Supafly.com

This evening I drove downtown to see the screening of the film Bella. Traffic was horrible, so I caught up with Mom and Dad while I watched the sun set over the city that was all too far away. Normally I wouldn’t drive through rush hour for an advanced screening, but Bella won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival, and that’s a big award from the biggest film festival. Plus, the film’s producers have a connection to Life Teen. So I resisted the urge to turn around and drive back home to my big TV with the Suns / Caveliers game waiting for me.

I’m glad I went, because Bella was awesome. It was smart, indy, and so beautiful. Subtle. It’s the kind of movie that I’ll buy on DVD and keep on my shelf.

After the credits, the producer Leo (a young producer, I might add) came out and told a little history of the film, how he met the lead actor, Eduardo Verastegui, and the director Alejandro Gomez Monteverde. I’ve interviewed a few Hollywood producers, but I’ve never been a fan of their work. I just played my part to make a great interview. But I really enjoyed Bella, so having the producer stand in the room and talk directly to the audience was a thrill. (He actually thanked some of the people in Life Teen for their inspiration, and he mentioned my name. I was blown away. I mean, this was a good movie.)

I hurried out of the theater and walked under the palm trees of downtown Phoenix towards the US Airways arena to watch the second half of the Suns / Caveliers game. By the way, it’s been damn cold here. I only had $15 in my pocket, so there was no way I could get a ticket from a scalper. But I asked a couple for their ticket on their way to their car, and 10 minutes later, I was in the arena.

The Suns are so exciting to watch. If you don’t like watching the Suns play, then you just don’t like the game of basketball. They are the most exhilerating team to watch in the NBA. The arena was pulsing with energy on the court and in the stands. Awesome. I would’ve stayed for the rest of the game, but the Suns were crushing the Cavs, and I had other things to go to.

I drove over to Melanie’s house for a movie afterparty. It was fun to see some old friends again. I asked Amy what she’s been up to, and she explained to me that she’s personal assistant to REO Speedwagon. Yes, the band who brought us “(I’m gonna) Keep on Loving You” and “I Can’t Fight this Feeling Anymore.” Although she’s responsible for a variety of things, the most notable is that she actually washes their underwear. This means a lot to me, because my friend played Speedwagon on his mom’s boom box when we were hanging out at her aerobics club when I was in 4th grade. It’s a irrational sense of accomplishment to have my friend wash their underpants.

It was fun to talk to the producer a little more in the kitchen. He told me he actually visits lifeteen.com often. I was flattered. It’ll be exciting to see where this film will go. Here’s some photos from the night:

Leo the producer, Matt the Man.

My roommate Matt Maher talking with Eduardo, the actor

Eduardo with my friend Brooke.