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July 16, 2008
ContentsPlanned Port Townsend Film Festival celebrity guest cancels for a better gig
Article published Jul 15, 2008
Planned Port Townsend Film Festival celebrity guest cancels for a better gig
By Erik Hidle, Peninsula Daily News
PORT TOWNSEND — September's Port Townsend Film Festival is looking for another special guest star after the leading lady for the 2008 role backed out.
"It happens," shrugged Peter Simpson, artistic director of the festival.
"But I believe that's the worst thing that's going to happen this year."
Simpson wouldn't name the actress.
Other sources — and the first clues in a "Guest the Guest" contest run by the festival — suggested she is Cloris Leachman, who has one an Oscar and eight Emmys.
According to Simpson, the actress signed to a production contract this summer, precluding her from coming to Port Townsend for the Sept. 26-28 festival run.
"She has been accepted for a major fall television show, and the production company won't let her honor prior commitments," Simpson said.
"[This kind of conflict] is just the nature of the business."Traditionally a secret
The identity of each year's guest has traditionally been kept a secret until close to the start of the festival.
Festival management releases weekly clues each year, allowing people to guess the guest star.
The winner is randomly selected from those who guess correctly and receives a face-to-face meeting with the star.
This year, only two clues were released by the festival before the cancellation.
The first clue was a photo of a woman from the movie, "Kiss Me Deadly."
The second clue was an image of an Oscar and eight Emmys.
An actress who has both the movie and the amount of awards on her resume is Leachman.
When asked if she was the special guest, Simpson laughed, saying he "had heard her name floating around."
Simpson said he has decided not to officially release the identity of the actress because he doesn't have authorization to release information regarding the new television show.
"But any movie sleuth know who it is from those clues," he said.Another guest
Simpson said he is searching for a new actor or actress whose resume connects with the feel of the annual festival.
"I am currently looking for another guest, " he said.
"I don't know how soon I'll have someone, but suddenly its at the top of my list.
"The plan is to find another guest who falls within our standard of guests, someone who has contributed to a canon of films which have lasted for decades.
"All of our guests have so far all had films like that in their background."
Previous guests have included Tony Curtis (2000), Eva Marie Saint (2001), Patricia Neal (2002), Shirley Knight (2003, with a special appearance by Peter Fonda), Jane Powell (2004), Debra Winger (2005), Malcolm McDowell (2006) and Elliott Gould (2007).
Each guest has one of his or her noted films screened for the public and then follows with an interview and question-and-answer session.
Simpson said he doesn't have any clues yet as to the direction of the next guest.
"I've just got a lot of people on the phone," he said.