The BMI Blog

Another Busy Day by Doreen Ringer Ross
Tuesday, January 24th

Terence Blanchard arrived today.  I met up with him and composer Anthony Marinelli at Park City TV.  We all did a live appearance to talk about the Sundance Composer’s Lab as well as the Film Music Roundtable we are doing up here at the festival.  The composer lab happens up at the Sundance Institute during the summer and Terence has been an advisor there.  He is an amazing film composer and jazz musician but he also has a wonderful nurturing ability to teach and mentor which is invaluable in an environment like that.  Anthony scored a film in the festival called Dreamland so we were there to talk about that too.  It’s amazing how many people watch Park City TV during the Sundance Film Festival.  The folks there did a great job but I could see the beginning signs of overwhelm starting to set in after going almost 24/7 for five days.
 
Later in the afternoon I went to see Jonathan Demme’s documentary about Neil Young.  Actually, it was more of a documented staged performance...pure and simple and beautifully stylized and shot.  Neil made a brief appearance in the theater before the film. I learned something new about one of his songs today.  "Old man take a look at my life I'm a lot like you" was written for the caretaker of the ranch he bought when he first made a bunch of money...when he was about 24 years old.  He still lives in the same ranch (in Northern California).  Evidently this old caretaker took Neil up to survey the property and as they got to talking the caretaker couldn't believe that such a young man could afford such an expensive place...so the song was basically Neil talking to him after that conversation.  I always thought he was talking to his father.  It’s so nice to discover something new about a piece of music I’ve been listening to all my life. 
 
That evening Linda Livingston and I had dinner at the Thai place on Main Street with composers Andrew Gross, Anthony Marinelli, agent Randy Gerston, and Scott Holtzman from Disney.  The food was great.  We ended up sitting next to Michael Penn’s agent Linda Kordek who got a phone call in the middle of dinner telling her that Michael (who was coming to Park City to play some gigs including our Songwriters Snowball) was turning around and going back to Los Angeles because his brother, actor Chris Penn, had died.  It was a sad and sobering bit of news.  Life is so fragile.  We send our love and prayers to Michael and his family.

Shots Around Town
Tuesday, January 24th

Doc and Minnie Driver at the Levi's Lounge	Alexandra Robertson, BMI's Tracie Verlinde

BMI's Alison Smith & Ellen Huang, President of Queer Lounge	Photo wall at WireImage/HP Lounge

BMI's Alison Smith & Dennis Quaid	Premiere Film & Music Lounge

Egyptian Theater

Loungin at HP by David Bills
Tuesday, January 24th

I had the opportunity to talk with Terence Blanchard this afternoon. As a fan of his recordings and many scores with Spike Lee, it was great to speak to him in person.

BMI's David Bills & Terence Blanchard

BMI Condo Party by Doreen Ringer Ross
Monday, January 23nd

Composer agent Randy Gerston arrived today. He drove here from LA and actually found a parking space right on Main Street when he pulled into town. Finding a good parking space here is always a good omen. I took him to see SherryBaby at Eccles and then to lunch at Butchers. After that, the day became all about getting ready for BMI's Condo Party. DJ Thomas Golubic arrived as did a ton of fabulous people:

Thomas Golubic	BMI's Doreen Ringer Ross and Bill Plympton

Paul Cremo, Doreen Ringer Ross, Anthony Marinelli, and Craig Ritchie	Nick Francis, Andreas Kapasalis, Doreen Ringer Ross, and Marc Francis

Barbara Cohen, Marco D'Ambrosio, Doreen Ringer Ross, Scott Johnson, Elizabeth Daly, and Andreas Kapasalis	BMI's Hanna Pantle, Tom Amandis, Wendy Goodman

The Whirlwind Begins By Anthony Marinelli
Monday, January 23rd

Early morning flight arrives in Salt Lake City Car takes me to Park City Check in at my hotel Relax at the Park City Racquet Club, work out and adjust to the dry altitude for a few hours Back to the hotel to change for the screening.

Arrive at the Library Centre Theatre for the Premiere of "Dreamland" Meet our friendly cast and crew in front of the theatre for a coffee and tea Watch the movie in front of an audience for the first time. Always fun. Drive to the "Dreamland" cast and crew dinner on Main Street Hop to the Caledonian Condos for the BMI Party Meet more directors, composers, music supervisors, singers and friends in one night than in any year Hop to the "Dreamland" after dinner Party at the old Park City Jail.

Lots of happy producers celebrating the premiere Hop back to the BMI Party to meet more new faces in one night than in any year Looking for a place to sit. A giant pocket full of business cards. BMI Party over. Start walking on Main Street. Bump into more familiar people on the street. Find out what I am really made of...

EVERYONE STARES as Stewart Copeland Takes the Stage By Doreen Ringer Ross
Sunday, January 22nd

Stewart Copeland's movie premiered today at the big Eccles Theater to a spirited, sold out crowd. The whole movie is an assemblage of super-8 home movie footage he shot during his Police days...so it was pretty funny when he went up to stage to introduce the film... shooting the audience with the camera in his new mobile phone. "For my next film," he said.

Then, he realized that he had the camera pointed at himself so he turned it around and asked the crowd to repeat all their cheering and waving so he could shoot it again. I thought to myself...what a clever way to get B roll. The film was great! I had seen an earlier version on a DVD which I liked...but this new professionalized and re-edited version playing on a big screen was awesome to watch. And, much to my surprise, he thanked me in the end credits...for spiritual guidance or something...which I thought was incredibly sweet of him. Of course during the Q&A everyone wanted to know if there would be a soundtrack album coming out. I'm not sure there was a clear answer given but hopefully that will happen.

Stewart Copeland, composer/director

Later that day Linda and I went to see "The Illusionist"...a captivating, romantic thriller, period piece starring Ed Norton...beautiful to look at and scored brilliantly by Phillip Glass. From there we went on to see Haskell Wexler's documentary "Who Needs Sleep?" which is about the sweatshop-like hours often worked by the crews in the movie industry...at the expense of their family life, their health, and in some cases, their life. Haskell is one of the best cinematographers ever and he is an activist who is using his legendary status and talents to stand up for what he believes in. It was inspiring to hear him talk after the screening because unlike some of the younger filmmakers who are hoping to develop a career from exposure at this festival, Haskell (who is 83) is hoping to use this platform to create change.

BMI's Linda Livingston, Haskell Wexler, director/Cinematographer, BMI's Doreen Ringer Ross

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