Citizen's Awards - Ebertfest, the other side

Following are the awards I would have given at the 2006 Ebertfest film festival.

ok...here's the gossip, the 411, the scoop....

Nice: Robert Hoffman, film editor at Ebertfest for "Bad Santa"
(TIE) Nice: Lisa Rosman, festival blogger-- Flavorpill and The Broad View
Super fantastic NICE: Marni Nixon--she gets the award for the most congenial
Extremely Nice: Kaira Whitehead, actress, "Somebodies"
Super hug-gy: Scott Wilson, Phil Morrison, Michael Barker
Exhuberent: Phil Morrison, director of "Junebug"
Handing out the MOST P.R. for his/her own project: Hadjii, writer & director of "Somebodies"
Most Appreciate to Roger Ebert: Lodge Kerrigan
Most talkative: Matt Mulhern, writer & director of "Duane Hopwood"
(TIE) Just plain weird: John Malkovich actor & producer & director, "Ripley's Game ALSO in this category is Terry Zwigoff, writer & director of "Bad Santa"
(TIE) Best smile: (Tie) Pauline Malefane, co-writer & actress in "U-Carmen eKhayelitsha" and Pamela Kohn, producer of "Somebodies"
Best dressed: Kaira Whitehead, actress, "Somebodies"
Most creative look: Lisa Rosman, festival blogger
Sort of weird & amazingly intelligent and respected: Mickey Cottrell (publicist) Note: Check out Tarnation, Mickey was the publicist for the film which was at Ebertfest two years ago

8th Annual Ebertfest -- 2006

Here's a view of the Virginia Theatre marquee, Champaign, IL. The Virginia Theatre is home to the Roger Ebert Overlooked Film Festival. Check out www.ebertfest.com. Today, Sunday, April 30th was the last day of the festival, so I will now have withdrawal from movie watching with discussion following. This was the best festival ever! Although some of my favorite movies are from previous years' Ebertfest, this year's festival went so smoothly and nothing interfered with my viewing of all 12 movies. 12 movies - 5 days AWESOME!

Opening Night-Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival

Just home from viewing "My Fair Lady" at the Virginia Theatre in Champaign, IL. It's the first night of the Roger Ebert (film critic) film festival aka Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival or Ebertfest. Promptly at 7:30 p.m., Roger Ebert appeared from behind the red curtain on the stage of the beautiful Virginia Theatre. A little known fact is that George Burns performed vaudeville on the same stage years and years ago. Do you know who George Burns is -- think OH GOD, the movie.
The film was restored; we saw it in 70mm. John Katz (restorer) and Marni Nixon ("the voice") were guests. The restorer provided us with an extra tape after the 170 minute film so we could hear Audrey Hepburn's actual singing voice. Later, the very last bit o'the evening, Marni Nixon sang quite a few lines from "Wouldn't it be Loverly" and what a voice my friends. This woman has such clarity and strength when singing. Her autobiography comes out September 2006; she just finished writing her life story. She reminisced that the studio sort of threatened her like "the mafia". Ms. Nixon was NOT allowed to say her singing voice was dubbed in for Audrey Hepburn--or else, she was threatened, she would never work in LA or Hollywood again.
The film festival is the perfect size -- about 1000 to 1500 people viewing a film together. Any larger, and in a different venue, and this film festival would lose its uniqueness. A festival participant has the opportunity to mix with people from all over the US & world, people from the media-publicists, screenwriters, rich snobs, down-to-earth Midwesterners, actors, caterers--if you are open and friendly, you can just meet a VARIETY of individuals with something to share with U that you didn't know before. My favorite lecture was from Robert Forester (Mulholland Drive, Dante's Peak). He was just fascinating--motivational, a storyteller, extremely down-to-earth. Mark Zupan (Murderball) was a inspiration--a fantastic guest.
If you enjoy movies, attend a movie festival; it is a good time even though you are eating too much popcorn and spending too much time in the dark with little to NO exercise for hours.
I need to call it quits for now. More later.