The search for Hotel Palomar in Dallas yesterday was no problem. I had just visited the place a month ago for a Bing search engine discussion. Oh yes, I sampled the Wi-Fi at the Kimpton property … as my friend Steve Plunkett pretty much wowed the crowd with his opinions on how Bing works and how it should work.
I digress.
Foos Film Fest
Yesterday, the PingWi-Fi film crew hit Hotel Palomar for the media kickoff of the Dallas International Film Festival. One assumes this is hashtagged #DIFF on Twitter, but that is conjecture on my part …
Anyway, international is the “key search term” for this story. The most outgoing, most interesting peeps we met were the representatives from Univision — of course the Hispanic media TV, Internet giant.
Ha … I tried to wow Mr. Herrerea and friends with my “fluent” Spanish (which is actually a memorized poem about a burro and two dogs …).
Seeing they were unimpressed with my bilingual bravado, I resorted to the time-honored tradition of name dropping. “Oh … you guys are in Hispanic media … you MUST meet my friend Gustavo!” Ha … they already knew Gustavo … I realized Gus was a big man about Dallas … But I didn’t know he was about as well known as the 6-foot-8 “Eduardo Najeras” of the world. (Yes I caught a little of The Mavs game on the tube downstairs in the Central 214 Bar before the media event.)
Back to film … Perhaps the more interesting part of the night was when the power went off to begin the party. Yes, some people were in the elevators when the lights went off. I vote they get the door prices, for the record.
Not to worry. We all put away our Twitter and FourSquare for a moment and used cell phones in the way they were intended — to illuminate the room like really little flashlights.
Interestingly, the power returned to this very cool little party enclave in phases. A few lights at first, creating a very dark speakeasy, so to speak. Despite the dark room, we were still pumped up from the Mavs game earlier, so we tried our hands at some friendly sports competition.
First up … YES! Someone at the DIFF earned major points with me … there was a foosball table. We jumped on it … figuratively. But I must say, foosball is a dish best served with good lighting … In dim lights — I shouldn’t complain — my pull shot was almost invisibly fast. That reminds me, have you ever tried ping pong or foosball for that matter, with strobe lights … trippy.
Yes, I digress… “Take two.”
We continued to mix among the fashion noir crowd of directors, journalists, volunteers as the house lights came back, one by one. And the end to a perfect evening — PingWi-Fi launched a virtual ruthless massacre on the shuffle board table … kicking bootay in two languages, es verdad!
Tonight? It’s Opening Night!
from news releases …
The 2010 Dallas International Film Festival is here, starting in unprecedented fashion with the largest movie night in Texas. More than 1,600 film lovers hit the streets as the Festival takes over all eight screens at the Angelika Film Center and hosts a Gala with events throughout Mockingbird Station.
Stars and photographers will flock to the Red Carpet, and you can watch from the theater’s steps. You’ll hear from the filmmakers as they introduce their movies. The Dallas Star Award will be awarded to one of the leading lights of Mexican cinema, Pedro Infante, with the Mexican Consulate and members of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in attendance.
This is the big kickoff to 11 days of screenings and events. Visit the Southwest Airlines Ticket Window at 5330 E. Mockingbird Lane for more information and to buy your ticket today!
Earlier Today … The DIFF announced Academy Award nominee Frank Darabont is the recipient of the Dallas Star Award. Mel House’s’ horror thriller “Walking Distance” joins the film festival’s lineup and the Dallas Film Society announced the organization has received a $200,000 challenge grant.
Know what I sayin?
