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.

This last week we had the pleasure of having Michael Ausiello – the man, the legend, the flying trapeze artist* - of TV Guide’s popular and highly esteemed The Ausiello Report in our lobby and delivering his weekly sermon on entertainment industry news and gossip.

Michael was in town for the week-long Paley Festival, a big-time movie/TV to-do, if you know what I mean, covering such high-profile TV series such as Gossip Girl and the big Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reunion. His special wrap-up podcast for the PaleyFest can be seen here.

At first we thought he might be moving in to the hotel permanently, so that he could hunt his Hollywood prey in their natural habitat. After all, there are few places better to spot a TV star rambling about their super-monologue on CSI-Green Gables than the lobby of the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa.

Here’s a shot from the Cocktail Culture Shoot with TV Guide. In the picture is Michael, second from the right, with a few of our staff members: Carlo DeQuina, Twist & Lobby Bar Manager, Nicole Buehrer, cocktail waitress, and Jose Gongora, bartender.

Sadly for both me and for our staff, Michael decided to return to New York, where he will recover strength and regain agility for his next trip to the Western Portal of Culture (aka Los Angeles).

While he was here though, our Twist bartenders concocted a little something in honor of Michael’s stay: the Ausholetini, our Cocktail of the Day:

The Ausholetini Martini
1. Vodka
2. Sweet
3. Shake well and pour over ice, adding fresh seasonal berries.

So, Michael Ausiello is back in New York. We’ll miss him, but you can check out his column for TV Guide here.

*No, really. Ask him.

This is Bruce, signing off.