Hollywood party narrative with Al Pacino and celebrity sightings lacks concrete investigative leads

30-something addicted to sex. Carey Mulligan is the wayward sister who moves into his apartment fostering chaos. She sings a chilling, slow sad blues version of "New York, New York" which was shot in the Boom Boom Room of the Standard Hotel. lan Canning and Emile Sherman, producers of The King's Speech, sold this to Fox Searchlight, who will face the challenge of releasing a NC-17 movie. | am backstage in the green room with Al Pacino—the Merchant of Venice—moments before he enters a packed pressroom to discuss Wilde Salome, his passionate documentary and feature mélange based on Oscar Wilde's play, the biblical tale of Salome and King Herod which explores the destructive use of sexuality. From biblical times to the Boom Boom Room—it's a big day for dysfunctional, obsessive sex. Al, wearing a white silk loose shirt and sporting longish hair, looks like an escapee from Scarface. Jessica Chastain is about to explain her slithering, almost nude red scarf dance for King Herod. Al asks his second agent to write an acceptance speech for the Jagger-Le-Coultre Glory to Filmmaker Award he is to receive tonight. The agent stays calm but clearly does not have a clue who to email in Hollywood for help. Al eventually realizes he will go on stage tonight and wing it. Now, the Italian press goes nuts as their hometown boy, Michael Corleone, makes his way to the podium. | saw this exact, almost religious, reverence last year when Sophia Coppola was in this pressroom for Somewhere. The Godfather is Italy's sacred film and its filmmakers are their cinema saints. Al passionately charms his worshipers. As his entourage is escorted out of the building to the waiting water taxi past screaming fans, one zealous guy jumps into the canal swimming and chanting "Al" "Al" "Al," with his arms in the air just like "Attica" "Attica" "Attica," in Dog Day Afternoon. Al waves back. Al’s post-premiere dinner is at the Palazzo Grassi, built in 1740 and is now owned by Francois Pinault and used to exhibit his art collection. This is also where Amy Sacco transforms the lobby into her late-night, pop-up Bungalow 8 every evening. Al, with his luscious Argentinean Lucila Sola, along with producer Barry Navidi and entourage, end up poolside at Cipriani's eating bowls of pasta and ice cream. Gary Oldman, Laurence Fishburne, Peter Brant and Owen Wilson pay respects. Owen receives praise for Midnight in Paris. Princess Firyal of Jordan wants Al to pose for a photo with her niece. Even Joel Arthur Rosenthal, the reclusive, Parisian jewelry designer aka JAR, who’s also known for accessorizing everyone from Elizabeth Taylor to Ellen Barkin is thrilled to meet Al. Monday, Sept. 5, 2011 My ride to Venice is now going home via Geneva and Moscow without me. Literary agent Lynn Nesbit and | go the premiere of Focus Feature's/John le Carre's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. English producer Tim Bevans, Swedish director Tomas Alfredson and John le Carre with their cast Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, John Hurt, Mark Strong and newcomer Benedict Cumberbatch, get standing ovations before and after the film from the spotlighted balcony. Missing is Tom Hardy, this year's hottest young actor. HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_012745