DAY 4: Malls, Zoos, & People Too

I am intimidated by snow. When I woke up this morning, I looked out the window to see if it was still there. Of course it's still there! And it's waiting for you to move your car. I also came up with a game called "What Footprints Are Those?"

This morning I met with the publisher of the Duluth News Tribune, Ken Browall, to talk about filming there for the office scenes. He is disgustingly nice and showed me around the tribune offices, even offering his own office. It's a great space and will work well for my purposes. Ken also happens to be the upcoming chair of the Duluth Chamber of Commerce. I asked Ken if he hated the title of the film. He replied "not at all" and was happy for any attention the town received. Later in the day, I got an email from a local restaurant that is interested in being the backdrop for the date scene. I visit with them tomorrow.

Comments continue to pour on the "Vincent Gargiulo Is Horrible" piece. It's odd sitting at home casually drinking tea & eating a banana, reading people talk about you. I feel terribly ordinary and undeserving of such attention, still getting used to my role in the spotlight. Adam Carr, the author of the piece, reached out to me and said it was supposed to be in jest. I said it's all good and let's be friends, though the temptation was certainly there for both of us to keep on an online feud. You know, just for the fans.

Today has been my busiest day yet. I traveled around doing location scouts & getting errands done. The guy at the UPS Store on Kenwood was quite pleasant & helpful. EVERYBODY HERE is quite pleasant & helpful. And they're genuine about it too which makes it worse. I went to the mall to take pictures of the food court (yes, there's a scene there). The parking lot at Miller Hill Mall IS horrible. It is disgusting with mud, snow, & bad parking everywhere. Being a connoisseur of malls, I found it about average. I also saw stores like Shopko & Younkers? That's a 50s puppet show right?

Until Jan. 31, zoo admission is two dollars cheaper so I ventured over to the zoo for a scout. I was alone. Just me & the animals. And they were all very social, as if they were saying "You are the first person we've seen in weeks. Play with us. Please!!" Well, except the Burrowing Owl, who got off his ledge and came right up to the window to hiss at me. Loosely translated I think he said "You fuck my wife? You fuck my wife!!??" It's a nice zoo. A little sparse. But there are parts that are achingly gorgeous in terms of landscaping. I really enjoyed the nocturnal indoor sections too. I also never knew cougars made a little bark sound. That impressed me so much that I gave the cougar a role in the film.

I ended the night meeting new people. I did a special timed audition with Meghan & Bryan, an actual couple trying for, get this, an actual couple. Not too shabby. The auditions proper begin tomorrow until late Thursday. Regardless of their possible appearance in the film, Meghan & Bryan were very friendly folk that I could spend a while talking to. That said, they were unable to tell me what the mysterious channel 117 is on my television that seems to just show somebody's heart rate. After that, I met up with a young actor named Deven at Blackwater Martini Lounge. He found me on Facebook weeks prior and invited me out for a drink and socialization. He's a good drinking buddy. My Duluth celebrity also hit me as I casually mentioned to the bartender that I'm hated in town. Instantly, she replied "Oh are you that filmmaker making that movie?" Long story short, the bartender might appear in the film in a cameo, either next to a statue or jumping on a trampoline.

What a day. I'm still in west coast time and got up at 7:15, which means I really got up at 5:15. Time for bed and the first round of auditions tomorrow.

DAY 3: Vincent Gargiulo Is Horrible

Late last night, I was surfing the web getting ready to fall asleep and made the fatal error to visit the Perfect Duluth Day blog. This is the same place that broke my Kickstarter story and caused the initial uproar. To my surprise, there on the front page was a seemingly anger-fueled parody of my project called "Vincent Gargiulo Is Horrible" I immediately found this hilarious. Not that it's particularly funny, but that this amount of hatred existed. I then got slightly concerned when I saw who wrote the piece.

His name is Adam Carr and he did a similiar project last year, writing a blog called "January in Duluth." I'd actually already been looking at it. Mr. Carr contacted me on Saturday saying he was in town until Monday afternoon and if I wanted to get together to chat. He was extremely cordial in the email and had "no agenda." I was traveling and sick and in that short amount of time replied that it wasn't to be but I wished him best in his adventures.

Perhaps he's doing just a slight ribbing and certainly, I can take a joke about myself. In fact, I left a comment that I was looking forward to auditioning. But his piece seems to be coming from a different place. It's like if I made the film with a different name and then changed it later to "Duluth Is Horrible." His piece feels passive agressive and backstabbing. I apologize for not getting coffee with you. Though now I'm convinced you might of poured a latte on my crotch. Mr. Carr, I challenge you to "March in Stockton." I pick the streets.

Meanwhile, my sickness is nearly out and with that, I decided to get out and walk around. Armed with a Canon 5D Mark II, I took photos of the neighborhood. I never really been in snow. I giggled like a small child as I built a small snowman & stepped into unexpected deep pockets of snow. It was all lovely. Do I feel guilty for calling it horrible? No.

Today was also spent contacting local restaurants to see if I could film there. While there are many possibilities, nobody is willing so far. Come on JJ Astor. You follow me on Twitter for Christs sake! On the other hand, I have an appointment tomorrow morning with the Duluth News Tribune to look at their space for the office scene. I hope it'll work.

I need to pick up some mace too tomorrow.