PARK CITY, Utah, Jan. 22, 2000 -- Larry (not his real name) wanted $30 for a $10 ticket to "American Psycho." If you waited 15 minutes, you waited too long, because then Larry wanted $40 -- and got it, too. (Or so he thought.) According to one overheard comment Friday night at the "Psycho"'s sold-out Sundance premiere at the Eccles Theatre, the 15-year-old and his underage posse were possibly the first scalpers in the history of Robert Redford's mountain paradise. Such is life in this now (really) big little city. The snow arrived about the same time the stars did this weekend -- as did the buzz, the crowds, Tammy Faye and the kids trying to price gouge morally offended indie film types. A rundown of the action:KA-CHING! "Groove," a no-name indie about the rave-party scene, is living the Sundance dream -- snapped up today by Sony Pictures Classics. No word
Festivals wrap; "Clerks" director makes points with wife; Joey Lawrence shines (really) PARK CITY, Utah, Jan. 30, 2000 - Done. "Girlfight" and "You Can Count on Me" - the two films everybody talked about non-stop up here - ended up as the two films everybody talked about non-stop during Saturday's awards ceremony at the Raquet Center. The movies took two awards each - tying as the Grand Jury Prize winner for best dramatic film."Two Family House" - a film that as far as we were concerned nobody talked about up here - ended up as the upset winner in the Audience Award category, supposedly a popular vote. We're not sure what audience voted for it, but we're sure it wasn't the people at the Raquet Center. The films that drew the biggest applause during a rundown of the competition dramas were, of course, "Girlfight" and "You Can Count on Me," as well as "Songcatcher,"
PARK CITY, Utah, Jan. 23, 2000 -- So, what's it like when you sell your movie at Sundance? Like this: You drive through the streets whooping, yelling, cranking up the stereo and tossing black Adidas ski hats to the unwashed (and un-picked-up) masses. The groovesters of "Groove" are, yes, grooving. A day after Sony Pictures Classic snapped up the low-budget slice-of-rave-life flick, the film's players were partying in the streets here this afternoon. And to hear one of its stars tell it -- this was situation normal, big-time movie deal or no. "We've been partying since Day One of shooting and that's all it was, was 28 days in a warehouse, dancing 18 hours a day," actor Steve Van Mormer told Hollywood.com while dancing atop the SUV-anointed "Groove" Mobile. "And we haven't stopped since." Not that the Sony deal hasn't made the day of even the most veteran party anim
HOLLYWOOD, June 26, 2000 -- Ever wonder what Michael Jackson does these days? Apparently so does the guy's longtime promoter. Jackson has been hit with a $21.2 million lawsuit by the aforementioned longtime promoter (one Marcel Avram of Germany) for reputedly backing out of a pair of planned Y2K Eve's shows in Hawaii and Australia. No comment from the singer's camp. One thing's for sure, though. Getting hauled into court by Avram is not a new experience for the singer: He filed a $20 million lawsuit against Jackson in 1993 for the never-was "Dangerous" tour.