22nd Annual Palm Springs
International Film Festival and Awards Gala
Jan. 8, 2011
Any photographer relishes a paparazzi moment. So when the dashing Jake Gyllenhaal stood a hair’s breadth away, waiting in line for his stroll down the red carpet, I put my finger to the shutter, hoping for good gossip magazine fodder.
Gyllenhaal was just one of a slew of superstars attending the 22nd Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival and Awards Gala in January, originally the brainchild of Sonny Bono and today an unofficial kickoff to awards season. It also starts off two weeks of foreign and domestic film screenings in theaters around the city.
We pulled up to the Palm Springs Convention Center in a limo replete with tinted windows. On our right, a lineup of the celebrity-obsessed flanked the entrance road, and on our left hordes of television crews and photographers busily snagged the stars for on-camera interviews and an endless explosion of flash photos.
We joked in the limo about our movie star exit. One planner suggested a tuck and roll out the limo side door for dramatic effect, but we settled for a more sophisticated approach. We garnered a few double takes, but nothing more, and lingered along the carpet fringe as the real stars were escorted by.
Behind us, other limos were pulling up and the screams erupted at each star sighting. Mark Wahlberg, James Franco and Jake Gyllenhaal tied for loudest screams, though Natalie Portman and Colin Firth ranked toward the top as well. They all acknowledged their fans with waves and handshakes, and Wahlberg greeted the entire length of the line before crossing over to the media zone.
"Wow, people really dressed up nice," he commented, clearly looking in my direction. I swooned.
While the audience, many of whom splurged for $350 a plate, was decked out in fineries, stars were also elegantly attired.
Inside the center, guests searched through hundreds of tables to find their seats for the awards ceremony. Stars were interspersed throughout, and any time someone stood up, they were surrounded by a small group of smartphone toting fans for photos.
One of the men in our group confessed he had just ruined someone’s night. He was standing in line next to Ben Affleck for the men’s room and a woman approached him to take a photo with her and Ben using her BlackBerry. He pushed the wrong button and she was devastated as the star disappeared.
Though the awards doled out were previously announced, including Robert Duvall for Career Achievement Award, there was plenty of excitement.
And then it was on to the after party. Drinks with the stars? My camera was at the ready…
