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Did Paris Really Snatch 30 Swag Bags at Sundance?

Wed., Jan. 21, 2009 7:31 AM PST by Leslie Gornstein

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Did Paris Hilton really take 30 bags of free stuff from a swag suite at Sundance? Does anyone say no at Sundance!?
—Ella, Germany

People do say no. In fact, during a recent sweep through the peppy-sounding Island Def Jam House of Hype, Zooey Deschanel refused all handouts. "She thinks it takes away from the festival," says Eileen Colavita, whose company, Spin Shoppe Canvas Media Group, organized the house.

Yes, there was plenty of swag to be had, including a whole bunch of Nivea products, real live adoptable pets via Best Friends, and tasty treats courtesy of the Philadelphia film community. Christie Brinkley, for one, came through and took a lot of stuff. But not so Michael Cera, Colavita tells me. "He really came through to say hi to his friends. He played the Wii a little bit and took nothing."

Lastly: About Paris...

According to Reuters, she did indeed take all those bags.

I have an idea to get my screenplay seen by Steven Spielberg. I plan to get a bunch of people to stand with me at the intersection in front of Universal Studios holding signs to get his attention. Can it work?
—Jarom

If by "work," you mean "annoy every commuter between downtown Los Angeles and Universal City," sure. The only way your sign stunt might stand a chance would be if they all said, "MY AGENT IS ARI EMANUEL, AND HE'S ON LINE ONE, MR. SPIELBERG." But then again, if your agent is Ari Emanuel and you're parading around like a sandwich-board prophet, he probably won't be your agent much longer.

If that jolt of reality didn't curb your determination, this should: The company doesn't take unsolicited material, and that's exactly what your project is, signs or no signs. "Material gets submitted through agents and people that you personally know and work with," DreamWorks spokesman Marvin Levy told me. "Hey, I admire the ambition. Sounds like a variation on 'Will work for food' or something. I wish him luck."

Being Nielsen-box challenged, how would I let NBC know in a powerful way that canceling Chuck would be an egregious error? I have considered buying NBC and guaranteeing this, but I am pretty sure they would laugh at my offer of five bucks and a Princess Leia Pez dispenser.
—Kellin, Harrisonburg, Va.

With rapier wit like that, I'm surprised you've had any trouble communicating to the mandarins at NBC. But relax. Per a spokesman, "We're not canceling Chuck."

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