Events

Sundance parties — smaller is better

   Every year, reporters get the same calls from the publicists handling all the big parties on Main Street in Park City at the Sundance Film Festival, and the calls go something like this: “Justin Timberlake showed up last night, and so did Christian Slater and Teri Hatcher (pictured right)…” and whoever else. But the fact is, if you ever plan on attending the festival, those guys either come in and leave fast for a private affair, or the head to a VIP lounge somewhere, and the regular festival goers are left to mingle with young adults who come up from Salt Lake City or wannabe stars and starlets from Hollywood.

    The more interesting gatherings are the smaller dinners held before movie premieres, and they give reporters a great deal more insight into the human side of stars and films and directors. Here’s a sample of some of the early goings on.

    At the dinner for 69 year-old Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins’ “Slipstream,” USA Today reporter Anthony Breznican, who has dark hair and is in his 30s, approached the door and the young woman checking names asked for his. The publicist at the door told her, “he’s Anthony,” and she looked down the list and said, “Anthony Hopkins?” You had to laugh, and we did. Inside, the real Hopkins (pictured left)told the crowd of some 40 people or so that he relied heavily on his friend, Tony Robbins, to help keep his self-confidence high if it was flagging. Interestingly human: an Oscar winner who struggles with his ownconfidence, like we all do.
Over at the dinner for “American Crime,” the film’s star Catherine Keener (pictured left; she’s on the far right) walked around introducing herself to people, holding out her hand and saying, “Hi, I’m Catherine.” You’re like, “yeah, I know,” but it’s nice to have a star introduce herself as if you don’t. Talking with “The Savages” star Laura Linney, the conversation turns from films to snow skiing, and when relaying a personal story about your family to veteran television actress Judith Light, who stars in Sundance film “Save Me,” she offers her help, completely out of the blue with nothing in it for her.

    But here’s the good one, and it comes from one of those first-time Sundancers, director Patricia Riggen of “La Misma Luna,” which deals with Mexico-U.S. immigration. Riggen was at a small gathering — maybe 75 people — celebrating the premiere of her movie which received a long standing ovation. A mariachi band was playing in the background, and the diminutive Riggen was very happy. Asked how she felt — the positive reception, and all — and she looked up with a big smile and wide eyes and she said: “I feel like dancing.” And she did.   

Golden Globes loved ‘Babel’, ‘Dreamgirls’… will Oscar?

                               
With Monday’s Golden Globe Awards out of the way, Hollywood’s real Oscar race gets going. The fact is the winners at Monday’s telecast were almost exactly in line with predictions after months of campaigning by Hollywood’s studios, with the one mild exception being “Babel” beating “The Departed” for best film drama.

“Dreamgirls” with three Golden Globe victories including best musical or comedy, is now the clear Oscar frontrunner. But it has two big hurdles to overcome: not enough little box office and too much award hype.
    As of Monday, it’s domestic ticket sales were $67 million, and while that is better than “Chicago” at roughly the same point in its successful 2002 Oscar bid, the fact is Oscar voters like a box office smash. Paramount’s marketing strategy all along has called for a slow rollout, but the question is whether they waited too long and interest has waned?
    Producer Laurence Mark eluded to the issue last night in his acceptance speech when he said about the movie’s win, “I’m sure we’ll be advertising it in about 10 seconds.” And don’t forget the hype factor. Oscar voters don’t like to be told which movie to favor. A backlash is possible.
    If “Dreamgirls” falters, Martin Scorsese’s crime thriller “The Departed” and cultural drama “Babel” will be close behind. The buzz is Scorsese is a near shoo-in for the best director Oscar, and that correlates strongly with a best film Oscar. 
    Yet, “The Departed” is not Scorsese’s best work, and Golden Globe voters recognized that. “Babel” is a complicated “love it,” or “just don’t quite care and grew sort of bored” type of movie. Golden Globe voters loved it. Will Oscar voters?

Toyota’s Press to GM: Don’t read the papers

Toyota Motor North American chief Jim Press (pictured left) had simple advice for U.S. rival General Motors: don’t get hung up on what the media is writing about you.

“Don’t read the newspapers. You’re doing fine. Just keep doing what you’re doing,” he said to analysts at an event in conjunction with the Detroit auto show.

China’s Changfeng aims not to disappoint

Changfeng Motor paved a new path, becoming the first Chinese automaker to debut a vehicle at the Detroit auto show with its Liebao SUV (pictured right with Changfeng Chairman Li Jianxin, right, and an auto show executive).

Changfeng — with a marketing slogan of “Never Makes You Disappointed” – joins a growing list of Chinese automakers who have announced plans to enter the U.S. auto market. 

Toyota eyes even bigger pickup truck

Toyota — fresh from showing off its Tundra CrewMax (pictured left with executive vice president Jim Lentz), a version of the full-size pickup with the largest cab space – is now eyeing a “Super Duty” version to fill out its vehicle lineup.

It may need all the products it can get as the Wall Street Journal reports Toyota faces pressure to further boost North American production to counteract potential political backlash stemming from the U.S. Big Three’s woes.

Consumer Reports rates this year’s Detroit auto show

Correspondent James B. Kelleher spoke with David Champion (pictured left, courtesy of Consumer Reports), senior director of the automotive test center at Consumer Reports magazine. A transcript of the interview follows:

REUTERS: So how are you enjoying the show so far?

CHAMPION: Its another endurance tour. There seems to be more life this year than last. More optimism within the domestic manufacturers than there was last year. Whether thats going to follow through into sales well have to see.

Malcolm Bricklin on electric hybrid plans

Reuters James B. Kelleher sat down with Malcolm Bricklin, founder of Visionary Vehicles and a colorful entrepreneur who wants to bring Chinese-made cars to the U.S. market. An edited transcript of the interview follows:

REUTERS: Whats the most interesting thing youve seen here today? A colleague told me they saw you hanging around GMs Chevy Volt electric vehicle?

Lamborghini CEO OK with track’s take on Gallardo

The chief executive of Italian sports car maker Lamborghini is OK with the use of Lamborghini’s name in songs, even when a model’s name is mispronounced.

“Not all publicity is good publicity, but we sell cars,” Stephan Winklemann (pictured left) told Reuters. “It’s part of the business that you have, let’s say, a potpourri of different types of customers and this is part of the game.”

Automobile magazine editor on Prius brand, the show and more

Reuters James B. Kelleher spoke with Automobile magazine senior editor Joe DeMatio (pictured left, courtesy of the magazine) on subjects ranging from fuel efficiency to car designs. A partial transcript follows.  Reuters: Theres conventional wisdom emerging that the appetite among consumers for more fuel-efficient cars represents a real, permanent change, not a temporary reaction to the spike in energy prices. Do you agree? Does last weeks sharp drop in oil prices change things at all?

DeMatio: I think Americans are very susceptible to fashion and trends and I think its a definite trend toward fuel-efficient vehicles. There are a lot of people who are very interested in hybrids who, in my opinion, never had any interest in fuel efficiency before, even though there were fuel-efficient, small cars available. But it took it becoming a fashionable item for it to catch their interest. Its fascinating.

Reuters: The Prius has a kind of iPod-like cachet, doesn’t it?

 DeMatio: Completely. It is now known as the Prius. No one knows it as the Toyota Prius any more. Its Prius. (Pictured left, actor Tom Hanks arrives at move premiere last year in a Prius). Its a brand name thats bandied about as much as iPod. Im sure theres a certain segment of the population that got scared out of SUVs when gas was hovering around $3 a gallon who, now that its sinking back down, are breathing a big sigh of relief like, “OK, Armageddon is not here yet. The worlds not ending. I can still do this without feeling guilty or stupid or whatever.”

Lutz: Volt electric concept car no PR ploy

GM Vice Chairman and product chief Bob Lutz (pictured right with the Volt) said on Sunday company critics will have to revise their thinking about GM’s commitment to addressing environmental concerns and U.S. dependence on oil imports after seeing the Chevrolet Volt electric concept car.

“An electric vehicle coming from General Motors, I am shocked, truly shocked,” Lutz said sarcastically. “The GM electric vehicle is an inconvenient truth. This is not a PR exercise or a pure show car. This is a real program with real money behind it that is heading for production.”