Sundance TWENTYTEN

So, just to keep you updated on what I've been doing at this year's Sundance Film Festival, I thought I'd post a summary of what's going on. With the help of a friend I was able to join the crew of official Sundance drivers, in charge of getting celebrities and film makers to their different parties, destinations, and hotels. Although I only worked for a couple of days I was stoked to be Malin Akerman's personal driver for a day. After driving her to her different dinners and photo shoots, I ended up dropping her off to the last party of the night that was being hosted by her agent. After an evening of good laughs and lots of joking between me, her and her friends, they decided that they wanted me to come in for the last party of the night. At first I hesitated, but then remembered that this whole life thing only happens once and who knows if I'd be able to do Sundance again next year. So I went in as another one of her "friends," and was able to meet Bryan Singer (director of the x-men movies) and John Ortiz. Life is good at Sundance:)

As I waited for Malin and Co. to finish at their dinner the other night I found myself with more than two hours on my hands. I decided to help a couple of sharp-dressed businessmen out by offering them a ride. Confused as to why I was removing my name tag and sundance window stickers, I explained to them that I was an official driver for Sundance and was not allowed to charge them a fare for their ride. "So sit back and enjoy a free ride... Of course, tips are gladly accepted." They both had a good laugh at this. After finding out a bit about me, I started asking what they were doing at Sundance. It turns out that I was driving the City Attorney for San Francisco who was there to support 8:The Mormon Proposition. After a 15 minute conversation about religion and politics and the relationship between the two, he said to me, "Listen, if you are serious about applying to law school in the Bay Area, I would really like to write you a letter of recommendation. My letters get people into law school." Coincidence? Read it how you will, but I'm ecstatic that the City Attorney for San Francisco is going to write me a letter of recommendation for law school. Easily the best tip I got at Sundance.

you wanna sunDANCE?

I was pulling into a parking spot at the top of Main Street to wait for my French actors to get out of their premier. As I was pulling into my spot I heard a rather frustrated man call to me, "Get the f** out of the way you fuzzy faced b**." Somehow that car ended up pulling in behind me, so I put my car in park and walked back for some clarification. He was sitting in the passenger's side rear seat and was easily 45 years old. So I walked up to his window, leaned down and asked him if he would repeat himself...

45: What?! What are you talking about?
Me: I was just wondering if I heard you correctly back there.
45:(all sorts of heated up at this point) What did you think you heard?!
Me: I heard what you called me, I just wanted you to repeat it for me.
45:What?! I didn't call you anything!
Me: Yeah, you did. I'm sure of it.
45: What did you think I called you?!
Me: Fuzzy faced b***."

It was almost as if my repeating his gesture flipped a switch in his brain that sent him over the edge. He started to get out of the car. When he opened the door and the dome light came on I could see that he was accompanied by about five teenage girls three of which started yelling, "Dad! No! Dad, STAY IN THE CAR!" So he sat back down and the driver started to inch away. While he was busy giving me a scowl I gave him a big smile and said, "I know exactly what you said, I was just curious if you were actually going to man up to it." If I thought he was irate before, then I don't even know how to classify his anger after I said that...
So the story ends with a scene of me standing in the middle of the road at the top of Main Street, giant grin on my face, white sedan pulling away with a man yelling obscenities out the window drawing everyone's attention to him and then back to me. I'll be honest, I was worried that it was going to come to blows. I think the thing that worried me the most is that the street and sidewalk were completely covered in ice and slush... and I was wearing a brand new pair of jeans:)