pcskigal's Blog

I left home this morning at 9 a.m. and returned at 11 p.m. with a brand new haircut and tan. My boyfriend wondered if I was cheating on him. I had started the day with a screening of Moon- an intriguing portrait of a man trapped on the moon while he completed a three-year contract with a solar energy firm. Sam Rockwell pulled off a brilliant Tom Hanks ala Castaway impersonation but added a sci-fi twist to it. After, I clawed my way through the intense Park Avenue traffic to the middle of Main and the Harry O's complex where the Rock Band Lounge was in full swing. Not real rock bands there but Rock Band- the game- stood center stage; the one I sucked at during a Best Buy demo this Xmas when I tried to follow along on the electronic drums and some 8-year-old stepped up and schooled me. I'm no musician and after about a month of Rock Band's competitor, Guitar Hero (and a strained shoulder), I knew this wasn't my kind of game. Still, it was fun watching others have fun as they rocked on fake instruments singing and pretend strumming/beating to the songs on the TV screen behind them (and on the monitors in front). The Lounge, formally The Marquee, was noticeably low key this year. Was it hard to find sponsors? I asked one of the coordinators of this gifting suite. "Impossible," she answered, shaking her head. The economy had forced corporations to back out of deals and bail on the Festival. There was plenty of room now to maneuver among the companies present and time to spend with each representative. First, I was marched over to KangaROOS (http://www.kangaroosusa.com) where they were gifting to men, the Walter Payton Limited Edition basketball shoe. The retro shoe company that faded into obscurity in the mid 80s is back with side pocket and all, and using Sundance to help relaunch their US line. I snagged a pair of Tort 2 distressed velvet mid-cut shoes with Velcro closures that looked like a classic black Hollywood bootie. Lia Sophia (http://www.liasophia.com), the home-based jewelry business, returned to showcase their 2009 Cape Town Collection of animal prints and mixed metals. Tt Mates (http://www.ttcollection.com) had a handy product- Supima cotton undergarments (camis and leggings), oh so soft and perfect for chilly days and nights. I reached out and bagged a yummy smelling Ecoya sweet pea and jasmine soy candle as I walked over to graphic artist Omar Vega and his line of new T-shirts called No Love Lost (http://www.NoLoveLost4u.com). He aims to create works of art on his shirts so the public can view what the artist's perceives. Essentially, he's taking the art and political thought out of the galleries and putting it on our chests to reflect what's on the minds of today's "forward thinking" people. I pounded a bottle of low-cal Muscle Milk Shake before I hurried out and headed to the Hollywood Life House. The suites typically close by 6 p.m. It was 5 p.m. More on how I got my tan in the next report...