Celebrity Spotting

I have had a pretty full schedule of preview screenings and there are even more to come in October (New York Film Festival and CMJ Film Festival). Timon decided to accompany me to one for Take Shelter a couple of Mondays ago. We got up early and made our way to the Sony Building on Madison Ave. We waited. And waited. Turns out I had taken us to the wrong venue - it was at Magno more than a few streets away and we'd missed the first half an hour. Sad, yes. Serendipitous? Also yes. Because while we were sitting in the grand Sony lobby, waiting on a PR rep that never came, we saw MOLLY MELDRUM. I turned around and saw this giant cowboy hat standing at the front desk and it was none other. Looking way to old to be wearing a tight black tee and fancy bejewelled jeans, Molly was there for an appointment for god knows what. I ogled, Timon laughed and neither of us said anything to him. In hindsight maybe he would have liked being recognised. I didn't want to look unprofessional in front of the PR rep (who was on the other side of town). An opportunity lost, maybe. But still an excellent story.

Following on from that Timon and I found ourselves at the Lincoln Center for the premiere event screening of Guests of the Nation, a silent Irish film from 1935. Lovingly restored by the Irish Film Institute and accompanied by a fancy orchestra, the film was introduced by one of the most famous Irish dudes (not Bono). GABRIEL BYRNE. I should backtrack a little and tell you that we were invited to this event as press and I'm not sure how I convinced T to go. So we watched a couple of modern silent films (2005,2011) that were accompanied by live music and foley artists. Check out my review on Digital Hippos for all the deets. But then, out comes Gabriel Byrne all shaggy haired and handsome. A true silver fox. He ummed and ah'd through the first bit of his intro but then wooed me with his charm and silky, incomprehensible accent. The film itself was a bit tragic but the evening had already attained legendary status in the highlights of my life.

The Usual Suspect