Sixty hours. Sixty hours from our daily briefing this morning until the end credits fade to black at the World Premiere of “What I Like About You;” a critically important stretch of time which represents the crux of why we’re here. Most of the day was spent preparing for the Film Threat/WILAY party. Jeff the director successfully navigated a brief flurry of press interviews, then went into hibernation to psyche himself up. Tony rendezvoused with our headlining performer Shawn Colvin, who was as gracious as she was captivating on stage. Jimmy and Emily, our flyer patrol chief, spent most of the day at our venue Cicero’s, picking up last minute supplies, hanging flyers and getting the lay of the land. I actually squeaked in a screening (“7-Teen Sips.” Insta-review: Preachy and ponderous) then joined in venue prep, all of which leads to…the party. Whew! Where to begin? Overall, a dynamite success. An overflow crowd was treated to an open bar and Austin band The Agency performed a set from their soundtrack from the film. Then the big moment: Grammy Award winner Shawn Colvin joined the band on stage for a raucous rendition of the title song, and then an enchanting acoustic set of her own. It was a great show — the first A-List performance in Park City — in spite of an embarrassing glitch at the outset when the band jumped the gun and started their set before introductions of cast, crew and, most importantly, our sponsors, including Chris and FT. The best laid plans…Fortunately, our MC Rachel Hunter covered the hiccup nicely and from all indications it was a smashing way to introduce the film. And the countdown continues…
Highlights and impressions: I never thought I’d miss 7-11s…If I never see another black turtleneck, it’ll be too soon…Happy birthday to my Sister Mindy, in case she’s reading…$11 for a hamburger and fries?! Where’s Whataburger when you need ’em?…Until tomorrow…
