Last night was the Opening Night of the 15th Annual Jules Verne Adventure Film Festival. Until I took my current job, I had never even heard of the event, so don't feel like you're out of the loop... it's traditionally been held in Paris... this is either the 1st or the 2nd year in the U.S. (depending on who you talked to).
As I still wasn't feeling the best, I was reluctant to commit to going, but my boss insisted that I would never remember this cold (sinus infection), but I would always remember the evening - and I think she was right.
The main event was held at L.A.'s historical Shrine Auditorium and the after party (where Buzz received a Jules Verne Lifetime Achievement award from Patrick Stewart) at The Edison downtown.
Let's get all the name-dropping out of the way, shall we? In no particular order: Buzz Aldrin, Tony Curtis, Ted Turner, Tippi Hedren, Ray Bradbury, Patrick Stewart, Jean-Michel Cousteau Malcolm McDowell (host for the evening), Ed Begley Jr., Frances Fischer etc... I've probably forgotten people, but those were the ones who come instantly to mind the day after.
I got to see the cheetah (Majani) whose best friend/companion is a dog (Clifford), hear about wonderful stuff being done to help the planet, see re-caps of some fab Hollywood careers, Buzz talked about Space Tourism (as he tends to do...), saw clips of 9 documentaries, enjoyed a Lakota Indian dance demonstration, and generally had a very good time (despite my prior reservations).
The after party was something else entirely. I'd never been to the Edison before (I'm not a trend-oid party-goer, ask anyone who knows me), but the space/vibe is great. The nibbles were yummy (baby baked potatoes w/ caviar, seafood mousse in puff-pastry cups, perfect roast beef skewers w/ spicy sauce, foie gras in dates on toast, sun-dried tomato *things*, ceviche, and several dessert tables... see, fabulous!), and the champagne was ice cold and didn't leave me with a hangover.
The best part of the party was the transportation... since I was with my bosses, I got to ride in the special cars they provided to take them to The Edison... a 1961 Bentley. There was a caravan of them traveling the 4 or 5 miles to the bar... people on the street were staring and waving, it was surreal. After the party, they (my bosses) had a car that was taking them home, but I needed to get back to the Rav4 in he Shrine parking lot, so they arranged for one of the liveried drivers to take me back in a delicious 1935 Rolls Royce - I felt like a Princess.
Special shout out to Sarah (Sara?) one of the Hostesses at The Edison - she made sure I didn't get rained on, and got back safely to my car... and was just super sweet - someone give that girl a raise!
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