For the past week, I was reporting on the events at the Newport Beach Film Festival, covering the parties, reviewing the films, and interviewing the talent.
Unfortunately, as the week unfolded, I encountered some rude and insulting conduct from Festival Staff (CEO Gregg Schwenk, Saba Shirazi, and a coordinator by the name of "Norma") which upset the status quo and revealed to me in a startling disturbing manner that there must be something in the water at Fashion Island (where the Festival Headquarters are situated) which was making people "crazy".
In the alternative, I would have to conclude in view of the shocking and disturbing scenarios that went down at the Festival Lounge, that festival staff were simply an unsophisticated lot, devoid of any logic or common sense, with sh** for brains!
It all started when I arrived at the Festival lounge one fine morning at about 9:55 a.m
A young man was standing at the open door with a mop and a bucket of cleaning solvent, so I was inclined to ask him if the Festival Lounge was open.
"Yes," he responded with a wide smile.
I sauntered through the glass door and was about half-way toward the check-in booth when a gruff masculine woman (her name is "Norma", I believe) lurched forward and shouted at me - in a tone of voice I was not inclined to respond well to - that the lounge was not open.
"The gentleman at the door told me it was."
Without reflecting on the situation, she immediately reacted in a negative fashion.
"He's just a worker and shouldn't be telling you that."
She then proceeded to step outside and scold the man!
Just a worker?
I wanted to remind her in so many words that he was not "just a worker" but also a "person", who was entitled to be treated with some dignity and respect, but I expected that would aggravate the situation (so I didn't).
A few minutes later, from my perch outside on the patio, I noticed three other people waiting to enter the lounge glance at their watches, then stand up, and file into the Festival headquarters.
So, I proceeded to follow.
At the buffet table, as I was pouring a cup of coffee, "Norma" walked over and continued to harass me!
"Couldn't wait to get in, could you? I told you were closed."
I glanced at my watch. It was about a minute to ten.
How petty!!!
I noted that the three other people entered and that they weren't being harassed - at which point - she told a lie to save face.
"They are all volunteers here for a special presentation."
Not true!
I later verified that one woman was actually an actress in town at the festival to promote the film she was in.
Liar!
When I informed the out-of-line staffer that I was not thrilled with the way I was being treated, an associate - another volunteer who I had a long talk with earlier in the week on Buddhism - grabbed my hand and literally pulled me over to the couch and plunked me down on it.
Over her shoulder, she uttered a comment to "Norma".
"I'll take care of this."
Since I don't like to be ordered around, or forced to engage in conversations I would prefer to avoid, I started to get up - at which point - the slightly "off" woman proceeded to firmly place a hand on each shoulder in a bold-faced effort to prevent me from getting up.
Jesus!
It suddenly dawned on me that these folks at the Newport Beach Film Festival were under the impression they could just order people around, physically manhandle them, control their movements at whim, whatever!
"Excuse me, but I have work to do," I said politely as I eluded her grasp and headed over to the computer.
Have you ever encountered such bizarre behaviour at a Film Festival?
Not me.
I proceeded to work on a rough draft for a short while, then gave up my place at the computer when I noticed another festival-goer waiting to hop on.
As I sat on the couch sipping my coffee, I spied "Norma" engaged in a lively conversation outside with Gregg Schwenk (CEO).
At this juncture, Mr. Schwenk entered the lounge, then strode over to me.
In flippant manner, that was a tad "gay", he said:
"Who might YOU be?"
First of all, I thought it mind-boggling that Mr. Schwenk didn't have an inkling as to who I was, in spite of the fact I had been reporting on festival events for over a week non-stop and held a press pass issued by his own publicity department.
In fact, I had posted numerous upbeat articles on the festival, which were currently being read by Internet browsers all over the web.
Notwithstanding, I thought the Executive Director terribly remiss in his duties for failing to make any good-faith professional effort to introduce himself to members of the Press when they arrived at the Festival, or - even lift a finger - to determine who the players vital to his organization were!
When I noted I was with "The Tattler" & "Pop Culture", he gave me a forced smile, then piped up amid a flutter of hands.
"Well, have a good stay."
I headed back to the computer to work on my features.
It suddenly occurred to me that I did not have all the pertinent info on Mr. Schwenk - his exact title, e-mail address, office location, etc. - so when he stepped back inside I was inclined to do two things.
First, in view of the conversation he had outside (in which "Norma" was obviously bad-mouthing me and distorting the facts), I decided it would be good form (and wise on my part) to enlighten him about his staff's rude and insulting conduct and note for the record that in view of coverage I was giving to the Festival I did not appreciate the abuse aimed in my direction.
When I asked for his card for future reference, he pulled out a silver case.
Once he managed to pry it open, the cards tumbled out willy-nilly, and spilled on the floor.
"I don't have any left, as you can see," he responded with a wild-eyed look of terror on his face.
Needless to say, I returned to the PC without his business card, since he obviously did not want me to have one for some inexplicable reason.
I thought the unpleasantness regarding "Norma" was all settled, so I put it out of my mind.
The following morning I waited until about 10:05 a.m. before arriving at the Festival Lounge - after all - I did not want to ruffle any more feathers.
As I strolled in, I spied "Norma" standing near the front desk. Instead of nodding hello, she turned away and ignored me. Then, she whispered something to a volunteer standing next to her. The woman in question then turned and gave me a dirty look.
After a brief discussion with a couple of sane volunteers about the movie I'd taken in the night before, I grabbed a coffee and then sat down at the computer to pen a review.
Ah, but things got curiouser and curiouser.
When I asked an employee at the computer next to me if he'd attended the movie the night before, he snapped at me that he didn't have time to screen films.
How odd, since he claimed to be a programmer on a selection committee for the festival.
Since he had been friendly to me all week, his cold manner now stood out like a sore thumb.
As I started to open the edit bay of the blospot, he uttered a nasty comment my way.
"All you do is sit at the computer. You don't attend any of the screenings."
What a thoughtless cruel remark to make!
If the man could read, and had the skills to maneuver his way to my web sites, it would have been obvious from the posts on my blog - that I had not only attended many films - but had been kind enough to give a handful of glowing reviews in some instant cases.
I'm no fool.
Obviously, "Norma" was slandering me and stabbing me in the back, and trying to poison festival staff - and filmmakers - against me!
So, I pointed out to the ungrateful bast*** that I had not only screened films - but, took it upon myself to get up early and scurry over to the Festival Lounge each morning - to pen a post so it could be published post haste on the Internet.
Since the dude was thick in the head, I underscored my intentions; namely, that it was my hope that by publishing the articles right away, it might encourage locals, film buffs, and industry types to trot on down to the festival and snap up a ticket or two before the end of its run.
"You people are lucky I am here penning these posts and giving you free publicity. Otherwise, you would be SOL."
A case in point?
During the run of the festival to date, I hadn't encountered too many press folks from major mainstream publications at the Festival, giving any meaningful coverage.
They should have been blessing the ground I walked on!
As to the computer issue - well, a short while later - Saba Shirazi (PR) actually had the nerve to complain about the fact I was using the computer to pen my posts for the Festival!
For the record, I should like to point out that when I attended the Cinevegas Film Festival, the publicity department provided computers for the press, so they could get their coverage out.
Smart cookies!
At AFI Dallas, the same thing.
To be honest with you, I was wondering how I would swing it in Newport Beach once I arrived at the Festival grounds, since my laptop was recently stolen.
When I saw the computers that were available, I was overjoyed that I'd be able to write my stories, then get 'em online right away later that day.
In the alternative, I would have been forced to file away my notes, film data, and promotional documents, until I returned home a week later to draft, edit, and polish the intended coverage.
By then, the Festival would have been over.
What good would the publicity have been to the Newport Beach Film festival at that late date?
I like to believe that my daily coverage has been catching the attention of the locals and film buffs and that - as a result - ticket sales have been bolstered due to my generous efforts.
In addition to that potential plus, the reality of the situation is, that when I was sitting at the computer at different intervals throughout the day filmmakers who sat down next to me got the opportunity to meet me and promote their films .
Indeed, for several filmmakers, that situation turned into a bonanza.
A few films I would not have taken in, I did.
After-the-fact, I either wrote a review - or in the alternative - gave the struggling filmmakers much-needed publicity for their films.
Oh, but Schwenk and Shirazi and "Norma" - and that silly "program director" - were just too blind or too stupid to figure that out in spite of the fact the whole scenario was unfolding before their eyes - daily!
Maybe if they read an article that John Horn penned for the Los Angeles Times (which was published this morning coincidentally) they might get it through their thick skulls that they were fortunate that I even bothered to attend their rinky-dink little festival (on my own cash) in view of the "global" doom that is descending on the film biz right now.
"Overseas DVD and television sales is slumping. International distributors can't get financing to buy movies, piracy is cutting into overseas ticket sales, foreign currencies are falling in value and key international territories have essentially discontinued acquiring American Films," he solemnly reported in his column on page 1 of the Calendar Section.
He then went on to make a couple of salient points.
By virtue of a quote from Jere Hausfater (Chief Executive Officer of the International Sales Company Essential Entertainment) he noted the following upsetting news.
"Japan has stopped buying English-language movies.The indigenous Japanese movies are continuing to dominate the box office."
"On top of everything else," he stated matter-of-fact, "Everything else - supply and demand equations - has been out of whack."
"There was a glut of product." Hausfater (Horn's source) continued.
"And either buyers paid too much for the movies and got burned or a lot of movies had to sit on the sidelines and then didn't get bought."
Clearly, these idiots at the Newport Beach Film Festival are either unknowledgable about the intricacies (and sorry state) of the film biz or just too damned obstinate (and arrogant) to recognize their failings.
Harassing the press (moi, for instance) - and likewise, ticking them off - amounts to suicide in view of the foregoing.
Bill Cosby said it best:
"A word to the wise ain't necessary, it's the stupid ones who need the advice."
Postscript
Unfortunately, as the week unfolded, I encountered some rude and insulting conduct from Festival Staff (CEO Gregg Schwenk, Saba Shirazi, and a coordinator by the name of "Norma") which upset the status quo and revealed to me in a startling disturbing manner that there must be something in the water at Fashion Island (where the Festival Headquarters are situated) which was making people "crazy".
In the alternative, I would have to conclude in view of the shocking and disturbing scenarios that went down at the Festival Lounge, that festival staff were simply an unsophisticated lot, devoid of any logic or common sense, with sh** for brains!
It all started when I arrived at the Festival lounge one fine morning at about 9:55 a.m
A young man was standing at the open door with a mop and a bucket of cleaning solvent, so I was inclined to ask him if the Festival Lounge was open.
"Yes," he responded with a wide smile.
I sauntered through the glass door and was about half-way toward the check-in booth when a gruff masculine woman (her name is "Norma", I believe) lurched forward and shouted at me - in a tone of voice I was not inclined to respond well to - that the lounge was not open.
"The gentleman at the door told me it was."
Without reflecting on the situation, she immediately reacted in a negative fashion.
"He's just a worker and shouldn't be telling you that."
She then proceeded to step outside and scold the man!
Just a worker?
I wanted to remind her in so many words that he was not "just a worker" but also a "person", who was entitled to be treated with some dignity and respect, but I expected that would aggravate the situation (so I didn't).
A few minutes later, from my perch outside on the patio, I noticed three other people waiting to enter the lounge glance at their watches, then stand up, and file into the Festival headquarters.
So, I proceeded to follow.
At the buffet table, as I was pouring a cup of coffee, "Norma" walked over and continued to harass me!
"Couldn't wait to get in, could you? I told you were closed."
I glanced at my watch. It was about a minute to ten.
How petty!!!
I noted that the three other people entered and that they weren't being harassed - at which point - she told a lie to save face.
"They are all volunteers here for a special presentation."
Not true!
I later verified that one woman was actually an actress in town at the festival to promote the film she was in.
Liar!
When I informed the out-of-line staffer that I was not thrilled with the way I was being treated, an associate - another volunteer who I had a long talk with earlier in the week on Buddhism - grabbed my hand and literally pulled me over to the couch and plunked me down on it.
Over her shoulder, she uttered a comment to "Norma".
"I'll take care of this."
Since I don't like to be ordered around, or forced to engage in conversations I would prefer to avoid, I started to get up - at which point - the slightly "off" woman proceeded to firmly place a hand on each shoulder in a bold-faced effort to prevent me from getting up.
Jesus!
It suddenly dawned on me that these folks at the Newport Beach Film Festival were under the impression they could just order people around, physically manhandle them, control their movements at whim, whatever!
"Excuse me, but I have work to do," I said politely as I eluded her grasp and headed over to the computer.
Have you ever encountered such bizarre behaviour at a Film Festival?
Not me.
I proceeded to work on a rough draft for a short while, then gave up my place at the computer when I noticed another festival-goer waiting to hop on.
As I sat on the couch sipping my coffee, I spied "Norma" engaged in a lively conversation outside with Gregg Schwenk (CEO).
At this juncture, Mr. Schwenk entered the lounge, then strode over to me.
In flippant manner, that was a tad "gay", he said:
"Who might YOU be?"
First of all, I thought it mind-boggling that Mr. Schwenk didn't have an inkling as to who I was, in spite of the fact I had been reporting on festival events for over a week non-stop and held a press pass issued by his own publicity department.
In fact, I had posted numerous upbeat articles on the festival, which were currently being read by Internet browsers all over the web.
Notwithstanding, I thought the Executive Director terribly remiss in his duties for failing to make any good-faith professional effort to introduce himself to members of the Press when they arrived at the Festival, or - even lift a finger - to determine who the players vital to his organization were!
When I noted I was with "The Tattler" & "Pop Culture", he gave me a forced smile, then piped up amid a flutter of hands.
"Well, have a good stay."
I headed back to the computer to work on my features.
It suddenly occurred to me that I did not have all the pertinent info on Mr. Schwenk - his exact title, e-mail address, office location, etc. - so when he stepped back inside I was inclined to do two things.
First, in view of the conversation he had outside (in which "Norma" was obviously bad-mouthing me and distorting the facts), I decided it would be good form (and wise on my part) to enlighten him about his staff's rude and insulting conduct and note for the record that in view of coverage I was giving to the Festival I did not appreciate the abuse aimed in my direction.
When I asked for his card for future reference, he pulled out a silver case.
Once he managed to pry it open, the cards tumbled out willy-nilly, and spilled on the floor.
"I don't have any left, as you can see," he responded with a wild-eyed look of terror on his face.
Needless to say, I returned to the PC without his business card, since he obviously did not want me to have one for some inexplicable reason.
I thought the unpleasantness regarding "Norma" was all settled, so I put it out of my mind.
The following morning I waited until about 10:05 a.m. before arriving at the Festival Lounge - after all - I did not want to ruffle any more feathers.
As I strolled in, I spied "Norma" standing near the front desk. Instead of nodding hello, she turned away and ignored me. Then, she whispered something to a volunteer standing next to her. The woman in question then turned and gave me a dirty look.
After a brief discussion with a couple of sane volunteers about the movie I'd taken in the night before, I grabbed a coffee and then sat down at the computer to pen a review.
Ah, but things got curiouser and curiouser.
When I asked an employee at the computer next to me if he'd attended the movie the night before, he snapped at me that he didn't have time to screen films.
How odd, since he claimed to be a programmer on a selection committee for the festival.
Since he had been friendly to me all week, his cold manner now stood out like a sore thumb.
As I started to open the edit bay of the blospot, he uttered a nasty comment my way.
"All you do is sit at the computer. You don't attend any of the screenings."
What a thoughtless cruel remark to make!
If the man could read, and had the skills to maneuver his way to my web sites, it would have been obvious from the posts on my blog - that I had not only attended many films - but had been kind enough to give a handful of glowing reviews in some instant cases.
I'm no fool.
Obviously, "Norma" was slandering me and stabbing me in the back, and trying to poison festival staff - and filmmakers - against me!
So, I pointed out to the ungrateful bast*** that I had not only screened films - but, took it upon myself to get up early and scurry over to the Festival Lounge each morning - to pen a post so it could be published post haste on the Internet.
Since the dude was thick in the head, I underscored my intentions; namely, that it was my hope that by publishing the articles right away, it might encourage locals, film buffs, and industry types to trot on down to the festival and snap up a ticket or two before the end of its run.
"You people are lucky I am here penning these posts and giving you free publicity. Otherwise, you would be SOL."
A case in point?
During the run of the festival to date, I hadn't encountered too many press folks from major mainstream publications at the Festival, giving any meaningful coverage.
They should have been blessing the ground I walked on!
As to the computer issue - well, a short while later - Saba Shirazi (PR) actually had the nerve to complain about the fact I was using the computer to pen my posts for the Festival!
For the record, I should like to point out that when I attended the Cinevegas Film Festival, the publicity department provided computers for the press, so they could get their coverage out.
Smart cookies!
At AFI Dallas, the same thing.
To be honest with you, I was wondering how I would swing it in Newport Beach once I arrived at the Festival grounds, since my laptop was recently stolen.
When I saw the computers that were available, I was overjoyed that I'd be able to write my stories, then get 'em online right away later that day.
In the alternative, I would have been forced to file away my notes, film data, and promotional documents, until I returned home a week later to draft, edit, and polish the intended coverage.
By then, the Festival would have been over.
What good would the publicity have been to the Newport Beach Film festival at that late date?
I like to believe that my daily coverage has been catching the attention of the locals and film buffs and that - as a result - ticket sales have been bolstered due to my generous efforts.
In addition to that potential plus, the reality of the situation is, that when I was sitting at the computer at different intervals throughout the day filmmakers who sat down next to me got the opportunity to meet me and promote their films .
Indeed, for several filmmakers, that situation turned into a bonanza.
A few films I would not have taken in, I did.
After-the-fact, I either wrote a review - or in the alternative - gave the struggling filmmakers much-needed publicity for their films.
Oh, but Schwenk and Shirazi and "Norma" - and that silly "program director" - were just too blind or too stupid to figure that out in spite of the fact the whole scenario was unfolding before their eyes - daily!
Maybe if they read an article that John Horn penned for the Los Angeles Times (which was published this morning coincidentally) they might get it through their thick skulls that they were fortunate that I even bothered to attend their rinky-dink little festival (on my own cash) in view of the "global" doom that is descending on the film biz right now.
"Overseas DVD and television sales is slumping. International distributors can't get financing to buy movies, piracy is cutting into overseas ticket sales, foreign currencies are falling in value and key international territories have essentially discontinued acquiring American Films," he solemnly reported in his column on page 1 of the Calendar Section.
He then went on to make a couple of salient points.
By virtue of a quote from Jere Hausfater (Chief Executive Officer of the International Sales Company Essential Entertainment) he noted the following upsetting news.
"Japan has stopped buying English-language movies.The indigenous Japanese movies are continuing to dominate the box office."
"On top of everything else," he stated matter-of-fact, "Everything else - supply and demand equations - has been out of whack."
"There was a glut of product." Hausfater (Horn's source) continued.
"And either buyers paid too much for the movies and got burned or a lot of movies had to sit on the sidelines and then didn't get bought."
Clearly, these idiots at the Newport Beach Film Festival are either unknowledgable about the intricacies (and sorry state) of the film biz or just too damned obstinate (and arrogant) to recognize their failings.
Harassing the press (moi, for instance) - and likewise, ticking them off - amounts to suicide in view of the foregoing.
Bill Cosby said it best:
"A word to the wise ain't necessary, it's the stupid ones who need the advice."
Postscript
After the shocking incident which down yesterday at the Newport Beach Film Festival lounge, I spoke with an Officer at the local police station who informed me as follows.
"If someone grabs a person's body and attempts to physically hold them against their will, too, they "quote" - get what they deserve - "unquote".
Hear that, Ms. Shirazi?
