All the people at the party were drinking wine in one room at Zoom but I wanted food and a bit less ‘scene’. As I hovered but the bounty of greasy appetizers during the Focus Forward party I started chatting with Paul Bunyan in a cowboy hat. I asked him what movies he had seen and liked. Then he said judgmentally, “You haven’t seen much have you?”

“I cover the scene in Park City during the Sundance Film Festival,” I explained. “I don’t have time to see movies.” The cold chill crept in. “Films are the essence of Sundance,” he said with disdain. “Everything else is a waste of time.” The irony of the fact that this statement was made while standing in a party and eating free food was not lost on me. What’s worse is that Tex had no clue of his hypocrisy. Sundancers often split into two camps: the film camp and the party/lounge camp. But both are very much intertwined. Without networking, without parties, without music, without cast dinners, without swag (hell, think product placement and endorsement), these independent films would not be made. Those who can embrace all aspects of Sundance are the ones who get the most out of it. Maybe poor Tex (owner of his own little movie review website) just wasn’t invited onto enough Sundance VIP lists this year.

Exclusive cast dinner were all the rage this past fest with meals and bashes at places like the Supper Suite at the Montage, the LIVEstyle Film Lounge (HBO party), the Bertolli Meal Soup Chalet (7 For All Mankind Fresh Faces party), the Grey Goose Blue Door, The Fender Lodge music sessions, the new STK space, Hyde and Goodnight Gansevoort, TAO, Bing Bar and the Sundance Channel Headquarters, Chefdance and more. The only way in was to know someone.

One way to do that was Tweet. The Tweethouse party rocked and all you had to do to get in was send them a Twitter message asking to come. FYI- if you want to attend Sundance parties it’s best to RSVP long before the Festival actually starts.

The Tweethouse party of free booze and a cold veggie platter preceded a social media panel discussion. Celebs and press both attended and although they never did give away that Sony Tablet they promised to raffle if you tweet “#sonytablet”, I made some killer contacts.

With the editor of Backstage MagazineWith a star from one of my favorite inappropriate TV shows- Outsourced.

Entertainment lawyers throw the best party. Dive and Cozens got down at the Spur with live music, good food and tequila for everyone. There, I met the communications chair for Women in Film and a fellow blogger Christina Kotlar Turchyn.

After tequila comes Vodka, and the cast dinner and after party for Richard Gere’s new film Arbitrage featured free-flowing Grey Goose disguised as a fruity juice shot. IE Trouble.

Richard Gere and wife Carey Lowell were in the crowd somewhere at the Grey Goose Blue Door but I only caught Gere’s profile in the distance.

photo credit Jamie McCarthy / WireImage

I expected a sitdown dinner but it was a buffet so the dinner felt no different than the party at the Spur except the healthy, colorful food was fantastic. Wish I had gotten the name of the caterer.

The Sky Lodge partied from 24/7 throughout the first weekend of Sundance as ReTreat took over the upstairs, downstairs and sideways spaces.

Most of the hoopla has ended as we enter the last weekend of the Festival. To find a place toget your rock on, you’ll have to hunt deep. Head over to one of the final screenings and start networking. There’s a big fat “official” Sundance party tomorrow night but that is usually lame and you need a ticket. The food is picked over in less than an hour, the lines for your free plastic cup of wine or beer is slow and people just stand around in a loud, dark, crowded football-field-sized room while video clips of award winners flash in the corners. Skip it; especially if you partied hard at the Nas show tonight.

The rapper headlines at Sugar, 9 p.m. at 268 Main Street. The tickets aren’t cheap ($65) but there’s bound to be a guest list somewhere you can sneak onto. The Massachusetts-based electronic-pop band Passion Pit will perform on Saturday.
www.ticketcake.com.

Tomorrow (Saturday) singer-producer Akon should take the stage around 11 p.m. after the doors open on Park City Live (old Harry O’s). $50 at ticketcake.com and, yes, there’s a VIP list floating around.

Dear PCSkiGal- I think I want to see a Sundance Film Festival movie but everything that sounds interesting is waitlisted? Am I wasting my time? Should I even bother trying to go? I thought you might be the one in the know. ImpatientFan

Dear Impatient Fan- It’s not as bleak as it seems. You definitely have a shot at seeing not only a movie but one of your choice. Sundance continues through this Sunday and ends on Monday with the Best of Fest screenings for locals. The tickets to the BoF have been divvied out but because everyone got two, there’s a strong chance people can’t make it. Start asking around. Same goes for tickets to the screenings of your favorite picks. Network. Post want ads on Craigslist and KSL; Tweet. Also, every morning at 8 a.m. the Sundance box office releases extra tickets to movies screened that same day. They will publish an updated list the night before at http://www.sundance.org/ticketchart/. Check the chart, then head up to Park City before dawn. The guys at the office told me some people start lining up at 3 a.m.!

WaitList

Plan to stand in line in the cold if the above doesn’t work or have appeal. Now that the Fest is halfway through more seats become available. A good number of ticketholders start to blow off their movies toward the end of the Fest. They would rather ski, sleep, network, or they’ve OD’d on film. Choose movies that play in the early morning (before 9 a.m.) or super late evening (after 10 p.m.) that will screen at the larger venues: The Eccles Center, The Park City Library and the Prospector Square Theater. Get there TWO HOURS before showtime to pick up a waitlist number and return 30 minutes before the screening.

FSBO

Disclaimer- I neither endorse nor deny the following suggestion.

People are selling their tickets. Check Craigslist under Sale/Sundance. It is what it is. Be aware, however, the box office says they will prosecute anyone reselling their tickets and will void them out as there is some sort of fine print allowing them to do so. I asked the workers in the box office, “Don’t you guys have anything better to do than police your tickets?” and they responded, “Are you kidding? We’re a non-profit, of course not.”

Scalping is legal in Utah as long as the price is not greater than the face value of the ticket but Sundance gets to make their own laws? I think it’s absolutely ridiculous and lame that ticketholders can be prevented from recouping their money in the event that they can’t make it to a film. They are forced to purchase tickets so far in advance that the earth could end by the time the Festival comes around. You shouldn’t have to be out the money; especially if the screening is sold out. Sundance made their money on that ticket. They shouldn’t be entitled to double dip at your expense.

The one relief is you can exchange your unusable tickets for another movie at the box office and but it must be done in person and costs and extra $2 per ticket (the original ticket cost is $15). The box office will then resell your old ticket.

Now go out there and see a film before it’s too late!

~PCSkiGal

Hey Filmmakers, want to win a $100k and some serious klout? GE and CINELAN held a press conference today in Park City to announce the launch of a documentary short contest open to anyone with a message. The FOCUS FORWARD Filmmaker Challenge will award $200,000 in cash prizes to the top five entries in the professionally juried Challenge (www.focusforwardfilms.com/challenge), with $100,000 going to the Grand Prize Winner. Definitely not chump change.

The Filmmaker Challenge grew out of the FOCUS FORWARD – Short Films, Big Ideas program (www.focusforwardfilms.com), a series of 30, three-minute nonfiction films developed by leading documentary filmmakers. The theme is the power of ideas and invention. Those films will screen at film festivals globally, followed by Vimeo.com debuts. I bet you already have a few ideas for your own film. Think compelling nightly news packages. That’s a three-minute film.

You’ll need to make an end-to-end story about people or organizations whose innovative efforts in medicine, computer science, robotics, engineering, green energy, or other fields of applied technical knowledge have had a significant positive impact on humanity. It could even be technology in the sports field. The Challenge films will sit alongside the first 30 films produced by FOCUS FORWARD filmmakers on Vimeo. Submissions open in mid April, with winners to be announced at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. For more information, please visit www.focusforwardfilms.com/challenge.

Jack Myers, project producer, said at the conference. “The concept is to build a traveling nonfiction film series; we will be inviting filmmakers from every corner of the earth to join us in creating short films about game-changing innovation.”

Kari Feinstein’s Style Lounge has a certain kind of cache. Maybe it’s just the way the organizer tags her personal name to the front. Usually I’m good at going for what I want. I see something interesting, ask for it and it’s mine. Yet at The Style Lounge there was this air of aristocracy. The gifting lounge was set up in a way that VIPs/celebs had to cruise into small individual rooms to meet with companies. So then you had to wait for someone to leave the room before you could enter it. Where TR was a crazy fun scene, The Style Lounge was a well-oiled machine of sophistication. In fact, I didn’t feel comfortable meeting with a leather jacket company and a denim company. I skipped those rooms. Me! Go figure. And even when I the ‘C Studios‘ room it was like, um, where’s your publicist and name card (ie. Who are you?).

They were trying to show off their computer prowess as an internet app builder. This actually had a lot of promise for me. I’m looking to create an app for my Utah dog hikes library. Can We Meet is a social networking app where users can connect and meet up at nightclubs. Sundance being the ultimate nightclub, this was the perfect launch venue. I haven’t personally tried it because I’m not much of a clubber in need of an entourage. The person I come with (usually the boyfriend) is all I need. But back in the day maybe….

Inside, one C Studios partner was eager to explain how they had built the brand while the other partner was trying to shoo me out because “there wasn’t room”. I whispered to Dave that his partner could use some marketing and PR coaching. You never know who can help your exposure so don’t get cocky, Dude.

One company that gets it was Koolaburra. I had never heard of them before but their shoes are so damn hot! The Khloe is lined in soft plushy Merino- perfect for a Park City Summer evening. They were featuring their winter boots for gifting but since I’m wall-to-wall boots and zero heels, I couldn’t resist. Still, check out the shoes on the website. Totally sexy.

Another sweet owner was Vallora Sabourin from Flying Lizard Jewelry Design. Her necklaces and earrings have graced the lobes and necks of many Hollywood Starlets. I’ve been wearing my new earrings non-stop.

The vests from Tracker are made with faux fur. Retail? $600+! The designer used to design for Marc Jacobs and has only been doing his own thing for three months. I was impressed and wished them luck as I handed the vest back.

Paul Frank’s getting in on the winter scene but truthfully these are some seriously ugly skis. The cable knit hats on the other hand were soft and cute.

On the way out, I couldn’t help but grab a shot of Laura Prepon (That 70s Show). She was quite accommodating. Must have been the fuzzy bear hat from Spirit Hoods.

The games and gifting was off to a mild start for the first Friday of the Sundance Film Festival and that’s not a bad thing. You had ample time to get to know the products, the people behind them and mostly importantly move around. At the Timberland Lodge on Lower Main Street (the west side is for VIPs, the east for Public), men and women were treated to the perfect winter attire for the raging blizzard that has finally appeared- SNOWBOOTS! And down jackets.

My favorite was the long down with the faux fur hood. Very Hollywood while being very Utah. The boots are wrapped in down all the way up to your knees. They’re a bit funky and not for everyone but super warm on your legs.

I was asked if I could could alcohol when I entered the TR Suites. Huh? Apparently if you live in Utah you can’t write about liquor. I got a kick out of that one. Not only was I thrilled to see zero calorie margarita mix from Refine (sold in World Market) but these naughty Vice Merchants bedsheets also got my sexy on.

But of course it was too early to drink so I grabbed Hint Fizz instead. Unlike most flavored waters, these taste ‘infused’ rather than juiced. Kind of like those cucumber waters you’re handed at day spas.

Shoes seem to be a big thing at Sundance this year and the styles appearing from Matt Bernson mix the mountain look with fashion in a way that makes even a flat-soled gal like me sparkle.

I have never heard of DL1961 Denim but now I know. That’s the thing about Sundance. The exposure to brands and fashion you never knew existed. DL1961 is the only jean with 4-way stretch Lycra so it will never sag, bag, or lose its shape. When you’re used to wearing Lycra baselayers all winter it’s not a stretch- so to speak- to include it in your outwear.

Friendship bracelets and layering bangles and rings are popular according to the Rachel Roy rep. But the friendship bracelets they were gifting had a touch of bling that was irresistible.

You can’t get away from the harsh climate in Utah so Hollywood and New York is bringing their skincare saviors to us. Prasad Medical Skincare was gifting gels, lotions and potions designed to minimize free radicals, fine lines, and sagging skin. I walked with a skin survival kit of sunscreen, eye rescue and “intense vitamin serum”.

You can’t be beautiful without being thin and the Sensa rep vowed that In one of the largest clinical studies ever conducted with a non-prescription weight loss product, 1436 participants lost an average of 30.5 pounds in only 6 months just by sprinkling the virtually tasteless crystals on every meal. I’ll be trying that before ‘buying’ that one.

And there is was! A little table of SHRD. I discovered this magical hair protein crème at last year’s Sundance but ran out in the fall. I missed it badly. I tried two other leave-in conditioners but nothing smoothed my hair without making it feel dirty like SHRD. The stuff’s expensive so it was a sweet find.

Business was picking up as the day waned and I was starting to feel a bit mushed. It was time to crossover to the Style Lounge after a scoop of Cream O’ Wheat- Yes, they have gotten in on the celebrity scene- and a to-go cup of hummus from Sabra.