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Sumdance

Three films, one day. That's Sumdance (especially when waitlists are involved)

What to say about Spooner, except that it's perfect? Spooner is the off-beat romantic comedy Garden State was trying to be (no offense, Zach Braff), and it couldn't be more representative of what Slamdance is about: a first-time feature director, an talented leading lady who, up until now, has only crossed our radar in bit parts (Eden McCain in Heroes, Lainey in Everwood and Laura in the movie Brick), and a writer standing proud, up front with cast and crew during a Q&A, getting the shout-out that all writers deserve and few receive. Spooner is the story of used car salesman Herman Spooner (Matthew Lillard), the kind of endearingly clueless 29 year-old that hops a desk to prop up a leaking 20 foot inflatable gorilla, describes his parents as "pretty awesome," goes to his backyard fort to think things over and never plans to move out of his childhood bedroom. Except that in a few days he's 30, so his parents have made a plan for him. They love him. This is why they change the locks.

WE ARE ONE - Yes We Will!!!

It's difficult to live a day such as this one and not be completely saturated with deep emotions. From utter amazement to overwhelming pride and gushing accomplishment hold close to each other. We have finally reached that road that was announced when our destiny was proclaimed in Martin Luther King, Jr's dream. How fitting it is that this day follows the day of MLK's birth. This day - the day the world, its citizens, and these the great United States of America welcome hope, and equality…..and change.

Premiere Night in Mississippi

Maybe the fifth time's the charm? Maybe the fifth time, I can watch without crying? I think maybe, because on each viewing I cry at a later point…in fact, Saturday night, when Prom Night in Mississippi pemiered at Holiday Village Cinema in Park City, Utah, it was my fourth viewing, and I nearly made it 70 minutes before breaking down at Heather and Jeremy's senior walk. It was the expression on Heather's face—the radiance and quiet confidence of this shy 17-year-old, escorted down the mock-runway by her classmate and boyfriend of four years—the boy over which she's been grounded and had her phone taken away ("she overcame all that," her dad, Glenn Sumners, tells us), the boy she texts first thing in the morning and hangs with during locker-break, the boy she's never actually "dated" because her father thinks other people's prejudice will make her life difficult, so he does what he can to discourage his white daughter from her black boyfriend. And in that walk, that public moment of intimate celebration, they seem like such a solid couple, so happy and secure, that really, it's the hope of the moment that gets me.

Cheney throws back out while moving

He'll be in a wheelchair during the inauguration. From CNN:

Watching the Inauguration Online?

What's the best way to watch online? There are a number of competitors, not the least of which features live coverage linked from the CNN.com home page. Other cable and network services are following suit, such as MSNBC with its The Inauguration page, featuring video clips and, presumably (although I've currently no evidence of a...) a live feed.

My Convention Center Photos

After a meeting, I decided to swing by the new Jackson Convention Complex and check out the new facility. Little did I know that I would be there for three hours and that it would be dark outside when I left. I enjoyed it just that much.

LoungeList Photos: More From the Convention Complex Opening

Local photographer Frank Ezelle got some great-looking shots of many of the performances at the Jackson Convention Complex's grand opening on Saturday. Check them out:

Extremely Faulty Planning

So I spent most of yesterday morning in the condo, having long legal-jargony telephone conversations with the folks at CheapOAir and the folks at Delta—neither of whom I will ever have any other conversations with, because I will never fly with either again. Which kinda sucks because, up until yesterday, Delta was my favorite airline.

WHERE ARE THE NAYSAYERS NOW?

Its really interesting to note the silence from Jackson bashers as it regards to last week's opening of the convention center. The usual vitriol spit on the Clarion Ledger's blog site was almost non-exsistent after it was reported that over 20,000 Mississippians(not just Jacksonians) attended the festivities. The hating that took place in the days and months leading up to the grand opening were replaced by an almost defeaning silence on sunday morning. I guess its really hard to find fault in a truly successful event that attracted 20,000 people, went into the evening, and ended without one crime reported.

Mississippi Does Slamdance (by way of New York) Part 2 (Part 2)

Then I wised up, headed over to Slamdance, and picked up one of the Mississippi Film Office's sponsor badges (hey, I'm an affiliate-in-exile), just in time to see a film called Mississippi Damned. Another film about poor black Mississippians, we've NEVER seen that before, I thought. I expected to hate it, times double for being filmed in North Carolina and set in Mississippi.

Mississippi Does Sundance (by way of New York) Part 2 (Part 1)

First off: Note to the lady on the 10AM All Resort Shuttle from Salt Lake to Park City. You may be blonde and willowy, but must you conduct Blackberry-fueled business meetings the entire 60 minute trip? Your chatter about "mock-ups" is not fooling anyone. If your time were so precious, you would NOT to be sitting next to me on an econo-minibus. Moving on

LoungeList Photos: Miss Mississippi Trunk Show

Last weekend Miss Mississippi modeled the outfits that she'll be taking with her to the Miss America contest over in Vicksburg. Somehow, we managed to convince poor Kip Caven to go take pictures of her with his fancy camera. He came back with 100 of his favorite shots:

Holder, Obama Support Journalist Shield Law

The San Francisco Chronicle reports good news for journalists and the public's right to know:

Domino Mag Breaks White House Decorator News

It makes me happy in a way I can't explain that we have a family going into the White House that appreciates the kind of home decor featured by Domino Mag. And allowed the über-hip decor mag to break the news.

CNN Money Wants to Hear from Jacksonians on Inauguration

All, CNN Money editor Amy Haimerl -- a very good friend of mine and the JFP -- is working on CNN Money's "real people" galleries. In advance of the inauguration, she is looking for people with good ideas about how Obama can help common Americans in these trying economic times. What should he do to fix the economy? What should he leave alone?

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