The Anti-Socialites
I wasnt at all surprised when I saw all the sketchbooks and laptops at [The Village Lantern] earlier last week. I had gotten a last minute invitation to The Upstate Four wrap party, a Cartoon Network pilot directed by [Will and Fran Krause](http://www.willkrause.com/), twin animators who have been a big part of the NY Animation scene for the last couple of years. Animation crowds are peculiar: The young, idealistic newcomers are so passionate they cant stop talking about their craft, even in the middle of a party at a packed-to-the-gills bar in downtown Manhattan and the seasoned pros only care about grabbing a drink and catching up with their friends.
So, you had the college students and recent grads on one side, doodling god-knows-what in their sketchbooks and showing each other their Photoshop layers and the professionals on the other, drinking and socializing with industry supporters about everything BUT animation. I pretty much stuck to the two or three people I knew directly, since I wasnt feeling very particularly adventurous. At first I thought it was because I was on my way home feeling hot and sticky from my yoga class when I got the call to swing by and ended up changing into more party friendly attire in a McDonalds bathroom. But apparently a little warning wouldnt have made a difference considering I had two weeks to prepare for the [New York Film Festival]s Opening Night screening of Wes Andersons [The Darjeeling Limited](http://nypress.com/20/39/film/ArmondWhite.cfm) on Friday night, and I still ended up changing into my suit in the cab on the way there.
On the surface, this scene was the exact opposite of Krause Brothers premiere, everything from the Lincoln Center venue, to the open bar and middle aged women in their fancy dresses. And of course, the celebs: Adrian Brody, Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston, Jason Schwartzman and my personal favorite, John Waters (who I took a long up close look at at the after party at [Tavern on the Green]). But when it came down to it, it was almost the same vibe: Older folks who Im sure had absolutely no opinion about the film. Do 60-year-old UESiders even watch Anderson movies? And relatively young people who probably havent worn a tuxedo since their bar mitzvahs talking amongst themselves. And where was I in this divided crowd? Taking advantage of the free drinks and taste testing everything at the dessert table, of course. I mean, cmon, I dont get all dolled up and hang out with the snooty von snoots for nothing, there has to be free food involved.