A Cut Above

Mikaela blogs live from the Insomnia Lounge at the Hyatt (party alert!):
For those waiting anxiously at home for the big news going out in the Duke City tonight, a new palm has been greased.

Under My Skin won for best picture at this year's Duke City Shootout, written and directed by one of our own.

48-Hour Film Project winner Stare Down went up against the 7 Shootout films and stood in good staid, taking home an award for best actress to the uptight church-freak starer.

Crowd favorite was Talk Me to Death, starring Sina Soul and others in a very funny movie about how cell phones have infiltrated the holiest of holy places and times. Hold on, let me get this...

Movies were pretty great, sometimes a bit slow, but the record crowd was lively, so the mood was jovial and energized. It's by far the best Shootout, and everyone can feel it.

Great to be a part of it, but I'm done talking to people! (Hence the solitary blogging with you all. Oh, to be a social being...)

The best part of the night so far is taking off the stupid derby bowler, string tie, and arm band I had to wear as an usher. Ugh.

The Mayor sent word through the ranks that last year's ushers didn't look happy, so we were all instructed to smile and look like we were having fun so that everyone else could take cues from us. Ushering in a whole new kind of fake-happy in the Q. That's our Mayor! Smile for the camera, people!

The Mayor made some inane comment about the first party in the festival being broken up by the Corrales police. Marty suggested maybe it should have taken place in Albuquerque, instead. I didn't get the quote, but the next thing he said was something about how ABQ cops didn't do that, or it would have been safer here or something. Unbelievable! The crowd actually booed, and for a moment, there was that buzz signaling a glich in the Matrix. Oops, draw the curtain, Wizard. Your ass is showing, and it looks a lot like our esteemed Mayor.

Still, it wasn't enough to dampen the spirits overall, so here's to another amazing event born and bred right here.