ALONG COMES MARY

For its 7th consecutive year, The Turner Classic Movie Network (TCM) is once again rolling out the red carpet on Hollywood Boulevard (literally) to take up shop in Tinseltown for a gorgeous, star-studded weekend filled with the stars, teams & film historians who have made some of your favorite films, making such a celebration like this possible. TCM is not only preserving Old Hollywood year-round through television, but they’re making it reality during their festival.

I remember when TCM premiered back in 1994. It really should have been me & my Grandma launching the station, as its line up’s were similar to our Videos playing in the VCR all day! Having said that, you can understand what kind of household I come from, making it inevitable that I love old films & am thankful for a channel like TCM keeping these memories alive.

Today, a wonderful Press conference was held & I am so thankful to have been there to cover. With a panel of TCM Host Ben Mankiewicz, TCM General Manager Jennifer Dorian, Senior Vice President of Programming Charles Tabesh, and Managing Director Genevieve McGillicudy. Hearing each of their stories, how they got where they are, was inspiring & fun as they shared such tales like Mankiewicz rubbing elbows with legend, Norman Llyod (apparently he knows anything you ever wanted to know about The Dodgers!) & McGillicuddy starting out in the faraway land of New Hampshire. I was so amused to find out that Manciewicz’s favorite diner in LA is none other but Pasadena’s very own, Pie & Burger! I grew up going to this cafe, literally a hole in the wall burger joint with 2 simple, delicious items: Pie & Burger 😉

I really enjoyed learning much about the process of the festival; Tabesh handled many of these questions like: What comes first, the stars to attend or the films you’ll show? (Answer: “Its 70% movie, 30% actor” he explained) & “Do the stars get to pick what movie they of theirs they show?” (It’s a collaboration. With Shirley MacLaine, The Children’s Hour & The Apartment were recommended by the festival, & she approved).

You also cannot beat the watering hole for the weekend: The Roosevelt Hotel. Whether you want to watch movie screenings like Grease & Pinocchio poolside, grab a drink from the bar, or an awesome souvenir, The Roosevelt will have you covered. It was actually my first time inside today, & I certainly see why its the legendary location that it is. You will feel transformed.

Tickets are very limited for the festival, with single tickets available if not sold out. Get all the info here & stay tuned for more reports from The TCMFF weekend!

(*Disclosure: I am covering TCMFF as Media/Press. All opinions are my own.)