IndieVest continued their tradition this year of hosting one of Sundance Film Festival‘s hottest parties on January 21st and 22nd in Park City, Utah. IndieVest held the party at Hotel Park City for their members, IndieVest Executive Producers, and some of Hollywood’s top level talent. LA’s The Place was there to cover the star studded event.
Tommy Lee spinning.
IndieVest was celebrating their latest project, “Knights of Bassadom” starring Steve Zahn, Ryan Kwanten, Peter Dinklage, Summer Glau, Margarita Levieva, Jimmi Simpson and Danny Pudi.
Director Joe Lynch attended both nights and mingled with the crowd and “Badassdom” fans. He told us he was extremely excited about the positive feedback he had received so far, and his genuine love and passion for film was evident when he spoke about “Knights of Badassdom” as a deserving project.
Clinton Sparks and Jermaine Dupri performing.
On Friday night, IndieVest hosted a gourmet chef’s tasting dinner prepared by Executive Chef Bill Scott. The menu consisted of an array of delicious courses starting with a Cream of Carmelized Maui Onion soup with Brie and toasted almonds followed by a mouthwatering entrée pairing of Blackened Scallops with Parsley Pesto and confetti vegetables and Prime Beef Tenderloin with Chanterelle mushrooms in a Cabernet reduction. Guests all enjoyed the chef’s signature loaded Mashed Potato Cakes with white cheddar, chives, bacon and sour cream. For dessert, guests savored every bite of the Rockslide Brownie with chocolate whiskey sauce and the Crème Brulee with raspberries. Each course was paired with a TY KU cocktail such as the Skinny Pomentini and the Soju Rocks or a glass of TY KU Sake Black.
IndieVest hosted the cast and crew from “Beats, Rhymes & LIfe: The Travels of A Tribe called Quest”, which is a documentary directed by actor Michael Rapaport that tells the behind the scene stories of the pioneering hip-hop group’s tour. Rapaport spent over 2 years following the group and takes an intimate look at the real life of the individual members. Rapaport told us he was very excited about the film, which premiered on January 22nd, and is optimistic about the response from Tribe’s fans.
Taylor Armstrong
DJ/Producer Clinton Sparks got the crowd warmed up with his energetic set. Rapaport and Phife Dawg from A Tribe Called Quest, along with the films producers celebrated with Taylor Armstrong of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” and her husband, who came straight from a press release for the show in NYC.
We caught up with Esai Morales from “24” and “NYPD Blue”, who was loving the low-key vibe this year, and claimed that this was the best Sundance he had ever been to.
Other celebrities who joined in the festivities on Friday were film producer Bob Yari, socialite and star of the reality show “High Society” , Tinsley Mortimer and her boyfriend Brian Mazza of hot NYC spot The Ainsworth, and Tim Daly of the hit show “Private Practice” who came with his good friend Robin Bronk, President of the Creative Coalition.
Tommy Lee
After Clinton Sparks put on his show, rock icon Tommy Lee joined by DJ Aero mesmerized the crowd with their electro house set that kept the party going till 2am.
On Saturday, IndieVest hosted a second night to celebrate the festival, also starting with a chef’s tasting dinner with an equally satisfying menu.
The feast started with Roasted Tomato Soup with fresh herbs and Crab and was followed by a luxurious entrée pairing of Lobster Risotto with Sevruga Caviar and Smoked Duck breast with Roasted Red Pepper Pesto. Guests enjoyed Grilled Artichoke Bottoms with Asparagus and Roasted Peppers with their main course and custom TY KU sake cocktail pairings with each course. Dessert was a chocolate lover’s dream complete with a Trio of Chocolate Mousse featuring Dark Chocolate with Raspberry, Milk Chocolate with Toasted Almond and White Chocolate with Poached Pear and Cinnamon.
Actor Stephen Root and his wife enjoyed the meal along side actor Nicholas Gonzalez, who is currently starring on the hit new ABC show “Off The Map”. Root had two films showing at Sundance this year, which he was excited about and looking forward to.
Tinsley Mortimer and Brian Mazza.
Many celebrities returned for a second night of fun including Esai Morales and Chase Masterson, who was known for her roles on “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and “General Hospital”. She was really happy to see that Sundance is sticking to the grassroots type initiative and giving unknown film maker ‘s a chance to shine. Masterson is looking forward to producing her next project “The Camel Bookmobile”, with which she hopes to raise awareness for educational and clean water efforts.
Bollywood sensation Udita Goswami was also in attendance in her hot pink puffy ski boots, and was loving the Park City atmosphere in spite of the cold temperatures. Goswami was making appearances for the week of Sundance and is getting ready announce a new movie that she just signed in LA.
Chet Cannon, from MTV’s The Real World, was also in attendance. Cannon admitted he was not necessarily at Sundance to see the films, but more to hit up the gifting suites, show off his killer dance moves, and to scope the hot babes since he is newly single. He was also spreading the word about his new bow tie and accessory line called Chester Pink, which will be starting to sell in March.
21-time GRAMMY Winner, Jermaine Dupri, and Clinton Sparks arrived in style to a welcoming crowd in Park City. Dupri said that he had had a great experience so far in Sundance, although he didn’t have time to squeeze it in before the big event, he was looking forward to hitting the slopes first the next morning.
Clinton Sparks, who is a co-host of E!’s “The Daily 10” as well as a phenomenal DJ/producer, shared the fun with E! News correspondent Ashlan Gorse. Ashlan had a great time dancing in the DJ booth with Clinton and Jermaine as they performed five songs together, including the crowd favorite “My Favorite DJ”.
Jermaine Dupri and Clinton Sparks.
When we asked Sparks what we could expect from the evening, he said “Hopefully we can make the people in the audience consider us their favorite DJ’s after tonight.”
With the party raging on till 2am for the second night in a row, and a dancing crowd that was screaming of more, it looked like they did just that.
IndieVest at Hotel Park City for the Sundance 2011 Festival was quite a success, and we look forward to next years celebration.
All photos are courtesy of Andrew Walker at Wire Image.
