Images: A Mental Photo Album

I've been fascinated with images lately - little snippets of a moment that just resonate with me somehow. Part of it is going through the book Style Statement, written by my new faves Carrie and Danielle (who I adore - a group of us are working with them on a Seattle event and they are deliciously inspirational). The book helps you "know yourself" and what makes you tick - things we don't often spend time doing. The goal of it is to simplify your life by coming up with a two-word statement that defines your style, essence, preferences - and not just for fashion, but applied to relationships, career, outlook, etc. In doing so, you define your "brand" and often can make better decisions. I'm stuck on mine right now towards the end (too many words to choose from!) but it's a wonderful process. "Hello, self, nice to meet you! What are your likes and dislikes? What is your favorite flower? What moves you?" It's like a really nice first date with your soul.

Anyway, I spent the weekend in NY at a wedding of a dear childhood friend and also got to catch up with one of my best friends and her 17-month old. It was lovely to talk and laugh and be myself with those who know me best. I carried the following images and snippets home with me from this trip:

• Slowly strolling through an Upper West Side street fair with my gal pal, with baby in tow, and talking about life as NY bustles around us.
• Relaxing on a brown fluffy cushion in a wine bar at 4 in the afternoon
• A simply beautiful new church built in the classic style, surrounded by lawns of bright green with a lighly clouded sky framing the steeple.
• Casually sipping a latte in a rustically tan and brown cafe, complete with exposed brick walls and French country bric-a-brac (I love that word)
• A gorgeous bride silhouetted by the sun through the doorway as she makes her walk down the aisle

Take some time this week and capture these "mental photos" in your own life. Simplify and pare it down so you can carry it with you. You'll be amazed at how it helps you not only enjoy the moment, but enables you to keep a piece of that joy with you after you leave.

Rant Rattle and Roll: Global (not) Warming

Seattle apparently is experiencing its worst "coming out of winter" weather in years. So I'm told. It's been raining, it's been cold, and this past weekend, we actually had hail. HAIL.

This, after the tease of 70 degree weather the Saturday before. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may or they might freeze on the bush tomorrow.

Before I lived here, I visited here. Many times. And it can be utterly gorgeous in this city when the sun deems us worthy to shine upon. But no, our first winter/spring living here and it blows.

Well, Mother Nature is kicking my ass and I'm not gonna take it anymore. Last week, I got a pedicure, closed toe shoes be damned. And this weekend I wore a tank top. That's right, I said it. It's hailing outside and I wore a tank top (well, and a coat of course, but that's beside the point). The point is, I have rows of open-toed strappy sandals and sassy platforms dying of neglect. Bitter and confused, they stare at me from the dark depths of my closet like ex-lovers wantonly discarded for something better. "But didn't we have such a great time at that new restaurant in the Mission? Didn't you feel proud when someone complimented you because of us camel-colored 60's hoochie mama sandals at the cast party last fall? What have we done to deserve this? We give and give....." And little do they know I am so over wearing boots.

Spring will be here soon - the sun is out today and most likely, it will be a gorgeous weekend since we'll be elsewhere. But soon, soon, the clouds will part and the sunny Seattle I know exists will shine down on us once again. So just hang in there, lovely stilletos. Mama's coming......

Italy in Fremont - and Wine in Woodinville

I found it.

Long in search of a neighborhood Italian joint where I could savor my garlic-laden, carb-chocked, straight-talkin' favorites from the Mother Land, I stumbled on Pontevecchio. And I did not want to get up and leave.

With a decor leaving something to be desired but reminding me of some of the best random European cafes, this place dishes out hard-core Italian specialties, friendly service, and ample wine pours. I devoured a garlic spinach ravioli special (homemade, duh) filled with ricotta and topped with a Pinot Grigio, olive oil, butter and garlic heart-attack-in a gravy boat sauce. Freshly grated cheese blanketed the puffy pillows in motherly goodness. Hubbie ordered a Penne Alla'Amatriciana that was a wonderful kaleidoscope of green and red fantasy. Piping hot, full of herbs and flavor, and a lingering smell of garlic that I think is still with us 2 days later. But I don't give a crap. This place absolutely rocked and I am going back again and again and again.

The colorful spot right past the Fremont Bridge borders in cheesy kitsch (there's even Italian soccer posters from what looks like the 80's in the window) but chalk it up to authenticity and treat yourself to some of the best Italian food I've had in the US. Period. It's dubbed the "Place for Lovers" and I understand they even have opera nights each month.

This place is living proof that swanky Pottery Barn votives, fussy waiters and small portions do not a great dining experience make. I felt like I was in someone's house and we enjoyed the glimpse of Summer that God gave us on Saturday as we ate and sipped in the window of this joyful little find.

Sunday brought us to the Woodinville Wine Passport 2008, a festival of open winery's and lots of smiles in nearby Woodinville Wine Country. Skipping the typical pretty winery tasting rooms, we headed straight to the office parks that house many of the region's budding wineries. Tents were set up in parking lots, and office suites flung open their doors, revealing modest but lovely tasting room set-ups and barrels of wine being stored it what would pass for temp agency offices or something. Given the close proximity of most of the place in the office parks, you could gleefully hop from one to another in minutes. This was how we managed to hit about 12 wineries in 2 hours.

Top picks: Des Voigne's lovely Untitled (a happy accident) and Solea Cab; Covington Cellars Sangiovese and Viognier; and Arlington Road Cellars' Monolith. More to come on the wines and how to handle a tasting festival in my www.intowine.com monthly column.

We stopped in at some traditional wineries with full property and tasting rooms before we left Columbia nd Januik. Januik, while voted Winemaker of the Year or something from Seattle Magazine, was the worst, most commercial, "cattle-driving" wine tasting I've ever been to and not the greatest wine I've ever had - will not be back. Gray concrete, steel everywhere, and pourers who just poured and didn't share any knowledge or passion about the wine. Horrible.

I will take the passionate, friendly, talkative folks at the office parks any day. This was the true spirit of winemaking and wine culture full of passion, warmth and accessibility for anyone. Loved it.

Serious Pie and Quirky Qube

Last weekend was about celebrating a big account I just landed - and diving back into our culinary exploration of Seattle. Much like getting back on the horse with a lapsed exercise routine: you tend to go big your first time back and spend the next day or so nursing sore muscles, or in this case, eating light because you're still so damn full.

Friday night brought us to Qube, a Asian-French fusion of savory bites and hip decor. Running in to escape the drizzle and cold, we were greeted with an industrial space of soft lighting, quirky fixtures and accents of orange, steel gray and lime green. The adjacent bar with its wide couches and votives was nicely offset from the eating area. And in the center of the place lived a long, high communal dining table a la Asia de Cuba.

For the adventurous diner who wants to try a bit of everything, Qube offers 3-course "Qube sets" - each course consists of 3 sample dishes and each course stars a main ingredient. A vegetarian set, surf set and turf set is yours for the asking. Or you can mix and match among them to form your own masterpiece, which was our cup of tea. For me: the cauliflower, Pacific halibut and chocolate trios. Hubbie had artisan duck, organic squash and banana for his selections.

Artfully displayed, the dishes boasted ample-sized portions that left me sated and happy. My starter cauliflower trio featured creamy soup served over chanterelle and carmelized floret and truffle oil (like silk, only more fattening); fennel and nicoise salad; and Madras curry vinaigrette gratin with yucca root, fontina and toasted almonds. I would have eaten cauliflower every day of the week if I knew it could be this delicious. The gratin in particular was like a healthier play on mac and cheese.

Aside from a glitch where they got my husband's first course trio wrong and had to quickly whip up another one (which, due the dish complexities was not so quick) I was already a fan.

The halibut trio I ordered for my main surprised me with how generous the portions were. One came dressed in whit soy consomme, edamame and trumpet mushroom for a real Asian flair. Another was crusted in hazelnut and served over a roasted fennel puree and mission fig butter delight. And the third was paoched with citrusy goodness of tangelo and a dash of tarragon.

Saving a little room for my decadent dessert, I dived gleefully into my last trio: the dark chocolate. I salivate as I type what was included: a Qube 'Peanut Butter Cup', Gianduja Cake, with star anise caramel, toasted hazelnuts, and a unique Hot Chocolate "dipper" for a Lychee & cinnamon marshmallow (not your childhood s'mores, my friends).

My husband's dishes were equally delicious, although he found the ample portion of foie gras almost too much for one person. I have a girlfriend who would say there can never be too much foie gras, but there might be congressmen in Illinois who disagree.

Overall, I really enjoyed the taste, texture and smell of the whoe experience - simple unique ingredients in varying combinations without overdoing each individual dish with ego. Gordon Ramsay would be proud.


Our second treat last weekend was getting a taste of Tom Douglas' classic, Serious Pie. No, it's not dessert pie, it's pizza pie and it's fabulous. Wood-fired with the perfect melted blend of cheese, fresh mozzarelly and seasoned just right with basil and herbs. Mmmmmm.....the charming, casual wood tables and wine racks felt like a little European wine cellar was was perfect for an easy lunch. There are many varieties of pie and they cook them with perfect crunchy thin bliss of a crust. And the tomato sauce - the most difficult element for any pizza place to get right for this ex-New Yorker who knows from good pizza-- was delightfully sweet and thick with the right touch of spices. I'm sold.

Less exciting was our foray with friends on Sunday night to Ten Mercer. Great space and would love to go back for drinks or apps to this upscale eatery - the layout was similar to Jardiniere in SF if you've ever been. The food was good, but not great. I had a very heavy lobster risotto that was just too many flavors vying for attention. That seemed the theme - each dish was trying to hard and it just created an overcomplicated mess with all those fresh wonderful ingredients. Gordon Ramsay would NOT be proud of this one. If they pared down some of the dishes to let them shine naturally, they'd be much better off. But the company was great and the wine was yummy.

The weekend is almost upon us once again and we are significantly downshifting from last week's fall off the budget wagon. But another lunch trip to Serious Pie just might be in order. So sue me.

Rant, Rattle and Roll: Stop Sign Chaos

Brace yourself. This might be unexpected news for many of you who know me well. I am pretty sure that, from a very early age - from the time I was 6 and grabbed the mike at my brother's confirmation party to belt out "Rhinestone Cowboy (twang, twang) - and up to and including the present, people may have briefly flirted with the idea that...well...I might be a drama queen.

I'm in my mid 30's now, so instead of being offended, I think I'm just going to embrace it.

In that spirit, I present a new little snippet on the Red Slice blog: Rant, Rattle and Roll. It's my way of offering a light sample of the "woe is me", put upon vibe my poor husband endures (and luckily, laughs at) on a daily basis. These episodes are often extinguished rather rapidly when I turn on the World News and realize my life is pretty damn good and I should shut up and count my blessings. Still, ya gotta admit: it IS fun to rant a little.

Today's rant: People who can't figure out 4-way stop signs.

I seem to recall this being a very important lesson when I took Driver's Ed. Whoever is at the stop sign goes first. If two of you get there at the exact same moment, you yield to the driver on the right. Simple. Done. Boom, Right?

Wrong. Put aside the "But what if all FOUR people get to the sign at the same time?" Slow down, Sparky: A) that ain't ever gonna happen and B) let's get the 2-car yielding down right first before we tackle the next level, shall we?

Did they take this question off the test? Is this a rule that was suddenly abolished during the dot.com boom? Why can't people get it right?!?! And I've got news for you, especially Mr. Schlobbo in the Hyundai in Queen Anne the other day: it's who gets to the sign first, not the fact that you were behind the first turning car before I got to my corner. You don't get to go right behind the guy in front of you just because he took so long. Sheesh. I bet you don't use turn signals either, but that's for another bedtime story.

Rant accomplished. Ok, now back to more important things like life, liberty and vodka tonics.

Cravin' That Mac and Cheese Action

My foodie friends from Indy came for a happy visit this weekend due to some work stuff so we hit the dining scene. They discovered some great spots we have yet to try on their own, but we did manage to take them to our neighborhood fave, Betty, which once again did not disappoint. And then Carrie and I bopped to lunch at Crave in Capitol Hill the day before she left. This is a spot about which I've read fab reviews, in the much beloved "gourmet comfort food" category. While I had been planning to dive into dinner there on my first visit, it was open and the menu looked amazing so we tried it out.

Nestled in a smal nook of a building that also houses an arts center and a pilates studio, Crave is like a mad chef's delighful playpen. It is grounded and earthy: no fluff, just yum. If you didn't know about the culinary delights tucked inside this itty bitty spot, you'd be tempted to write it off as a artsy Capitol Hill sandwich shop. But nooooooooo......trust me.

Aside from serving up brunches to die for (an omelette with duck confit and shitake mushrooms?!) Good Lord...), Crave delivers with the lunch crowd as well. We started with salads. Hers: the organic beet and arugula salad. Mine: the amazing spinach salad with red onions, pears, Cabrales bleu cheese and warm bacon vinaigrette. Heaven.

Speaking of bacon bliss, Carrie's main was a unique take on a grilled cheese sandwich; this one served with thick-cut bacon and Braeburn apples. Not your Mom's Wonder Bread and Kraft singles, that's for damn sure. I surrendered to the siren call of the Shiitake Mac & Cheese with New York sharp cheddar and fontina, parmesan, shiitakes, pasta shells & toppped with seasoned bread crumbs. The smaller of the two portions offered was just right with my glass of Sauvignon Blanc. I am really starting to wonder if my "last meal" will indeed be filet mignon cooked in butter and Roquefort or a mac and cheese like this. Maybe both. Why not.

Enough writing about this place. Get thee yonder hither with much haste. Or whatever. Just go!

Gourmet Comfort Food

Having fallen prey to the charms of Seattle's Restaurant Zoe long before being a resident, I couldn't resist checking out its sister joint, Quinn's Pub, in roughly hip Capitol Hill. Actually, that should be "brother" restaurant, since Zoe and Quinn are nods to owners Scott and Heather Staples' two children. Lucky kids. I bet they actually like eating their veggies.

With simple dark wood tables and chairs, a modern, warehouse space feel and a European gastropub menu, Quinn's is a great spot for a casually upscale Saturday date with your spouse. The open lively atmosphere still manages a cozy edge and is also perfect for a girls night out or first live meeting with your Match.com wink.

Lithe, tall 20-something waiters breeze by in jeans and t-shirts, lending a relaxed "not trying too hard" hipness to the place. But don't let the slacker vibe fool you. These guys know the ins and outs of the unique menu. Items like pear salad, rabbit pate, duck, house made sausage and Wagyu beef burgers adorn the simple yet innovative menu. Quinn's also features some interesting specialty cocktails as well as a cornucopia of domestic and some very unique world beers. Their wine list is yummilicious as well.

Hubbie and I opted for pear salads to start. served with frissee, endive and stilton. You gotta love the sharp bite of a bleu cheese with the sweet nectar of a soft pear. Drizzled with some sort of vinaigrette that neutralized the sharp contrasts, this salad was wiped clean off our plates.

For our mains, I was torn between the Spanish-style smoked hangar steak served with romesco cabarales (like a bleu cheese) and frites or the pork roulades served with squash risotto and mango. When in doubt, always ask the waiter which he recommends. Without hesitation, he gleefully suggested the pork. Hubbie ordered the 8 oz. Wagyu beef burger, served with cheddar, bacon and fries.

My pork was yumminess wrapped in yumminess served on a bed of squash risotto yumminess. The moist meat melted in my mouth and the sweet aspects of the squash and mango paired divinely. I am a huge fan of pork with any sort of fruit compote (the most notable being Peter Brady's favorite, pork chops and apple sauce) and this blend hit all the right notes. The burger was juicy and robust with a very large fresh bun and the fries were crisp and piping hot.

Pre-dinner cocktails included one whose name escapes me and is not on the website, but it had Vodka and some sort of lime kir. It was a subtle, lighter alternative to our traditional vodka tonics. I also had a glass of Sangiovese (again, recommended by our Abercrombie and Fitch model waiter) that was a classic companion to the pork dish.

Quinn's rocked as both a casual gourmet hangout or even a night out for two. It's not often you can find a place that does both extremely well. Do Scott and Heather have any more kids? If so, I can't wait to see what divine deliciousness pops up next.

Wine Pick: Hey Walla Walla

Sunday, I used my wino skills for good rather than evil at the 2nd Annual Bags and Bottles Event at the W Hotel Seattle, benefitting Gilda's Club. Gilda's Club is the charity started in honor of comedienne Gilda Radnor, who fought a long battle with cancer. They help cancer patients and their families during a very difficult time.

Bags and Bottles was a designer purse auction and wine tasting. Hundreds of gorgeous Prada's, Kate Spade's, and Gucci's lined tables like so many dead carcasses, circled by lusty fashionistas drunk on the thrill of landing one of them for $10. Attendees were asked to bring a gently used designer bag to the auction, and they also had new bags filled with goodies in the live auction as well.

Around the perimeter of the purse extravaganza were wine tasting stations from multiple Washington wineries. It was heaven. Highlights included Covington Cellars, DaMa Wines, Flying Trout, Animale, Airfield Estates and oh so many others.

And right before I left the event, I fell in love.

My girlfriend insisted I not leave before trying the Stella Maris. It was lovely, lush and creamy vanilla smooth on the finish for a Merlot/Cab blend (with just a hint of Petit Verdot). I find some of the WA wines need time to open up but this was just lovely. I could see hunkering down for a Law & Order marathon and Beecher's mac and cheese with this baby.

I'm still unclear which winery this is. The website leads me to Northstar Winery in Walla Walla, but the Stella is kind of hidden. Also, the card I got from the tasting table was from Chateau Ste. Michelle, so I think this might be an offshoot. Whatev. Just get me some more.

More Washington wine finds to come as I gear up for Woodinville Passport Weekend on April 12 and 13th. Oh, and I've covered some WA wines for those interested in past articles of my wine column, Red on Reds for IntoWine.com. Saluti!

Logos Gone Wild

Check out this great site that critiques reinvented logos for companies small and large. Very good insight into why and how certain brands are reinventing themselves or delving into new markets. Of particular note is the Rossignol brand shift and the horror show that is the new Animal Planet log (as a former employee of Discovery when they launched Animal Planet, this makes me feel like I've lost a favorite cousin to a cult or something). And don't miss the "How Not to Logo" ridiculousness that is the South Dakota State University logo redesign project. Let's just say never let too many cooks (or jackrabbits) into the kitchen - regardless of the fact that the end logo turned out pretty damn good. The lesson here is that this result happens in 1 out of 10 billion cases of logo by committee or contest.

PS: Did you know Discovery initally had the old logo design with the elephant's trunk facing down, but changed it when they found out that this meant bad luck in a particular culture (which one escapes me right now). Also the globe was part of that logo to associate it with the parent network, Discovery Channel and bring new viewers over.

"Law and Order" is Laced with Crack

Can someone please explain to me how the hell "L&O" lures you into it's greedy clutches, hypnotizes you for an hour, and renders your legs paralyzed, leaving you physically unable to divert your attention and get up from your coach for hours on end - even if you have babies crying or water boiling over on the stove?

When the natural disaster strikes, screw canned goods and jugs of water: I want an endless supply of "Law and Order" episodes - and that includes all said franchises of Criminal Intent, SVU or just the good ole' fashioned original (which BTW debuted in 1990 - that's eighteen years ago! Kids born when this baby hit the screen are now eligible to vote.) And I bet they're learned more about police procedure and constitutional law from this show than in any classroom.

Nothing is as powerful as a story, well-told and this hit factory is a testament to that fact. The show's original tagline was "The Story is Everything" and man, is that true. Through countless cast changes, save for the lovely and talented S. Epatha Merkerson as the hard-hitting, calm in the face of insanity Lt. Van Buren, this show is all about story. It subscribes to the fundamentals of strong plot development and follows the same formula in each show: Strong, surprising start reveals the crime and sucks you in immediately; police investigation leads them from one clue to the other until the criminal is (sometimes seemingly) caught and an arrest is made; DA's office readies their case and uncovers more clues and plot twists; and we end in court where justice is sometimes served, something not, or something extraordinary happens to twist things up.

The rotating bevy of beauties that have played ADA's over the years has had hits and misses. Hits: Angie Harmon, Jill Hennessey, current hottie-smartie Alana de la Garza. Misses: Elisabeth Rohm (My 7-year old nephew reads lines from a script with more believability.) And the police detectives have had their share of home runs and strike outs in their rotation as well: Jesse Martin, newcomer Jeremy Sisto, Mr. Big Chris Noth (who I'm so glad to see back on CI) lethal duo Mariska Hargitay and Chis Meloni from SVU, and the irreplaceable Jerry Orbach. But hopefully someone got fired (or is getting fired) over casting the wooden Milena Govich or the current talented but unbelievably miscast CI chick Alicia Witt. And my most recent twist of a surprise: Linus Roache as ADA Michael Cutter on the regular L&O - I HATED him on his first episode and thought his character (and, I have to admit, he as an actor) was tight, unemotional and arrogant. But I have come to just love his multi-faceted performance that reveals more of his personality in each episode we see.

The other amusing part of viewing hours upon hours of old L&O's? The shows are a veritable rite of passage for now more famous actors. I'm always amazed at who has passed through the police station or court on these shows - and I love it when I see the ones that do the rounds of ALL the shows in the franchise. One guy was a murderer in one episode and a recuring CSU technician in another. Neat! He gets to be on both sides of the law.

Oh, and for fun - shout out to the unsung hero of the franchise: The voice that brings us the iconic, "In the criminal justice system....." opening narration: a guy named Steven Zirnkilton. Is there anything more delicious than rain falling outside while you snuggle by the fire in a handmade quilt and hear that sultry voice that ends with: "These are there stories. (thonk thonk)" Mmmmmm.....24-hour marathon, here I come!

In my dreams of a parallel life as an actress, I would give my right arm to have a career that spanned 18 years on a brilliantly written, high-quality, expertly acted show and stay under the paparazzi radar. Thank you, Dick Wolf, for creating such a masterpiece that never panders and never forgets that the story is indeed everything.

SHOP '08: Inspiration on a Rainy Day

Yesterday I had the good fortune to be in a room with over 100 women for 8 hours - and I wanted to hear every one of their zany and inspirational stories. How often do you get to attend a conference where everyone in the room is an interesting person? Exactly.

I'm talking about SHOP '08, a conference for independent women business owners here in Seattle. Networking diva and my new best friend Melody Biringer brought together women who have launched everything from eco-boutiques to consulting businesses to crafts shops to catered meals on the go to production companies to design firms to spas to you name it. The day featured panels for each session, not just one speaker, which offered a triple play of content for each hour. I even got to moderate a panel in a pinch when the fabulous Kelley L. Moore, lifestyle editor, could not make it due to illness (I'm not one for questioning opportunities when they land at my feet - I just snatch them up). My panel was "How to Turn Your Passion into Profit" featuring gorgeous smarties Anne-Marie Faiola of Bramble Berry, Larisa Goldin of DreamClinic and Rachel Brandzel of Real Card Company. Other panel topics ranged from to "Capital with Confidence - Decreasing your costs and improving your bottom line to "Be True to Your Brand - Do you have a business soul?" to Building Your Brand" to HELP! Can you build me a website?" All of the panels were chock full of sage wisdom from women who bear the scars and want to save you the hassle.

I thoroughly enjoyed the branding discussion (brand diva that I like to think I am) and the focused point that "Brand is not just a logo." Amen, sisters. Founder Sharelle Klaus of Dry Soda has created a lifestyle brand that is elegant and cool - all from her dilemma of not being able to drink wine when she was pregnant. They are so fanatical about their luxury, sophisticated brand, they carefully choose the types of paper clips used in the office. I think I've totally found my people. Oh, and their Rhubarb soda zips along your tongue like a firefly on a hot summer night in Eastern Long Island. Now I know why the French Laundry serves Dry Soda (and why they won't let discount blue box chains of which we will not speak sell them and spoil the brand image - at least not yet.)

Overall, it was a great day of inspiration and wisdom that I will not soon forget - both for the content and the lively connections I made. This beats my old IT/Application Development/Data Warehousing trade shows I was forced to endure for so many years where attendees care more about which booth has better free giveaways than the actual content presented. Thanks Ladies!

Geeked out on the WSJ

As a writer, I've always been a sucker for a good news story, well told. I never subscribed to the paper, because I was either a) traveling and preferred the USA Today soundbites and colorful graphs on important topics like Most Popular Pickle Varieties Around the World; b) stealing reads of abandoned papers or magazines in doctor's waiting rooms; c) catching Good Morning America each morning - when they actually had more real news on then they do now; d) listening to NPR which my husband got me hooked on during our former 1 and a 1/2 hour one way commutes/death marches down 101 in San Francisco; or e) Trying to read news sites online.

With the recent move and job changes in my life, I got out of my news-thirsty habits and was feeling a bit adrift. So we recently got a subscription to the Wall Street Journal (after chucking the poorly written Seattle Times) and I gotta tell ya, I'm hooked. I've never devoured a paper like I do this one - there are so many enticing stories, brilliantly written that I often jump from one to the other like a fat kid in a candy factory.

I get a good view of political and world news that is interesting, informative and seemingly unbiased - at least to me. But I also get fascinating marketplace coverage and even the lifestyle articles seem more evolved and make me see things - and people - in a new way. For example:

Today I learned that there's more to Ryan Seacrest than bleached teeth and Paula Abdul wrangling. He's a savvy businessman, this one. This 33-year old not only hosts "Idol", he co-anchors E! News, hosts American Top 40, does something with Dick Clark Productions, does a 5 hour morning radio show in LA and produces one show for E! and has another in the works. Now, in partnership with Clear Channel, he's syndicating his talk show in a mini-format of 3 hours for markets all across the nation. But here's the kicker: he's keeping a percentage of the ad space to sell to sponsors he's already personally affiliated with through TV. Most radio personalities own their show but let the network deal with selling ads. But Ryan has found a way to keep his sugar daddies coming back for more and imbedding promos in his content. He recently hosted a VIP dinner at his house (Wolfgang Puck prepared Kobe steaks and mac and cheese with truffles - oh yeah) for top execs and clients of Coca Cola to pitch his proposal and get their support for rejuvenating radio advertising. They were ga ga for it. Ryan, from a brand standpoint, is a squeaky clean, perfect pitchman with his finger on the pulse of the youth market. I like the way he rolls. What raised him up a few notches in my book was that he learned from one of the best personalites/deal makers in TV: Merv Griffith. Nice.

Kind of makes you wonder whatever happened to that other guy from Season 1 of "Idol", Brian Dunkleman. Do you think he sits on his shabby couch in his boxers, torturing himself by watching new episodes of "Idol" while downing Jack Daniels, screaming "Curse you, Seacrest! I shall have my blood!" Or maybe that's just me.

Oscar 2008: A Whole Lot of Yawn....and Red

Only 3 blog posts this month? Egad! Sorry dear readers (reader) but starting a business requires much more time than anticipated. But last night brought us the star-studded bonanza that is Oscar Night. And with the writer's strike becoming a memory, Hollywood came out in full frontal glamour.

First, the event itself. You really can't go wrong in my book having Jon Stewart host anything from the Academy Awards to a Junior High Spelling Bee. His monologue was witty with just the right balance of political and entertainment references and thankfully, he didn't beat us over the head with Writer's Strike jokes, which I had feared. One of his greatest moments was quipping about the historic Democratic race for the White House: "Normally when you see a black man or woman president, an asteroid is about to hit the Statue of Liberty. It's the future!" which cracked me up since it was so dead on. Stewart's stock also rose in my book when he allowed the co-winner of best original song to come out after the break and give her Thank You speech after her partner ate up all the time before the Speech Nazi's in the orchestra pit drowned them out. It has to be said that on more occasions than not, the orchestra does a service to helpless viewers everywhere by cutting short the likes of rambling or annoying winners, but sometimes have a heart, man. As my friend Melanie so eloquently put it: "Not that I needed any other reasons to love Jon Stewart but that was quite nice of him to bring her back on stage to say her thank you after stupid Bill Conti and his band of egotists played her off. " Oh, and sassy Mel has started her own blog - finally - to regale the world with her post-Awards show musings. Hurrah!

Secondly, random commentary on the awards and people themselves:

1) Great crop of good movies this year, from what I hear as I have not seen them all and hats off to the Coen Brothers for No Country for Old Men. These guys are geniuses and men of few words. Or at least one of them is. My husband commented they were like Penn and Teller, when one of them talks all the time. The other just said, "Thank you." Given their roster of amazingly unique films over the years, I have no doubt this one delivers. Juno was excellent and I was so happy to see Diablo Cody win for Best Original Screenplay. Her FIRST screenplay. After a career as a stripper. You go girl. Jon Stewart made a great joke about her going from an exotic dancer to a Hollywood writer: "How's that pay cut treating you?" Love Diablo. Loved her lack of a designer gown. Loved the fact the she wore sleeveless so her tattoo was boldly exhibited to the world. I'm all for Hollywood glamour, as we'll discuss later, but I'm also a fan of a woman with chops.

2) This year, the theme was "Actors from Abroad" as Europeans swept the four main acting categories. Nice to see globalization hitting Hollywood. And ya just gotta love acceptance speeches that begin with hesitant broken English and then break into rapid-fire native tongues just because they are short on time and just so damn happy.

3) We had an Oscar competition during the telecast and I won by virtue of every sound and editing award going to "The Bourne Identity." If you want suspense that moves you and a story that never lets you take a breath, but that doesn't require a lot of brain cells, rent it today. It's excellent.

4) We will not see the last of Ellen Page, even though that Marion chick from France won for playing Edith Piaf. Whatever. Juno Rules. And I have a rule to try to see anything that Laura Linney is in. I love her, I want to be her and I hope she wins someday.

5) Tilda Swinton may have looked like death warmed over wrapped in a Hefty bag, but she is a sarcastic chick and I dig that about her. Her speech referencing her admiration for George Clooney donning his Batsuit for the Batman movies "nipples and all" was bizarre but very dry and fun. I could see doing shots in a pub with this one. I have not yet seen "Michael Clayton" but hear it's great and this woman has had a long career of great work going back to "Orlando" so good for her. I saw her at Sundance a few years ago and she's as skinny as my pinky and has twins. I'll have what she's having.

6) Miley Cyrus? Seriously? SERIOUSLY? God, who the heck invited her to present and why and when will her 15 minutes be up? Oh yeah, probably a second after the cast of "High School Musical." Please.

7) In the MIA department: Keira Knightly, the makers of "Atonement" called and thank you for your support even though you weren't nominated and decided to bag it as a "non-event". I hope she was filming or had the flu to excuse not showing up. But James McAvoy, her co-star made it and presented and he's delicious (my husband will only let me say this since he's Scottish as well). Ben Affleck, your brother gets nominated, your wife is presenting, and - for anyone who saw it - was neck-licked by Gary Busey on the Red Carpet to her shock and embarassment. Where the heck were you?

8) In the "Why" department, aside from Miley Cyrus who everyone was confused about: Cameron Diaz presenting? Why? Does she have a new movie coming out or something? And The Rock? I do not get it.

9) Please do not hold the "Enchanted" musical number against Amy Adams. Please. She's better than that and a luminously gifted actress who I adored in "Junebug" a few years ago. She had a film at Sundance this year with Emily Blunt called "Sunshine Cleaning" about two sisters who form a bio-hazard cleaning service (ya know, like to clean up murder scenes and stuff) and I can't wait to see it. It sounds dark and funny and fabulous.

10) Speaking of which....will the Senate be voting on if being exposed to not one, not two, but THREE musical numbers from "Enchanted" counts as torture? I think I know a few folks who might want to opt for waterboarding.

11) Nicole Kidman Urban (Kurdman?) is pregnant but where the heck is she hiding the little thing? It is simply against natural law to be blessed with beauty, height, flawless skin AND the ability to look stunning pregnant.

Thirdly, THE FASHION!

The Carpet was ablaze in red this year and, while not consistently popular, I thought it looked great on so many. Overall, old Hollywood glamour is making a comeback and my Audrey Hepburn-idolizing heart can't get enough of it. Long dresses that fit like gloves, slicked back men's hair, temperate jewels.....it was so dreamy.

Penelope Cruz, Jennifer Garner (I don't care about the haters, I thought she looked great in black), Jessica Alba, Renee Zellweger (the dress - she herself has seen better days), Katherine Heigl (a vision), and Anne Hathaway just wowed. I also would like to know what I need to sacrifice to which God to look like Helen Mirren when I'm 60. How does this woman have a better waist than most women half her age? Sigh....

What I was not so in love with was the HAIR. What happened here? All this time and money spent on fabulous dresses and everyone either went for one of two looks: the "throw your hair in a ponytail after running from the gym" look of Cameron Diaz, Ellen Page, and others; or the "I tried to channel Veronica Lake but just have a chunk of hair in my eye" look of - everyone else except Anne and Penelope. Jennifer Garner, Marion what's her name, even Johnny Depp got a piece of the action. I'm all for escaping romantic tendrils, but there's a line, people.

As for men, I really don't have much to say as they can wear what they want and then people forget it. But George Clooney was classic debonair and handsome, Daniel Day-Lewis looked like he beat up an AMC Theatres movie usher in the bathroom and stole his jacket, and I was happy to see Javiar Bardem has better hair (and is clearly more good looking) than in the trailers for his film. And Jack, we'll keep telling you this and you'll keep not listening but..."Sunglasses in a dark auditorium are not cool. Despite what you've been told, the 'young people' are not wearing them inside. Leave them in the car."

Overall, the show was not racy, unexpected, trashy or emotional. It just WAS. I, unlike many others, love when they show old clips from Oscar's past and you get to see the movie stars of yesteryear. I also like the In Memoriam tribute, or as my husband says, The Parade of Dead People, because we get reminded one more time of many great movie folks who have long been forgotten and who in many cases, blazed a trail. Call me a sentimental old fool, or a morbid voyeur. In any event, dreams were realized last night and as I always say for those who won, its a feeling of achievement in their chosen career that not many people get to experience, so kudos to you. Party hard.

Wine 101

Check out this great "Wine Tasting Basics" primer on the WA State Wine Commission's website. As I've always advocated, you don't need to be an expert to enjoy wine - the joy of it is in the discovery and experimentation. This little basic primer is useful instruction for how to make the most of wine tasting. Saluti!

Ladies Who Launch: Who Knew?

Stepping into the foray of entrepreneursip with the birth of my consultancy, Red Slice, has opened up a whole new world to me. A world of LLC documentation, checks to the Secretary of State, business bank accounts, and more than a weekly need to speak to an accountant or lawyer. Who knew this land existed? Well, apparently lots of people.

While my grandparents all came to this country and managed to open their own businesses with little English skills and lots of gumption, my immediate family has always been a "Do one thing and retire with the gold watch" kind of gang. My dad worked for over 25 years at the same company, doing the work he loved best: engineering. We may have felt more comfortable with the establishment-type jobs, but not at the expense of doing something you hated. And come to think of it, my Uncle owned his own business and so did one of my brothers for a time - so maybe it's in our genes somewhere.

I always envied those people who were like, "I have this kooky idea..." and then 3 months later, there's a storefront on Union Street and a shout out in Daily Candy. I felt like they were inducted into some mystical world; a place I would never understand, navigate or see. "I like security, paying my rent and buying expensive wine," I told myself comfortingly.

Ha.

A whole new world has opened up for me since hanging out my shingle. A world where ideas become reality just because someone can show you the steps you need to take. And those steps are reasonable and possible in and of themselves - you just need to break things down. A world where people come up with ideas and do something with them, not just talk and talk. A world where there are experts to turn to, sites to visit for advice, and never a shortage of folks who are more than happy to show you their scars and help you avoid your own.

I'm talking the world of entrepreneurship.

I had the divine pleasure of freshly completing a 4-week session called The Incubator, thrown by Ladies Who Launch. Ladies Who Launch is a nationwide resource and connection network for women who want to "start" anything: a business, a book, a new travel venture. Basically women who want to make a positive change in their life and build their career or personal life in the way that best suits them, rather than forcing themselves into a life that doesn't fit. Their motto: Creativity and Entrepreneurship as a Lifestyle.

For 4 weeks, women in your city come together (small groups) to gather support, find energy, gain encouragement, network and share resources on whatever initiative they want to launch. We work through our ideas, verbalize them, and paint a vision for others. I had low expectations, ranging from "This will be a business plan course" to "This will be a female whine-fest" to "This will be like therapy or a really painful episode of Dr. Phil."

Surprisingly, I was wrong, wrong, wrong - and a little bit right in a good way. I found a group of women sharing their career (and often personal) dreams, fleshing out their business ideas, offering advice and feedback, sharing resources and ultimately, cheering each other on. It often felt so bizarre, like something unreal. And then I figured out why: I had never in my entire career been in a group of women who encouraged each other to brag, who did not judge when others celebrated success, who had no ulterior motives for helping each other. No one thought Susie talked too much about herself or Sally thought she was "all that" - this behavior was encouraged and celebrated. And how sad that this positive experience is not what we women in the workplace have created for ourselves. The Glass Ceiling be damned - 9 times out of 10, I have seen women be the saboteurs of other women, whether through talking behind their back, being cruel just to show they were tough, gossiping or holding a gal's own success against her lest she think "she's better than everyone else." This negativity has nothing to do with men, ladies.

The 8 women in my group ranged from current business owners looking to branch out, corporate types wanting to make a change but not sure how, women who were trying to find a way to build a business out of their passionate talents, and those who had a vision of a business venture but had never been encouraged or assisted in pursuing it. Most of all, women who are tired of being scared, or bored, or concerned with "what other people thought" and who want to start living their lives for the only human that will judge them on their death bed: themselves.

In just 4 weeks, I bonded with these women in a way I often do not with gal pals. I now consider them all close confidantes, my own personal and professional Board of Directors, who I will consult and give back to as long as they will let me. Because of them, I now have more clarity around what I want Red Slice to be, what clients I want to pursue, and more importantly, I feel more than ever that some of my crazy ideas and schemes (opening a wine bar someday) are POSSIBLE. People open businesses every day and, damn it, I can figure it out, too!

Ladies out there, if you have the opportunity to make a change or have an idea to build a business, I highly encourage you to sign up for the Incubator in your city. You will be oh so surprised at what you find in these other women - and in yourself.

PS - and by the way, starting up my own thing means living on a budget for a while. So I'm halting the expensive wines - but only for a bit. Paring back in and of itself is cathartic and eye-opening so it's just another unexpected blessing from this new phase.

Hollywood and the Web

Sorry, dear readers, for the way overdue promised summary of "Webolution! Hollywood Adapts to the Web" panel from the Sundance Film Festival '08. As mentioned, Kara Swisher did a great job filming and summarizing this panel on All Things D. But here are my notes and thoughts on this hot topic.

Let me preface by saying I have never understood why the monolithic music and production companies get their panties in a bunch about their trailers or song snippets circling the web. Yes, yes, I am not so stupid as to overlook the copyright and piracy issues where millions of dollars are at stake. I'm talking about folks like Viacom who take down clips from YouTube in the name of copyright protection. As a marketer, I want to hit them over the head with a frying pan, "Don't you know how much this branding and press is worth in the long run? It will help drive viewership, paid downloads, album sales, etc. if you give people a taste and a tease." It is SO frustrating to me. I did ask this question and the panel basically said, "Those that get it, will win. Those that don't will fall behind." OK...I guess. But a young filmmaker in the audience did say that her trailer on YouTube kept up steady DVD sales - until she got into the Tribeca Film Festival who made her take the trailer down for the duration of their festival. Her DVD sales ground to a halt. I'm not saying....I'm just saying.

But I digress. The panel:

• Ted Sarandos, Netflix (in charge of a lot of their subscription service for original content, as well as DVD's)
• Dmitry Shaprio, Veoh.com (a site that offers a one stop shop portal for content. The content is still streamed from Veoh, no matter where it's linked, so viewership can be tracked)
• Dan Glickman, CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)
• Jason Kilar, Hulu.com (another content network; a News Corp and NBC Universal joint venture)
• Mike Volpi, Joost.com
• Erik Flanagan, Digital Media, MTV Networks/Comedy Central/Southpark Studios (he is helping the South Park guys with their digital strategy - they are one of the view content providers in tradition media actually putting thought into giving access and monetizing this new media)
• Phil Lelyveld, Entertainment Technology Strategic Advisor (read: consultant. Also was a big wig at Disney)

If I could sum up the main theme of how Hollywood is embracing the web it would be "trial and error." Studios and traditional media do get that they need to embrace all these new distribution channels, but they are just not sure how to do it responsibly and quite frankly, in the way that makes them the most money. Fair enough. The monetization issue came up in question after question. Some of the panelists see people trying different things in this new Wild West. They all had various opinions about which model will win out: ad supported (the most popular one that they feel Google is making more efficient), premium subscription based (a la Netflix). There was no argument among the panelists that any model needs good, relevant content to succeed no matter what. Nice to see they are keeping their eyes on the ball here.

What are the major challenges with video over the Web today? Answers ranged from "availability of good content" to "finding the right niche" to "protecting intellectual property" (care of the MPAA) to "monetizing the new viewing habits" as mentioned above. The interesting note on this discussion was that much of the uncertainty has been justified in the name of "artist protection" but the panel got to the heart of it and said monetization was more of a real concern that the altruistic positions. That was refreshing.

Many felt access to the good content is the main issue in consumer choice, whether it's through poorly regulated broadband access (a side discussion ensued about how the US lags behind other countries like Japan in universal high-speed Internet from the government vs. what competition has done in this country to slow us down) or finding a single place to aggregate relevant content. Think beyond YouTube, which shows actual short films with videos of Johnny's cat playing poker. That's like having one TV channel and expecting to appeal to the History Channel and G4 audiences all at the same time. How can advertisiers expect to get behind that kind of scattershot ad model? They can't, so until there are niche avenues for content, the advertisers might wait.

The other tangent this took us down was advertising on the web in general. Interestingly enough, these new media are showing actual viewers, length of time viewed, traffic sources - basically data that is not available in traditional media. The old guard has often priced advertising based on algorithmic extrapolations and padded assumptions (for example, the pass along statistics magazines cite to pump up their ad costs) and they were never questioned. Now the Web comes along with trackable metrics and the numbers are appalling in some cases, but usually REAL. So maybe it's not that web advertising doesn't work, but that advertising measurement in general was always flawed and now the curtain has been pulled back. Discuss.

Most talent is not really thinking about their digital distribution strategy, except for the South Park guys. They have created a whole web property where users can take parts of their content and then augment it and virally distribute it. This is a bold move with all the piracy concerns, but as we see from You Tube and social sites like Facebook and MySpace, user-generated and customized content is the name of the game. You have to give a little to get a little and very few artists embrace this philosophy because it requires a lot of trust and connection with your audience.

Everyone generally felt "movie screens would never die out" but the new media has indeed impacted the traditional distribution windows by which the film industry has lived and died. "Windows" are like when a movie is released and only in theatres for a while; then it goes to cable; then to DVD and never the windows shall overlap. Until now. 2929 Entertainment did some experimentation with concurrent windows on some of their films ("Syriana", I believe). And HBO and Netflix did a deal with "Pan's Labrynth" to have the DVD window open the same time as the cable window - as the Netflix guy so aptly stated, "And the sky didn't fall and we all got paid well." So seems those willing to structure win-win deals and take the chance can meet their objectives.

Finally, the other main point was that content producers need to not just see the Web as another distribution channel, where they simply take their content from one media and port it directly to your browser. Thought needs to go up the value chain so that content can be created distinctly for these multiple channels. Anything that succeeds on the web is highly specialized, and soon specific skills for Internet or Cell Phone fimmakers will be in demand from a creative perspective. For example, panoramic shots may work well in a movie theatre or on your 62" Flat Screen but not on small square of video on your laptop or on your iPhone. Also, to the point made earlier, viewers may want to interact with that content in a new way and add self-generated content, recommend to friends and a whole host of other personalization options. One panelist noted, "If there is a free flow of content, piracy goes away because you have eliminated the friction."

Some companies to watch that may help push this digital envelope are Facebook, Google, and ironically some of the folks on this panel.

The panel was great. I was concerned at how they'd balance all the speakers, but they were all to the point and brief, and the conversation was lively. Kara pulls no punches and inserts her own opinions, often challening panelists on their answers to go beyond the PR-approved sound bit. Well done.

The overall relevance for Indie film makers is clear: the distribution opportunities are increasing and this is good news. Especially for short films. For example, in the old world, short films could only aspire to film festivals like Sundance and then there was no mass market for them. Now they can get picked up for distribution on Netflix, iTunes and......wait for it.....XBOX Live. Yes the same evil box that sucks your spouse into Halo 3 has a service to offer short films for download. And bingo, there's a whole new market and channel for the filmmaker's voice.

The next few years should be very exciting on this front. And it also inspired me to maybe produce my short film idea this year after all. But of course, that is always the effect Sundance has on me. Hey, does anyone have stats showing a spike in sales of HD cameras and Final Cut software right after the festival? Hmmmmm.....

Celeb Spotting Update

I was informed by my partner in crime, Carrie, that the good looking guy at Bar Boheme was indeed Tom Welling from "Smallville." Sometimes, there are just really pretty people at Sundance who look like they SHOULD be famous or something, so it's hard to tell. Of course, this was the guy who I think was wondering why I was the only one not hitting on him as I stood next to him waiting for Carrie to come back from the Ladies Room!

Sundance '08: "I totally admire, like, musicians, and stuff."

Sundance '08 brought me home with the memory of Quentin Tarantino bumping into me (literally) in my hotel lobby and a stomach bug. Enjoying a shorter stay than in years past, I ate, drank, and celeb-spotted by way up and down Main Street for only 2 days and 3 nights.

This year, the festival tipped the scales at about 50,000 - up about 10k from last year according to the word on the street. I only started going 5 years ago, but I have never seen it this crowded or crazy. Time was, you could easily get individual film tickets online beforehand (even though that system is as painful as a sharp stick in the eye - Silicon Valley, please hook these guys up....) or just wait a bit in the Wait List line and 4 out of 5 times you were golden. Not the case this year. First off, not everyone registered even received an online ticket buying window (my partner in crime being one of them) and us "lucky" few who did were met with most everything being already sold on when we logged in, leaving the scraps - to which you couldn't even get THOSE tickets. Once you clicked to buy, you got an error message that it was indeed not available. Headache.

We managed to get into 2 films on the waitlist, and a panel so all was not lost. First up was "Good Dick" written, directed by and starring Marianna Palka, an adorable Scottish lass with some weighty ties in Hollywood. While this was her first script, she got her friend Jason Ritter on board, who in turn got Charles Durning in for a cameo (not too shabby) and she also snagged Tom Arnold for the role of her abusive father. I totally admire that she pretty much did this film as a resume piece - she admitted to writing it with all intents of starring in it - and that is good, since the odd dysfunctional and provocative premise of the film leaves little room for mass distribution. But the art is the thing, right? The movie centers around a sexually damaged woman who rents erotica every day from her local video store. Jason Ritter is the adorable puppy dog/whipping post who decides to reach out (in almost stalker like proportions) to this girl, thus creating one of the most disturbing and dysfunctional relationships since Brian the Dog's infatuation with Lois on "The Family Guy." Not sure the characters were likeable enough for me, but I appreciated the moments of black humor and the idea that humans can and must find love in the most unorthodox ways. Palka stated the film cost about $1M to make, which surprised me based on what I saw, but she also chose to film in L.A. which never helps.

We tried to get into some other films, but ended up lucking into "Chronic Town" instead. This isolated tale of a flawed cab driver in Fairbanks, Alaska follows his quest to find friendship and connection after he is dumped by his girlfriend. The desolate, "nothing changes here" locale was perfect for the film's mood and the director, Tom Hines, thanked his producers (which include his now wife) profusely for supporting his desire that they could not film anywhere else. The film starts JR Bourne, a very attractive model-type who they tried to "scruff up" for the role of Truman, an alcoholic, pot smoking mess of a guy. Watch for this guy, I think he'll go far. He managed to make his character wholly likeable while being a complete loser. The acting and production of this film was stellar, but again as with "Good Dick" I felt like the character arc was little plodding.

We wanted to see such films as "The Last Word" about a guy who writes suicide notes for a living; and"Sunshine Cleaning" starring Amy Adams and Emily Blunt, two of my fave actresses, as sisters who start a bioharzard crime scene clean up service. But alas, we took what we could.

For more info on other Sundance films, click here for an alphabetical list.

The panel was called "Webolution! Hollywood Adapts to the Web" and was moderated by Kara Swisher of All Things D. This killer panel was small (we were lucky to get in) and had a great group of industry heavies, ranging from the CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, to the heads of Joost, Vioh and HuLu to the guy who does emerging media content distribution for Comedy Central, Spike and other MTV properties. Check out Kara's site for her video of the panel (and her celeb/friend guide Jane Lynch who I also saw - loved her in Best in Show and 40 Year Old Virgin) and I'll write more on another post. This panel was the perfect blend of my high-tech experience and love for the entertainment industry. Hmmmm, maybe I need to make that leap after all......

Celebs spotted this year: Marcia Gay Harden (who looks about a size 0 and 10 years younger than she does on screen), Colin Farrell, ("He's very short and has a big head" says Carrie) David Boreanaz (from Angel and Bones - sat drinking next to him at Bar Boheme), Stanley Tucci (as he impressively naivigated the Main Street sidewalk while doing an interview), Dylan Walsh of "Nip/Tuck" (dining a few tables over at Cafe Terigo), Tom Arnold, Jason Ritter, Rachel Hunter (who doesn't really look all that tall but is still stunning), Dennis Quaid (with a posse he was having as much luck getting into the Queer Lounge party as me and Carrie had, which made us not feel so bad), Marc Jacobs (I have to give this one to Carrie, since I had no clue), Jane Lynch (once on the street, graciously having fun taking pics with people and then again at the Web panel), Harvey Weinstein (with a bevy of blond assistants - they looked like duckings, all huddled around him as they walked). And as mentioned at this post's start, Quentin Tarantino in the lobby of my hotel. We smiled and said hello, but I just didn't have it in me to be "that girl" and say "I love your work. Here's my card. Call me if Uma is not available." Damn it! Then he ran into me when he came back in to the lobby. He's kind of like that clumsy lovable friend you had in High School who is scared of girls. I love that the man who can dream up Lucy Liu's character in Kill Bill is really just a goofy guy. Classic.

I also met a key fundraiser for the Seattle Film Festival in my airport shuttle, so watch this space on how I might get involved with that this year.

So overall: more crowds, less films for me to get into, more celebs spotted (this happens when you go towards the beginning of the festival rather than towards the end), typical inane artistic conversations and loud cell phone conversations about deals and PR. "We need to go through him to get her and I think that would be a win, so let's just offer her what she wants."

Viva la independent film.

This Just In....Golden Globes Winners

Well, the Golden Globes "Winners Special" aired last night on NBC. One nice neat hour of award categories and winner announcments wrapped up in a sweet little bow. I predicted that maybe people would like this format better then the painful 3+ hour spectacle that we are used to. But I have to admit, I missed the emotion, the tension, and the glamour.

Note: I found out later there was some other telecast/press conference with Mary Hart and some people, as well as Larry King coverage? I am so confused - I just thought this was aired on NBC)

And I can say that I have found something even more grating than the stupid teleprompter banter between award presenters. It's the stupid banter between cheesy Nancy O'Dell of Access Hollywood and Billy Bush. It was like watching two work colleagues who don't really like each other too much passively aggressively trying to act like they are chummy and charming. Nancy is actually not half bad as an entertainment reporter and host, but Billy has GOT to go.

What was more painful then a Turkish prison was the random cutaways to Shaun Robinson and Shaun Robinson and Dave Karger, Sr. Writer Entertainment Weekly. He was decent, she was dreadful. Where did they find this woman? She actually made you appreciate experienced entertainment hosts for the skills you never realized they possess, because she just could not comment or interview worth a damn. Maybe this quote will illustrate: Dave was making some pretty intelligent commentary as the award winners were announced, talking about the work, surprises, etc. Shaun pipes in as they lead to a break, "Ok, More assessment to come . This is fun!" Did someone hire their little sister for this or what?

The evening started out with Nancy and Billy basically saying there would be no big awards show this year because the writers are on strike and wow, that sucks. Backed by a glitzy golden-themed podium set that looked like leftover props from about 10 different past Globes telecasts, the conservatively dressed hosts could have at leats worn a gown and tux to jazz it up a bit. Instead it looked like a typical Entertainment Tonight episode or something.

Now we all know these awards would lose the dramatic tension by not panning the audience and zooming in on the hopeful faces of the nominees, as the presenters gleefully rip open the envelope. That 2-3 second moment is full of promise and anticipation. Sweat beads, smiles freeze and everyone holds their breath. "And the Golden Globe goes to...." Sweet, sweet words. But as with the choice of clothing, did they have to make it SO anti-climactic? Not even for us viewers but for the hardworking people who, for the first time, were being recognized for their work for maybe the very first time. What a gyp. A factory-installed synthesizer beat played as they announced the winner like the 10-day weather forecast. It was like watching a corporate video. Did the music composers go on strike too or something?

NBC tried to sprinkle in some online trivia and prediction tie ins to NBC.com, which was a nice attempt to make things a little different. But overall, I've seen better awards presentation at a corporate Sales Kick Off. The devil is in the details, my friends.

So now the nitty gritty: The Globes! Some highlights and surprises:

Best Supporting Actress - Film: Cate Blanchett won for playing a man, Bob Dylan, in "I'm Not There" which just goes to show cross-dressing is always a big awards show hit. Tilda Swinton was nominated for "Michael Clayton" which I did not yet see (I know George, I'm sorry sweetie) but she is always deliciously deep in her roles. And since I did catch "Atonement" I'd like to give a shout out to Saoirse Ronan, the little girl who played Briony at age 13. This talented, intense girl will surely be seen again. She was wonderfully solemn and chilling.

Best supporting TV actor: Jeremy Piven for "Entourage." He is brilliant in this role of the agent you love to hate. But I think he keeps winning because Hollywood can identify with this tenacious character a little TOO closely.

Best Actress - TV Drama: Edie Falco had one last hurrah for "The Sopranos" but the winner was Glenn Close for "Damages" I have not seen the show, but even just the clips were powerful. This woman gets better and better (and more beautiful) with age. Thumbs down to the team responsible for submittimg Holly Hunter's clip for "Saving Grace" - you could not even hear her dialogue with all the background noise in the scene - that was their best example? Someone should get fired.

Best Supporting TV Actress: While my faves Rachel Griffiths and "My Name is Earl"'sJamie Pressley were nominated talented Samantha Morton took it for "Longford." She was brilliant as a killer with a soft side. She's done amazing work over the years and I'm glad to see her have her day in the sun.

Best Actor TV Drama - Huge upset here. The winner was John Hamm for "Mad Men" - the AMC series about the advertising industry in the 60's. I had been wanting to catch this show and now I think I'll seek it out. This is the first major series for AMC. Hamm beat out Hugh Laurie, Michael C. Hall, and Bill Paxton for this one. Consistent with the M.O. of the Globes, they once again crowned a talented new underdog the winner. This is why I love the Globes - they really take to new work and new faces.

Best Animated Film: Ratatouille take the cake (tee hee hee). A Disney film for foodies? It was very enjoyable so catch it if you haven't. Other nominees; The Bee Movie (please just go away) and The Simpsons's Movie - why? Oh, Ratatouille brought in $616M worldwide - I guess rats are nothing to laugh at.

Best Actress Motion Picture Comedy or Musical - Another surprise here. Marion Cotillard beat out Ellen Page, Amy Adams, Nikki Blonsky, Helena Bonham Carter. Cotillard played Edith Piaf in "La Vie en Rose." Having seen Ellen Page in "Juno" I was sad she didn't win - she was just a delight. But I'm sure we'll see more of her.

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: Javier Bardem as the creepy villain in the Coen Brothers' "No Country for Old Men." From what I've read, this was not much of a surprise. What WAS a surprise was finding out his girlfriend is Penelope Cruz??! Go Javier!

Best Actress Minseries or TV Movie: Queen Latifah for "Life Support" which was a Sundance pick. She beat out Debra Messing and Sissy Spacek. Debra has not won after 7 nominations. I'm seeing shades of Susan Lucci forming.

Best Actor TV Series-Comedy: In the "Maybe I don't watch as much TV as I feared becasue I have no idea about this show"category, David Duchovny won for "Californication". He beat out Steve Carell ("The Office") Ricky Gervais ("Extras"), and "Pushing Daisies" guy Lee Paisley. All the other actors except newcomer Paisely has won a Globe before, so the Hollywood Foreign Press seems to be spreading the love.

Best TV Comedy: HBO's "Extras" wins over 30 Rock and some others. Is HBO a hit factory or what? This show is deliciously painful to watch, as we come to expect from the BBC's "The Office" creator Gervais.

Best Actress TV Comedy: Yay Tina Fey for "30 Rock" - hurrah!!!

BTW: Steven Speilberg was supposed to get the Cecil B. DeMille award for life's work but this was postponed to next year. What a bummer for him.

Best Director: Huge upset here. Julian Schnabel wins for "The Diving Bell and The Butterfly" over Tim Burton, Ethan and Joel Coen, Ridley Scott, and Joe Wright. Quite a coup. I think this is the movie about the guy who writes his life story by only communicating through blinking one eye or something? (OK, so maybe I don't have a career writing movie trailers.....)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical: Johnny Depp for "Sweeney Todd". 7 time nominee and this is his first win. Although from the clip, it looked like he was phoning it in and I would never say that about him under normal circumstances. Maybe it was just a bad clip from the movie. But hats off to the Hollywood Foreign Press for nominating goofiness guru John C Reilly for the Johnny Cash spoof, "Walk Hard". Glad to see they have sense of humor.

Best Motion Picture Comedy or Musical: Nominees include "Across the Universe" (WTF?), "Charlie Wilson's War", "Hairspray", "Juno", "Sweeney Todd". And the winner is "Sweeney Todd". This was the 5th time Johnny collaborated with Tim Burton and I advise him to continue to do so!

Best TV Drama Series: Another surprise here: Winner is AMC's "Mad Men". They gave an award to John Hamm from the show and here it beats out "Big Love", "Damages", "Grey's Anatomy", "House" and "The Tudors". Wow. The HFP must really love this show, but then again they are known for picking that talented underdog and standing by it.

Best Actress Motion Pic: Julie Christie wins it for portraing a woman debilitated by Alzheimer's in "Away From Her" (a Sundance pick) after last beng nominated 33 years ago for Shampoo. Wow. What an upset. I thought for sure it was to be a neck and neck between Angelina and Keira.

Best Actor Motion Picture Drama: Daniel Day-Lewis for "There Will Be Blood" about oil barons based on Upton Sinclair's novel, "Oil!" Nods went to James McAvoy for "Atonement", Viggo Mortenson "Eastern Promises", Denzel "American Gangster".

Best Picture - Drama: "Atonment" wins. The movie is beaufifully shot and just a sweeping epic romance if you're into that.

So nada for "Juno" or "Michael Clayton". On a side note, Juno was quirky, funny and sweet. It reminded me of a Wes Anderson flick, a la "Rushmore" or "Life Aquatic" but not quite as out there. The dialogue was snappy and the acting on point. Highly recommend.

Well, we'll see what happens at Oscar time. I hope the strike is over not just for the excessive awards show, but to bring back talented stories. Onward!

Stop Touching that Sick Monkey!

A little Flight of the Conchords to usher in the weekend - these guys are classic and this song is a good one.

Bon Weekend!