Just a heads up that I'm officially on vacation and maybe in an airplane as you read this. It's the mellow kind of vacay as I have no pennies to my name, which is good timing because i think my internet/cable is about to be shut off. Oopsie! (hey it was that or the air conditioning and I was melting!) I'll be (mostly) off line reconnecting with old friends and my siblings who I haven't seen in way way too long. Years.
Incidentally, though I will be in Michigan just as it's happening, it's mere coincidence that this is also the week of the Traverse City Film Festival. (I've never been but maybe they'll invite me as a special guest some year. winkwink.)
The festival was founded by Michael Moore and this year it's having its biggest year ever as it received a $20,000 grant from AMPAS which the board used to fly in various actors and filmmakers for a more robust festival experience. The wonderful French actress Sandrine Bonnaire (Rememeber Est-Ouest or Vagabond?) will be an honored guest, Matthew Modine is coming, and there's also going to be a centennial celebration for western stars Roy Rogers & Dale Evans with grandchildren speaking.
"Scout" will speakAnd get this, little "Scout" Academy Award nominee Mary Badham from To Kill a Mockingbird will speak to the festivalgoers after a special tribute screening of To Kill a Mockingbird. Damn, I wish I had known ahead of time. Have any of you midwestern readers ever been to this festival?
If you're in driving distance, why not check it out this week?
But back at home base...
It might be a quiet week at the blog / It might be a noisy one. I've left the TFE team in charge and a few new guests but I've opted out of the control freak position I normally take when I'm (mostly) offline. Whether there'll be 0 posts a day or 5 I could not say... it'll be a surprise to everyone! You like surprises, right?
I'll be back just as July ends and then we'll start gearing up for prestige film season in September. Whoooooo. We have so many plans. If we don't die of heat exhaustion first, we'll try and make them happen this fall.
xoxo, Nathaniel