The Circuit

The taxi driver wondered why we were headed to such a seedy part of town. "Men who want to be women hang around there," she said.  We asked if there were any other, more pressing dangers on the 900 block of East Sahara.  She shrugged.  Cross dressing was enough for her. 

Well away from the Palms and The Strip, enfolded inside a bleached strip-mall, the legendary Lotus of Siam is one of the best restaurants in the city.  Many here for CineVegas will go every day for Nam Kao Tod, duck curry, Rad Na curry noodle with beef, weeping tiger. 

Of all the dinner party stories one hears of finding incredible, moving food in the least likely of places, this may top it all.  Except it's already been well-discovered.  Plastered all over the walls are Lotus' reviews -- write-ups in most every major travel mag that read like fawning love letters.  My company thought the whole lead-up would oversell it.  It didn't. 

Fire dancers at the CineVegas 10th anniversary party at the Palms pool.  Britney Spears arrived, was quickly shoved into a poolside cabana and walled off by security guards.  And just as quickly, the cabana became a cage as every party-goer had to walk by for their Britney sighting.  Like a tiger, you could see her pacing inside.  Back and forth.

Buyers and execs are here in force.  Still stressed about last month's Cannes, they enjoy the fest as a summer working vacation -- Paramount Vantage, Miramax, Red Envelope, Cinetic Digital Rights (both John Sloss and Matt Dentler are here), SXSW's Janet Pierson, etc.  Submarine's Josh Braun is here selling "Hi My Name is Ryan." 

And former Searchlight and Sidney Kimmel exec Josh Deighton is repping the beer pong doc "Last Cup," which had a midnight party.  Pongers featured in the doc took on all comers.