Wonders and Weirdness: Cinefamily's Live 24-Hour Telethon

The independent movie-a-torium rounds up guests, hangs out, schmoozes.

If Griffith Park is LA's backyard and Grand Central Market is LA's kitchen and the Pacific Ocean is LA's swimming pool, what does that make the Cinefamily? 

We refer, of course, to the famous and sometimes infamous indie-movie-loving merrymakers who can usually be found in their natural habitat, the Silent Movie Theatre on Fairfax Avenue.

Cinefamily, in the milieu of imagining LA as a giant house, is that one darker corner of the basement rec room that's loaded with old, weird VHS tapes and a velour chair and a tube television.

It's the coolest, comfiest spot, made for hanging out and snacking and watching stuff.

But even comfy spots need a little duct tape, now and then, to keep things patched. Thus the cinema collective, known for its famous Q&As and odd screenings, hosts a 24-hour live telethon each December.

Name? The Cinefamily Fantastic Elastic 24-Hour Holiday Telethon. The fun'll be in the fundraising from 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14 through 1 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 15.

Remember bleary-eyed, star-cameo-ing, microphone-crooning, tuba-playing telethons? This is that. It just is. Saying more will be gilding the lily, or salting the salted popcorn, if you prefer.

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If you like to see movie stars chatting without all of the fancy-pants bells/whistles that often attend a star appearance, this is the spot. Anjelica Huston and Bruce Dern are swinging by. So's Mike Judge. Tim & Eric, titans of the known comedy universe, will Tim & Eric up the place.

And a mess of other well-known people tend to drop in to say hello. Robert Downey, Jr. did so last year. (Spoiler alert: He's Iron Man!)

Live music, breakfast, discomfiting and delightful things shown on screen, a Roger Ebert tribute, Christmas-themed high jinks, and more stars are promised.

Think of the Cinefamily 24-hour live fundraiser as akin to hanging in the corner of the basement rec room for a day, laughing, watching vehemently weird VHS movies that have dubbing issues, and getting donut crumbs all over the velour chair.

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