More Wins & a Great Weekend in Vegas!
First, some more wins to come into the week!
“Put Your F—king Phone Down,” my first (of many) cinematic anthems for peace and kindness….
“Dirty Girl From Hell,” got another one too!
Thank you, Medusa!
Now, on to the Vegas recap!!!!
Nine Fine Irishmen!! Great spot for some beer, yummy pub food and music from 35%ish of my people :)
Pizza Cake, located right next to Harrah’s in the middle of the strip
When it comes to Vegas, three things matter the most to me during a visit:
THE FOOD THE FOOD THE FOOD
Boy oh boy did I eat well. I went back for seconds to Pizza Cake the next day.
Some other culinary highlights:
Royal Britannia Gastropub - The Venetian. Pub Burger & Fries
China Poblano at the Cosmopolitan:
Har Gow Dim Som (Translucent Cantonese dumpling, pork and shrimp filling)
&
Gan Pung Ji Wings: 6pc Fried chicken wings tossed in our house-made chile sauce and served with a refreshing salad of cucumber and pickled Fresno chiles
Bugsy and Meyer’s Steakhouse at The Flamingo (of course):
Filet Mignot w/ Peppercorn sauce and Baked Potato w/ fixings
Anyone who knows me knows what a lunatic fan of Mr. Sinatra I am, hence I never come to down without visiting this amazing joint at the Encore:
Sinatra. Ol’ Blue Eyes. Chairman of the Board. The One.
I dream about this veal. Which is why I never get anything else here.
But back to the festival!
VEGAS BABY VEGAS!!!!!
There she is! ON THE BIG SCREEN. AGAIN!
I got to participate in a filmmaker Q&A (my very first!) with some other amazing filmmakers attending, and we were asked one question that I’d like to share my answer to here
“What was the most challenging thing about getting your film made?”
My answer: “Getting out of my own way.”
It was the story of my life, and in some days, it still is any always will be. But a little less, every day, is the name of the game. Be better than you were yesterday is all you can do. I shot this picture in October 2019 and didn’t finish it until the following May, BECAUSE I WAS LAZY. PERIOD.
Unsolicited advice time; blame yourself more than anyone else. You’ll find that it’s empowering to do so.
Every day above ground is a precious gift.
And of course, no visit to Vegas (for me) is complete without a visit to my favorite museum on the west coast, The Mob Museum:
The Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a mission to advance the public understanding of organized crime’s history and impact on American society. The Museum offers a provocative, contemporary look at these topics through hundreds of artifacts and immersive exhibits.
It’s a fantastic museum, located at the former Las Vegas Post Office and Courthouse where s—t actually went down crime&punishement-wise back in the day. And at the Underground, I recommend the Meatballs or Pretzel Bites with Beer Cheese.
But back to the festival, and some good news about my original screenplay, “Dirty Girl From Hell”:
BOOYA! URSULA AND NANCY WON!!!! I was unable to make the awards ceremony as my daughter was having her very first Halloween and no way was I missing that, but THANK YOU SO MUCH, SILVER STATE!!!!
So. what’s next?
I just got cast in some short films (details incoming once they’re done) that I’m really excited about. In one of them, I basically get to play Satan. If my acting career is playing the, “heavy,” so be it. I love playing the bad guy. The good dream of what the evil do, or so Eli Roth once said at a screening of his film, “Hostel,” an evening that ended up being one of the most fun nights of cinema ever (I wish I could dig up that interview, it was one hell of a conversation about independent filmmaking and, “going for it,” with horror and gore).
I will be seeking representation for, “Dirty Girl From Hell.” I have a literary agent but am in need of a theatrical one. Talent too.
Traitor. Next step; find a producer who believes in the film and the message.
That’s all for now. Watch some new films (to you) and have a great week!
JER
