Follow @trashwire on Twitter because Alexis will be tweeting live from San Diego Comic Con! Make sure to swing back by Trashwire regularly for blog posts, pics, videos, interviews and lots of other Comic Con stuff that just won’t fit into 140 characters.

Not on Twitter? (Are you crazy?!) No worries, because you can read Alexis’ tweets right here in the @trashwire Twitter feed…

There is no way I can string together a sentence that can fittingly express just how much Michael Jackson meant to me or how deeply devastated I am by his death.

The word “epic” is unworthy of describing his life, his career and his iconic level of fame. Not only was he the most significant artist in music history during his life, but the news of his death today nearly shut down the entire internet. The way the story unfolded in the news marks a major change in journalism and social media that will surely have implications for years to come. The biggest comfort to me, and surely many other fans, has been the overwhelmingly positive nature of the coverage and comments. Aside from the few who feel the need to make jokes or spread malicious garbage, most everything I have read, listened to and seen today regarding his passing has expressed sadness and appreciation for the light he brought to the world.

To me, Michael Jackson was much more than a singer, a dancer, and a celebrity. To me, he represented The Dream, the hope and optimism that can keep us going in our darkest hours. Whenever I felt like I was wallowing in the lowest points of my life, I had The Dream to lift me up and make me believe things would get better. The Dream is that magical part of childhood, the wild imagination, which makes us believe anything is possible, that the future will be brighter than the present. Today, I feel like my childhood is officially over because The Dream is gone.

In time, I am sure that I will be able to once again feel that optimism and inspiration that Michael Jackson represented in my life. Today, however, I am left with sorrow and disbelief.

–
Alexis Gentry
Creator/Editor
Trashwire.com

I will be tweeting live from the AMC Best Picture Showcase tomorrow. The event includes all five Best Picture nominees as well as Oscar trivia and giveaways. Internet access might be a little spotty at the theater, so the best way to catch up on all my commentary about the films is to check out the Trashwire Twitter. Since I want to make things as easy as possible for all our readers, I’m including a Twitter feed in this post, so Trashwire.com can be your one-stop-shop for all my latest tweets.

If you are already a Twitter user, you can log in below and post replies directly from this page. I’ll be tagging my tweets with #amcbps so they’ll be easy to search for.

The 31st Starz Denver Film Festival is in full swing and, this year, I’ve had a very inside look at all the behind-the-scenes action. With my new job at the Denver Film Society, I’ve been able to watch this year’s fest grow from a tiny seed into a gigantic tree of cinematic enjoyment. (If that wasn’t enough of a hippie metaphor for you, I don’t know what is!)

Opening Night kicked off with The Brothers Bloom, a new film starring Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz and Mark Ruffalo from director Rian Johnson, who readers will remember from Brick, a fantastic original take on film noir.

Big Night was equally impressive with Slumdog Millionaire, a film that has received rave reviews from nearly every critic. The red carpet that evening featured a large selection of guests including actor Richard Jenkins, Dr. Marci Bowers, star of the documentary Trinidad, world-renowned cinematographer Wally Pfister and Ari Lehman, the original Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th among others. As the stars entered the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, dancers performed a Bollywood-inspired number on the red carpet.

The festival isn’t just red carpet screenings either.

For 11 days the Starz FilmCenter is transformed into a cinematic paradise with screenings, discussion panels, and in-person Q&A sessions with directors and stars.

One of my personal highlights was the world premiere of His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th, a documentary that examines the entire franchise and, of course, all those who have appeared as one of films most famous murderers through out the years.

The festival experience was further elevated with the captivating He/She and Us discussion panel. The panel featured PJ Raval and Jay Hodges, directors of Trinidad, Dr. Marci Bowers, star of the film and leading gender reassignment surgeon, Kimberly Reed, director of the moving autobiographical film Prodigal Sons, and Matt Kailey of OutFront Colorado. The panelists fielded questions and engaged the audience on topics like gender, sexuality, and even the recent decision about Proposition 8. The audience was so enthralled that the panel ran long and many continued chatting with the filmmakers in the lobby.

There are still five days left in the festival before the Closing Night screening of Last Chance Harvey, starring Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, on November 22nd. All film lovers are strongly encouraged to make an appearance. The experience is so unique and enjoyable that you’ll be talking about it for years to come and it will surely convert any first-timers into full on festival addicts.

Check out the schedule and descriptions of the film at denverfilm.org/festival.

An astounding nine regional premieres will be taking place at this year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival in Austin, TX. All of these premieres are early screenings of new mainstream movies that will serve as a testing ground for how the films will be marketed and distributed to the rest of America. The only major difference from a regular trip to the movies is that, at these screenings, there is a major opportunity to see the cast of the films and chat with them about each production.

Nearly every great indie movie that will be coming out this year will be premiering at SXSW. The films are all battling for the coveted 9:00pm screening time, so the hardest decision for any attendee might be whether to go see Harold & Kumar: Escape from Guantanmo Bay or watch the very independently directed movie Explicit Ill’s.

The festival awards will be decided by a compilation of judges appointed by the SXSW film committee. The two nominated independent movies that have really grabbed my attention are Rainbow Around the Sun; a sadistic musical revolving around a songwriter that creates vivid carnival themed musical fantasies in order to avoid dealing with his alcoholism. The second movie is Here’s Johnny! is a British documentary that allows the viewer to experience the world of artist Johnny Hicklenton (who created drawings for Judge Dredd) and his battle against Multiple Sclerosis.

The sponsors of SXSW will not just be signing a checks but providing media rooms and their own creative material for distribution. One of the sponsors, VH1, will be premiering their rockDoc titled The Night James Brown Saved Boston. Dell, who is also sponsoring the event, created an interactive Dell Lounge where a Guitar Hero contest will be taking place. There will also be panels and conversation scheduled with Helen Hunt, an acting workshop with Jeffrey Tambour (Arrested Development), an a panel discussion with the whole cast of Harold and Kumar, even NPH himself (Neil Patrick Harris).

SXSW is one of the major cultural events to take place in Texas every year. If you don’t have money to spend $600 dollars on a gold or platinum pass, check out some of the other ways to enjoy the SXSW experience. Perez Hilton will be allowing people to RSVP for his music venue taking place on Saturday March 15th for more information and to RSVP go to perezhilton.com/austin.

The official kickoff of the SXSW festival in Austin is Friday March 7, 2008. The festival will begin with the film and interactive portion continuing with the music festival until March 18th.