Shipwrecked at Sundance, Part I

Rose Byrne, Hugh Dancy. All photos: Rebecca Sinn

Shipwrecked at Sundance, I opened the festival with Helen, the Ashley Judd movie about depression and suicide. What a way to start the day! Judd gave a less than believable performance, but later I met with Lauren Lee Smith: she’s a great gal, and a Vancouver transplant to Laurel Canyon. Smith stars as a very disturbed young woman, and she commands a lot of the screen. She is definitely one to watch, and she’s extremely down to earth.

Lauren Lee Smith, Expensive Spongebob accessory.

Continuing my nautical adventure, I hit the Village at the Yard with the SpongeBob SquarePants Suite, which hosted a $75,000 dollar diamond encrusted necklace, designed by Russell Simmons’ Simmons Jewelry Co., to be auctioned for his charity. Sundance is all about gifting. As for Spongebob, the little guy’s done good for himself. I didn’t dare touch the necklace, although Just Jared did. There were also custom surfboards and snowboards, signed by Terminator‘s Leven Rambin. Meanwhile, Facebook might have taken our youth, but Myspace’s Sundance lounge was tops for celebrity appearances. Paris and Nicky Hilton stopped by to make pages. The doors were shut while Ashton and Demi spaced out.

I hope the local coffee was for charity—at $6.75 a cup! I might not be able to stay in sunny Utah were it not for the swag: The Sephora lounge included amazing mascara by Givenchy, which could be the best Sundance steal. Back at the Village at the Yard I had a Hugh Dancy spotting (in Fred Segal Fun, of course), and thank Robert Redford, swag everywhere, the best of it Magaschoni cashmere.

The traffic in Sundance is difficult and it’s impossible to get from place to place. With all that stress a girl needs a facial. I was sitting in the Entertainment Weekly suite today in between movies with the cast of The Greatest and, lo and behold, next thing I knew I was getting my makeup and hair done. Twenty minutes of pampering put me back in tip-top shape, primped and plucked for air kisses. Johnny Simmons, Carey Mulligan, Pierce Brosnan, Susan Sarandon, and Zoe Kravitz of The Greatest all took in the Alpine hopsitality as well. Mulligan, for her part, is the buzz of the festival. And Simmons is so cute. I can’t wait to see him in Jennifer’s Body with Megan Fox.

Carey Mulligan; Johnny Simmons and Zoe Kravitz

All over the place, the hills were alive with the sound of music. At the beginning of the festival, I walked down Main Street while the Gin Blossoms played “Hey Jealousy.” Video game Rock Band encouraged much of the main street madness with daily jam sessions, and everyone is going crazy about The Flips! But Sundance has a dark side: Screening shut-outs. At The Greatest, Kenneth Cole doesn’t even get in! He’s one of the festival’s sponsors! Terrible! Finally someone came out and radioed him in, but it was an awful situation. Kenneth Cole/Gen Art Party, Nick Cannon spun as Denise Richards worked the room; she’s yet another celebrity gone to reality show. I fear Mariah and Nick could be next. More from the dark side in my next installment.