and MERIDIANWEST as the headliner. The show was great, each act delivered a great performace despite the frigid weather -- all the bands endure freezing teperatures to entertain the large crowd that had assembled in the snow to take in the show.

Combining thick, textured guitar with weaving bass and perfectly shaped drums is Gold Streets’ specialty. The method of composition varies, but it all “harkens back to the days when 4AD was running things” (Village Voice). Fast garnering a place in NYC’s musical landscape most certainly unoccupied by others, Gold Streets is fast-paced with occasional moments of dreaminess, familiar and new all at the same time.
Listen: http://goldstreetsnyc.com/soundsRoaring out of the Ozarks with a bottle in one hand and a bible in the other, Ha Ha Tonka mix sanctified four-part harmonies and blistering rock, carving out songs that evoke the dichotomies that define their home. The Springfield, Missouri natives dubbed their new album Buckle in the Bible Belt in homage to their hometown, so named for its position on the dividing line of the Ozark states. Their dark view of the realities of socio-economic hardship, backwoods prejudices and drug abuse is leavened by wry humor and a deep appreciation for regional storytelling traditions. The band’s first single from the album, "St. Nick on the Fourth in a Fervor" combines harmonies and biting guitar riffs with lyrics that delve into issues of nationalism, religious allegiances, and rites of passage. "It’s an attempt to point out the fallacy of wrapping yourself in the flag, religion or worse yet, both at the same time," explained singer/guitarist Brian Roberts. The song also depicts better times, with the refrain "...this glimpse of brilliance is much better than your long look at mediocrity." "Gusto" and "Up Nights" tackle the tragic legacy of methamphetamine in rural areas while "Hangman" and original "Caney Mountain" mine the deep veins of regional folk music.
Listen: http://www.hahatonkamusic.com

In an era of music where it has become the norm to have five members in a band, MERIDIANWEST has managed to create a giant wall of sound as a trio. With Mark Gibson on vocals/guitars, Ryan Magnani on bass guitar, and David Kittredge on the drums, each member's contributions are a powerful representation of their respective instruments and personalities. As talented as they are as individual musicians, it is when they come together on stage and play where they create an overall sound that is staggeringly unique. They have successfully combined the rawness and simplicity of the great rock bands from the 60's and 70's, with large atmospheric landscapes created by the artists of the 80's. Although MERIDIANWEST is constantly striving to create new sounds and types of songs, one element stays the same; they progressively become better musicians and songwriters with each song.
Listen: www.meridianwestband.com

There were also some wonderful performances at the Sundance Music Cafe hosted by ASCAP - highlights for us were the fabulous Jessie Baylin, legend Patti Smith, Sea Wolf, Gavin DeGraw, Missy Higgins, Meiko, Brett Dennen and ROAN.

The Happening

We've sensed it. We've seen the signs. Now... It's happening. M. Night Shyamalan delivers his new thriller on Friday the 13th of June. Mark Wahlberg will play a man who takes his family on the run when the world turns upside and a cataclysmic natural crisis threatens to end the world.

Scene: SUNDANCE

Heath Ledger Found Dead

Heath Ledger, the gifted actor known his role as a gay cowboy in the film "Brokeback Mountain," was found dead in his Manhattan apartment today, possibly of a drug overdose, police said. The Australian-born Ledger, 28, was found face down and naked at the foot of the bed by a housekeeper at his apartment in the SoHo neighborhood, police spokesman Paul Browne said. He was pronounced dead at the scene but no cause had been determined.
"We are investigating the possibility of an overdose. ... There were pills within the vicinity of the bed," Browne said, adding that the prescription medicine included sleeping pills. The housekeeper found Ledger at 3:26 p.m., and tried to wake him for his appointment with a masseuse, who was also in the home, Browne said. A medical examiner conducted a preliminary investigation and Ledger's body was wheeled out of the fifth-floor apartment in a stretcher, covered in a black body bag, about three hours after he was found. Screen star Mel Gibson, who starred alongside Ledger in the film "The Patriot," said his thoughts and prayers were with the younger actor's family. "I had such great hope for him," Gibson said in a statement released by his publicist. "He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss." Ledger was nominated for an Academy Award as best lead actor for 2005's "Brokeback Mountain," but the Oscar went to Philip Seymour Hoffman for his role as Truman Capote. Ledger did win a New York Film Critics Circle award for the role. The star was separated from his long time girlfriend -- Michelle Williams, who played his wife in "Brokeback" and was the real-life mother of their 2-year-old daughter, Matilda. The couple tried to keep a low profile by living in Brooklyn but still appeared often in the gossip pages. He moved to Manhattan after the breakup. A crowd of about 200 people and 75 reporters gathered outside his building on Broome Street, with fans snapping pictures on their cell phones. Ledger's other film credits included "Monster's Ball" and the title role in "Casanova." He was due to appear this year as The Joker in the next Batman film by Warner Bros., "The Dark Knight," which completed filming.

U2 at SUNDANCE Film Festival

"There's a lot of love and Irish whisky in the air," U2 front man Bono said Saturday night. The Irish rock superstar was speaking onstage at the Eccles Theatre, main venue of the Sundance Film Festival, surrounded by his bandmates The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. They were dressed in the skiwear that is both weather and fashion necessity here, and pleased to be on hand for the world premiere of the finished version of U2 3D, their 3D concert movie. Opening in Toronto Feb. 15, it's about 30 minutes longer than the work print that screened at Cannes last May. It was the hottest of the hot tickets at Sundance, with scalpers out front and a celebrity guest list that included Nobel Prize winner Al Gore and Sundance founder Robert Redford. So realistic were the images of Bono and the band reaching out to the audiences onscreen (the movie was filmed during South American dates of the band's recent Vertigo tour), that the 1,200 moviegoers in the Eccles reacted as if they were at a real rock concert. The Eccles audience and the audiences on the film seemed to be as one. Those in the theatre applauded after songs, especially such hits as "One," "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "With Or Without You."

They did the 21st-century equivalent of the Bic lighter salute, holding up glowing cellphones and swaying in time to the music. A highlight of the film is when Bono makes a plea for all the world's religions to stop fighting one other. The stage lights up with giant religious symbols aligned to spell out the word "Coexist." The band returned to the stage for a Q&A session afterwards, accompanied by co-directors Catherine Owens and Mark Pellington. But the band is still the same as it was when it formed 32 years ago, he said, pointing out that U2 3D was premiering in a theatre that is part of a high school when Sundance isn't on. "There's something fitting about seeing this in Park City in a high school. We are a high school band, after all."

The Hollywood Bureau Takes On SUNDANCE Film Festival

The slogan for Sundance 2008 is "Film Takes Place" and it's accompanied by dreamy images of a camera travelling along a road towards a snowy mountain. The scene plays prior to all Sundance screenings. It caught the eye of fest founder Robert Redford as he prepared to address the Eccles Theatre audience Thursday night. "That's the road to my house," he said, pointing up at the screen. The audience laughed, but maybe Redford wasn't joking. He actually does live on a Utah mountain that looks a lot like the one onscreen.

Opening weekend at the festival has been flooded by A-list celebrities. Most are here to stump the indie projects that they are attached too. However, many are here for the all-night parties where actors-turned-DJ's spin until the wee hours of the morning while they devour the vast amount of FREE SWAG. There are SWAG Suites everywhere -- filled with designer clothing, accessories and all the latest electronic gadgetry.

The lights went out at Sundance -- literally, Friday the lights on historic Main St., where most of the parties happen failed about 10:30 p.m., the result of overloaded circuits from clubs blasting out sound and light. Harry O's nightclub was among the many suddenly plunged into darkness, interrupting a sold-out show by Maroon Five.

RIP: Brad Renfro 1982 - 2008

Brad Renfro, the troubled young actor whose film career began at age 12 starring alongside Susan Sarandon in "The Client," has died. He was 25. His body was found in his Los Angeles home early Tuesday, his lawyer Richard Kaplan said. Renfro served 10 days in jail in May 2006 after pleading no contest to driving while intoxicated and pleading guilty to attempted possession of heroin.

OWN - the Oprah Winfrey Network

Discovery Communications and Oprah Winfrey announced a deal Tuesday where the Discovery Health network will be turned over to Winfrey next year, becoming OWN — the Oprah Winfrey Network. The cash-free transaction involved Winfrey turning over her Web site to Discovery, while the communications company makes her chairman of the network, which is currently seen in 68 million homes, said David Zaslav, Discovery Communications chief. "The focus of the channel will be the focus of Oprah's brand, which is to educate and inspire people to live the best life they can," Zaslav said. Some of Winfrey's stable of regular contributors could be expected to be part of the programming, he said. Winfrey's current talk show, as well as rights to use of reruns, is spoken for until the end of the 2010-11 season.

James McAvoy and Keira Knightley continue their campaign for Oscar gold as the Atonement costars grace the upcoming issue of Entertainment Weekly. In the issue, on newsstands tomorrow, Kiera, who has been nominated before for her role in 2005’s Pride and Prejudice, dishes on the Oscar season process. “For me it was the first time that anyone said that I could remotely act,” reveals the 22-year-old actress. “So going from just a pretty face whose sh*t to somebody being nominated for an Oscar was hilarious! And also I knew that I hadn’t got a f*cking hope in hell of actually winning it, so it took the pressure off. But I never read a script and go, “Ooh, that could be an Oscar!”

Critics' Choice Awards

Katie Holmes and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie attend the 13th Annual Critics' Choice Awards in Santa Monica last night.

MADONNA in INDIA

Madonna and her family welcomed the New Year under the stars in a remote camp in the Rajasthani desert being entertained by a troupe of dancing horses. The Queen of Pop spent many hours trekking through the desert riding a thoroughbred Marwari horse – bred by the ancient rulers of Rajasthan and famed for their stamina, bravery and loyalty – Madonna waved to her children before galloping off in a cloud of dust. The remote camp is located close to a 19th century fort where the family had been staying. Madonna and her husband Guy Ritchie arrived in India from the Maldives on a chartered Kingfisher jet on December 31 with all of their children in tow.
She celebrated the New Year being entertained in the desert by traditional dancers and folk singers. "Madonna spent New Year's Eve with her family at a wilderness camp in the desert," said Siddarth Singh, whose family owns the nearby Rohetgarh Fort where they have been staying and helped organize the entertainment. "Madonna was comfortably dressed in Western clothes for the evening and enjoyed the dance performances along with her family." The evening included traditional Rajasthani folk music, with performances by Langa, Manganiar and Kalbelia dancers. "There was a dancing horse show too," added Mr. Singh. "Traditional food was served at the party. Madonna had vegetable curries and fish, while her son and husband stuck to vegetables only. Later all of them danced with folk artistes into the wee hours. In the morning a special horse show was organized at Khandi, a village near Rohetgarh. "Madonna and her son enjoyed the horse ride and seemed very comfortable interacting with the local people. No one even realized she was an A-list celebrity."

Indy's Back in Vanity Fair

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the film hits theaters on May 22; the highly anticipated film is going to be more like classic sci-fi films than the Saturday serials that inspired the earlier Indy films. That’s according to the February Vanity Fair, which digs deeply into Crystal Skull by talking to Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg and director George Lucas, who says: “Instead of doing a ’30s Republic serial, we’re doing a B science-fiction movie of the ’50s … like The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Blob, and The Thing.” Plot details remain scarce, but we know the story is set in 1957 as Indy battles Cold War Russians, led by Cate Blanchett as Agent Spalko. The issue hits newsstands in New York and Los Angeles today.

Joined by their respective love interests Scott Disick, Adrienne Bailon and Reggie Bush, celebrity siblings Kourtney, Rob and Kim of the Kardashian clan pose for a picture at the Cuervo Platino Party at the Delano in Miami. The internet has been buzzing amid rumors that Kim and Reggie were engaged; the happy young couple appeared blissfully unaware of the rumors surrounding them as they partied it up with pals at the South Beach hotspot.

Victoria and David Beckham make their way out of a New Year’s Eve party in the wee hours of the morning.