Airplane Bloggin: Snowbound Edition

(Friday, March 16th)

Did the Chicago premiere last nite, and now, Im on my way back to NY for the screening for the national board of review of motion pictures, which is the older critics organization in the country and is ….screeech.

Well, not really.

I was on my way back to the screening for the NBR (some of you may recall that I co-produced their gala with John Gallagher) but my flight from OHare was kaput. Cancelled. Sorry folks, Moose out front shoulda told ya.

They wanted to book me on 12:15 flight that might or might not happen, and thus might or might not get me into New York at three or so, well after the question and answer period for the movie would have been over. Consequently, flying back that late didn’t help me do anything at all. I’d be home, and that’s only if the flight actually happens, because word has it that the east coast is SNOWBOUND.

Thank god for wireless. For the inexpensive price of 6.95, Boingo put me on the web in OHare. Now, mind you, I got up at 3:55 this morning, and I do not like to get up early. When I got to the airport at 4:30 or so, AM, ugh, and my flight was cancelled, I wasn’t happy. And wasn’t about to spend another 50 bucks to go back to my hotel, where I wasn’t even assured of being able to check back in. I mean, I already checked out.

So I Boingo it – and find a flight to Kansas City, to go see Val. 150 bucks one way. She’s happy, Im happy, and now I am flying south, instead of East. Too bad Kansas City isn’t any warmer than Chicago. At least I have plans for the weekend, and I wont be sitting in the airport for 8 hours plus twiddling my twiddle.

The premiere (not a red carpet premiere, mind you) was great. It wasn’t as full as I would have liked, and it didn’t get the coverage that I wanted, but Jesse Jackson was there, and introduced the movie, and was generally very friendly and cordial, as was Ms. Nina Rawls (Lou’s widow). Also in attendance were two women who work for the Queen of Daytime TV. They didn’t stay for the Q and A after the screening, but stayed through the movie and one of them told me she loved it and kissed my cheek. Twice. She didn’t take my info, though she has my email already and well, I don’t want to speculate. Rev. Jackson has already said he’ll call O. I hope he’ll do that today.

And that’s basically it. This is a nice short flight, Val is grabbing me at the airport in 50 minutes or so, and I am sitting behind the very talented D.L. Hughley, who plays Simon Stiles on the great show (now on hiatus, ugh) Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. I already said hello, he’s in the last row of first, I am in the first row of last – er, I mean coach. Anyway, maybe I’ll tell him a Columbus Short story.

Y’all have a good weekend. Go see a movie. My movie.

I hope the snow doesn’t kill the box office in the east. Ugh. At least Chicago has good weather.

Grumpy.