'1997 Miami Film Festival Diaries'

1997 Miami Film Festival Diaries
Day Three

by Karen Jaehne

I'm still reeling around from yesterday's screening of "Guy" and laughing about all the fuss over Vincent D'Onofrio, who's trying to act like an ordinary dude. Here's the scoop on him. He's teamed up with Dan Ireland in a little production company. You may recall that they made "The Whole Wide World" before "Guy."

So Vincent is here to promote "Guy," and I go to his room to interview him. It was like walking through a wrinkle in time and running into Mrs. Whatsit as a photo-journalist. This strange little woman was begging Vincent to take off his shirt and stretch out on the bed for the camera. He sat down cross-legged and looked down to check his crotch. She began filming his shoes. Nice loafers but not Gucci, y'know? Anyway, she informs us that she writes erotic poetry and Vincent smiles and acts like this is just all too normal for words. I videotaped it, because it's only normal in the context of people pushing stars around at film festivals.

Other than that, they took the press to a fabulous spa for lunch. The menu had a breakdown of calories for each item, and we were given complimentary back-rubs and promised more if only we would come back for a day. My body could use it. Most of the press-bodies were in need, but time-time-time is not on our side. We ate and ran, but even Michael Musto looked longingly at the whirlpool and mud-baths we could have indulged in. Musto was at his boringly best behavior, and nobody wanted to be at his table after he stood quietly by for a lecture on the history of the spa and the jocks who frequent it. Why do we keep Musto around if not to turn around such situations? That's only a rhetorical question, Michael. We keep you around for your art.