AFI Dallas...scuttlebutt; Big Fan director prefers mid-level actors to pain-in-the-butt superstars! Janine Taylor makes splash on red carpet...

Writer/Director Robert Siegel amazed me with his honesty on the red carpet last night.



When I asked him who he would choose to work with if he could have his pick, he looked me dead in-the-eye and stated matter-of-fact, that he was comfortable with mid-level actors.



"I'm not powerful enough in the industry to control big name stars, like Brad Pitt; besides, they come with too much baggage," he quipped without any qualms or worries about ramifications.



"They're a pain in the butt."



He was quick to add that the exception was Johnny Depp.



"I have have been offered scripts with big names attached, but I passed."



A die-hard New Yorker, he has no desire to up-and-move to the golden state.



Siegel was a great sports enthusiast as a kid, so over the years he longed to lens a feature about the "Giants".



"Big Fan" is an intriguing tale about a sports fan who becomes obsessed with a player who he later gets into a physical altercation with.



Oh, the humiliation.



Patton Oswalt stars in this moody piece.



Although Oswalt is quick on the uptake - and the funnyman is capable of delivering up snappy one-liners at whim (which I have been witness to) - the up-and-coming star chose to closely follow the tightly-written script.



He noted that the "Big Fan" is reminiscent of 70's films like "Electra Glide in Blue" and also "Marvins Gardens".



"It's a tale of fu**ed up redemption," he asserted last night.



I was quite delighted to meet the producers from "Like Dandelion Dust", also.



"We tried to stay true to the best-selling novel by Karen Kingsbury. In fact, fans who have screened the feature have been pleased with the end result," one of the baby-faced Downes brothers (producers) beamed with pride at the glittering premiere last night.



It is a sort-of legal thriller about a battle for the custody of a child.



Respected Jon Gunn directs popular star Mira Sorvino,



The "Two Bobs" director - Tim McCanlies - was basking in the glow of all the attention coming his way for his off-beat project which is a foray into the scintillating world of Video Gamemakers.

In a nutshell, the "2 Bobs" is a quirky who-dunnit about two tecnie nerds who have their software stolen.



As they endeavour to track down the culprits responsible for the theft, they are thrust into the disreputable underworld of spammers and Internet hoodlums.



Janine Taylor (Friday Nights) trotted the carpet on her way to a screening of an old-time classic, "Gentleman Prefer Blondes".



We both joked about the fact neither of us had ever seen the Maryilyn Monroe comedy on the silver screen, only on the boob tube over the years.



Later, at the Festival lounge at the Magnolia Theatre, a tasty smorgasbord had been laid out for theatre-goers - imported cheese and crackers, mouth-watering succulent fruit (including fresh strawberries dipped in rich dark chocolate) - and a wide assortment of finger-licking cocktail food.



The Theatre recently installed an eye-catching series of original artworks by a talented young artist, Clint Scism.



The humorous pieces are basic cut-outs, maneuvered artfully onto layered levels of glass, in a sort-of distinctive collage-like fashion.



Moderately priced, too.



The lobby was buzzing with excited film buffs chatting each other up in the lobby.



AFI Dallas screenings are mostly-sold out this year, after all.



If you haven't slipped into NorthPark Mall or the Magnolia Theatre yet to catch a flick, you have about two days left to say you were part of the AFI Dallas Film Festival phenomenon 2009.



See 'ya there!

Patton Oswalt in the Big Fan





http://www.julianayrs.com

Patton Oswalt...attends screening of thriller Charley Varrick. Funny man!

The man can deliver up patter in a rapid-fire pace.

As much as I scrambled to jot down all the juicy bits, I couldn't keep up.

Maybe I'll have to pack in die-hard journalistic habits - stop scribbling with pen and paper in hand - and turn a precise compact video camera on my subjects in the future.

Then, you'll see for yourself, what all the harping is about.



Of course, I'm raving about comedian Patton Oswalt.

The outgoing charismatic performer started out as a bit player on a myriad of TV shows such as NewsRadio, Dr. Katz, Mr. Show, and Seinfeld.


A bit of the rennaisance man, Oswalt also penned sketches for the long-running series MADtv and frequently lent his voice to Comedy Central's Crank Yankers as one of the program's below-the-belt prank callers.

In the tradition of the New Beverly Cinema, Oswalt was invited to host a mini-festival of films at the trendy little "it" cinema in Hollywood proper - where Edgar Wright, Quentin Tarantino, and Seth Green - are inclined to pop in to catch a classic thriller or much-ballyhooed comedy when schedules permit.

Two Matthau features - "Charley Varrick" & "Taking of Pelam 123" - were on the double-bill.

Oswalt started off his "set" by recalling the first time he attended a screening at the theatre many moons ago.

Before the curtain went up, he dashed across the street to pick up some Chinese "take out", to munch on during the screenings.

The hilarious comic laughingly recalled to the audience - how he painstakingly packed away the little boxes of food in various pockets on his person - to avoid being detected by the ushers.

When he plunked himself down upfront in the theatre, he was startled to witness many of the patrons eating openly under the footlights without any qualms.

"I think you could have dragged a hibachi in here and no one would have blinked an eye," he chirped.

Julia - a co-host of the event - was quick to point out why.

"Sherman (the former owner who passed away this past year) had a policy. As long as you share the goodies, it's okay."

The audience roared!

Anyone who frequents the New Beverly has probably experienced a glitch or two that may occur on screen from time to time.

Oswalt's takes the cake.

One night - at the climax of Casablanca when Humphrey Bogart is saying good-bye to Ingrid Bergman at the end of the film - the screen plunged into darkness.

As the befuddled film buffs twisted in their seats in the dark, they couldn't help but overhear a lot of cursing emanating from the projectionist's booth upstairs.


Out-of-the-blue - one of the guests started to whistle the film's theme song - "As Time Goes By".

Within minutes, the entire audience was warbling along!

The comic noted that on occasion he attended screenings at those "other" theatres.



At one funky movie house, Oswalt was settling into "Citizen Kane", when an obnoxious drunken lout started to curse Orson Welles on screen.

"You homo," he cried out in disgust.


Turns out, it was screen legend Lawrence Tierney!

Everyone was scandalized.

About twenty minutes into the film, his handler sauntered into the dark theatre in search of him.

"Lawrence. Where are you? We gotta go."

In response, Mr. Tierney allegedly stumbled to his feet, and as he started to exit, he could be heard uttering a tribute.

"Not bad. The film's okay."

At another screening of a film he starred in, Mr. Tierney's conduct was so wild at the Egyptian Theatre (he allegedly pi**ed into a beverage cup fashioned in the image of the Prince of Egypt so he wouldn't miss any scenes) that they kicked him out!

His rantings about the fat a** of one actress were annoying to some, too.

"She tried to fu** me. That bit**," he grumbled as he headed towards the exit.

Understandably, Oswalt has been contemplating penning a tell-all autobiography.

That foray into the world of publishing had some benefits for the crowd last night.

Each of the book editors that held court with Oswalt, zipped off a gift package of books and novelty items, to woo him their way.

Oswalt raffled 'em off at the theatre last night, much to the delight of his fans.

Gosh, I was 4 digits out on one draw.

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride!

Huh?

Well, whatever.

Patton and Julia excitedly reminded the audience about a twenty-four night of horror films slated for screening at the New Beverly Cinema on October 18th.

The $20 admission will go towards paying for renovations at the theatre.

So, pitch in, won't 'ya?

Oswalt will return on Sunday night (October 4th) to screen two features on his favorites list - "The Line Up" and "Blast of Silence".

So, if you're in the mood for a stand-up comedy act, attend!

You just might wet your pants.