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I recently had the good fortune to attend the 48th Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF) opening night at the Harris Theatre. The evening involved a red carpet, a movie screening, and lots of Hollywood movie stars, the most famous of which was Al Pacino who I got to meet…almost[flickr id=”8098743505″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”original” group=”” align=”none”]

One of the perks of working for Columbia’s Office of Institutional Advancement is that I get to attend some great events. The CIFF was perhaps the best yet, because of the star studded line up. Opening night took place on October 13 and featured the world premiere of Stand Up Guys, a film by Chicagoan Fisher Stevens. The movie stars Al Pacino, Alan Arkin, and Christoper Walken as three retired criminals who come out of retirement for one last night of fun aka mayhem. It was a good watch, and in my opinion, Christopher Walken’s understated performance stole the show.

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So anyway, opening night featured all of the film’s stars, as well as Mr. Jon Bon Jovi, who wrote a few tracks for the soundtrack. I was tasked with the job of directing Columbia’s donors to the room that had been reserved for them so that they might enjoy some pre-screening food and drink. This job of mine involved standing right next to the red carpet along which all of the evening’s stars would strut their stuff. I got to see all of them up close and personal and got within a very long arms reach of Al Pacino (as evidenced by the photo above). Not only was he sporting a low-cut v-neck shirt that exposed his quite unsurprisingly manly chest, but he was, I’m sure still is, and probably always has been, tiny.  I should also mention that Jon Bon Jovi looked at me right in the eyes. I will never wash my eyes ever again.

After the red carpet had dried up, it was time for the show, and after the show, it was time for the after party (this sentence sounds quite similar to an R. Kelly song), which was held at the beautiful Chicago Cultural Center. So, what did I learn from the evening? To quote R. Kelly (who has nothing to do with the CIFF, save for fact that he is from Chicago): after the show, it’s the after-party, and after the party, it’s the hotel theatre lobby, and round about four eleven, you gotta clear the lobby then take it to the room home and go to bed.