Virginia Film Festival Opening Night Gala
The Virginia Film Festival held its gala at the new Charlottesville Transit Center downtown on Thursday. Tickets went for $75 and included an extensive menu of hors d’oeuvres from buffets and floating trays, wine, and beer. Organizers were smart to use the space now. The modern glass building was met with criticism for its location in 2003, but its construction was well received by the community. The hype surrounding C-VILLE’s “Best Of” party this summer (in spite of a torrential downpour) was well deserved. I was there, I saw it…
First Friday
I used to be too shy to wander into restaurants and galleries for First Fridays and would spend my evenings taking aerobic walks, instead, sometimes ending up at Market Street Wineshop for its weekly tasting. Upstart wondered if this “drains” Thor’s and my time. I’d say that it makes better use of it than ever, if I am now no longer intimidated to enjoy art, wine, and new friends. But yes, it affects it, because I now schedule my social calendar and purchase often costly event tickets so that I can write reviews. With First Fridays, I am glad not only for the experience but also for the “free” for a change. To all galleries and restaurants that host, thank you!
I almost forgot: I was there for two openings. Is it really November?
Seasonal cocktails and menus
Mono Loco and Escafe have conjured up pumpkin and gingerbread cocktails. Mmm. Any others? I am noticing menu changes around town for the winter season. In the past week and a half, I’ve dined at Mono Loco and Escafe, obviously, as well as the X Lounge, Horse & Hound, and Zinc. Restaurant owners: please update your menus on your websites right away if you have not, because I may write up new reviews, which several thousand people will potentially see this month…
Relax! These were some of the most enjoyable meals I’ve had in the past couple of months. Escafe, best meal I’ve ever had at the restaurant, hands down.
Virginia Football
Saturday’s game against Wake Forest was Virginia’s “third one-point victory in four games.” I’m kind of impressed, but real sports fans talk about it as though the barely-there wins are disappointments. I give them the same advice I give for dating: lower your expectations. It’s probably helping those basketball ticket sales. Did I hear 14,000? Anyone from the Sabre want to check on sales for us?
Virginia Film Festival screenings
I attended as many as I could, which, unfortunately, was not many. I wish I could have made it to For the Bible Tells Me So, but… work. Sneak Reviews, order it if you don’t have it, if you can get it! I also missed Friday night’s screenings of Autism: The Musical and The Savages, both at the Paramount. I would like reviews, cVillains! I did, however, see Peter Pan and the [Volvo] Adrenaline Film Project, and another small screening I’ll keep to myself… because I told everyone I know I attended it.
Live Arts’ Annual Gala and After-Party
Read oy’s debrief here. It was certainly the see-and-be-seen event of the fall. Charlotteville, you are a fun city! Live Arts, thanks for having us over! For your next event, two suggestions. One: bigger cups. I agree that the bars were not congested, but people were ordering two drinks at a time for themselves (such as myself) to spare you the trouble of filling those tiny things so often. If that makes me sound like a lush… why yes I am, didn’t you know? But when young professionals pay $40 for a bar tab that starts at 11, they’ll booze. Two: coat/bag check. I like honor systems, but I do not trust them. If you throw a dance party, you do a great service to women to relieve them of their compacts, house keys, and eighty CVS ExtraCare, VIC, Anne Taylor store credit, and Delta Skymiles cards. We do not need more baggage than the emotional sort we already carry.
Bars
I went out Wednesday through Saturday, including X Lounge, OXO, 216, and others. Hey OXO DJs, I like the music you play a LOT. And you’re hot. I’ve almost introduced myself to you the past few weekends as Lilith. We know you have way more knowledge of music and better taste than we do, so we defer to whatever you want to play. I personally do not mind hearing a lot of the same tracks week after week, when they’re songs that pack the dancefloor. But you know those songs that empty the dancefloor? Can you write those down? And not play them again? Even if they revolutionized the hip-hop scene in spring 1989? Thanks.
Daylight savings
We were all so relieved to get another hour of sleep, but instead we used it to stay out later. Oops.
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Tagged as: Activities, Art, Charlottesville, Cocktails, Concerts, Dance, Downtown Mall, Events, Restaurants, Restaurants/Bars, Reviews, Shows, University of Virginia, UVA, Weekends
I attended the one-time-only screening of ‘Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten’ with a couple of other Strummer/Clash fans and was blown away. My only knowledge of Stummer’s career was from listening to The Clash (”punkiness” and interest level being inversely proportional with each album of the original lineup) and his work with the Mescaleros, and from the Clash docu-pic ‘Westway to the World’. The Strummer documentary was amazing, a true bio-pic vs. another re-hash of the rise and fall of the Most Important Band in the World. Julian Temple did a fantastic job of revealing the dichotomy of Strummer’s life: born into and raised in upper-middle class comfort, he became the voice and identity of a disaffected generation. He apparently struggled with this dual-identity almost his entire life. Temple’s use of fire-side interviews with unnamed people from all throughout his subject’s life was a powerful way of bringing everything down to one level. No-one was famous, no-one was special, they were all just friends of Joe. If you’re a fan of the Clash, his later work, or people in general and what drives them to be who/what they are, check it out.
Live Arts: I’m with you Lillith. Had I actually paid forty bucks, I would’ve been rreeeeallly pissed about:
1) small cups
2) having a couple of bartenders who know absolutely nothing about bartending(one of the kids at the upstairs bar not only poured the ginger ale first, but than only poured about a sip of bourbon on top of it)
3) ending at two when it was really one beacuse of daylight savings. It’s a private party! Can you not keep it going as long as you fucking feel like?
It was still a banging party, though. I met Oy, who pointed out Sha-nay-nay to me, I hung out with a super sexy girl(whose number I got!), ate some chicken, and watched people swingng from the ceiling. Pretty awesome.
Did you guys know that chicken came from KFC!? For such a liberal establishment, you’d think they would’ve chosen a less controversial chicken.
I was disappointed that the Gala had to end at 2:00/1:00 too, but apparently ABC said it had to shut down then. However, some bars stayed open the extra hour. Don’t really understand how that works. Glad everyone came out to the party and enjoyed it; part of what makes it so great is all the people coming and being so game and energetic (sure does make running around/swinging in crazy costumes less akward). Anybody have pics?
Caught only one film fest screening: “Before The Devil Knows Your Dead.” It was pretty depressing, and had a lot of fuck ups fucking up even more. However, it was well made with great performances, great nekkidness from Ms. Tomei (I think she has Michelle Pfieffer Syndrome and is actually getting hotter with age), and a really cool structure that allowed us to see events multiple times from multiple viewpoints, revealing another layer each time. I didn’t immediately like it, but as I thought on it more I appreciated it more.
I’m begining to have a love-hate relationship with the Cavs. 8-2 is great, but my heart doesn’t appreciate the constant work. I’m pretty sure this season has taken a few years off my life expectancy.
As for bars, I only hit up McGrady’s this weekend. It may not be as chic as OXO or X Lounge, but I always have a great time at that place, the staff is cool, food is solid (Sweet n Sweaty wings could be the best in town), and the drinks come fast. And they have the next best thing to a DJ: Touchtunes. I’m pretty sure I’ve dumped several hundred dollars into that thing so I can drunkenly rock out.
Which bars were still open at 2/1? Wandered around with my favorite Mas hottie and we couldn’t find anything open (which is probably just as well…)
Well I was at Escafe, so they took advantage of the extra hour. Sounds like maybe they were the only ones? Maybe they were just sticking it to the man.
Maybe they were just sticking it to the man.
I heard a lot of that goes on at Escafe…
(Nothaththere’sanythingwrongwiththat)
I agree about the bar sucking. The bartenders were being assholes about giving us perforners drinks and they wouldn’t make any shots. Also had one guy make me a bourbon and ginger then poured it into another cup, repeat, so that it foamed over all over the place…wtf?
Maybe they were just sticking it to the man.
I heard a lot of that goes on at Escafe…
Now thats funny right there.