We try to keep this blog pretty light, but with the FYI Film Festival coming up, we decided to put up a few thoughts of hotel castmembers on the short films that made the semi-finalist round. We invite you to add your thoughts too on these shorts covering a wide variety of issues that deal with the things most important to our kids and young adults. I want to share some more of the thoughts from some of my friends here at the hotel.

From Clancy Dupepe, our Sales Coordinator :

Missing New Orleans
This is a true and real testimony by a young person that echoes the many generations of New Orleanians. This, and a number of other documentaries, speaks truth about the mystical and historical significance of the city as well as its irreplaceable charm and soul.

And Rick Spades, Market Director of Human Resources:

Aspiring to be American
A real portrayal of what others are aspiring for, it makes one realize that we take for granted what so many do not have.

Give Civil Liberties
No one should be denied what others are given. It’s 2008 and amazing to me that people are so judgmental and not living in today’s world.

The Struggle
People want to have a better life for themselves and their family. It’s sad to see how racial profiling effects our society and that the color of our skin automatically places you in a behavioral category.

And a few thoughts of my own:

Missing New Orleans
I was once the Resident Manager at the Marriott in New Orleans so I know the city well and I keep a standing fishing trip there each year, hitting up the brackish waters of the Mississippi Delta. As with everyone else in this country, my heart has been torn apart by the slow recovery in this wonderful, vibrant city after Hurricane Katrina.

I am Muslim
I was touched by this message from our fellow countrymen and women that are being treated differently since 9/11/2001.

Put some time aside and give these memorable films a watch. And please, leave us your own thoughts on the FYI Film Festival (link) on our message board below. We’d love to hear what you, dear audience, thinks.

This is Bruce, signing off.

It’s one of my favorite times here in Hollywood. The 5th year of California summer nights, vino and jazzy vibes.  Every Tuesday from June 3rd – August 26th from 7pm -9pm, join some of the countries smoothest jazz artist in the central courtyard of the Hollywood & Highland Complex.  You will see the young and the young at heart savoring the music and the merlot as the performers set the stage for a hot night of rhythm. To make this evening complete, have dinner at TWIST.  The ultra-stylish resturant at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa.   The atmosphere is cool and the food is deliciously hot.

Wine & Jazz Performers:

3-Jun – Barbara Morrison
10-Jun – Tall & Small: Pete Christlieb & Linda Small
17-Jun – Francisco Aguabella
24-Jun – Frank Catalano
1-Jul – Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band
8-Jul – Charlie Hunter15-Jul – Banda Brothers
22-Jul – Pete Escovedo Latin Jazz Orchestra
29-Jul – Anat Cohen
5-Aug – The Carl Saunders Bebop Big Band
12-Aug – Luis Conte Cuba LA
19-Aug – Alan Pasqua Jazz Collective
26-Aug – Jose Rizo’s Jazz on the Latin Side All Stars

A few weeks ago, Michael Ausiello came to Hollywood for the 25th Annual Paley Festival, and hosted TV Guide’s The Ausiello Report from our very own hotel, the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa.

While the videos ran on TV Guide’s website and on Ausiello’s vodcast, we wanted to put these videos up right here on the blog, just to make sure you get a chance to see them. Watch (link) Ausiello interview Heroes’ Greg Grunberg about the hit NBC show and his new movie, hear (link) Ausiello digging for all the dirt from the stars at the Paley Fest’s red carpet, or witness (link) Ausiello invent his own martini at Twist Restaurant with Marriott’s “Cocktail Culture.”

We’re happy Ausiello had so much fun while he was here, and we hope to see him next year. Keep watching this space for more info, because there’s another film festival coming up soon, and we’re helping out again…

This is Bruce, signing off.

Our young staff is super excited about the “Film Your Issue” Film Festival, now that the voting has begun online. Our own Director of Human Resources, Rick Spade, has his thoughts on some of the semi-finalists:

Aspiring to be American
Real portrayal of what others are aspiring for and it makes one realize that we take for granted what so many do not have.

Give Civil Liberties
No one should be denied what others are given. It’s 2008 and amazing to me that people are so judgmental and not living in today’s world.

The Struggle
People want to have a better life for themselves and their family. It’s sad to see how racial profiling effects our society and that the color of our skin automatically places you in a behavioral category.

- Rick

Thanks, Rick. Make sure to go to FYI’s website and view the films yourself. We’ll be posting more mini-reviews of the online shorts by our cast members here at the hotel, so check back soon.

This is Bruce, signing off.

The other day, an odd feeling took hold of me: I had the distinct desire for coffee. Not just any coffee, of course; no, Italian espresso was the only thing that would do. And then I remembered a beautiful new development here at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa: Caffe Fama, right here in the lobby of our hotel!

And oh goodness, the new Caffe Fama certainly does make the perfect cup of espresso – a little bitter, a little chocolaty, a little vanilla, made from only the best brand of coffee, illy. Produced in Trieste, Italy, illy doesn’t mess around with fancy flavors or anything, coming in just three types of roast: normal, dark, and decaf. If you don’t know good coffee yet, it’s your duty to try this.

While I originally suggested we open the café sometime mid-afternoon – my breakfast time – my staff insisted that normal people wake up much earlier and might want coffee in the AM. They also might want some breakfast, like scones, muffins, and other pastries, and maybe sandwiches and other grab-and-go delights around lunchtime. While I’ve never heard of this “lunchtime” (is that before or after brunch?), I went with my staff’s superior advice.

Caffe Fama is now open from 6:30 am, serving all kinds of coffee and tea throughout the day. Lunch items are available from 11 am to 4 pm. Afterward the Café turns into a little lobby lounge, serving light appetizers, alcoholic beverages (as if there were any other kind) and of course our Cocktail of the Day. And since I’ve bribed the internet elves at Cisco, our whole property is Wi-Fi ready, making Caffe Fama a convenient place to work. Or read a blog. Even a hotel blog written by a handsome general manager.

This is Bruce, signing off.