The Circuit

by Timothy M. Gray
I love the Emirates, the people's openness, and their accepance of the cultural mix. It's common to attend a meeting where half the locals are in suits, half in the traditional Arab garb. Some men wear the traditional white robe with a baseball cap. At fest screenings, women in burkhas sit a few feet from women in low-cut mini-dresses. There are a lot of expats here, so American and English accents are common. There's a mix of Arabic, English, ad other languages. It feels like the future.

On Oct 12, the Media Zone threw a terrific party to celebrate their unveiling. The highlight was a surprise Duran Duran performance (Simon Le Bon, pictured), which started at 10:30 pm and lasted well over an hour. They were great but why is it always so hilarious when corporate types try to "get down" and rock out?

Even more hilarious was watching them negotiate the "decompression chambers." The party was held in some futuristic global domes (pictured above) built for the occasion, bright white and holding hundreds of guests. But apparently if enough warm air entered the domes, they would collapse. So the entrance to the party -- and, crucially, the back entrance leading to the restrooms and a makeshift kitchen -- featured a small transition room capable of holding about 15 people. The inside door to the transition room was opened and folks would politely file in. Then after that door closed, the door to the outside would open, and folks would file out, then the outside group would come in, doors close, etc.

But the "politely file in" was just in theory. For some reason, people rushed those doors like it was the last plane out of Saigon.

One of the great mysteries of the modern world: the Emirates Palace. The hotel, the center of the festival, is roughly the size of Rhode Island but only has 394 rooms. Guests say the rooms are dandy but not mammoth. Apparently the big perk for guests is not the size of the rooms, but the size of the staff: said to be 2,000 workers, meaning roughly five employees for each room. One guest said he gets a knock on the door every few minutes: "May I do anything for you? Should I replenish the mini-bar?"