THE VERY FIRST: When we heard that the first ever Santa Catalina Film Festival was scheduled for May -- May 6-8, 2011, to be exact -- we had a "nah" moment. As in, naaaaah. Hasn't there been something film-fest-y on Catalina for, well, decades? Or were we engaging in that oh-so-Californian way of just assuming that everywhere should and does have its own film fest? Probably the latter. But now the pretty paradise will indeed have a three-day cineparty, and so we have two things to say.
FIRST THING: Book your rooms sooner than later. Because. It is an island. Surely you've heard? The second thing is a nifty auction in support of the fest is opening on Feb. 16. We like several of the up-for-grabs, but the tour of Ed Begley, Jr.'s environmentally nice home -- with Ed Begley, Jr.! -- is our personal eye-catcher. So is having All-4-One sing "I Swear" at your wedding. C'mon! More exclamation points!!! And it supports the Catalina Island Conservancy. Aces. Read more about the auction.
