Dancing in the Sun

There's buzz all over the movie universe this week about Robert Redford's oh-so-popular baby, the Sundance Film Festival. The yearly bruhaha in Park City, Utah is the mecca of film festivals, premiering movies that otherwise wouldn't have a shot at big-time distribution. Last year, new it-boy Terrance Howard's Hustle & Flow sold for a hefty $9 million, a record at the festival.

I'm admittedly not as up to speed on my Sundance news as I'd like to be. Last year, I watched a handful of interviews and reports on E!, Bravo, IFC and yes, the Sundance channel; this year, I'm resigned to broadcast TV, leaving me to scrounge up what I can from other avenues.

Thank goodness for the internet!

The folks at Cinematical are doing a lovely job with the play-by-play, scoring interviews and even hosting video from Q&As for those of us nowhere near Park City. Not only are they collecting all the tidbits of gossip a movie-lover could want, but they're reviewing films, too. Imagine that! A list is accessible here.

My guilty pleasure Perez Hilton is in Utah for the festivities, though I'm sure he's missing the sun and fun of his LA stomping ground about now. Oh, who am I kidding? So far, he's met John Waters, chilled with his "cousin" Paris and scooped a pretty embarrassing story on former NSync-er and wannabe astronaut Lance Bass. He's having a ball!

The revered (at least as far as I'm concerned) Roger Ebert is soaking in as much film as he can, and has updates on his site daily. He's also put together a few photo albums, which are particularly fun because they're his own pics, not some paparazzo's that he's just reposting for your viewing pleasure. It's fun to think that this film-reviewing god is up there like I would be, snapping away every time someone even slightly famous is in the frame (although I'm sure he's got access to a few more VIP perks than I could ever dream of).

And finally, if you prefer your updates "from the horse's mouth," I suppose there's always the official Sundance website. They're posting videos and blogs about each day's events, including updates on ticket availability if you happen to find yourself in Utah in the next few days (the fest ends on teh 29th). If you won't be able to make it out there this weekend (like me), you can catch some of the featured shorts right from their site, no lines, schedules or tickets to worry about.

What does all this amount to for you and me? Well, I can't speak for you, but I'm seriously considering the idea of taking a trip to Utah next year. I know a family whose five daughters all went to BYU (one is still there, I believe) and I'd be willing to bet I could find a floor to crash on with her. The Festival website seems very visitor friendly, and just because Park City turns into a mini (and colder) Hollywood for the week doesn't mean your average Jane can't steal a seat to a few shows, too.

Now, all I have to do is find some way to have the trip covered for me. I've got a year to convince someone--independent, on-line magazine or regional, weekly newspaper or anywhere inbetween--to take me on as their official film (and film festival) correspondent. Applications welcome.